Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Body Position on the Anginal Threshold during Leg Exercise

Abstract. The circulatory adaptation to leg exercise in the supine and sitting positions with stepwise increased work loads was studied in twelve patients with signs of coronary heart disease. In four patients right heart catheterization was performed. Anginal pain appeared during exercise in both body positions in all patients, but at a lower work load and lower pulmonary oxygen uptake during supine exercise. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure were lower and the systolic ejection period was longer at the occurrence of angina during supine exercise. The calculated pressure‐time per minute was significantly lower during exercise in the supine position. Catheterization data suggested a greater rise in left ventricular filling pressure with supine exercise. It is concluded that the differences in work tolerance for the two positions are partly due to a lower mechanical efficiency and may partly be secondary to the augmented venous return and increased left ventricular filling pressure observed during supine exercise. The augmented filling pressure will tend both to increase heart volume–and thereby augment myocardial oxygen requirements–and to compromise coronary perfusion and thus reduce myocardial oxygen supply during supine exercise.
Complete microbial degradation of both enantiomers of the chiral herbicide mecoprop [(RS)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propionic acid] in an enantioselective manner by Sphingomonas herbicidovorans sp. nov

Sphingomonas herbicidovorans MH (previously designated Flavobacterium sp. strain MH) was able to utilize the chiral herbicide (RS)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propionic acid (mecoprop) as the sole carbon and energy source. When strain MH was offered racemic mecoprop as the growth substrate, it could degrade both the (R) and the (S) enantiomer to completion, as shown by biomass formation, substrate consumption, and stoichiometric chloride release. However, the (S) enantiomer disappeared much faster from the culture medium than the (R) enantiomer. These results suggest the involvement of specific enzymes for the degradation of each enantiomer. This view was substantiated by the fact that resting cells of strain MH grown on (S)-mecoprop were able to degrade the (S) but not the (R) enantiomer of mecoprop. Accordingly, resting cells of strain MH grown on (R)-mecoprop preferentially metabolized the (R) enantiomer. Nevertheless, such cells could transform (S)-mecoprop at low rates. Oxygen uptake rates with resting cells confirmed the above view, as oxygen consumption was strongly dependent on the growth substrate. Cells grown on (R)-mecoprop showed oxygen uptake rates more than two times higher upon incubation with the (R) than upon incubation with the (S) enantiomer and vice versa.
The psychobiological functions of dissociation.

Abstract Dissociation represents the fundamental psychobiological mechanism underlying a wide variety of altered forms of consciousness, including conversion hysteria, hypnotic trance, mediumistic trance, multiple personality, fugue states, spirit possession states and highway hypnosis. This mechanism has great individual and species survival value. Under certain conditions, it serves to facilitate seven major functions: (1) the automatization of certain behaviors, (2) the efficiency and economy of effort, (3) the resolution of irreconcilable conflicts, (4) escape from the constraints of reality, (5) the isolation of catastrophic experiences, (6) the cathartic discharge of certain feelings, and (7) the enhancement of herd sense (e.g., the submersion of the individual ego for the group identity, greater suggestibility, etc.). To illustrate how all these functions operate, the author describes a personal dissociative episode during which, literally, the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing.
An R Package for Variable Selection Using Random Forests by

This paper describes the R package VSURF. Based on random forests, and for both regression and classification problems, it returns two subsets of variables. The first is a subset of important variables including some redundancy which can be relevant for interpretation, and the second one is a smaller subset corresponding to a model trying to avoid redundancy focusing more closely on the prediction objective. The two-stage strategy is based on a preliminary ranking of the explanatory variables using the random forests permutation-based score of importance and proceeds using a stepwise forward strategy for variable introduction. The two proposals can be obtained automatically using data-driven default values, good enough to provide interesting results, but strategy can also be tuned by the user. The algorithm is illustrated on a simulated example and its applications to real datasets are presented.
Identification of MYCN Gene Amplification in Neuroblastoma Using Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization (CISH): An Alternative and Practical Method

Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) is a recently developed technique, which utilizes the general principles of in situ hybridization and a detection system similar to immunohistochemistry. To assess the utility of CISH for analysis of MYCN gene amplification, we compared this assay with established diagnostic assays such as Southern blot analysis (SB) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). CISH was performed on 67 cases of neuroblastoma using tissue microarray (65 cases) and whole tissue sections (2 cases). Unequivocal, high-level amplification (≥10 gene copies per tumor nucleus) was identified in 19 of 67 (28.4%) tumors. Two (3%) tumors showed low-level amplification (6-9 gene copies per tumor nucleus). No amplification was seen in 46 of 67 (68.6%) tumors. SB data were available in 44 tumors. Forty-one of the 44 tumors (93%) showed concordant results between CISH and SB. Three tumors showed MYCN amplification by CISH but no amplification by SB, most likely due to dilution effect of nonneoplastic tissue in the test samples. Two of these three tumors also showed MYCN amplification by FISH, and the third tumor was not analyzed by FISH. FISH data were available in total of 30 tumors. All 30 tumors showed concordant results between CISH and FISH for classifying a tumor as MYCN amplified or not amplified. We conclude that CISH is an accurate method for determining MYCN gene amplification, with added advantages that make it a more practically useful method.
Heterogeneity of adrenocorticotrophin in the pituitary gland and plasma during the perinatal period.

