Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhaled Aerosol Distribution in Human Airways: A Scintigraphy-Guided Study in a 3D Printed Model.

BACKGROUND While it is generally accepted that inertial impaction will lead to particle loss as aerosol is being carried into the pulmonary airways, most predictive aerosol deposition models adopt the hypothesis that the inhaled particles that remain airborne will distribute according to the gas flow distribution between airways downstream. METHODS Using a 3D printed cast of human airways, we quantified particle deposition and distribution and visualized their inhaled trajectory in the human lung. The human airway cast was exposed to 6 μm monodisperse, radiolabeled aerosol particles at distinct inhaled flow rates and imaged by scintigraphy in two perpendicular planes. In addition, we also imaged the distribution of aerosol beyond the airways into the five lung lobes. The experimental aerosol deposition patterns could be mimicked by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation in the same 3D airway geometry. RESULTS It was shown that for particles with a diameter of 6 μm inhaled at flows up to 60 L/min, the aerosol distribution over both lungs and the individual five lung lobes roughly followed the corresponding distributions of gas flow. While aerosol deposition was greater in the main bronchi of the left versus right lung, distribution of deposited and suspended particles toward the right lung exceeded that of the left lung. The CFD simulations also predict that for both 3 and 6 μm particles, aerosol distribution between lung units subtending from airways in generation 5 did not match gas distribution between these units and that this effect was driven by inertial impaction. CONCLUSIONS We showed combined imaging experiments and CFD simulations to systematically study aerosol deposition patterns in human airways down to generation 5, where particle deposition could be spatially linked to the airway geometry. As particles are negotiating an increasing number of airways in subsequent branching generations, CFD predicts marked deviations of aerosol distribution with respect to ventilation distribution, even in the normal human lung.
On the Performance of Overlaid Wireless Sensor Transmission With RF Energy Harvesting

RF energy harvesting is a promising potential solution for providing convenient and perpetual energy supply to low-power wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we investigate the performance of overlaid wireless sensor transmission powered by RF energy harvesting from existing wireless system. Specifically, we derive the exact closed-form expression for the distribution function of harvested energy over a certain number of channel coherence time over Rayleigh fading channels with the consideration of hardware limitation, such as energy harvesting sensitivity and harvesting efficiency. We also obtain the exact distribution of the number of coherence time needed for fully charging the sensor. Based on these analytical results, we analyze the average packet delay and packet loss probability of sensor transmission subject to interference from existing system, for delay insensitive traffics and delay sensitive traffics, respectively. Finally, we investigate the optimal design of energy storage capacity of the sensor nodes to minimize the average packet transmission delay for delay insensitive traffics with two candidate transmission strategies.
Targeted disruption of galanin: new insights from knock-out studies

The neuropeptide galanin has a widespread but no means ubiquitous expression pattern in the nervous and endocrine systems. Profound changes in the levels and distribution of the peptide occur in a range of path-physiological situations including nerve injury or damage and alterations in the circulating levels of a number of hormones. There is now a substantial body of work to indicate that galanin plays an important biological role as a regulator of neurotransmitter and hormone release in the adult. The recent generation of mice carrying a loss-of-function mutation within the galanin gene has allowed us new insights into the physiological actions of galanin. In this manuscript we detail three sets of data relating to the major phenotypic effects thus far delineated, putting them in the context of existing published data. These studies demonstrate that galanin acts as a developmental and trophic factor to subsets of neurons in the nervous and neuroendocrine systems.
Effect of combination of calcium antagonist, azelnidipine, and AT1 receptor blocker, olmesartan, on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

