Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of temperature on bleeding time and clotting time in normal male and female volunteers.

OBJECTIVE This study was done to assess the effects of temperature on bleeding time and clotting time in normal male and female volunteers. DESIGN Open study utilizing normal volunteers. SETTING University research laboratory. SUBJECTS Fifty-four healthy male and female volunteers, ranging in age from 19 to 35 yrs, who were not receiving medications. The study was done and the samples of venous blood and shed blood collected at the template bleeding time site were obtained at a convenient time for each volunteer. INTERVENTIONS Skin temperature was changed from +20 degrees to +38 degrees C and blood samples were obtained from the antecubital vein of each volunteer. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The effect of local skin temperature ranging from +20 degrees to +38 degrees C on bleeding time was evaluated in 38 normal volunteers (19 male and 19 female). Skin temperature was maintained at +20 degrees to +38 degrees C by cooling or warming the forearm. At each temperature, measurements were made of complete blood count, bleeding time, and thromboxane B2 concentrations in shed blood collected at the template bleeding time site and in serum and plasma isolated from blood collected from the antecubital vein. Clotting time studies were measured in 16 normal volunteers (eight male and eight female) at temperatures ranging from +22 degrees to +37 degrees C. At +32 degrees C, the bleeding time was longer and hematocrit was lower in female than in male volunteers. However, at local skin temperatures of < +32 degrees C, both the males and females exhibited significantly increased bleeding times, which were associated with a reduction in shed blood thromboxane B2. Each 1 degree C decrease in temperature was associated with a 15% decrease in the shed blood thromboxane B2 concentration. Clotting times were three times longer at +22 degrees C than at +37 degrees C. Each 1 degree C reduction in the temperature of the clotted blood was associated with a 15% reduction in the serum thromboxane B2 concentration. CONCLUSION Our data indicate that during surgical procedures, it is important to maintain normothermia to ensure that platelets and clotting proteins function optimally.
Elastic Properties of Chimpanzee Craniofacial Cortical Bone

Relatively few assessments of cranial biomechanics formally take into account variation in the material properties of cranial cortical bone. Our aim was to characterize the elastic properties of chimpanzee craniofacial cortical bone and compare these to the elastic properties of dentate human craniofacial cortical bone. From seven cranial regions, 27 cylindrical samples were harvested from each of five chimpanzee crania. Assuming orthotropy, axes of maximum stiffness in the plane of the cortical plate were derived using modified equations of Hooke's law in a Mathcad program. Consistent orientations among individuals were observed in the zygomatic arch and alveolus. The density of cortical bone showed significant regional variation (P < 0.001). The elastic moduli demonstrated significant differences between sites, and a distinct pattern where E3 > E2 > E1. Shear moduli were significantly different among regions (P < 0.001). The pattern by which chimpanzee cranial cortical bone varies in elastic properties resembled that seen in humans, perhaps suggesting that the elastic properties of craniofacial bone in fossil hominins can be estimated with at least some degree of confidence. Anat Rec, 299:1718–1733, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Annealing of alpha-decay damage in zircon: a Raman spectroscopic study

