Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ResearchEarly fiberoptic bronchoscopy during non-invasive ventilation in patients with decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to community-acquired-pneumonia

Introduction: Inefficient clearance of copious respiratory secretion is a cause of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) failure, especially in chronic respiratory patients with community-acquired-pneumonia (CAP) and impaired consciousness. We postulated that in such a clinical scenario, when intubation and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) are strongly recommended, the suction of secretions with fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FBO) may increase the chance of NPPV success. The objective of this pilot study was, firstly, to verify the safety and effectiveness of early FBO during NPPV and, secondly, to compare the hospital outcomes of this strategy versus a CMV-based strategy in patients with decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to CAP who are not appropriate candidates for NPPV because of inefficient mucous clearance and hypercapnic encephalopathy (HE). Methods: This is a 12-month prospective matched case-control study performed in one respiratory semi-intensive care unit (RSICU) with expertise in NPPV and in one intensive care unit (ICU). Fifteen acutely decompensated COPD patients with copious secretion retention and HE due to CAP undergoing NPPV in RSICU, and 15 controls (matched for arterial blood gases, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score III, Kelly-Matthay scale, pneumonia extension and severity) receiving CMV in the ICU were studied. Results: Two hours of NPPV significantly improved arterial blood gases, Kelly and cough efficiency scores without FBOrelated complications. NPPV avoided intubation in 12/15 patients (80%). Improvement in arterial blood gases was similar in the two groups, except for a greater PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio with CMV. The rates of overall and septic complications, and of tracheostomy were lower in the NPPV group (20%, 20%, and 0%) versus the CMV group (80%, 60%, and 40%; P < 0.05). Hospital mortality, duration of hospitalisation and duration of ventilation were similar in
T cell receptor γ chain variable gene rearrangements in acute lymphoblastic leukemias of T and B lineage

The status of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor genes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) of T and B lineage has been studied. Our data indicate that illegitimate gene rearrangements at immunoglobulin heavy chain (in T cell ALL), and T cell receptor β chain (in pre‐B ALL) genes are only rarely found (2 out of 30 patients). In contrast, T cell receptor γ chain gene rearrangements, characteristically found in T‐ALL, are also present in 7 of 18 patients with pre‐B ALL. Several features distinguish these illegitimate T cell receptor γ chain gene rearrangements from those in normal and leukemic T cells. Vγ genes located far upstream of the Jγ/Cγ complexes (Vγ2, Vγ3, Vγ4, Vγ5) appear to be preferentially used in normal adult peripheral blood T cells. In contrast, Vγ genes located immediately 5′ to the Jγ/Cγ complexes (Vγ8, Vγ9, Vγ10, Vγ11) predominate in Vγ‐Jγ recombinations observed in T‐ALL and pre‐B ALL. Whereas the Jγ2 region is primarily used in T cell receptor γ gene rearrangements observed in T‐ALL, those in pre‐B ALL are confined mostly to the Jγ1 region. These data suggest a limited accessibility of the T cell receptor γ chain gene locus for recombination processes in early stages of B cell differentiation.
HSF1 Is Essential for Myeloma Cell Survival and A Promising Therapeutic Target

Purpose: Myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by the overproduction of immunoglobulin, and is therefore susceptible to therapies targeting protein homeostasis. We hypothesized that heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) was an attractive therapeutic target for myeloma due to its direct regulation of transcriptional programs implicated in both protein homeostasis and the oncogenic phenotype. Here, we interrogate HSF1 as a therapeutic target in myeloma using bioinformatic, genetic, and pharmacologic means. Experimental Design: To assess the clinical relevance of HSF1, we analyzed publicly available patient myeloma gene expression datasets. Validation of this novel target was conducted in in vitro experiments using shRNA or inhibitors of the HSF1 pathway in human myeloma cell lines and primary cells as well as in in vivo human myeloma xenograft models. Results: Expression of HSF1 and its target genes were associated with poorer myeloma patient survival. ShRNA-mediated knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition of the HSF1 pathway with a novel chemical probe, CCT251236, or with KRIBB11, led to caspase-mediated cell death that was associated with an increase in EIF2α phosphorylation, CHOP expression and a decrease in overall protein synthesis. Importantly, both CCT251236 and KRIBB11 induced cytotoxicity in human myeloma cell lines and patient-derived primary myeloma cells with a therapeutic window over normal cells. Pharmacologic inhibition induced tumor growth inhibition and was well-tolerated in a human myeloma xenograft murine model with evidence of pharmacodynamic biomarker modulation. Conclusions: Taken together, our studies demonstrate the dependence of myeloma cells on HSF1 for survival and support the clinical evaluation of pharmacologic inhibitors of the HSF1 pathway in myeloma. Clin Cancer Res; 24(10); 2395–407. ©2018 AACR. See related commentary by Parekh, p. 2237
Patterns of Specialization and Economic Growth in Chile by Sector

