Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustained low diffusing capacity in hepatopulmonary syndrome after liver transplantation.

AIM To study the presence of sustained low diffusing capacity (DL(CO)) after liver transplantation (LT) in patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). METHODS Six patients with mild-to-severe HPS and 24 without HPS who underwent LT were prospectively followed before and after LT at mid-term (median, 15 mo). HPS patients were also assessed at long-tem (median, 86 mo). RESULTS Before LT, HPS patients showed lower PaO(2) (71 +/- 8 mmHg), higher AaPO(2) (43 +/- 10 mmHg) and lower DL(CO) (54% +/- 9% predicted), due to a combination of moderate-to-severe ventilation-perfusion (V(A)/Q) imbalance, mild shunt and diffusion limitation, than non-HPS patients (94 +/- 4 mmHg and 19 +/- 3 mmHg, and 85% +/- 3% predicted, respectively) (P<0.05 each). Seven non-HPS patients had also reduced DL(CO) (70% +/- 4% predicted). At mid- and long-term after LT, compared to pre-LT, HPS patients normalized PaO(2) (91 +/- 3 mmHg and 87 +/- 5 mmHg), AaPO(2) (14 +/- 3 mmHg and 23 +/- 5 mmHg) and all V(A)/Q descriptors (P<0.05 each) without changes in DL(CO) (53% +/- 8% and 56% +/- 7% predicted, respectively). Post-LT DL(CO) in non-HPS patients with pre-LT low DL(CO) was unchanged (75% +/- 6% predicted). CONCLUSION While complete V(A)/Q resolution in HPS indicates a reversible functional disturbance, sustained low DL(CO) after LT also present in some non-HPS patients, points to persistence of sub-clinical liver-induced pulmonary vascular changes.
Comparative evaluation of air-Q and classic laryngeal mask airway for surgeries under anesthesia: A randomized open-label trial

Objective: Classic laryngeal mask airway (cLMA) is a prototype supraglottic airway device, and Air-Q is a newly introduced device for use as a primary airway and as an aid for intubation. Due to paucity of literature comparing Air-Q with cLMA, this prospective, randomized, single-blinded study was performed, to evaluate their clinical performance as a primary airway conduit. Methods: Sixty patients of either sex with the American society of anesthesiology Grade I or II, weighing between 50 and 70 kg, were randomly allocated to either the cLMA (n = 30) or Air-Q (n = 30) group. After induction of anesthesia, the assigned airway device was introduced. The ease of insertion, vital parameters, oropharyngeal seal pressure (OSP), airway morbidity, and fiberoptic grades of laryngeal view was recorded. Results: There was no significant difference in ease of insertion, the time taken for successful device placement, number of attempts, or postoperative morbidities. Air-Q was found better with respect to hemodynamic stability during placement of the device. There was a significant difference in the OSP between the Air-Q (22.12 ± 1.740 cm H2O) and cLMA (16.28 ± 2.052 cm H2O), P < 0.001. Fiberoptic laryngeal view through Air-Q was also superior (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Air-Q was found to be superior to cLMA for controlled ventilation in view of better OSP and a superior fiberoptic laryngeal view.
The Relation Between Childhood Maltreatment and Self-Injury: A Review of the Literature on Conceptualization and Intervention

The following article reviews literature pertaining to the association between child maltreatment and self-injury and the ways it varies according to maltreatment type. Research supporting various mediators of the relations between different maltreatment types and self-injury is summarized. Informing mediator models, dominant theories of functionality, particularly affect regulation theories, are summarized and granted empirical support. Following from explanations of its functionality, three developmental pathways (regulatory, representational/interpersonal, and reactive/neurobiological) leading from child maltreatment to self-injury are presented within an organizational model of psychopathology. Understanding the deviations in these pathways that perpetuate self-injury helps to inform intervention approaches that forge pathways perpetuating resilience instead. Three psychosocial treatments (i.e., Dialectical Behavior Therapy [DBT], Trauma-Focused Cognitive—Behavioral Therapy [TF-CBT], and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [ACT]) were chosen for review, based upon their accumulating evidence bases, as well as upon the relevance of their core components in correcting or compensating for trauma-related developmental deviations.
Effect of Quantum Learning Model on Higher Order Thinking Skills in Grade 4th Elementary School