Recrystallization and structural recovery in -decay damage in zircon samples have been studied using Raman spectroscopy. Fifteen zircon samples with different degrees of radiation damage have been thermally annealed between 600 K and 1800 K for up to 28 days and 8 hours. The experimental results from this study reveal that recrystallization in the damaged zircon samples is a multi-stage process that depends on the degree of initial damage of the samples. In partially damaged samples the lattice recovery of damaged crystalline ZrSiO4 takes place at temperatures as low as about 700 K, as shown by a remarkable band-sharpening and a significant increase in the frequencies of 1 and 3 Si-O stretching vibrations together with the external band near 357 cm-1 with increasing temperature. A dramatic increase of Raman scattering intensity of ZrSiO4 occurs in partially damaged samples near 1000 K due to a recrystallization process involving epitaxial growth. Heavily damaged samples tend to decompose into ZrO2 and SiO2 at high temperatures. Tetragonal ZrO2 has been observed under annealing between 1125 K and about 1600 K in heavily damaged samples while monoclinic ZrO2 appears above 1600 K. Weak signals from ZrSiO4 were detected at 1125 K in highly metamict zircon although the main recrystallization appears to occur near 1500 K accompanied by a decrease of the volumes of ZrO2 as well as SiO2 . This suggests that this recrystallization is associated with the reaction of ZrO2 with SiO2 to form ZrSiO4 . A possible intermediate phase has been observed, for the first time, by Raman spectroscopy in damaged zircons annealed at temperatures between 800 K and 1400 K. This phase is characterized by strong, broad Raman signals near 670, 798 and 1175 cm-1 . Prolonged isothermal annealing at 1050 K results in a decrease of these characteristic bands and eventually the disappearance of this intermediate phase.
Neuraminidase inhibitors for the treatment and prevention of influenza

The impact of influenza virus infection is estimated to run into billions of dollars worldwide. Vaccination plays a key role in prevention; however, vaccines do not provide complete protection against influenza due to the constant mutation of the virus responsible. Unlike amantadine and rimantadine, which are only effective against influenza A, the new neuraminidase inhibitors zanamivir (Relenza®, GlaxoSmithKline) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu®, Gilead/Roche) are potent and specific inhibitors of influenza types A and B and have minimal side effects. The greatest benefit is derived if treatment commences as soon as possible after symptoms develop. In order for these inhibitors to have a significant impact on the disease, clinicians and the general public need to be made more aware of the symptoms of influenza and the availability of these new drugs.
Metabolic and respiratory profile of the upper limit for prolonged exercise in man.

For high-intensity cycling, power (P) can be well described as a hyperbolic function of tolerable work duration (t): P=(W'/t) + P LL W' is a constant and P LL is the lower limit (asymptote) for P which is shown to occur at an O2 uptake ([Vdot]O2) lying above the estimated threshold for sustained blood [lactate] increase (ΘIac) but below the maximum [Vdot]O2 ([Vdot]O2max) obtained during incremental cycling. This relation suggests that, above P LL, only a certain amount of work (W') can be accomplished regardless of its rate of performance, with [Vdot]O2 max being attained at fatigue. Hence, P LL defines a point of discontinuity in the [Vdot]O2-P relation for supra-ΘIac exercise. In order to determine the factors responsible for the continued increase in [Vdot]O2 (to the maximum fatiguing value) at power outputs >P LL, we documented the temporal profiles of metabolic (rectal temperature; blood [lactate], [pyruvate], [norepinephrine], [epinephrine]) and respiratory ([Vdot]E; [Vdot]O2; [Vdot]CO2; blood pH, P.
Characterizing SRAM Single Event Upset in Terms of Single and Multiple Node Charge Collection

A well-collapse source-injection mode for SRAM SEU is demonstrated through TCAD modeling. The recovery of the SRAM's state is shown to be based upon the resistive path from the p+ -sources in the SRAM to the well. Multiple cell upset patterns for direct charge collection and the well-collapse source-injection mechanisms are predicted and compared to SRAM test data.
Ultrafine Pitch (6 $\mu\hbox{m}$) of Recessed and Bonded Cu–Cu Interconnects by Three-Dimensional Wafer Stacking

In this letter, an evolution of high-density (>; 106 cm-2) bonded Cu-Cu interconnects of 6-μm pitch is successfully demonstrated using wafer-on-wafer thermocompression bonding. Cu sealing frame with excellent hermeticity is integrated to the bonded structures to promote bond reliability. Additionally, temporary passivation of Cu surface using self-assembled monolayer enhances the resistance against oxidation, which, in turn, enables moderately low-temperature bonding process at 300°C. Finally, thermal cycling test confirms the thermal stability of the 6-μm-pitch Cu-Cu daisy chain structure up to 1000 cycles. This work opens up new opportunity for wafer-level integration of bumpless Cu-Cu bonding to enable future high-bandwidth 3-D integrated circuit applications.
Urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein as a new biomarker of sepsis complicated with acute kidney injury*

