Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen-induced strain localisation in oxygen-free copper in the initial stage of plastic deformation

Abstract Single crystals of oxygen-free copper oriented to easy glide of dislocations were tensile tested in order to study the hydrogen effects on the strain localisation in the form of slip bands appearing on the polished specimen surface under tensile straining. It was found that hydrogen increases the plastic flow stress in Stage I of deformation. The dislocation slip localisation in the form of slip bands was observed and analysed using an online optical monitoring system and atomic force microscopy. The fine structure of the slip bands observed with AFM shows that they consist of a number of dislocation slip offsets which spacing in the presence of hydrogen is markedly reduced as compared to that in the hydrogen-free specimens. The tensile tests and AFM observations were accompanied with positron annihilation lifetime measurements showing that straining of pure copper in the presence of hydrogen results in free volume generation in the form of vacancy complexes. Hydrogen-enhanced free-volume generation is discussed in terms of hydrogen interactions with edge dislocation dipoles forming in double cross-slip of screw dislocations in the initial stage of plastic deformation of pure copper.
Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction after Noncardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review

This article describes a systematic review on the research into postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in noncardiac surgery to ascertain the status of the evidence and to examine the methodologies used in studies. The review demonstrated that in the early weeks after major noncardiac surgery, a significant proportion of people show POCD, with the elderly being more at risk. Minimal evidence was found that patients continue to show POCD up to 6 months and beyond. Studies on regional versus general anesthesia have not found differences in POCD. Many studies were found to be underpowered, and a number of other methodologic difficulties were identified. These include the different types of surgery in studies and variations in the number and range of neuropsychological tests used. A particular issue is the variety of definitions used to classify individuals as having POCD.
Increased prevalence of polyomavirus BK viruria that correlates with thrombocytopenia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus on intensive immunosuppressive therapy

The prevalence of polyomavirus BK (BKV) reactivation is high in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on long-term immunosuppressants compared to normal population. However, only a few studies are available for the possible correlation of BKV reactivation and clinical manifestations in SLE patients. In the present study, we tried to correlate BKV viruria, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and medications in patients with SLE. The urine BKV viral DNA copies were detected from 95 patients with SLE and 32 healthy volunteers by real-time PCR. We found that the prevalence rate of BKV viruria in SLE patients was significantly higher than normal group (71.6% vs. 18.6%, p < 0.001) as well as the urine BKV DNA viral load (4.74 ± 3.17 vs. 1.08 ± 2.33 by log scale, p < 0.001). Interestingly, BKV viruria (+) SLE patients had more thrombocytopenic events than BKV viruria ( − ) group (32.4% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.008 after adjustment by age and sex). The patients with BKV viruria DNA copy number >3,200,000/ml exhibited more thrombocytopenia risk than BKV viruria ≦3,200,000 copy number/ml or BKV viruria ( − ). The use of potent immunosuppressants may increase BKV viruria. In a refractory thrombocytoponeic case, the add-on of anti-BKV medication, leflunomide 20 mg/day rapidly decreased BKV viruria and recovered platelet counts. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that patients with SLE had higher prevalence rate of BKV reactivation that is correlated with thrombocytopenic episode. Intensive immunosuppressive therapy in SLE may increase the risk of BKV viruria.
New Electro-Thermal Battery Pack Model of an Electric Vehicle

Since the evolution of the electric and hybrid vehicle, the analysis of batteries’ characteristics and influence on driving range has become essential. This fact advocates the necessity of accurate simulation modeling for batteries. Different models for the Li-ion battery cell are reviewed in this paper and a group of the highly dynamic models is selected for comparison. A new open circuit voltage (OCV) model is proposed. The new model can simulate the OCV curves of lithium iron magnesium phosphate (LiFeMgPO4) battery type at different temperatures. It also considers both charging and discharging cases. The most remarkable features from different models, in addition to the proposed OCV model, are integrated in a single hybrid electrical model. A lumped thermal model is implemented to simulate the temperature development in the battery cell. The synthesized electro-thermal battery cell model is extended to model a battery pack of an actual electric vehicle. Experimental tests on the battery, as well as drive tests on the vehicle are performed. The proposed model demonstrates a higher modeling accuracy, for the battery pack voltage, than the constituent models under extreme maneuver drive tests.
Therapeutic interventions for chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorders: focus on mortality