Three immunoreactive forms of ACTH are characterized by their apparent molecular weight (MW) and bioactivity when acid extracts of the anterior or of the neurointermediate lobe of fetal and newborn rat pituitary glands are subjected to gel filtration on Sephadex G50 fine columns. The "big" ACTH form which shows an apparent MW close to 44 000 hardly stimulates the in vitro release of corticosterone by perifused fetal adrenals. In contrast, the "intermediate" (MW: congruent to 13 000) and "little" (MW: congruent to 4 500) forms show high biological activity by eliciting corticosterone secretion which is log-dose-dependent. During the perinatal period, the relative proportions between these different molecular forms of ACTH change in both the anterior and neurointermediate lobes. "Big" ACTH is the main form in the neurointermediate lobe of the fetal rat pituitary. After birth, the "big" ACTH/total ACTH ratio regularly decreases until postpartum week 4; it is not very different then from that of pregnant adult females. The three immunoreactive forms of ACTH are present in the anterior lobe throughout the perinatal period. The gradual increase of the "intermediate" and "little" forms is accompanied by a correlative decrease in the "big" form. The anterior lobes of 17, 19 and 21-day old fetuses, stimulated in vitro by an acid extract of adult hypothalamus, release the three immunoreactive forms of ACTH in the same proportions as those observed in corresponding extracts of anterior lobes. On days 17, 19 and 21 of gestation, fetal plasma contains all the immunoreactive forms of ACTH previously observed in pituitary glands. The proportion of the "little" ACTH form gradually increases, whereas that of the "big" form decreases as gestation progresses. At term, the relative proportion of "little" ACTH is greater in the plasma than in the fetal pituitary. Controlled trypsic digestion of pituitary "big" ACTH results in a conversion to the "intermediate" and "little" immunoreactive forms. When "intermediate" ACTH is submitted to tryptic digestion under the same conditions, there is continuous loss of immunoreactivity but no change of hormonal form. These findings strengthen the hypothesis that "big" ACTH is a precursor of "intermediate" and "little" ACTH; in contrast, the "intermediate" form is not a precursor of the "little" one. The high molecular-weight form of ACTH might be converted endogenously into lower MW forms in the fetal circulation at term as well as in newborns. In fetal plasma, immunoreactive ACTH levels reach peak values on day 19 of gestation and decrease thereafter until day 21. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
[Clinical study on the efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing postpartum blood lose: a randomized, comparative, multicenter trial].

OBJECTIVE To study the efficacy and safety of Transamin (tranexamic acid) in reducing postpartum blood loss. METHODS Four hundred primipara with term singleton pregnancy, vertex presentation, spontaneous delivery were enrolled. Ten U Oxytocin was injected intravenously immediately after the delivery of fetal shoulders in the second stage of labor. Then all the puerperants were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Group I (n = 94): Transamin 1.0 g was injected i.v. ; Group lI (n = 92): Transamin 0.5 g i.v. ; Group III (n = 92): aminomethylbenzoic acid 0.5 g i.v. was given; Group IV (n = 87): no treatment. Vaginal bleeding was precisely collected, and examined immediately after the expulsion of placenta and from placenta expulsion till 2 hours after delivery. The amount of blood loss was measured by both methods of weight and volume. RESULTS There were no significant differences of blood loss immediately after the expulsion of placenta among the 4 groups (P > 0.05). For the average blood loss at 2 hour postpartum, it was 129.7 ml, 133.9 ml, 168.5 ml and 178.2 ml for group I, II, II and IV respectively, while the total blood loss for the 4 groups was 243.3 ml, 242.9 ml, 308.1 ml, and 314.8 ml respectively. The average blood loss of group I and II was significantly less than group III and IV (P < 0.01), however, there was no significant difference between group I and group II (P > 0.05). The occurrences of postpartum hemorrhage (blood lose > or = 400 ml) were 6.4%, 13.3%, 20.7% and 25.3% for group I, II, III and IV respectively. There was no major adverse effects appeared. CONCLUSIONS Transamin is efficient and safe in reducing the postpartum blood loss. 1.0 g of Transamin has the best efficacy, and 0.5 g of Transamin followed.
Topological issues in single-phase power factor correction