In the context of the 21st century, it is important to teach Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) to students. The existing HOTS learning seems more serious, so it is necessary to have a HOTS learning that is fun, through the Quantum Learning model. The aim of this study was to determine the differences between HOTS between students who learned with the aid of the Quantum Learning model and students who had achieved conventional learning. The method used was quasiexperiment with a sample of pupils of the fifth grade in the subdistrict Cicalengka, which have been selected in a targeted manner. The instrument used was HOTS instrument with indicators for analysis, evaluation and creation. The results showed that HOTS students in the experimental class increased by 20.4 using the Quantum Learning model. This value denies that there are significant HOTS differences between students using the Quantum Learning model with conventional models because the value of the significance level is 0.001. Keywords—HOTS; quantum learning; elementary school
Real-Time Segmentation of Color Images based on the K-means Clustering on FPGA

In this paper, we describe a segmentation method of color images based on the k-means clustering. With a k-means clustering algorithm, we can reduce the number of colors in a given image to K while maintaining the quality of the image. Based on these K colors, we can segment color images by recognizing contiguous pixels of the same color as a region. However, the k-means clustering is a very time consuming task, particularly for large size images and large number of clusters. Therefore, in order to use a k-means clustering algorithm for image segmentation, we need to recognize the regions in parallel with the k-means clustering algorithm. In our implementation, the regions can be recognized in parallel with each iteration of the k-means clustering algorithm.
Effects of heating and cooling the spinal cord and medulla oblongata on thermoregulation in monkeys

1. In the unanaesthetized monkey (Macaca cyclopis), heating the spinal cord or the medulla oblongata from 38 to 42–43° C produced subcutaneous vasodilatation, respiratory acceleration (frequently interrupted with a period of apnoea in the medullary experiment), bradycardia and hypotension. The animal became drowsy and had a slight decrease of body temperature. Heating the medulla oblongata often induced retching and/or emesis.
Oscillatory Mechanisms of Stimulus Processing and Selection in the Visual and Auditory Systems: State-of-the-Art, Speculations and Suggestions

All sensory systems need to continuously prioritize and select incoming stimuli in order to avoid overflow or interference, and provide a structure to the brain's input. However, the characteristics of this input differ across sensory systems; therefore, and as a direct consequence, each sensory system might have developed specialized strategies to cope with the continuous stream of incoming information. Neural oscillations are intimately connected with this selection process, as they can be used by the brain to rhythmically amplify or attenuate input and therefore represent an optimal tool for stimulus selection. In this paper, we focus on oscillatory processes for stimulus selection in the visual and auditory systems. We point out both commonalities and differences between the two systems and develop several hypotheses, inspired by recently published findings: (1) The rhythmic component in its input is crucial for the auditory, but not for the visual system. The alignment between oscillatory phase and rhythmic input (phase entrainment) is therefore an integral part of stimulus selection in the auditory system whereas the visual system merely adjusts its phase to upcoming events, without the need for any rhythmic component. (2) When input is unpredictable, the visual system can maintain its oscillatory sampling, whereas the auditory system switches to a different, potentially internally oriented, “mode” of processing that might be characterized by alpha oscillations. (3) Visual alpha can be divided into a faster occipital alpha (10 Hz) and a slower frontal alpha (7 Hz) that critically depends on attention.
Is “home cooked” healthier and cheaper than ready meals?

Media reports suggest that cooking meals at home is cheaper than buying ready meals. Furthermore, it is popularly believed that home cooked meals are healthier than ready meals, although not if made following television chefs’ recipes . This study compared the nutritional properties and cost of the ten most frequently purchased ready meals in a sample of Scottish households to equivalent meals cooked from ingredients following recipes from popular sources. The numbers of ready meals purchased by Scottish households (n= 2865) were collated from 12-months of continuous household consumer panel data collected by the UK Kantar Worldpanel (KWP) in 2012. KWP comprises a nationally representative sample of household members who scan and record all food and drink purchases brought into their homes. The ten most frequently purchased being: pizza, chicken curry, lasagne, macaroni cheese, cottage/shepherd’s pie, Chinese chicken dishes, fish pie, spaghetti bolognaise, pasta and chicken bake and jacket potatoes. Recipes for equivalent dishes, matched by the name of the dish, and the main ingredients, were taken from the internet (allrecipes.co.uk and bbc.co.uk/food) and popular recipe books (Save with Jamie and The Hairy Dieters: How to love food, lose weight and keep it off for good). Nutritional information for the ready meals (n= 1547) was taken from product labels by KWP. Recipes for home cooked meals (n= 27) were analysed using NetWisp dietary analysis software. There were no significant differences between the ready meals and recipes for energy, macronutrients fibre or sodium, when
The High Cost of High School Dropouts What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools

