Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surgical Outcome of Prosthetic Heart Valve Obstruction: Single Center Experience

Objective: Valve thrombosis defined as any thrombus not caused by infection attached to or near an operated valve that occludes part of the blood flow path and interferes with valve function. Treatment modalities are thrombolytic therapy, surgical thrombectomy and debridement, or re-replacement. The aim of this study is to review our experience in surgical thrombectomy and debridement for obstructed mechanical valve prosthesis, and the impact of the procedure on the outcome in comparison to re-replacement; Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively between 1995 to 2012 in Department of Cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and internal medicine, Zagazig University Hospital. 92 patients with stuck valve were divided into two groups. Group (A): 54 patients with re replacement and Group (B): 38 patients treated by thrombectomy and debridement; Results: 92 patients with stuck valves the mean age was 38.4(±9.2), 68 male and 85 female in both groups. The large numbers of cases were mitral valve 35 (64.8%) patients in group A and 22 (57.9%) patients in group B, aortic malfunction in group A was 11 (20.4%)patients and 9 (23.7%) cases in group B, double valve malfunction was rare represent 8 (14.8%) and 7 (18.4%)cases in group A and group B respectively; Conclusion: We conclude that thrombectomy and debridement for malfunctioning mechanical valve is a safe, easy and rapid procedure to perform in some cases to avoid the risk of re replacement.
THE RELIABILITY AND CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF MEASUREMENTS USED TO QUANTIFY LUMBAR SPINE MOBILITY: AN ANALYSIS OF AN IPHONE ® APPLICATION AND GRAVITY BASED INCLINOMETRY

Purpose/Aim: This purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability, minimal detectable change (MDC), and concurrent validity of active spinal mobility measurements using a gravity-based bubble inclinometer and iPhone® application. Materials/Methods: Two investigators each used a bubble inclinometer and an iPhone® with inclinometer application to measure total thoracolumbo-pelvic flexion, isolated lumbar flexion, total thoracolumbo-pel-vic extension, and thoracolumbar lateral flexion in 30 asymptomatic participants using a blinded repeated measures design. Results: The procedures used in this investigation for measuring spinal mobility yielded good intrarater and interrater reliability with Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) for bubble inclinometry ≥ 0.81 and the iPhone® ≥ 0.80. The MDC 90 for the interrater analysis ranged from 4° to 9°. The concurrent validity between bubble inclinometry and the iPhone® application was good with ICC values of ≥ 0.86. The 95% level of agreement indicates that although these measuring instruments are equivalent individual differences of up to 18° may exist when using these devices interchangeably. Conclusions: The bubble inclinometer and iPhone® possess good intrarater and interrater reliability as well as concurrent validity when strict measurement procedures are adhered to. This study provides pre-liminary evidence to suggest that smart phone applications may offer clinical utility comparable to inclinometry for quantifying spinal mobility. Clinicians should be aware of the potential disagreement when using these devices interchangeably.
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: Risk factors for infection and impact of resistance on outcomes

Background: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) have increased in recent years leading to limitations of treatment options. The present study was undertaken to detect CPE, risk factors for acquiring them and their impact on clinical outcomes. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 111 clinically significant Enterobacteriaceae resistant to cephalosporins subclass III and exhibiting a positive modified Hodge test. Screening for carbapenemase production was done by phenotypic methods, and polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect genes encoding them. Retrospectively, the medical records of the patients were perused to assess risk factors for infections with CPE and their impact. The data collected were duration of hospital stay, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay, use of invasive devices, mechanical ventilation, the presence of comorbidities, and antimicrobial therapy. The outcome was followed up. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the data were performed using SPSS software. Results: Carbapenemase-encoding genes were detected in 67 isolates. The genes detected were New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase, Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase, and oxacillinase-181.Although univariate analysis identified risk factors associated with acquiring CPE infections as ICU stay (P = 0.021), mechanical ventilation (P = 0.013), indwelling device (P = 0.011), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.036), usage of multiple antimicrobial agents (P = 0.007), administration of carbapenems (P = 0.042), presence of focal infection or sepsis (P = 0.013), and surgical interventions (P = 0.016), multivariate analysis revealed that all these factors were insignificant. Mortality rate was 56.7% in patients with CPE infections. By both univariate and multivariate analysis of impact of the variables on mortality in these patients, the significant factors were mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR]: 0.141, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.024-0.812) and presence of indwelling invasive device (OR: 8.034; 95% CI: 2.060-31.335). Conclusion: In this study, no specific factor was identified as an independent risk for acquisition of CPE infection. However, as it is evident by multivariate analysis, there is an increased risk of mortality in patients with CPE infections when they are ventilated and are supported by indwelling devices.
Ferrite losses of cores with square wave voltage and DC bias

