Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Septic shock and sepsis: a comparison of total and free plasma cortisol levels.

CONTEXT Severe systemic infection leads to hypercortisolism. Reduced cortisol binding proteins may accentuate the free cortisol elevations seen in systemic infection. Recently, low total cortisol increments after tetracosactrin have been associated with increased mortality and hemodynamic responsiveness to exogenous hydrocortisone in septic shock (SS), a phenomenon termed by some investigators as relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI). HYPOTHESIS Free plasma cortisol may correspond more closely to illness severity than total cortisol, comparing SS and sepsis (S). DESIGN This was a prospective study. SETTING This study took place in a tertiary teaching hospital. PATIENTS Patients had SS (n = 45) or S (n = 19) or were healthy controls (HCs; n = 10). AIM The aim of the study was to compare total with free cortisol, measured directly and estimated by Coolens' method, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), and albumin in patients with SS (with and without RAI) and S during acute illness, recovery, and convalescence. RESULTS Comparing SS, S, and HC subjects, free cortisol levels reflected illness severity more closely than total cortisol (basal free cortisol, SS, 186 vs. S, 29 vs. HC, 13 nmol/liter, P < 0.001 compared with basal total cortisol, SS, 880 vs. S, 417 vs. HC, 352 nmol/liter, P < 0.001). Stimulated free cortisol increments varied greatly with illness category (SS, 192 vs. S, 115 vs. HC, 59 nmol/liter, P = 0.004), whereas total cortisol increments did not (SS, 474 vs. S, 576 vs. HC, 524 nmol/liter, P = 0.013). The lack of increase in total cortisol with illness severity is due to lower CBG and albumin. One third of patients with SS (15 of 45) but no S patients met a recently described criterion for RAI (total cortisol increment after tetracosactrin < or = 248 nmol/liter). RAI patients had higher basal total cortisol (1157 vs. 756 nmol/liter; P = 0.028) and basal free cortisol (287 vs. 140 nmol/liter; P = 0.017) than non-RAI patients. Mean cortisol increments in RAI were lower (total, 99 vs. 648 nmol/liter, P < 0.001; free, 59 vs. 252 nmol/liter, P < 0.001). These differences were not due to altered CBG or albumin levels. Free cortisol levels normalized more promptly than total cortisol in convalescence. Calculated free cortisol by Coolens' method compared closely with measured free cortisol. CONCLUSIONS Free cortisol is likely to be a better guide to cortisolemia in systemic infection because it corresponds more closely to illness severity. The attenuated cortisol increment after tetracosactrin in RAI is not due to low cortisol-binding proteins. Free cortisol levels can be determined reliably using total cortisol and CBG levels.
The Cx26-G45E mutation displays increased hemichannel activity in a mouse model of the lethal form of keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome

Dominant Cx26 mutations that cause keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome (KIDS) show increased hemichannel activity. Transgenic expression of these mutations recapitulates human skin disease in mice. Excess hemichannel activity persists in diseased epidermis from the transgenic mice. Thus hemichannel activity may be a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of KIDS.
SIRT4 regulates ATP homeostasis and mediates a retrograde signaling via AMPK

Efficient coupling of cellular energy production to metabolic demand is crucial to maintain organismal homeostasis. Here, we report that the mitochondrial Sirtuin Sirt4 regulates mitochondrial ATP homeostasis. We find that Sirt4 affects mitochondrial uncoupling via the adenine nucleotide translocator 2 (ANT2). Loss of Sirt4 expression leads to decreased cellular ATP levels in vitro and in vivo while Sirt4 overexpression is associated with increased ATP levels. Further, we provide evidence that lack of Sirt4 activates a retrograde signaling response from the mitochondria to the nucleus that includes AMPK, PGC1α, key regulators of β-oxidation such as Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and components of the mitochondrial respiratory machinery. This study highlights the ability of Sirt4 to regulate ATP levels via ANT2 and a feedback loop involving AMPK.
Caffeoylquinic Acids from the Aerial Parts of Chrysanthemum coronarium L.

