Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relation of Portal Hemodynamics to Cardiac Output During Mechanical Ventilation with PEEP

The relation of portal hemodynamics to cardiac output (CO) during mechanical ventilation with 15 cm H2O PEEP was studied in 12 dogs under pentobarbital anesthesia. Cardiac output was measured by thermal dilution. Portal vein flow (PF) and superior mesenteric artery flow (SMAF) were measured by electromagnetic flow probes. Intraesophageal, intraabdominal, portal vein (PVP) and intrathoracic caval (CVP) pressures, as well as the intraluminal venous pressure gradient across the liver (PVP-CVP) were measured. Intravascular volume was expanded with dextran prior to the addition of PEEP. In nine animals, dextran plus PEEP maintained CO and visceral flows within 3% of control. In three animals, CO and visceral flows fell to the same proportion. There was no increase in hepatic resistance. PF showed a linear correlation with SMAF, and SMAF had a linear correlation with CO. In these experiments, the effect of PEEP on portal hemodynamics system is primarily the consequence of reduced CO.
Long‐term outcomes following foscan®‐PDT of basal cell carcinomas

In a previous publication we showed that mTHPC‐PDT (Foscan®‐PDT) is an effective treatment of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) in “difficult to treat” locations and presented optimized treatment parameters to reduce costs and side effects. Now we present long‐term results of the same study population.
Mainstreaming equality in an age of austerity : what impact has the public sector equality duty had on work to promote gender equality by English local authorities?

This thesis examines the impact of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) on work to promote gender equality through case studies of three local authorities. It aims to both provide new empirical evidence on the impact of the PSED on the behaviour of public bodies and to analyse for the first time the relationship between mainstreaming (the approach to equality within the PSED) and reflexive/responsive regulation (the regulatory mechanism used to enforce mainstreaming). I show that the PSED has not led to the ‘transformational’ approach to equality which some hoped it would represent. Practice varies significantly within and between local authorities; while there were examples of changes as the result of the PSED, the duty was often implemented in a minimalist or bureaucratic manner. These findings support the conclusions of earlier studies of mainstreaming which identify the variety of practices described as mainstreaming and highlight the importance of participation by civil society organisations if mainstreaming is to be transformative. I find that in two of the case studies there was little recognition of or action to promote gender equality, contributing to the debate about the practical implications of replacing a focus on gender with a broader focus on equality and diversity. My analysis draws on feminist literature on mainstreaming and legal literature on reflexive and responsive regulation, which are not usually combined. I identify an important relationship between the regulatory means by which mainstreaming is enforced and the forms of mainstreaming that result. I show that although the terms reflexive and responsive regulation are often used interchangeably in analysis of the PSED there are significant differences between the two. I conclude that changes introduced by the Coalition Government reduced responsive elements in the PSED, while making it more reflexive. This increased the likelihood that public bodies would develop a bureaucratic rather than participatory form of mainstreaming in response to the PSED. I call for the introduction of a duty to consult and engage with civil society as part of the PSED. This would make the duty less reflexive, but more responsive and be more compatible with a participatory approach to mainstreaming.
How easy is to break password protection: A preliminary empirical study

Background: These days, users are given access to information system functionalities through several security mechanisms, passwords being the most common form of access. There are many policies and rules, some stricter than others, to create passwords; however, they still remain vulnerable to attacks. Goal: In order to find out: the vulnerabilities of different passwords complexity levels created for this study, types of passwords used in attacks, and types of attackers and their origins; we conducted an empirical study. Method: This research was conducted through a controlled experiment. The study was based on honeypots emulating a SSH server, which was exposed to attacks for approximately 30 days on the Internet. Results: A large number of attacks were recorded, which were not capable of breaching any passwords complexity level. Conclusion: Although some attacks were carried out by means of sophisticated tools, none password complexity level was breached. We believe that it could be due to the experiment's duration was too short, or that the attackers simply did not have enough motivation to persist in the attempt to breach the access password to a site possibly listed as unattractive.
Financing the internationalisation of Indian MNEs

Abstract In the wake of increasing outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from India, their financing in the form of intra-company loans and equity is an interesting area of research. This paper examines the determinants of OFDI financing by Indian parent firm to its affiliates abroad. Using disaggregated analysis of 66 countries where Indian parent firms have invested over the period of March 2009 to March 2014, the paper analyses the impact of economic, political, legal and financial environment including stock market development on the financing decision of Indian parent firms. By applying random effects probit model, we find that the financial and legal environment have a significant bearing on their financing decision. This paper is first of its kind to explore the relatively unexplored link between host country’s characteristics on the nature of funds invested by parent firm in its foreign affiliate. By focusing on parent debt, we move into the realm of internal capital market of the parent firm investing abroad. The results indicate that parent debt is provided to foreign affiliates as a measure to contain risks posed by legal environment and political instability in host country. This contributes to the brighter side of internal capital market. Lesser parent debt provided in response to high tax regime and exchange depreciation in the host country highpoints to the dark side of internal capital market. The paper in a way also contributes to the scant literature on supply-side macroeconomic determinants of capital structure in a multinational setting.
Recent advances in the clinical management of giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis

