Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase II study of phenylacetate in patients with recurrent malignant glioma: a North American Brain Tumor Consortium report.

PURPOSE To determine the response rate, time to treatment failure, and toxicity of phenylacetate in patients with recurrent malignant glioma and to identify plasma concentrations achieved during repeated continuous infusion of this agent. PATIENTS AND METHODS Adult patients with recurrent malignant glioma were treated with phenylacetate. The schedule consisted of a 2-week continuous, intravenous infusion followed by a 2-week rest period (14 days on, 14 days off). A starting dose of 400 mg/kg total body weight per day of phenylacetate was initially used and subsequently changed to 400 mg/kg/d based on ideal body weight. Intrapatient dose escalations were allowed to a maximum of 450 mg/kg ideal body weight/d. Tumor response was assessed every 8 weeks. The National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria were used to assess toxicity. Plasma concentrations achieved during the patients' first two 14-day infusions were assessed. RESULTS Forty-three patients were enrolled between December 1994 and December 1996. Of these, 40 patients were assessable for toxicity and response to therapy. Reversible symptoms of fatigue and somnolence were the primary toxicities, with only mild hematologic toxicity. Thirty (75%) of the 40 patients failed treatment within 2 months, seven (17.5%) had stable disease, and three (7.5%) had a response defined as more than 50% reduction in the tumor. Median time to treatment failure was 2 months. Thirty-five patients have died, with a median survival of 8 months. Pharmacokinetic data for this dose schedule showed no difference in the mean plasma concentrations of phenylacetate between weeks 1 and 2 or between weeks 5 and 6. CONCLUSION Phenylacetate has little activity at this dose schedule in patients with recurrent malignant glioma. Further studies with this drug would necessitate an evaluation of a different dose schedule.
Unrecognized Cognitive Impairment in Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients

To determine the prevalence of unrecognized brain dysfunction accompanying chronic severe cardiac disease, we examined 20 clinically stable consecutive admissions to a cardiac rehabilitation service who were free of known stroke or dementia. Age range was 47 to 85 years (mean ± SEM, 72.5 ± 2.1 years), the male: female ratio was 10:10. Multiple cognitive deficits including significant memory impairment and disorientation were present in eight patients (40%), and seven of these eight patients were unable to administer their own medications reliably. An additional six patients (30%) showed milder impairments. One patient was found to be normal after neurological examination, four showed evidence of a single brain lesion, and 15 of 20 (75%) had multiple neurological abnormalities suggesting multifocal brain disease. The mechanism of cognitive deficits in cardiac patients is unclear, and it may be related to multiple infarcts, or acute or chronic hypoxic damage secondary to arrhythmias, cardiac failure, or small vessel disease of the brain. The term “circulatory dementia” is proposed to describe patients with vascular disease and non‐Alzheimer type dementia. Patients with cardiac disease should undergo cognitive screening, as early identification of patients at risk of progressive intellectual loss may allow early use of preventive therapy.
Exergy assessment of future energy transition scenarios with application to Switzerland

Using an exergy based indicator is highly desirable to compare future national energy strategies. A new web- based information platform called energyscope.ch, informing the general public on the Swiss energy transition was presented at ECOS2016. This paper presents a new extension of the approach that we plan to call exergyscope.ch, clearly stating exergy and distinguishing between primary exergy, final exergy and useful exergy. This allows for a graphical interpretation of the exergy efficiency of each conversion step from primary exergy to final exergy, all the way to useful exergy. Different future energy scenarios for Switzerland are compared to illustrate the gain in exergy efficiency between different strategy choices. Monthly variations in exergy supply are considered by using an average reference temperature for each month. The analysis assesses the useful exergy requirement for all energy services including building and transportation. For heating and cooling services, the proposed framework is coherent with the introduction, reported earlier, of an exergy efficiency indicator in a Law on energy. Accordingly the global exergy efficiency for providing a given useful exergy service can be calculated by multiplying the individual exergy efficiency of each conversion steps. The useful industrial thermal exergy is introduced in a simplified manner with an average service temperature.
Mitochondrial ATP synthase controls larval development cell nonautonomously in Caenorhabditis elegans