Ferrite material properties may vary depending on the grade and manufacturer. Moreover, there are differences between batches and also the production process may change in time. The same material grade may have improved or reduced performance depending on the year of production. In loss critical applications it is good to be able to test the losses on real cores. The usual voltage waveforms in power applications are closer to square wave than to sine wave. The DC bias can have a significant influence on the ferrite losses, so it is good to check this sensitivity. Losses were measured at frequencies of 20 kHz, 100 kHz and 500 kHz on 3F3 material
Anisotropy of quasiparticle lifetimes and the role of disorder in graphite from ultrafast time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

Femtosecond time-resolved photoemission of photoexcited electrons in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) provides strong evidence for anisotropies of quasiparticle (QP) lifetimes. Indicative of such anisotropies is a pronounced anomaly in the energy dependence of QP lifetimes between 1.1 and 1.5 eV--the vicinity of a saddle point in the graphite band structure. This is supported by recent ab initio calculations and a comparison with experiments on defect-enriched HOPG which reveal that disorder, e.g., defects or phonons, increases electron energy relaxation rates.
Sequential Estimation of the Parameters in Unstable AR(2)

Abstract For a second-order nonexplosive autoregressive process with unknown vector parameter Θ = (Θ1,Θ2)′, it is shown that the sequential least squares estimate with a particular stopping time is asymptotically normally distributed uniformly in Θ belonging to any compact set in the stability region of the process supplemented with the part of its boundary corresponding to complex roots of the characteristic polynomial.
Phase III Study of Ranimustine, Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, Melphalan, and Prednisolone (MCNU-COP/MP) versus Modified COP/MP in Multiple Myeloma: A Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study, JCOG 9301

To investigate whether combination chemotherapy with vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisolone, and melphalan (COP/ MP) with the addition of ranimustine (MCNU) (MCNU-COP/MP) is superior to the slightly modified COP/MP (mCOP/MP) regimen in multiple myeloma (MM), a multicenter randomized study was performed. Two hundred ten patients with newly diagnosed, overt MM not treated with chemotherapy were enrolled from 32 institutions of the Lymphoma Study Group of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group and were randomized to receive either MCNU-COP/MP or mCOP/MP. The response rate (RR) to mCOP/MP was 43.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.9%–53.8%] and to MCNU-COP/MP was 56.1 % (95% CI, 46.1 %–65.7%) (P = .097). The progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer for patients treated with MCNU-COP/MP than for patients treated with mCOP/MP (median, 23.0 months [95% CI, 18.9–25.8] versus 15.8 months [95% CI, 14.1–19.4]) (P = .014). However, no significant difference in overall survival rate (OS) was observed between the groups (median, 49.9 months [95% CI, 40.4-59.1] versus 44.0 months [95% CI, 32.8–59.8]) ( P = .75). Grades 3 and 4 hematological toxicities were more frequently observed with MCNU-COP/MP than with mCOP/MP, but the incidence of grades 3 and 4 nonhematological toxicities was low in both groups. In conclusion, MCNU-COP/MP in comparison with mCOP/MP improved RR and PFS in overt MM; however, this outcome did not contribute to prolonging OS, indicating that addition of MCNU to mCOP/MP has no benefit on survival.
The Role of TOR1A Polymorphisms in Dystonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Importance A number of genetic loci were found to be associated with dystonia. Quite a few studies have been contacted to examine possible contribution of TOR1A variants to the risk of dystonia, but their results remain conflicting. The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate the effect of TOR1A gene SNPs on dystonia and its phenotypic subtypes regarding the body distribution. Methods We performed a systematic review of Pubmed database to identify all available studies that reported genotype frequencies of TOR1A SNPs in dystonia. In total 16 studies were included in the quantitative analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated in each study to estimate the influence of TOR1A SNPs genotypes on the risk of dystonia. The fixed-effects model and the random effects model, in case of high heterogeneity, for recessive and dominant mode of inheritance as well as the free generalized odds ratio (ORG) model were used to calculate both the pooled point estimate in each study and the overall estimates. Results Rs1182 was found to be associated with focal dystonia in recessive mode of inheritance [Odds Ratio, OR (95% confidence interval, C.I.): 1.83 (1.14–2.93), Pz = 0.01]. In addition, rs1801968 was associated with writer’s cramp in both recessive and dominant modes [OR (95%C.I.): 5.99 (2.08–17.21), Pz = 0.00009] and [2.48 (1.36–4.51), Pz = 0.003) respectively and in model free-approach [ORG (95%C.I.): 2.58 (1.45–4.58)]. Conclusions Our meta-analysis revealed a significant implication of rs1182 and rs1801968 TOR1A variants in the development of focal dystonia and writer’s cramp respectively. TOR1A gene variants seem to be implicated in dystonia phenotype.
Preservation of the Wild European Mouflon: The First Example of Genetic Management Using a Complete Program of Reproductive Biotechnologies