Objective:This study is aimed to examine whether urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein can detect the severity of sepsis with animal sepsis models and septic shock patients complicated with established acute kidney injury. Design:Experimental animal models and a clinical, prospective observational study. Setting:University laboratory and tertiary hospital. Subjects and Patients:One hundred fourteen human L-type fatty acid-binding protein transgenic mice and 145 septic shock patients with established acute kidney injury. Interventions:Animals were challenged by abdominal (cecal ligation and puncture) and pulmonary (intratracheal lipopolysaccharide injection) sepsis models with different severities that were confirmed by survival analysis (n = 24) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis (n = 38). Measurements and Main Results:In animal experiments, significant increases of urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein levels were induced by sepsis (severe cecal ligation and puncture 399.0 ± 226.8 &mgr;g/g creatinine [n = 12], less-severe cecal ligation and puncture 89.1 ± 25.3 [n = 11], sham 13.4 ± 3.4 [n = 10] at 6 hrs, p < .05 vs. sham; 200 &mgr;g of lipopolysaccharide 190.6 ± 77.4 &mgr;g/g creatinine [n = 6], 50 &mgr;g of lipopolysaccharide 145.4 ± 32.6 [n = 8], and saline 29.9 ± 14.9 [n = 5] at 6 hrs, p < .05 vs. saline). Urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein predicted severity more accurately than blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary N-acetyl-d-glucosaminidase levels. In clinical evaluation, urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein measured at admission was significantly higher in the nonsurvivors of septic shock with established acute kidney injury than in the survivors (4366 ± 192 &mgr;g/g creatinine [n = 68] vs. 483 ± 71 [n = 77], p < .05). Urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein showed the higher value of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for mortality compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores (L-type fatty acid-binding protein 0.994 [0.956–0.999], APACHE II 0.927 [0.873–0.959], and SOFA 0.813 [0.733–0.873], p < .05). Conclusions:Our results suggest that urinary L-type fatty acid-binding protein can be a useful biomarker for sepsis complicated with acute kidney injury for detecting its severity.
The metabolic syndrome: one step forward, two steps back

Individuals with insulin resistance are at increased risk of glucose intolerance, dyslipidaemia and essential hypertension. In 1988, it was proposed that this cluster of abnormalities associated with insulin resistance identifies individuals at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, in an effort to raise awareness of this problem, both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program have suggested a set of clinical criteria to diagnose individuals with what they both refer to as the metabolic syndrome. Although using the same term, the two groups have different goals for creating this diagnosis and different criteria to identify individuals, which relate to their different institutional goals. This review critically evaluates the similarities and differences between the two groups' concepts of the metabolic syndrome and questions the clinical utility of making the diagnosis with either set of definitions.
Species identification, slime production and oxacillin susceptibility in coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from nosocomial specimens

