Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COMMENT Wise decisions , good results Decisões acertadas , bons resultados

Transcatheter valve aortic implantation (TAVI) is undoubtedly one of the most notable advances in the treatment of heart disease. Its results have been repeatedly confirmed in randomized trials comparing TAVI with conventional surgical aortic valve replacement and in registries, in patients with varying degrees of surgical risk (moderate, high, very high or prohibitive), and it will presumably continue to play an important role in the near future. There are, however, certain aspects of the technique that need to be improved in order to obtain even better results. Problems of vascular access due to the need for much larger sheaths than those usually employed in interventional cardiology are among the main causes of morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospitalization in these patients. There have been important publications on this subject, as well as presentations at conferences of works from various centers. The main causes of vascular complications of TAVI are generally identified as the sheath-to-iliofemoral artery ratio (SIFAR), vessel size, calcification of the vessel wall as measured by the calcium score, vessel tortuosity and the presence of plaques on the wall, operator experience and expertise, procedure time, and patient characteristics, particularly female gender.
A Funding Initiative for Community-Based Participatory Research: Lessons from the Harvard Catalyst Seed Grants

Background: The National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) have increasingly focused on community-engaged research and funded investigators for community-based participatory research (CBPR). However, because CBPR is a collaborative process focused on community-identified research topics, the Harvard CTSA and its Community Advisory Board (CERAB) funded community partners through a CBPR initiative.Objectives: We describe lessons learned from this seed grants initiative designed to stimulate community-academic CBPR partnerships.Methods: The CBPR program of the Harvard CTSA and the CERAB developed this initiative and each round incorporated participant and advisory feedback toward program improvement.Lessons Learned: Although this initiative facilitated relevant and innovative research, challenges included variable community research readiness, insufficient project time, and difficulties identifying investigators for new partnerships.Conclusion: Seed grants can foster innovative CBPR projects. Similar initiatives should consider preliminary assessments of community research readiness as well as strategies for meaningful academic researcher engagement.
3D fluoroscopic image estimation using patient-specific 4DCBCT-based motion models

3D fluoroscopic images represent volumetric patient anatomy during treatment with high spatial and temporal resolution. 3D fluoroscopic images estimated using motion models built using 4DCT images, taken days or weeks prior to treatment, do not reliably represent patient anatomy during treatment. In this study we developed and performed initial evaluation of techniques to develop patient-specific motion models from 4D cone-beam CT (4DCBCT) images, taken immediately before treatment, and used these models to estimate 3D fluoroscopic images based on 2D kV projections captured during treatment. We evaluate the accuracy of 3D fluoroscopic images by comparison to ground truth digital and physical phantom images. The performance of 4DCBCT-based and 4DCT-based motion models are compared in simulated clinical situations representing tumor baseline shift or initial patient positioning errors. The results of this study demonstrate the ability for 4DCBCT imaging to generate motion models that can account for changes that cannot be accounted for with 4DCT-based motion models. When simulating tumor baseline shift and patient positioning errors of up to 5 mm, the average tumor localization error and the 95th percentile error in six datasets were 1.20 and 2.2 mm, respectively, for 4DCBCT-based motion models. 4DCT-based motion models applied to the same six datasets resulted in average tumor localization error and the 95th percentile error of 4.18 and 5.4 mm, respectively. Analysis of voxel-wise intensity differences was also conducted for all experiments. In summary, this study demonstrates the feasibility of 4DCBCT-based 3D fluoroscopic image generation in digital and physical phantoms and shows the potential advantage of 4DCBCT-based 3D fluoroscopic image estimation when there are changes in anatomy between the time of 4DCT imaging and the time of treatment delivery.
Metrópole, legislação e desigualdade