To elucidate the chemical compositions of the aerial parts of Chrysanthemum coronarium L. , the ethanol extracts of Ch. coronarium L. were firstly isolated by the MCI-gel resin column. The caffeoylquinic acid-rich fractions were further purified by various chromatographic columns including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative HPLC to yield the compounds. The purified compounds were characterized by 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR), 13C-NMR, and high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectral (HR-ESI-MS) spectroscopy. Seven caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) compounds were isolated from this plant. Their structures were clarified by spectrometric methods and identified as 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (1), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (2), 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3), 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4), 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (6), and 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (7). Caffeoylquinic acids were the major constituents present in the aerial parts of Ch. coronarium L. All of the isolates except for compounds 2 and 6 were reported for the first time from this species. Moreover, compounds 3–5, and 7 were identified from the Chrysanthemum genus for the first time.
Macroscopic behavior and random‐walk particle tracking of kinetically sorbing solutes

Analytical expressions are derived for the zeroth, first, and second spatial moments of sorbing solutes that follow a linear reversible kinetic mass transfer model. We determine phase‐transition probabilities and closed‐form expressions for the spatial moments of a plume in both the sorbed and aqueous phases resulting from an arbitrary initial distribution of solute between the phases. This allows for the evaluation of the effective velocity and dispersion coefficient for a homogeneous domain without resorting to numerical modeling. The equations for the spatial moments and the phase‐transition probabilities are used for the development of a new random‐walk particle‐tracking method. The method is tested against three alternate formulations and is found to be computationally efficient without sacrificing accuracy. We apply the new random‐walk method to investigate the possibility of a double peak in the aqueous solute concentration resulting from kinetic sorption. The occurrence of a double peak is found to be dependent on the value of the Damköhler number, and the timing of its appearance is controlled by the mass transfer rate and the retardation factor. Two ranges of the Damköhler number leading to double peaking are identified. In the first range (DaI ≤ 1), double peaking occurs for all retardation factors, while in the second range (1 ≤ DaI ≤ 3), this behavior is most significant for R > 12.
Differentiation of the Cholesky decomposition

We review strategies for differentiating matrix-based computations, and derive symbolic and algorithmic update rules for differentiating expressions containing the Cholesky decomposition. We recommend new `blocked' algorithms, based on differentiating the Cholesky algorithm DPOTRF in the LAPACK library, which uses `Level 3' matrix-matrix operations from BLAS, and so is cache-friendly and easy to parallelize. For large matrices, the resulting algorithms are the fastest way to compute Cholesky derivatives, and are an order of magnitude faster than the algorithms in common usage. In some computing environments, symbolically-derived updates are faster for small matrices than those based on differentiating Cholesky algorithms. The symbolic and algorithmic approaches can be combined to get the best of both worlds.
New Results on Quantum Property Testing

We present several new examples of speed-ups obtainable by quantum algorithms in the context of property testing. First, motivated by sampling algorithms, we consider probability distributions given in the form of an oracle $f:[n]\to[m]$. Here the probability $P_f(j)$ of an outcome $j$ in $[m]$ is the fraction of its domain that $f$ maps to $j$. We give quantum algorithms for testing whether two such distributions are identical or $epsilon$-far in $L_1$-norm. Recently, Bravyi, Hassidim, and Harrow showed that if $P_f$ and $P_g$ are both unknown (i.e., given by oracles $f$ and $g$), then this testing can be done in roughly $sqrt{m}$ quantum queries to the functions. We consider the case where the second distribution is known, and show that testing can be done with roughly $m^{1/3}$ quantum queries, which we prove to be essentially optimal. In contrast, it is known that classical testing algorithms need about $m^{2/3}$ queries in the unknown-unknown case and about $sqrt{m}$ queries in the known-unknown case. Based on this result, we also reduce the query complexity of graph isomorphism testers with quantum oracle access. While those examples provide polynomial quantum speed-ups, our third example gives a much larger improvement (constant quantum queries vs polynomial classical queries) for the problem of testing periodicity, based on Shor's algorithm and a modification of a classical lower bound by Lachish and Newman. This provides an alternative to a recent constant-vs-polynomial speed-up due to Aaronson.
Zinc Protoporphyrin/Heme Ratio for Diagnosis of Preanemic Iron Deficiency

