Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preoperative angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors protect myocardium from ischemia during coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Objectives Coronary artery bypass graft surgery may result in perioperative myocardial injury during cardioplegic arrest. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors protect the myocardium from ischemia in several clinical conditions, but no previous study has attempted to evaluate the impact of preoperative ACE inhibitor therapy on myocardial protection in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Methods A propensity score-based analysis of 481 patients undergoing isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery was carried out, among which 245 patients received preoperative ACE inhibitors and 236 patients did not. Perioperative myocardial injury was assessed by ischemia marker cardiac troponin I (cTnI). Results Preoperative cTnI concentration was similar for patients receiving ACE inhibitors and those who did not [0.1 ng/ml (0.06–0.19) versus 0.1 ng/ml (0.06–0.19); P = 0.3]. Postoperative cTnI peak concentration was lower in patients receiving preoperative ACE inhibitors [1.6 ng/ml (1.05–3.4) versus 2.4 ng/ml (1.13–6.10); P = 0.0006]. After adjusting for propensity score and covariates, preoperative ACE inhibitors were found to decrease postoperative cTnI peak concentration (β = −0.12; P = 0.004). Other independent predictors of postoperative cTnI peak concentration were female gender, emergency surgery, number of distal anastomoses and aortic cross clamp time. Overall, operative mortality rate was 16/481 (3.3%). Patients receiving preoperative ACE inhibitors had a lower rate of postoperative myocardial infarction (2.0 versus 4.2%; P = 0.25) and low cardiac output syndrome (3.6 versus 6.3%; P = 0.24). Conclusion ACE inhibitors prior to surgery confer added myocardial protection during surgical revascularization. Prospective, randomized clinical trials will be necessary to better define the role of ACE inhibitors in improving outcomes when they are prescribed prior to coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Identification of functional missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TNFAIP3 in a predominantly Hispanic population

Abstract Background: Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) is a multifunctional ubiquitin binding and editing enzyme that regulates inflammation. Genetic studies have implicated polymorphisms within the TNFAIP3 locus to the development of numerous immune-related diseases. This study evaluated the frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) within the exonic regions of the TNFAIP3 gene and an associated point mutation from the Illumina array among a predominantly Hispanic cohort. Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from 721 participants and sequencing of all TNFAIP3 exons and an intergenic point mutation (rs6920220) was performed. In-vitro functional assessment was performed by transfecting mutated TNFAIP3 constructs into TNFAIP3 knockout cells containing the NF-kB luciferase reporter and stimulating with TNFα. Comparative statistics were performed with Student’s t-test for continuous variables and chi-squared test for categorical variables. Results: Sequencing revealed two missense SNPs, rs146534657:A>G and rs2230926:T>G, both within exon 3 of TNFAIP3, which encodes the protein’s deubiquitinating enzymatic domain. Frequencies of all three point mutations differed significantly across racial groups (χ2-test, P = 0.014 to P < 0.001). Compared to Caucasians, rs146534657:A>G was overrepresented among Hispanics (odds ratio (OR) [95% CI] 4.05 [1.24−13.18]), and rs2230926:T>G was more prevalent among African-Americans (OR [95% CI] 3.65 [1.58−8.43]). In-vitro assays confirm rs146534657:A>G and rs2230926:T>G decrease the ability of TNFAIP3 to abrogate NF-κB activation by 2-fold (P < 0.01) and 1.7-fold (P < 0.01), respectively. Conclusions: This study reports the frequency of rs146534657:A>G among Hispanics and is the first to evaluate its potential physiologic impact, establishing a basis for future research as a potential biomarker among this population.
A Simulation-Based Evaluation of Tip-Dating Under the Fossilized Birth–Death Process

Abstract Bayesian molecular dating is widely used to study evolutionary timescales. This procedure usually involves phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequence data, with fossil-based calibrations applied as age constraints on internal nodes of the tree. An alternative approach is tip-dating, which explicitly includes fossil data in the analysis. This can be done, for example, through the joint analysis of molecular data from present-day taxa and morphological data from both extant and fossil taxa. In the context of tip-dating, an important development has been the fossilized birth–death process, which allows non-contemporaneous tips and sampled ancestors while providing a model of lineage diversification for the prior on the tree topology and internal node times. However, tip-dating with fossils faces a number of considerable challenges, especially, those associated with fossil sampling and evolutionary models for morphological characters. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate the performance of tip-dating using the fossilized birth–death model. We simulated fossil occurrences and the evolution of nucleotide sequences and morphological characters under a wide range of conditions. Our analyses of these data show that the number and the maximum age of fossil occurrences have a greater influence than the degree of among-lineage rate variation or the number of morphological characters on estimates of node times and the tree topology. Tip-dating with the fossilized birth–death model generally performs well in recovering the relationships among extant taxa but has difficulties in correctly placing fossil taxa in the tree and identifying the number of sampled ancestors. The method yields accurate estimates of the ages of the root and crown group, although the precision of these estimates varies with the probability of fossil occurrence. The exclusion of morphological characters results in a slight overestimation of node times, whereas the exclusion of nucleotide sequences has a negative impact on inference of the tree topology. Our results provide an overview of the performance of tip-dating using the fossilized birth–death model, which will inform further development of the method and its application to key questions in evolutionary biology.
A novel background field removal method for MRI using projection onto dipole fields (PDF)