The brazilian urbanization process happened in practical terms in the XX century. Nevertless, contrary to the expectation of many, the urban universe didn't overcome some characteristics of the colonial and imperial periods marked by land, income and power concentration, by the action of "colonels" or the policy of favoritism and by an arbitrary law deployment. This paper has the objective to address the Brazilian metropolis by the end of the XX century making evident the relationship about social inequality, territorial segregation and environment, having as a reference some authors whose work reflected the Brazilian society "building", specially the mark of modernization with the development of the tardiness. In doing so, a great relevance is given to the role of the law in keeping concentrated power and privileges in the cities, which reflects - and at the same time enhances - the urban territory social inequality.
Benefit of Pelvic Floor Muscle Therapy in Improving Sexual Function in Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Pretest–Posttest Intervention Study

Very few data are available on the effect of pelvic floor muscle training on sexual function in incontinent women. The authors used the Female Sexual Function Index to assess the effect of pelvic floor muscle training on female sexual function. Participants included women with stress urinary incontinence, without overactive bladder symptoms, who completed a 3-month pelvic floor muscle training. All patients completed the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form at baseline and at the 3-month follow-up. Thirty-four patients completed all of the questionnaires; 64.7% patients were referred with stress urinary incontinence without sexual disorders, while 35.3% complained of stress urinary incontinence and sexual symptoms. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form score significantly decreased after 3 months of pelvic floor muscle training (p =.01). The Female Sexual Function Index score significantly improved after pelvic floor muscle training even in women with sexual disorders (12.5 ± 9.5 vs. 29.7 ± 3.7; p <.001). This study showed that pelvic floor muscle training may improve female sexual function in women with pure stress urinary incontinence.
The potential and use of environmental techniques in gardens

Abstract The use of environmental archaeology techniques in garden archaeology has been reviewed at several conferences. A comprehensive review was given in England at Knuston Hall, Northamptonshire, in 1988,1 and the book deriving from a symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1989 aimed to provide a sourcebook for as many aspects of environmental archaeology as possible.2 A review of the archaeological evidence of garden plants was made for a conference held in Ravello in 1991.3 Excavators such as Christopher Currie and Martin Locock have also attempted to summarize the environmental evidence.4
Decrease in body fat during an ultra-endurance triathlon is associated with race intensity

Objective: To investigate whether adipose subcutaneous tissue or skeletal muscle mass decreased during a non-stop ultra-endurance triathlon. Design: Descriptive field study. Setting: The Triple Iron Triathlon Germany 2006 in Lensahn: 11.6 km swimming, 540 km cycling and 126.6 km running. Subjects: 17 male Caucasian triathletes, mean (SD) age 39.2 (7.5) years, height 178 (5) cm, body mass 80.7 (8.9) kg and body mass index (BMI) 25.4 (2.4) kg/m2. Interventions: None. Main outcome measurements: Determination of body mass, skin-fold thicknesses, limb circumference, skeletal muscle mass and percentage body fat in order to show changes after the race. Results: A significant decrease was shown for body mass (p<0.001), BMI (p<0.001) and calculated percentage body fat (p<0.001) whereas skeletal muscle mass did not change significantly (p>0.05). Circumferences of the thigh, upper arm and calf did not decrease significantly (p>0.05), whereas all skin-fold thicknesses decreased significantly (p<0.05), with the exception of those at the chest and thigh. A significant correlation was found between the loss of percentage body fat and the loss of body mass (p<0.01, r2 = 0.55) as well as change in percentage body fat with race performance (p<0.05, r2 = 0.24). Conclusions: Ultra-endurance triathletes at the Triple Iron Triathlon Germany 2006 showed a significant decrease in body mass and percentage body fat, where decrease in percentage body fat was associated with race intensity.
Reduced Live Organism Recovery and Lack of Hydrosalpinx in Mice Infected with Plasmid-Free Chlamydia muridarum