Objective. Iron deficiency anemia is known to impair cognitive and psychomotor development. The zinc protoporphyrin/heme (ZPP/H) ratio is a simple, accurate, and sensitive laboratory screening test that detects early iron depletion before the onset of anemia. The objective of this work was to evaluate this test in a primary pediatric practice setting. Methods. The iron status of a cohort of 361 children was screened during routine examinations at a community pediatric practice. Whole blood hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit ratio, serum transferrin saturation, ferritin concentration, and the ZPP/H ratio were measured. The ZPP/H ratio then was evaluated as a single indicator of iron status by comparing it with other tests for detecting the onset of iron deficiency and for monitoring recovery after iron supplementation. Results. Significant age- and sex-related differences in the ZPP/H ratio were found. In this cohort, serum ferritin concentration and the ZPP/H ratio independently identified the same fraction of iron-deficient patients (3%–4%), and both tests were more specific than was either hemoglobin or hematocrit. A concordance of three iron status parameters changed the prediction of iron deficiency to ≤1%. Children <3 years of age and adolescent girls had significantly higher ZPP/H results. Conclusion. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in the typical healthy American pediatric population is low, but iron deficiency without anemia remains relatively common at some stages of development. Increase in the ZPP/H ratio is demonstrated to be a sensitive, specific, and cost-effective test for identifying preanemic iron deficiency in a community pediatric practice. anemia, nutrition, development.
A 7-year analysis of haemorrhage in patients on long-term anticoagulant treatment.

suMMARY Anticoagulant treatment reduces the risk of embolic and thrombotic complications in certain patients but haemorrhagic problems of the treatment have been less critically assessed. In this study 501 fully documented outpatients treated between 1970 and 1977, comprising 1199 patient-years of treat-ment, have been analysed in an attempt to clarify the iatrogenic risks of haemorrhage associated with oral anticoagulants. Forty-one patients experienced 51 haemorrhages of sufficient severity to seek medical advice. The incidence was 8'2 per cent among patients and 4*3 per cent per treatment year. There were 24 occasions when the haemorrhage was potentially lethal and 2 patients died. In 23 of these 24 events, the pro-thrombin ratio at the time of haemorrhage was prolonged beyond the therapeutic range. In contrast, the prothrombin ratio was only known to be prolonged beyond the therapeutic range on 1 of the 27 occasions with less serious haemorrhages. The
TP53 mutations in workers exposed to occupational carcinogens

In some cases, evidence exists that exogenous carcinogenic exposures contribute to the mutation spectrum of the TP53 gene (p53) in human cancers. Although the clearest examples come from dietary and environmental sources, only a restricted number of papers have concentrated specifically on TP53 mutations in tumors from workers exposed to occupational carcinogens. In populations exposed to dietary aflatoxin B1 with liver cancer (AFB1) and ultraviolet (UV)‐radiation with skin cancer, a single specific‐looking TP53 mutation has been described in some of the tumors. Whether these fingerprints in the TP53 gene can be used to reveal an occupational etiology remains to be shown. In other cases, although differences in the TP53 mutation spectrum exist, they are more diffuse and difficult to interpret at this point. For instance, cigarette smoking seems to induce long‐lasting molecular footprints in TP53. However, their use to rule out other occupational exposures as etiological factors in occupational cancers is still very questionable, especially due to the putative synergistic effects of cigarette smoke with other carcinogens. Although interesting implications of possible typical mutation spectra among cancers with other occupational etiologies exist, the data are scanty and await further development of TP53 mutation databases. Hum Mutat 21:240–251, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cloning and Molecular Characterization of an Immunogenic LigA Protein of Leptospira interrogans

