Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of sarcomere length and intracellular calcium in mouse skeletal muscle following stretch‐induced injury

1 The effect on sarcomere organization of stretching intact single skeletal muscle fibres by 50% of their optimum length (Lo) during ten consecutive short tetani was investigated. Stretch reduced tetanic force to 36 ± 4% of the pre‐stretch condition. Sarcomere organization was analysed using both electron and confocal microscopy. For confocal microscopy the striation pattern was examined by fluorescently staining F‐actin with rhodamine–phalloidin. 2 Electron microscopy revealed that fibres which had been stretched during contraction contained areas of severe sarcomere disorganization, as well as adjacent sarcomeres of normal appearance. 3 Confocal images of stretched fibres, which had been fixed and stained with rhodamine–phalloidin, showed focal regions of overstretched sarcomeres and regions where sarcomeres of adjacent myofibrils were out of alignment with each other. Analysis of all sarcomeres along the length of fibres showed regions of sarcomere inhomogeneity were distributed throughout the fibre length and cross‐section. 4 Fibres were microinjected with the fluorescent [Ca2+]i indicator fura‐2 before being stretched. Conventional wide‐field fluorescence imaging microscopy showed that the tetanic [Ca2+]i was reduced after stretching but remained uniformly distributed. 5 This study confirms the finding that stretch‐induced muscle injury has components caused by disorganization of the myofibrillar array and by failure of tetanic Ca2+ release. The structural damage is spatially heterogeneous whereas the changes in Ca2+ release appear to be spatially homogeneous.
Evaluating a vocational training programme for women refugees at the Zaatari camp in Jordan: women empowerment: a journey and not an output

Abstract This study aims at evaluating a vocational training programme entitled ‘Women and Girls Oasis’ at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in the city of Mafraq, Jordan. The research study was undertaken in 2014/2015, and highlights the impact of such vocational training programmes on the well-being of Syrian women refugees. The results show that ‘Women and Girls Oasis’ Programme enhanced women’s confidence and self-esteem, improved their occupational business, and entrepreneurship skills, helped them generate income to build a better life for their shattered families; and gave them hope and opportunities after experiencing war firsthand. The study reveals that in a refugee community, patterns are deconstructed and gender roles may be changed; this gender equality and women empowerment are seen as perquisites for sustainable development and achieving the millennium development goal. The study offers recommendations for UN Women, UNHCR and similar NGO’s concerned with the well-being of refugees in Jordan and neighbouring countries.
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: allograft versus autograft.

PURPOSE This study was performed to compare the minimal 2-year outcome of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) allografts versus autografts, both augmented with an iliotibial band tenodesis. TYPE OF STUDY Retrospective review. METHODS Forty-six of 52 BPTB ACL reconstructions using allografts and 33 of 37 BPTB ACL reconstructions using autografts were followed up at a mean of 2.75 and 3.36 years, respectively. All patients had an iliotibial band tenodesis. Evaluations included the Lysholm II scale, a questionnaire, physical examination findings, and KT-1000 arthrometry. RESULTS No statistically significant differences were seen between groups in Lysholm II scores or in any subjective category. Most patients (91% allograft; 97% autograft) had good to excellent Lysholm II scores. Sixty-five percent of allograft patients and 73% of autograft patients returned to their preinjury activity level. More allograft patients complained of retropatellar pain (16% v 9% for autograft patients). Fifty-three percent of allograft patients versus 23% of autograft patients had a flexion deficit of 5 degrees or more when compared with the normal contralateral side. When comparing KT-1000 side-to-side differences, we found no significant differences between groups. Ninety-one percent of both groups had maximum side-to-side differences less than 5 mm. Three allograft patients (6.5%) had traumatic ruptures at 12, 19, and 43 months postoperatively versus none in the autograft group. All three allograft patients who sustained postoperative traumatic ruptures had received fresh frozen, nonirradiated allografts. CONCLUSIONS Results of ACL reconstruction using allografts or autografts augmented with an iliotibial band tenodesis were comparable. The BPTB autograft should remain the gold standard, although the BPTB allograft in ACL reconstruction is a reasonable alternative.
Telephone counseling intervention improves dietary habits and metabolic parameters of patients with the metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Patients with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) can suffer from poor metabolic parameters through lack of adherence to requisite lifestyle changes in dietary and physical activity. Usually, interventions in MetS patients are infrequent face-to-face consultations. The low frequency or absence of counseling interviews leads to a shortage of information and motivation to adhere to the recommended lifestyle changes. Telephone interventions could be an additional low-cost tool for effective interventions. AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of telephone intervention in improving lifestyle habits and metabolic parameters in MetS patients compared with similar face-to-face or a usual care interventions. METHODS Eighty-seven MetS patients recruited from the outpatient clinic of a major public hospital were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention groups: "usual care", "telephone" or "face-to-face". At the beginning of the study, all patients were provided with a hypocaloric Mediterranean-type diet. Afterwards, patients in the telephone group received 7 dietary counseling calls, patients in the face-to-face group participated in 7 one-to-one dietary counseling sessions, while patients in the usual care group received no other contact until the end of the study, 6 months later. All patients underwent full medical and nutritional evaluation at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. RESULTS At the end of the intervention, 42% of the participants no longer showed symptoms of MetS; the reduction rates differed significantly between the groups (p = 0.024), with those in the face-to-face and telephone group exhibiting similar rates (52% and 54%, respectively, vs. 21% in the usual care group). Between-group analysis revealed that the face-to-face group achieved the greatest improvement in metabolic parameters, while the telephone group had the greatest improvement in dietary adherence compared with the usual care group. CONCLUSIONS Telephone counseling is an effective way to implement behavioral counseling to improve lifestyle habits in MetS patients.
Robust Stabilization for Uncertain Saturated Time-Delay Systems: A Distributed-Delay-Dependent Polytopic Approach

