Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tax Rates, Deficits, and Intertemporal Efficiency

This article contains the derivation of a compact elasticity formula for the efficient taxation of labor income in an intertemporal setting. The question of whether or not efficient public financial policy will involve constant tax rates over time is addressed by reference to this formula under various specifications of the economic environment. A specific set of assumptions sufficient to generate tax constancy consists of (1) preferences of the isoelastic marginal utility class and (2) public debt indexation to aggregate consumption levels. In this instance, the government would find it optimal to run deficits—holding tax rates constant—when either public expenditure levels are high or when tax base levels are low.
Pulmonary mechanics in infants after cardiac surgery

ObjectiveTo determine pulmonary mechanical characteristics in neonates after cardiac surgery. DesignA prospective study. SettingA 23-bed, pediatric ICU in a 280-bed children's hospital. PatientsTwenty-six infants on the first post-operative day after cardiac surgery. MethodsPulmonary mechanics measurements were made during spontaneous breathing, using the esophageal balloon technique and a pneumotachometer. The least mean square method of analysis was used to calculate mechanics. Infants who tolerated withdrawal of mechanical ventilation (group 1) were compared with those infants with respiratory failure (group 2). ResultsSpontaneous respiratory rate, tidal volume, and minute ventilation were similar in groups 1 and 2. Lung compliance was decreased, with no difference between groups. Total lung resistance (34.3 ± 21.6 cm H2O/L·sec in group 1 vs. 136.8 ± 105.8 cm H2O/L·sec in group 2, p = .002) and resistive work of breathing (33.4 ± 29.9 g·cm/kg in group 1 vs. 212.9 ± 173.8 g·cm/kg in group 2, p = .001) were significantly higher in group 2. All infants with a total lung resistance >75 cm H2O/L·sec exhibited respiratory failure (resistance >75 cm H2O/L·sec correlated with respiratory failure, r2 = .73, odds ratio of 70 [confidence interval, 4.4 to 3240], p < .001). ConclusionsIncreased lung resistance identifies neonates with respiratory failure after cardiac surgery. Pulmonary mechanics testing may be useful in timing withdrawal of mechanical ventilation. (Crit Care Med 1992; 20:22)
Pro-nociceptive migraine mediator CGRP provides neuroprotection of sensory, cortical and cerebellar neurons via multi-kinase signaling

Background Blocking the pro-nociceptive action of CGRP is one of the most promising approaches for migraine prophylaxis. The aim of this study was to explore a role for CGRP as a neuroprotective agent for central and peripheral neurons. Methods The viability of isolated rat trigeminal, cortical and cerebellar neurons was tested by fluorescence vital assay. Engagement of Nrf2 target genes was analyzed by qPCR. The neuroprotective efficacy of CGRP in vivo was tested in mice using a permanent cerebral ischemia model. Results CGRP prevented apoptosis induced by the amino acid homocysteine in all three distinct neuronal populations. Using a set of specific kinase inhibitors, we show the role of multi-kinase signaling pathways involving PKA and CaMKII in neuronal survival. Forskolin triggered a very similar signaling cascade, suggesting that cAMP is the main upstream trigger for multi-kinase neuroprotection. The specific CGRP antagonist BIBN4096 reduced cellular viability, lending further support to the proposed neuroprotective function of CGRP. Importantly, CGRP was neuroprotective against permanent ischemia in mice. Conclusion Our data show an unexpected ‘positive’ role for the endogenous pro-nociceptive migraine mediator CGRP, suggesting more careful examination of migraine prophylaxis strategy based on CGRP antagonism although it should be noted that homocysteine induced apoptosis in primary neuronal cell culture might not necessarily reproduce all the features of cell loss in the living organism.
Antioxidants in patients with hyperthyroidism

