Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Open Tibial Shaft Fractures: I. Evaluation and Initial Wound Management

Open fractures of the tibial diaphysis are often associated with severe bone and soft‐tissue injury. Contamination of the fracture site and devitalization of the soft‐tissue envelope greatly increase the risk of infection, nonunion, and wound complications. Management of open tibial shaft fractures begins with a thorough patient evaluation, including assessment of the bone and soft tissue surrounding the tibial injury. Classification of these injuries according to the system of Gustilo and Anderson at the time of surgical débridement is useful in guiding treatment and predicting outcomes. Administration of antibiotic prophylaxis as soon as possible after injury as well as urgent and thorough débridement, irrigation, and bony stabilization are done to minimize the risk of infection and improve outcomes. The use of antibiotic bead pouches and negative‐pressure wound therapy has proved to be efficacious for the acute, temporary management of severe bone and soft‐tissue defects.
New Universal Current-mode Biquad Using Only Three ZC-CFTAs

The objective of this paper is to present a new universal current-mode biquad capable of providing all the five basic filter functions, namely, low pass (LP), band pass (BP), high pass (HP), band reject (BR) and all pass (AP) from the same configuration using only three Z - copy current follower transconductance amplifiers (ZC-CFTA) along with the provision of independent electronic tunabil- ity of the filter parameters 0 and Q0 (or bandwidth) through two separate DC bias currents while employing both grounded capacitors as desirable for integrated cir- cuit implementation. The workability of the proposed structure is verified by PSPICE simulations based on CMOS implementation of the ZC-CFTA.
Assessing the redshift evolution of massive black holes and their hosts

Motivated by recent observational results that focus on high-redshift black holes, we explore the effect of scatter and observational biases on the ability to recover the intrinsic properties of the black hole population at high redshift. We find that scatter and selection biases can hide the intrinsic correlations between black holes and their hosts, with ‘observable’ subsamples of the whole population suggesting, on average, positive evolution even when the underlying population is characterized by no or negative evolution. We create theoretical mass functions of black holes convolving the mass function of dark matter haloes with standard relationships linking black holes with their hosts. Under these assumptions, we find that the local MBH–σ correlation is unable to fit the z = 6 black hole mass function proposed by Willott et al., overestimating the number density of all but the most massive black holes. Positive evolution or including scatter in the MBH–σ correlation makes the discrepancy worse, as it further increases the number density of observable black holes. We note that if the MBH–σ correlation atz = 6 is steeper than today, then the mass function becomes shallower. This helps reproducing the mass function of z = 6 black holes proposed by Willott et al. Alternatively, it is possible that very few haloes (of order 1/1000) host an active massive black hole at z = 6, or that most AGN are obscured, hindering their detection in optical surveys. Current measurements of the high-redshift black hole mass function might be underestimating the density of low-mass black holes if the active fraction or luminosity is a function of host or black hole mass. Finally, we discuss physical scenarios that can possibly lead to a steeper MBH–σ relation at high redshift.
Evoked Potentials to Test Rhythm Perception Theories

Abstract: The general aim of this study was to investigate how rhythmic information is processed by the brain and how a mental representation of a rhythm leads to expectancies about events in the near future. We investigate this by means of EEG recordings from which evoked potentials (EPs), resulting from sensory and cognitive neural activity, are extracted.
HIV-1 and SIV Predominantly Use CCR5 Expressed on a Precursor Population to Establish Infection in T Follicular Helper Cells