Objective Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB) are widely recognized to have a vasculoprotective effect. Accumulating data have revealed that calcium antagonists also retard atherosclerosis. We examined the possibility that combination therapy of ARB and calcium antagonists could more effectively prevent atherosclerosis than monotherapy. Methods and results We observed a marked increase in the atherosclerotic area, associated with the exaggerated expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate), reduced form [NAD(P)H] oxidase subunits (p22phox and p47phox) and superoxide anion production, in the aorta of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice maintained on a 1.25% high-cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. A calcium antagonist, azelnidipine, at a dose of 1 mg/kg a day or an ARB, olmesartan, at a dose of 3 mg/kg a day, significantly inhibited these parameters, with no change in systolic blood pressure and the blood cholesterol level. Moreover, the co-administration of lower doses of azelnidipine (0.1 mg/kg a day) and olmesartan (1 mg/kg a day) significantly inhibited the atherosclerotic area and oxidative stress, whereas azelnidipine or olmesartan alone at these doses did not affect these parameters. Furthermore, we observed similar inhibitory effects of azelnidipine or olmesartan on angiotensin II-induced NADPH oxidase activity and Akt activity in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. Conclusion These results suggest that the co-administration of calcium antagonists and ARB synergistically blunts oxidative stress at least partly through the inhibition of Akt activity and enhances the beneficial effects of these drugs on atherosclerosis compared with monotherapy.
Toward Understanding Task, Mission and Public Service Motivation: A Conceptual and Empirical Synthesis of Goal Theory and Public Service Motivation

This study advances our understanding of employee work motivation and performance in the public sector by reinterpreting the existing literature regarding public service motivation within the psychological conceptual framework of goal theory. An empirical test of this new framework suggests that goal theory can provide a strong theoretical foundation for understanding the independent contributions of task, mission and public service on employee work motivation and performance in the public sector. The importance of the organization’s mission and the degree of employee public service motivation increases employee work motivation in the public sector by making the job more important. In addition, after controlling for the effect of these intrinsic rewards provided by the job and organization, performance related extrinsic rewards were not found to contribute to employee work motivation.
Causal attributions for somatic sensations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and their partners

Background. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) often make somatic attributions for their illness which has been associated with poor outcome. A tendency to make somatic attributions in general may be a vulnerability factor for the development of CFS. Methods. This cross-sectional study based on self-report questionnaire data aimed to investigate the type of attributions for symptoms made by patients with CFS and to compare this to attributions made by their partners. It was hypothesized that patients with CFS would make more somatic attributions for their own symptoms than control subjects and that partners of patients with CFS would make more somatic attributions for their ill relative's symptoms but would be similar to controls regarding their own symptoms. Fifty patients with CFS were compared to 50 controls from a fracture clinic in the same hospital and 46 relatives living with the patients with CFS. A modified Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire was used to assess causal attributions. Results. CFS patients were more likely to make somatic attributions for their symptoms. The relatives of patients with CFS made significantly more somatic attributions for symptoms in their ill relative. However, they were like the fracture clinic controls in terms of making predominantly normalizing attributions for their own symptoms. Conclusions. The data support modification of existing cognitive behavioural treatments for CFS to investigate whether addressing partners' attributions for patients' symptoms improves recovery in the patient. Furthermore, a tendency to make somatic attributions for symptoms may be a vulnerability factor for the development of CFS.
Prognostic factors in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To study the prognostic factors in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING University hospital, Germany. PATIENTS 139 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for follicular (n = 42) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (n = 97). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Survival rate, type of operation (systematic lymphadenectomy or no lymphadenectomy). RESULTS Median observation time was 72 months (range 1-203). The 5 and 10 year survival rates in patients with papillary carcinoma were 92% and 89% respectively, and in those with follicular carcinoma 88% and 80%, respectively. Prognostic factors for papillary carcinoma were distant metastases, age, and extrathyroidal growth, and for follicular carcinoma they were distant metastases, extrathyroidal extension, and multifocal growth. The Union International contre le Cancer and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer scores and the age, grade, extent and size score were all highly significant. The extent of lymphadenectomy, primary or secondary thyroidectomy, and partial or total thyroidectomy did not influence survival. CONCLUSION Staging and score systems may be helpful in calculating prognosis in differentiated thyroid carcinoma, but the benefit of systematic lymphadenectomy remains controversial.
Stemming and root-based approaches to the retrieval of Arabic documents on the Web

Using information retrieval systems to gain access to documents in languages other than English is becoming an increasingly significant problem. Rules, theories, algorithms, and retrieval methods designed and developed for English and other morphologically similar languages may or may not apply in the linguistic environments of other languages. The problem is particularly acute in languages that differ radically from English on account of morphological rules. This paper compares the effects stemming and root retrieval on information retrieval in Arabic through an exploratory study of the handling of Arabic words by an English-language search engine (ELSE). Search experiments, using 2000 Arabic documents and 40 Arabic search terms (nouns)
Endogenous prostaglandins as local regulators of blood flow in man: effect of indomethacin on reactive and functional hyperaemia.