Abstract Hyperthyroidism is a hypermetabolic state accompanied by increased oxygen utilization, increased production of reactive oxygen species and consequentially measurable changes in antioxidative factors. Therefore, the activities of whole blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant status (TAS) in serum and erythrocytes, and serum urate and transferrrin concentrations were determined in 70 women: 14 with newly diagnosed Graves' disease (group A); 28 with hyperthyroidism on therapy with methimazole (group B, divided into two subgroups, B1 and B2) and 28 healthy women (group C). In comparison with control group C, GPx activity was significantly decreased in all patient groups (p<0.05), whereas SOD activity was significantly decreased in group A (p<0.01) and significantly increased in group B (p<0.01). In comparison with the control group, serum TAS activity was significantly decreased in group A, and erythrocyte TAS activity in all patient groups. Study results suggest that the impaired antioxidative factor balance leads to the development and presence of oxidative stress in women with hyperthyroidism. The severity of these alterations, considered contradictory by some authors, appears to depend on the use of therapy.
Exploring aftercare programs following outpatient musculoskeletal physical therapy: A case series report

Aftercare programs allow patients to continue to exercise with supervision following discharge from physical therapy. Although not yet widespread in clinical practice, aftercare programs represent a growing trend following outpatient physical therapy settings in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the characteristics, implementation, and impact of contemporary aftercare programs in a selected sample of outpatient physical therapy settings. A purposeful sample of three aftercare program and four clients were interviewed to provide the descriptive data for this study. Each client was also later interviewed at 3–4 months and again at 6 months. A general health outcomes measurement tool (SF-36®) and musculoskeletal regional outcomes tools also were used to measure health status and function. Directors of the three programs cited similar rationales for starting their aftercare programs. However, specific features and goals of the three aftercare programs varied, as did utilization and participation. Clients were generally pleased with their aftercare involvement, and they demonstrated clinically important improvements on outcome measures of function and health-related quality of life in addition to subjective reports of satisfaction. Aftercare programs are an emerging clinical trend following physical therapy, and this study provides an initial description of the development, implementation, and effectiveness of such programs. Future study should investigate a greater variety of aftercare settings and larger samples of participants and should also further examine how well aftercare programs promote health and wellness.
The developmental trajectory of spatial listening skills in normal-hearing children.

PURPOSE To establish the age at which children can complete tests of spatial listening and to measure the normative relationship between age and performance. METHOD Fifty-six normal-hearing children, ages 1.5-7.9 years, attempted tests of the ability to discriminate a sound source on the left from one on the right, to localize a source, to track moving sources, and to perceive speech in noise. RESULTS Tests of left-right discrimination, movement tracking, and speech perception were completed by ≥ 75% of children older than 3 years. Children showed adult levels of performance from age 1.5 years (movement tracking), 3 years (left-right discrimination), and 6 years (localization and speech in noise). Spatial release from masking-calculated as the difference in speech reception thresholds between conditions with spatially coincident and spatially separate sp-eech and noise--remained constant at 5 dB from age 3 years. Data from a separate study demonstrate the age at which children with cochlear implants can complete the same tests. Assessments of left-right discrimination, movement tracking, and speech perception were completed by ≥ 75% of children who are older than 5 years and who wear cochlear implants. CONCLUSION These data can guide the selection of tests for future studies and inform the interpretation of results from clinical populations.
Prostanoids Secreted by Alveolar Macrophages Enhance Ionic Currents in Swine Tracheal Submucosal Gland Cells