This technical note investigates the robust stabilization problem for uncertain linear systems with discrete and distributed delays under saturated state feedback. Different from the existing approaches, a distributed-delay-dependent polytopic approach is proposed in this technical note, and the saturation nonlinearity is represented as the convex combination of state feedback and auxiliary distributed-delay feedback. Then, by incorporating an appropriate augmented Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) functional and some integral inequalities, the less conservative stabilization and robust stabilization conditions are proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The effectiveness and reduced conservatism of the proposed conditions are illustrated by numerical examples.
A Comparison of Sell-off and Spin-off strategies and a discussion on feasibility of Spin-offs in China's security market

Sell-offs and Spin-offs are most common methods for firms to divest divisions and subsidiaries. They are driven by similar motives and have similar effect on the shareholders' wealth. However sell-offs are more often used to deal with financial distress and spin-offs to realize the fair values of shares. For the management team of parent firm, in sell-off operations, they sell assets for cash or cash equivalent which do not reduce the value of the assets that they control while in a spin-off they would control a lower level of assets. For the shareholders, after spin-offs, they can obtain two separate sets of shares which are expected to bring higher wealth value to them. In China's securities market, divestiture cases have been gradually increasing. Most of them are sell-offs. There are no spin-off cases. Such phenomenon may be resulted from the earnings management focus of divestiture as well as historical constraints imposed by the government agencies. In reality, there are no such restrictive clauses in laws and regulations. With the evolving of the ownership structure, and changes and improvement with the initial public offering (IPO) supervision mechanism, the management has been paying more attention to the shareholders' wealth, spin-offs in stock market is expected to emerge.
Züchterische Aspekte zu Kalbeverlauf, Totgeburtenrate und Nutzungsdauer in der Milchviehzucht

Züchterische Entscheidungen, die heute getroffen werden, kommen durch das lange Generationsintervall in der Rinderzucht erst in einigen Jahren zum Tragen. Das bedeutet, dass sich aktuelle Zuchtentscheidungen an der in Zukunft zu erwartenden wirtschaftlichen Lage orientieren sollten. Unabhängig von detaillierten Prognosen kann man ganz allgemein formulieren, dass es auch in Zukunft notwendig sein wird, viel Milch guter Qualität mit hohen Inhaltsstoffen von gesunden, langlebigen Kühen zu produzieren. Das heißt, dass es bei den züchterischen Überlegungen keinesfalls nur um die Milch allein gehen darf, sondern sehr stark um die Fitness und abhängig von der Rasse auch um das Fleisch. Die Gesamtwirtschaftlichkeit der Milchviehhaltung muss im Vordergrund stehen, und hier spielen die Kosten senkenden funktionalen Merkmale eine große Rolle. Leichte Geburten und vitale Kälber haben dabei eine wesentliche Bedeutung. Schwergeburten verursachen einerseits direkte Kosten in Form von Tierarztkosten und andererseits indirekt durch eine schlechtere Fruchtbarkeit, eine niedrigere Milchleistung, eine kürzere Nutzungsdauer oder sogar den Verlust der Kuh bzw. des Kalbes. Letzteres bedeutet einen schweren wirtschaftlichen Verlust, der sich auch in einer reduzierten Remontierungsmöglichkeit widerspiegelt. Ethische Gesichtspunkte und Tierschutzaspekte dürfen in diesem Zusammenhang ebenso nicht außer Acht gelassen werden. Begriffe wie Langlebigkeit, Dauerleistung, Nutzungsdauer und Lebensleistung sind erst in den letzten Jahren wieder modern geworden, auch im Hinblick auf die Notwendigkeit einer verstärkt ganzheitlich orientierten Wirtschaftsweise. Die Forderung nach Berücksichtigung der Lebensbzw. Dauerleistung bei der Zuchtwahl ist alt. Bereits vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurden Rinderleistungsbücher geführt, in die vorwiegend Dauerleistungskühe eingetragen wurden. Allerdings verlor diese Art der Erbwertschätzung durch die bald darauf einsetzende künstliche Besamung und Zuchtwertschätzung anhand von Nachkommenleistungen in den folgenden Jahren und Jahrzehnten fast völlig an Bedeutung. Trotz ihrer langen Geschichte gab es bis vor einigen Jahren kaum ernstzunehmende Ansätze, um die Dauerleistung von Stieren und Kühen zu bewerten und zu fördern. Die für die Rentabilitätssteigerung wichtige Verlängerung der Nutzungsdauer kann langfristig nur über die Einbeziehung der funktionalen Merkmale in die Zuchtprogramme erfolgen.
Determinants of length of stay after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND Rising healthcare costs have prompted limitations in the length of stay (LOS) for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Because not all patients are candidates for early discharge, in the present study our aim was to determine factors that prolong LOS. METHODS AND RESULTS In 194 consecutive patients undergoing CABG procedures, LOS was > 7 days in 37%. Stepwise multiple regression procedures and chi 2 testing were used to determine what factors prolonged LOS for > 7 days. Preoperative factors that significantly (P < .05) prolonged LOS included repeat CABG, CABG plus valve surgery, congestive heart failure, preoperative coronary care unit stay, renal failure, and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Patients with at least one risk factor had a significantly higher incidence of LOS of > 7 days (47% versus 17%; P < .001). Significant (P < .05) postoperative factors prolonging LOS included arrhythmias, respiratory insufficiency, pneumonia, and wound infection. Of patients with at least one risk factor, 83% had LOS of > 7 days (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The presence of certain preoperative and post-operative risk factors can be predicted to prolong LOS after CABG surgery. This should be taken into consideration when defining reimbursement policies.
Understanding Risk in Criminal Justice