ABSTRACT Plasmid-free Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia muridarum fail to induce severe pathology. To evaluate whether the attenuated pathogenicity is due to insufficient infection or inability of the plasmidless chlamydial organisms to trigger pathological responses, we compared plasmid-competent and plasmid-free C. muridarum infections in 5 different strains of mice. All 5 strains developed hydrosalpinx following intravaginal inoculation with plasmid-competent, but not inoculation with plasmid-free, C. muridarum. The lack of hydrosalpinx induction by plasmid-free C. muridarum correlated with significantly reduced live organism recovery from the lower genital tract and shortened infection in the upper genital tract. The plasmid-free C. muridarum organisms failed to induce hydrosalpinx even when the organisms were directly inoculated into the oviduct via an intrabursal injection, which was accompanied by significantly reduced survival of the plasmidless organisms in the genital tracts. Furthermore, plasmid-competent C. muridarum organisms after UV inactivation were no longer able to induce hydrosalpinx even when directly delivered into the oviduct at a high dose. Together, these observations suggest that decreased survival of and shortened infection with plasmid-free C. muridarum may contribute significantly to its attenuated pathogenicity. We conclude that adequate live chlamydial infection in the oviduct may be necessary to induce hydrosalpinx.
Wage share, globalization and crisis: the case of the manufacturing industry in Korea, Mexico and Turkey

The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in the wage share in the manufacturing industry in Mexico, Turkey and Korea in the era of globalization. The focus is on the one hand on the effects of globalization on the wage share, which is measured by the effects of international trade and FDI intensity of the economy. On the other hand, the process of opening up has been accompanied by major currency crises in most developing countries in the last decade, which has affected the wage share through exchange rate depreciation and economic recession. The paper develops a Post‐Keynesian conflicting claims model for an open economy under the pressure of globalization, and an equation for the wage share is estimated for each country using the Seemingly Unrelated Regression method. The results show that both recessions and nominal depreciations have a clear and lasting negative effect on the manufacturing wage share in all countries, whereas the effect of openness, in particular international trade depends on industrial policy structure. Increased export intensity leads to a decline in the manufacturing wage share in Turkey and Mexico, but has no significant effect in Korea. The positive expectations from FDI are also not materialized in any of the three countries.
Cutting Edge: CD4 Is Not Required for the Functional Activity of IL-161

IL-16 functions as a chemoattractant factor, inhibitor of HIV replication, and inducer of proinflammatory cytokine production. Previous studies have suggested that CD4 is the receptor for IL-16, because only CD4+ cells respond to IL-16 and both the anti-CD4 Ab OKT4 and soluble CD4 can block IL-16 function. However, these are only indirect evidence of a requirement for CD4, and to date a direct interaction between IL-16 and CD4 has not been shown. In this paper, we report that cells from CD4 knockout mice are as responsive to IL-16 as their CD4 wild-type equivalents in both assays testing for IL-16 function (chemotaxis and production of proinflammatory cytokines). In addition, the inhibitory effect of soluble CD4 on IL-16 function observed using CD4 wild type murine cells was not observed using CD4 knockout cells. These data demonstrate that CD4 is not required for IL-16 function and suggest that another molecule acts as the major receptor.
Reliability of Maximal Back Squat and Power Clean Performances in Inexperienced Athletes