For optimal image quality in susceptibility‐weighted imaging and accurate quantification of susceptibility, it is necessary to isolate the local field generated by local magnetic sources (such as iron) from the background field that arises from imperfect shimming and variations in magnetic susceptibility of surrounding tissues (including air). Previous background removal techniques have limited effectiveness depending on the accuracy of model assumptions or information input. In this article, we report an observation that the magnetic field for a dipole outside a given region of interest (ROI) is approximately orthogonal to the magnetic field of a dipole inside the ROI. Accordingly, we propose a nonparametric background field removal technique based on projection onto dipole fields (PDF). In this PDF technique, the background field inside an ROI is decomposed into a field originating from dipoles outside the ROI using the projection theorem in Hilbert space. This novel PDF background removal technique was validated on a numerical simulation and a phantom experiment and was applied in human brain imaging, demonstrating substantial improvement in background field removal compared with the commonly used high‐pass filtering method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistical retention modeling in floating-gate cell: ONO scaling

The simulation study of the ONO gate stack scaling, which includes the Monte-Carlo statistical analysis of time-dependent Vth distribution and SILC is performed. Leakage through both tunneling and blocking oxide is taken into account including multi-trap tunneling paths. Exact 50nm floating-gate cell structure is used instead of simple 1D stack for modeling and comparison with experimental data. Analysis of the influence of trap parameters on scaling trends is given.
Musculoskeletal tuberculosis in Bradford - a 6-year review.

INTRODUCTION Tuberculosis (TB) remains the most common cause of death from infectious disease world-wide. In the UK, the incidence of TB has risen by 25% over the last 10 years; extrapulmonary diagnosis remains challenging and can be delayed. This study evaluates the epidemiology of musculoskeletal tuberculosis in a large multi-ethnic UK city. PATIENTS AND METHODS A review of prospectively recorded data of incidence, anatomical site, ethnic distribution, treatment and drug resistance of musculoskeletal tuberculosis over a 6-year period was performed. RESULTS From January 1999 to December 2004, there were 729 TB notifications; 61 cases (8.4%) had musculoskeletal involvement. Of the patients, 74% were immigrants from the Indian subcontinent; nearly 50% had spinal involvement; 24 patients underwent surgical intervention; 29 were subjected to either diagnostic or therapeutic radiological intervention; and resolution of symptoms was achieved in 59 out of 61 cases. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the high proportion of musculoskeletal TB in immigrant patients in an area with a relatively large at-risk population, but will also serve to alert physicians, in areas with smaller at-risk populations, of the possibility of musculoskeletal TB.
Sonar systems and aquatic organisms: matching equipment and model parameters

Acoustic technology is an accepted and important component of aquatic research and resource management. Despite the widespread use of echosounders, few guidelines aid in the choice of appropriate sonar system parameters for acoustic surveys. Choice of acoustic carrier frequency is analogous to the choice of spotlight colour used to illuminate a painting. Thr ee primary biological factors influence the scattering of sound by aquatic organisms: swimbladder presence, organism length, and organism behaviour. We illustrate the influence of these factors on the amplitude of backscattered echoes using a Kirchhoff-ray mode scattering model to quantify fish and zooplankton backscatter as a function of carrier frequency, fish length, and swimbladder aspect. Model results illustrate that echo amplitudes from aquatic organisms are largely dependent on the presence or absence of a swimbladder. Target strengths generally increase with increasing carrier frequency and organism length. Swimbladder angle relative to the incident sound wave affects scattering amplitudes at all frequencies. Measurements of backscatter from swimbladdered fish are relatively robust when the ratio of fish length to acoustic frequency wavelength ranges between 2 and 10. As fish length to frequency wavelength ratios increase, echo amplitudes become more dependent on aspect and peak when the swimbladder is perpendicular to the acoustic wavefront.
Learning from High-Tech Deals