1. The contribution of endogenously formed prostaglandins of the E series (PGE) to the development of reactive and functional hyperaemia was studied in the human forearm. 2. Forearm blood flow was recorded using venous occlusion plethysmography. The concentration of prostaglandin E‐like substances (PLS) in the venous effluent from the muscle was analysed using bio‐assay. For inhibition of PG biosynthesis, indomethacin (1‐25 mg/kg body weight) was administered. 3. Following 5 min of arterial occlusion, a marked hyperaemia developed during the next 150 sec. Indomethacin, while not affecting the resting arterial blood flow, significantly decreased the peak level as well as the duration of the hyperaemia. The total reactive hyperaemia was 25 ml. /100 ml. tissue before, and 13 ml. /100 ml. tissue after administration of indomethacin. 4. During sustained isometric forearm contraction, and following isometric and dynamic forearm muscle activity, a moderate hyperaemia was observed. This was significantly diminished when indomethacin had been administered, although not to the same extent as the reactive hyperaemia. The total hyperaemia in the absence and presence of indomethacin was 113 and 77 ml. /100 ml. tissue, respectively, in connexion with isometric contraction and 206 and 120 ml. /100 ml. tissue, respectively, following dynamic work. 5. The venous concentration of PLS was very low at rest. A significantly increased concentration was observed after ischaemia. This increased release of PLS was entirely suppressed by indomethacin. With the present assay method, muscular activity elicited no detectable change in the venous concentration of PLS. 6. It is concluded that reactive hyperaemia depends to a considerable extent on an intact PGE synthesis. It is furthermore suggested that endogenous PGE may contribute to the functional hyperaemia that appears during and after muscle activity.
Spinal cord stimulation significantly decreases the need for acute hospital admission for chest pain in patients with refractory angina pectoris

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on the need for acute admissions for chest pain in patients with refractory angina pectoris. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of case records. PATIENTS 19 consecutive patients implanted for SCS between 1987 and 1997. All had three vessel coronary disease, and all were in New York Heart Association functional group III/IV. METHODS Admission rates were calculated for three separate periods: (1) from initial presentation up until last revascularisation; (2) from last revascularisation until SCS implantation; (3) from SCS implantation until the study date. Post-revascularisation rates were then compared with post-SCS rates, without including admissions before revascularisation, as this would bias against revascularisation procedures. RESULTS Annual admission rate after revascularisation was 0.97/patient/year, compared with 0.27 after SCS (p = 0.02). Mean time in hospital/patient/year after revascularisation was 8.3 days v 2.5 days after SCS (p = 0.04). No unexplained new ECG changes were observed during follow up and patients presented with unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction in the usual way. CONCLUSIONS SCS is effective in preventing hospital admissions in patients with refractory angina, without masking serious ischaemic symptoms or leading to silent infarction.
Evaluating the Impact of Inflation on Profitability of Banks

The main purpose of this study is evaluating the impact of Inflation on profitability of banks. The population was the state and private banks in Iran that Information and financial statements was available on their sites. State banks are Tejarat, Mellat and Saderat Banks and private banks are Parsiyan, Pasargadae, Ektesad nowin, Saman, Sina, Tat, Qvamin, Karafarin, Toseeh ans Askariyeh financial institutions. Due to the limited number of banks will be census sampling method. The period of study is between fiscal years 2010 till 2013. In order to analyze the data resulted from collected questionnaires deductive and descriptive statistical methods are used, and to display some statistical data we used column diagram and in deductive level to test the hypothesis of the research and Generalized method of moments is used to estimate the model. The overall reliability of the model is used j-statistic and to test whether all the non-zero coefficients Waled Test is used. The analysis has performed with Eviews. Findings show that the P-value of ROA and Inflation has letter than the . 05 so, we can say that the variables have Manayy and Inflation, Nim, Bsize, Liquidity, Taxation, Capitalization, Cost efficiency; Non traction; Concent and BSD have impact on profitability of banks.
The developmental origins of sarcopenia: using peripheral quantitative computed tomography to assess muscle size in older people.