The equipment connected to an electricity distribution network usually needs some kind of power conditioning, typically rectification, which produces a nonsinusoidal line current due to the nonlinear input characteristic. With the steadily increasing use of such equipment, line current harmonics have become a significant problem. Their adverse effects on the power system are well recognized. They include increased magnitudes of neutral currents in three-phase systems, overheating in transformers and induction motors, as well as the degradation of system voltage waveforms. Several international standards now exist, which limit the harmonic content due to line currents of equipment connected to electricity distribution networks. As a result, there is the need for a reduction in line current harmonics, or Power Factor Correction PFC. In this dissertation, we address several issues concerning the application to single-phase PFC of various high-frequency switching converter topologies. The inherent PFC properties of secondorder switching converters operating in Discontinuous Inductor Current Mode – DICM are well known, and Boost converters are widely used. However, their output voltage is always higher than the amplitude of the rectified-sinusoid input voltage. In addition, it is expected that the level of the differential-mode EMI is much higher in DICM, as compared to the Continuous Inductor Current Mode – CICM. Therefore, we first investigated the requirements for the EMI filter for a PFC stage based on a Boost converter operating in DICM. The high-level of differential-mode EMI that is associated with DICM operation prompted our interest to investigate the application of two-switch fourth-order converters for PFC. The switching cell of these converters contains two inductors, which can operate in DICM or in CICM, and one capacitor, which can operate in Discontinuous Capacitor Voltage Mode – DCVM or in Continuous Capacitor Voltage Mode – CCVM. As a consequence, in these topologies several combinations of operating modes can be obtained, which have characteristics that otherwise cannot be obtained in second-order switching converters. We analyze three fourth-order topologies operating in DCVM and CICM, which have both an input current with reduced high-frequency content and an inherent PFC property. One of the converters, i.e. the Buck converter with an LC input filter, is then selected for a more detailed analysis. In addition, a fourth-order topology with galvanic isolation and operating in DCVM and CICM is presented and analyzed, as well.
Body Attitudes and Eating Behaviors of Female Clothing Sales Personnel

Recent research suggests that social standards for ideal female beauty are related to negative body-image and dieting among young women We hypothesized that women who work in settings that emphasize physical appearance (women's fashion clothing sales) would have more disturbed body attitudes and eating behaviors than college women. Sales personnel (n = 21) and students (n = 25) answered questions about their occupational status, weight, and demographic characteristics, and completed the Body-esteem Scale and the Eating Disorder Inventory. Weight and scores on the two scales were similar in both groups except that sales personnel reported more dissatisfaction with their body parts on the Body dissatisfaction scale of the Eating Disorder Inventory. Among sales personnel, those who perceived their appearance to be of greater importance in their work also reported more concern about dieting and weight, as reflected on the Drive for thinness subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory. Results are discussed with regard to situational influences on women's body attitudes and their implications for eating behaviors.
Spinal Cord Injury and Anti-NGF Treatment Results in Changes in CGRP Density and Distribution in the Dorsal Horn in the Rat

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in chronic pain states in which the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. To begin to explore possible mechanisms, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide confined to fine primary afferent terminals in laminae I and II in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and implicated in pain transmission, was selected. Immunocytochemical techniques were used to examine the temporal and spatial distribution of CGRP in the spinal cord following T-13 spinal cord hemisection in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats compared to that seen in sham controls. Spinal cords from both hemisected and sham control groups (N = 5, per time point) were examined on postoperative day (POD) 3, 5, 7, 14, and 108 following surgery. Sham operated rats displayed CGRP immunoreaction product in laminae I and II outer, Lissauer's tract, dorsal roots, and motor neurons of the ventral horn. In the hemisected group, densiometric data demonstrated an increased deposition of reaction product that was statistically significant, in laminae III and IV, both ipsilateral and contralateral to the lesion that extended at least two segments rostral and caudal to the hemisection site by POD 14, and remained significantly elevated as long as POD 108. Since upregulation alone of CGRP would occur in an acute temporal window (by 2 to 3 days following spinal injury), these results are interpreted to be invasion of laminae III and IV by sprouting of CGRP containing fine primary afferents. Intrathecal delivery of antibodies against purified 2.5S nerve growth factor for 14 days to the hemisected group resulted in CGRP density in laminae I through IV that was significantly less than that seen in untreated or vehicle treated hemisected groups and to sham controls. These data indicate changes in density and distribution of CGRP following spinal hemisection that can be manipulated by changes in endogenous levels of NGF. These observations suggest possible strategies for intervention in the development of various pain states in human SCI.
Surface roughening in a hypercube-stacking model.