This is a single authored work in a key Open University series for crime and criminal justice. The book has been extremely well reviewed and is a key text on a number of courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is routinely cited in other works, including leading journal articles. It draws on extensive literature, a wide research base, and the author’s own research. At time of publication it was the first to thoroughly explore the role of risk in criminal justice practice and policy and is recognised as a key authority in the subject.
Anti-GD3 Chimeric sFv-CD28/T-Cell Receptor ζ Designer T Cells for Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma and Other Neuroectodermal Tumors

Purpose: The aims of this study are to compare antitumor activities of two generations of GD3-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) in human primary T lymphocytes in vitro and to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of using a combination of systemic infusion of interleukin-2 (IL2) and designer T cells to eradicate subcutaneous established GD3+ melanoma in nude mice. Experimental Design: Antitumor activities were compared for two generations of designer T cells, the progenitor first-generation with immunoglobulin T-cell receptor (TCR) with Signal 1 and the second-generation designer T cells with Signal 1+2. Osmotic IL2 pumps were used to deliver the maximum tolerated dose of IL2 to enhance the antitumor effects of designer T cells on subcutaneous established melanoma in nude mice. Results: Melanoma is associated with high expression of ganglioside GD3, which has been targeted with modest effect in antibody therapies. We previously showed that an anti-GD3 CAR (sFv-TCRζ) will recruit T cells to target this non–T-dependent antigen, with potent killing of melanoma cells. Here, we report the addition of a CD28 costimulation domain to create a second-generation CAR, called Tandem for two signals. We show that this Tandem sFv-CD28/TCRζ receptor on T cells confers advantages of improved cytokine secretion, cytotoxicity, proliferation, and clonal expansion on tumor contact versus the same CAR without costimulation. In an adoptive transfer model using established melanoma tumors, designer T cells with CD28 showed a 50% rate of complete remissions but only where IL2 was supplemented. Conclusions: As a reagent for clinical development, the second-generation product is shown to have superior properties to warrant its preference for clinical designer T-cell immunotherapy for melanoma and other tumors. Systemic IL2 was required for optimal activity in an established tumor model. Clin Cancer Res; 16(10); 2769–80. ©2010 AACR.
Fine structural evidence of specific mechanism for increased endothelial permeability in experimental hypertension.