MA then we studied the transaction activity of each group--some 5,000 deals in all. Our analysis established that while the average merger or acquisition destroys value for the acquirer, deals carried out by companies that undertake them strategically and often actually do create value. Our analysis of alliances produced similar results. (1) How then do top performers manage their transactions? For a deeper look at this question, we used 30 case studies and interviews with 30 senior practitioners--including chief executive officers, chief financial officers, business-development executives, senior investment bankers, and academics--to augment our research. Although there is no single best way to carry out these transactions, our study does suggest that there are patterns and principles that separate top performers from the pack. In high tech, you must be good at transactions For two reasons, the stars of high technology consider deal making to be as inevitable and perennial as product development or marketing. First, the pace of technological change in the industry, as seen during both the boom and the recent slowdown, is extraordinary and thus forces companies to manage their assets aggressively. In 1993, for example, the typical company in the high-tech top 100 (as measured by market value) stayed there for seven years; by the end of the decade, the average tenure had dropped to three years. At the peak of the Internet market, in 1998 and 1999, 32 of the top 100 companies fell off the list. A similar turnover in market leadership continues today. In markets that move more rapidly than most companies can, many players--laggards and leaders alike--become fodder for deals. In 1982, for example, few would have imagined that industry leader Digital Equipment would one day be acquired by Compaq Computer, which was founded that same year. Second, high technology is a "winner-takes-all" industry. Just 2 percent of the companies in the software sector, for instance, have contributed 63 percent of the appreciation in market capitalization since 1989 (Exhibit 1). Transactions and consolidations can often fill holes in a product line, open new markets, and create new capabilities in less time than it would take to build businesses internally. Such moves may be prerequisites to achieving a dominant position--the best assurance of survival. So it is no coincidence that most "gold-standard" companies in our survey--those averaging more than 39 percent annual growth in total returns to shareholders since 1989--undertake almost twice as many acquisitions and form up to ten times as many alliances as do their competitors (Exhibit 2, on the next page). The sheer volume of deals gold-standard companies undertake has made them as good as they are at extracting value from these transactions. Like good surgeons, the best are the busiest, and the busiest are often the best. …
Placebo-Controlled Comparison of Effervescent Acetylsalicylic Acid, Sumatriptan and Ibuprofen in the Treatment of Migraine Attacks

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in combination with metoclopramide has been frequently used in clinical trials in the acute treatment of migraine attacks. Recently the efficacy of a new high buffered formulation of 1000 mg effervescent ASA without metoclopramide compared to placebo has been shown. To further confirm the efficacy of this new formulation in comparison with a triptan and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ibuprofen) a three-fold crossover, double-blind, randomized trial with 312 patients was conducted in Germany, Italy and Spain. Effervescent ASA (1000 mg) was compared to encapsulated sumatriptan (50 mg), ibuprofen (400 mg) and placebo. The percentage of patients with reduction in headache severity from moderate or severe to mild or no pain (primary endpoint) was 52.5% for ASA, 60.2% for ibuprofen, 55.8% for sumatriptan and 30.6% for placebo. All active treatments were superior to placebo (P < 0.0001), whereas active treatments were not statistically different. The number of patients who were pain-free at 2 h was 27.1%, 33.2%, 37.1% and 12.6% for those treated with ASA, ibuprofen, sumatriptan or placebo, respectively. The difference between ASA and sumatriptan was statistically significant (P = 0.025). With respect to other secondary efficacy criteria and accompanying symptoms no statistically significant differences between ASA and ibuprofen or sumatriptan were found. Drug-related adverse events were reported in 4.1%, 5.7%, 6.6% and 4.5% of patients treated with ASA, ibuprofen sumatriptan or placebo. This study showed that 1000 mg effervescent ASA is as effective as 50 mg sumatriptan and 400 mg ibuprofen in the treatment of migraine attacks regarding headache relief from moderate/severe to mild/no pain at 2 h. Regarding pain-free at 2 h sumatriptan was most effective.
Green marketing innovations in small Indian firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore green marketing innovations in small Indian firms which serve as decisive dimensions for developing green identity of small firms in the market. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained by interviewing marketing managers for green products in small Indian firms. Findings – Six categories of green marketing innovations are identified – marketing compliance, marketing strategic partnership, marketing environmental commitment, marketing green team, marketing benchmarking and marketing (environmental) ethical behaviour. Research limitations/implications – Though limited to small Indian firms, this study determined their distinct green marketing approaches and innovations. Practical implications – The distinct green marketing approaches and innovations determined indicate that contemporary marketing innovations and decisions have moved beyond limited alternatives predetermined by product and market definitions, and downstream market-related activities s.
EXTENDING THE SUPPORT IN THE1-LEVEL DENSITY FOR FAMILIES OF DIRICHLET CHARACTERS

