Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tracheal Mucus Velocity Remains Normal in Healthy Sheep Intubated with a New Endotracheal Tube with a Novel Laryngeal Seal

Background: Tracheal mucus velocity (TMV), an index of mucociliary clearance, is reduced markedly in patients intubated with standard endotracheal tubes (ETTs) with high‐compliance low‐pressure (hi‐lo) cuffs. The authors developed a new ultra‐thin walled ETT in which the inflatable cuff is replaced with a no‐pressure seal, positioned at the level of the larynx. The seal consists of 12 to 20 toroidal layers of thin polyurethane film ("gills") at the level of the vocal cords and prevents both air leak and fluid aspiration. The authors hypothesized that ETTs with the new laryngeal seal may impair TMV less than ETTs with inflated hi‐lo cuffs do. Methods: The TMV was measured in seven healthy female sheep by radiographically tracking the motion of small discs of tantalum inserted into the trachea through a bronchoscope. The TMV was measured in spontaneously breathing sheep before intubation (baseline) and after intubation with either a hi‐lo ETT (control group) or after intubation with a new ETT with gills (study group). Four to six weeks later, the studies were repeated, but the sheep that were previously in the control group served as the study group, and those in the study group served as controls. Results: Baseline TMV did not differ in the two groups. In the control group, TMV decreased significantly (by 67%) from baseline. In the study group, TMV did not differ significantly from baseline and remained steady during 3 h of intubation. Conclusions: The TMV does not change in sheep intubated with new ETTs with gills. The new ETTs may help promote a normal mucociliary clearance in patients who require ventilation.
Dual-Target Cost in Visual Search for Multiple Unfamiliar Faces.

Visual search is slower and less accurate when trying to find more than one target object, referred to as the dual-target cost, and reduced attentional guidance has been shown to be the cause (e.g. Menneer et al., 2012). Studies in the eye-witness domain have shown the presence of two target faces reduces accuracy of identifying a single target face in both memory and matching paradigms (Megreya & Burton, 2006; Bindemann et al., 2012; Megreya & Bindemann, 2012). Here we examine behavioural performance and eye movements when searching for one versus two unfamiliar faces. Specifically, we were interested to see whether there was a dual-target cost and, if observed, whether the cause is the same for faces as for objects. Across two experiments, we varied the visual similarity of distractors to target faces using morphing. In both experiments, the similarity of distractors to targets was graded. In Experiment 1 distractors were morphed with only one of the targets and in Experiment 2 some distractors were morphs of both targets. In both experiments there was evidence of a dual-target cost: dual-target search took longer and was less accurate than single-target search. On target-absent trials, the participants searched exhaustively in both single and dual-target conditions, highlighting the difficulty of the task. Searching for two targets resulted in 'shedding', wherein participants gave up searching for one of the targets. There was evidence of guidance to faces in relation to the participant's preferred target in both single and dual-target search in Experiment 2, but only single-target search in Experiment 1. Probability of fixation to distractors was proportional to the similarity of the distractor to the preferred target. Overall, results suggest effective visual search for unfamiliar faces is limited to a single face, which has profound implications for applied search tasks. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.
Laser in-situ keratomileusis in patients with diabetes mellitus: a review of the literature