This paper discusses the implications on sector growth within the context of a specialization model based on factor endowment. The empirical literature is examined, which reveals that the only way for the economy to alter its specialization patterns toward the production of goods that are characteristic of higher development is to change its endowment of resources accordingly. For that, investment in both human and physical capital must be increased. The paper also studies growth patterns by sectors and finds a high degree of heterogeneity. More aggregate results, separating between tradables and nontradables over the years of fast economic growth (1986-1998), show that the contribution of TFP is as important as the accumulation of capital and labor in explaining the years of fast growth of the nontradable sector (1987-1991), while in 1992-1998, this sector’s expansion was due only to factor accumulation. On the contrary, the tradable sector increased thanks to the accumulation of capital and labor, with almost no increase in productivity in 1987-1991, while TFP was significant in explaining growth between 1992 and 1998.
Into the Tangled Web: K-12 Educators, Free Speech Rights, and Social Media

INTO THE TANGLED WEB: K-12 EDUCATORS, FREE SPEECH RIGHTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA By John David Andrews, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Jonathan Becker, J.D. , Ph.D. Department of Educational Leadership School of Education Much attention has recently been given to K-12 educators and their use of social media. This quantitative study surveyed a targeted sample (n = 543) of known social media users to learn about K-12 educators’ use of social media, their legal knowledge of the First Amendment as it relates to free speech and education, and their dispositions toward the First Amendment. Survey respondents self-reported levels of social media use, completed a legal knowledge section, and responded to a series of items used to gauge their disposition toward the First Amendment. These were analyzed through various demographic and contextual factors in addition to analyses of variance, correlations, and a regression analysis. Findings identified a critical mass of K-12 educators are using social media, and some use social media to a great degree. This sample also reported an overall lack of legal knowledge of the First Amendment as it relates to free speech and education. Additionally, whether or not one had been questioned or chastised about his or her social media use, whether or not one worked for an administration that was “extremely supportive” of social media use, whether or not one had administrative responsibilities, and one’s disposition toward the First Amendment were significant predictors of social media use for the educators in this sample. Findings in this study suggest schools should
Foreign trade zones in the United States: A study with special emphasis on the proposal for trade agreement parity

Purpose - In 2008, a bill was introduced in the 110th Congress (HR6415) to address the “unintended consequences” of US free trade agreements (US FTA) on manufacturers operating in US foreign trade zones (FTZs). Presently, US manufacturers operating in FTZs that use imported components pay a tariff (on finished goods entering the US market), which is not paid by their competitors in countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with the USA. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of a legislative proposal to address this issue (the bill is still under consideration and not yet been passed by Congress) for domestic firms and the overall economy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is largely based on the analysis of the legislative proposal (HR6415), and US trade data obtained from the United Nations. Findings - The paper shows that the trade agreement parity (TAP) proposal may have the undesirable effect of encouraging local firms (in US FTZs) to use foreign components and increasing the trade deficit. It also shows that the proposal, by facilitating the entry of more foreign imports undermines the original purpose for which FTZs were designed. Originality/value - There are no papers examining the implications of this Congressional bill on domestic competition and the overall US economy. This paper and its recommendations will help US policymakers to re-evaluate the existing proposal and also revisit the role of FTZs in the US economy.
The Relationships Between Muscle Power and Physical Activity in Older Men With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

The purpose of this study was to determine the potential relationship between muscle power of the lower extremities and the physical activity in older men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Forty-four men (70.3 ± 6.7 years old) with moderate-to-severe COPD completed the 6-min walk test (6MWT), BODE (body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise), a one-repetition maximum strength of the quadriceps femoris (1RMQF), and muscle power at 50% and 70% 1RMQF. Physical activity was measured using an accelerometer. The 6MWT was associated with muscle power at 50% 1RMQF (r = .40; P = .013) but not muscle power at 70% 1RMQF (r = .24; P = .15) or 1RMQF (r = .13; P = .44). Light-intensity activity was positively correlated with muscle power at 50% 1RMQF (r = .52; P = .001). Lower limb muscle power is associated with the 6MWT and light-intensity activities in older men with COPD.
A Bedrock of Support? Trends in Welfare State Attitudes in Sweden, 1981–2010

