Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and predictors of severe acute pancreatitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

OBJECTIVE:Recent case control data suggested that a severe course of acute pancreatitis in HIV+ patients was 1) common (50% of cases), 2) poorly predicted by Ranson's criteria (sensitivity 41%), and 3) accurately predicted by a diagnosis of AIDS (positive predictive value 67%). However, the definition of severity included length of stay in hospital and excluded commonly accepted markers (local complications, systemic complications, and need for surgery). The aim of this study was to determine 1) the prevalence of severity and 2) the value of these predictors with regard to severity, as defined by commonly accepted standardized criteria in patients with AIDS and acute pancreatitis.METHODS:A retrospective review identified 50 patients with AIDS exhibiting clinical, laboratory, and/or radiological features of acute pancreatitis.RESULTS:Only five patients followed a severe course as defined by accepted markers. Of these patients, 29 had values available for at least nine of 11 of Ranson's criteria (sensitivity 80%, specificity 54%). Points were awarded most commonly for decreased serum Ca2+ (n = 14) and elevated serum LDH (n = 7). CONCLUSIONS:In patients with AIDS and acute pancreatitis at our institutions, 1) the prevalence of severity and 2) the sensitivity of Ranson's criteria with regard to severity is comparable to that reported in large historical case series of immunocompetent patients. Pseudohypocalcemia and/or elevation in LDH are frequent, likely due to the catabolic infectious disease state.
Serologic Markers Compared With Liver Biopsy for Monitoring Disease Activity in Autoimmune Hepatitis

Goals/Background Disease activity and response to treatment in autoimmune hepatitis is assessed best by liver biopsy, which does not suit for regular disease monitoring. It is frequent clinical practice to follow disease by assessment of serologic markers. Here, we assessed the diagnostic fidelity of this clinical practice. Study One hundred thirty-one biopsies from 82 patients with autoimmune hepatitis were analyzed for histologic activity. Serum samples, taken at the time of biopsy, were analyzed for aminotransferases [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase], IgG, and γ-globulin levels and compared with histology. Results All serum parameters were significantly associated with histologic activity (P<0.0075); ALT and IgG were most complementary. Presence of both elevated ALT and IgG were associated with high inflammatory activity (histologic activity scores ≥6) with 99% sensitivity. Elevation of either IgG or ALT was associated with residual inflammatory activity in almost all patients. Histologic remission is reliably indicated by normalization of both serum parameters, but about half of the patients with normal serum parameters still showed residual histologic activity of histologic activity index (HAI) 4 or 5. However, our patients with HAI scores 4 or 5 were at significantly lower risk of fibrosis progression than patients with scores ≥6 (P<0.02; odds ratio 14.2). Conclusions Histologic activity seems to be reliably indicated by elevated serum parameters. Normalization of serum parameters is not a reliable marker for complete histologic remission (HAI 1 to 3); however, normalized serum parameters identified patients at low risk of fibrosis progression. Thus, the common clinical practice of disease monitoring by serum markers seems to be suitable for regular follow-up.
Prediction of radiowave propagation for wireless cellular networks in Jordan

Measurements for GSM cellular phone networks (the 1800 MHz as well as the 900 MHz bands) in different areas of Irbid city, Jordan, were carried out, for over a year and under varying weather conditions, by the authors. To find a radiofrequency propagation model that can correctly predict the propagation in this environment, various path loss models are compared with the measurements. These models include: Lee, COST-231 Hata, COST-231 WI, and Egli models. The results show that the COST-231 Hata model is the most accurate model whereas Lee model is the least accurate model for Irbid city. To enhance the accuracy of the least accurate model for this area, i.e., Lee model, this paper suggests a path loss model based on optimizing Lee model using the swarm intelligence optimization (PSO) technique. It is worth noting that optimization of Lee model for Irbid measurements using the least squares method produced the same results as the PSO optimization; therefore, only the PSO results will be presented here. The accuracy of the optimized Lee model is verified by comparison with measurements in other locations in Irbid. Furthermore, measurements made in Amman city in Jordan confirm the usefulness and validity of the measurements and predictions of Irbid city. The root mean square error (RMSE) between the measured and predicted values for the proposed model is significantly improved by up to 37 dB compared with Lee model.
Diabetes and insulin‐induced stimulation of L‐arginine transport and nitric oxide synthesis in rabbit isolated gastric glands.