Purpose A growing number of diabetic patients request laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for elective vision correction each year. While the United States Food and Drug Administration considers diabetes a relative contraindication to LASIK surgery, there are several reports in the literature of LASIK being performed safely in this patient population. The purpose of this review was to examine whether diabetes should still be considered a contraindication to LASIK surgery by reviewing the ocular and systemic complications of diabetes, and examining the existing data on the outcomes of LASIK in diabetic patients. Methods A literature review was conducted through PubMed, Medline, and Ovid to identify any study on LASIK surgery in patients with diabetes mellitus. This search was conducted without date restrictions. The search used the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) term LASIK linked by the word “and” to the following MeSH and natural language terms: diabetes, diabetes mellitus, systemic disease, and contraindications. Abstracts for all studies meeting initial search criteria were reviewed for relevance. There were no prospective clinical studies identified. Three retrospective studies were identified. Key sources from these papers were identified, reviewed, and included as appropriate. An additional literature search was conducted to identify any study of ocular surgery on patients with diabetes using the MeSH terms refractive surgery, photorefractive keratectomy, radial keratotomy, cataract surgery, vitrectomy, and iridectomy linked by the word “and” to the following MeSH terms: diabetes, diabetes mellitus, and systemic disease. This search was conducted without date restrictions. Abstracts of studies meeting the initial search criteria were reviewed and articles deemed relevant to the subject were included in this review. Conclusion LASIK may be safe in diabetic patients with tight glycemic control and no ocular or systemic complications.
HIL Faithfulness and Prosodic Circumscription

comments on this article, and to audiences at the University of Maryland (especially Luigi Burzio, Diamandis Gafos, Linda Lombardi, and Paul Smolensky), at the University of Tromsø (especially Patrik Bye, Mike Hammond, René Kager, Ove Lorentz, and Curt Rice), at the 1997 LSA Summer Institute (especially Tivoli Majors and Eric Bakoviƒ), and at a 1997 HIL course in Amsterdam (especially Harry van der Hulst, Helga Humbert, Claartje Levelt, Michael Redford, Nancy Ritter, Grazyna Rowicka, Norval Smith, and Laura Walsh Dickey). Thanks also to Armin Mester for his long-ago reactions to a draft of another paper that contained some of this material, to Alan Prince for many helpful remarks along the way, and especially to Laura Benua for extensive discussion of the theory and its applications. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant SBR-9420424. To appear in: Joost Dekkers, Frank van der Leeuw, & Jeroen van de Weijer, eds., The Pointing Finger: Conceptual Studies in Optimality Theory. Amsterdam: HIL
The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey - VI. 350-μm mapping of submillimetre galaxies

A follow-up survey using the Submillimetre High-Angular Resolution Camera (SHARC-II) at 350 μm has been carried out to map the regions around several 850-μm-selected sources from the Submillimetre HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES). These observations probe the infrared (IR) luminosities and hence star formation rates in the largest existing, most robust sample of submillimetre galaxies (SMGs). We measure 350-μm flux densities for 24 850-μm sources, seven of which are detected at ≥2. 5σ within a 10 arcsec search radius of the 850-μm positions. When results from the literature are included the total number of 350-μm flux density constraints of SHADES SMGs is 31, with 15 detections. We fit a modified blackbody to the far-IR (FIR) photometry of each SMG, and confirm that typical SMGs are dust-rich (Mdust � 9 × 10 8 M� ), luminous (LFIR � 2 × 10 12 L� ) star-forming galaxies with –
DC creeping discharges over insulating surfaces in different gases and mixtures

This paper deals with the propagation of discharges over insulators of Bakelite and glass, in gases and their mixtures (namely N2, SF6, CO2, SF6 - N2 and SF6 - CO2) under DC voltage in a point - plane electrode arrangement. The shape and stopping length, Lf, of these discharges are investigated versus the type of insulator material and its thickness, the amplitude of applied voltage, the type of gas/mixture and pressure. The obtained results show that the discharges do not always propagate radially; this depends on the type of solid/gas interface. However, as we reported elsewhere for lightning impulse voltage, Lf increases quasi-linearly with the voltage; it decreases when the gas/mixture pressure increases. Lf is shorter in SF6 than in CO2 or N2; and the increase of SF6 content in the investigated mixtures leads to a significant decrease of Lf. Also, for a given gas, Lf is slightly longer with glass than with Bakelite indicating that the higher the dielectric constant, the longer the discharge is; the dielectric constant of glass and Bakelite being εG = 5.0 and εB = 4.8, respectively. Thus the density of the discharge branches and Lf reduce when the thickness of insulators increases and/or their dielectric constant decreases indicating that the capacitive charge effect and electric field influence the development of creeping discharges.
Socio-economic factors and health-related quality of life in adults living with HIV

