Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ventilatory and cerebrovascular responses in normocapnic and hypercapnic COPD patients.

This study investigated the hypothesis that hypercapnia in some chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients may be related to a high cerebrovascular response to carbon dioxide (CO2). The relationship between responses of ventilation and of cerebral blood volume (CBV) to acute changes in carbon dioxide tension in arterial blood (Pa,CO2) was measured in 17 chronic hypercapnic (Pa,CO2 >6.0 kPa) and 16 normocapnic (Pa,CO2 < or = 6.0 kPa) COPD patients, who were matched for degree of airway obstruction (forced expiratory volume in one second 27% predicted). Results were compared with 15 age-matched healthy subjects. CBV was measured using near infrared spectroscopy during normo- and hypercapnia and related to inspired minute ventilation (V'I) and mouth occlusion pressure (P0.1). Hypercapnia (end-tidal pressure of carbon dioxide (deltaPET,CO2) > 1 kPa) was induced by giving adequate amounts of CO2 in the inspired air. During normocapnia, CBV (mL x 100 g(-1)) was 2.41+/- 0.66 and 2.90 +/- 0.60 (mean +/- SD) in the normocapnic and chronic hypercapnic patients, respectively, which was significantly lower compared to healthy subjects (3.53 +/- 0.77). All slopes of CO2 responsiveness (deltaCBV/deltaPa,CO2, deltaV'I/deltaPa,CO2, deltaP0.1/deltaPa,CO2) were significantly lower in both COPD groups relative to healthy subjects, but were not significantly different between the COPD groups. A poor but positive correlation between ventilatory and cerebrovascular CO2 responsiveness (deltaCBV/deltaPa,CO2 and deltaV'I/deltaPa,CO2) was found in COPD patients and healthy subjects. The findings do not support the hypothesis of abnormal cerebrovascular responses to carbon dioxide in hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Quark mass deformation of holographic massless QCD

We propose several quark mass deformations of the holographic model of massless QCD using the D4/D8/-brane configuration proposed by Sakai and Sugimoto. The deformations are based on introducing additional D4- or D6-branes away from the QCD D4 branes. The idea is similar to extended technicolor theories, where the chiral symmetry breaking by additional D-branes is mediated to QCD to induce non-zero quark masses. In the D-brane picture as well as the holographic dual gravity description, the quark and the pion masses are generated by novel worldsheet instantons with finite area. We also derive the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation, and find the value of the chiral condensate in the Sakai-Sugimoto model.
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHILD MALTREATMENT AND ADULT PERSONALITY ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND NORMAL ADULT PERSONALITY TRAITS : EXPLORATION OF AN UNDERSTUDIED FIELD

1 This article was accepted under the editorship of Robert F. Krueger and John Livesley. From Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (M.P.H., S.R., M.M., W.R., V A.-G.); Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York, USA (L.J.C.); and Collegium Helveticum, a joint Research Institute of the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland (W.R.). ZInEP was supported by a private donation. We would like to thank the donor cordially. Address correspondence to Michael P. Hengartner, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, PO Box 1930, CH-8021 Zurich, Switzerland; E-mail: michael. hengartner@dgsp.uzh. ch HENGARTNER ET AL. ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHILD MALTREATMENT AND ADULT PERSONALITY
Calibrating Doppler Imaging of Preterm Intracerebral Circulation Using a Microvessel Flow Phantom

Introduction: Preterm infants are born during critical stages of brain development, in which the adaptive capacity of the fetus to extra-uterine environment is limited. Inadequate brain perfusion has been directly linked to preterm brain damage. Advanced high-frequency ultrasound probes and processing algorithms allow visualization of microvessels and depiction of regional variation. To assess whether visualization and flow velocity estimates of preterm cerebral perfusion using Doppler techniques are accurate, we conducted an in vitro experiment using a microvessel flow phantom. Materials and Methods: An in-house developed flow phantom containing two microvessels (inner diameter 200 and 700 μm) with attached syringe pumps, filled with blood-mimicking fluid, was used to generate non-pulsatile perfusion of variable flow. Measurements were performed using an Esaote MyLab70 scanner. Results: Microvessel mimicking catheters with velocities as low as 1 cm/s were adequately visualized with a linear ultrasound probe. With a convex probe, velocities <2 cm/s could not be depicted. Within settings, velocity and diameter measurements were highly reproducible [intra-class correlation 0.997 (95% CI 0.996–0.998) and 0.914 (0.864–0.946)]. Overall, mean velocity was overestimated up to threefold, especially in high velocity ranges. Significant differences were seen in velocity measurements when using steer angle correction and in vessel diameter estimation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Visualization of microvessel-size catheters mimicking small brain vessels is feasible. Reproducible velocity and diameter results can be obtained, although important overestimation of the values is observed. Before velocity estimates of microcirculation can find its use in clinical practice, calibration of the ultrasound machine for any specific Doppler purpose is essential. The ultimate goal is to develop a sonographic tool that can be used for objective study of regional perfusion in routine practice.
A Fast and Reliable Policy Improvement Algorithm

