Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of neointimal proliferation with low-dose irradiation from a beta-particle-emitting stent.

BACKGROUND Restenosis after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is the major factor limiting the long-term effectiveness of this procedure. Neointimal proliferation in response to arterial injury is an important contributor to restenosis. The use of radiation for the treatment of malignant and benign proliferative conditions has been well established. External beam irradiation and endovascular irradiation by use of an after-loading technique have been shown to inhibit neointimal proliferation in experimental models of restenosis. The objective of this study was to investigate whether low-dose irradiation from a beta-particle-emitting stent would inhibit neointimal proliferation after placement in porcine iliac arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS Fourteen titanium-mesh stents were implanted in the iliac arteries of nine NIH miniature swine. There were seven beta-particle-emitting radioisotope stents (32P, activity level 0.14 microCi) and seven control stents (31P, nonradioactive). Treatment effect was assessed by angiography and histomorphological examination of the stented iliac segments 28 days after implantation. There was a significant reduction in neointimal area (1.76 +/- 0.37 mm2 versus 2.81 +/- 1.22 mm2, P = .05) and percent area stenosis (24.6 +/- 2.9% versus 36.0 +/- 10.7%, P = .02) within the beta-particle-emitting stents compared with the control stents. Neointimal thickness, which was assessed at each wire site, was also significantly less within the treatment stents (0.26 +/- 0.04 mm versus 0.38 +/- 0.10 mm, P = .012). Scanning electron microscopy was performed on sections from four stents. This demonstrated endothelialization of both the treatment and control stents. There was no excess inflammatory reaction or fibrosis in the media, adventitia, or perivascular space of vessels treated with the beta-particle-emitting stent compared with control vessels. At 28 days, there was no difference in smooth muscle cell proliferation as measured by the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index. CONCLUSIONS A local, continuous source of low-dose endovascular irradiation via a beta-particle-emitting stent inhibits neointimal formation in porcine arteries. This low dose of local irradiation did not prevent endothelialization of the stents. This novel technique offers promise for the prevention of restenosis and warrants further investigation.
Rapid and Sensitive Multiplex Detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei-Specific Antibodies in Melioidosis Patients Based on a Protein Microarray Approach

BACKGROUND The environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei causes the infectious disease melioidosis with a high case-fatality rate in tropical and subtropical regions. Direct pathogen detection can be difficult, and therefore an indirect serological test which might aid early diagnosis is desirable. However, current tests for antibodies against B. pseudomallei, including the reference indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA), lack sensitivity, specificity and standardization. Consequently, serological tests currently do not play a role in the diagnosis of melioidosis in endemic areas. Recently, a number of promising diagnostic antigens have been identified, but a standardized, easy-to-perform clinical laboratory test for sensitive multiplex detection of antibodies against B. pseudomallei is still lacking. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, we developed and validated a protein microarray which can be used in a standard 96-well format. Our array contains 20 recombinant and purified B. pseudomallei proteins, previously identified as serodiagnostic candidates in melioidosis. In total, we analyzed 196 sera and plasmas from melioidosis patients from northeast Thailand and 210 negative controls from melioidosis-endemic and non-endemic regions. Our protein array clearly discriminated between sera from melioidosis patients and controls with a specificity of 97%. Importantly, the array showed a higher sensitivity than did the IHA in melioidosis patients upon admission (cut-off IHA titer ≥1:160: IHA 57.3%, protein array: 86.7%; p = 0.0001). Testing of sera from single patients at 0, 12 and 52 weeks post-admission revealed that protein antigens induce either a short- or long-term antibody response. CONCLUSIONS Our protein array provides a standardized, rapid, easy-to-perform test for the detection of B. pseudomallei-specific antibody patterns. Thus, this system has the potential to improve the serodiagnosis of melioidosis in clinical settings. Moreover, our high-throughput assay might be useful for the detection of anti-B. pseudomallei antibodies in epidemiological studies. Further studies are needed to elucidate the clinical and diagnostic significance of the different antibody kinetics observed during melioidosis.
The Egocentricity Index as a Measure of Self-Esteem and Egocentric Personality Style for Inpatient Adolescents

The Egocentricity Index (EI) was assessed as a measure of self-esteem, egocentric behavior, and a basic statistic in a population of 60 predominantly behavior disordered, inpatient adolescents. Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI) scales served as criterion measures. A low mean EI was found in these youngsters but was not mediated by low self-esteem as the Index was uncorrelated with self-esteem/self-concept measures. The Index did correlate with an histrionic type of egocentric personality style. The purported association between the EI components of pair and reflection responses was not observed here.
Consistency of commercial devices for measuring elevation gain.

