Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of correlation between left coronary bifurcation angle and hemodynamic changes in coronary stenosis by coronary computed tomography angiography-derived computational fluid dynamics.

Background To investigate the correlation between left coronary bifurcation angle and coronary stenosis as assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-generated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis when compared to the CCTA analysis of coronary lumen stenosis and plaque lesion length with invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the reference method. Methods Thirty patients (22 males, mean age: 59±6.9 years) with calcified plaques at the left coronary artery were included in the study with all patients undergoing CCTA and ICA examinations. CFD simulation was performed to analyze hemodynamic changes to the left coronary artery models in terms of wall shear stress, wall pressure and flow velocity, with findings correlated to the coronary stenosis and degree of bifurcation angle. Calcified plaque length was measured in the left coronary artery with diagnostic value compared to that from coronary lumen and bifurcation angle assessments. Results Of 26 significant stenosis at left anterior descending (LAD) and 13 at left circumflex (LCx) on CCTA, only 14 and 5 of them were confirmed to be >50% stenosis at LAD and LCx respectively on ICA, resulting in sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%, 52%, 49% and 100%. The mean plaque length was measured 5.3±3.6 and 4.4±1.9 mm at LAD and LCx, respectively, with diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV being 92.8%, 46.7%, 61.9% and 87.5% for extensively calcified plaques. The mean bifurcation angle was measured 83.9±13.6º and 83.8±13. 3º on CCTA and ICA, respectively, with no significant difference (P=0.98). The corresponding sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 100%, 78.6%, 84.2% and 100% based on bifurcation angle measurement on CCTA, 100%, 73.3%, 78.9% and 100% based on bifurcation angle measurements on ICA, respectively. Wall shear stress was noted to increase in the LAD and LCx models with significant stenosis and wider angulation (>80º), but demonstrated little or no change in most of the coronary models with no significant stenosis and narrower angulation (<80º). Conclusions This study further clarifies the relationship between left coronary bifurcation angle and significant stenosis, with angulation measurement serving as a more accurate approach than coronary lumen assessment or plaque lesion length for determining significant coronary stenosis. Left coronary bifurcation angle is suggested to be incorporated into coronary artery disease (CAD) assessment when diagnosing significant CAD.
An Efficient Feathering System with Collision Control

We present an efficient interactive system for dressing a naked bird with feathers. In our system, a skeleton associated with guide feathers is used to describe the distribution of the body feathers. The special skeleton can be easily built by the user, given a 3D bird model as input. To address the problem of interpenetrations among feathers, the growth priority between the feather roots is defined, with which we obtain the growth order from a greedily constructed directed acyclic graph. Each feather is then adjusted in that order by a height field based collision resolution process. The height field not only provides an efficient way to detect the collision but also enables us to finely control the degree of collision during feather adjustments. The results show that our approach is capable of resolving the collisions among thousands of feathers in a few seconds. If model animation is desired, the feathers can be adjusted on the fly at interactive framerates. Details of our implementation are provided with several examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of our system.
Surgical complications requiring early relaparotomy after pancreas transplantation: a multivariate risk factor and economic impact analysis of the cyclosporine era.

OBJECTIVES To study significant surgical complications requiring early (< or = 3 months posttransplant) relaparotomy (relap) after pancreas transplants, and to develop clinically relevant surgical and peritransplant decision-making guidelines for preventing and managing such complications. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Pancreas grafts are still associated with the highest surgical complication rate of all routinely transplanted solid organs. However, the impact of surgical complications on morbidity, hospital costs, and graft and patient survival rates has not been analyzed in detail to date. METHODS We retrospectively studied surgical complications requiring relap in 441 consecutive cadaver, bladder-drained pancreas transplants (54% simultaneous pancreas and kidney [SPK]; 22% pancreas after kidney [PAK]; 24% pancreas transplant alone [PTA]; 37% retransplant). Outcome and hospital charges were analyzed separately for recipients with versus without reoperation. RESULTS The overall relap rate was 32% (SPK, 36%; PAK, 25%; PTA, 16%; p = 0.04). The most common causes were intraabdominal infection and graft pancreatitis (38%), pancreas graft thrombosis (27%), and anastomotic leak (15%). Perioperative relap mortality was 9%; transplant pancreatectomy was necessary in 57% of all recipients with one or more relaps. The pancreas graft was lost in 80% of recipients with versus 41% without relap (p < 0.0001). Patient survival rates were significantly lower (p < 0.05) for recipients with versus without relap. By multivariate analysis, significant risk factors for graft loss included older donor age (SPK, PAK), retransplant (PAK), relap for infection (SPK, PAK), and relap for leak or bleeding (PAK). For death, risk factors included older recipient age (SPK, PAK),retransplant (SPK, PAK), relap for thrombosis (PAK), relap for infection or leak (SPK), and relap for bleeding (PTA). CONCLUSIONS Posttransplant surgical complications requiring relap were frequent, resulted in a high rate of pancreas (SPK, PAK, PTA) and kidney (SPK, PAK) graft loss, and had a major economic impact (p = 0.0001). Complications were associated with substantial perioperative mortality and decreased patient survival rates. The focus must therefore shift from graft salvage to preservation of the recipient's life once a pancreas graft-related complication requiring relap occurs. Thus, the threshold for pancreatectomy should be low. In this context, acceptance of older donors and recipients must be reconsidered.
Characterization of Endocrine-Rich Monolayers of Human Fetal Pancreas That Display Reduced Immunogenicity

