Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the perception of apparent source width and listener envelopment in wave field synthesis

For several decades the measurement and technical description of the acoustical quality of a room is under investigation. Early research only dealt with single point measurements and estimated quality parameters for speech and music presentations by using simple models, like the early to late arriving sound energy ratio. Recent research also takes the spatial characteristics of a sound field into account, and a variety of parameters have been developed and investigated. The two most prominent features in concert hall acoustics are the apparent source width (ASW) and the listener envelopment (LEV). ASW describes the perceived width of the sound scene, while LEV is associated with the feeling of being enveloped by sound. However the role of ASW and LEV is still under discussion in the scientific community. In this paper ASW and LEV are investigated in the context of virtual acoustic environments (VAE) using wave field synthesis (WFS) for sound reproduction. The width of the sound source is modeled in different virtual rooms by using multiple closely spaced virtual sound sources. The perceptual parameters ASW and LEV are evaluated in listening tests with a total of 29 listeners.
Trans-radial approach for catheterisation in non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: an analysis of major bleeding complications in the ABOARD Study

Aim To determine the incidence, type and possible association with mortality of major bleeding in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) treated with an invasive strategy using predominantly the radial approach and triple antiplatelet therapy. Methods In the multicentre randomised ABOARD Study, 352 patients with NSTE-ACS were randomised to an ‘immediate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)’ strategy or a strategy of PCI on the ‘next working day’. Radial access was predominantly used in this study population. The present subanalysis evaluated the occurrence of major bleeding complications and their association with mortality at 1 month. Results Patients were treated with a triple antiplatelet therapy using high loading and maintenance doses of clopidogrel and abciximab in 99% of patients receiving PCI. The trans-radial approach was used in the vast majority of patients (84%). During the first 30 days, major bleeding complications (STEEPLE definition) occurred in 5.4% of patients (n=19), with no difference between immediate and delayed intervention. The most common bleeding complications were occult bleeding (36.8% of bleeding, n=7/19) and overt gastrointestinal bleeding (21% of bleeding, n=4/19). Patients with major bleeding had a higher peak concentration of creatinine during hospitalisation (mean±SD, 170±169 vs 97±57 μmol/l; p=0.005) and a 1-month mortality of 26.3%, much higher than patients without bleeding (0.6%, p<0.0001). Major bleeding was strongly associated with 30-day mortality (OR 50.3; 95% CI 10.1 to 249.7; p<0.0001). Conclusion Despite the predominant use of the radial approach, major bleeding (essentially occult and gastrointestinal) remains a common complication, which is highly associated with mortality in patients with NSTE-ACS treated with optimal antithrombotic therapy.
Womanist Ways of Knowing: Theoretical Considerations for Research with African American Women

Research designs that are congruent with theoretical frameworks of African American women are important. However, many researchers remain unfamiliar with womanist thought or are unsure of how it can be used to inform specific aspects of research design. The article explicates a womanist epistemologic framework that can undergird the development of intervention designs aimed at assisting African American women incorporate health-promoting behaviors into their lives.
Systemic PaO2 Oscillations Cause Mild Brain Injury in a Pig Model

Objective:Systemic PaO2 oscillations occur during cyclic recruitment and derecruitment of atelectasis in acute respiratory failure and might harm brain tissue integrity. Design:Controlled animal study. Setting:University research laboratory. Subjects:Adult anesthetized pigs. Interventions:Pigs were randomized to a control group (anesthesia and extracorporeal circulation for 20 hr with constant PaO2, n = 10) or an oscillation group (anesthesia and extracorporeal circulation for 20 hr with artificial PaO2 oscillations [3 cycles min–1], n = 10). Five additional animals served as native group (n = 5). Measurements and Main Results:Outcome following exposure to artificial PaO2 oscillations compared with constant PaO2 levels was measured using 1) immunohistochemistry, 2) real-time polymerase chain reaction for inflammatory markers, 3) receptor autoradiography, and 4) transcriptome analysis in the hippocampus. Our study shows that PaO2 oscillations are transmitted to brain tissue as detected by novel ultrarapid oxygen sensing technology. PaO2 oscillations cause significant decrease in NISSL-stained neurons (p < 0.05) and induce inflammation (p < 0.05) in the hippocampus and a shift of the balance of hippocampal neurotransmitter receptor densities toward inhibition (p < 0.05). A pathway analysis suggests that cerebral immune and acute-phase response may play a role in mediating PaO2 oscillation–induced brain injury. Conclusions:Artificial PaO2 oscillations cause mild brain injury mediated by inflammatory pathways. Although artificial PaO2 oscillations and endogenous PaO2 oscillations in lung-diseased patients have different origins, it is likely that they share the same noxious effect on the brain. Therefore, PaO2 oscillations might represent a newly detected pathway potentially contributing to the crosstalk between acute lung and remote brain injury.
Evaluation of host–guest system to enhance the tamoxifen efficiency

