Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct intraoperative measurement of human brain temperature.

OBJECTIVE Because hypothermia enhances human tolerance for cerebral ischemia, profound hypothermia is induced in many centers so that the circulation can be arrested while clips are applied to high-risk giant cerebral aneurysms. Brain temperature is measured directly with an intracerebral probe that avoids the uncertainty of surrogate monitoring. However, when there is a large thermal gradient between brain temperature and that of the operating room, even direct measurements can sometimes be misleading. This study was undertaken to determine how deeply a thermal sensor must be embedded in the cerebral parenchyma to ensure that the ambient environment does not distort the measurement of brain temperature. METHODS Each of 39 normothermic patients had a thermocouple sensor inserted into a temporal lobe seizure focus just before its resection. Brain temperature was measured as the sensor was withdrawn in stages. RESULTS At both 3 and 2 cm beneath the cortical surface, the temperature of the brain was essentially the same. However, when the sensor was withdrawn to 1 cm, recorded temperature decreased from 35.7 +/- 0.9 to 34.3 +/- 1.4 degrees C (P < 0.001) and irrigation in the vicinity caused major thermal change. At shallower depths, even lower brain temperatures were recorded. No morbidity was attributable to the temperature measurements. CONCLUSION Direct intraoperative measurement of human brain temperature is feasible and safe, but accuracy requires that the temperature sensor be inserted at least 2 cm into the cerebral cortex.
Robust Scheduling of Task Graphs under Execution Time Uncertainty

Effective multicore computing requires to make efficient usage of the computational resources on a chip. Offline mapping and scheduling can be applied to improve the performance, but classical approaches require considerable a priori knowledge of the target application. In a practical setting, precise information is often unavailable; one can then resort to approximate time and resource usage figures, but this usually requires to make conservative assumptions. The issue is further stressed if real-time guarantees must be provided. We tackle predictable and efficient nonpreemptive scheduling of multitask applications in the presence of duration uncertainty. Hard real-time guarantees are provided with limited idle time insertion, by exploiting a hybrid offline/online technique known as Precedence Constraint Posting (PCP). Our approach does not require probability distributions to be specified, relying instead on simple and cheaper-to-obtain information (bounds, average values). The method has been tested on synthetic applications/platforms and compared with an offline optimized Fixed Priority Scheduling (FPS) approach and a pure online FIFO scheduler; the results are very promising, as the PCP schedules exhibit good stability and improved average execution time (14 percent on average, up to 30 percent versus FPS and up to 40 percent versus the FIFO scheduler).
[Quality of life with cystic fibrosis--aspects of age and gender].

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QoL) becomes more important as primary criterion of quality management in time consuming therapy programs of chronic progressive diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF). Measuring weighted satisfaction of life allows to evaluate subjective aspects of health-related and general quality of life. PATIENTS/METHOD QoL of 254 CF-patients (age 16-45 years, mean 29.4 years, mean FEV1 62.5 % of the predicted, mean BMI 20.5) was evaluated with the Questions on Life Satisfaction (FLZ(M)), a multi-dimensional QoL questionnaire. QoL results of patients are compared with the QoL of a healthy population. RESULTS Subjective contentment in health-related life dimensions of German adolescents and adults with CF is significantly lower compared with healthy peers. Women with CF compensate their increased restriction in health-related dimensions by high satisfaction in the dimensions housing and partnership. Women with CF > 35 years have a risk for low life satisfaction, men of this age group are not restricted. CONCLUSIONS Therapy programs should take into account the subjective perceived QoL. Routine monitoring of QoL can indicate patients with special needs.
Structure-Function Studies of Two Synthetic Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Fabs and Comparison with the Avastin™ Fab*

In the quest to discover new research tools and to develop better agents in the fight against cancer, two antibodies, G6 and B20-4, were isolated from synthetic antibody phage libraries. Unlike the AVASTIN™ antibody, a recently approved agent for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, B20-4 and G6 bind and block both human and murine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Here we have analyzed and compared the binding epitopes on VEGF for these three antibodies using alanine-scanning mutagenesis and structural analyses. The epitopes recognized by both synthetic antibodies are conserved between human and mouse VEGF, and they match closely to the receptor epitopes both structurally and functionally. In contrast, the Avastin epitope overlaps minimally with the receptor binding surface and centers around a residue that is not conserved in mouse. Our structural and functional analyses elucidate the cross-species reactivity of all three antibodies and emphasize the potential advantages of antibody generation using phage display as the resulting antibodies do not depend on sequence differences across species and preferentially target natural protein-protein interaction surfaces.
An approach for the estimation of effective radiation dose at CT in pediatric patients.