We examined the effect of substances released by swine alveolar macrophages (AMs) on ionic currents in airway submucosal gland cells (SGCs). AMs obtained by lavage were activated by 24-h zymosan exposure (0.1 mg/ml). Supernatant was collected and used to stimulate short-circuit current changes (ΔISC) in SGC monolayers in Ussing chambers. Dexamethasone (1 μM) or indomethacin (5 μM) during zymosan exposure of AMs reduced or abolished the supernatant-induced ΔISC. Zymosan exposure induced a 5-fold increase in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 but not COX-1 protein levels in AMs. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentration in the supernatant from zymosan-activated AMs was 550 ± 10 nM (n = 3) compared with 28 ± 3 nM for unstimulated AMs (n = 3). PGE2, applied serosally, induced ΔISC with an EC50 of 15.5 ± 1.3 nM (n = 4) and 3.6 ± 1.8 μM (n = 3) when applied apically. Four types of endoprostanoid receptors (EP1–4) were detected in SGCs using Western blot. PGE2-induced ΔISC were inhibited by AH6809 (6-isopropoxy-9-oxoxanthene-2-carboxylic acid) but not by SC19220 (8-chloro-dibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepine-10(11H)-carboxylic acid, 2-acetylhydrazide), suggesting that endoprostanoid (EP)2 but not EP1 receptors were activated by PGE2. Pretreatment of SGCs with supernatant from zymosan-activated AMs, PGE2, or forskolin enhanced the sensitivity to acetylcholine (ACh)-induced ΔISC. PGE2-induced ΔISC were blocked by charybdotoxin (ChTX), chromanol 293B, or glibenclamide. ACh-induced ΔISC were only blocked by ChTX or glibenclamide. None of these blockers altered PGE2 pretreatment-induced sensitization of ACh-induced ΔISC. These results demonstrate that prostanoids released from activated AMs directly increase cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and K+ channel activity. ACh-induced ΔISC are also enhanced due to enhanced activation of Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa).
Urinary tract infection among asymptomatic HIV patients in Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract The impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and CD4+ count on the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) is studied to determine the prevalence of UTI among HIV and non-HIV subjects. Clean-catch midstream urine and venous blood was collected from 421 subjects comprising 317 HIV patients (89 men, 228 women) and 104 non-HIV subjects (48 men, 56 women). The HIV patients consisted of 101 highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-naive subjects and 216 patients on HAART for three to six months. The HIV patients were asymptomatic and all subjects had no signs or symptom of UTI. Microbial isolates were identified in urine and susceptibility tests were performed. Only HIV patients on HAART had significantly higher prevalence of asymptomatic UTI compared with non-HIV subjects (27.78% vs. 17.31%, OR=1.8376, 95% confidence interval = 1.0198–3.3112, P=0.0411). Among both groups, CD4+ count <200 cells/µL was not associated with asymptomatic UTI. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common uropathogen (27.2%) and nitrofurantoin was the most active antibacterial agent. Most bacterial isolates were resistant to other antibacterial agents used (amoxicillin, amoxicillinclavulanate, gentamicin, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin). Overall prevalence of asymptomatic UTI was 24.94%. HIV patients on HAART had a one- to three-fold higher risk of acquiring UTI. CD4+ count was not associated with asymptomatic UTI
Cutting Edge: Murine CD59a Modulates Antiviral CD4+ T Cell Activity in a Complement-Independent Manner1

CD59 blocks formation of the membrane attack complex of complement by inhibiting binding of C9 to the C5b-8 complex. To investigate a role for CD59 in promoting T cell responses, we compared T cell activation in CD59a-deficient (Cd59a−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice after in vitro stimulation and after infection with rVV. Virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses were significantly enhanced in Cd59a−/− mice compared with WT mice. Similarly, Cd59a−/− T cells responded more vigorously to in vitro stimulation with CD3-specific Abs compared with WT mice. This effect of CD59a on T cell proliferation was found to be complement-independent. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CD59a down-modulates CD4+ T cell activity in vitro and in vivo, thereby revealing another link between complement regulators and T cell activation.
Patterns of Stress Testing and Diagnostic Catheterization After Coronary Stenting in 250 350 Medicare Beneficiaries

Background—Patterns of noninvasive stress test (ST) and invasive coronary angiography (CA) utilization after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well described in older populations. Methods and Results—We linked National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI Registry data with longitudinal Medicare claims data for 250 350 patients undergoing PCI from 2005 to 2007 and described subsequent testing and outcomes. Between 60 days post-PCI and end of follow-up (median 24 months), 49% (n=122 894) received ST first, 10% (n=25 512) underwent invasive CA first, and 41% (n=101 944) had no testing. Several clinical risk factors at time of index PCI were associated with decreased likelihood of downstream testing (ST or CA, P<0.05 for all), including older age (hazard ratio [HR] 0.784 per 10-year increase), male sex (HR 0.946), heart failure (HR 0.925), diabetes mellitus (HR 0.954), smoking (HR 0.804), and renal failure (HR 0.880). Fifteen percent of patients with ST first proceeded to subsequent CA within 90 days of testing (n=18 472/101 884); of these, 48% (n=8831) underwent revascularization within 90 days, compared with 53% (n=13 316) of CA first patients (P<0.0001). Conclusions—In this descriptive analysis, ST and invasive CA were common in older patients after PCI. Paradoxically, patients with higher risk features at baseline were less likely to undergo post-PCI testing. The revascularization yield was low on patients referred for ST after PCI, with only 9% undergoing revascularization within 90 days.
Segmental and Kinetic Contributions in Vertical Jumps Performed with and without an Arm Swing

