Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early results of coronary artery bypass graft surgery in women.

BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of death among women in developed countries all over the world. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a well established therapeutic modality to treat diffuse coronary artery atherosclerosis. AIM In this study we focused on the retrospective assessment of the early results of CABG in women as compared to the results of such treatment in men. METHODS This analysis involved 2881 patients (677 women and 2204 men) who underwent CABG between 2003 and 2005. An operative technique (conventional on-pump or off-pump) was applied in a similar proportion of patients in both groups (on-pump: 59.4% of women and 59.6% of men; NS). Women were older than men and had higher body mass index. Concomitant disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia were noted more frequently in female patients. RESULTS In the perioperative period, left ventricular failure requiring intra-aortic balloon pump insertion and administration of high doses of catecholamines was observed significantly more often in women than in men (22.1 vs. 16.1%, respectively; p <0.001). Perioperative myocardial infarction was diagnosed more frequently in women (5.5 vs. 2.9%; p <0.001). In female patients, the rate of repeat operation was higher (8.9 versus 5.1%; p <0.001) and more subjects required blood transfusions (45.5 vs. 27.5%; p <0.001). Female gender featured a higher rate of postoperative acute renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy (8.5 vs. 0.95%; p <0.001). Mechanical ventilation was longer, and women stayed longer in the postoperative intensive care unit as well as in hospital. Early postoperative mortality among women was 3.6%, i.e. significantly higher than in male patients (1.6%) (p <0.01). CONCLUSIONS The analysis performed herein suggests that mortality and morbidity after CABG is higher in women than in men.
Suspended Life Pattern: A Qualitative Study on Personal Life Among Family Caregivers of Hemodialysis Patients in Iran

Purpose To determine the personal life of family caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methodology In this qualitative study, individual semistructured interviews were carried out with 19 caregivers of hemodialysis patients. All interviews were recorded, typed, and imported into the Open Code Software. The Graneheim and Lundman's content analysis approach was used for the analysis. Findings The theme of this study was suspended life pattern that was extracted from two categories of “Imbalance between caregiving and life” and “ambiguity in life status. ” The category of “Imbalance between caregiving and life” included some subcategories including compulsive compliance, suspension, and deferral of roles, conflicts between leisure time and caregiving and caregivers' time limits. Moreover, the category “ambiguity in life” was extracted from two subcategories of fear and hope and life satisfaction depending on care recipients' condition. Conclusion Caring for hemodialysis patients leads to instability and ambiguity in a caregiver's personal life. Therefore, authorities, policymakers, and health-care providers should pay more attention to support these people.
Sources of Real Exchange-Rate Fluctuations: Empirical Evidence from Four Pacific Basin Countries

In international finance, the competing hypothesis that the logarithms of real exchange rates appear to be well-described as random walks during a period of floating rate, has found some support. Studies by Adler and Lehmann [2], Hakkio [12] and Mark [18] are examples of work supporting this view. If a real exchange rate process has been approximated to be non-stationary it implies there is little tendency for the real exchange rate to be mean-reverting, and also that deviations from the purchasing power parity (PPP) are permanent. Modern models of exchange rate determination suggest that real shocks can induce permanent changes in the real exchange rate. Stockman [21] pointed out that according to the equilibrium approach, the behavior of real exchange rates since the collapse of Bretton Woods could reflect, not the importance of sluggish price-level adjustment, but rather the influence of real shocks with significant permanent components. Moreover, the evidence in Campbell and Clarida [5] and Huizinga [13] suggests that real exchange rates contain both permanent and transitory components, with most of their variation explained by the permanent components. However recent studies employing long-run data, or more powerful tests, tend to confirm the PPP hypothesis. Studies by Abuaf and Jorion [1], Kim [16], Whitt [22] and Diebold, Husted, and Rush [7] are four such examples. Their evidence shows that real exchange rates are stationary, which implies that the behavior of real exchange rates are influenced by transitory nominal disturbances. Hence, the validity of PPP remains at issue. Identifying the sources of exchange rate fluctuations is important not only for establishing the validity of PPP but also for achieving successful exchange rate stabilization. Attempts to stabilize exchange rate changes that are due to economic fundamentals could be futile and even harmful to the economy. In addition, measuring the relative importance of permanent and transitory shocks on exchange rates is essential for exchange rate modeling. If exchange rates are dominated by real shocks then the "equilibrium approach" offered by Stockman [21] is appropriate in analyzing the behavior of exchange rates. Conversely, if the evidence suggests the contrary, then the "disequilibrium approach" of Dornbusch [8] should be considered as an alternative. As a consequence,
Do repeated rumble strip hits improve driver alertness?