PURPOSE To estimate the effective radiation dose to pediatric and adult patients at head and abdomen computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Cylindrical water-equivalent phantoms were modeled for patients aged newborn to adult, and the energy imparted per unit axial exposure was computed. To determine the energy imparted to the simulated patients of different ages undergoing head and abdomen CT examinations, x-ray technique factors were combined with measured CT axial exposures. Body-region-specific ratios were calculated for effective dose per unit energy imparted, and these ratios were corrected for patient mass to obtain the effective dose to simulated patients. RESULTS With use of standard techniques, the energy imparted to simulated patients at CT always increased with patient size, but the effective dose was higher in children than in adults. At CT in the head and abdomen, effective doses were highest in newborns. Effective doses ranged from 1.5 to 6.0 mSv in head CT examinations and from 3.1 to 5.3 mSv in abdomen CT examinations. CONCLUSION The values for energy imparted at CT in pediatric patients were generally lower than in adults. The smaller mass of children, however, caused the corresponding effective doses to be higher than those in adults undergoing similar CT examinations.
Value at Risk Models with Long Memory Features and Their Economic Performance

We study alternative dynamics for Value at Risk (VaR) that incorporate a slow moving component and information on recent aggregate returns in established quantile (auto) regression models. These models are compared on their economic performance, and also on metrics of first-order importance such as violation ratios. By better economic performance, we mean that changes in the VaR forecasts should have a lower variance to reduce transaction costs and should lead to lower exceedance sizes without raising the average level of the VaR. We find that, in combination with a targeted estimation strategy, our proposed models lead to improved performance in both statistical and economic terms.
High 10-year survival rate in patients with early, untreated prostatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE To learn about the natural history of untreated, early-stage prostatic cancer. DESIGN Cohort study with a mean follow-up of 123 months (range, 81 to 165 months). SETTING Population-based, regionally well defined. PATIENTS A consecutive sample of 223 patients (98% of all eligible) with early-stage (T0-2, NX, M0), initially untreated prostatic cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Progression-free, disease-specific, and overall survival. Need for palliative and terminal care. INTERVENTION Patients with tumor progression were hormonally treated (orchiectomy or estrogens) if they had symptoms. RESULTS After complete follow-up, only 19 (8.5%) of the 223 patients had died of prostate cancer and 105 (85%) of a total of 124 deaths were from other causes. The 10-year, disease-specific survival rate was 86.8% (95% confidence interval, 80.7% to 92.9%) and was equally high (87.9%) in a subgroup of 58 patients who met current indications for radical prostatectomy. The progression-free, 10-year survival rate was 53.1% (95% confidence interval, 44.2% to 62.0%). In 50 of 76 patients, local growth provided the only evidence of progression, and endocrine treatment was generally successful in these cases. Following an initial increase, the rate of disease progression and death from prostate cancer decreased during the last years of follow-up. CONCLUSION The low disease-specific mortality rate, especially in patients with highly and moderately differentiated tumors, means that any local or systemic therapy intended for patients with early prostatic cancer must be evaluated in clinical trials with untreated controls for comparison.
Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐modulated ‘HCN’ channels confer regular and faster rhythmicity to beating mouse embryonic stem cells

The hyperpolarization‐activated cation current (If), and the hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐modulated ‘HCN’ subunits that underlie it, are important components of spontaneous activity in the embryonic mouse heart, but whether they contribute to this activity in mouse embryonic stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes has not been investigated. We address this issue in spontaneously beating cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) over the course of development in culture. If and action potentials were recorded from single beating cells at early, intermediate and late development stages using perforated whole‐cell voltage‐ and current‐clamp techniques. Our data show that the proportion of cells expressing If, and the density of If in these cells, increased during development and correlated with action potential frequency and the rate of diastolic depolarization. The If blocker ZD7288 (0.3 μm) reduced If and the beating rate of embryoid bodies. Taken together, the activation kinetics of If and results from Western blots are consistent with the presence of the HCN2 and HCN3 isoforms. At all stages of development, isoproterenol (isoprenaline) and acetylcholine shifted the voltage dependence of If to more positive and negative voltages, respectively, and they also increased and decreased the beating rate of embryonic cell bodies, respectively. Together, the data suggest that current through HCN2 and HCN3 channels confers regular and faster rhythmicity to mESCs, which mirrors the developing embryonic mouse heart, and contributes to modulation of rhythmicity by autonomic stimulation.
Fibrinolytic administration via EKOS catheter used in pulmonary embolism