Abstract To determine the contributions of the motions of the body segments to the vertical ground reaction force (Fz), the joint torques produced by the leg muscles, and the time course of vertical velocity generation during a vertical jump, 15 men were videotaped performing countermovement vertical jumps from a force plate with and without an arm swing. Linear kinematic, Fz, and joint torque data were computed and compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. Maximum jump height was significantly larger in the arm swing jumps compared to the no arm swing jumps and was due to both a higher height of the center of mass (CM) at takeoff (54%) and a larger vertical velocity of the CM at takeoff (46%). The net vertical impulse created during the propulsive phase of the arm swing jumps was greater due to a trend of an increased duration (0.021 s) of the propulsive phase and not to larger average values of Fz. In the arm swing jumps, the arm motion resulted in the arms making a larger maximal contribution to Fz during the middle of the propulsive phase and decreased the negative contribution of the trunk-head and thigh to Fz late in the propulsive phase. Last, the arm swing decreased the extensor torques at the hip (13%), knee (10%), and ankle (10%) early in the propulsive phase but augmented these same extensor torques later in the propulsive phase.
New antiepileptic medication linked to blue discoloration of the skin and eyes

Ezogabine is an antiepileptic medication approved in June 2011 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunctive treatment for partial seizures. Minimal drug interactions and a novel mechanism of action made ezogabine an appealing new treatment option. However, adverse effects reported during clinical trials and following drug approval have been alarming. A Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program has been established for urinary retention. A safety alert was published in April 2013 warning ezogabine may cause retinal pigment abnormalities and/or blue-gray discoloration, most notably on or near the lips, nail beds, sclera and conjunctiva with long-term use. In October 2013, the FDA announced a formal label change to ezogabine to include a black boxed warning emphasizing the previously reported warnings of eye and skin discoloration and permanent vision changes. Given the unknown nature of the pathophysiology, consequences and potential for reversibility of these effects, GlaxoSmithKline and the FDA have published recommendations for patients currently receiving ezogabine. Further data from published case reports and long-term safety trials in the future may lend additional insight into these concerning effects.
Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and heat shock proteins in periapical inflammatory lesions.

BACKGROUND The mechanisms responsible for activation and proliferation of lining epithelium involved in inflammatory processes in periapical inflammatory lesions remain unclear. In this study, the expression and distribution of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and heat shock proteins (HSPs) were immunohistochemically investigated in periapical inflammatory lesions. METHODS Control specimens of periodontal ligaments including Malassez epithelial rests from seven teeth and periapical inflammatory lesions (15 apical granulomas (AGs), 16 radicular cysts (RCs), and 10 residual radicular cysts (RRCs)) were prepared and examined by the standard streptavidin-biotin peroxidase complex method using anti-iNOS rabbit polyclonal antiserum, and anti-HSP27, -HSP60, -HSP70 mouse monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS Immunoreactivity for iNOS was detected in macrophages, lymphocytes, and endothelial cells of granulation tissue and in lining epithelium of periapical inflammatory lesions. Malassez epithelial rests showed no or slight staining for iNOS. The epithelial staining intensity of iNOS in RCs was greater than that in Malassez epithelial rests and RRCs. Immunoreactivity for HSP27 was recognized in inflammatory cells, endothelial cells and lining epithelium of periapical inflammatory lesions and in Malassez epithelial rests. HSP60 was detected in some lymphocytes of granulation tissue and in lining epithelium of periapical inflammatory lesions, whereas Malassez epithelial rests showed no staining for HSP60. Epithelial HSP60 reactivity was more intense in RCs than in RRCs. HSP70 was expressed in lymphocytes, endothelial cells and lining epithelium of periapical inflammatory lesions and in Malassez epithelial rests. The staining intensity of HSP70 in Malassez epithelial rests was slightly lower than that in lining epithelium of RCs and RRCs. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that the expressions of iNOS, HSP60, and HSP70 are involved in inflammatory processes and might play a role in the activation and proliferation of lining epithelium, leading to progression of periapical inflammatory lesions.
Identification of human T-cell epitopes on the S4 subunit of pertussis toxin