1. The properties of L‐arginine transport have been characterized and correlated with cGMP production (index of nitric oxide (NO)) in whole gastric glands isolated from non‐diabetic and alloxan‐diabetic rabbits. 2. In non‐diabetic and diabetic glands, transport of L‐arginine was stereoselective, Na+ and pH independent and inhibited by other cationic amino acids. L‐Arginine transport was slightly inhibited by L‐leucine and L‐phenylalanine, but unaffected by other neutral amino acids. 3. Diabetes enhanced the Vmax for saturable L‐arginine transport from 10.7 +/‐ 1.0 to 17.7 +/‐ 0.5 pmol (mg protein)‐1 s‐1, with negligible changes in K(m). 4. Accumulation of the membrane potential‐sensitive probe tetra[3H]phenylphosphonium (TPP+) was increased 2‐fold in diabetic compared with non‐diabetic gastric glands, suggesting a membrane hyperpolarization. 5. Basal intracellular cGMP levels were elevated 2‐fold in diabetic gastric glands, and in non‐diabetic glands histamine, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and bradykinin increased cGMP levels. The NO synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (100 microM) abolished basal cGMP accumulation. 6. Addition of extracellular L‐arginine induced a concentration‐dependent increase in cGMP levels in gastric glands isolated from non‐diabetic rabbits, but had no effect on elevated cGMP levels in diabetic glands. 7. Insulin induced a rapid (5 min) concentration‐dependent increase in cGMP levels in non‐diabetic gastric glands, but reduced elevated cGMP levels in diabetic gastric glands. 8. The present study has identified a specific transport system for L‐arginine in gastric glands which resembles the classical system y+. Our findings also provide the first direct evidence that diabetes increases the basal activity of system y+ and NO synthase in gastric glands. The differential modulation of L‐arginine transport by insulin and L‐arginine identified in non‐diabetic and diabetic glands, may be of importance in protecting the gastric mucosa from injuries associated with diabetes.
Controlling Extra- and Intramacrophagic Mycobacterium abscessus by Targeting Mycolic Acid Transport

Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium (RGM) causing serious infections especially among cystic fibrosis patients. Extremely limited therapeutic options against M. abscessus and a rise in infections with this mycobacterium require novel chemotherapies and a better understanding of how the bacterium causes infection. Different from most RGM, M. abscessus can survive inside macrophages and persist for long durations in infected tissues. We recently delineated differences in the infective programs followed by smooth (S) and rough (R) variants of M. abscessus. Unexpectedly, we found that the S variant behaves like pathogenic slow growing mycobacteria, through maintaining a block on the phagosome maturation process and by inducing phagosome-cytosol communications. On the other hand, R variant infection triggers autophagy and apoptosis, reminiscent of the way that macrophages control RGM. However, the R variant has an exquisite capacity to form extracellular cords, allowing these bacteria to rapidly divide and evade phagocytosis. Therefore, new chemotherapeutic interventions against M. abscessus need to efficiently deal with both the reservoir of intracellular bacilli and the extracellular cords. In this context, we recently identified two chemical entities that were very effective against both M. abscessus populations. Although being structurally unrelated these two chemotypes inhibit the activity of the essential mycolic acid transporter, MmpL3. In this Perspective, we aimed to highlight recent insights into how M. abscessus interacts with phagocytic cells and how the inhibition of mycolic acid transport in this pathogenic RGM could be an efficient means to control both intracellular and extracellular populations of the bacterium.
Effect of Bupivacaine on the Isolated Rabbit Heart: Developmental Aspect on Ventricular Conduction and Contractility

Background:Newborns and infants seem to be at greater risk of bupivacaine cardiotoxicity than adults do. Few experiments have studied the effects of local anesthetics on myocardium associated with developmental changes, and their conclusions are conflicting. The authors compared the effects of bupivacaine on an isolated heart preparation in newborn and adult rabbits. Methods:The authors used a constant-flow, nonrecirculating Langendorff preparation paced atrially. Adult and newborn rabbit hearts were exposed to step-increasing concentrations of bupivacaine. For each concentration, heart rate was modified with pacing from 180 to 360 beats/min by increments of 30 beats/min. QRS complex duration (index of ventricular conduction) and the first derivative of left ventricular pressure (index of contractility) were measured. The two groups were compared using an Emax model. Results:In newborn and adult rabbits, QRS complex duration increased with increasing bupivacaine concentration. No difference was observed between neonatal and adult hearts. Contractility decreased with increasing bupivacaine concentration. Newborn rabbits were approximately three times more sensitive than adult rabbits to the effects of bupivacaine. However, the concentration leading to 50% decrease in the first derivative of left ventricular pressure was much higher than the concentration leading to half maximum increase in QRS complex duration. Conclusions:In conclusion, using a whole organ preparation, the authors demonstrated that bupivacaine induces similar impairment in ventricular conduction in newborn and adult rabbits. In particular, the tonic and the phasic blocks were of similar intensity in both groups. Conversely, the effect of bupivacaine on contractility was markedly higher in newborn rabbits than in adult rabbits. Also, contractility was less impaired than ventricular conduction in both groups.
Stochastic Cubic Regularization for Fast Nonconvex Optimization