Fibroblast-free insulin-secreting monolayers of human fetal pancreas (14–20 wk of gestation) were formed by plating isletlike cell clusters (ICCs) obtained from partially digested pancreases on plates coated with bovine corneal matrix. Human fetal pancreatic cells, freshly digested with collagen, displayed a 17-fold response to human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) in mixed-lymphocyte culture. After 14 days in culture, monolayers derived from ICCs exhibited a smaller, twofold response to HPBLs. By comparison, in monolayers produced from single-cell suspensions, fibroblast overgrowth remained a problem. The endocrine component of the monolayers was 65 ± 13 and 43 ± 8%, respectively, with the number of β-cells being 51 and 9%. Cells from both monolayers displayed increased insulin release when exposed to 10 mM theophylline, 10 mM Ca2+, and 0.6–1.3 microM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate but not to 20 mM glucose. Monolayers derived from ICCs synthesized DNA, proinsulin, and protein. This study showed that it is possible to establish an endocrine-rich monolayer of human fetal pancreas that has greatly reduced immunogenicity. The existence of residual activity to HPBLs suggests some additional form of immunosuppression is required to prevent rejection of this tissue when grafted into diabetic patients. Subculturing and cryopreservation may also be needed to achieve adequate numbers of β-cells for clinical transplantation.
Electric field noise above surfaces: A model for heating rate scaling law in ion traps

Device miniaturization is a challenge that raises new issues because the scaling laws valid in the macroscopic range might fail, for instance due to the emergence of a new characteristic length. Even the simple case of the electricfield in the vicinity of a conductor surface can exhibit anomalous behavior caused by small inhomogeneities of the electric potential on the surface. These field fluctuations are crucial in the studies of short distance phenomena such as the measurement of the Casimir-Polder force, studies of non contact friction[1], gravitational forces and contact potentials. In a different context, recent success in quantum information experiment with trapped ions motivated the fabrication of micro-traps in order to fulfill the scalability requirement of a quantum computer. In such devices a set of micro-fabricated conducting electrodes generates an oscillating electric field that traps laser-cooled ions in a harmonic potential well, at a distance, d, of the surface. In this situation the presence of a fluctuating electric field affects the ion motion inducing a heating. This heating fixes a limit on the achievable fidelity of ion based quantum gates. One might try to account for this heating rate by considering typical electric noise sources in conductors, among which the most likely is Johnson noise. However, measured heating rates are orders of magnitude larger than the expected contribution of the Johnson noise. Moreover, Johnson noise would induce a heating rate that scales as d−2, whereas the observed one is partially consistent with a d−4 scaling, as would be expected from a random distribution of charges, leading to the notion of patch potentials[2]. However, this approach fails at small distances, where a d−1 scaling is observed[1]. Recent experiments[3] suggest that indeed the surface quality plays a dominant role in this anomalous heating.
In vitro and in vivo toxicological evaluations of methyl ferulate, methyl p-coumarate, and pulegone 1,2-epoxide