A 69-year old bed-bound woman presented with chest pain and diaphoresis. Diagnostic imaging led to the diagnosis of bilateral extensive pulmonary emboli extending into all segmental branches. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was administered via 2 separate EKOS catheters. Repeat evaluation after 33 hours revealed improvement of right ventricular size and function. EKOS catheters are useful for administration of fibrinolytics in pulmonary embolism.
Tailoring highly conductive graphene nanoribbons from small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a computational study

Pyrene, the smallest two-dimensional mesh of aromatic rings, with various terminal thiol substitutions, has been considered as a potential molecular interconnect. Charge transport through two terminal devices has been modeled using density functional theory (with and without self interaction correction) and the non-equilibrium Green’s function method. A tetra-substituted pyrene, with dual thiol terminal groups at opposite ends, has been identified as an excellent candidate, owing to its high conductance, virtually independent of bias voltage. The two possible extensions of its motif generate two series of graphene nanoribbons, with zigzag and armchair edges and with semimetallic and semiconducting electron band structure, respectively. The effects related to the wire length and the bias voltage on the charge transport have been investigated for both sets. The conductance of the nanoribbons with a zigzag edge does not show either length or voltage dependence, owing to an almost perfect electron transmission with a continuum of conducting channels. In contrast, for the armchair nanoribbons a slow exponential attenuation of the conductance with the length has been found, due to their semiconducting nature.
Orphan care in Botswana's working households: growing responsibilities in the absence of adequate support.

OBJECTIVES Botswana has one of the world's highest HIV-prevalence rates and the world's highest percentages of orphaned children among its population. We assessed the ability of income-earning households in Botswana to adequately care for orphans. METHODS We used data from the Botswana Family Health Needs Study (2002), a sample of 1033 working adults with caregiving responsibilities who used public services, to assess whether households with orphan-care responsibilities encountered financial and other difficulties. Thirty-seven percent of respondents provided orphan care, usually to extended family members. We applied logistic regression models to determine the factors associated with experiencing problems related to orphan caregiving. RESULTS Nearly half of working households with orphan-care responsibilities reported experiencing financial and other difficulties because of orphan care. Issues of concern included caring for multiple orphans, caring for sick adults and orphans simultaneously, receiving no assistance, and low income. CONCLUSIONS The orphan crisis is impoverishing even working households, where caregivers lack sufficient resources to provide basic needs. Neither the public sector nor communities provide adequate safety nets. International assistance is critical to build capacity within the social welfare infrastructure and to fund community-level activities that support households. Lessons from Botswana's orphan crisis can provide valuable insights to policymakers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Using the Averaged Hausdorff Distance as a Performance Measure in Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

The Hausdorff distance dH is a widely used tool to measure the distance between different objects in several research fields. Possible reasons for this might be that it is a natural extension of the well-known and intuitive distance between points and/or the fact that dH defines in certain cases a metric in the mathematical sense. In evolutionary multiobjective optimization (EMO) the task is typically to compute the entire solution set-the so-called Pareto set-respectively its image, the Pareto front. Hence, dH should, at least at first sight, be a natural choice to measure the performance of the outcome set in particular since it is related to the terms spread and convergence as used in EMO literature. However, so far, dH does not find the general approval in the EMO community. The main reason for this is that dH penalizes single outliers of the candidate set which does not comply with the use of stochastic search algorithms such as evolutionary strategies. In this paper, we define a new performance indicator, Δp, which can be viewed as an “averaged Hausdorff distance” between the outcome set and the Pareto front and which is composed of (slight modifications of) the well-known indicators generational distance (GD) and inverted generational distance (IGD). We will discuss theoretical properties of Δp (as well as for GD and IGD) such as the metric properties and the compliance with state-of-theart multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs), and will further on demonstrate by empirical results the potential of Δp as a new performance indicator for the evaluation of MOEAs.
Partial replacement of left hemidiaphragm in dogs by either cryopreserved or decellularized heterograft patch.