Abstract Although the potential use of reproductive biotechnologies for safeguarding endangered wildlife species is undoubted, practical efforts have met with limited success to date. In those instances in which modern technologies have been adapted to rescuing rare or endangered species, procedures have been applied piecemeal, and no consistent breeding program based on reproductive biotechnologies has been undertaken. Here we describe for the first time the rescue of an endangered species, the European mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon), by the application of an integrated package of reproductive biotechnologies. This genetic management extended from the initial collection of gametes, through the in vitro production of embryos and interspecific transfer, to the birth of healthy mouflon offspring. In addition, a genetic resource bank for the European mouflon was established, with cryopreserved sperm, embryos, and somatic cells.
The role of the Lps gene in experimental ulcerative colitis in mice

The effects of the Lps gene on the development of experimental ulcerative colitis were studied in two genetically different mouse strains: C57B1 and C3H. Acute colitis was induced by adding 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to the drinking water for a 7‐day (C57B1 and C3H) or a 10‐day (C57B1) experimental period. Although the DSS treatment initiated the same type of morphological changes in the colon in all groups of mice, an earlier onset and persistent intestinal bleeding occurred in the Lpsn mice (sensitive to lipopolysaccharide, LPS) in comparison with the Lpsd mice (hyporesponsive to LPS). Rectal bleeding appeared on day 7 in 90% of the Lpsn compared to 13% of the Lpsd mice (p<0.0001). In C57B1 mice, followed for three additional days, 50% of the Lpsn mice died and the surviving animals showed as well as rectal bleeding a large number of Gram‐negative bacteria in the liver and spleen. In contrast, the Lpsd mice of the C57B1 strain appeared unaffected by the treatment, although a transient rectal bleeding occurred in 90% on day 8. Also, significantly fewer Gram‐negative bacteria were found in the liver and spleen. Even though significantly increased serum endotoxin levels were seen in all DSS‐treated groups compared to controls on day 7, the serum levels of TNFoc were significantly increased only in the Lpsn mice. In DSS‐induced colitis the Lps“ genotype conferred on the mice an increased LPS susceptibility, resulting in an augmentation of the inflammatory response to Gram‐negative bacteria and their endotoxins. The results suggest that LPS‐induced host effector mechanisms significantly enhanced the intestinal bleeding, systemic inflammatory response, and mortality in mice with DSS‐induced colitis. In addition, the host defense against the invading and system‐ically spread bacteria most probably involved additional genes.
Geometry of Neural Network Loss Surfaces via Random Matrix Theory

Understanding the geometry of neural network loss surfaces is important for the development of improved optimization algorithms and for building a theoretical understanding of why deep learning works. In this paper, we study the geometry in terms of the distribution of eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix at critical points of varying energy. We introduce an analytical framework and a set of tools from random matrix theory that allow us to compute an approximation of this distribution under a set of simplifying assumptions. The shape of the spectrum depends strongly on the energy and another key parameter, ϕ, which measures the ratio of parameters to data points. Our analysis predicts and numerical simulations support that for critical points of small index, the number of negative eigenvalues scales like the 3/2 power of the energy. We leave as an open problem an explanation for our observation that, in the context of a certain memorization task, the energy of minimizers is well-approximated by the function 1/2(1 - ϕ)2.
Skeletal structural adaptations to mechanical usage (SATMU): 1. Redefining Wolff's Law: The bone modeling problem

From the nature of a bone's endload and its local surface strains, the theory computes a modeling operator, Gamma (Γ), that predicts whether mechanical factors will cause lamellar bone modeling drifts, and where and of what kind. A given mechanical bone strain history then provides a separate modeling rate function, \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \dot M $\end{document}, to specify the rate of such modeling drifts as fractions of the largest possible ones. Multiplying the two functions, e.g., Γ · \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \dot M $\end{document}, then predicts mechanically controlled bone modeling responses for cortical and trabecular bone, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The theory correctly predicts each of the 6 known “principal adaptations” of lamellar bone, which provide a critical test of any such theory for this organ.
Potential Role of Infrared Imaging for Detecting Facial Seal Leaks in Filtering Facepiece Respirator Users

Infrared imaging (IRI) can detect airflow through and near respirator masks based upon temperature differences between ambient and exhaled air. This study investigated the potential usefulness of IRI for detecting leaks and providing insight into the sites and significance of leaks. Subjects (n = 165) used filtering facepiece N95 respirators (N95 FFR) in the course of a research study concerning training modalities. Short sequence video infrared images were obtained during use and with intentionally introduced facial seal leaks. Fit factor (FF) was measured with condensation nuclei count methods. IRI detected leaks were scored on a four-point scale and summarized as the Total Leak Score (TLS) over six coding regions and the presence or absence of a “Big Leak” (BL) in any location. A semi-automated interpretation algorithm was also developed. IRI detected leaks are particularly common in the nasal region, but these are of limited significance. IR imaging could effectively identify many large leaks. The TLS was related to FF. Although IRI scores were related to FF, the relationship is insufficiently close for IRI to substitute for quantitative fit-testing. Using FFRs infrared techniques have potential for identifying situations with very inadequate respiratory protection.
The effects of obesity on drug pharmacokinetics in humans