This article reports findings about Swedes' attitudes towards the welfare state from 1981 to 2010, building on data from the Swedish Welfare State Surveys. Attitudes towards social spending, willingness to pay taxes, attitudes towards collective financing and public organization, suspicion about welfare abuse, and trust in the task performance of the welfare state are tracked. Overall, there is a large degree of stability in attitudes, and where change is registered, it tends to go in the direction of increasing support. More people state their willingness to pay higher taxes for welfare policy purposes; more people want collective financing of welfare policies; and fewer people perceive extensive welfare abuse in 2010 than was the case in previous surveys. Class patterns change so that the salaried and the self-employed become more similar to workers in their attitudes. Hence, the unprecedented election loss of the Swedish Social Democrats in 2010, and the rise of the Moderates (conservatives) as the dominant party cannot be explained by changing attitudes towards the welfare state. Nor can any corrosive effects from increased marketization of the Swedish welfare state on public support for welfare policies be detected.
The Unbounded Integrality Gap of a Semidefinite Relaxation of the Traveling Salesman Problem

We study a semidefinite programming relaxation of the traveling salesman problem introduced by de Klerk, Pasechnik, and Sotirov [8] and show that their relaxation has an unbounded integrality gap. In particular, we give a family of instances such that the gap increases linearly with $n$. To obtain this result, we search for feasible solutions within a highly structured class of matrices; the problem of finding such solutions reduces to finding feasible solutions for a related linear program, which we do analytically. The solutions we find imply the unbounded integrality gap. Further, they imply several corollaries that help us better understand the semidefinite program and its relationship to other TSP relaxations. Using the same technique, we show that a more general semidefinite program introduced by de Klerk, de Oliveira Filho, and Pasechnik [7] for the $k$-cycle cover problem also has an unbounded integrality gap.
Theta‐paced flickering between place‐cell maps in the hippocampus: A model based on short‐term synaptic plasticity

Hippocampal place cells represent different environments with distinct neural activity patterns. Following an abrupt switch between two familiar configurations of visual cues defining two environments, the hippocampal neural activity pattern switches almost immediately to the corresponding representation. Surprisingly, during a transient period following the switch to the new environment, occasional fast transitions between the two activity patterns (flickering) were observed (Jezek, Henriksen, Treves, Moser, & Moser, ). Here we show that an attractor neural network model of place cells with connections endowed with short‐term synaptic plasticity can account for this phenomenon. A memory trace of the recent history of network activity is maintained in the state of the synapses, allowing the network to temporarily reactivate the representation of the previous environment in the absence of the corresponding sensory cues. The model predicts that the number of flickering events depends on the amplitude of the ongoing theta rhythm and the distance between the current position of the animal and its position at the time of cue switching. We test these predictions with new analysis of experimental data. These results suggest a potential role of short‐term synaptic plasticity in recruiting the activity of different cell assemblies and in shaping hippocampal activity of behaving animals.
Modeling the Demand for Currency Issued in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to investigate the empirical relationship between real money balances, real income, and the opportunity cost variables in Turkey using quarterly data between the periods 1987Q1-2003Q3. The estimation results reveal that long run demand for real cash balances depends on real income, interest rate on government securities and the exchange rate. The long run elasticity of income is close to one with the opportunity cost variables carrying the expected signs. Based on the cointegration and the weak exogeneity test results, single equation error correction model is specified and estimated. The estimated models disclose the fact that the income and the interest rate effects is much smaller in the short run than the long run, whereas exchange rate influence is more pronounced in the short run.
Use of life course work-family profiles to predict mortality risk among US women.

OBJECTIVES We examined relationships between US women's exposure to midlife work-family demands and subsequent mortality risk. METHODS We used data from women born 1935 to 1956 in the Health and Retirement Study to calculate employment, marital, and parenthood statuses for each age between 16 and 50 years. We used sequence analysis to identify 7 prototypical work-family trajectories. We calculated age-standardized mortality rates and hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality associated with work-family sequences, with adjustment for covariates and potentially explanatory later-life factors. RESULTS Married women staying home with children briefly before reentering the workforce had the lowest mortality rates. In comparison, after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, and education, HRs for mortality were 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.58, 2.90) among single nonworking mothers, 1.48 (95% CI = 1.06, 1.98) among single working mothers, and 1.36 (95% CI = 1.02, 1.80) among married nonworking mothers. Adjustment for later-life behavioral and economic factors partially attenuated risks. CONCLUSIONS Sequence analysis is a promising exposure assessment tool for life course research. This method permitted identification of certain lifetime work-family profiles associated with mortality risk before age 75 years.
Inequality, Growth, and Investment

Evidence from a broad panel of countries shows little overall relation between income inequality and rates of growth and investment. However, for growth, higher inequality tends to retard growth in poor countries and encourage growth in richer places. The Kuznets curve-whereby inequality first increases and later decreases during the process of economic development-emerges as a clear empirical regularity. However does not explain the bulk of variations in inequality across countries or over time.
A Model for Determining the Size of Learning Objects