Abstract Hydrophobic drugs can absorb as guest molecules inside the cavity of cyclodextrins as host sites. So, forming the drug-cyclodextrin complex can exert a profound effect on the physicochemical and biological properties of the drugs. According to these advantages, in this study, we synthesized the tamoxifen (TMX) loaded cyclodextrin (CD)-conjugated MNPs to evaluate simultaneously the cytotoxicity and sustained release as well as hepatoprotective effect of this nanomedicine. The average size of Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-CD-TMX NPs was approximately 31 nm. By energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), it was revealed that Fe3O4 constitutes 14.34% of the composition of modified MNPs. In the other words, nearly 85% of Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-CD NPs are made of dopamine (DPA), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The TMX loaded MNPs (with entrapment efficiency of 33 mg TMX per unit CD (mg) and loading efficiency of 87.5%) showed sustained liberation of TMX molecules (with 91% release in 120 h). Cytotoxicity assay and apoptosis assay by TUNEL analysis revealed that the engineered Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-CD-TMX NPs were able to significantly inhibit the MCF-7 breast cancer cells. According to effect of CD on TMX sustained release, it was found that CD can decrease the hepatotoxicity induced by TMX nearly 30%. Based upon these findings, we suggest the Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-CD-TMX NPs as an effective multifunctional nanomedicine with simultaneous therapeutic and hepatoprotective effects.
Responses of Arabidopsis and Wheat to Rising CO2 Depend on Nitrogen Source and Nighttime CO2 Levels1[OPEN]

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations inhibit nitrate assimilation at night and decrease dark respiration in plants dependent on nitrate as a nitrogen source. A major contributor to the global carbon cycle is plant respiration. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations may either accelerate or decelerate plant respiration for reasons that have been uncertain. We recently established that elevated CO2 during the daytime decreases plant mitochondrial respiration in the light and protein concentration because CO2 slows the daytime conversion of nitrate (NO3−) into protein. This derives in part from the inhibitory effect of CO2 on photorespiration and the dependence of shoot NO3− assimilation on photorespiration. Elevated CO2 also inhibits the translocation of nitrite into the chloroplast, a response that influences shoot NO3− assimilation during both day and night. Here, we exposed Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants to daytime or nighttime elevated CO2 and supplied them with NO3− or ammonium as a sole nitrogen (N) source. Six independent measures (plant biomass, shoot NO3−, shoot organic N, 15N isotope fractionation, 15NO3− assimilation, and the ratio of shoot CO2 evolution to O2 consumption) indicated that elevated CO2 at night slowed NO3− assimilation and thus decreased dark respiration in the plants reliant on NO3−. These results provide a straightforward explanation for the diverse responses of plants to elevated CO2 at night and suggest that soil N source will have an increasing influence on the capacity of plants to mitigate human greenhouse gas emissions.
The involvement of the endothelium in the relaxation of the leopard frog (Rana pipiens) aorta in response to acetylcholine

1 The vasodilator response to acetylcholine (ACh) was investigated in the aortic arches of the leopard frog (Rana pipiens). 2 With adrenaline pre‐constricted preparations, both ACh and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) caused concentration‐dependent relaxations. Damage to the endothelial layer abolished relaxations to ACh, or reduced them greatly, but had no effect on vasodilatation to SNP. 3 NG‐Nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME; 1–100 μm) concentration‐dependently inhibited relaxations in response to ACh, but had no effect on the ability of SNP to induce vasodilatation. 4 L‐Arginine (L‐Arg; 100–200 times the concentration of L‐NAME) failed to reverse the inhibitory effect of L‐NAME (1–100 μm) apart from one isolated instance. 5 In summary, this study has shown endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation to ACh in an amphibian blood vessel that appears to be mediated via nitric oxide (NO). The response to ACh differs from many mammalian preparations in that the inhibitory effect of L‐NAME could not be overcome by L‐Arg, in addition to L‐NAME itself having no direct effect upon the tone of the vessel.
Obstetrician suspended after research inquiry

A consultant obstetrician has been suspended from duty at St George's Hospital in south London after an inquiry into the scientific validity of two research papers. The consultant in question, Mr Malcolm Pearce, was the first author of the papers, both published in August in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He has also been suspended from his honorary senior lectureship at St George's Hospital Medical School. The two papers are a case report entitled “Term delivery after intrauterine relocation of an ectopic pregnancy” and a paper entitled “Randomised controlled trial of the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin in recurrent miscarriage associated with polycystic ovaries. ” The case report, concerning a 29 year old African woman who had previously had two ectopic pregnancies, described a procedure whereby the fetus in her third ectopic pregnancy was removed and replaced in her …
Medical Aspects of Management Problems in Maximum Security Prisons