Abstract Comfort, P and McMahon, JJ. Reliability of maximal back squat and power clean performances in inexperienced athletes. J Strength Cond Res 29(11): 3089–3096, 2015—The aim of the study was to determine between-session reliability of maximal weight lifted during the back squat and power clean, in inexperienced athletes, and to identify the smallest detectable difference between sessions. Forty-four collegiate athletes (men: n = 32; age: 21.5 ± 2.0 years; height: 180.0 ± 6.1 cm; body mass: 81.01 ± 7.42 kg; women: n = 12; age: 21.0 ± 1.9 years; height: 169.0 ± 5.2 cm; body mass: 62.90 ± 7.46 kg) participated in this study. One repetition maximum (1RM) back squat and power cleans were each performed twice on separate days, 3–5 days apart. Paired samples' t tests revealed no significant differences between trial 1 and trial 2 of the power clean (70.55 ± 24.24 kg, 71.22 ± 23.87 kg, p > 0.05, power = 0.99) and the back squat (130.32 ± 34.05 kg, 129.82 ± 34.07 kg, p > 0.05, power = 1.0). No differences in reliability or measurement error were observed between men and women. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) demonstrated a high reliability (ICC = 0.997, p < 0.001) for between-session 1RM power clean with an R 2 of 0.987; similarly, high reliability was observed for between-session back squat performances (ICC = 0.994, p < 0.001), with an R 2 of 0.978. The smallest detectable difference between sessions for both measures were ∼5%, highlighting that coaches and researchers should look for a change of >5% to identify a meaningful change in both maximal back squat and power clean performance.
Numerical analysis of heat transfer in natural draft dry cooling towers under crosswind using radiator-type windbreakers with heterogeneous distribution of water

In this paper, the effect of crosswind on triple natural draft dry cooling towers is studied and analyzed. Concerning this area, many researches have concentrated on one cooling tower. This research focuses on the mutual effects of the adjacent towers' performance, and also makes a comparison between the efficiency of the three cooling towers in windy and no-wind conditions. Three dimensional governing equations with standard k-ε model for turbulence are solved using finite volume method. In modeling the crosswind condition, at first radiator-type windbreakers with usual uniform distribution, and then radiator-type windbreakers with heterogeneous distribution of water are used for each cooling tower. Finally, the water outlet temperature of the radiators' cooling towers are analyzed, and the total heat rejections at different conditions are compared. Numerical results show that radiator-type windbreakers with heterogeneous distribution of water can substantially improve cooling efficiency more than uniform regime. It should be mentioned that a complete grid study is done to achieve a grid-independent solution.
Neutralization of the chemokine CXCL10 enhances tissue sparing and angiogenesis following spinal cord injury

After spinal cord injury, there is a chemoattractant‐mediated inflammatory response that is associated with secondary degeneration. The chemoattractant CXCL10 recruits CD4 Th1 cells via the CXCR3A receptor and inhibits growth and chemotaxis of endothelial cells via the CXCR3B receptor. To test the hypothesis that CXCL10 inhibits angiogenesis following spinal cord injury, we assayed the brainstems and spinal cords of spinal cord‐injured mice treated with anti‐CXCL10 antibodies for expression of angiogenesis‐associated genes and quantified blood vessels within their spinal cords. Brainstem microarray analysis indicated eight angiogenesis‐associated genes that had significantly higher expression levels in the treated mice than in the untreated mice. Ribonuclease protection assays of the spinal cords showed a significant increase in eight angiogenesis‐associated genes in treated animals compared with untreated animals. Histological analysis of the spinal cords of treated and untreated mice showed a significant increase in the number of blood vessels in treated animals. We conclude that CXCL10 plays a critical role in vasculature remodeling following spinal cord injury and that angiogenesis is enhanced following anti‐CXCL10 treatment of spinal cord injuries. Improved blood flow and oxygen supply to the injury site may contribute to the functional improvement associated with this treatment. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Eff ects of Confl ict on Fertility in Rwanda

The aim of this paper is to study the short and long-term fertility effects of mass violent conflict on different population sub-groups. The authors pool three nationally representative demographic and health surveys from before and after the genocide in Rwanda, identifying conflict exposure of the survivors in multiple ways. The analysis finds a robust effect of genocide on fertility, with a strong replacement effect for lost children. Having lost siblings reduces fertility only in the short term. Most interesting is the continued importance of the institution of marriage in determining fertility and in reducing fertility for the large group of widows in Rwanda.
The ADAMTS12 metalloproteinase exhibits anti-tumorigenic properties through modulation of the Ras-dependent ERK signalling pathway