This study examined the relationships of income, employment status and other socioeconomic characteristics with dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for those living with HIV/AIDS, controlling for clinical characteristics. Demographic (gender, age, education, living with a partner, HIV transmission category), economic (employment status, monthly household income, volunteer experience), clinical (CD4 count, AIDS defining illness, time since diagnosis, number of HIV symptoms, and highly active antiretroviral therapy), and HRQOL measures (five Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey subscales) were obtained from 308 consenting HIV clinic patients in Calgary, Canada. Multiple regression results indicate that the strongest predictor of the five QL subscales is employment status, while income was significant as an independent predictor in two of the models. Other socioeconomic characteristics were not consistently significant predictors of HRQOL subscales. The contribution of employment to HRQOL is important to explore further, and suggest the need for flexibility in income support and return-to-work programmes for those with HIV.
Hillslope Soils and Organic Matter Dynamics within a Native American Agroecosystem on the Colorado Plateau

Zuni farmers of western New Mexico demonstrate knowledge about soil and hydrological processes that link upland watersheds to alluvium-derived soils that have crucial cultural, ecological, and hydrological functions. To define how hillslopes contribute to productivity of soils derived from alluvium, we studied soil-vegetation-landform parameters in three headwater drainages on the Zuni Indian Reservation. Analyses along eight summit to toeslope transects show that soil properties follow parabolic and linear trends with changes driven by elevation, lithology, and vegetation in the mesa-canyon pinyon–juniper–Gambel oak (Pinus edulis Engelm.–Juniperus spp.–Quercus gambelii Nutt.) woodlands. Total organic C, N, and P concentrations in surface horizons follow negative parabolic trends and are highest on wooded backslopes and lowest on summits and toeslopes. Inorganic N and available P concentrations and total organic to inorganic N and P ratios increase linearly from summit to toeslope. Taken together, soil, landform, and vegetation data suggest: (i) summit positions are relatively stable with immobilizing microbial environments; (ii) inorganic nutrients increase progressively down steep and erodible backslopes as inputs of forest litter are mixed with surface soil; (iii) influx of mixed sediment and organic materials from backslopes maintains concentrations of inorganic nutrients on footslopes and toeslopes. Entrenchment of drainage ways can circumvent these translocation processes. Without the influx of organic materials, footslopes and toeslopes may become nutrient-depleted as immobilization becomes the dominant microbial process. The results underscore the importance of functional connectivity between upland hillslopes and alluvial soils.
ER Stress Negatively Modulates the Expression of the miR-199a/214 Cluster to Regulates Tumor Survival and Progression in Human Hepatocellular Cancer

Background Recent studies have emphasized causative links between microRNAs (miRNAs) deregulation and tumor development. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), more and more miRNAs were identified as diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarkers, as well as additional therapeutic tools. This study aimed to investigate the functional significance and regulatory mechanism of the miR-199a2/214 cluster in HCC progression. Methods and Findings In this study, we showed that miR-214, as well as miR-199a-3p and miR-199a-5p levels were significantly reduced in the majority of examined 23 HCC tissues and HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell lines, compared with their nontumor counterparts. To further explore the role of miR-214 in hepatocarcinogenesis, we disclosed that the ER stress-induced pro-survival factor XBP-1 is a target of miR-214 by using western blot assay and luciferase reporter assay. Re-expression of miR-214 in HCC cell lines (HepG2 and SMMC-7721) inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, ectopic expression of miR-214 dramatically suppressed the ability of HCC cells to form colonies in vitro and to develop tumors in a subcutaneous xenotransplantation model of the BALB/c athymic nude mice. Moreover, reintroduction of XBP-1s attenuated miR-214-mediated suppression of HCC cells proliferation, colony and tumor formation. To further understand the mechanism of the miR-199a/214 cluster down-expression in HCC, we found that thapsigargin (TG) and tunicamycin (TM) or hypoxia-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) suppresses the expression of the miR-199a/214 cluster in HCC cells. By promoter analysis of the miR-199a2/214 gene, we conjectured NFκB as a potential negative regulator. We further found that UPR and LPS-induced NFκB activation suppressed miR-199a2/214 transcription, and this suppression was reversed by NFκB inhibition in HCC cells. Conclusions Our study suggest that modulation of miR-214 levels may provide a new therapeutic approach for cancer treatment and revealed that UPR may offer a new explanation for why the miR-199a/214 cluster were down-regulated in the progression in HCC.
Staff Nurses’ Perceptions and Experiences about Structural Empowerment: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