Driving while sleepy is associated with increased crash risk. Rumble strips are designed to alert a sleepy or inattentive driver when they deviate outside their driving lane. The current study sought to examine the effects of repeated rumble strip hits on levels of physiological and subjective sleepiness as well as simulated driving performance. In total, 36 regular shift workers drove a high‐fidelity moving base simulator on a simulated road with rumble strips installed at the shoulder and centre line after a working a full night shift. The results show that, on average, the first rumble strip occurred after 20 min of driving, with subsequent hits occurring 10 min later, with the last three occurring approximately every 5 min thereafter. Specifically, it was found that the first rumble strip hit reduced physiological sleepiness; however, subsequent hits did not increase alertness. Moreover, the results also demonstrate that increased subjective sleepiness levels, via the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, were associated with a greater probability of hitting a rumble strip. The present results suggest that sleepiness is very resilient to even strongly arousing stimuli, with physiological and subjective sleepiness increasing over the duration of the drive, despite the interference caused by rumble strips.
Ecosystem-wide body-size trends in Cambrian–Devonian marine invertebrate lineages

Abstract Fossil marine lineages are generally expected to exhibit long-term trends of increasing body size because of inherent fitness advantages or secular changes in environmental conditions. Because empirical documentation of this trend during the Paleozoic has been lacking for most taxonomic groups, the magnitude, timing, and taxonomic breadth of the trend have remained elusive. This study uses the largest existing database of fossil invertebrate sizes from four faunally important phyla to document ecosystem-wide size trends in well-preserved biotas from deep-subtidal, soft-substrate assemblages during the Cambrian through Devonian. Size of type specimens was measured along standard body axes from monographic plates and converted to body volume by using a broadly applicable empirical regression. Results demonstrate that mean body size (herein volume) of individual genera doubles during this interval, especially from the Late Ordovician through Early Devonian. The timing is gradual in spite of major radiations and extinctions, and the increase is primarily attributable to a net increase in the three-dimensionality of genera. The overall increase is not caused by replacement among clades because increases are widespread among arthropods, brachiopods, and echinoderms, at the phylum and class levels; in contrast, mollusks do not display a net size change at either taxonomic level. The increase is also more pronounced in microbivores than in carnivores. Combined with known environmental changes during this interval, and especially records of carbon dioxide, these trends provide support for the claim that primary productivity increased during the early to mid Paleozoic.
Confirmation of a Healthy Work Environment Healthy Work Environments

56 CRITICALCARENURSE Vol 28, No. 2, APRIL 2008 http://ccn.aacnjournals. org the work environment, implementation of improvement strategies, and confirmation of the success or failure of the strategies by clinical nurses at the front line. Professional organizations such as the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals, Institute of Medicine, American Nurses’ Credentialing Center, American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and Nursing Organizations Alliance have identified and established criteria for healthy, professional, magnetic, excellent, effective, and rewarding work environments. No matter what adjective is used to modify environment, common to all the organizations’ lists of environmental attributes is that the criteria focus on structures, policies, systems, and programs that reflect the perspective and domain of nurses in leadership roles and in executive practice. In this article, we consistently use “healthy” as defined in the AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments and in our original construction of the Nursing Work Index. Healthy means productive, Marlene Kramer, RN, PhD Claudia Schmalenberg, RN, MSN Confirmation of a Healthy Work Environment Healthy Work Environments
Serum Trypsinogen Activation Peptide in the Assessment of the Diagnosis and Severity of Acute Pancreatic Damage: A Pilot Study Using a New Determination Technique

Objectives: To evaluate the clinicalvalue of a new direct and competitive immunoassay for trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP) determination in acute pancreatitis (AP). Methods: The subjects were 34 patients with AP (22 mild, 12 severe), 12 patients with nonpancreatic acute abdominal pain (AA), 11 healthy subjects (HS), and 16 consecutive patients who underwent therapeutic ERCP (ERCP). Serum TAP, amylase, and lipase levels were determined in AP, AA, and HS at their initial observation; the AP patients were also studied for 6 consecutive days after admission. In the ERCP patients, serum TAP, amylase, and lipase levels, as well as urine TAP and amylase levels, were determined before and 6 hours after endoscopy. Results: Serum TAP levels on admission were 0.35 ± 1.60 OD (mean ± SD) in AP patients and 0.005 ± 0.001 OD in AA patients, while HS patients had no detectable serum TAP levels. ERCP patients had no detectable serum TAP levels before and 6 hours after the ERCP, whereas urine TAP concentrations were 1.72 ± 3.43 OD and 0.75 ± 1.49 OD before and 6 hours after the execution of the endoscopy, respectively (P = 0.249). The sensitivities and specificities of serum TAP, amylase, and lipase levels in discriminating between AP and AA were 23.5% and 91.7%, 94.1% and 100%, and 97.1% and 100%, respectively, while those used in the assessment of the severity of AP were 29.9% and 73.5%, 38.8% and 81.2%, and 28.4% and 83.6%, respectively. Conclusion: TAP is of limited value in assessing the diagnosis and the severity of acute pancreatic damage.
Detection of microseismic compressional (P) body waves aided by numerical modeling of oceanic noise sources

