Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The calcium component of the action potential in spinal motoneurones of the rat.

Intracellular recordings were made from motoneurones of the neonatal rat (1‐14 days old) spinal cord isolated and perfused in vitro. An increase in extracellular Ca2+ concentration from 2 to 20 mM produced an increase in the amplitude of the after‐depolarization (a.d.p.), while replacement of Ca2+ by Mn2+ virtually abolished the a.d.p. These changes in the a.d.p. occurred in parallel with those in the after‐hyperpolarization (a.h.p.). The amplitudes of the a.d.p. and the a.h. p. were dependent upon the membrane potential: hyperpolarization increased the a.d.p. and decreased the a.h. p.; the opposite effects were produced by depolarization. The presence of Ca2+ spikes was demonstrated either by suppression of the voltage‐dependent K+ conductance with tetraethylammonium (TEA) or after blocking the Na+ spike. The Ca2+ spike was all‐or‐none in nature and blocked by Mn2+ or Co2+. The a.h. p. amplitude was dependent upon the extracellular K+ concentration but also correlated with the amplitude of the Ca2+‐dependent response. It is concluded that the a.d.p. is a Ca2+‐dependent potential whose amplitude is under normal conditions markedly reduced by the voltage‐dependent K+ conductance; the a.h. p. seems to be produced by an increase in the Ca2+‐dependent K+ conductance.
The identification and purification of a mammalian- like protein kinase C in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have purified a yeast protein kinase that is phospholipid-dependent and activated by Diacylglycerol (DAG) in the presence of Ca2+ or by the tumour-promoting agent tetradecanoyl-phorbol acetate (TPA). The properties of this enzyme are similar to those of the mammalian protein kinase C (PKC). The enzyme was purified using chromatography on DEAE-cellulose followed by hydroxylapatite. The latter chromatography separated the activity to three distinguishable sub-species, analogous to the mammalian PKC isoenzymes. The fractions enriched in PKC activity contain proteins that specifically bind TPA, are specifically phosphorylated in the presence of DAG and recognized by anti-mammalian PKC antibodies.
The etiology of multiple sclerosis

Studies in the Orkney and Shetland Islands have demonstrated the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) recorded. Accumulated evidence suggests that an environmental factor is paramount in etiology. The role of an environmental exposure (infectious or toxic) is confirmed in this study by the demonstration in Orkney of clustering of cases in time and space. Lifetime data showed temporal-spatial clustering of MS patients (1) at least 21 years prior to onset, and (2) just prior to onset. Each of the two time clusters occurred on three separate islands. No clustering was seen at birth, by chronological age, or by schooling. Clustering was not demonstrated in Shetland. Previous efforts to demonstrate clustering may have failed because of lack of specificity of the data or inappropriate methodology. These data indicate that not one but two environmental factors play a role in the etiology of MS, representing exposures to two different environmental insults, or exposure twice to the same insult, prior to onset of MS.
Technology driven and competency driven approaches to competitiveness: are they reconcilable?

Based on a series of structured interviews with several senior management figures, this paper explores two different approaches to competitiveness within the literature, namely the technology-driven approach and the competency-driven approach, and asks whether they can be reconciled with the real world experiences of corporate managers. The technology driven approach is based on the belief that information technology (IT) offers a powerful source of competitive advantage. Popularized by, and based on the work of, Michael Porter there is a corresponding emphasis on planning and the use of ‘generic’ strategies. The competency driven approach, on the other hand, holds that each company possesses unique sources of advantage, which it must exploit to derive maximum benefits. The focus is on flexibility, while no ‘recipes’ for success are offered. Given that these two approaches appear to be diametrically opposed, 16 senior management figures from leading edge companies were interviewed to determine which, if either, of the two views was more in tune with reality. This paper details the findings.
Critical nodes for distance‐based connectivity and related problems in graphs

This study considers a class of critical node detection problems that involves minimization of a distance‐based connectivity measure of a given unweighted graph via the removal of a subset of nodes (referred to as critical nodes) subject to a budgetary constraint. The distance‐based connectivity measure of a graph is assumed to be a function of the actual pairwise distances between nodes in the remaining graph (e.g., graph efficiency, Harary index, characteristic path length, residual closeness) rather than simply whether nodes are connected or not, a typical assumption in the literature. We derive linear integer programming (IP) formulations, along with additional enhancements, aimed at improving the performance of standard solvers. For handling larger instances, we develop an effective exact algorithm that iteratively solves a series of simpler IPs to obtain an optimal solution for the original problem. The edge‐weighted generalization is also considered, which results in some interesting implications for distance‐based clique relaxations, namely, s ‐clubs. Finally, we conduct extensive computational experiments with real‐world and randomly generated network instances under various settings that reveal interesting insights and demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the proposed approach. In particular, one important conclusion of our work is that vulnerability of real‐world networks to targeted attacks can be significantly more pronounced than what can be estimated by centrality‐based heuristic methods commonly used in the literature. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 66(3), 170–195 2015
Long‐term results and prognostic factors in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

A multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors was carried out on a series of 546 differentiated thyroid cancers followed for 8 to 40 years. For survival, the highest risk factor was associated with age; tumors diagnosed in patients younger than 45 years had higher relapse‐free survival (RFS) and total survival (TS) rates and a slower growth rate. In children, although the RFS and TS at 15 years were high, they decreased later. The second independent prognostic factor was histology. There was no difference between papillary and follicular well‐differentiated (FWD) tumors, but follicular moderately differentiated (FMD) had lower TS and RFS. Among FMD cancers, relapses occurred earlier and the interval between relapse and death was shorter. The third factor was sex. Tumors tended to disseminate more in male than in female patients. The survival rate after relapse was the same, however, suggesting that the growth rates are not different. The presence of palpable lymph nodes also had a significant independent impact on both TS and RFS. Patients treated after 1960 have a better outcome than patients treated earlier, although they did not differ in age distribution, histologic characteristics, sex ratio, or incidence of palpable lymph nodes. The distribution of time intervals between treatment and relapse was not compatible with an exponential failure time model but fit with a log‐logistic model. Relapses can occur as late as 30 years or more after initial treatment. Elevated levels of circulating thyroglobulin have been observed in about 12% of the patients who had been in complete remission for longer than 20 years.
Response to Therapy in Breast Cancer

Increasing numbers of patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer receive primary systemic therapy followed by surgery. Histopathology provides an accurate assessment of treatment efficacy on the basis of the extent of residual tumor and regressive changes within tumor tissue. However, only approximately 20% of breast cancer patients achieve a pathologic complete response, a fact that necessitates methods for monitoring therapeutic effectiveness early during therapy. 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT provide essential information regarding a response to primary chemotherapy. Patients with low tumor metabolic activity on pretreatment 18F-FDG PET are not likely to achieve a histopathologic response. The degree of changes in 18F-FDG uptake after the initiation of therapy is correlated with the histopathologic response after the completion of therapy. Thus, tumor metabolic changes assessed early during therapy predict therapeutic effectiveness in individual patients. Early identification of ineffective therapy also might be helpful in patients with metastatic breast cancer because many palliative treatment options are available. Changes in metabolic activity generally occur earlier than changes in tumor size, which is the current standard for the assessment of a response. Although treatment stratification based on a metabolic response is an exciting potential application of PET, specific PET response assessment criteria still need to be developed and validated on the basis of patient outcomes before changes in treatment regimens can be implemented. There is increasing clinical evidence for metastatic breast cancer and other tumors that 18F-FDG PET/CT is the most accurate imaging procedure for assessment of the response at the end of treatment when both CT information and tumor metabolic activity are considered. Importantly, in the setting of primary chemotherapy, neither PET/CT nor conventional imaging procedures can assess the extent of residual breast cancer as accurately as histopathology. Observation of changes in tumor blood flow or tumor cell proliferation is an additional encouraging approach for predicting a response. Ultimately, the prediction of therapeutic effectiveness by PET and PET/CT could help to individualize treatment and to avoid ineffective chemotherapies, with their associated toxicities.
Meta-Analysis of Action Video Game Impact on Perceptual, Attentional, and Cognitive Skills

The ubiquity of video games in today’s society has led to significant interest in their impact on the brain and behavior and in the possibility of harnessing games for good. The present meta-analyses focus on one specific game genre that has been of particular interest to the scientific community—action video games, and cover the period 2000–2015. To assess the long-lasting impact of action video game play on various domains of cognition, we first consider cross-sectional studies that inform us about the cognitive profile of habitual action video game players, and document a positive average effect of about half a standard deviation (g = 0.55). We then turn to long-term intervention studies that inform us about the possibility of causally inducing changes in cognition via playing action video games, and show a smaller average effect of a third of a standard deviation (g = 0.34). Because only intervention studies using other commercially available video game genres as controls were included, this latter result highlights the fact that not all games equally impact cognition. Moderator analyses indicated that action video game play robustly enhances the domains of top-down attention and spatial cognition, with encouraging signs for perception. Publication bias remains, however, a threat with average effects in the published literature estimated to be 30% larger than in the full literature. As a result, we encourage the field to conduct larger cohort studies and more intervention studies, especially those with more than 30 hours of training.
Auditory‐Perceptual Scaling and Quality of Life in Tracheoesophageal Speakers