Purpose of review Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) encompasses a broad spectrum of abnormalities related to bone and cardiovascular health. Many reports related to therapeutic interventions specifically aimed at these disorders describe an effect only on surrogate outcomes. This review will focus on recent literature pertaining to interventions directed at CKD-MBDs that emphasize the clinical outcome of mortality. Recent findings Higher levels of serum phosphorus (including those within the normal range) and its regulatory hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), are associated with increased mortality in patients with all stages of CKD. Reports investigating specific interventions that affect dietary intake of phosphorus, as well as serum levels of phosphorus, FGF-23, calcium, and parathyroid hormone have recently been published which support the hypothesis that abnormal mineral metabolism is directly linked to increased mortality. Unfortunately, with the exception of altered dialysis prescription, no intervention has been subject to the scrutiny of placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. Summary Observational evidence continues to accumulate relating specific therapeutic interventions to improved survival in patients with kidney disease including phosphate binders, calcimimetics, and altered dietary and dialysis prescription patterns. It is time for randomized clinical trials to definitively establish whether or not interventions directed at CKD-MBD effect improvement in hard clinical outcomes in patients with kidney disease.
Administration of aminoglycosides to hemodialysis patients immediately before dialysis: a new dosing modality

We describe a new modality for administering aminoglycosides to hemodialysis (HD) patients, namely, a modification of the once-daily regimen which consists of administering the aminoglycosides over 60 min by drip infusion just before each HD session, with a preplanned peak concentration being reached at the beginning of the session and then with a rapidly decreasing concentration being achieved by the start of HD. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), i.e., the accumulation of the drug in the body, is thus minimized by this modality. Arbekacin (ABK) was given at a dose of 2 mg/kg of body weight to 10 HD patients infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for 2 weeks (six sessions in total), resulting in the complete disappearance of MRSA in 5 patients. A high rate of elimination of ABK was attained for each patient while the patient was on HD (range, 0.20 to 0.42 h-1; mean 0.28 +/- 0.08 h-1) by using high-performance dialyzers provided with membranes made of either polymethylmethacrylate, cellulose triacetate (CTA), or ethylene vinyl alcohol. The best results were obtained with the CTA membrane, as revealed by the overall mass transfer coefficient (Ko). The AUC in the simulation model for the variation in the serum ABK concentration in this modality was calculated to be 40% of that of the conventional post-HD dosing modality, suggesting that a much higher dose could be administered to HD patients who receive HD thrice weekly (4 h per session), giving, e.g., 4 mg/kg initially and before the HD sessions, when there is an interval of 68 h from HD session to HD session, and giving 2 mg/kg before the other sessions.
The association between primary open-angle glaucoma and fall: an observational study

Purpose Falls are among the most serious public health concerns for the elderly. Information conveyed via the visual sense is relevant to postural balance and movement, and proper visual function is essential to avoid falls. Here we investigated the prevalence of injurious falls among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) who were more than 45 years old, compared with comparably aged healthy subjects. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients who visited the Tanabe Eye Clinic, Yamanashi, Japan between January 1 and March 30, 2009 were screened for eligibility by ophthalmic examination. A total of 117 control subjects (77 men, 40 women; aged 60.2 ± 7.5 years) who were free of ocular disease and 101 POAG patients (58 men, 43 women; aged 62.3 ± 8.7 years) were consecutively enrolled. Participants answered a questionnaire on injurious fall experience during the previous 10 years. The prevalence of injurious fall in subjects with POAG versus healthy controls was examined with Fisher’s exact test. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated with logistic regression models for the subjects with POAG (factors: age, gender, mean deviation in the better eye or worse eye). Results The self-reported prevalence of injurious fall was 0.9% (1/117) in the control group and 6.9% (7/101) in the POAG group. The association between injurious fall and POAG was statistically significant (P = 0.026, Fisher’s exact test). Within the POAG patients, the group reporting falls was significantly older and had a lower BMI, worse BCVA, and worse mean deviation in both the better and worse eye than the group reporting no falls. Worse mean deviation in the eye with the better visual field (odds ratios 0.75; 95% confidence intervals: 0.57 to 0.99; P = 0.036) was a significant risk factor for injurious falls in subjects with POAG. Conclusions POAG was significantly associated with injurious falls.
Concerns on unpredictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of natalizumab