Among the different types of waves embedded in seismic noise, body waves present appealing properties but are still challenging to extract. Here we first validate recent improvements in numerical modeling of microseismic compressional (P) body waves and then show how this tool allows fast detection and location of their sources. We compute sources at ~0.2 Hz within typical P teleseismic distances (30–90°) from the Southern California Seismic Network and analyze the most significant discrete sources. The locations and relative strengths of the computed sources are validated by the good agreement with beam‐forming analysis. These 54 noise sources exhibit a highly heterogeneous distribution, and cluster along the usual storm tracks in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They are mostly induced in the open ocean, at or near water depths of 2800 and 5600 km, most likely within storms or where ocean waves propagating as swell meet another swell or wind sea. We then emphasize two particularly strong storms to describe how they generate noise sources in their wake. We also use these two specific noise bursts to illustrate the differences between microseismic body and surface waves in terms of source distribution and resulting recordable ground motion. The different patterns between body and surface waves result from distinctive amplification of ocean wave‐induced pressure perturbation and different seismic attenuation. Our study demonstrates the potential of numerical modeling to provide fast and accurate constraints on where and when to expect microseismic body waves, with implications for seismic imaging and climate studies.
The Interregional Slave Trade and the Selection of Slaves for the New Orleans Market

The Interregional Slave Trade and the Selection of Slaves for the New Orleans Market The United States slave trade and, more generally, the forced migration of slaves, was the result of interregional differences in the productivity of labor. The commercial success of sugar and short-staple cotton increased the prices of slaves in New Orleans relative to the prices of slaves in the upper South. The interregional price differential created arbitrage opportunities for traders, who purchased slaves in the upper South and resold them in New Orleans. Competition among traders placed a bound on the regional price differential equal to the cost of transporting the slaves to New Orleans.1
Oxidative stress affects the junctional integrity of retinal pigment epithelial cells.

PURPOSE Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. The cell line ARPE-19 was therefore examined for response to oxidative stress and its effect on stress protein induction and junctional integrity. METHODS ARPE-19 cell viability after 1 week or 5 weeks in culture was assessed in response to different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. The response to sublethal doses was assessed by examination of heme oxygenase (HO)-1, Hsp27 and Hsp70 by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Immunofluorescence was used to investigate the localization of the junctional proteins zonula occludens (ZO)-1, occludin, and N-cadherin, and beta-catenin. Subcellular fractionation was used to assess any redistribution of beta-catenin. Monolayer integrity was examined by measurement of flux of rhodamine-conjugated dextrans from the apical to basal aspect of cells. RESULTS ARPE-19 cells cultured for 5 weeks were less sensitive to chronic oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide than those cultured for 1 week. The more differentiated ARPE-19 cells had higher steady state levels of Hsp27 and Hsp70. The response to stress also differed with time in culture. The localization of junctional proteins, which became strongly peripheral after 5 weeks in culture, became disrupted after oxidative stress, and cytosolic beta-catenin increased. Chronic oxidative stress also increased paracellular flux across the monolayer. CONCLUSIONS Increased resistance to chronic oxidative stress with differentiation in ARPE-19 cells correlated with higher steady state levels of Hsp27 and Hsp70. Oxidative stress disrupted RPE cell junction and barrier integrity, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases related to RPE through disruption of the blood-retinal barrier.
Decision making in the definitive repair of the heart with a small right ventricle.

Data from 51 patients with small right ventricle who underwent a definitive repair were analyzed retrospectively. The repair was considered complete (29 patients) when it resulted in relief of the right ventricular outflow tract obstruction by closure of intracardiac (atrial septal defect) and extracardiac (when present) shunts. The repair was considered a definitive palliation when the intracardiac and the extracardiac shunts were left open (11 patients). A complete separation of the systemic and pulmonary circulations was established with the use of the Fontan procedure in another 11 patients. The outcome in these patients correlated with the preoperative size of the right ventricular cavity as assessed by measurement of the tricuspid valve diameter and by consideration of the right ventricular morphology (based on the tripartite right ventricular concept). If the tricuspid valve of a tripartite right ventricle has a diameter above the lower 99% confidence limit of the normal mean it can be safely incorporated in a complete repair (p less than .01). This also applies for a right ventricle without a trabecular portion, provided the criteria of the Fontan operation are fulfilled. Right ventricles with tricuspid valve diameters smaller than the lower 99% confidence limit of the normal mean cannot sustain total pulmonary blood flow. Definitive palliation should be reserved for use in patients whose right ventricles are too small for complete repair and who are not suitable candidates for Fontan's procedure.
Roles of dysregulated Notch pathway and small DNA tumor viruses in cancer initiation and progression

