Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural model for size selectivity in glomerular filtration

Edwards, Aurélie, Barbara S. Daniels, and William M. Deen. Ultrastructural model for size selectivity in glomerular filtration. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Renal Physiol. 45): F892– F902, 1999. —A theoretical model was developed to relate the size selectivity of the glomerular barrier to the structural characteristics of the individual layers of the capillary wall. Thicknesses and other linear dimensions were evaluated, where possible, from previous electron microscopic studies. The glomerular basement membrane (GBM) was represented as a homogeneous material characterized by a Darcy permeability and by size-dependent hindrance coefficients for diffusion and convection, respectively; those coefficients were estimated from recent data obtained with isolated rat GBM. The filtration slit diaphragm was modeled as a single row of cylindrical fibers of equal radius but nonuniform spacing. The resistances of the remainder of the slit channel, and of the endothelial fenestrae, to macromolecule movement were calculated to be negligible. The slit diaphragm was found to be the most restrictive part of the barrier. Because of that, macromolecule concentrations in the GBM increased, rather than decreased, in the direction of flow. Thus the overall sieving coefficient (ratio of Bowman’s space concentration to that in plasma) was predicted to be larger for the intact capillary wall than for a hypothetical structure with no GBM. In other words, because the slit diaphragm and GBM do not act independently, the overall sieving coefficient is not simply the product of those for GBM alone and the slit diaphragm alone. Whereas the calculated sieving coefficients were sensitive to the structural features of the slit diaphragm and to the GBM hindrance coefficients, variations in GBM thickness or filtration slit frequency were predicted to have little effect. The ability of the ultrastructural model to represent fractional clearance data in vivo was at least equal to that of conventional pore models with the same number of adjustable parameters. The main strength of the present approach, however, is that it provides a framework for relating structural findings to the size selectivity of the glomerular barrier.
Progression of ulcerative proctosigmoiditis: incidence and factors influencing progression

Objective: To assess the changing distribution of disease within the large bowel in patients presenting with ulcerative proctitis or proctosigmoiditis. To evaluate the influence of clinical exacerbations, smoking, parity and family history in disease extension. Design: Retrospective single-centre study in a university hospital. Methods: Case records of patients presenting over a 40-year period were examined to evaluate the clinical course and disease distribution from initial presentation to final follow-up. For each patient whose disease extended to the more proximal colon, an age- and sex-matched control patient was identified whose disease remained confined to the original site. Patients completed a questionnaire to provide information on family history, smoking and parity. The differences in clinical exacerbations, family history, smoking and parity were then compared between the two groups. Results: Among 145 patients presenting with proctitis or proctosigmoiditis followed prospectively for a median period of 10.9 years, the disease extended in 53 patients. Using actuarial methods the disease progressed beyond the rectosigmoid area in 16% of patients at 5 years and 31% at 10 years. Among the patients whose disease progressed, progression was preceded in 68% of cases by a clinical exacerbation of the colitis. When patients whose disease progressed were compared with those whose disease remained confined to the original site, no differences were detected in the number of clinical exacerbations, smoking habit, family history or parity. Conclusions: The factors that are associated with the extension of colitis are probably different from those that predisposed an individual to develop inflammatory bowel disease initially.
Role of Clonidine as adjuvant to intrathecal bupivacaine in patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery: A randomized control study

