Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single dose parecoxib significantly improves ventilatory function in early extubation coronary artery bypass surgery: a prospective randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Parecoxib, a cyclo oxygenase-2 inhibiting non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been widely used for postoperative analgesia. Our aim was to quantify the benefit of a single dose after coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS The investigation was carried out as a randomized double blind placebo controlled study. A single i.v. dose of parecoxib 40 mg or placebo was given at closure of sternotomy. No opioid other than morphine was given in the first 24 postoperative hours. Pain was assessed using both a Visual Analogue Score (1-10), and the amount of morphine used via a morphine patient controlled analgesia pump. Creatinine clearance was measured before and after operation from 24 h urine collections. After a global announcement by Pfizer that paracoxib was 'contraindicated in patients with ischaemic heart disease' further recruitment was suspended and the collected data from 40 patients were analysed. RESULTS Twenty-one patients received parecoxib and 19 received placebo. Amongst those who received parecoxib, there was a highly significant sparing of rescue medication before tracheal extubation (P=0.004) compared with placebo, and an overall 35% morphine sparing effect during the first 6 h post extubation after correction for the variability in extubation time (P=0.037). Respiration, as measured by arterial carbon dioxide tension at the time of extubation, was significantly better in the parecoxib group (P=0.045). Significantly more furosemide was given for postoperative oliguria in those patients who received parecoxib (P=0.036). After correcting for differences in diuretic usage and fluid balance, parecoxib was associated with a significant increase in plasma creatinine (P=0.041). CONCLUSION A single dose of parecoxib has a significant opioid sparing effect in the first 6 h after coronary artery bypass grafting which resulted in significantly improved ventilation with mild elevation of plasma creatinine within normal limits.
In vivo Activation of Wnt Signaling Pathway Enhances Cognitive Function of Adult Mice and Reverses Cognitive Deficits in an Alzheimer's Disease Model

The role of the Wnt signaling pathway during synaptic development has been well established. In the adult brain, different components of Wnt signaling are expressed, but little is known about its role in mature synapses. Emerging in vitro studies have implicated Wnt signaling in synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, activation of Wnt signaling has shown to protect against amyloid-β-induced synaptic impairment. The present study provides the first evidence that in vivo activation of Wnt signaling improves episodic memory, increases excitatory synaptic transmission, and enhances long-term potentiation in adult wild-type mice. Moreover, the activation of Wnt signaling also rescues memory loss and improves synaptic dysfunction in APP/PS1-transgenic mice that model the amyloid pathology of Alzheimer's diseases. These findings indicate that Wnt signaling modulates cognitive function in the adult brain and could be a novel promising target for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
Myasthenia gravis: passive transfer from man to mouse

Daily injections into mice of an ammonium sulfate-precipitated immunoglobulin fraction of serum from patients with myasthenia gravis were carried out for up to 14 days. The mice showed reduced amplitudes of miniature endplate potentials and reduced numbers of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junctions. Some mice showed typical decremental responses on repetitive nerve stimulation, with reversal by neostigmine. This represents the first evidence of a circulating factor in the serum of patients with myasthenia gravis which on passive transfer reproduces features of the disease in experimental animals.
Uniform-Base InP/GaInAsSb DHBTs Exhibiting $f_{\rm MAX}/f_{\rm T}>635/420~{\rm GHz}$

Type-II InP/GaInAsSb-based double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) with fMAX=636 GHz and a simultaneous fT=424 GHz were realized with a 20-nm-thick compositionally uniform quaternary GaInAsSb base and a 125-nm InP collector. The GaInAsSb alloy exhibits superior electron and hole transport properties compared with GaAsSb, resulting in improved device performance. The present transistors offer the highest fMAX to date for GaInAsSb DHBTs and match the highest fMAX of any Sb-based DHBT.
The Perspective Structure of Visual Space

Luneburg’s model has been the reference for experimental studies of visual space for almost seventy years. His claim for a curved visual space has been a source of inspiration for visual scientists as well as philosophers. The conclusion of many experimental studies has been that Luneburg’s model does not describe visual space in various tasks and conditions. Remarkably, no alternative model has been suggested. The current study explores perspective transformations of Euclidean space as a model for visual space. Computations show that the geometry of perspective spaces is considerably different from that of Euclidean space. Collinearity but not parallelism is preserved in perspective space and angles are not invariant under translation and rotation. Similar relationships have shown to be properties of visual space. Alley experiments performed early in the nineteenth century have been instrumental in hypothesizing curved visual spaces. Alleys were computed in perspective space and compared with reconstructed alleys of Blumenfeld. Parallel alleys were accurately described by perspective geometry. Accurate distance alleys were derived from parallel alleys by adjusting the interstimulus distances according to the size-distance invariance hypothesis. Agreement between computed and experimental alleys and accommodation of experimental results that rejected Luneburg’s model show that perspective space is an appropriate model for how we perceive orientations and angles. The model is also appropriate for perceived distance ratios between stimuli but fails to predict perceived distances.
Emerging treatment options in bipolar disorder in adolescents: focus on ziprasidone