Objectives/Hypothesis The purposes of the study were to determine listeners' auditory‐perceptual ratings of tracheoesophageal speakers, to determine quality of life in tracheoesophageal speakers, and to determine the potential relationship between listeners' ratings of speech and tracheoesophageal speakers' self‐rated quality of life.
Growth parameters at birth of babies born in Gampaha district, Sri Lanka and factors influencing them

Background: Growth parameters at birth are important for clinical decision-making. In Sri Lanka, the data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) are used to interpret these measurements. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September and October 2010 in hospitals of Gampaha district, Sri Lanka. The weight, length and head circumference of all normal-term babies born in the Gampaha district during this period were measured within 8 h of birth using standard techniques. Measurements were taken by medical graduates trained and supervised by a consultant paediatrician. Socio-demographic data were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results: Of the 2215 babies recruited, 1127 were males. The mean birth weight, mean length and mean head circumference at birth were 2.92 kg, 49.1 and 33.6 cm, respectively. Boys weighed and measured more than girls in all parameters, but the differences were not statistically significant. Growth parameters of babies included in this study deviated from that in the MGRS data. Mean values of MGRS data were between 75th and 90th centiles of this study population. Birth order, family income and maternal education were significantly (P < 0.01) associated with growth parameters. Contrary to common belief, growth parameters continued to increase progressively up to 41 weeks. Maternal age less than 20 years or more than 35 years was negatively associated with birth weight (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Growth parameters of new-born babies deviated significantly from the values of the MGRS data. Growth characteristics of one population may not be applicable to another population due to variations in maternal, genetic and socio-economic factors. Using growth charts not applicable to a population will result in wrong interpretations.
The preferred mode of incompressible jets: linear frequency response analysis

Abstract The linear amplification of axisymmetric external forcing in incompressible jet flows is investigated within a fully non-parallel framework. Experimental and numerical studies have shown that isothermal jets preferably amplify external perturbations for Strouhal numbers in the range $0. 25\leq {\mathit{St}}_{D} \leq 0. 5$ , depending on the operating conditions. In the present study, the optimal forcing of an incompressible jet is computed as a function of the excitation frequency. This analysis characterizes the preferred amplification as a pseudo-resonance with a dominant Strouhal number of around $0. 45$ . The flow response at this frequency takes the form of a vortical wavepacket that peaks inside the potential core. Its global structure is characterized by the cooperation of local shear-layer and jet-column modes.
Propranolol Therapy Throughout Pregnancy: A Case Report

The course of pregnancy and delivery of a patient who suffered cardiac arrest and required resuscitation in the 1st weeks of gestation, and who was treated with propranolol for the remainder, is described.Propranolol blocks responses to the hemodynamic demands placed on the pregnant woman's circulation, blocks fetal responses to the stresses of labor and delivery, and extends into the neonatal period. The beta-adrenergic-blocked fetus may be expected to show growth retardation and to tolerate labor poorly.
Limited Esophagogastrectomy for Carcinoma of the Cardia: Indications, Technique, and Results

Between 1970 and 1988, 149 patients with carcinoma of the cardia were operated on at the Lahey Clinic. Of these patients, 127 (85%) underwent resection; 23 (18.1%) were of a palliative nature. More than 75% had Stage III and IV disease. One patient (0.8%) died within 30 days of the operation of a myocardial infarct. Two other patients failed to leave the hospital. Of 25 postoperative complications, 14 (11%) were considered major. Palliation of dysphagia was successful in 80% of patients. The actuarial 5-year survival rate was 22.4%. Of patients with Stage I and II disease, 36.6% survived for 5 years, and of patients with Stage III disease, 22.5% survived. No patient with Stage IV disease lived for longer than 1 year. It is concluded that limited esophagogastrectomy can be performed in most patients with carcinoma of the cardia with low mortality and morbidity and with satisfactory long-term survival.
Effects of Combining Dexmedetomidine and Opioids for Postoperative Intravenous Patient-controlled Analgesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objectives:This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of opioid-dexmedetomidine (DEX) combinations for postoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Materials and Methods:A systematic literature search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials comparing opioid-DEX combinations to opioid alone for intravenous PCA up to postoperative 24 hours in adult patients. Outcomes included postoperative pain intensity, opioid consumption, and adverse events. Results:Seven randomized controlled trials were included. Compared with opioid alone, postoperative intravenous opioid-DEX combination PCA strategies led to lower postoperative pain intensity (mean difference4 h=−0.83 [on a 0 to 10 scale], 95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.34 to −0.32, P=0.002), lower postoperative morphine-equivalent consumption (mean difference0-24 h=−16.46 mg, 95% CI: −23.65 to −9.27, P<0.00001), and lower incidence of postoperative nausea (risk ratio [RR]=0.42, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.58, P<0.00001), vomiting (RR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.89, P=0.02), and pruritus (RR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.00, P=0.05). More patients were satisfied with PCA when opioids were combined with DEX (RR=1.14, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.29, P=0.02). Discussion:These data suggest that an opioid-DEX combination is a safe and effective strategy for postoperative intravenous PCA.
Cognitive style, gender and learning from multi-media materials in 11-year-old children