Members of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) family of proteolytic enzymes are implicated in a variety of physiological processes, such as collagen maturation, organogenesis, angiogenesis, reproduction and inflammation. Moreover, deficiency or overexpression of certain ADAMTS proteins is directly involved in serious human diseases, including cancer. However, the functional roles of other family members, such as ADAMTS12, remain unknown. Here, by using different in vitro and in vivo approaches, we have evaluated the possible role of ADAMTS12 in the development and progression of cancer. First, we show that expression of ADAMTS12 in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells prevents the tumorigenic effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) by blocking the activation of the Ras-MAPK signalling pathway and that this regulation involves the thrombospondin domains of the metalloproteinase. We also show that addition of recombinant human ADAMTS12 to bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAE-1 cells) abolishes their ability to form tubules upon stimulation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Additionally, tumours induced in immunodeficient SCID mice injected with A549 cells overexpressing ADAMTS12 show a remarkable growth deficiency in comparison with tumours formed in animals injected with parental A549 cells. Overall, our data suggest that ADAMTS12 confers tumour-protective functions upon cells that produce this proteolytic enzyme.
Digital image watermarking using visual models

The huge success of the Internet permits the transmission and wide distribution and access of electronic data in an effortless manner. Content providers are faced with the challenge of how to protect their electronic data. This problem has generated a flurry of recent research activity in the area of digital watermarking of electronic content for copyright protection. Unlike the traditional visible watermark found on paper, the challenge here is to introduce a digital watermark that does not alter the perceived quality of the electronic content while being extremely robust to attack. For instance, in the case of image data, editing the picture or illegal tampering should not destroy or alter the watermark. Equally important, the watermark should not alter the perceived visual quality of the image. From a signal processing viewpoint, the two basic requirements for an effective watermarking scheme, robustness and transparency, conflict with each other. We propose a watermarking technique for digital images that is based on utilizing visual models which have been developed in the context of image compression. Specifically, we propose a watermarking scheme where visual models are used to determine image dependent modulation masks for watermark insertion. In other words, for each image we can determine the maximum amount of watermark signal that each portion of the image can tolerate without affecting the visual quality of the image. This allow us to provide the maximum strength watermark which in turn, is extremely robust to common image processing and editing such as JPEG compression, rescaling, and cropping. We have watermarking results in a DCT framework as well as a wavelet framework. The DCT framework allows the direct insertion of watermarks to JPEG -- compressed data whereas the wavelet based scheme provides a framework where we can take advantage of both a local and global approach. Our scheme is shown to provide dramatic improvement over the current state-of-the-art both in terms of transparency and robustness.
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Measurements of Reactive Oxygen Species by Cyclic Hydroxylamine Spin Probes.

SIGNIFICANCE Oxidative stress contributes to numerous pathophysiological conditions such as development of cancer, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of measurements of oxidative stress markers in biological systems have been developed; however, many of these methods are not specific, can produce artifacts, and do not directly detect the free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause oxidative stress. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a unique tool that allows direct measurements of free radical species. Cyclic hydroxylamines are useful and convenient molecular probes that readily react with ROS to produce stable nitroxide radicals, which can be quantitatively measured by EPR. In this work, we critically review recent applications of various cyclic hydroxylamine spin probes in biology to study oxidative stress, their advantages, and the shortcomings. Recent Advances: In the past decade, a number of new cyclic hydroxylamine spin probes have been developed and their successful application for ROS measurement using EPR has been published. These new state-of-the-art methods provide improved selectivity and sensitivity for in vitro and in vivo studies. CRITICAL ISSUES Although cyclic hydroxylamine spin probes EPR application has been previously described, there has been lack of translation of these new methods into biomedical research, limiting their widespread use. This work summarizes "best practice" in applications of cyclic hydroxylamine spin probes to assist with EPR studies of oxidative stress. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Additional studies to advance hydroxylamine spin probes from the "basic science" to biomedical applications are needed and could lead to better understanding of pathological conditions associated with oxidative stress. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 1433-1443.