Background T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are increasingly recognized as a major reservoir of HIV infection that will likely need to be addressed in approaches to curing HIV. However, Tfh express minimal CCR5, the major coreceptor for HIV-1, and the mechanism by which they are infected is unclear. We have previously shown that macaque Tfh lack CCR5, but are infected in vivo with CCR5-using SIV at levels comparable to other memory CD4+ T cells. Similarly, human splenic Tfh cells are highly infected with HIV-1 DNA. Therefore, we set out to examine the mechanism of infection of Tfh cells. Methodology Tfh and other CD4+ T cell subsets from macaque lymph nodes and spleens, splenic Tfh from HIV+ subjects, and tonsillar Tfh from HIV-uninfected subjects were isolated by cell sorting prior to cell surface and molecular characterization. HIV proviral gp120 sequences were submitted to genotypic and phenotypic tropism assays. Entry of CCR5- and CXCR4-using viruses into Tfh from uninfected tonsillar tissue was measured using a fusion assay. Results Phylogenetic analysis, genotypic, and phenotypic analysis showed that splenic Tfh cells from chronic HIV+ subjects were predominantly infected with CCR5-using viruses. In macaques, purified CCR5+PD-1intermediate(int)+ memory CD4+ T cells were shown to include pre-Tfh cells capable of differentiating in vitro to Tfh by upregulation of PD-1 and Bcl6, confirmed by qRT-PCR and single-cell multiplex PCR. Infected PD-1int cells survive, carry SIV provirus, and differentiate into PD-1hi Tfh after T cell receptor stimulation, suggesting a pathway for SIV infection of Tfh. In addition, a small subset of macaque and human PD-1hi Tfh can express low levels of CCR5, which makes them susceptible to infection. Fusion assays demonstrated CCR5-using HIV-1 entry into CCR5+ Tfh and pre-Tfh cells from human tonsils. Conclusion The major route of infection of Tfh in macaques and humans appears to be via a CCR5-expressing pre-Tfh population. As the generation of Tfh are important for establishing effective immune responses during primary infections, Tfh are likely to be an early target of HIV-1 following transmission, creating an important component of the reservoir that has the potential to expand over time.
Not all those who wander are lost

Del Mar claims that primary care researchers once studied basic clinical problems and produced findings directly relevant to front line practitioners but have latterly drifted off course into the study of “processes. ”1 This analysis is superficial and suggests naivete about who controls the agenda. The direction and underpinning values of primary care research in the UK over the past 40 …
Anthelmintic activity of phenolic acids from the axlewood tree Anogeissus leiocarpus on the filarial nematode Onchocerca ochengi and drug-resistant strains of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract The effect of three phenols (ellagic, gentisic and gallic acids) from the axlewood tree Anogeissus leiocarpus on Onchocerca ochengi and drug-resistant strains of Caenorhabditis elegans, a model organism for research on nematode parasites, is investigated. Worms were incubated in different concentrations of phenols and their survival was monitored after 48 h. Among the three acids, ellagic acid strongly affected the survival of O. ochengi microfilariae, O. ochengi adults, a wild-type C. elegans and anthelmintic-resistant strains of C. elegans, namely albendazole (CB3474), levamisole (CB211, ZZ16) and ivermectin (VC722, DA1316), with LC50 values ranging from 0.03 mm to 0.96 mm. These results indicate that the binding of ellagic acid in the worm differs from that of resistant strains of C. elegans. The efficacy of both gallic and gentisic acids was not significantly changed in resistant strains of C. elegans treated with levamisole (ZZ16, LC50= 9.98 mm, with gallic acid), albendazole (CB3474, LC50= 7.81 mm, with gentisic acid) and ivermectin (DA1316, LC50= 10.62 mm, with gentisic acid). The efficacy of these three pure compounds is in accordance with the use of A. leiocarpus from its locality of origin. The in vivo toxicity data reveal that the thresholds are up to 200 times higher than the determined LC50 values. Thus, ellagic acid could be a potential option for the treatment of nematode infections, even in cases of drug resistance towards established anthelmintic drugs.
A Role for ETR1 in Hydrogen Peroxide Signaling in Stomatal Guard Cells1

Signaling through the redox active molecule hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is important for several processes in plants, such as stomatal closure, root growth, gravitropism, and responses to pathogen challenge ([Neill et al., 2002][1]; [Laloi et al., 2004][2]). Although oxidative modification of reactive
Improved Damper Cage Design for Salient-Pole Synchronous Generators