We study the distribution of the zeros near the central point for following families of primitive Dirichlet characters: (1) all primitive characters of conductor m, m a fixed prime; (2) all primitive characters of conductor m, m an odd square-free number with r factors (r fixed); (3) all primitive characters whose conductor is a square-free odd integer m 2 (N;2N). For these families the 1-level densities agree with the Unitary Group for even Schwartz functions b ` with supp( b `) ‰ (i2;2). We investigate the consequences of conjectures about the modulus dependence in the error terms in the distribution of primes in con- gruence classes. We show how some natural conjectures imply the 1-level densities agree with Unitary matrices for arbitrary support. Further, we show how some weaker conjectures still give an improvement over (i2;2), allowing support up to (i4;4). These are very rough notes.
Clinical spectrum of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies in a Taiwanese population

High levels of autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD‐abs) are associated with stiff‐person syndrome (SPS). However, the full clinical spectrum associated with GAD‐abs in Asians is unclear. The clinical and immunological features of patients positive for GAD‐abs were reviewed in a large Taiwanese series.
Ultrasonic and nonultrasonic instrumentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of ultrasonic surgical instrumentation with nonultrasonic traditional surgical techniques in various types of surgery. DATA SOURCES Electronic searches of MEDLINE, Current Contents, and the Cochrane Library were performed for the period of 1990 to June 1, 2005, using relevant search terms. A manual check of all references in accepted studies was also performed. STUDY SELECTION Only comparative studies (including randomized and nonrandomized control trials) of ultrasonic surgical instrumentation with nonultrasonic instrumentation were accepted. Procedures of interest included the following: colorectal surgery, gynecologic surgery, head and neck surgery, solid organ surgery, vessel harvesting, cholecystectomy, hemorrhoidectomy, mastectomy, and Nissen fundoplication. DATA EXTRACTION Two investigators reviewed each study: the first investigator extracted all relevant data, and consensus of each extraction was performed by a second investigator to verify the data. Data were then entered into a database and quality checked for accuracy. DATA SYNTHESIS Fifty-one primary studies that examined 4902 patients were included in this systematic review, of which 24 were randomized trials and 27 were nonrandomized studies. Comparative meta-analyses for blood loss, surgery time, and hospital length of stay were performed using a random-effects model and stratified by surgery type. Heterogeneity was tested using Q statistics. Statistical significance was defined as P < . 05. CONCLUSION Meta-analysis of outcomes comparing ultrasonic with conventional nonultrasonic surgical instrumentation demonstrates significant improvement of several perioperative outcomes in procedure-specific settings when ultrasonic instrumentation is used.
Physical Properties of Concrete Containing Graphene Oxide Nanosheets

Concrete made from ordinary Portland cement is one of the most widely used construction materials due to its excellent compressive strength. However, concrete lacks ductility resulting in low tensile strength and flexural strength, and poor resistance to crack formation. Studies have demonstrated that the addition of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet can effectively enhance the compressive and flexural properties of ordinary Portland cement paste, confirming GO nanosheet as an excellent candidate for using as nano-reinforcement in cement-based composites. To date, the majority of studies have focused on cement pastes and mortars. Only limited investigations into concretes incorporating GO nanosheets have been reported. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the slump and physical properties of concrete reinforced with GO nanosheets at additions from 0.00% to 0.08% by weight of cement and a water–cement ratio of 0.5. The study demonstrates that the addition of GO nanosheets improves the compressive strength, flexural strength, and split tensile strength of concrete, whereas the slump of concrete decreases with increasing GO nanosheet content. The results also demonstrate that 0.03% by weight of cement is the optimum value of GO nanosheet dosage for improving the split tensile strength of concrete.
The natural course of cerebral lesions in Sneddon syndrome.

OBJECTIVES To characterize the clinical, biological, and neuroradiological findings in Sneddon syndrome; to correlate magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities with disability, presence of hypertension and other vascular risk factors, presence of heart valvulopathy on echography, and titer of antiphospholipid antibodies; and to compare these findings in antiphospholipid-positive and antiphospholipid-negative patients. DESIGN Retrospective review of the records of 32 consecutive patients with livedo reticularis and neurological events, followed up in our institution between January 1991 and August 1995. PATIENTS Twenty-six patients (20 women and 6 men) who had at least 1 cerebral ischemic arterial event associated with generalized and pathological livedo reticularis. RESULTS The age at the first cerebral ischemic event ranged from 22 to 58 years. Motor deficit was the most frequent sign (found in 73% of cases). Disability was found in 50%, systemic hypertension in 65%, heart valvulopathy in 61%, and antiphospholipid antibodies in 42% of cases. Patients were classified in 6 groups according to magnetic resonance imaging findings. No correlation was found between the presence of hypertension or other vascular risk factors, valvulopathy, antiphospholipids, and magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities. There was no significant difference between antiphospholipid-positive and antiphospholipid-negative patients except for the presence of antinuclear antibodies. There was a significant correlation between the extent of magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities and disability. CONCLUSION The severity of the disease seems to be correlated with magnetic resonance imaging aspects, but not to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. Magnetic resonance imaging may help to understand the natural course of the cerebral involvement of the disease.