We read with interest the editorials about the case report by Schweikert et al detailing a case of primary central nervous system lymphoma in a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient treated with natalizumab. We agree that to date there is no definite way to predict natalizumab-associated complications. We believe that 2 pharmacokinetic variables contribute to this uncertainty. First, there is great variability in the catabolism of natalizumab. Sheremata et al found negligible ( 0.05 g/ml) serum concentrations of natalizumab 8 weeks after a single natalizumab infusion (3mg/kg) in 28 MS patients. However, Wenning et al successfully treated a MS patient with natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. The reported patient received the last infusion of natalizumab (300mg monthly) on June 6, 2008, but on August 1 (ie, 57 days later) his serum natalizumab levels were 10.8 g/ml. Although long-lasting biological effects of natalizumab are increasingly recognized, this serum level was unexpectedly high, based on previous pharmacokinetics works. At levels 1 g/ml, alpha4-integrin desaturation is generally 50%, discontinuing therapeutic efficacy of natalizumab and making plasmapheresis no longer indicated. Second, alpha4-integrin should not be considered the only potential target for natalizumab, because Labrijn et al have recently shown that natalizumab, a humanized immunoglobulin (Ig)-G4, can engage Fab-arm exchange with endogenous human IgG4 in vivo, 5 leading to changes in pharmacodynamics (bridging different molecules and/or cell types) and pharmacokinetics. These features make the biological effects of natalizumab extremely unpredictable, so that the cause–effect relationships with rare adverse events will likely remain difficult to establish. Measurement of serum levels at the time of diagnosis could partially help clarifying the causal involvement.
Hydroxypropyl chitosan/organic rectorite-based nanofibrous mats with intercalated structure for bacterial inhibition

This paper reported antibacterial hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS)/organic rectorite (OREC)-based nanofibrous mats with intercalated structure fabricated via solution intercalation method and electrospinning. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and inhibition zone surrounding circular mats disks measurement were performed to characterize the morphology, intercalation structure, elements analysis, and the antibacterial properties of the as-spun nanofibrous mats. The results showed that the nanofibrous mats were with better fiber shape with the addition of OREC, the polymer chains were successfully intercalated into the interlayer of OREC, and nanofibrous mats containing HPCS exhibited good antibacterial activities against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the bacterial inhibition ability of the nanofibrous mats was enhanced when OREC was added.
A 2.2GHz sub-sampling PLL with 0.16psrms jitter and −125dBc/Hz in-band phase noise at 700µW loop-components power

A divider-less PLL exploits a phase detector that directly samples the VCO with a reference clock. No VCO sampling buffer is used while dummy samplers keep the VCO spur <−56dBc. A modified inverter with low short-circuit current acts as a power efficient reference clock buffer. The 2.2GHz PLL in 0. 18µm CMOS achieves −125dBc/Hz in-band phase noise with only 700µW loop-components power.
Spatial spread of local field potential is band-pass in the primary visual cortex

Local field potential (LFP) has become a promising candidate for neural prosthesis, but how different frequencies of the LFP spread has not been studied experimentally, with theoretical models predicting either an “all-pass” (all frequencies spread equally) or “low-pass” (lower frequencies spread farther than higher frequencies) behavior. Our findings suggest that the LFP spread is “band-pass,” with frequencies in the high-gamma (60–150 Hz) range spreading significantly more than both lower (20–40 Hz) and higher (>250 Hz) frequencies.
Heavy quark diffusion from the lattice

We study the diffusion of heavy quarks in the quark gluon plasma using the Langevin equations of motion and estimate the contribution of the transport peak to the Euclidean current-current correlator. We show that the Euclidean correlator is remarkably insensitive to the heavy quark diffusion coefficient and give a physical interpretation of this result using the free streaming Boltzmann equation. However if the diffusion coefficient is smaller than {approx}1/({pi}T), as favored by RHIC phenomenology, the transport contribution should be visible in the Euclidean correlator. We outline a procedure to isolate this contribution.
Repetition effects in associative false recognition: Theme-based criterion shifts are the exception, not the rule

Previous reports have demonstrated that false memory for the critical items of associative lists decreases when lists are studied multiple times (Benjamin, 2001). In three experiments, we explored two hypotheses that might account for false memory reductions with repetition. Under an identification hypothesis, repetition decreases false memory because participants realise that critical items are absent from the list at encoding and thus reject them at test. Under a criterion shift hypothesis, repetition decreases false memory because it increases the discriminability of studied words from lures, causing participants to set a higher response criterion for positive recognition responses. Results uniquely supported the criterion shift hypothesis. Furthermore, results showed that participants only changed their criterion on separate recognition tests, not on an item-by-item basis within a single recognition test. The failure to establish separate criteria within a test increased false memory for repeated lists.
Patients’ and Family Members’ Experiences of a Psychoeducational Family Intervention after a First Episode Psychosis: A Qualitative Study