The aim of the study reported in this article was to investigate staff nurses’ perceptions and experiences about structural empowerment and perceptions regarding the extent to which structural empowerment supports safe quality patient care. To address the complex needs of patients, staff nurse involvement in clinical and organizational decision-making processes within interdisciplinary care settings is crucial. A qualitative study was conducted using individual semi-structured interviews of 11 staff nurses assigned to medical or surgical units in a 600-bed university hospital in Belgium. During the study period, the hospital was going through an organizational transformation process to move from a classic hierarchical and departmental organizational structure to one that was flat and interdisciplinary. Staff nurses reported experiencing structural empowerment and they were willing to be involved in decision-making processes primarily about patient care within the context of their practice unit. However, participants were not always fully aware of the challenges and the effect of empowerment on their daily practice, the quality of care and patient safety. Ongoing hospital change initiatives supported staff nurses’ involvement in decision-making processes for certain matters but for some decisions, a classic hierarchical and departmental process still remained. Nurses perceived relatively high work demands and at times viewed empowerment as presenting additional. Staff nurses recognized the opportunities structural empowerment provided within their daily practice. Nurse managers and unit climate were seen as crucial for success while lack of time and perceived work demands were viewed as barriers to empowerment.
Use of the α-mannosidase I inhibitor kifunensine allows the crystallization of apo CTLA-4 homodimer produced in long-term cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells

The α-mannosidase I inhibitor kifunensine inhibited N-glycan processing in long-term cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells, allowing deglycosylation and crystallization of the homodimeric extracellular region of the inhibitory glycoprotein receptor CTLA-4 (CD152).
Comparison of vertebroplasty using directional versus straight needle

Background Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed to treat pain and immobility associated with vertebral compression fractures. Previous studies have shown that a single injection can achieve adequate fill across the midline of the vertebral body. Purpose To compare the radiological outcomes of using a novel steerable needle with using a conventional, straight needle in unipedicular vertebroplasty. Material and Methods Data were collected from 19 patients who were operated at our institute between 1 September 2010 and 31 March 2011. Outcomes were measured in terms of radiological evidence of midline crossing of cement. The available pre- and postoperative pain scores and complications were reviewed. Student’s t-test was used to compare mean cement projection across the midline in both groups with P < 0.05 considered to be statistically significant Results Mean fill across the midline was significantly greater with the steerable needle (58%) compared with the straight needle (35%) (P = 0.046). Cement leakage was higher with the steerable needle (44% versus 30%); however no clinical complications were reported in either group. Conclusion Percutaneous vertebroplasty using a directional needle is an excellent example of advancement and refinement in spinal surgery without increased clinical risk. Our results indicate that the novel technique can potentially provide better radiological outcomes when compared with a straight needle. A larger, randomized multicenter prospective trial would be valuable in confirming these findings.
The Predicted Metal-Binding Region of the Arterivirus Helicase Protein Is Involved in Subgenomic mRNA Synthesis, Genome Replication, and Virion Biogenesis