Background: Neuraxial anesthesia greatly expands the anesthesiologist armamentarium, providing alternatives to general anesthesia, especially in the lower abdominal surgeries. Clonidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, has a variety of actions, including potentiation of effects of local anesthetics. This study was undertaken to assess the degree of sensory and motor block and postoperative analgesia provided by low dose (50 mcg) intrathecal clonidine admixed with bupivacaine. Aims: The aim of this study is to establish efficacy and safety of intrathecal clonidine as adjuvant to bupivacaine. Settings and Design: The type of the study was double-blind randomized trial. Materials and Methods: Hundred patients were randomly allocated in two groups, A and B. Group A received bupivacaine 0.5%, 3 ml with placebo (normal saline 0.33 ml) and Group B, bupivacaine 0.5%, 3 ml with clonidine 50 μg (0.33 ml). Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 15.0 statistical analysis software. Results: Mean duration of motor block was significantly higher in Group B (280.80 ± 66.88 min) as compared with Group A (183.60 ± 77.06 min). Significant difference in duration of sensory block was noted between Group B (295.20 ± 81.17 min) and Group A (190.80 ± 86.94 min). Duration of postoperative analgesia was significantly higher in Group B as compared to Group A (551.06 ± 133.64 min and 254.80 ± 84.19 min respectively). Mean visual analog scale scores at different time intervals were significantly lower in the study group (except for 4-h time interval), but the control group had better hemodynamic stability as compared with study group. Conclusion: The findings in this study suggested that use of clonidine 50 μg added to bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia effectively increased the duration of sensory block, duration of motor block, and duration of analgesia.
Primary stenting in acute myocardial infarction: the promise and the proof.

With the demonstration that the timely administration of thrombolytic therapy after coronary arterial occlusion results in myocardial salvage and improved survival, the treatment of patients with evolving AMI has forever been changed. To overcome the inherent limitations of thrombolytic therapy (TIMI 3 flow rates of ≈55% at best, and rare but unavoidable life-threatening or incapacitating hemorrhagic complications), mechanical reperfusion by balloon angioplasty without antecedent thrombolysis (primary PTCA) has been adopted at many centers. Ten prospective, randomized trials comparing primary PTCA and lytic therapy in 2606 patients have now been performed and examined in a recent meta-analysis by Weaver et al,1 demonstrating that compared with thrombolytic therapy, primary PTCA results in reduced rates of mortality, reinfarction, and stroke. Other randomized trials2 3 have shown that primary PTCA, by reducing early and late recurrent ischemic events and facilitating earlier discharge, is as or more cost-effective than thrombolysis. Despite these attributes, balloon-induced medial disruption and platelet activation result in recurrent ischemia in 10% to 15% of patients treated with primary PTCA before hospital discharge, including reinfarction in 3% to 5% of patients.4 Although improvements in operator technique, exclusive use of ionic contrast, and attention to anticoagulation status can minimize these complications,5 the significant residual stenosis remaining in many patients after balloon angioplasty, in concert with intimal hyperplasia, unopposed vessel recoil, and late remodeling, results in angiographic restenosis in 30% to 50% of infarct vessels within 6 months.4 As a result, ≈20% of patients after primary PTCA require TVR with repeat angioplasty or bypass surgery during this time period.4 Furthermore, not all operators have been able to achieve optimal results of primary PTCA at their institutions. With the demonstration that the implantation of balloon-expandable slotted-tube stents can reduce clinical and angiographic restenosis compared with PTCA in patients undergoing …
Rebuttal from L. F. Barros and B. Weber