Ten adult humans were vaccinated with the Japanese acellular pertussis vaccine JNIH-3, containing detoxified pertussis toxin (PT), formaldehyde, and filamentous hemagglutinin. The vaccination induced a specific antibody response to PT and filamentous hemagglutinin, and a Western blot (immunoblot) analysis of the antibody response to PT revealed antibodies to PT subunits S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5. The response of peripheral lymphocytes to PT was assessed in an in vitro proliferation assay. A proliferative response to detoxified PT and PT dimers S2-S4 and S3-S4 was found, and it was further demonstrated that the proliferative response to detoxified PT and dimer S2-S4 was mediated by T cells of the CD4+ phenotype. The specificity of the proliferative response to subunit S4 was analyzed with a range of synthetic peptides synthesized on the basis of the primary sequence of subunit S4. The proliferative response to the peptides revealed two major and one minor T-cell epitope located in the NH2-terminal end of subunit S4.
On the efficiency of establishing and maintaining security associations in tactical MANETs in group formation

It has been shown that a Security Association (SA) established by strong authentication between a node pair in a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) should not depend on link connectivity [1]. While stale (long) SAs should be renewed, SA duration should be managed by a security policy and based on a trust model regardless of link intermittence. Both the security policy and the trust model are modules of a security architecture in [2]. In this paper, we consider nodes in multiple groups using the same channel (one interface) and a hierarchical traffic pattern typical of a tactical operation. We show that the inter-group SAs, between group heads, require a different trust model than that of intra-group SAs if the overhead of authentication is to be kept manageable. We form a new trust model, apply it to the group heads, and adapt their SA duration to their hopped distance away from their authenticators. Our results show that for group heads, the number of hops is a more effective parameter to which their SA duration should be adapted than their actual link distance modeled by FER. Compared to a trust model that adapts to average system FER [2], we show that the new trust model reduces the overhead of authentication for group heads who tend to be multiple hops away from the authenticator. We also show that by relaxing the security policy one can reduce the authentication traffic so that group heads would not be easily detected by the volume of their authentication traffic. Respecting a node's role in a MANET and its traffic pattern, we show the efficiency and flexibility of the security architecture in keeping the overhead low and reducing the probability of role identification by threat of traffic analysis.
On the Performance of a Trustworthy Remote Entity in Comparison to Secure Multi-party Computation

Novel trusted hardware extensions such as Intel's SGX enable user-space applications to be protected against potentially malicious operating systems. Moreover, SGX supports strong attestation guarantees, whereby remote parties can be convinced of the trustworthy nature of the executing user-space application. These developments are particularly interesting in the context of large-scale privacy-preserving data mining. In a typical data mining scenario, mutually distrustful parties have to share potentially sensitive data with an untrusted server, which in turn computes a data mining operation and returns the result to the clients. Generally, such collaborative tasks are referred to as secure multi-party computation (MPC) problems. Privacy-preserving distributed data mining has the additional requirement of (output) privacy preservation (which typically is achieved by the addition of random noise to the function output); additionally, it limits the general purpose functionality to distinct data mining operations. To solve these problems in a scalable and efficient manner, the concept of a Trustworthy Remote Entity (TRE) was recently introduced. We report upon the performance of a SGX-based TRE and compare our results to popular secure MPC frameworks. Due to limitations of the MPC frameworks, we benchmarked only simple operations (and argue that more complex data mining operations can be established by composing several basic operations). We consider both a two-party setting (where we iterate over the number of operations) and a multi-party setting (where we iterate over the number of participants).