We introduce a simple, efficient method that improves stochastic policies for Markov decision processes. The computational complexity is the same as that of the value estimation problem. We prove that when the value estimation error is small, this method gives an improvement in performance that increases with certain variance properties of the initial policy and transition dynamics. Performance in numerical experiments compares favorably with previous policy improvement algorithms.
Pulsar spectra of radio emission

We have collected pulsar flux density observa- tions and compiled spectra of 281 objects. The database of Lorimer et al. (1995) has been extended to frequencies higher than 1.4 GHz and lower than 300 MHz. Our results show that above 100 MHz the spectra of the majority of pulsars can be described by a simple power law with av- erage value of spectral index = 1:8 0:2. A rigorous analysis of spectral tting revealed only about 10% of spectra which can be modelled by the two power law. Thus, it seems that single power law is a rule and the two power law spectrum is a rather rare exception, of an unknown origin, to this rule. We have recognized a small number of pulsars with almost flat spectrum ( 1:0) in the wide frequency range (from 300 MHz to 20 GHz) as well as few pulsars with a turn-over at unusually high frequency ( 1G Hz).
Opportunistic Spectrum Access via Periodic Channel Sensing

The problem of opportunistic access of parallel channels occupied by primary users is considered. Under a continuous-time Markov chain modeling of the channel occupancy by the primary users, a slotted transmission protocol for secondary users using a periodic sensing strategy with optimal dynamic access is proposed. To maximize channel utilization while limiting interference to primary users, a framework of constrained Markov decision processes is presented, and the optimal access policy is derived via a linear program. Simulations are used for performance evaluation. It is demonstrated that periodic sensing yields negligible loss of throughput when the constraint on interference is tight.
Genome-Wide Analysis of the RAV Family in Soybean and Functional Identification of GmRAV-03 Involvement in Salt and Drought Stresses and Exogenous ABA Treatment

Transcription factors play vital roles in plant growth and in plant responses to abiotic stresses. The RAV transcription factors contain a B3 DNA binding domain and/or an APETALA2 (AP2) DNA binding domain. Although genome-wide analyses of RAV family genes have been performed in several species, little is known about the family in soybean (Glycine max L.). In this study, a total of 13 RAV genes, named as GmRAVs, were identified in the soybean genome. We predicted and analyzed the amino acid compositions, phylogenetic relationships, and folding states of conserved domain sequences of soybean RAV transcription factors. These soybean RAV transcription factors were phylogenetically clustered into three classes based on their amino acid sequences. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the soybean RAV proteins were located in the nucleus. The expression patterns of 13 RAV genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Under drought stresses, the RAV genes expressed diversely, up- or down-regulated. Following NaCl treatments, all RAV genes were down-regulated excepting GmRAV-03 which was up-regulated. Under abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, the expression of all of the soybean RAV genes increased dramatically. These results suggested that the soybean RAV genes may be involved in diverse signaling pathways and may be responsive to abiotic stresses and exogenous ABA. Further analysis indicated that GmRAV-03 could increase the transgenic lines resistance to high salt and drought and result in the transgenic plants insensitive to exogenous ABA. This present study provides valuable information for understanding the classification and putative functions of the RAV transcription factors in soybean.
IL-6 Stimulates Intestinal Epithelial Proliferation and Repair after Injury

IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine often associated with inflammation. Inhibition of this pathway has led to successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but one unforeseen potential complication of anti-IL-6 therapy is bowel perforation. Within the intestine, IL-6 has been shown to prevent epithelial apoptosis during prolonged inflammation. The role of IL-6 in the intestine during an initial inflammatory insult is unknown. Here, we evaluate the role of IL-6 at the onset of an inflammatory injury. Using two murine models of bowel injury – wound by biopsy and bacterial triggered colitis – we demonstrated that IL-6 is induced soon after injury by multiple cell types including intraepithelial lymphocytes. Inhibition of IL-6 resulted in impaired wound healing due to decreased epithelial proliferation. Using intestinal tissue obtained from patients who underwent surgical resection of the colon due to traumatic perforation, we observed cells with detectable IL-6 within the area of perforation and not at distant sites. Our data demonstrate the important role of IL-6 produced in part by intraepithelial lymphocytes at the onset of an inflammatory injury for epithelial proliferation and wound repair.
A New Variant of Hereditary Hemolytic Anemia