Roles of dysregulated Notch pathway and small DNA tumor viruses in cancer initiation and progression Anthony G. Clementz1, Paola Rizzo2, Fernanda Martini2, Mauro Tognon2 1Department of Chemistry, College of Health and Sciences, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. 2Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, Laboratories of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy. Correspondence to: Dr. Mauro Tognon, Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, Laboratories of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy. E-mail: tgm@unife.it Notch pathway is a major determinant of cell fate, and research within the last 30 years has shown dysfunctions within this pathway in the majority of solid tumors and leukemias. The molecular mechanisms causing aberrant expression of Notch in cancer are still partially known. Mesotheliomas, breast, and cervical cancers are among the cancer types for which the dysregulation of Notch has been reported together with the association of simian virus 40 (SV40) or human papilloma virus (HPV) infections. In mesotheliomas and cervical cancer, there is clear evidence that these viruses cause and rely on dysregulation of the Notch pathway to promote and sustain cell transformation. The existence of a relationship in tumors between DNA viruses and Notch could have an impact on cancer therapy by implementing Notch inhibition to interfere with the growth of SV40and HPV-positive cancers. In addition, since Notch links innate and acquired immunity and plays a key role in the regulation of the anti-viral response, targeting Notch in the presence of oncogenic viruses infections may help prevent the onset and progression of cancers associated with the exposure to these viruses.
The Dynamics of Norms and Convention under Random Matching

Focusing on 2x2 coordination games, the concept of stochastic stability as developed by Young (1993, 1998) is extended to take account of state dependent error and sample sizes. Both, error and sample size are supposed to be correlated with the loss that occurred, if a player chooses a non-best response strategy. The original predictions are robust to this change if the game’s pay-oﬀ matrix exhibits a form of symmetry, or if only the relative potential loss from idiosyncratic play deﬁnes the state dependent variable. If neither of these conditions is met, the state dependent version will not necessarily determine the same Stochastically Stable State (SSS) as the original approach. Even if these conditions are met, it is shown that in the context of state dependence, the minimum stochastic potential is a necessary but insuﬃcient condition to determine a convention: The SSS must further suﬃciently risk dominate the other equilibrium.
Critical food systems education (CFSE): educating for food sovereignty

ABSTRACT Food systems education can help individuals and communities transition to more sustainable food systems. Despite the growing scholarship on food systems education, there is a paucity of critical perspectives on its pedagogical methods, learning outcomes, and overarching objectives. This article addresses this gap by integrating insights from critical pedagogy, food justice, food sovereignty, and agroecology, developing a new synthetic area of study and research entitled critical food systems education (CFSE). CFSE is composed of a tripartite perspective, consisting of praxis, policy, and pedagogy. This framework is guided by the following overarching question: How can food systems education prepare individuals and teachers to transform the food system, and help communities attain food sovereignty? Following a review of the food systems education literature, we highlight the constraints of the depoliticized approach by drawing attention to its race and class-based assumptions. We then construct a definition of CFSE, and articulate the theoretical and practical cornerstones of this perspective, which are drawn from critical pedagogy, food justice, food sovereignty, and agroecology. A case study of a seed sovereignty project at a vocational high school associated with Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement is used to exemplify how CFSE can contribute to educating for food sovereignty.
Functional Expression of Phosphagen Kinase Systems Confers Resistance to Transient Stresses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Buffering the ATP Pool*

Phosphagen kinase systems provide different advantages to tissues with high and fluctuating energy demands, in particular an efficient energy buffering system. In this study we show for the first time functional expression of two phosphagen kinase systems in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which does not normally contain such systems. First, to establish the creatine kinase system, in addition to overexpressing creatine kinase isoenzymes, we had to install the biosynthesis pathway of creatine by co-overexpression of l-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase. Although we could achieve considerable creatine kinase activity, together with more than 3 mm intracellular creatine, this was not sufficient to confer an obvious advantage to the yeast under the specific stress conditions examined here. Second, using arginine kinase, we successfully installed an intracellular phosphagen pool of about 5 mm phosphoarginine. Such arginine kinase-expressing yeast showed improved resistance under two stress challenges that drain cellular energy, which were transient pH reduction and starvation. Although transient starvation led to 50% reduced intracellular ATP concentrations in wild-type yeast, arginine kinase overexpression stabilized the ATP pool at the pre-stress level. Thus, our results demonstrate that temporal energy buffering is an intrinsic property of phosphagen kinases that can be transferred to phylogenetically very distant organisms.