ABSTRACT A clone expressing a novel immunoreactive leptospiral immunoglobulin-like protein A of 130 kDa (LigA) from Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona type kennewicki was isolated by screening a genomic DNA library with serum from a mare that had recently aborted due to leptospiral infection. LigA is encoded by an open reading frame of 3,675 bp, and the deduced amino acid sequence consists of a series of 90-amino-acid tandem repeats. A search of the NCBI database found that homology of the LigA repeat region was limited to an immunoglobulin-like domain of the bacterial intimin binding protein of Escherichia coli, the cell adhesion domain of Clostridium acetobutylicum, and the invasin of Yersinia pestis. Secondary structure prediction analysis indicates that LigA consists mostly of beta sheets with a few alpha-helical regions. No LigA was detectable by immunoblot analysis of lysates of the leptospires grown in vitro at 30°C or when cultures were shifted to 37°C. Strikingly, immunohistochemistry on kidney from leptospira-infected hamsters demonstrated LigA expression. These findings suggest that LigA is specifically induced only in vivo. Sera from horses, which aborted as a result of natural Leptospira infection, strongly recognize LigA. LigA is the first leptospiral protein described to have 12 tandem repeats and is also the first to be expressed only during infection. Thus, LigA may have value in serodiagnosis or as a protective immunogen in novel vaccines.
Equivalent circuit modeling of monopoles on a small platform

Monopole radiators on finite ground planes may be used as elements of phased array antennas. A part from mutual coupling of array elements, the coupling to the current modes on the ground plane (“chassis modes”) has to be considered. The paper presents an investigation of the excitation of the first two chassis modes by a monopole radiator at two positions on a small rectangular ground plane. The effects of chassis mode excitation in the radiator impedance and radiation patterns are presented as well as the current distributions on the ground plane. A resonator-based equivalent circuit is shown to model closely the full-wave simulations and allowing the calculation of radiation contributions from the radiator and the chassis modes.
Acitretin treatment of premalignant and malignant skin disorders in renal transplant recipients: clinical effects of a randomized trial comparing two doses of acitretin.

INTRODUCTION After renal transplantation, the incidence of premalignant and malignant skin lesions is high. Treatment with acitretin improves the number and aspect of actinic keratoses and appears to reduce the incidence of squamous cell carcinomas, but treatment is hampered by frequent side effects. No optimal long-term dosing advice is available. METHODS A total of 26 long-term renal transplant recipients were randomized to 1-year treatment with acitretin, either 0.4 mg/kg/d throughout the whole year or 0.4 mg/kg/d during the first 3 months followed by 0.2 mg/kg/d for the remaining 9 months. At 9 different time points, the number of actinic keratoses and tumors was counted, and erythema and thickness of the lesions, and severity of side effects were scored. Patient's judgment was recorded using visual analog scores. RESULTS In both groups, the number of actinic keratoses decreased by nearly 50%, but the number of new malignant tumors during the study year was similar to the number of tumors in the year before the study. Thickness of the keratoses decreased significantly in both groups. Acitretin dose had to be reduced in most patients because of the frequent occurrence of mucocutaneous side effects, such as cheilitis, excessive peeling of the skin, and hair disorders. In the 14 patients randomized to continuous treatment with a dose of 0.4 mg/kg/d, this dose could be maintained in 3 of 14 patients only. Temporary interruption of acitretin therapy was necessary in 7 of 26 patients. Patients' contentment about the aspect of their skin increased significantly, with no differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS Acitretin therapy decreased the number of actinic keratoses in renal transplant recipients at a low maintenance dose of 0.2 mg/kg/d and significantly decreased the degree of thickness of the lesions. However, the incidence of new skin malignancies remained unchanged. Despite the high incidence of mucocutaneous side effects, patient's contentment with the aspect of their skin increased significantly.
Role of calcium stearate as a dispersion promoter for new generation carbon black‐organoclay based rubber nanocomposites for tyre application

A novel carbon black (CB) and nanoclay (NC) dual phase-filled system in SBR matrix has been developed to be employed as a tyre tread compound with optimized performance properties. The nanocomposite has shown improved dynamic properties i.e. rolling resistance (tan δ at 60°C) and wet skid resistance (tan δ at 0°C), for relatively lower loading of NC (3 phr). However, the mechanical properties and wear resistance combined with above mentioned dynamic properties have been further improved by direct substitution of stearic acid with calcium stearate. This has been argued to be due to enhanced filler-rubber interaction by the strong ionic interactions between the calcium ion (Ca++) and layered silicates (NC) having anionic surface. Transmission electron microscopy and low angle X-ray diffraction studies have revealed the role of calcium stearate as a dispersion promoter for organoclay. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy study has shown a shift in the SiOSi bond towards lower wave number indicating better polymer-clay interaction. A detailed investigation on the dynamic rheological behavior of SBR-CB-NC nanocomposites has been carried out using rubber process analyzer to invoke an insight into the processing behavior of these composites. POLYM. COMPOS. , 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Protective coatings on orthorhombic Ti2AlNb alloys