Ninety-two coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) (forty-five of clinical origin and forty-seven of environmental origin), collected in a hospital in San Luis, Argentina, from March to June, 1999, were identified to species level by the ID 32 Staph and API Staph System (bioMerieux). Slime production was investigated by the quantitative and qualitative methods. Oxacillin susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion test (1 µg), the agar dilution method (0.125 to 4 mg/ml) and agar screen (6 µg/ml). The presence of mecA gene was investigated by PCR. The clinical CNS species most commonly isolated were S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis and S. saprophyticus. The frequency of slime production by clinical and environmental isolates was similar (25/45 and 27/47, respectively) and the results obtained by the quantitative and the qualitative methods correlated well. The mecA gene was detected in all S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus and S. hominis isolates, which were resistant to oxacillin by the phenotypic methods. However, this gene was not present in S. klossii, S. equorum, S. xylosus and S. capitis strains. The gene was neither found in two out of the six S. saprophyticus isolates, in two out of three S. cohnii subsp. urealyticum isolates and in two out of five S. cohnii subsp. cohnii isolates, all of which resulted oxacillin resistant according to MIC. The gene was not found in oxacillin-susceptible strains either. Most of the CNS isolates (enviromental and clinical) that were slime producers were found to be oxacillin resistant, which makes the early detection of these microorganisms necessary to prevent their dissemination in hospitals, particularly among immunocompromised patients.
Plateau Levels of Viremia Correlate with the Degree of CD4+-T-Cell Loss in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVagm-Infected Pigtailed Macaques: Variable Pathogenicity of Natural SIVagm Isolates

ABSTRACT Simian immunodeficiency virus from African green monkeys (SIVagm) results in asymptomatic infection in its natural host species. The virus is not inherently apathogenic, since infection of pigtailed (PT) macaques (Macaca nemestrina) with one isolate of SIVagm results in an immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by progressive CD4+-T-cell depletion and opportunistic infections. This virus was passaged once in a PT macaque and, thus, may not be entirely reflective of the virulence of the parental strain. The goal of the present study was to assess the pathogenicity of the PT-passaged isolate (SIVagm9063) and two primary SIVagm isolates in PT macaques, including the parental strain of the PT-passaged variant. Infection of macaques with any of the three isolates resulted in high levels of primary plasma viremia by 1 week after inoculation. Viremia was quickly controlled following infection with SIVagm155; these animals have maintained CD4+-T-cell subsets and remain healthy. The plateau levels among SIVagm90- and SIVagm9063-inoculated macaques varied widely from 100 to 1 million copies/ml of plasma. Three of four animals from each of these groups progressed to AIDS. Setpoint viremia and the degree of CD4+-T-cell loss at 6 months postinfection were not significantly different between macaques inoculated with SIVagm90 and SIVagm9063. However these parameters were significantly different in SIVagm155-inoculated macaques (P values of <0.01). Considering all the macaques, the degree of CD4+-T-cell loss by 6 months postinfection correlated with the plateau levels of viremia. Thus, similar to SIVsm/mac infection of macaques and human AIDS, viral load is an excellent prognostic indicator of disease course. The inherent pathogenicity of natural SIVagm isolates varies, but such natural isolates are capable of inducing AIDS in macaques without prior macaque passage.
Comparison of XTT and Alamar blue assays in the assessment of the viability of various human cancer cell lines by AT-101 (−/− gossypol)

This study compared the two different commercially available in vitro viability assays: XTT and Alamar blue (AB), to detect anti-proliferative effects of AT-101, a cotton plant extract, on six different human carcinoma cell lines including: prostate (PC-3 and DU-145), breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), and ovary (OVCAR-3 and MDAH 2774) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cells were exposed to AT-101 in the concentration range of 2.5–40 µM for 24, 48, and 72 h. The AB assay was slightly more sensitive than the XTT assay in the evaluation of AT-101 at 24 h, suggesting that the AB assay might be used for detecting early changes in cell viability as compared to the XTT assay. Moreover, the AB assay showed less intra-assay variability as compared to the XTT. The non-toxic, non-radioactive AB metabolism assay allows rapid assessment of large numbers of samples, with simple equipment and at reduced cost for continuous monitoring of cancer cell viability, and, thus, should be accepted as a suitable alternative viability method.
The influence of political risk on municipal managers ’ compensation agreements

This study explores determinants of contracted severance packages for municipal managers. Results indicate that managers exposed to greater political risk are offered significantly more contracted severance pay. Moreover, the significantly positive relation between contracted severance and the threat of recall elections only exists in certain municipalities, i.e., those in states with no restrictions on recall grounds. Finally, findings also suggest that municipalities with more expected agency problems between managers and citizens offer significantly greater contracted severance pay.
Simultaneous Local Binary Feature Learning and Encoding for Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Face Recognition