Bak and Walls (2018) chose two specific aspects of brain metabolism: the usage of glucose by neurons and the differential expression of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoforms. We do not have strong objections to their more general claims. The astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) – right from the get-go – has not disputed neuronal glucose metabolism. We concur with our colleagues in that neurons have glucose transporters and that they metabolise glucose, as shown in NMDA-stimulated neurons in culture (Bak et al. 2009), and as reported by many others in diverse preparations. It is also well established that neurons have a conspicuously active Ca2+-dependent malate–aspartate shuttle (Llorente-Folch et al. 2013), and are therefore well equipped to metabolise glucose and lactate at the same time during activity. The critical question about neuronal glucose consumption is not qualitative but quantitative. What we do not agree with is that there is preferential consumption of glucose by neurons as concluded by Patel et al. (2014) and Lundgaard et al. (2015). In our opinion, these two studies should be interpreted with caution for technical reasons that were advanced in our CrossTalk article. We also agree with Bak and Walls (2018) in that differential expressions of MCTs and LDH in neurons and astrocytes do not demonstrate vectorial flux because the direction of flux is not governed by kinetics but by gradients. Indeed, compelling support for ANLS comes from the finding of steep astrocyte-to-neuron gradients for lactate in the somatosensory cortex of anaesthetised mice (Machler et al. 2016), and for NADH/NAD+ in mouse hippocampal slices (Mongeon et al. 2016), the latter likely to remain steep during neuronal activity (Diaz-Garcia et al. 2017). In addition to these gradients the astrocytic membrane potential acts as a driving force, which extrudes lactate through ion channels (Sotelo-Hitschfeld et al. 2015; Karagiannis et al. 2016). Thus, the consumption of astrocytic lactate by neurons is not only favoured kinetically but also thermodynamically. Beyond doubt anaesthesia affects metabolism, a caveat that also applies to nonphysiological conditions prevalent during cell culture and tissue culture work. For these reasons, no single piece of data may be taken as definitive proof of ANLS. And it is true that many experimental findings should be replicated in awake behaving animals. What presently makes ANLS a strong hypothesis is the convergence of experimental evidence acquired by many groups using various models under diverse experimental conditions.
Diversity and Abundance of Ice Nucleating Strains of Pseudomonas syringae in a Freshwater Lake in Virginia, USA

The bacterium Pseudomonas syringae is found in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Some strains of P. syringae express an ice nucleation protein (hereafter referred to as Ice+) allowing them to catalyze the heterogeneous freezing of water. Though P. syringae has been sampled intensively from freshwater sources in France, little is known about the genetic diversity of P. syringae in natural aquatic habitats in North America. We collected samples of freshwater from three different depths in Claytor Lake, Virginia, USA between November 2015 and June 2016. Samples were plated on non-selective medium (TSA) and on medium selective for Pseudomonas (KBC) and closely related species to estimate the total number of culturable bacteria and of Pseudomonas, respectively. A droplet freezing assay was used to screen colonies for the Ice+ phenotype. Ice+ colonies were then molecularly identified based on the cts (citrate synthase) gene and the 16S rDNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis of cts sequences showed a surprising diversity of phylogenetic subgroups of P. syringae. Frequencies of Ice+ isolates on P. syringae selective medium ranged from 0 to 15% per sample with the highest frequency being found in spring. Our work shows that freshwater lakes can be a significant reservoir of Ice+ P. syringae. Future work is needed to determine the contribution of P. syringae from freshwater lakes to the P. syringae populations present in the atmosphere and on plants and, in particular, if freshwater lakes could be an inoculum source of P. syringae-caused plant disease outbreaks.
A sparing procedure to clear the mouse mammary fat pad of epithelial components for transplantation analysis

Summary Transplantation of epithelial cells into cleared fat pads is a widely used technique in the study of mammary gland biology. It was first described in 1959 and has remained a valuable technique, most recently in conjunction with the analysis of mammary anlagen from knockout mice with an embryonic lethal phenotype or reproductive defect, and for mammary epithelial stem-cell assays or analysis of precancerous cells. Mammary glands, unlike most other organs, mainly develop postnatally. When the small amount of endogenous epithelium present in the fat pad of a prepubertal mouse is removed, this clearance leaves a natural microenvironment that can be repopulated with exogenously supplied epithelial cells. Cells with the appropriate developmental potential (stem cells or progenitor cells) can regenerate the epithelial portion of the mammary gland after puberty and pregnancy. The conventional clearance of the fat pad is an involved surgical procedure. We have improved the technique and minimized surgery and recovery time, while maintaining an efficient removal of endogenous epithelium from the mammary fat pad.
Multiple neural states of representation in short-term memory? It’s a matter of attention