Abstract Context: Toxicological screening of natural compounds for medicinal purposes. Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of methyl ferulate (MF), methyl p-coumarate (MpC), and pulegone 1,2-epoxide (PE) with in vitro and in vivo assays. Materials and methods: The in vitro toxicity of MF, MpC, and PE was assessed at a concentration of 10 mg/ml with the Ames assay using two strains of Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. Human red blood cells (RBC) were used to determine the hemolytic activity of these compounds. The cytotoxicity of above compounds was determined with brine shrimp lethality bioassay (BSLB) at the concentrations of 0.1–20 mg/ml. While dermal and ocular irritation studies were conducted on healthy rabbits (n = 8) for 96 and 12 h post-topical application of test compounds, respectively. Results: PE produced 6–8% hemolysis of RBCs at all the tested concentrations while MF and MpC produced 10–5% hemolysis up to 20 mg/ml, and 50–85% hemolysis at concentrations of 40 and 80 mg/ml, respectively. The Ames assay indicated that MF, MpC, and PE were non-mutagenic as the test values were not significantly higher as compared with background values of the assay. BSLB suggested the lethal concentration (LC50) values of MF, MpC, and PE as 4.38, 6.74, and 25.91 mg/ml, respectively. In vivo ocular and dermal irritation scores of MF, MpC, and PE were comparable with ethanol (control) in rabbits indicating the non-irritant nature of these natural compounds. Conclusion: The present studies suggest that these compounds are non-toxic/non-irritant and might be used for medicinal purposes.
Comparison of serum calcium measurements obtained with the SMA 12-60 and by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Comparable results are obtained when serum calcium is measured by a colorimetric cresolpthalein method on the Technicon SMA 12/60 and by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Instrumentation Laboratory Model 153 instrument), with strontium as an internal standard. Sera from 250 patients with abnormal calcium concentrations, ranging from 4.9 mg/100 ml to 9.0 mg/100 ml, were measured by each method; the difference between the means for each method was only 0.04 mg/100 ml. The standard deviation of the difference between paired results was ±0.16 mg/100 ml. We were unable to discover any effect of drug or disease on the colorimetric assay, which therefore is suitable for use in large-scale surveys. On the other hand, the more precise atomic absorption spectrophotometry is suitable for use as a reference method. In addition, with an internal standard it is fast and simple, making it suitable for emergency assays of calcium 24 h a day.
Bispecific T cell engager (BiTE®) antibody constructs can mediate bystander tumor cell killing

For targets that are homogenously expressed, such as CD19 on cells of the B lymphocyte lineage, immunotherapies can be highly effective. Targeting CD19 with blinatumomab, a CD19/CD3 bispecific antibody construct (BiTE®), or with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) has shown great promise for treating certain CD19-positive hematological malignancies. In contrast, solid tumors with heterogeneous expression of the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) may present a challenge for targeted therapies. To prevent escape of TAA-negative cancer cells, immunotherapies with a local bystander effect would be beneficial. As a model to investigate BiTE®-mediated bystander killing in the solid tumor setting, we used epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a target. We measured lysis of EGFR-negative populations in vitro and in vivo when co-cultured with EGFR-positive cells, human T cells and an EGFR/CD3 BiTE® antibody construct. Bystander EGFR-negative cells were efficiently lysed by BiTE®-activated T cells only when proximal to EGFR-positive cells. Our mechanistic analysis suggests that cytokines released by BiTE®-activated T-cells induced upregulation of ICAM-1 and FAS on EGFR-negative bystander cells, contributing to T cell-induced bystander cell lysis.
Metasurfaces for general transformations of electromagnetic fields

In this review paper I discuss electrically thin composite layers, designed to perform desired operations on applied electromagnetic fields. Starting from a historical overview and based on a general classification of metasurfaces, I give an overview of possible functionalities of the most general linear metasurfaces. The review is concluded with a short research outlook discussion.
Effects of intragastric administration of predigested nutrients on food intake, body weight and taste acceptability: Potential relevance of the cephalic/neural phase of digestion

Abstract In this study we analyzed the effect of the intragastric administration of partially digested and natural nutrients on subsequent food intake, body weight and flavor acceptability in rats. The results showed that enterally administered natural nutrients reduced the subsequent ingestion of food to a greater degree compared with the same nutrients in partially digested form. This greater reduction does not appear to be due to a higher nutritional effect of the former, because the body weight of both groups of animals was similar. Animals intragastrically administered with partially digested nutrients developed an acceptance response to a previously paired flavored stimulus, in contrast to animals receiving natural nutrients under the same conditions. These results are interpreted in terms of the cephalic phase of digestion and may be relevant to the treatment of clinical symptoms associated with enteral feeding.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intravenous and subcutaneous continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (C.E.R.A.) in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator (C.E.R.A.) is a new agent that is in development for the treatment of anemia with extended administration intervals in patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD), both those on and those not on dialysis. This was an open-label, randomized, multicenter, two-period, crossover study in erythropoiesis-stimulating agentnaïve patients who had CKD and anemia and were receiving peritoneal dialysis. After a 1-wk run-in period, 16 patients were randomly assigned to receive a single administration of intravenous C.E. R.A. 0.4 microg/kg (n = 8) or subcutaneous C.E. R.A. 0.8 microg/kg (n = 8). Six weeks after the first administration of C.E. R.A. (4-wk assessment, 2-wk washout), the route of administration was switched so that all patients received single administrations of both intravenous C.E. R.A. 0.4 microg/kg and subcutaneous C.E. R.A. 0.8 microg/kg. C.E. R.A. had a prolonged and comparable half-life after intravenous (mean 134 h) and subcutaneous (mean 139 h) administration. Reticulocyte counts peaked at a median of 8 d after intravenous and subcutaneous administration with no difference in the time course between administration routes. This resulted in similar mean values for the area under the reticulocyte count-time curve (1191 x 10(9) and 1193 x 10(9). d per L, respectively) and the maximum absolute increase in reticulocyte counts (36 x 10(9) and 41 x 10(9)/L, respectively). C.E. R.A. has a prolonged and comparable half-life after intravenous or subcutaneous injection, suggesting that extended administration intervals may be feasible in patients with CKD.
Is the voluntary control of exercise in man necessary for the ventilatory response?