A new variant of congenital hemolytic anemia associated with stomatocytosis, reticulocytosis, decreased osmotic fragility, type I autohemolysis and shortened erythrocyte survival without specific splenic sequestration was discovered in three siblings of Swiss-German ancestry. Increased intracellular sodium (two to three times normal) and slightly decreased intracellular potassium were detected. Total sodium efflux was eightfold greater than normal but total potassium influx was normal and ouabainsensitive potassium influx was decreased. The ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux: potassium influx ratio was 26:1 rather than the 3:2 ratio noted in normal cells. The consanguineous parents, four other siblings, and 44 other family members had mild stomatocytosis, reticulocytosis, and, when studied, decreased osmotic fragility, increased autohemolysis, intermediate abnormalities of cation content, cation flux, and moderate shortening of erythrocyte survival. Autosomal dominant inheritance was suggested. No abnormalities of I1BC enzymes, hemoglobin or lipids were observed. No abnormalities of membrane protein were detected on acrylamide gel. Substrate depletion of these hypermetabolic cells resulted in intracellular dehydration with potassium loss in excess of sodium gain and decreased deformability. Although the exact nature of the defect responsible for hemolysis is unknown, this syndrome differs from other hereditary hemolytic anemias associated with stomatocytosis.
Optimally Tuned Iterative Reconstruction Algorithms for Compressed Sensing

We conducted an extensive computational experiment, lasting multiple CPU-years, to optimally select parameters for two important classes of algorithms for finding sparse solutions of underdetermined systems of linear equations. We make the optimally tuned implementations available at sparselab.stanford. edu; they run ¿out of the box¿ with no user tuning: it is not necessary to select thresholds or know the likely degree of sparsity. Our class of algorithms includes iterative hard and soft thresholding with or without relaxation, as well as CoSaMP, subspace pursuit and some natural extensions. As a result, our optimally tuned algorithms dominate such proposals. Our notion of optimality is defined in terms of phase transitions, i.e., we maximize the number of nonzeros at which the algorithm can successfully operate. We show that the phase transition is a well-defined quantity with our suite of random underdetermined linear systems. Our tuning gives the highest transition possible within each class of algorithms. We verify by extensive computation the robustness of our recommendations to the amplitude distribution of the nonzero coefficients as well as the matrix ensemble defining the underdetermined system. Our findings include the following. 1) For all algorithms, the worst amplitude distribution for nonzeros is generally the constant-amplitude random-sign distribution, where all nonzeros are the same amplitude. 2) Various random matrix ensembles give the same phase transitions; random partial isometries may give different transitions and require different tuning. 3) Optimally tuned subspace pursuit dominates optimally tuned CoSaMP, particularly so when the system is almost square.
On the Reliability of Current Generation Network Eavesdropping Tools

This paper analyzes the problem of interception of Internet traffic from the eavesdropper's point of view. We examine the reliability and accuracy of transcripts, and show that obtaining "high fidelity" transcripts is harder than previously assumed. Even in highly favorable situations, such as capturing unencrypted traffic using standard protocols, simple -and entirely unilateral -countermeasures are shown to be sufficient to prevent accurate traffic analysis in many Internet interception configurations. In particular, these countermeasures were successful against every available eavesdropping system we tested. Central to our approach is a new class of techniques that we call confusion, which, unlike cryptography or steganography, does not require cooperation by the communicating parties and, in some case, can be employed entirely by a third party not involved in the communication at all.
The extent and nature of disability in different urticarial conditions

Chronic forms of urticaria are common, often adversely impacting on quality of life. No formal studies have assessed the extent and nature of disability in different types of urticaria. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is a simple and validated 10‐item questionnaire designed to measure and compare disability in different skin conditions. In this study, we aimed to assess the disability in different urticarial groups using the DLQI, allowing comparison with previously published DLQI scores in common skin diseases. The DLQI was administered to 170 consecutive patients attending a specialist urticaria clinic over a 4‐month period. Consistent with previous studies using the DLQI, mean scores were not influenced by gender or age. Patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria without a concurrent physical urticaria (n = 47) suffered moderate quality of life impairment (mean ± SD DLQI 25 ± 24%). In comparison, patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria with concurrent delayed pressure urticaria (DPU) (n = 26) suffered significantly higher quality of life impairment (mean ± SD DLQI 43 ± 23%, 95% confidence interval for difference 7–29%). Disability in this group was greatest in the dimensions of work/study, symptoms/feelings and leisure. Subjects with another form of physical urticaria, cholinergic urticaria, also endured high levels of disability (n = 9, mean ± SD DLQI 50 ± 34%). From our urticaria study group, we have shown that subjects with DPU and cholinergic urticaria endure the most quality of life impairment. The mean DLQI scores demonstrated in these groups are comparable with those previously seen in severe atopic dermatitis out‐patients (60%) and higher than those seen in out‐patients with psoriasis (29.7%), acne (24.3%) and vitiligo (16.1%).
Cross-talk of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in plant programed cell death