PURPOSE To determine the consistency of commercially available devices used for measuring elevation gain in outdoor activities and sports. METHODS Two separate observational validation studies were conducted. Garmin (Forerunner 310XT, Edge 500, Edge 750, and Edge 800; with and without elevation correction) and SRM (Power Control 7) devices were used to measure total elevation gain (TEG) over a 15.7-km mountain climb performed on 6 separate occasions (6 devices; study 1) and during a 138-km cycling event (164 devices; study 2). RESULTS TEG was significantly different between the Garmin and SRM devices (P < .05). The between-devices variability in TEG was lower when measured with the SRM than with the Garmin devices (study 1: 0.2% and 1.5%, respectively). The use of the Garmin elevation-correction option resulted in a 5-10% increase in the TEG. CONCLUSIONS While measurements of TEG were relatively consistent within each brand, the measurements differed between the SRM and Garmin devices by as much as 3%. Caution should be taken when comparing elevation-gain data recorded with different settings or with devices of different brands.
Kinetics of serum β-D-glucan after Pneumocystis pneumonia treatment in patients with AIDS.

OBJECTIVE Serum β-D-glucan has been demonstrated as a reliable, adjunct diagnostic marker for PCP, but its kinetics after PCP treatment are poorly understood. To evaluate the correlation between the levels of β-D-glucan and the clinical response, we investigated the individual transition of serum β-D-glucan levels after the initiation of PCP treatment. METHODS Retrospective study PATIENTS Seventeen PCP patients with AIDS who were admitted to our hospital were analyzed. RESULTS All subjects showed the serum β-D-glucan levels above the cut-off value, and the median level was 224 pg/mL [IQR: 78-597] at the time of PCP diagnosis. There were no correlations between serum β-D-glucan levels and CRP, LDH, or AaDO(2) at room air. Although there was a downward trend in serum β-D-glucan level as PCP treatment was initiated, a significant number of subjects showed a marked increase in the serum β-D-glucan levels despite their evident clinical improvement. CONCLUSION The serum β-D-glucan level does not reflect the severity and prognosis of PCP infection, and thus it may not be suitable for monitoring the response to treatment.
The Role of Innovation in Mediating Market Orientation to Company Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of market orientation towards innovation, the effect of market orientation on performance, the effect of innovation on the performance and innovation mediating role of market orientation on corporate performance convection in Denpasar. This study took a sample of 123 respondents who market their products in the city of Denpasar. The analysis technique used in this study is the path analysis. Results of market orientation hypothesis testing showed positive and significant impact on innovation, market orientation and significant positive effect on company performance, innovation and significant positive effect on company performance. Innovation is able to mediate the relationship of market orientation on business performance significantly. The practical implications derived from this study that the orientation of the market is able to create innovations that will directly improve the performance of the company. Employers convection in Denpasar should develop a culture of orientation on the market so as to boost innovation by adapting new ideas oriented market changes in order to achieve improved performance of the company
Factors associated with the development of vasospasm after planned surgical treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECT The goal of this study was to determine factors associated with the development of symptomatic vasospasm among patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) who participated in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of tirilazad between 1991 and 1997. METHODS Data obtained from 3567 patients entered into trials of tirilazad were analyzed using uni- and multivariate logistic regression to determine factors that predict the development of symptomatic vasospasm. Symptomatic vasospasm was defined by clinical criteria accompanied by laboratory- and radiologically determined exclusion of other causes of neurological deterioration. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonographic and/or angiographic confirmation was not required. In these patients, the aneurysms were scheduled to be treated surgically, and no patient undergoing endovascular treatment was included. A multivariate analysis showed that factors significantly associated with vasospasm were age 40 to 59 years, history of hypertension, worse neurological grade, thicker blood clot on the cranial computerized tomography (CT) scan obtained on hospital admission, larger aneurysm size, presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), prophylactic use of induced hypertension, and not participating in the first European tirilazad study. CONCLUSIONS Symptomatic vasospasm was associated with the amount of SAH on the CT scan, the presence of IVH, and the patient's neurological grade. The association with patient age may reflect alterations in vessel reactivity associated with age. A history of hypertension may render the brain more susceptible to symptoms from vasospasm. The explanation for the relationships with aneurysm size, use of prophylactic induced hypertension, and the particular study is unclear.
THE IMPACT OF FISCAL POLICY ON INFLATION IN NIGERIA