The mitochondrial respiratory chain is composed of five protein complexes capable of generating cellular energy in the form of ATP. Defects in mitochondrial energy production can result in a wide variety of diseases with tissue‐specific effects. We previously have isolated a mutation in the atp‐2 gene, which encodes the active site or β‐subunit of complex V in Caenorhabditis elegans. This atp‐2(ua2) mutation is lethal, resulting in developmental arrest at the third larval stage (L3). In this report, we use mosaic analysis to identify the tissues in which atp‐2 gene activity is dispensable for development past the L3 stage. The loss of atp‐2 in any tissue can provoke arrest at the L3 stage. However, animals with a loss of the atp‐2 gene in the ABa lineage, which gives rise to neuronal, pharyngeal, and hypodermal cells, and/or the E lineage, which gives rise to the intestinal cells, can occasionally develop past L3. Loss of atp‐2 gene function in the lineages that give rise to the body muscles is invariably associated with developmental arrest. This finding suggests that the body muscles may play a key role in regulating development. We conclude that atp‐2 functions cell nonautonomously in this developmental process. Our findings suggest that atp‐2 is involved in the production or the regulation of a global, developmental signal required for the L3‐to‐L4 transition. Developmental Dynamics 719–726, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Morphological evaluation of the radioprotective effects of melatonin against X‐ray‐induced early and acute testis damage in Albino rats: an animal model

Irradiation has profound effects on the reproductive function. Our knowledge about radioprotective effects of melatonin against X‐ray‐induced testis damage is rudimentary. In this investigation, we hypothesized that melatonin can minimize germ‐cell depletion and morphological features of cell damage in testis following X‐ray irradiation (XRI). To examine these effects, and to test our hypothesis, an animal model comprised of 60 Albino rats was established. The animals were divided into five groups: Group 1, non‐irradiated; Group 2, X‐ray irradiated (XRI, 8 Grays); Group 3, XRI pretreated with solvent (ethanol and phosphate‐buffered saline); Group 4, non‐irradiated group treated with melatonin and Group 5, XRI pretreated with melatonin. The testes were evaluated for both histological (light microscopy) and ultrastructural changes (transmission electron microscopy). Histologically, there were marked depletions (66%) of the germinal epithelial cells, in XRI group (Groups 2 and 3), whereas these changes were almost absent in XRI testis of animals pretreated with melatonin (Group 5). The number of spermatogenic cells in XRI testis of animals pretreated with melatonin (Group 5) was comparable (95%) to that of non‐irradiated group (Groups 1 and 4) but significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in XRI testis (34%, Groups 2 and 3). Ultrastructurally, XRI testis (Groups 2 and 3) showed features of apoptosis (condensation of the nuclei, vacuolization of the cytoplasm, increased cytoplasmic density and apoptotic bodies). These features were absent in XRI testis of animals pretreated with melatonin (Group 5). Also, this Group showed features of an increased metabolic activity (large acrosomal vesicle, prominent Golgi, increased mitotic activity, increased complement of cytoplasmic organelles and appearance of nucleoli‐like bodies). There was a minimal depletion of the Sertoli and Leydig cells following XRI. Also, morphological features of apoptosis were infrequent in these cells. Administration of melatonin (MEL) prior to irradiation can protect testis against its destructive effects. The protective effects include amelioration of germ‐cell depletion and apoptotic changes. The clinical ramifications of these observations mandate further studies.
A Closed-Loop Coherent Acquisition Scheme for PN Sequences Using an Auxiliary Sequence

We propose a closed-loop system for the acquisition of the pseudo-noise (PN) signal in direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) systems. We introduce a novel idea of using an auxiliary signal, as opposed to the PN signal itself, for correlation with the incoming signal. The cross-correlation function of the auxiliary signal and the PN signal has a triangle shape that covers essentially the entire period of the PN signal. Consequently, their correlation provides the direction for the phase update of the local signal generator in the acquisition scheme. With coherent demodulation, the mean and variance of the acquisition time are derived under additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). They are compared to those of the conventional serial-search acquisition system. Results suggest that the proposed system acquires the PN phase at least twice faster, with significantly smaller acquisition time variance, than the conventional system.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS TO HEAD‐OUT AQUATIC EXERCISES WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BODY IMMERSION

The purpose of this study was to compare the physiological adaptations to basic head-out aquatic exercises with different levels of body immersion. Sixteen young and clinically healthy subjects (9 women and 7 men) volunteered to participate in this study. Each subject performed 3 repetitions (on land, immersed to the hip, and immersed to the breast) of the aquatic exercise “rocking horse” for 6 minutes. The rating of perceived effort (RPE), the maximal heart rate achieved during the exer- citation (HRmax), the percentage of the maximal theoretical heart rate estimated (%HRmax), the peak of oxygen uptake during the exercise (&OV0622;O2peak), and the energy expenditure (EE) were evaluated. The RPE was significantly higher when exercising immersed to the hip than on land (p < 0.01) and immersed to the breast (p = 0.03). The HRmax and %HRmax were significantly lower when exercising with immersion to the breast than on land (p < 0.01) and with immersion to the hip (p < 0.01). The &OV0622;O2peak was significantly different between all conditions. The lower mean value was verified when exercising immersed to the breast, followed by immersion to the hip and on land. The EE was significantly higher when performing aquatic exercises on land than when immersed to the hip (p = 0.02) and the breast (p = 0.01). So, physiological responses when exercising immersed to the hip are higher than when immersed to the breast. The physiological responses when exercising on land are higher than when exercising with immersion to the hip and to the breast.xs
The measurement of GSS effectiveness: a meta-analysis of the literature and recommendations for future GSS research