Abstract The oxidation behaviour of an orthorhombic Ti–22Al–25Nb alloy, bare and with protective coatings, was investigated at 750°C in air under quasi-isothermal and thermal cycling conditions. As found by post-oxidation analysis, the uncoated substrate material was severely degraded by formation of spalling oxide scales and ingress of oxygen and nitrogen causing nitride precipitation, internal oxidation and interstitial embrittlement. Metallic Ti–51Al–12Cr coatings as well as nitride coatings based on Ti–Al–Cr–Y–N, either monolithically grown or with superlattice structure, provided an effective diffusion barrier against oxygen. The excellent oxidation resistance of the TiAlCr coatings was associated with the ternary Ti(Al,Cr)2 Laves phase promoting the formation of a protective alumina scale. The different intermetallic phases formed in the interdiffusion zone caused neither cracking nor spallation of the protective coating. Both, monolithically grown TiAlCrYN and superlattice TiAlYN/CrN coatings, exhibited slow, but nearly linear oxidation kinetics at 750°C in air. In the subsurface region of the substrate a niobium rich phase and the α2-phase formed. At the coating/substrate interface pores and a thin, fine-grained TiN layer were found.
Prevalence of toxigenic Penicillium species associated with poultry house in Telangana, India

ABSTRACT The prevalence of mycotoxigenic Penicillium species in poultry houses of Telangana, India, was studied during 4 seasons between June 2009 and May 2010. Fungi belonging to 13 genera, including Penicillium, comprising 43 species were collected using petri plates. Fourteen Penicillium species demonstrated varying degrees of mycotoxigenicity. Chemical and chromatographic analysis of the different poultry feed samples revealed 8 different mycotoxins with ochratoxin A (OTA) predominating. The mean contamination rate of OTA was 38%. OTA quantities ranged between 5.78 and 6.73 µg/kg−1, 10.13 and 14.23 µg/kg−1, and 12.33 and 15.20 µg/kg−1 in starter, broiler, and layer feeds, respectively. Statistically significant positive correlation between prevalence of Penicillium species and the monsoon, autumn, and spring seasons and negative correlation between prevalence and the autumn, spring, and summer seasons were observed. These findings may serve as risk exposure indicators and contribute toward the initiation of a sustainable control program.
Query Routing: Finding Ways in the Maze of the DeepWeb

This paper presents a source selection system based on attribute co-occurrence framework for ranking and selecting Deep Web sources that provide information relevant to users requirement. Given the huge number of heterogeneous Deep Web data sources, the end users may not know the sources that can satisfy their information needs. Selecting and ranking sources in relevance to the user requirements is challenging. Our system finds appropriate sources for such users by allowing them to input just an imprecise initial query. As a key insight, we observe that the semantics and relationships between deep Web sources are self-revealing through their query interfaces, and in essence, through the co-occurrences between attributes. Based on this insight, we design a co-occurrence based attribute graph for capturing the relevances of attributes, and using them in ranking of sources in the order of relevance to user’s requirement. Further, we present an iterative algorithm that realizes our model. Our preliminary evaluation on real-world sources demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach.
Stable Running with Asymmetric Legs: A Bifurcation Approach

The spring-mass model is a frequently used gait template to describe human and animal locomotion. In this study, we transform the spring-mass model for running into a boundary value problem and use it for the computation of bifurcation points. We show that the analysis of the region of stable solutions can be reduced to the calculation of its boundaries. Using the new bifurcation approach, we investigate the influence of asymmetric leg parameters on the stability of running. Like previously found in walking, leg asymmetry does not necessarily restrict the range of stable running and may even provide benefits for system dynamics.