Etude, dans d+1 dimensions, d'un modele de depot et evaporation d'une surface a dimension d, representee par le modele de Potts. Dans le cas du depot simple, simulation sur des systemes comprenant jusqu'a 11520 2 sites, pour d=2, et 2×192 3 sites, pour d=3, et deduction de coefficients de rugosite, en desaccord avec des resultats recents. Pour l'evaporation, observation d'une transition rugueuse hors d'equilibre, pour d=3, et une transition progressive, pour d=2
Breakdown Enhancement and Current Collapse Suppression by High-Resistivity GaN Cap Layer in Normally-Off AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

In this letter, a device structure of high-resistivity-cap-layer HEMT (HRCL-HEMT) is developed for normally-off p-GaN gate HEMT toward high breakdown voltage and low current collapse. It demonstrates that the breakdown capability and current collapse of the device were effectively improved due to the introduction of a thick HR-GaN cap layer. The fabricated HRCL-HEMT exhibits a high breakdown voltage of 1020 V at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}_{\text {DS}} = 10~\mu \text{A}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/mm with the substrate grounded. Meanwhile, the dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {on}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is only 2.4 times the static <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {on}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> after off-state <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {DS}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> stress of 1000 V with the substrate grounded (the OFF to ON switching time interval is set to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$200~\mu \text{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>).
Huntington’s disease

Objective: To define the phenotypic variation in a large population of patients with Huntington disease (HD) and to identity clinical features that predict disability and the rate of disease progression. Methods: The authors analyzed data on 1,026 patients, followed for a median of 2.7 years, using a mixed effects model. The factors studied included the age at onset, the major clinical feature at onset, the severity of motor and cognitive impairment, and the level of disability. Results: The mean age at onset was 41.5 (range 8 to 83) years, and patients were enrolled at all stages of disease. Younger onset was associated with more dystonia, less chorea, and a faster rate of motor, cognitive, and functional progression. The rate of progression was not related to the major clinical feature at onset or the sex of the affected parent. Disability correlated with the motor score (excluding chorea and dystonia) and the symbol-digit modalities test. Weight loss correlated with severe chorea. Conclusions: The rate of progression of HD was significantly more rapid with a younger age at onset. Therefore, CAG repeat length may be an important determinant of not only the age at onset, but also the rate of disease progression. Chorea was associated with weight loss, but chorea and dystonia were not major determinants of disability.
Intranasal chemoreception in patients with multiple chemical sensitivities: a double-blind investigation.

Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) has become an increasingly frequent diagnosis assigned to patients with symptoms associated with exposures to environmental chemicals. Since the characteristic symptoms of MCS are triggered by very low concentrations of chemicals, in the range of olfactory thresholds, it is widely believed that the intranasal chemoreceptive senses are involved in the pathophysiology of MCS. Thus, the present study addressed both the olfactory and trigeminal systems: using a double-blind approach we investigated whether MCS patients show differences in responses after exposure to either room air or low concentrations of a widely used chemical agent (2-propanol). A total of 23 patients participated in the experiments (mean age 47 years; 13 female, 10 male). MCS was diagnosed according to Cullen's criteria Performance of the nasal chemical senses was established by means of chemosensory event-related potentials (CSERP) and subjective measures of olfactory function (odor discrimination, phenylethyl alcohol odor thresholds). CSERP were recorded in response to olfactory (H2S), and trigeminal (CO2) stimuli. The study provided three major results: (1) Approximately 20% of patients diagnosed with MCS presented symptoms regardless of the type of challenge, suggesting the susceptibility of MCS patients to unspecific experimental manipulations. (2) Changes in CSERP latencies indicated a change in the processing of both olfactory and trigeminal stimuli. (3) While odor threshold remained unchanged, the patients' ability to discriminate odors decreased after exposure to room air. In contrast, this decrease was less pronounced after exposure to 2-prop. Summarily, MCS patients respond to challenge with 2-prop with changes of chemosensory perception which might increase their susceptibility to environmentally volatile chemicals. Changes in the pattern of event-related potentials are interpreted as the possible change of the orientation of cortical generators, i.e., neuronal populations that were involved in the processing of chemosensory information. However, investigations in healthy controls are needed in order to draw further conclusions.
Defining the Diagnosis of Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia (VaD) is a heterogeneous term that has evolved to describe the behavioral syndromes associated with a variety of clinical and neuropathologic changes. As such, the VaD literature lacks a clear consensus regarding the neuropsychological and other constituent characteristics associated with various cerebrovascular changes. We address the issues articulated by Paul and colleagues (Paul, Garrett, & Cohen, 2003), by offering four recommendations to refine the clinical assessment and diagnostic decision-making process of individuals with suspected cerebrovascular changes: (a) Describing the nature of vascular changes may facilitate predictions regarding the neuropsychological profile of subtypes of VaD; (b) employ a process approach to assessment, measuring cognitive constructs in addition to test scores to describe the neuropsychological profiles of types of VaD; (c) integrate direct MRI observations of the brain and other collateral data in the diagnostic process; and (d) consider using "vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia" for suspected prodromal VaD.