Bipolar disorder is a debilitating, and chronic condition in adolescents. The rate of diagnosis and treatment is increasing in adolescents despite considerable controversy regarding criteria for diagnosis. Atypical antipsychotics have been studied extensively for adult and adolescent bipolar disorder. Ziprasidone is an atypical neuroleptic with novel receptor-binding activity and a favorable side effect profile. It has been marketed in the US since 2000, and now has several indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Emerging case reports, open-label studies, and randomized controlled trials suggest that it may have a role in the management of adolescent bipolar disorder. Somnolence, akathisia, tachycardia, and prolonged corrected QT intervals are major safety concerns. There are no definitive guidelines for dosing ziprasidone in adolescents based on current literature. However, optimal treatment may involve dosages near the adult range. Given minimal data and understanding of its effects on cardiac conduction, it might be prudent to obtain electrocardiograms prior to initiation and during treatment. While not a first-line medication choice for adolescents struggling with bipolar disorder, it may be considered in certain situations in which metabolic side effects and weight gain are of concern.
An Expertise Recommender Using Web Mining

In this paper we explore techniques to mine web pages of scientists to extract information regarding their expertise, build expertise chains and referral webs, and semi automatically combine this information with directory information services to create a recommender system (Resnick and Varian 1997) that permits query by expertise. We experimented with some existing techniques that have been reported in research literature in recent past (including our own prior work), and adapted them as needed. We developed software tools to capture and use this information.
The Use of Chlorobenzene as a Probe Molecule in Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We map ligand binding sites on protein surfaces in molecular dynamics simulations using chlorobenzene as a probe molecule. The method was validated on four proteins. Two types of affinity maps that identified halogen and hydrophobic binding sites on proteins were obtained. Our method could prove useful for the discovery and development of halogenated inhibitors.
The differentiation of iconic and metaphoric gestures: Common and unique integration processes

Recent research on the neural integration of speech and gesture has examined either gesture in the context of concrete [iconic (IC) gestures] or abstract sentence content [metaphoric (MP) gestures]. However, there has not yet been a direct comparison of the processing of both gesture types. This study tested the theory that left posterior temporal and inferior frontal brain regions are each uniquely involved in the integration of IC and MP gestures. During fMRI‐data acquisition, participants were shown videos of an actor performing IC and MP gestures and associated sentences. An isolated gesture (G) and isolated sentence condition (S) were included to separate unimodal from bimodal effects at the neural level. During IC conditions, we found increased activity in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus and its right hemispheric homologue. The same regions in addition to the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were activated during MP conditions in contrast to the isolated conditions (G&S). These findings support the hypothesis that there are distinct integration processes for IC and MP gestures. In line with recent claims of the semantic unification theory, there seems to be a division between perceptual‐matching processes within the posterior temporal lobe and higher‐order relational processes within the IFG. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reverse Engineering of XML Schemas to Conceptual Diagrams

It is frequent in practice that different logical XML schemas representing the same reality from different viewpoints exist. There is also usually a conceptual diagram modeling the reality independently of the viewpoints. It is important to keep the XML schemas and conceptual diagram consistent as they are both utilized for different purposes. In practice, this is however rarely the case. In this paper, we propose a reverse engineering method as a solution to this problem. We provide a semi-automatic algorithm that produces mappings of components of the XML schemas to components of the conceptual diagram. The method only provides suggestions for the mapping and manual participation of a domain expert is therefore required.
The influence of surface roughness on friction in a flexible hybrid bearing