This paper proposes a stochastic variant of a classic algorithm---the cubic-regularized Newton method [Nesterov and Polyak 2006]. The proposed algorithm efficiently escapes saddle points and finds approximate local minima for general smooth, nonconvex functions in only $\mathcal{\tilde{O}}(\epsilon^{-3.5})$ stochastic gradient and stochastic Hessian-vector product evaluations. The latter can be computed as efficiently as stochastic gradients. This improves upon the $\mathcal{\tilde{O}}(\epsilon^{-4})$ rate of stochastic gradient descent. Our rate matches the best-known result for finding local minima without requiring any delicate acceleration or variance-reduction techniques.
Very High Radix Square Root with Prescaling and Rounding and a Combined Division/Square Root Unit

An algorithm for square root with prescaling and selection by rounding is developed and combined with a similar scheme for division. Since division is usually more frequent than square root, the main concern of the combined implementation is to maintain the low execution time of division, while accepting a somewhat larger execution time for square root. The algorithm is presented in detail, including the mathematical development of bounds for the first square-root digit and for the scaling factor. The proposed implementation is described, evaluated and compared with other combined div/sqrt units. The comparisons show that the proposed scheme potentially produces a significant speed-up for division, whereas, for square root, the speed-up is small.
Identification of Mycobacteria by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT Classical methods for identification of Mycobacterium species rely on morphology and biochemical profiles. Speciation of a Mycobacterium isolate using these standard methods is a lengthy process based on subjective data interpretation. In this study, Mycobacterium species were characterized by utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This technology is designed to provide a characteristic mass spectral fingerprint based on desorbed ions from the cell surface. Thirty-seven strains were analyzed; these represented thirteen species and five subspecies that included the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and the M. avium-M. intracellulare complex, as well as rapid- and slow-growing mycobacteria. All 37 strains were analyzed in triplicate, and a database was generated. This method produced species-specific patterns for all but 1 of the 37 isolates and provided reliable differentiation at the strain level. The data suggest that whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS has potential as a rapid and reproducible method for the identification and characterization of Mycobacterium species.
Lithium-Ion Battery Storage for the Grid—A Review of Stationary Battery Storage System Design Tailored for Applications in Modern Power Grids

Battery energy storage systems have gained increasing interest for serving grid support in various application tasks. In particular, systems based on lithium-ion batteries have evolved rapidly with a wide range of cell technologies and system architectures available on the market. On the application side, different tasks for storage deployment demand distinct properties of the storage system. This review aims to serve as a guideline for best choice of battery technology, system design and operation for lithium-ion based storage systems to match a specific system application. Starting with an overview to lithium-ion battery technologies and their characteristics with respect to performance and aging, the storage system design is analyzed in detail based on an evaluation of real-world projects. Typical storage system applications are grouped and classified with respect to the challenges posed to the battery system. Publicly available modeling tools for technical and economic analysis are presented. A brief analysis of optimization approaches aims to point out challenges and potential solution techniques for system sizing, positioning and dispatch operation. For all areas reviewed herein, expected improvements and possible future developments are highlighted. In order to extract the full potential of stationary battery storage systems and to enable increased profitability of systems, future research should aim to a holistic system level approach combining not only performance tuning on a battery cell level and careful analysis of the application requirements, but also consider a proper selection of storage sub-components as well as an optimized system operation strategy.
Proton and $\gamma$ -Rays Irradiation-Induced Dark Current Random Telegraph Signal in a 0.18-$\mu{\hbox{m}}$  CMOS Image Sensor

The dark current random telegraph signal (RTS) behavior has been studied in a five-transistor-per-pixel (5T) pinned photodiode 0.18-μm COTS active pixel sensor (APS). Several devices, irradiated using protons and gamma rays, have been studied in order to assess the ionizing and displacement damage effects. The influence of the proton energy, fluence, ionizing dose and applied bias during irradiation on the number of RTS pixels, the number of discrete levels, maximum transition amplitude, and mean switching time constants is investigated.
Laryngeal sensory deficits in patients with chronic cough and paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder

Although the diagnostic accuracy of paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder and chronic cough has improved, the underlying pathophysiology remains relatively unknown. We hypothesize that one potential etiological factor in these patients is an aberrant laryngeal sensory response and sought to determine if respiratory retraining in addition to antireflux therapy alters this aberrant response.
Neuromuscular Fatigue to Power Loading Using a Weight-Stack Device Fitted With or Without Additional Rubber Band Resistance