The benefits of implementing a damper winding in salient-pole synchronous generators are widely known and well consolidated. It is also well known that such a winding incurs extra losses in the machine due to a number of reasons. In order to improve the overall efficiency and performance of classical salient-pole, wound field synchronous generators that employ the traditional damper cage, an improved amortisseur winding topology that reduces the inherent loss is proposed and investigated in this paper. This is essential in order to meet modern power quality requirements and to improve the overall performance of such “classical” machines. The new topology addresses the requirements for lower loss components without compromising the acceptable values of the output voltage total harmonic distortion and achieves this by having a modulated damper bar pitch. As vessel for studying the proposed concept, a 4-MVA salient-pole synchronous generator is considered. A finite element model of this machine is first built and then validated against experimental results. The validated model is then used to investigate the proposed concept with an optimal solution being achieved via the implementation of a genetic algorithm optimization tool. Finally, the performance of the optimized machine is compared to the original design both at a steady state and transient operating conditions.
Comparison of nitroprusside and nitroglycerin in inhibition of angiotensin II and other vasoconstrictor-mediated contraction in human coronary bypass conduits.

AIMS To compare the effect of nitroprusside (SNP) and nitroglycerin (NTG) on angiotensin II (ANGII), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and alpha1-adrenoceptor (phenylephrine, PE)-mediated contraction in internal mammary artery (IMA). METHODS Human IMA segments (n=120) taken from 37 patients were studied. Concentration-relaxation curves for SNP and NTG were established in IMA precontracted with these vasoconstrictors. Concentration-contraction curves were also constructed in IMA rings incubated with SNP and NTG (0.1 and 1 microM) for 10 min. RESULTS Both SNP and NTG caused full relaxation with similar EC50s except NTG was four-fold more potent than SNP in PE-induced contraction (-7.92 +/- 0.06 vs -7.32 +/- 0.2 log M, mean +/- s.e. mean, P<0.01; 95% confidence interval for the difference of the means: 0.19, 1.01 log M). Pretreatment with SNP (0.1 and 1 microM) significantly depressed the contraction by ANGII from 56.6 +/- 7.7% (of 100 mM K+-contraction) to 18.3 +/- 8.6% and 3.9 +/- 2.1% (P=0.0001). In four rings treated with SNP, the contraction to ANGII was abolished whereas NTG did not depress ANGII-mediated contraction. Pretreatment with SNP (1 microM), but not NTG, significantly depressed the magnitude of the PE-induced contraction from 4.7 +/- 1.2 to 1.7 +/- 0.4 g (P<0.05). Treatment with both SNP and NTG significantly increased the EC50 (-5.09 +/- 0.17 log M, P=0.0007 for SNP and -5.40 +/- 0.06 log M, P=0.02 for NTG). Pretreatment with SNP did not significantly change either the magnitude or the EC50 of the ET-1-induced contraction. CONCLUSIONS SNP may be advantageous compared with NTG in preventing coronary arterial graft contraction. However, once grafts have constricted to ANGII, alpha1-adrenoceptor agonists, and ET-1, NTG may be only marginally advantageous.
Determinants of Outsourcing Success in the Financial Industry: The Impact of Importance

How does the overall importance of a particular outsourcing deal, as perceived by the provider, affect the quality and, subsequently, the performance of an outsourcing relationship? This work contributes to outsourcing research by investigating the role of relational governance and its drivers for achieving more successful outsourcing relationships. We focus on the impact of a particular contextual variable which describes the importance of the outsourcing deal to the vendor, thereby turning the traditional perspective of resource dependency theory on outsourcing upside down. Using a case study approach, we show the significance of the importance of a deal between an IT outsourcing provider and its client to both the relationship quality and overall outsourcing success. Clients whose relative deal sizes are large compared to the provider's portfolio or who offer a strategic advantage to the provider are more likely to receive sound service quality and have a better IT outsourcing relationship.
Screencasts: How effective are they and how do students engage with them?