The effect of surface roughness on friction in all lubrication regimes is studied for a flexible hybrid bearing of a radial piston hydraulic motor. The effect is studied by performing experiments in a specially designed test rig and numerical simulations of the real measured surface topographies of the bearings. The simulations are performed with a two-scale model where surface roughness is treated on a local asperity level by homogenized flow factors and a global scale where the bearing structure is included. Three bearings with different surface topographies are included in the study and both experimentally measured and simulated friction are analysed for each of them. Comparison of friction predicted by the model and experimentally measured friction is performed and it reveals that the model is a valuable tool for analysing the effect of surface roughness in this type of bearing.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Comprehensive Review of Biomarkers, Clinical Aspects, and Therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cause of several deaths related to cancer worldwidely. In early stage, curative treatments such as surgical resection, liver transplant and local ablation can improve the patient ´s survival. However, the disease is detected in advanced stage; moreover some available therapies are restricted to palliative care and local treatment. Early detections of HCC and adequate therapy are crucial to increase survival as well as to improve the patient´s quality of life. Therefore, researchers have been investigating molecular biomarkers with high sensibility and reliability as Golgi 73 protein (GP73), Glypican-3 (GPC3), Osteopontin (OPN), microRNAs and others. MicroRNAs can regulate important pathways on carcinogenesis, as tumor angiogenesis and progression. So, they can be considered as possible markers of prognosis in HCC, and therapeutic target for this tumor type. In this review, we discuss the recent advances related to the cause (highlighting the main risk factors), treatment, biomarkers, clinic aspects, and outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Left planum temporale surface correlates with functional dominance during story listening*

THE relationship between anatomical asymmetry of the planum temporale (PT) and functional lateralization for language comprehension was studied in 14 normal volunteers, including five left-handers (LH). PT surfaces and asymmetry were measured in each subject using structural MRI, while functional lateralization was assessed on individual regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) difference images of a PET-H215O activation protocol in which a story listening condition was contrasted with a control state. Significant positive correlations were found between the left PT surface and the amount of NrCBF increase during the story listening in the left superior temporal gyrus as well as with the left-right activation index in the superior temporal and the temporal pole. Functional imaging data were correlated neither with the right PT surface nor with the right–left PT surface asymmetry index. However the latter index was correlated with handedness scores. The present results indicate that the size of the left PT is the relevant anatomical landmark for language dominance, and demonstrate that anatomical asymmetries are part of the functional variability for language.
Cone photoreceptor definition on adaptive optics retinal imaging

Aims To quantitatively analyse cone photoreceptor matrices on images captured on an adaptive optics (AO) camera and assess their correlation to well-established parameters in the retinal histology literature. Methods High resolution retinal images were acquired from 10 healthy subjects, aged 20–35 years old, using an AO camera (rtx1, Imagine Eyes, France). Left eye images were captured at 5° of retinal eccentricity, temporal to the fovea for consistency. In three subjects, images were also acquired at 0, 2, 3, 5 and 7° retinal eccentricities. Cone photoreceptor density was calculated following manual and automated counting. Inter-photoreceptor distance was also calculated. Voronoi domain and power spectrum analyses were performed for all images. Results At 5° eccentricity, the cone density (cones/mm2 mean±SD) was 15.3±1.4×103 (automated) and 13.9±1.0×103 (manual) and the mean inter-photoreceptor distance was 8.6±0.4 μm. Cone density decreased and inter-photoreceptor distance increased with increasing retinal eccentricity from 2 to 7°. A regular hexagonal cone photoreceptor mosaic pattern was seen at 2, 3 and 5° of retinal eccentricity. Conclusions Imaging data acquired from the AO camera match cone density, intercone distance and show the known features of cone photoreceptor distribution in the pericentral retina as reported by histology, namely, decreasing density values from 2 to 7° of eccentricity and the hexagonal packing arrangement. This confirms that AO flood imaging provides reliable estimates of pericentral cone photoreceptor distribution in normal subjects.
Modeling the Etching Rate and Uniformity of Plasma-Aided Manufacturing Using Statistical Experimental Design

The response characteristics of an O2/CF4-based plasma process used to desmear and etch back multi-layer rigid-flex printed circuit board were examined using a two-level fractional factorial experimental design. The effects of variation in RF power, temperature, gas proportion and gas flow (CF4 and O2) on several output variables, including etch rate, process uniformity and selectivity were investigated. The screening factorial experiment was designed to isolate the most significant input parameters. In the experiments conducted, increases in the etching rate generally corresponded to decreases in uniformity. Etch uniformity was strongly dependent on temperature and gas proportion. The relative significance of polymer deposition and ion bombardment was separated. Using this information as a platform from which to proceed, the subsequent phase of the experiment developed empirical models of etch behavior using response surface 3-D plots. The models were subsequently used to optimize the etching process.
Bipotent Cortical Progenitor Cells Process Conflicting Cues for Neurons and Glia in a Hierarchical Manner