If the nation’s secondary schools improved enough that they were able to graduate all of their students, rather than the 70 percent of students that are currently graduated annually (Editorial Projects in Education, 2007), the payoff would be significant. For instance, if the students who dropped out of the class of 2007 had graduated, the nation’s economy would have benefited from an additional $329 billion in income over their lifetimes. Who Makes the Money? 2005 Average Income by Educational Attainment
Pharmacotherapy for Heart Failure with Left Ventricular Dysfunction: Beyond Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and β‐Blockers

Angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and β‐blockers make up the cornerstone of therapy for patients with heart failure involving left ventricular dysfunction. These drug classes have been proven to decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure. Unfortunately, many patients remain symptomatic and experience disease progression despite taking both an ACE inhibitor and a β‐blocker. Others may be unable to tolerate one or both of these agents. In recent years, several other drug classes have been shown to provide additional morbidity and mortality benefits in patients with heart failure. These include angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), aldosterone antagonists, and the combination of isosorbide dinitrate plus hydralazine. To select the most appropriate drug therapy for patients with heart failure, clinicians should consider results from clinical trials in specific patient populations, adverse‐event profiles, tolerability, cost, and dosing regimens.
The Color of Wealth in Boston

The widening wealth gap in the United States is a worrisome sign that millions of families nationwide do not have enough in assets to offer better opportunities for future generations. Wealth allows families to make investments in homes, in education, and in business creation. On the basis of data collected using the National Asset Scorecard for Communities of Color (NASCC) survey, we report that, when analyzed by race, wealth accumulation is vastly unequal. By means of the NASCC survey, researchers have collected, for the first time, detailed data on assets and debts among subpopulations, according to race, ethnicity, and country of origin — granular detail ordinarily unavailable in public datasets. In this analysis we focus on estimates for U.S. born blacks, Caribbean blacks, Cape Verdeans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans in the Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Our analysis shows that with respect to types and size of assets and debt held, the data collected on white households and nonwhite households exhibit large differences. The result is that the net worth of whites as compared with nonwhites is staggeringly divergent.
Characterization of secretagogin‐immunoreactive amacrine cells in marmoset retina

The retina contains at least 30 different types of amacrine cells but not many are well characterized. In the present study the calcium‐binding protein secretagogin was localized in a population of regular and displaced amacrine cells in the retina of the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus. Irrespective of their soma location, the dendrites of secretagogin amacrine cells occupy strata 2, 3, and 4 of the inner plexiform layer, between the two bands formed by cholinergic amacrine cells. Segretagogin amacrine cells are also immunopositive to antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase, suggesting that they use γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) as their neurotransmitter. The spatial density of secretagogin amacrine cells decreases from a peak of about 400 cells/mm2 near 1 mm eccentricity to less than 100 cells/mm2 in peripheral retina; these densities account for about 1% of amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer and for up to 27% of displaced amacrine cells. The cell bodies form a regular mosaic, suggesting that they constitute a single amacrine cell population. Secretagogin cells have varicose dendrites, which are decorated with small spines. Intracellular injection of DiI into secretagogin cells revealed an average dendritic field diameter of 170 μm and an average coverage factor of 3.2. In summary, secretagogin cells in marmoset retina are medium‐field amacrine cells that share their stratification pattern with narrow‐field amacrine cells and their neurotransmitter with wide‐field amacrine cells. They may mediate spatial inhibition spanning the centralmost (on and off) bands of the inner plexiform layer. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:435–455, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Activation of dorsal horn microglia contributes to diabetes‐induced tactile allodynia via extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase signaling

Painful neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes, one hallmark of which is tactile allodynia (pain hypersensitivity to innocuous stimulation). The underlying mechanisms of tactile allodynia are, however, poorly understood. Emerging evidence indicates that, following nerve injury, activated microglia in the spinal cord play a crucial role in tactile allodynia. However, it remains unknown whether spinal microglia are activated under diabetic conditions and whether they contribute to diabetes‐induced tactile allodynia. In the present study, using streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats that displayed tactile allodynia, we found several morphological changes of activated microglia in the dorsal horn. These included increases in Iba1 and OX‐42 labeling (markers of microglia), hypertrophic morphology, the thickness and the retraction of processes, and in the number of activated microglia cells. Furthermore, in the dorsal horn of STZ diabetic rats, extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) and an upstream kinase, Src‐family kinase (SFK), both of which are implicated in microglial functions, were activated exclusively in microglia. Moreover, inhibition of ERK phosphorylation in the dorsal horn by intrathecal administration of U0126, an inhibitor of ERK activation, produced a striking alleviation of existing, long‐term tactile allodynia of diabetic rats. We also found that a single administration of U0126 reduced the expression of allodynia. Together, these results suggest that activated dorsal horn microglia may be a crucial component of diabetes‐induced tactile allodynia, mediated, in part, by the ERK signaling pathway. Thus, inhibiting microglia activation in the dorsal horn may represent a therapeutic strategy for treating diabetic tactile allodynia. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypothalamic Activation in Spontaneous Migraine Attacks