Short-term memory (STM) refers to the capacity-limited retention of information over a brief period of time, and working memory (WM) refers to the manipulation and use of that information to guide behavior. In recent years it has become apparent that STM and WM interact and overlap with other cognitive processes, including attention (the selection of a subset of information for further processing) and long-term memory (LTM—the encoding and retention of an effectively unlimited amount of information for a much longer period of time). Broadly speaking, there have been two classes of memory models: systems models, which posit distinct stores for STM and LTM (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968; Baddeley and Hitch, 1974); and state-based models, which posit a common store with different activation states corresponding to STM and LTM (Cowan, 1995; McElree, 1996; Oberauer, 2002). In this paper, we will focus on state-based accounts of STM. First, we will consider several theoretical models that postulate, based on considerable behavioral evidence, that information in STM can exist in multiple representational states. We will then consider how neural data from recent studies of STM can inform and constrain these theoretical models. In the process we will highlight the inferential advantage of multivariate, information-based analyses of neuroimaging data (fMRI and electroencephalography (EEG)) over conventional activation-based analysis approaches (Postle, in press). We will conclude by addressing lingering questions regarding the fractionation of STM, highlighting differences between the attention to information vs. the retention of information during brief memory delays.
A 20-year perspective on the changing use of hand over mouth (HOM) and restraint in postdoctoral pediatric dental education.

PURPOSE This study assessed the current teaching and utilization of the hand over mouth technique in advanced educational programs in pediatric dentistry and compared these results to previous surveys. METHODS A survey, identical to those used in 1979 and 1989, was sent to pediatric dentistry program directors. Descriptive and comparative statistics evaluated the use of HOM, HOMAR, and restraint. Additionally, changing patterns of responses for programs and directors that responded to both the 1989 and 1999 surveys were assessed. RESULTS Eighty-seven percent of directors returned surveys. There was a significant decrease in the number of programs utilizing the HOM technique in the past 10 years (P< 0.0001). Among respondents that returned surveys in 1989 and 1999, 50% of the previous HOM users discontinued its use (P<0.03). Technique non-users were significantly less likely to describe the technique consistent with AAPD guidelines (P<O.0001). Although the 1989 respondents expressed significantly decreased certainty that restraint techniques were free of psychological sequealae compared to 1979 respondents, the continuing decreasing trend observed between the 1989 and 1999 groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS With continuing uncertainty regarding psychological sequealae associated with HOM, there was a significant decrease in the number of programs advocating its use.
Factors influencing compliance to the infection control precautions among nurses and physicians in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

Background: Adherence to infection control precautions (ICP) is important to reduce the transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Aims: To determine nurses and physician’s knowledge, attitude and compliance to ICPs and factors associated with reported compliance. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of nurses and physicians recruited from three hospitals at three different healthcare sectors in Jordan. Three instruments were used to assess knowledge, attitudes and compliance to ICPs. Findings: A total of 211 professionals completed the survey: 155 nurses and 56 physicians. Both groups had low knowledge scores for ICP but a high positive attitude. Although both groups had high reported compliance scores, nurses scores were higher (P = 0.04). Participants from the private hospital had higher knowledge and compliance scores. Length of experience, knowledge and attitude were significant predictors of reported compliance to ICPs. Discussion: Despite poor knowledge, Jordanian healthcare professionals reported high scores for positive attitudes and compliance with IPCs. Clinical training programmes are required to enhance knowledge and understanding of IPCs.
When person‐organization (mis)fit and (dis)satisfaction lead to turnover

Purpose – The present study examined the relationships between P‐O fit, job satisfaction, perceived job mobility, and intent to turnover. It was hypothesized that job satisfaction mediated the P‐O fit‐intent to turnover relationship and that perceived job mobility moderated the job satisfaction‐intent to turnover relationship such that the combined effect of high job dissatisfaction and high perceived job mobility predicted intent to turnover.Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained utilizing a field survey from a sample of 205 full‐time employed adults working in two geographic regions in the USA. Participants completed an HTML‐based web survey that contained measures of the constructs of interest to this study.Findings – Mediated and moderated regression analyses revealed statistical support for the hypothesized relationships, which were interpreted as evidence that P‐O misfit and job dissatisfaction do not necessarily lead to intent to turnover.Research limitations/implications – The potential .
Noncommutative vortex solitons