The objective of this study is to explore patients’ and family members’ experiences of the different elements of a psychoeducational family intervention. A qualitative, explorative study was performed based on digitally recorded in-depth interviews with 12 patients and 14 family members. The interview data were transcribed in a slightly modified verbatim mode and analysed using systematic text condensation. Six themes that both patients and family members experienced as important in the family intervention were identified: alliance, support, anxiety and tension, knowledge and learning, time, and structure. A good relationship between the group leaders and participants was essential in preventing dropout. Meeting with other people in the same situation reduced feelings of shame and increased hope for the future. Hearing real life stories was experienced as being more important for gaining new knowledge about psychosis than lectures and workshops. However, many patients experienced anxiety and tension during the meetings. The group format could be demanding for patients immediately after a psychotic episode and for those still struggling with distressing psychotic symptoms. Group leaders need to recognise patients’ levels of anxiety before, and during, the intervention, and consider the different needs of patients and family members in regards to when the intervention starts, the group format, and the patients’ level of psychotic symptoms. The findings in the present study may help to tailor family work to better meet the needs of both patients and family members.
Antioxidant Treatments Recover the Alteration of Auditory‐Evoked Potentials and Reduce Morphological Damage in the Inferior Colliculus after Perinatal Asphyxia in Rat

Maturation of the auditory pathway is dependent on the central nervous system myelination and it can be affected by pathologies such as neonatal hypoxic ischemic (HI) encephalopathy. Our aim was to evaluate the functional integrity of the auditory pathway and to visualize, by histological and cellular methods, the damage to the brainstem using a neonatal rat model of HI brain injury. To carry out this morphofunctional evaluation, we studied the effects of the administration of the antioxidants nicotine, melatonin, resveratrol and docosahexaenoic acid after hypoxia‐ischemia on the inferior colliculus and the auditory pathway. We found that the integrity of the auditory pathway in the brainstem was altered as a consequence of the HI insult. Thus, the auditory brainstem response (ABR) showed increased I–V and III–V wave latencies. At a histological level, HI altered the morphology of the inferior colliculus neurons, astrocytes and oligodendricytes, and at a molecular level, the mitochondria membrane potential and integrity was altered during the first hours after the HI and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity is increased 12 h after the injury in the brainstem. Following antioxidant treatment, ABR interpeak latency intervals were restored and the body and brain weight was recovered as well as the morphology of the inferior colliculus that was similar to the control group. Our results support the hypothesis that antioxidant treatments have a protective effect on the functional changes of the auditory pathway and on the morphological damage which occurs after HI insult.
The HI content of early-type galaxies from the ALFALFA survey I. Catalogued HI sources in the Virgo cluster

Aims. We are using the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey (ALFALFA), which is covering 17% of the sky at 21 cm, to study the HI content of early-type galaxies (ETG) in an unbiased way. The aim is to get an overall picture of the hot, warm and cold ISM of ETG, as a function of galaxy mass and environment, to understand its origin and fate, and to relate it to the formation and evolution history of these objects. Methods. This paper deals with the first part of our study, which is devoted to the 8-16 deg. declination strip in the Virgo cluster. In this sky region, using the Virgo Cluster Catalogue (VCC), we have defined an optical sample of 939 ETG, 457 of which are brighter than the VCC completeness limit at B T = 18.0. We have correlated this optical sample with the catalogue of detected HI sources from ALFALFA. Results. Out of the 389 ETG from the VCC with B T < 18.0, outside the 1 deg. region of poor HI detection around M 87, and corrected for background contamination of VCC galaxies without a known radial velocity, only 9 galaxies (2.3%) are detected in HI with a completeness limit of 3.5 and 7.6 x 10 7 M ⊙ of HI for dwarf and giant ETG, respectively. In addition 4 VCC ETG with fainter magnitudes are also detected. Our HI detection rate is lower than previously claimed. The majority of the detected ETG appear to have peculiar morphology and to be located near the edges of the Virgo cluster. Conclusions. Our preliminary conclusion is that cluster ETG contain very little neutral gas, with the exceptions of a few peculiar dwarf galaxies at the edge of the ETG classification and of very few larger ETG, where the cold gas could have a recent external origin.
A neglected issue in dialysis practice: haemodialysate

The intended function of dialysate fluid is to correct the composition of uraemic blood to physiologic levels, both by reducing the concentration of uraemic toxins and correcting electrolyte and acid–base abnormalities. This is accomplished principally by formulating a dialysate whose constituent concentrations are set to approximate normal values in the body. Sodium balance is the cornerstone of intradialysis cardiovascular stability and good interdialytic blood pressure control; plasma potassium concentration and its intradialytic kinetics certainly play a role in the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias; calcium is related to haemodynamic stability, mineral bone disease and also cardiac arrhythmias; the role of magnesium is still controversial; lastly, acid buffering by means of base supplementation is one of the major roles of dialysis. In conclusion, learning about the art and the science of fashioning haemodialysates is one of the best ways to further the understanding of the pathophysiologic processes underlying myriad acid–base, fluid, electrolyte as well as blood pressure abnormalities of the uraemic patient on maintenance haemodialysis.