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity and associated co-morbid conditions is increasing globally. Physiological changes accompanying obesity are likely to result in altered drug pharmacokinetics; however, there is paucity of information on how to best dose adjust for the obese. Areas covered: This review presents material describing physiological changes that occur in the obese and their relationship to body composition. The review also discusses various dosing metrics currently used to scale for size, and relationships between body composition and pharmacokinetic parameters. Through this, the reader is provided with a greater understanding of the key concepts regarding the physiological changes associated with obesity and how they relate to the changes in the pharmacokinetics. Expert opinion: There is a nonlinear relationship between total body weight and the physiological variables that determine drug clearance. Metrics that describe pharmacokinetics at the extremes of weight in a semi-mechanistic manner should be used as drug dosing scalars, with clinical trials adequately designed to correctly identify the most appropriate dosing scalar.
Power of a chromosomal test to detect genetic variation using genetic markers

The power of a backcross design to detect genetic variation associated with a single chromosome was investigated. A simple chromosomal test was suggested in which the phenotypic observations are regressed onto genotypic information from multiple markers. It was shown that the optimum marker spacing depends on the underlying genetic structure and chromosome length. A sparse marker map, with markers approximately every 50 cM, is sufficient to detect chromosomal variation if the nature of the genetic variance is coupled polygenes, whereas the optimum marker spacing to detect a single QTL somewhere on the chromosome is slightly denser, about 20–40 cM. Although the method was demonstrated for line crosses, it can equally be applied to other populations, for example four-way crosses and half-sib designs.
A novel three-dimensional micro supercapacitor using self-support nano composite materials

This paper reports a novel silicon three-dimensional (3D) micro supercapacitor, featured by a high-aspect-ratio structure and nano porous composite electrode material. Electrochemical characterization results of the prototype with NaNO3 electrolyte demonstrate that the 3D supercapacitor exhibits both large capacitance (90.7mF/cm2) and fast power delivery (51.5mW/cm2) per unit area. A very robust stability and high charge/discharge efficiencies (more than 93%) are also observed. As such, it is believed that this work presents a promising approach to achieve micro supercapacitors that are applicable in various energy systems such as micro power suppliers and energy storage devices.
Panacibacter ginsenosidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., with ginsenoside converting activity isolated from soil of a ginseng field.

A ginsenoside-transforming bacterium, designated Gsoil 1550T, was isolated from soil of a ginseng field and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Colonies of strain Gsoil 1550T were yellow, of low convexity and with regular margin. Cells were long rods, 0.5-1.2 µm wide and 1.6-3 µm long. The isolate grew at 10-37 °C and at pH 5-9 on R2A agar medium; maximum growth occurred at 30 °C and pH 6-7. Phylogenetic study based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence positioned Gsoil 1550T in a distinct lineage in the family Chitinophagaceae, sharing 92.5-92.8 % sequence similarity with members of the closely related genera Terrimonas, Parafilimonas, Sediminibacterium and Parasegetibacter. Strain Gsoil 1550T contained menaquinone MK-7 as the predominant quinone, and iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 1 G as major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 44.6 mol%. Strain Gsoil 1550T could be distinguished from other members of the family Chitinophagaceae by a number of chemotaxonomic and phenotypic characteristics. The major polar lipid of strain Gsoil 1550T was phosphatidylethanolamine. Based on this polyphasic taxonomic analysis, strain Gsoil 1150T represents a novel species within a new genus, for which the name Panacibacter ginsenosidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Panacibacter ginsenosidivorans is Gsoil 1550T (=KCTC 12658T=JCM 31452T).
A Comparison of Online and Offline Consumer Brand Loyalty

In this study we compare consumer brand loyalty in online and traditional shopping environments for over 100 brands in 19 grocery product categories. The online purchase data come from a large traditional grocery retailer that also operates an online store for its products. The offline data corresponds to the exact same brands and categories bought in traditional stores by a panel of homes operated by ACNielsen for purchases made in the same city and over the same time period. We compare the observed loyalty with a baseline model, a new segmented Dirichlet model, which has latent classes for brand choice and provides a very accurate model for purchase behavior. The results show that observed brand loyalty for high market share brands bought online is significantly greater than expected, with the reverse result for small share brands. In contrast, in the traditional shopping environment, the difference between observed and predicted brand loyalty is not related to brand share.