Abstract Peltonen, H, Walker, S, Häkkinen, K, and Avela, J. Neuromuscular fatigue to power loading using a weight-stack device fitted with or without additional rubber band resistance. J Strength Cond Res 28(7): 1802–1811, 2014—The addition of a rubber band (RB) to traditional weight-based resistance may be beneficial regarding the deceleration phase common during explosive power actions with light weights. This would lead to greater force and muscle activity during the latter part of the movement, but this may influence the distribution of neuromuscular fatigue. Fifteen men performed 2 knee extension power loadings (5 × 5 × 40% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) using a typical weight-stack device without (WS) and with the addition of a RB (WS + RB) in a crossover design. Concentric contractions were performed as fast as possible, and analyzed for torque, velocity, power, and vastus lateralis and medialis surface electromyography (EMG) parameters over 20° segments (range of motion, 60–180°) from throughout the loading. Additionally, maximum isometric knee extension was analyzed preloading and postloading for torque and EMG parameters, and for voluntary activation level using the twitch interpolation technique. Peak concentric power occurred at 100–120° on both devices but was greater during WS + RB (p ⩽ 0.05). Electromyographic amplitude was greater in WS at 80–120°, p ⩽ 0.05–0.01. Loading-induced reductions in peak concentric power (−12 ± 8 vs. −4 ± 10 kW, p ⩽ 0.05) and voluntary activation level (−5.5 ± 7 vs. −1.1 ± 5%, p ⩽ 0.05) were greater when using WS + RB. However, a greater reduction in root mean square of electromyography over 0–100 milliseconds was observed after WS (−31 ± 22 vs. 10 ± 26%, p < 0.05) accompanied by a large reduction in torque over 0–100 milliseconds. It seems that activation strategies, and consequently neuromuscular fatigue, during power loading could be modified through the addition of RB resistance.
Hybrid support vector machine rule extraction method for discovering the preferences of stock market investors: Evidence from Montenegro

In this study we developed a support vector machine (SVM) rule extraction method for discovering the effects of the features of investors and stock and corporate performance on stock trading preferences. We used this system to combine strengths of two approaches: SVM as an accurate classifier and a decision tree (DT) as a generator of interpretable models. The method is applied to Montenegro data in order to generate interpretable rules for stock market decision-makers. The results showed that this method, in terms of accuracy and interdependency of factors, outperformed the methods for detecting stock trading preferences from previous studies.
Utilization of Mechanical Ventilation for Asthma Exacerbations: Analysis of a National Database

BACKGROUND: The current frequency of noninvasive (NIV) and invasive mechanical ventilation use in asthma exacerbations (AEs) and the relationship to outcomes are unknown. METHODS: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients discharged with a principal diagnosis of AE. For each discharge, we determined whether NIV or invasive mechanical ventilation was initiated during the first 2 hospital days. Using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, we determined whether use of mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality changed between 2000 and 2008. RESULTS: The number of AEs increased by 15.8% from 2000 to 2008. The proportion of admissions for which invasive mechanical ventilation was used during the first 2 days decreased from 1.4% in 2000 to 0.73% in 2008, whereas NIV use increased from 0.34% to 1.9%. The adjusted mortality from AEs requiring NIV or invasive mechanical ventilation was unchanged from 2000 to 2008. The hospital stay was also unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial increase in the use of mechanical ventilation, accompanied by a shift from invasive mechanical ventilation to NIV. Although we could not determine the clinical reasons for this increase, hospital stay and mortality were unchanged. A randomized trial is needed to determine whether NIV can improve outcomes in AEs before widespread adoption makes it impossible to conduct such a trial.
Regression analysis with spatially autocorrelated error: simulation studies and application to mapping of soil organic matter

Abstract Regression is often used in analysis of spatial data to obtain predictive relationships between variables. The assumption that the errors from the regression model are statistically independent will often not be plausible, due to spatial dependence in the sources of error. This is a problem for the regression analysis in that the resulting estimate of the standard deviation of the errors from the model is biased (downwards) which invalidates confidence limits on predictions made with the model, and which could lead to a false conclusion that the regression is statistically significant. While the estimates of the regression coefficient(s) are not necessarily biased they are not minimum-variance estimates when the errors are correlated. It is shown how the maximum likelihood method of estimating the regression model (ML) might be used to overcome this problem. It is proposed that standard variogram functions may be used to model the spatial dependence of the errors from the regression. In simulation studies it is shown that the method avoids bias in the estimation of the standard deviation of the regression error from a systematic sample (unless the spatial interval over which the errors are correlated is of similar order to the dimensions of the systematic sample grid). The precision of the ML estimate of the error is poorer than achieved from a random sample, but this can be improved to some extent by constraining the parameters of the variogram function. The ML procedure is demonstrated in the analysis of some remote sensor data to predict organic matter content of the top soil within an arable field. The data on top soil had been collected on a systematic grid. Analysis of the residuals from an ordinary least-squares regression indicated an appropriate variogram function to model the spatial dependence of the errors. Confidence limits for predictions using the regression were calculated from the ML estimate of the error.