We consider the noncommutative Abelian-Higgs theory and investigate general static vortex configurations including recently found exact multivortex solutions. In particular, we prove that the self-dual Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) solutions cease to exist once the noncommutativity scale exceeds a critical value. We then study the fluctuation spectra about the static configuration and show that the exact non-BPS solutions are unstable below the critical value. We have identified the tachyonic degrees as well as massless moduli degrees. We then discuss the physical meaning of the moduli degrees and construct exact time-dependent vortex configurations where each vortex moves independently. We finally give the moduli description of the vortices and show that the matrix nature of moduli coordinates naturally emerges.
A Computer-Controlled SEM-EDX Routine for Characterizing Respirable Coal Mine Dust

A recent resurgence in coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (or “black lung”) and concerns over other related respiratory illnesses have highlighted the need to elucidate characteristics of airborne particulates in occupational environments. A better understanding of particle size, aspect ratio, or chemical composition may offer new insights regarding causal factors of such illnesses. Scanning electron microscopy analysis using energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) can be used to estimate these particle characteristics. If conducted manually, such work can be very time intensive, limiting the number of particles that can be analyzed. Moreover, potential exists for user bias in interpretation of EDX spectra. A computer-controlled (CC) routine, on the other hand, can allow similar analysis at a much faster rate, increasing total particle counts and reproducibility of results. This paper describes a CCSEM-EDX routine specifically developed for analysis of respirable dust samples from coal mines. The routine is verified based on reliability of results obtained on samples of known materials, and reproducibility of results obtained on a set of 10 dust samples collected in the field. The characteristics of the field samples are also discussed with respect to mine occupational environments.
The differences in heat stress resistance due to dairy cattle breed

Considering the rapid climate changes worldwide, with the purpose to reduce financial losses for dairy farmers and enable a more sustainable farming as well, there is an increasing necessity to implement breeding values for heat resistance in breeding strategies. The estimation of breeding values requires a determination of temperature-humidity index (THI) threshold value. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the temperature-humidity index (THI) threshold values for daily milk yield, daily fat and protein content of milk produced by Holsteins and dairy Simmentals in Croatian farms. With that purpose, 1.070,554 test-day records from 70.135 Holsteins reared on 5.679 farms and 1.300,683 test-day records from 86.013 Simmentals reared on 8.827 farms in Croatia were compared to records of ambient temperature and relative humidity collected in the barn, during regular milking recordings from January 2005 to December 2012. Accordingly the following conclusions could be drawn: threshold values for daily milk yield were highly dependant on the parity and breed (Holsteins: 68, 69 and 72 for 1st, 2nd, 3+ parity; Simmentals: 77 for 1st); daily fat and protein contents showed a highly significant decrease due to heat stress condition (THI in 66-80) in both, Holstein and Simmental cows, and in all parity classes; multiparous cows were more resistant to heat stress than primiparous; Simmental cows were more resistant to heat stress than Holsteins.
Free energy-based reinforcement learning using a quantum processor

Recent theoretical and experimental results suggest the possibility of using current and near-future quantum hardware in challenging sampling tasks. In this paper, we introduce free energy-based reinforcement learning (FERL) as an application of quantum hardware. We propose a method for processing a quantum annealer's measured qubit spin configurations in approximating the free energy of a quantum Boltzmann machine (QBM). We then apply this method to perform reinforcement learning on the grid-world problem using the D-Wave 2000Q quantum annealer. The experimental results show that our technique is a promising method for harnessing the power of quantum sampling in reinforcement learning tasks.