Some authors have claimed that much research concerning the success of group support systems (GSS) has been inconclusive. This study examines the multitude of measures of GSS success which have been employed in this research and organises them into categories previously used to study information systems (IS) success, namely systems and information quality, use, user satisfaction, and individual and organisational impact. An extensive literature analysis of 210 GSS papers was undertaken and 95 were identified which collected data concerned with the measurement of GSS success in some way. The analysis reveals a variety of success measures and of different instruments used for each success measure. It reveals gaps in the study of GSS success, suggests research opportunities in areas such as system quality and use, information quality, and organisational impact, and recommends more work in the field. <<ETX>>
Crimp length decreases in lax tendons due to cytoskeletal tension, but is restored with tensional homeostasis

Collagen crimp morphology is thought to contribute to the material behavior of tendons and may reflect the local mechanobiological environment of tendon cells. Following loss of collagen tension in tendons, tenocytes initiate a contraction response that shortens tendon length which, in turn, may alter crimp patterns. We hypothesized that changes in the crimp pattern of tendons are the result of cell‐based contractions which are governed by relative tautness/laxity of the collagen matrix. To determine the relationship between crimp pattern and tensional homeostasis, rat tail tendon fascicles (RTTfs) were either allowed to freely contract or placed in clamps with 10% laxity for 7 days. The freely contracting RTTfs showed a significant decrease in percent crimp length on both day 5 (3.66%) and day 7 (7.70%). This decrease in crimp length significantly correlated with the decrease in freely contracting RTTf length. Clamped RTTfs demonstrated a significant decrease in percent crimp length on day 5 (1.7%), but no significant difference in percent crimp length on day 7 (0.57%). The results demonstrate that the tendon crimp pattern appears to be under cellular control and is a reflection of the local mechanobiological environment of the extracellular matrix. The ability of tenocytes to actively alter the crimp pattern of collagen fibers also suggests that tenocytes can influence the viscoelastic properties of tendon. Understanding the interactions between tenocytes and their extracellular matrix may lead to further insight into the role tendon cells play in maintaining tendon heath and homeostasis. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:573–579, 2017.
The Importance of Medical and Nursing Sub-cultures in the Implementation of Clinical Information Systems

Summary Objective: To measure doctors’ and nurses’ perceptions of organisational culture and relate this to their attitudes to, and satisfaction with, a hospital-wide mandatory computerised provider order entry (CPOE) system in order to illuminate cultural compositions in CPOE use. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected by administering an organisational culture survey (Organisational Culture Inventory, OCI) along with a user-satisfaction survey to a population of 103 doctors and nurses from two clinical units in an Australian metropolitan teaching hospital. Clinicians from the hospital had used the CPOE system since 1991 to order and view clinical laboratory and radiology tests electronically for all patients. The OCI provides a measure of culture in terms of three general styles which distinguish between: constructive; passive/defensive, and aggressive/defensive cultures. The cluster which best describes the overall culture is the one that has the highest percentile score when the percentile scores of the four cultural norms included in the cluster are averaged. The user satisfaction survey asked questions relating to satisfaction with, and attitudes to, the system. Results: We found identifiable sub-cultures based on professional divisions where doctors perceived an aggressive-defensive culture (mean percentile score = 43.8) while nurses perceived a constructive culture (mean percentile score = 61.5). There were significant differences between doctors and nurses on three of the attitude variables with nurses expressing more positive views towards CPOE than doctors. Conclusion: The manifestation of sub-cultures within hospitals and the impact this has on attitudes towards clinical information systems should be recognized and addressed when planning for system implementation. Identification and management of the cultural characteristics of different groups of health professionals may facilitate the successful implementation and use of clinical information systems.
High-resolution EUS in children with eosinophilic "allergic" esophagitis.

BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of dysphagia associated with eosinophilic esophagitis is unknown. This study investigated possible anatomic alterations in children with eosinophilic esophagitis in comparison with healthy children by using high-resolution EUS to precisely measure individual tissue layers of the esophagus. METHODS Children with eosinophilic esophagitis (n = 11) and control children (n = 8) without esophagitis were prospectively evaluated by high-resolution EUS with a 20-MHz catheter US probe during an endoscopic examination. Real-time measurements of the distal esophagus were obtained including the thickness of the total wall, combined mucosa and submucosa, muscularis propria, and circular muscle. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found between patients with eosinophilic esophagitis and control patients for mean values for thickness of the total wall (respectively, 2.8 vs. 2.1 mm; p = 0.004), combined mucosa and submucosa (respectively, 1.6 vs. 1.1 mm; p = 0.001), and muscularis propria (respectively, 1.2 vs. 1.0 mm; p = 0.043). Mean values for circular muscle did not differ between patient groups. CONCLUSION High-resolution EUS reveals significant expansion of the esophageal wall and individual tissue layers including the combined mucosa and submucosa, and muscularis propria in children with eosinophilic esophagitis compared with healthy control patients.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE): risk assessment in hospitalized patients.