In this paper, we propose a simultaneous local binary feature learning and encoding (SLBFLE) approach for both homogeneous and heterogeneous face recognition. Unlike existing hand-crafted face descriptors such as local binary pattern (LBP) and Gabor features which usually require strong prior knowledge, our SLBFLE is an unsupervised feature learning approach which automatically learns face representation from raw pixels. Unlike existing binary face descriptors such as the LBP, discriminant face descriptor (DFD), and compact binary face descriptor (CBFD) which use a two-stage feature extraction procedure, our SLBFLE jointly learns binary codes and the codebook for local face patches so that discriminative information from raw pixels from face images of different identities can be obtained by using a one-stage feature learning and encoding procedure. Moreover, we propose a coupled simultaneous local binary feature learning and encoding (C-SLBFLE) method to make the proposed approach suitable for heterogenous face matching. Unlike most existing coupled feature learning methods which learn a pair of transformation matrices for each modality, we exploit both the common and specific information from heterogeneous face samples to characterize their underlying correlations. Experimental results on six widely used face datasets including the LFW, YouTube Face (YTF), FERET, PaSC, CASIA VIS-NIR 2.0, and Multi-PIE datasets are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Automatic determination of the different control mechanisms in upright position by a wavelet method

A recent model to analyze the center of pressure trajectories is based on fractional Brownian motion. By doing so, one notes that standing still is described by different mechanisms following the frequency. Previous studies exhibit the existence of a control mechanism which stabilizes the upright position at a large enough time scale (from 0.3 s to 1.2 s depending on the method and on the authors) or equivalently at low frequencies. The different mechanisms are separated by a critical time scale or equivalently a critical frequency. This critical frequency is fundamental to understand the control mechanism of upright position: only physiological phenomenon at frequencies larger than this critical frequency could contribute to the task of maintaining equilibrium. A new statistical method is introduced based on recent progress in signal processing: the wavelet analysis. The algorithm is entirely automatic. Seventeen healthy young subjects were studied under quiet-standing conditions, the mean value of critical frequency is 1.8 Hz corresponding to a mean critical time scale 0.68 s. The algorithm is entirely automatic.
Disparities by race, ethnicity, and sex in treating acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND Disparities in the management of coronary artery disease were consistently documented in blacks and women in the 1980s and 1990s. Our objective was to determine if racial/ethnic and sex differences in the use of coronary revascularization persist in a more recent cohort. METHODS We examined all 20,604 Medicare beneficiaries admitted for acute coronary syndrome in 2001 from a random sample of 750,000 enrollees that was oversampled for black and Hispanic subjects to assess any cardiac revascularization. RESULTS After controlling for demographics and comorbidities, black men and women (odds ratios [OR] 0.47, 0.40), Hispanic men and women (ORs 0.61, 0.52), and white women (OR 0.67) had lower rates of revascularization compared with white men. Lower revascularization rates persisted for white women (OR 0.67) and black men and women (OR 0.55 and 0.54), controlling for income status and geographic variation, but were no longer present in the Hispanic population. CONCLUSION The mechanisms by which disparities operate may differ for Hispanic and black populations.
Tailoring the physical properties of thin nanohole arrays grown on flat anodic aluminum oxide templates

The introduction of voids in a magnetic thin-film alters the stray field distribution and enables the tailoring of the corresponding physical properties. Here we present a detailed study on thin magnetic nanohole arrays (NhAs) grown on top of hexagonally-ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrates. We address the effect of AAO topography on the corresponding electrical and magneto-transport properties. Optimization of the AAO topography led to NhAs with improved resistance and magnetoresistance responses, while retaining their most important feature of enhanced coercivity. This opens new pathways for the growth of more complex structures on AAO substrates, a crucial aspect for their technological viability.