Inflation is a major problem in Nigeria. To stabilize the economy, policy makers have often used fiscal and monetary policies to address inflation. For efficacy of policy, it is important to know the likely influence of each of these on inflation in order to properly prescribe a solution. This work attempts to see the impact of fiscal policy on inflation. This is necessary because of the current demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which is likely to increase government spending and possible inflation. Using data from the Central Bank of Nigeria spanning 32 years, the study used an ordinary least squares regression analysis, and observed that fiscal policy impacts on inflation but such impact is not significant. Therefore, government may on the basis of this study, implement the agreement it had with the Academic Staff Union of Universities without the fear of inflation.
Using UTAUT 2 model to predict mobile app based shopping: evidences from India

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand antecedents of app-based shopping in an Indian context. The paper has used unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) 2 model for examining the impact of various constructs on behavioral intention and usage behavior of smart phone users toward the mobile shopping apps. Design/methodology/approach The constructs were tested and validated by means of a structured questionnaire which was administered on a sample of 350 mobile app shoppers in Delhi. AMOS 20 was used to analyze the collected data. Findings The study revealed that hedonic and habit are the strongest predictors of users’ behavioral intention to use mobile apps for shopping. Respondents are also influenced by the deals that are being offered by the marketers. The research also suggests that facilitating conditions help in usage of mobile apps for shopping. Research limitations/implications Managerial implications simplifying the interface which would encourage the less technologically advanced individuals to use mobile apps. Hedonic element of shopping through mobile apps should also be enhanced. Originality/value This study contributes to the research on intentions and usage behavior of consumer technologies by adopting UTAUT 2 model to explain the intentions and usage behavior toward mobile apps for shopping. The paper also measured the role of deals in influencing the consumers.
Exercise training improves basal blood glucose metabolism with no changes of cytosolic inhibitor κB kinase or c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase activation in skeletal muscle of Otsuka Long–Evans Tokushima fatty rats

Redox‐sensitive stress kinases and heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) have been considered to be associated with the development of type 2 diabetes in skeletal muscle. However, the effect of exercise training on skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic models is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of exercise training on gastrocnemius of type 2 diabetic rats, by examining the activation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), the nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) pathway and Hsp72. Total hydroperoxide and 4‐hydroxynoneal, as oxidative stress markers, were also examined. Otsuka Long–Evans Tokushima fatty (OLEFT) rats were randomly divided into an exercise training group (Ex‐OLETF, n= 8) and a sedentary group (Sed‐OLETF, n= 8), while Long–Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats were used as a control group (Con‐LETO, n= 5). The Ex‐OLETF rats were trained on a treadmill five times a week for 12 weeks. The levels of hydroperoxide and 4‐hydroxynoneal in both Ex‐OLETF and Sed‐OLETF were significantly higher compared with Con‐LETO, but there was no difference between Ex‐OLETF and Sed‐OLETF. Levels of inhibitor κB kinase, JNK activation and p65 nuclear translocation followed a similar pattern to that observed in oxidative stress markers. The level of Hsp72 in Ex‐OLETF was increased by exercise training, but it did not reach the level observed in Con‐LETO. The NF‐κB DNA binding activity in Sed‐OLETF was significantly higher compared with Con‐LETO. Although it was not statistically significant, exercise training in Ex‐OLETF showed a trend to reduce the activation of NF‐κB DNA binding activity compared with Sed‐OLETF (P= 0.104). Our findings indicate that exercise training improves basal glucose metabolism without a change in stress kinases, and that nuclear regulation of NF‐κB activity in diabetic muscle could be regulated independently of the cytosolic pathway. Our study also suggests a possibility that exercise‐induced Hsp72 serves as a protective mechanism in skeletal muscle of OLETF rats.
Pregnancies of unknown location: diagnostic dilemmas and management