The use of screencasts as an instructional technology is increasing rapidly in higher education. While there appears to be a consensus around students’ satisfaction with the provision of technology-enhanced tools, there is limited evidence revolving around their impact in terms of knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the reasons why students choose to engage (or not) with these resources remain largely unreported. The study assessed the effect of using screencasts on undergraduate students’ understanding and engagement with learning material in one of their modules. Customised screencasts were used as optional additional learning and teaching resources. Grades obtained in a test module (with screencasts) and a control module (without screencasts) were compared to gauge the impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, the reasons for students’ engagement (or lack thereof) with the screencasts were explored using questionnaires. A modest but significant impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition was found, and students’ perception of the screencasts was overwhelmingly positive. Students suggested that screencasts should be kept short to summarise lectures or delve in-depth into complex concepts but should not replace whole lectures. Reasons for not using screencasts revolved around a lack of understanding of what the resources were and also a reported lack of fit between the nature of the tool and self-assessed learning style.
Cooperative Awareness in VANETs: On ETSI EN 302 637-2 Performance

Cooperative awareness on the road is intended to support the road users by providing knowledge about the surroundings and relies on the information exchange enabled by vehicular communications. To achieve this goal the European telecommunication standard institute (ETSI) delivered the standard EN 302 637-2 for cooperative awareness messages (CAM). The CAM triggering conditions are based on the kinematics of the originating vehicle, which is checked periodically. In this paper, we show that the standardized ETSI protocol may suffer a decrease in communication performance under several realistic mobility patterns. The potential influence of the discovered phenomena on the IEEE 802.11p medium access control operation is studied.
DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE SAFE BABIES PROJECT: APPLICATION OF THE COECA MODEL

The Safe Babies project was developed and implemented in Victoria, British Columbia in response to an increased awareness of the unique needs of infants exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol and the education and support needs of the foster parents who frequently care for them. This article describes development of the project from within the context of health and child welfare systems and the political environment of the time. A formative evaluation process was designed and organized within the COECA (Charting the Outcomes of Education and Clinical Approaches) model. This model provided a useful method of not only organizing evaluative efforts, but also targeting efforts that might contribute to maintaining the sustainability and profile of the pilot project.
Corpus Callosotomy for Treatment of Pediatric Epilepsy in the Modern Era

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate seizure outcome in children with intractable secondary generalized epilepsy without a resectable focus who underwent complete corpus callosotomy and compare these results to those of anterior two-third callosotomy. Method: Data were obtained for all patients who underwent a corpus callosotomy from 2000 to 2005. The study involved 37 patients. Eleven patients had anterior two-third corpus callosotomy compared with 28patients who underwent complete corpus callosotomy. Two of these patients had completion of their callosotomy following initial partial callosotomy. Seizure type, seizure frequency, and family satisfaction were evaluated for all patients pre- and postoperatively. Results: A reduction of ≧75% in seizures occurred in 75% of the total-callosotomy patients compared to 55% of the partial-callosotomy patients. Family satisfaction for complete and partial callosotomy was 89 and 73%, respectively. No prolonged neurologic deficits were observed in either group. Conclusion: Complete corpus callosotomy is the most effective treatment for secondary generalized intractable seizures not amenable to focal resection in children.
A mediation model linking body weight, cognition, and sleep-disordered breathing.

RATIONALE Academic success involves the ability to use cognitive skills in a school environment. Poor academic performance has been linked to disrupted sleep associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). In parallel, poor sleep is associated with increased risk for obesity, and weight management problems have been linked to executive dysfunction, suggesting that interactions may be operational between SDB and obesity to adversely affect neurocognitive outcomes. OBJECTIVES To test whether mediator relationships exist between body weight, SDB, and cognition. METHODS Structural equation modeling was conducted on data from 351 children in a community-based cohort assessed with the core subtests of the Differential Abilities Scales after an overnight polysomnogram. Body mass index, apnea-hypopnea index, and cognitive abilities were modeled as latent constructs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In a sample of predominantly white children 6 to 10 years of age, SDB amplified the adverse cognitive and weight outcomes by 0.55- to 0.46-fold, respectively. Weight amplified the risk by 0.39- to 0.40-fold for SDB and cognitive outcomes, respectively. Poor ability to perform complex mental processing functions increased the risk of adverse weight and SDB outcomes by 2.9- and 7.9-fold, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Cognitive functioning in children is adversely affected by frequent health-related problems, such as obesity and SDB. Furthermore, poorer integrative mental processing may place a child at a bigger risk for adverse health outcomes.
The Upregulation of LAG-3 on T Cells Defines a Subpopulation with Functional Exhaustion and Correlates with Disease Progression in HIV-Infected Subjects