This paper starts with an attempt to apply the few principles for determining the size of learning objects (LOs) in the literature to a collection often mainly Dutch successful learning object practices. From this attempt, a more elaborate model is developed in which LO size is jointly determined by three factors: (1) surface learning versus deep learning (2) resources versus LOs that are passed through (3) arrangement of meaningful units is done within versus outside the LO. These three factors determine (1) the appropriate size of the LOs, (2) the homogeneity of the collection of LOs, (3) the principles that apply in developing the LOs: either agreement on pedagogy or the following principle: keep the objects as big as possible, unless its parts will be used separately
Intact insulin stimulation of skeletal muscle blood flow, its heterogeneity and redistribution, but not of glucose uptake in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We tested the hypothesis that defects in insulin stimulation of skeletal muscle blood flow, flow dispersion, and coupling between flow and glucose uptake contribute to insulin resistance of glucose uptake in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We used positron emission tomography combined with [15O]H2O and [18F]-2-deoxy--glucose and a Bayesian iterative reconstruction algorithm to quantitate mean muscle blood flow, flow heterogeneity, and their relationship to glucose uptake under normoglycemic hyperinsulinemic conditions in 10 men with NIDDM (HbA1c 8.1+/-0.5%, age 43+/-2 yr, BMI 27.3+/-0.7 kg/m2) and in 7 matched normal men. In patients with NIDDM, rates of whole body (35+/-3 vs. 44+/-3 micromol/kg body weight.min, P < 0.05) and femoral muscle (71+/-6 vs. 96+/-7 micromol/kg muscle.min, P < 0.02) glucose uptake were significantly decreased. Insulin increased mean muscle blood flow similarly in both groups, from 1.9+/-0.3 to 2.8+/-0.4 ml/100 g muscle.min in the patients with NIDDM, P < 0.01, and from 2.3+/-0.3 to 3.0+/-0.3 ml/100 g muscle.min in the normal subjects, P < 0.02. Pixel-by-pixel analysis of flow images revealed marked spatial heterogeneity of blood flow. In both groups, insulin increased absolute but not relative dispersion of flow, and insulin-stimulated but not basal blood flow colocalized with glucose uptake. These data provide the first evidence for physiological flow heterogeneity in human skeletal muscle, and demonstrate that insulin increases absolute but not relative dispersion of flow. Furthermore, insulin redirects flow to areas where it stimulates glucose uptake. In patients with NIDDM, these novel actions of insulin are intact, implying that muscle insulin resistance can be attributed to impaired cellular glucose uptake.
Role of Oxidants and Antioxidants in Atherosclerosis: Results of In Vitro and In Vivo Investigations

Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that oxidants are central in the development of atherosclerosis. Consequently, additional studies evaluated the protective effects of various natural and synthetic antioxidants, alone and in combination, with most studies focusing on α-tocopherol (vitamin E). Here, we summarize the role of oxidants in the pathomechanism of atherosclerosis. We also discuss epidemiological studies and others focused on the protective effect of vitamin E against atherosclerosis. Other antioxidants are also considered if they were included in studies involving vitamin E. The protective effect of antioxidants on atherosclerotic pathomechanisms has been confirmed in vitro, but only in some animal studies. Various epidemiological and observational studies have produced conflicting results on the protective effect of antioxidants. Most studies of primary or secondary prevention failed to show a protective effect. These conflicting results are biased by a number of factors, including differences between the study groups. Therefore, we describe these studies in detail.
Genetic Variability Evaluation Among Iraqi Rice (Oryza sativa L) Varieties using RAPD Markers and Protein Profiling

Genetic variability and relationships among ten rice varieties were studied by using 20 decamer random primers and SDSPAGE methods. Out of 22, 20 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers revealed polymorphism, while the remaining 2 primers showed no reaction. The primers produced a total of 109 bands, of which 62 (56.88%) were polymorphic. The number of polymorphic fragments for each primer varied from 1 to 9 with an average of 3.1 polymorphic fragments. The primer OPC-07 produced the maximum number of polymorphic bands. The RAPD data were analyzed to determine the genetic distance coefficients which ranged from 0.30 to 0.76. Cluster analysis was performed using the Jaccard’s coefficient. The dendrogram resolved the selected rice varieties into four major clusters. On the other hand, similar varieties of rice were analyzed for endosperm storage proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to estimate their genetic diversity. Seed storage profiling led to the detection of a total of 12 polypeptide bands. The molecular weights of peptides ranged from 284 to 11 kDa. Polymorphism was not evident in all seed proteins of diverse molecular weights among all rice varieties, but two polymorphic bands (63 and 120 kDa) were found in a high molecular weight region. The results of the genetic diversity, obtained during this study, will be useful for the selection of the parents for developing rice breeding varieties in the future.