Purpose of review This review discusses various aspects of the management of women with pregnancies of unknown location. Recent findings The prevalence of pregnancies of unknown location is dependent on the quality of scanning for a given early-pregnancy unit. The higher the quality of scanning, the better the detection of ectopic pregnancy using ultrasound as a single diagnostic test, which in turn results in fewer women being classified with a pregnancy of unknown location. Varying the discriminatory zone does not significantly improve the detection of ectopic pregnancies in a pregnancy of unknown location population. A single serum human chorionic gonadotrophin, when used in a specialized transvaginal scanning unit, is not only potentially falsely reassuring but also unhelpful in excluding the presence of an ectopic pregnancy. A single-visit approach has also been shown to be ineffective. The vast majority of women with a pregnancy of unknown location are at low-risk for ectopic pregnancy. Traditional strategies are capable of detecting the failing pregnancies of unknown location and intra-uterine pregnancies within a pregnancy of unknown location population, but they lack sensitivity for detecting ectopic pregnancies. This justifies the recent development and use of mathematical modelling techniques to predict ectopic pregnancies in the pregnancies of unknown location population. Summary New mathematical models have been developed to predict the outcome of pregnancies of unknown location; however, prospective studies are needed to assess the reproducibility of these models in different centres on different populations. Hopefully such models will enable the clinician to correctly classify pregnancies of unknown location earlier, in turn reducing the number of follow-up visits.
One‐ and three‐dimensional pathways for proteins to reach specific DNA sites

Proteins that interact with specific DNA sites bind to DNA at random and then translocate to the target site. This may occur by one‐dimensional diffusion along the DNA, or through three‐dimensional space via multiple dissociation/re‐associations. To distinguish these routes, reactions of the EcoRV endonuclease were studied on substrates with two EcoRV sites separated by varied distances. The fraction of encounters between the DNA and the protein that resulted in the processive cleavage of both sites decreased as the length of intervening DNA was increased, but not in the manner demanded for one‐dimensional diffusion. The variation in processivity with inter‐site spacing shows instead that protein moves from one site to another through three‐dimensional space, by successive dissociation/re‐associations, though each re‐association to a new site is followed by a search of the DNA immediately adjacent to that site. Although DNA‐binding proteins are usually thought to find their target sites by one‐dimensional pathways, three‐dimensional routes may be more common than previously anticipated.
Study on a BLDC motor having higher winding inductance: A key to field weakening

The study covers the design, analysis and experimental study of a 1 kW motor which is designed for a special in-wheel motor driven light electric vehicle. The main concern is to design a BLDC motor having a higher value direct-axis phase inductance which is providing high performance field weakening operation. A sub-fractional slot concentrated winding structure with unequal tooth widths is chosen. The design phase is including the motivation and the computer aided design works. A software package based on configurator approach is used to determine the motor parameters in a broad sense. Then the motor is modeled in a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) package for detailed analysis and, particularly the 2D and 3D field analyses are obtained to verify winding inductance value. The designed motor is manufactured precisely and an experimental study is held to verify the design work including the precise measurement efforts for the motor inductance. Also the field weakening operation of the motor is managed by using phase current advance method.
Institutional Persistence in Eastern Europe: Economic and Political Legacies of Empires and Communism

Institutional Persistence in Eastern Europe: Economic and Political Legacies of Empires and Communism by Roman Levkin Department of Economics Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Timur Kuran, Supervisor ___________________________ Erica Field ___________________________ Charles M. Becker ___________________________ Robert J. Garlick An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Economics in the Graduate School of Duke University 2016 Copyright © 2016 by Roman Levkin All rights reserved except the rights granted by the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License
Interleukin-10 treatment can suppress stromal keratitis induced by herpes simplex virus type 1.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection of the murine cornea induces an intense inflammatory response that can lead to permanent blindness. We tested whether IL-10, a cytokine that has anti-inflammatory properties, could suppress the development of stromal disease. Murine rIL-10 was inoculated intracorneally 4 before and again on days +2 and +5 relative to the time of topical HSV-1 corneal infection. Additionally, the mice received IL-10 i.p. at the time of virus administration and again 3 days post-infection. Four weeks post-infection, the incidence of blinding disease was 95% in the saline-treated controls but only 36% in the IL-10-treated animals. Histologic studies showed extensive cellular infiltrates in control corneas but not in those of the IL-10-treated eyes. Examination of the proinflammatory cytokine levels in the cornea 10 days after infection revealed that the presence of IL-2 was 10-fold lower and IL-6 some 50-fold lower than that found in the controls. IL-1 alpha levels were not reduced. The IL-10 treatment protocol employed did not suppress the systemic cellular or humoral immune responses to viral Ag, nor was the rate of HSV-1 clearance from the eye different from that seen in the controls. In vitro studies revealed that spontaneous production of IL-6 by excised normal corneas was inhibited by > 95% with low dose IL-10. IL-1 alpha synthesis was not inhibited. Collectively, these results indicate that IL-10 treatment can 1) suppress the production of certain cytokines produced by corneal cells, and 2) minimize ocular inflammation without compromising clearance of the infecting virus from the eye.