FIBNIT DEPOSITION in the arterial wall in experimental hypertension " implicates plasma proteins in the development of vascular injurv. The portal of entry of such proteins and the possible mechanism of plasma protein insudation, however, still requires elucidation. Although our previous fine structural studies in experimental hypertension were carried out in mesenteric and coronary arteries,67'1'2 the aorta appeared to be a preferable model for investigating this problem. Accumulation of plasma proteins in the relatively closed subendothelial compartment of the aorta represents a constant early change in diverse experimental hvpertensive models.45'3 Furthermore, the aortic wall lends itself readilv to technical procedures, such as time studies with tracers, used in the present experiment.
[Gross Job Creation and Destruction: Microeconomic Evidence and Macroeconomic Implications]: Comment

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Spectrum of Elementary Cellular Automata and Closed Chains of Contours †

In this paper, we study the properties of some elementary automata. We have obtained the characteristics of these cellular automata. The concept of the spectrum for a more general class than the class of elementary automata is introduced. We introduce and study discrete dynamical systems which represents the transport of mass on closed chains of contours. Particles on contours move in accordance with given rules. These dynamical systems can be interpreted as cellular automata. Contributions towards this study are as follows. The characteristics of some elementary cellular automata have been obtained. A theorem about the velocity of particles’ movement on the closed chain has been proved. It has been proved that, for any ε > 0 , there exists a chain with flow density ρ < ε such that the average flow particle velocity is less than the velocity of free movement. An interpretation of this system as a transport model is given. The spectrum of a binary closed chain with some conflict resolution rule is studied.
The science of endothelin‐1 and endothelin receptor antagonists in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension: current understanding and future studies

Pathological vascular remodelling is a key contributor to the symptomatology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and reversing this process may offer the best hope for improving this debilitating condition. The vascular remodelling process is believed to be due to endothelial cell dysfunction and to involve altered production of endothelial cell‐derived vasoactive mediators. The observation that circulating plasma levels of the vasoactive peptide endothelin (ET)‐1 are raised in patients with PAH, and that ET‐1 production is increased in the pulmonary tissue of affected individuals, makes it a particularly interesting target for a therapeutic intervention in PAH. Clinical trials with ET receptor antagonists (ETRAs) show that they provide symptomatic benefit in patients with PAH, thereby proving the clinical relevance of the ET system as a therapeutic target. In this paper, we review the role of ET‐1 together with the available data on the roles of the specific ET receptors and ETRAs in PAH. In particular, we discuss the possible role of ET receptor selectivity in the vascular remodelling process in PAH and whether selective ETA or nonselective ETA/ETB blockade offers the greatest potential to improve symptoms and alter the clinical course of the disease.
Genetic variation within the anticoagulant, procoagulant, fibrinolytic and innate immunity pathways as risk factors for venous thromboembolism

Summary. Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highly heritable (estimated heritability [h2] = 0.62) and likely to be a result of multigenic action. Objective: To systematically test variation within genes encoding for important components of the anticoagulant, procoagulant, fibrinolytic and innate immunity pathways for an independent association with VTE. Methods: Non‐Hispanic adults of European ancestry with objectively‐diagnosed VTE, and age‐ and sex‐ matched controls, were genotyped for 13 031 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 764 genes. Analyses (n = 12 296 SNPs) were performed with plink using an additive genetic model and adjusted for age, sex, state of residence, and myocardial infarction or stroke. Results: Among 2927 individuals, one or more SNPs within ABO, F2, F5, F11, KLKB1, SELP and SCUBE1 were significantly associated with VTE, including factor (F) V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A, ABO non‐O blood type, and a novel association with ABO rs2519093 (OR = 1.68, P‐value = 8.08 × 10−16) that was independent of blood type. In stratified analyses, SNPs in the following genes were significantly associated with VTE: F5 and ABO among both genders and LY86 among women; F2, ABO and KLKB1 among FV Leiden non‐carriers; F5, F11, KLKB1 and GFRA1 in those with ABO non‐O blood type; and ABO, F5, F11, KLKB1, SCUBE1 and SELP among prothrombin G20210A non‐carriers. The ABO rs2519093 population‐attributable risk (PAR) exceeded that of FV Leiden and prothrombin G20210A, and the joint PAR of FV Leiden, prothrombin G20210A, ABO non‐O and ABO rs2519093 was 0.40. Conclusions: Anticoagulant, procoagulant, fibrinolytic and innate immunity pathway genetic variation accounts for a large proportion of VTE among non‐Hispanic adults of European ancestry.
Signout: A Collaborative Document with Implications for the Future of Clinical Information Systems

Signout is an unofficial clinical document used traditionally to facilitate patient handoff. Qualitative studies have suggested its importance in clinical care. We used a novel technique to quantify the use of signout by analyzing clinical information system logfiles. Viewing and editing events were collected for 1,677 unique patients admitted to our internal medicine service. We found the average patient's signout on a given day is viewed frequently (>6x) and edited frequently (>2x) with multiple unique viewers (>3) and editors (>1). We also found that signouts are used throughout a 24-hour period, not just at the time of handoff. Finally, we showed that they are viewed months and even years after their creation. Signout is therefore a highly utilized, collaborative, clinical document used for more than patient handoff. Our findings also suggest that clinical information systems may benefit from the introduction of collaborative tools such as subscription, versioning, and author-attribution utilities.