BACKGROUND A number of studies have shown strong graded positive relationships between size at birth, grip strength, and estimates of muscle mass in older people. However no studies to date have included direct measures of muscle size. METHODS We studied 313 men and 318 women born in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom between 1931 and 1939 who were still resident there and had historical records of growth in early life. Information on lifestyle was collected, and participants underwent peripheral quantitative computed tomography to directly measure forearm and calf muscle size. RESULTS Birth weight was positively related to forearm muscle area in the men (r = 0.24, p <.0001) and women (r = 0.17, p =.003). There were similar but weaker associations between birth weight and calf muscle area in the men (r = 0.13, p =.03) and in the women (r = 0.17, p =.004). These relationships were all attenuated by adjustment for adult size. CONCLUSION We present first evidence that directly measured muscle size in older men and women is associated with size at birth. This may reflect tracking of muscle size and is important because it suggests that benefit may be gained from taking a life course approach both to understanding the etiology of sarcopenia and to developing effective interventions.
Relationship between food deprivation before transport and aggression in pigs held in lairage before slaughter

Pigs from three farms were deprived of food for up to one hour, 12 hours or 18 hours before being sent for slaughter. In lairage, the animals' behaviour was monitored, and at slaughter a blood sample was collected and analysed for cortisol, lactate and creatine phosphokinase, potential indicators of stress and physical activity. The carcases were assessed for skin damage as an index of fighting, and rigor in the hind leg as an indicator of stress and/or fatigue. Measurements were also made of cold carcase weight, backfat thickness and liver glycogen concentration. General activity was very high on entry to the lairage pen. Drinking and mounting occurred almost immediately. Fighting developed after an exploratory period, and could last up to 60 minutes. There were large differences in the behaviour of pigs from the three farms. Pigs from farm A fought frequently but showed little mounting activity, whereas pigs from farm C were involved in mounting but little fighting. The period of food deprivation had no effect on average skin damage or rigor score, but the frequency of carcases with the highest scores was different. The pigs deprived of food for up to an hour had the lowest incidence of severe skin damage and high rigor scores. Boars had a higher incidence of severe skin damage but a lower incidence of carcases with a high rigor score than gilts. Liver glycogen was almost completely depleted in the pigs deprived of food for 12 and 18 hours and was lower in the pigs deprived for up to an hour than in animals fed immediately before slaughter. The period of food deprivation had no effect on the levels of cortisol, creatine phosphokinase or lactate in the blood.
Objective identification of multiple large fire climatologies: an application to a Mediterranean ecosystem

There is growing evidence that the climatic conditions favorable to the occurrence of large fires (LFs) might not be unique within a homogeneous biogeographic area. But the identification of these coexistent multi-scalar climatologies often relies on empirical observations. Here we classify summer LFs (>120 ha) in Mediterranean France for the period 1973 to 2012, according to their local-scale weather conditions (i.e. temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and fuel moisture proxies). Three distinct climatologies were identified, and were referred as fire weather types (FWTs). (i) One of them is associated with near-normal atmospheric conditions. (ii) A heat-driven (HD) type is mostly discriminated by warm anomalies. (iii) A wind-driven (WD) type is mostly discriminated by faster winds, but cooler anomalies than usual. The frequency of WD and near-normal LFs sharply decreased in southern France over the last decades while the frequency of HD fires remained unchanged. In addition the current increase in HD potential fire days indicates a potential shift in the dominant FWT for this region. This approach offers a better understanding of the variations in fire activity and fire spread patterns in the context of contemporaneous global changes.
Counselling — Its role in the infertility team

Counselling was made a statutory requirement for clinics providing assisted reproduction services as a result of the concern raised that these treatments would raise uniquely challenging emotional and ethical problems for patients. Before the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, few counsellors specialized in this field and there were no standards for their training or experience. In the intervening years considerable progress has been made in these areas. The research evidence, which informs their practice concerning the impact of infertility and its treatment, has also grown very substantially. There is now a reasonable consensus about the broad nature of the emotional and psychological sequelae, although many unexplored questions remain. In addition, the literature providing evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of counselling in other areas has developed in both quantity and sophistication. Counsellors are often well-placed to work with patient groups and also with the multidisciplinary assisted conception team itself on the very difficult psychosocial and ethical issues faced in practice. The sophisticated research in these fields has not yet been done in the context of infertility; it is therefore necessary to extrapolate from other fields, especially in mental health practice. This article will argue that there is now ample evidence to support the decisions made by legislators in requiring counselling to be available to patients in assisted conception units. The infertility counselling profession is in a position to begin contributing to the generation of research relevant to this field.