Background. — Migraine sufferers experience premonitory symptoms which suggest that primary hypothalamic dysfunction is a likely trigger of the attacks. Neuroendocrine and laboratory data also support this hypothesis. To date, positron emission tomography (PET) scans of migraine sufferers have demonstrated activation of brainstem nuclei, but not of the hypothalamus.
Correlation Between Hedgehog (Hh) Protein Family and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), Indian Hedgehog (IHH), and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). STUDY DESIGN An observational, comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Autism Research and Treatment Center, Al-Amodi Autism Research Chair, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 2011 to May 2012. METHODOLOGY Serum levels of SHH, IHH and BDNF were determined in recently diagnosed autistic patients and age-matched healthy children (n=25), using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used for the assessment of autistic severity. Spearman correlation co-efficient 'r' was determined. RESULTS The serum levels of IHH and SHH were significantly higher in autistic subjects than those of control subjects. There was significant correlation between age and IHH (r = 0.176, p = 0.03), BDNF and severe IHH (r = 0.1763, p = 0.003), and severe BDNF and severe SHH (r = 0.143, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant relationships among the serum levels of SHH, IHH and BDNF and the CARS score, age or gender. CONCLUSION The findings support a correlation between SHH, IHH and BDNF in autistic children, suggesting their pathological role in autism.
Party Control and Policy Change

A major unexamined independent variable in the field of American state budgetary analysis is political party control. By moving to a pooled, longitudinal design (thirty-four states over nine biennia), I test for the effects of variations in political party control with changes in the redistribution ratio (Fry and Winters, 1970). As the ratio reflects policies indulging or depriving lower income classes, I hypothesize that the Democratic party, dependent in part on the electoral support of those income classes, will produce positive redistributional change. While political party control affects the first difference of redistribution, the biennial level of redistribution is expected to reflect long-term economic variables of wealth and need, and the absolute value of the first difference, a measure of relevant budgetary "churning," will positively correlate with measures of formal gubernatorial power. While there is evidence that the latter two hypotheses are correct, there is no relationship between political party control and changes in the redistributive policies of the thirty-four northern American, politically competitive states.
How Informative Are Central Bank Minutes?

Abstract One characteristic feature of central banks today is that policy decisions are almost exclusively made by a committee rather than by a single policy maker. Another is that central banks endeavour to be transparent. Together, this has brought to the fore an important but so far unresolved issue: how much information about the committee’s deliberations should the central bank reveal? Does this kind of information make monetary policy easier to understand and predict, or does it make it harder? We address this issue by employing a novel method. We measure the sentiment and tone of the minutes of the Swedish central bank using an automated content analysis that converts the qualitative information in the minutes to a quantitative measure. We find that this measure is helpful in predicting future policy rate decisions.
Empirical Analysis of Consumer Purchase Behavior: Interaction between State Dependence and Sensitivity to Marketing-Mix Variables

People are intent to make similar choices especially in consumer goods markets. To address both explanations of this persistence, i.e. state dependence and heterogeneity in preferences, we use random coefficient logit model based on scanner panel data on juice purchases. The product differentiation of the chosen category allows us to model three dimensions of state dependence on brand, size and flavor characteristics. We provide evidence that the persistence in brand choices is positively correlated with persistence in size and flavor choices, thus the consumer pattern is prone to be inertial or variety seeking in every product characteristics. Simultaneously we show that the more sensitive to price and promotional activities consumers are, the less inertial is their behavior
Bi-Level Game Approaches for Coordination of Generation and Transmission Expansion Planning Within a Market Environment

The main purpose of this paper is to develop methodologies for simultaneous generation and transmission expansion planning problem of power networks while investigating interactions between these two important sections. In the proposed methodologies, a transmission operator (TO) operating under different incentives decides about investment in transmission network while anticipating the outcome of a purely competitive electricity market where several rival generation firms complete with each other to determine operating level of their generators, amount of their sales and amount of their investment in generation capacity. The proposed methodologies rely on bi-level programming models whose upper level model represent the problem of investment in transmission by TO and the lower level problems represent market outcomes obtained from clearing the market. These bi-level models are reduced to mixed-integer linear and nonlinear programming using the duality theory and Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions. The results of the proposed models are analyzed and compared using two illustrative examples.