In plants, programed cell death (PCD) is an important mechanism to regulate multiple aspects of growth and development, as well as to remove damaged or infected cells during responses to environmental stresses and pathogen attacks. Under biotic and abiotic stresses, plant cells exhibit a rapid synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and a parallel accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Frequently, these responses trigger a PCD process leading to an intrinsic execution of plant cells. The accumulating evidence suggests that both NO and ROS play key roles in PCD. These redox active small molecules can trigger cell death either independently or synergistically. Here we summarize the recent progress on the cross-talk of NO and ROS signals in the hypersensitive response, leaf senescence, and other kinds of plant PCD caused by diverse cues.
The Effects of Nonvascularized Versus Vascularized Bone Grafting on Calvarial Defect Healing

AbstractIt remains unknown whether bone graft vascularity influences calvarial healing. The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a model to study nonvascularized and vascularized calvarial grafts as well as (2) to compare effects of bone graft vascularity on calvarial healing. Bilateral calvarial defects were created in 26 Wistar rats. The defects were left empty within 1 parietal region. On the contralateral side, the defects were partially closed with native parietal bone (control group, n = 6), nonvascularized (N-V, n = 10), or vascularized bone grafts (VAS, n = 10). The vascularized grafts were supplied by perforating dural arterioles. Bone mineralization and healing patterns from serial microcomputed tomographic scans were compared within and across the groups using parametric and nonparametric tests. Differences in bone mineral content across sides were significant between the groups at weeks 6 (P = 0.016) and 12 (P = 0.025). Bone formation was greater within both the control and VAS groups versus the N-V group at weeks 6 and 12 (P < 0.05). Healing patterns differed between the groups (P < 0.05), progressing through islands of new bone formation within the control and VAS groups while limited to defect margins on the N-V graft side. In conclusion, a bilateral calvarial defect model was established to study bone graft vascularity. Bone quantity and healing patterns differed in the presence of the nonvascularized versus vascularized grafts. Although the calvarial defect model is often applied within the plastic surgery literature to study bone substitutes, greater understanding of basic mechanisms influencing calvarial healing is first needed to avoid confounding results.
Technological Growth and Asset Pricing

In this paper we study the implications of general-purpose technological growth for asset prices. The model features two types of shocks: "small", frequent, and disembodied shocks to productivity and "large" technological innovations, which are embodied into new vintages of the capital stock. While the former affect the economy on impact, the latter affect the economy with lags, since firms need to first adopt the new technologies through investment. The process of adoption leads to cycles in asset valuations and risk premia as firms convert the growth options associated with the new technologies into assets in place. This process can help provide a unified, investment-based view of some well documented phenomena such as the asset-valuation patterns around major technological innovations, the countercyclical behavior of returns, the lead-lag relationship between the stock market and output, and the increasing patterns of consumption-return correlations over longer horizons.
Myocardial Infarct–Sparing Effect of Adenosine A2A Receptor Activation Is due to Its Action on CD4+ T Lymphocytes

Background— We previously used adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) knockout (KO) mice and bone marrow transplantation to show that the infarct-sparing effect of A2AR activation at reperfusion is primarily due to effects on bone marrow–derived cells. In this study we show that CD4+ but not CD8+ T lymphocytes contribute to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. Method and Results— After a 45-minute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and reperfusion, T cells accumulate in the infarct zone within 2 minutes. Addition of 10 &mgr;g/kg of the A2AR agonist ATL146e 5 minutes before reperfusion produces a significant reduction in T-cell accumulation and a significant reduction in infarct size (percentage of risk area) measured at 24 hours. In Rag1 KO mice lacking mature lymphocytes, infarct size is significantly smaller than in C57BL/6 mice. Infarct size in Rag1 KO mice is increased to the level of B6 mice by adoptive transfer of 50 million CD4+ T lymphocytes derived from C57BL/6 or A2AR KO but not interferon-&ggr; KO mice. ATL146e completely blocked the increase in infarct size in Rag1 KO mice reconstituted with B6 but not A2AR KO CD4+ T cells. The number of neutrophils in the reperfused heart at 24 hours after infarction correlated well with the number of lymphocytes and infarct size. Conclusions— These results strongly suggest that the infarct-sparing effect of A2AR activation is primarily due to inhibition of CD4+ T-cell accumulation and activation in the reperfused heart.