Neurons and glia of the cerebral cortex are thought to arise from a common, multipotent progenitor cell that is instructed toward alternate fates by extracellular cues. How do these cells behave when confronted with conflicting cues? We show here that nestin-positive neuroepithelial (NE) cells from embryonic day 14 rat cortex coexpress surface receptor proteins for ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Both sets of these receptor proteins are functional in NE cells, as shown by ligand-dependent activation of downstream signal-generating proteins. Transient (30′) exposure to CNTF instructs NE cells toward an astrocyte fate. Brief exposure to PDGF initiates neuronal differentiation. However, when challenged with conflicting cues, PDGF is dominant to CNTF. Moreover, CNTF-treated NE cells can be “redirected” by a subsequent exposure to PDGF to form neurons instead of astrocytes, whereas the converse is not true. The asymmetric relationship between CNTF and PDGF indicates that these two growth factors act on a common progenitor cell that has, at a minimum, two fates available to it rather than separate populations of precommitted neuroblasts and astroblasts. This bipotent progenitor cell processes conflicting cues for neurons and glia in a hierarchical manner.
A new multilayered nanostructured composite material produced by assembling SMA-treated thin plates

Surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) can produce a nanometer-grained surface layer without porosity and contamination on a bulk stainless steel. The nanostructured layer has high strength that contributes to an overall increase in the mechanical properties of the nanostructured sample. In this study, a new nanostructured composite was developed by assembling three SMA-treated thin plates. An FEM model based on nanoindentation data was established to simulate the stress-strain relationship. The simulation and the experimental tension curve correspond well. Moire interferometry was used to observe the tensile behavior of the new composite in real time. A tension test conducted on a specimen consisting of three 500 mum thick SMA-treated sheets showed that the yield stress is much higher than that of a bulk-treated sample of the same total thickness. Based on these results, the new multilayer composite would seem to be a promising structural material due to its high strength/weight ratio.
Mortality among residents of shelters, rooming houses, and hotels in Canada: 11 year follow-up study

Objective To examine mortality in a representative nationwide sample of homeless and marginally housed people living in shelters, rooming houses, and hotels. Design Follow-up study. Setting Canada 1991-2001. Participants 15 100 homeless and marginally housed people enumerated in 1991 census. Main outcome measures Age specific and age standardised mortality rates, remaining life expectancies at age 25, and probabilities of survival from age 25 to 75. Data were compared with data from the poorest and richest income fifths as well as with data for the entire cohort Results Of the homeless and marginally housed people, 3280 died. Mortality rates among these people were substantially higher than rates in the poorest income fifth, with the highest rate ratios seen at younger ages. Among those who were homeless or marginally housed, the probability of survival to age 75 was 32% (95% confidence interval 30% to 34%) in men and 60% (56% to 63%) in women. Remaining life expectancy at age 25 was 42 years (42 to 43) and 52 years (50 to 53), respectively. Compared with the entire cohort, mortality rate ratios for men and women, respectively, were 11.5 (8.8 to 15.0) and 9.2 (5.5 to 15.2) for drug related deaths, 6.4 (5.3 to 7.7) and 8.2 (5.0 to 13.4) for alcohol related deaths, 4.8 (3.9 to 5.9) and 3.8 (2.7 to 5.4) for mental disorders, and 2.3 (1.8 to 3.1) and 5.6 (3.2 to 9.6) for suicide. For both sexes, the largest differences in mortality rates were for smoking related diseases, ischaemic heart disease, and respiratory diseases. Conclusions Living in shelters, rooming houses, and hotels is associated with much higher mortality than expected on the basis of low income alone. Reducing the excessively high rates of premature mortality in this population would require interventions to address deaths related to smoking, alcohol, and drugs, and mental disorders and suicide, among other causes.
Influence of Parameter Selection in Fixed Sample Entropy of Surface Diaphragm Electromyography for Estimating Respiratory Activity

Fixed sample entropy (fSampEn) is a robust technique that allows the evaluation of inspiratory effort in diaphragm electromyography (EMGdi) signals, and has potential utility in sleep studies. To appropriately estimate respiratory effort, fSampEn requires the adjustment of several parameters. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the influence of the embedding dimension m, the tolerance value r, the size of the moving window, and the sampling frequency, and to establish recommendations for estimating the respiratory activity when using the fSampEn on surface EMGdi recorded for different inspiratory efforts. Values of m equal to 1 and r ranging from 0.1 to 0.64, and m equal to 2 and r ranging from 0.13 to 0.45, were found to be suitable for evaluating respiratory activity. fSampEn was less affected by window size than classical amplitude parameters. Finally, variations in sampling frequency could influence fSampEn results. In conclusion, the findings suggest the potential utility of fSampEn for estimating muscle respiratory effort in further sleep studies.