Eighty 11-year-old pupils (40 males and 40 females) from an urban primary school were assessed for cognitive style by means of the Cognitive Styles Analysis which indicated their positions on each of the two style dimensions, the Wholist-Analytic and the Verbal-Imagery. They then studied parts of three CD-ROM multi-media packages on science topics and after each, completed a multiple choice recall test. An indication of their performance on traditionally taught science was taken to be the performance on science SATs at 11 years. A comparison between multi-media and traditional work indicated that, (a) in terms of overall science performance (traditional and multi-media), Wholist-Imagers and Analytic-Verbalisers were superior to Wholist-Verbalisers and Analytic-Imagers, and (b) Analytics did better on traditional work than multi-media, with the reverse for the Wholists. With the multi-media materials there were three modes of presentation—picture and sound (PS), picture and text (PT), and picture, text and sound (PTS). Female Wholist-Imagers and Analytic-Verbalisers were better with PS than PT, with the reverse for Wholist-Verbalisers and Analytic-Imagers, while the opposite applied for males. For all style and gender groups performance was best with PTS. The findings are discussed in terms of their practical implications and further research.
The profile of absconding psychiatric inpatients in Australia.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine absconding behaviour (a patient leaving the hospital without permission) in acute and rehabilitation wards of one Australian psychiatric institution to describe the characteristics of the absconding patient and these events. BACKGROUND Absconding is a significant issue in psychiatric inpatient settings, with risks that include patient harm, aggression and violence. In spite of this, limited research has been conducted in Australia on patients who abscond while receiving psychiatric care. DESIGN The study was a retrospective descriptive analysis. METHOD Absconding events from three acute and seven rehabilitation wards over a 12-month period were studied. RESULTS The rate of absconding events by detained patients was 20.82%. Gender was not significantly associated with absconding, although 61.19% of those who absconded were men diagnosed with schizophrenic disorders. Over half of acute care patients who absconded left during their first 21-day detention order. More than half of absconding events were by patients that absconded more than once. There was limited support for the efficacy of locking ward doors. Age and diagnosis emerged as particularly important factors to consider. DISCUSSION The study revealed that men are not more likely to abscond than women, that locking ward doors does not deter the determined absconders and that once a person has absconded, they are more likely to do so again. Younger patients and those with a schizophrenic disorder may be particularly likely to abscond. There also appears to be a link between continuing detention orders and an absconding event. CONCLUSIONS Findings provide new data about the profile of absconding patients in Australia. Exploration of the reasons why patients abscond and why many do so repeatedly warrants further investigation. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Risk management approaches taking into account factors associated with absconding could be trialled to reduce the incidence of absconding in psychiatric inpatient settings.
Blood Flow during Handgrip Exercise in COPD: Effect of Vitamin C.

PURPOSE Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with vascular dysfunction, possibly related to increased oxidative stress. Exercise hyperemia may similarly be impaired, which could have implications for exercise limitations in COPD. We tested if brachial blood flow (BBF) was reduced during handgrip exercise in COPD and if this response would be improved after vitamin C infusion. METHODS Doppler ultrasound was used to measure brachial blood flow and vascular conductance (BBF and BVC, respectively) during mild, rhythmic handgrip exercise (EX) under conditions of sham-saline and vitamin C. Measures of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and nitroglycerine-mediated dilation were used to assess endothelial-dependent and independent dilation, respectively. Biomarkers of antioxidants (vitamin C, superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde [MDA], advanced oxidation protein products [AOPP]), and nitric oxide metabolism (NOx) were measured in blood plasma. RESULTS Ten COPD patients with moderate COPD and 10 healthy age-matched controls participated. COPD patients had similar increases in BBF and BVC during EX, compared with controls. Vitamin C was not found to have an effect on blood flow parameters during exercise (P > 0.05). Markers of endothelial-dependent dilation (FMD) and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation were similar between groups at baseline; FMD improved similarly in both groups after vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS Moderate COPD patients have a preserved BBF response during handgrip exercise and do not exhibit endothelial dysfunction. Despite an increase in endothelial-dependent dilation after vitamin C, BBF remained unchanged, suggesting a limited impact of endothelial-derived NO in determining the blood flow response to handgrip exercise in older individuals. COPD patients of moderate severity, screened for cardiovascular disease, do not exhibit endothelial dysfunction and have similar exercise blood flow responses to healthy controls.