The ventilatory response to electrically induced exercise (EEL) was studied in eighteen normal subjects and compared with the response to performing the same exercise voluntarily (EV). EEL was produced by surface electrode stimulation of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles so as to cause a pushing movement at 1 HZ against a spring load; this produced no pain or discomfort. Matching of EV to EEL was achieved by subjects copying a tension signal recorded during EEL and displayed on a storage oscilloscope. There were no differences between the resting states measured before either form of exercise. The ventilatory response (change in ventilation as a ratio of the change in CO2 elimination) was similar in the two types of exercise. The increases in ventilation and CO2 elimination were greater with EEL. Small but significant increases in the gas exchange ratio and serum lactate were found for EEL but not for EV, suggesting an increase in anaerobic metabolism in EEL. End‐tidal PCO2 showed little change in either form of exercise. In some runs end‐tidal PCO2 rose, but insufficiently to account for the ventilatory response as judged by the response to inhaled CO2. In two subjects arterial blood samples showed small and inconsistent changes in both Pa,CO2 and PaO2 for EV and EEL. pH and base excess changes also were consistent with more anaerobiosis with EEL compared to EV. The first ten breaths of exercise were used to study the on transient. In EV, expiratory duration shortened and ventilation increased significantly on the first breath but CO2 elimination did not increase until the second breath; in EEL, these variables did not change significantly until the second breath. For the remainder of the on transient the pattern of the ventilatory response was similar for EV and EEL. By the end of the on transient both EV and EEL had reached approximately 80% of their final steady‐state values. These results suggest that a normal ventilatory response can occur in the absence of a drive to exercise from the cortex.
Academic Goals and Learning Quality in Higher Education Students

In this paper, the relations between academic goals and various indicators that define the quality of the learning process are analyzed. The purpose was to determine to what extent high, moderate, or low levels of academic goals were positively or negatively related to effort regulation, the value assigned to academic tasks, meta-cognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, beliefs about learning control, and management of time and study environment. The investigation was carried out with a sample of 632 university students (70% female and 30% male) and mean age of 21.22 (SD=2.2). The results show that learning goals, or task orientation, are positively related to all the indictors of learning quality considered herein. Although for other kinds of goals—work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals—significant relations were not found with all the indicators, there was a similar tendency of significant results in all cases; the higher the levels of these goals, the lower the levels of the indicators of learning quality. En este trabajo se analizan las relaciones de las metas académicas con varios indicadores que definen la calidad del proceso de aprendizaje. Se trata de comprobar hasta qué punto el tener niveles altos, moderados o bajos en las metas académicas se relaciona positiva o negativamente en la regulación del esfuerzo, en el valor asignado a las tareas académicas, en la autorregulación metacognitiva, en la autoeficacia, en las creencias de control y en la gestión del tiempo y ambiente de estudio. La investigación se llevó a cabo con una muestra de 632 estudiantes universitarios (70% mujeres y 30% hombres) con una edad media de 21.22 (SD=2.2). Los resultados encontrados demuestran que las learning goals, o de aproximación a la tarea, se encuentran relacionadas positivamente con todos los indicadores de calidad del aprendizaje contemplados. En los otros tipos de metas —work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals—, aún no habiendo una relación significativa con todos los indicadores, la tendencia de los resultados significativos es la misma en todos los casos, cuanto más altos son los niveles de estas metas, más bajos son los niveles indicadores de calidad del aprendizaje.