T cells develop functional defects during HIV-1 infection, partially due to the upregulation of inhibitory receptors such as programmed death-1 (PD-1) and CTLA-4. However, the role of lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3; CD223), also known as an inhibitory receptor, in HIV infection remains to be determined. In this study, we revealed that LAG-3 on T cells delivers an inhibitory signal to downregulate T cell functionality, thereby playing an immunoregulatory role during persistent HIV-1 infection. We observed that HIV-1 infection results in a significant increase in LAG-3 expression in both the peripheral blood and the lymph nodes. The upregulation of LAG-3 is dramatically manifested on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and is correlated with disease progression. As expected, prolonged antiretroviral therapy reduces the expression of LAG-3 on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The ex vivo blockade of LAG-3 significantly augments HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, whereas the overexpression of LAG-3 in T cells or the stimulation of LAG-3 on T cells leads to the reduction of T cell responses. Furthermore, most LAG-3 and PD-1 are expressed in different T cell subsets. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the LAG-3/MHC class II pathway plays an immunoregulatory role, thereby providing an important target for enhancing immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients. Additionally, the LAG-3/MHC class II pathway may synergize with PD-1/PD ligand to enhance T cell–mediated immune responses.
Monocyte targeting and activation by cationic liposomes formulated with a TLR7 agonist

Objectives: Monocytes are one of the major phagocytic cells that patrol for invading pathogens, and upon activation, differentiate into macrophages or antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) capable of migrating to lymph nodes eliciting an adaptive immune response. The key role in regulating adaptive immune responses has drawn attention to modulate monocyte responses therapeutically within cancer, inflammation and infectious diseases. We present a technology for targeting of monocytes and delivery of a toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist in fresh blood using liposomes with a positively charged surface chemistry. Methods: Liposomes were extruded at 100 nm, incubated with fresh blood, followed by leukocyte analyses by FACS. Liposomes with and without the TLR7 agonist TMX-202 were incubated with fresh blood, and monocyte activation measured by cytokine secretion by ELISA and CD14 and DC-SIGN expression. Results: The liposomes target monocytes specifically over lymphocytes and granulocytes in human whole blood, and show association with 75 – 95% of the monocytes after 1 h incubation. Formulations of TMX-202 in cationic liposomes were potent in targeting and activation of monocytes, with strong induction of IL-6 and IL-12p40, and differentiation into CD14+ and DC-SIGN+ DCs. Conclusion: Our present liposomes selectively target monocytes in fresh blood, enabling delivery of TLR7 agonists to the intracellular TLR7 receptor, with subsequent monocyte activation and boost in secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. We envision this technology as a promising tool in future cancer immunotherapy.
The 73-kDa Heat Shock Cognate Protein Is a CXCR4 Binding Protein that Regulates the Receptor Endocytosis and the Receptor-Mediated Chemotaxis

The CXCR4 chemokine receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor that plays an important role in leukocyte homing, cancer metastasis, and human immunodeficiency virus infection. In response to ligand stimulation, chemokine receptors undergo endocytosis through clathrin-coated vesicle (CCV). Uncoating of CCV, a process involving heat shock cognate protein and several other proteins, is critical for fusion of CCV to endosomal compartments. The present study demonstrated that CXCR4 was associated with the 73-kDa heat shock cognate protein (Hsc73) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells in response to ligand stimulation. Truncation of the carboxyl terminal domain of CXCR4 reduced the association with Hsc73 and a glutathione S-transferase-CXCR4 carboxyl terminal fusion protein associated with Hsc73 in vitro, suggesting involvement of the carboxyl terminal domain of the receptor in the interaction. In response to ligand stimulation, CXCR4 underwent internalization and colocalization with Hsc73, but the receptor endocytosis was blocked by knockdown of Hsc73 with RNA interference. Moreover, Hsc73 knockdown significantly reduced the CXCR4-mediated chemotaxis of U87 glioma cell lines. These findings suggest that Hsc73 plays a role in chemokine receptor trafficking and the receptor-mediated chemotaxis.