OBJECTIVES Large diaphragmatic defects are still a challenging issue for reconstruction using either synthetic prosthesis or bioprosthesis. To evaluate the possibility of using diaphragm allograft as a natural bioprosthesis in humans, we conducted a two-group study and compared cryopreserved and decellularized diaphragmatic heterograft patched in a canine model. METHODS At the end of organ harvesting from a human donor, the left hemidiaphragm was taken to the laboratory in phosphate-buffered saline solution. The next step was freezing the grafts at -80°C, and preserving them for up to 2 months in Group 1. It was subjected to a detergent-enzymatic method (containing sodium deoxycholate/DNase lavations) of decellularization for 25 cycles in Group 2. Through left thoracotomy in the eighth intercostal space, cryopreserved patches in six dogs and decellularized patches in five dogs replaced the diaphragm. During the follow-up, sonography was done in all animals, but three and two dogs in Group 1 and 2 underwent computed tomography (CT) scan, respectively. The animals were euthanized after 6 months. RESULTS There was no mortality. Sonography showed only motion impairment of the patches in all cases. In Group 1, CT scan showed mild atelectasis and scattered infiltration in the left lower lobe, fibrotic bands and minimal fluid collection under the diaphragm. In Group 2, CT scan showed scattered fibrotic bands and mild to moderate elevation of the left hemidiaphragm. There was no evidence of gross disruption and complete healing of the suture line. Necropsy in both groups showed patches were completely replaced with a dense fibrous tissue. In Group 1, focal calcification was noticeable in every case and foreign body-type granulomas were clearly seen all over the grafted tissue. Histology in Group 2 animals showed less inflammatory cell infiltration and scattered foreign body granulomas in comparison with the cryopreserved patch graft. CONCLUSIONS The gross healing process in the decellularized heterograft is similar to the cryopreserved diaphragm but with fewer inflammatory cells and foreign body granulomas on histology. Both of them can be used instead of bioprostheses with regard to the fact that the decellularized patch technique is more complex and expensive. It is recommended to compare them with commercial bioprostheses.
Has CONSORT improved the reporting of randomized controlled trials in the palliative care literature? A systematic review

Background: In 1996, the CONSORT (CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials) statement for the reporting of clinical trials was produced, based on empirical evidence regarding bias. Aims: This study assessed the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the palliative care literature. Methods: Three specialist journals were hand searched for RCTs. A checklist was devised based on CONSORT recommendations. Two investigators independently assessed all the trials against this checklist. The trials were grouped into time cohorts of five years and quality comparisons made. Trials looking at pain were compared with those trials looking at other aspects of palliative care. Results: Ninety-three RCTs were identified. The number of trials has increased over time: nine in the first cohort, 37 in the second and 47 in the last cohort. The number of patients in the individual trials has also increased over time. Generally, the reporting quality was poor, particularly the areas of allocation concealment, randomization technique and intention to treat analysis, where there is empirical evidence, that it leads to trial bias. Although there were more pain papers than non-pain papers, the quality of reporting was only better for blinding and intention to treat analysis. Conclusion: The quality of reporting of RCTs in the palliative care literature is generally poor. However, there has been an increase in the number and the size of RCTs being carried out. This shows recognition of the importance of an evidence base in palliative care. However, in order to guide clinical decision making, future trials need to improve the quality of their reporting by adhering to the CONSORT statement.
Prosperity and peace: Economic interests and war legacy in Croatia’s EU referendum vote

Studies of popular attitudes toward European integration have paid limited attention to the historical roots of voters’ security preferences. Using an original municipality-level data set, we test whether the pattern of voting in Croatia’s 2012 referendum on European Union accession was affected by the legacy of the country’s 1991–1995 war for independence or rather by economic factors. While finding evidence for the impact of the communities’ level of prosperity and structure of economy, our analysis more notably demonstrates that the intensity of the communities’ experience of war had a positive effect on their level of support for European Union membership. This effect also had a strong interactive relationship with the communities’ political allegiances, highlighting the importance not only of historically rooted security issues but also of political actors who make those issues electorally salient.
Designing Practical Evidence-Based Treatment Plans for Children With Prolonged Seizures and Status Epilepticus

The adverse effects of prolonged seizures and status epilepticus can be reduced through appropriate, prompt, and aggressive intervention. Because most prolonged seizures and status epilepticus episodes begin outside the hospital, it is important to design treatment interventions that can be rendered at home or in school that do not rely entirely on intervention by emergency medical personnel. Factors that make this new approach possible include the use of evidence-based guidelines to inform treatment decisions and the successful development, and government approval, of new formulations of commonly used medications, including rectal diazepam gel and the phenytoin prodrug fosphenytoin. A useful plan should be initiated at the 5-minute to 10-minute mark (not the 30-minute mark) and contain clear, easy-to-read directions that can be implemented by family, school personnel, or emergency medical services who have varying levels of medical sophistication. Four scenarios illustrating these considerations are included and provide examples of plans that fulfill these criteria.