Much has been written, especially recently, about the difficulties presented in prisons by the inclusion of mentally disordered or even psychotic offenders who would be more appropriately placed in mental hospitals. This study, carried out in 4 maximum security prisons during 1972–3, concludes that such men do not constitute any more than their fair share of all those who are seen as either disruptive or presenting management problems, probably less. Altogether a fifth of those men identified by prison staff as management problems had had some kind of psychiatric treatment before the sentence began, 4.4 per cent showed evidence of overt mental illness during it and 45 per cent were labelled as having either a psychopathic personality or a personality disorder of some kind. The great majority (85 per cent) of those presenting management problems spent the bulk of their sentences in the general wings of the four prisons and only a handful were felt to be better located in a psychiatric hospital.
Number of Secretory Vesicles in Growth Hormone Cells of the Pituitary Remains Unchanged After Secretion

Immunogold-labeled transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the total number of secretory vesicles in resting and in growth hormone (GH)-stimulated porcine pituitary cells. We identified three categories of vesicles: filled, empty, and partly empty. Resting GH cells contained more than twice as many filled vesicles than did the stimulated ones. Stimulated cells, however, contained nearly twice as many empty vesicles and 2.5 times more partly empty vesicles than did resting cells. Secretory vesicles in GH cells further revealed the localization of GH only in electron-dense vesicles in both resting and stimulated cells. The total number of secretory vesicles did not change after secretion. These results are consistent with a mechanism that, after stimulation of secretion, vesicles transiently dock and fuse at the fusion pore to release vesicular contents.
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Reconstruction in Human Cochlear Maps: Measurement of the Lengths of Organ of Corti, Outer Wall, Inner Wall, and Rosenthal's Canal

This paper describes the application of computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction to measurements of the length of the organ of Corti (mean ± SD, 35.58 ±1.41 mm), scala tympani outer wall (40.81 ± 1.97 mm), scala tympani inner wall (18.29 ± 1.47 mm), and Rosenthal's canal center (15.98 ± 1.33 mm) in eight adult male cochleas. The Rosenthal's canal center ranged between 1 3/4 and 2 turns, did not appear to be linearly related to the organ of Corti, and lay near the basal end of the latter. The length of the organ of Corti measured with three-dimensional reconstruction differed by 7.6% ± 3.2% (“cutting angle difference”) from that derived from traditional two-dimensional reconstruction on the plane perpendicular to the plane of section, and by 2.6% ± 1.7% (“geometric difference”) from that derived from two-dimensional reconstruction on the axial plane at right angles to the modiolar axis.
Impact of Assimilating Surface Velocity Observations on the Model Sea Surface Height Using the NCOM-4DVAR*

AbstractThe assimilation of surface velocity observations and their impact on the model sea surface height (SSH) is examined using an operational regional ocean model and its four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR) analysis component. In this work, drifter-derived surface velocity observations are assimilated into the Navy’s Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) 4DVAR in weak-constraint mode for a Gulf of Mexico (GoM) experiment during August–September 2012. During this period the model is trained by assimilating surface velocity observations (in a series of 96-h assimilation windows), which is followed by a 30-day forecast through the month of October 2012. A free-run model and a model that assimilates along-track SSH observations are also run as baseline experiments to which the other experiments are compared. It is shown here that the assimilation of surface velocity measurements has a substantial impact on improving the model representation of the forecast SSH on par with the experiment that assim.
Impact of Power-Electronic Sources on Transmission Line Ground Fault Protection

Power-electronic sources, such as Type 3 wind turbine generators and static synchronous compensators (STATCOM), interface to the grid through, partial- or full-scale, and power converters that have inherently fast switching capability to control their output current during short circuits. The short-circuit current is a function of the specific converter control algorithm and differs significantly from the conventional rotating machine sources without converter interfaces. Therefore, if a transmission-line protection scheme is designed for conventional sources, (not taking into account these differences in short-circuit current characteristics), reliability can be at risk. Using real-life short-circuit currents on lines supplied by sources having a power converter interface, this paper illustrates the reliability risk to conventional line protection schemes, in particular, to those which use negative-sequence quantities for the detection of unbalanced faults. This paper discusses the protection schemes, adopted by BC Hydro–a large Canadian Electric Utility, for transmission lines interconnecting Type 3 wind turbine and STATCOM sources. Their application for ground faults is independent of the converter control algorithm as long as the source is interconnected to the grid via a transformer which is a source of zero-sequence current.
Further Aspects of the Asymmetry of the Stepping Test

The test-retest reliability of the asymmetry of the Unterberger stepping test was obtained over a 3-mo. period. This stepping test is a test examining the labyrinthine deviation when testing the lower extremities. Also, self-report items were validated against individual measures of the stepping test. The investigations show high reliability of the asymmetry of the stepping test. The data indicate further that a questionnaire is a valid method for the assessment of the asymmetry of the stepping test.
Significance of mild transient release of creatine kinase-MB fraction after percutaneous coronary interventions.