ABSTRACT Equine arteritis virus (EAV), the prototypeArterivirus, is a positive-stranded RNA virus that expresses its replicase in the form of two large polyproteins of 1,727 and 3,175 amino acids. The functional replicase subunits (nonstructural proteins), which drive EAV genome replication and subgenomic mRNA transcription, are generated by extensive proteolytic processing. Subgenomic mRNA transcription involves an unusual discontinuous step and generates the mRNAs for structural protein expression. Previously, the phenotype of mutant EAV030F, which carries a single replicase point mutation (Ser-2429→Pro), had implicated the nsp10 replicase subunit (51 kDa) in viral RNA synthesis, and in particular in subgenomic mRNA transcription. nsp10 contains an N-terminal (putative) metal-binding domain (MBD), located just upstream of the Ser-2429→Pro mutation, and a helicase activity in its C-terminal part. We have now analyzed the N-terminal domain of nsp10 in considerable detail. A total of 38 mutants, most of them carrying specific single point mutations, were tested in the context of an EAV infectious cDNA clone. Variable effects on viral genome replication and subgenomic mRNA transcription were observed. In general, our results indicated that the MBD region, and in particular a set of 13 conserved Cys and His residues that are assumed to be involved in zinc binding, is essential for viral RNA synthesis. On the basis of these data and comparative sequence analyses, we postulate that the MBD may employ a rather unusual mode of zinc binding that could result in the association of up to four zinc cations with this domain. The region containing residue Ser-2429 may play the role of “hinge spacer,” which connects the MBD to the rest of nsp10. Several mutations in this region specifically affected subgenomic mRNA synthesis. Furthermore, one of the MBD mutants was replication and transcription competent but did not produce infectious progeny virus. This suggests that nsp10 is involved in an as yet unidentified step of virion biogenesis.
Face, content and construct validity of the University of Washington virtual reality transurethral prostate resection trainer.

PURPOSE We examined the face, content and construct validity of version 1.0 of the University of Washington transurethral prostate resection (TURP) trainer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Version 1.0 of a virtual reality based simulator for transurethral skills was developed at our laboratory by integrating TURP hardware with our virtual 3-dimensional anatomy, irrigation control, cutting, bleeding and haptics force feedback. A total of 72 board certified urologists and 19 novices completed a pre-task questionnaire, viewed an introductory training video and performed a pre-compiled 5-minute resection task. The simulator logged operative errors, gm resected, blood loss, irrigant volume, foot pedal use and differential time spent with orientation, cutting or coagulation. Trainees and experts evaluated the simulator on a modified likert scale. The 2-tailed Levene t test was used to compare means between experts and novices. RESULTS Overall version 1.0 content was between slightly and moderately acceptable. Experts spent less time with orientation (p < 0.0001), resected more total tissue (p < 0.0001), had more gm resected per cut (p = 0.002) and less blood loss per gm resected (p = 0.032), used less irrigant per gm resected (p = 0.02) and performed fewer errors (p < 0.0001) than novices. CONCLUSIONS We established the face, content and construct validity for version 1.0 of the University of Washington TURP trainer to simulate the skills necessary to perform TURP. A predictive validity study showing a translation of skills from the virtual environment to the operating room will complete the validation of this model.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen-Positive Nasopharyngeal Hybrid Cells

An epithelial-like hybrid cell line was established by cell fusion of 8-azahypoxanthine-resistant epithelial cells (Ad-AH) with lymphoblastoid cells (A2L), derived from the human nasopharynx. The nasopharyngeal hybrid cells, designated as A2L/AH, were Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA)-positive by the anticomplement immunofluorescence method. Furthermore, the treatment of the hybrid cells with 5-Iodo-2′-deoxyuridine (IUDR) induced early antigen (EA) and viral capsid antigens (VCA), while the treatment of nonproducer lymphoblastoid cells, A2L, induced EA but not VCA. The appearance of IUDR-induced VCA in the hybrid cells suggests that some factor produced by the Ad-AH cells might neutralize a repressed state of VCA and thus activate these antigens with the treatment of IUDR. These established nasopharyngeal hybrid cells might be useful for studies of in vitro nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) since no EBV-carrying NPC cell lines have been established.