OBJECTIVE To determine the number of hospitalized patients at risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) / deep vein thrombosis (DVT), identifying the most common risk factor and to document the use of thromboprophylaxis. STUDY DESIGN Observational and cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, from October to December 2011. METHODOLOGY A total of 170 patients underwent this study and these included 51 (30%) from general medical, and 119 (70%) from surgical units. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and data was collected on printed format. VTE risk assessment was done according to Caprini Model and criteria defined by the American College of Chest Physicians- ACCP. RESULTS Out of 170 patients, 91 were male and 79 female with mean age of 39 ± 16 years. According to ACCP criteria for VTE risk assessment, 20% (n=34) patients were identified to be at low risk, 20% (n=34) at moderate risk, 47.65% (n=81) at high risk and 12.35% (n=21) at very high risk of developing VTE. The commonest risk factor significantly identified was immobility (54.7%, p < 0.005), followed by advancing age (41.17%, p < 0.005) and obesity (18.23%). The most common risk factor in all types of surgical patients was anaesthesia for more than 45 minutes 82.35% (n=98/119) and in medical patients advancing age 45% (n=23/51). Only 6 (3.5%) patients received thromboprophylaxis, all were surgical patients of very high-risk category. CONCLUSION Majority of studied hospitalized patients were at high risk of developing VTE. Immobility was the commonest risk factor for developing VTE, followed by advancing age and obesity. Very few hospitalized patients actually received thromboprophylaxis.
Intelligent Agents for Decluttering Command-and-Control Displays

We propose an intelligent agent-based system for the automatic decluttering of a representative net-centric interface designed for controlling multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by a single operator. Our concept is called ARID, for agent-based reduction of information density. Intelligent agents can reduce the cognitive load imposed upon an operator by de-emphasizing those aspects of a display that can be inferred as less-important to the mission goals. Similarly, an intelligent agent can draw the operator's attention to high-priority events or situations. ARID agents are based upon knowledge-based reasoning using subjective logic combination rules to deal with uncertainty and subjectivity. This paper presents an overview of our prototype implementation and the results of an initial experiment designed to measure the benefit of the system
Pragmatic language and the child with emotional/behavioural difficulties (EBD): a pilot study exploring the interaction between behaviour and communication disability.

INTRODUCTION The relationship between mental health, behaviour and language development is widely recognized in the literature. Recent advances in assessment tools allows one to consider the role of pragmatic language skills in this co-occurrence. AIMS This pilot study aimed to investigate (1) the level of association between pragmatic language difficulties and emotional/behavioural difficulties; and (2) what explanations there might there be for any such association. The roles of language, word decoding, and non-verbal cognitive ability and also socio-demographic factors are considered. METHOD & PROCEDURES Seventeen participants aged 7-11 years were identified from Educational Psychologist caseloads as having behaviour that is causing concern at school. Comparisons were made with 16 age- and sex-matched controls. Participants' language, literacy and non-verbal cognitive ability were assessed at school. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires investigating communication skills, behaviour and emotional wellbeing. OUTCOMES & RESULTS No significant difference was found between the groups for non-verbal cognitive ability. However, children in the referred group were significantly more likely to have structural language, word decoding and pragmatic language difficulties and mothers with no further education beyond school. Taking a broad view of language skills to include structural language, pragmatic language and word decoding, 94% (n = 15) of referred children had significant difficulties with at least one of these three factors. The only factor not found on its own was structural language difficulties, indicating that on their own they are perhaps not associated with emotional/behavioural difficulties. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The results of this pilot study have implications for how we view language and behaviour difficulties in primary schools. Future larger-scale research should consider the role of parenting factors, pragmatic language skills and literacy ability in the high co-existence rate of emotional/behavioural difficulties and language/communication needs.
ARE HEARING VOICES GROUPS EFFECTIVE ? A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

It is generally accepted that approximately 10% general population hear voices (Tien, 1991). It is possible that lifetime prevalence may be much higher (Barrett and Etheridge, 1992). Many people who hear voices do not have mental health problems. They hold a variety of beliefs about the nature and origins of their experiences and deal with them in many ways. For some people, voices can be an asset or not pose any significant problem. For others a variety of approaches can be helpful. Romme and Escher (1993) found that people who cope better with voices feel stronger, set more limits on voices, listen more selectively, communicate more about the voices and experience more support from others. They recommend encouraging people to meet others who also hear voices. Hearing voices groups have been organised by voluntary organisations for many years.