BACKGROUND The clinical significance of minor elevations in creatine kinase-myocardial band isoenzyme (CK-MB) after coronary interventions has not been systematically evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined 4484 patients who underwent successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or directional coronary atherectomy and whose peak CK levels did not exceed twice the upper limit of laboratory normal. Group 1 (3776 patients) had no CK or MB elevation after the procedure (ie, CK < or = 180 IU/L, with MB fraction < or = 4%). Group 2 (450 patients) had a peak CK level between 100 and 180 IU/L, with MB fraction > 4%, and group 3 (258 patients) had a peak CK level between 181 and 360 IU/L, with MB fraction > 4%. The strongest correlate of postprocedure CK-MB elevation was the performance of directional coronary atherectomy (odds ratio, 4.1; P < .0001), followed by the development of > or = 1 in-1ab minor procedural complication (odds ratio, 2.6; P < .0001). Clinical follow-up was available in 4461 patients (99.5%), with a mean duration of 36 +/- 22 months. Survival analysis, adjusted with Cox proportional hazards regression model, showed that the groups with elevated CK-MB had a significantly higher incidence of cardiac death (risk ratio, 1.3; P = .04) and myocardial infarction (risk ratio, 1.3; P = .03). Major ischemic complications (death, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization) occurred more frequently in the groups with increased CK-MB (groups 1 versus 2 versus 3, 37.3% versus 43.3% versus 48.9%; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS This study shows that minor elevations of CK-MB after successful coronary interventions identify a population with a worse long-term prognosis compared with patients with no enzyme elevations and appear to have an adverse effect on long-term prognosis. Future studies of percutaneous coronary revascularization should include routine measurements of biochemical cardiac markers as important predictors of long-term prognosis.
Intracranial Mobility in the Coelacanth

Analysis of the jaw mech anism of the coelacanth Latimeria shows' that the action of the intracranial artic ulation and the associated subcephalic muscles (a system unique to the Cros sopterygii) is important in increasing the angle of ihe gape and the power of the bite. Maximum rotation at the in tracranial joint is approximately 15 de grees.
Epidemiology and risk factors for hepatitis C in Alaska Natives

Large cohorts of persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) that include patients with multiple risk exposures and behaviors have been rarely reported. We herein describe a population‐based cohort of 759 Alaska Natives (AN) with HCV who were recruited into a long‐term follow‐up study. History of injection drug use (IDU) was reported by 60.1% and blood transfusion by 14.0%. The most common genotype was 1a (42.0%), followed by 1b (20.3%), 2b (14.7%), 3a (14.3%), and 2a (7.8%). By multivariable analysis, risk exposures (blood transfusion vs. other; P < 0.01; odds ratio [OR], 2.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–5.45) and year of infection (P < 0.01; OR, 3.47; 95% CI, 1.34–8.96) were significantly associated with HCV RNA‐positivity. Having an RNA concentration ≥2 million copies/mL was associated with male gender (OR, 1.94) and genotype (P < 0.01 overall; 1a vs. 3a: OR, 1.92; 2b vs. 3a: OR, 3.17) by multivariable analysis. In conclusion, the two principal risk exposures for AN infected with HCV (IDU and blood transfusion) are the same as the overall U.S. population. Persons with a history of blood transfusion were more likely to be HCV RNA positive than those without such history. Higher RNA levels found in males may explain the more severe disease previously reported in this group. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;39:325–332.)
C-reactive protein and all-cause mortality--the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

AIMS We tested whether elevated levels of C-reactive protein is robustly and causally associated with all-cause mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 10 388 white persons from the general population. During 16 years 3124 persons died. We measured baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels and genotyped for four C-reactive protein polymorphisms and two apolipoprotein E polymorphisms. Levels of C-reactive protein >3 mg/L vs. <1 mg/L associated with a multi-factorially adjusted two-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality. Stratifying C-reactive protein into tertiles, quintiles, or octiles resulted in step-by-step increased risk of all-cause mortality, even after fibrinogen adjustment. Finally, genetically elevated C-reactive protein levels associated with a causal hazard ratio of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.64-1.39) for all-cause mortality per doubling of C-reactive protein levels on instrumental variable analysis, for which the corresponding hazard ratio on Cox regression for a doubling in measured plasma C-reactive protein levels was 1.25 (1.21-1.29). As a positive control, a doubling in genetically elevated cholesterol levels via apolipoprotein E associated with a hazard ratio of 6.3 (1.8-22) for all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION A single C-reactive protein measurement robustly associates with increased risk of all-cause mortality; however, this does not appear to be a causal association. Therefore, elevated C-reactive protein levels more likely are a marker of hidden, potentially fatal inflammatory disease.