Purpose of reviewThis article critically reviews the advances in medical management of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK) with a focus on recent developments in targeted biologic therapy. Recent findingsThe role of biologics in the treatment of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is expanding. TNF&agr; inhibitors appear to be effective in the treatment of TAK but have little benefit in GCA. Preliminary clinical trial data suggest that abatacept and tocilizumab reduce the risk of relapse in GCA. Increasing observational evidence supports the use of interleukin-6 inhibitors in TAK. Based on a small open-label study, ustekinumab appears safe and potentially effective for refractory GCA. A possible role of B cell dysregulation may contribute to pathogenic mechanisms in LVV, but support for the use of B cell depleting therapy is limited. SummaryInterleukin-6 inhibitors appear efficacious in the treatment of refractory cases of LVV; however, utility in newly diagnosed immunosuppressive-naïve patients is less well established. Abatacept and ustekinumab are promising targets for therapy in LVV but further investigation is needed before routine use is considered.
Identification of effective network features to detect Smurf attacks

Intrusion detection system (IDS) detects intrusion attempts on computer systems. In intrusion detection systems, feature reduction, feature extraction and feature selection play important role in a sense of improving classification accuracy while keeping the computational complexity at minimum. Smurf attack is one of the common denial-of-service attack methods. In this paper, principal component analysis method is used for feature selection and dimension reduction. TCP dump from DARPA98 dataset is used for the experiments. 32 basic features are extracted for the selection of effective features in TCP/IP header to detect Smurf attacks.
Expectation and Duration at the Effective Lower Bound

I study unconventional monetary policy in a structural model of risk-averse arbitrage, augmented with an effective lower bound (ELB) on nominal rates. The model exposes nonlinear interactions among short-rate expectations, bond supply, and term premia that are absent from models that ignore the ELB, and these features help it replicate the recent behavior of long-term yields, including event-study evidence on the responses to unconventional policy. When the model is calibrated to long-run moments of the yield curve and subjected to shocks approximating the size of the Federal Reserve’s forward guidance and asset purchases, it implies that those policies worked primarily by changing the anticipated path of short-term interest rates, not by lowering investors’ exposures to interest-rate risk. However, the effects of short-rate expectations were more attenuated than the effects of bond-supply shocks during the ELB period.
First Seropositive Cases of Coxiella burnetii in Red Deer Populations in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in different red deer populations and to investigate role of red deer densities, livestock, and habitat on seroprevalence. The serosurvey revealed 5 positive cases out of 137 sera (3.64%) that occurred in two of the three study areas. This study documents the first cases of Coxiella burnetii in red deer in the southwest Iberian peninsula. A relationship between deer density and Coxiella seroprevalence was not found. Results revealed that indirect transmission through ticks between livestock and red deer might be associated with higher prevalence. The timing of shelter area usage may influence the contact between ticks and red deer by favoring transmission. Coxiella burnetii in red deer may be associated with infertility or early abortions with reabsorption. Further research is needed to evaluate its epidemiology and effect on the disease dynamics of red deer in the southwest Iberian peninsula.
The Effect of Hydroxyapatite on the Micromotion of Total Knee Prostheses. A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Study*

A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was performed to evaluate three different means of fixing tibial components during total knee arthroplasty. Eleven components fixed with cement, ten hydroxyapatite-coated components fixed without cement, and ten noncoated components fixed without cement were studied. A posterior cruciate ligament-retaining total condylar implant was used. Micromotion of the components was assessed with roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis during the two-year follow-up period. There were no significant differences among the patients with regard to age (mean [and standard deviation], 68 ± 11.6 years), body-mass index (mean, 23 ± 2.8 kilograms per square meter), or stage of osteoarthrosis (mean, 4 ± 2.4 according to the classification system of Ahlbäck and 5 ± 0.6 according to that of Larsen et al.). The diagnosis was osteoarthrosis in five knees, and it was rheumatoid arthritis in twenty-six. The clinical scores were similar among the study groups. According to the system of the Knee Society, the mean preoperative functional score was 10 ± 2.9 points and the mean preoperative knee score was 24 ± 3.2 points. At the two-year follow-up evaluation, these scores were 41 ± 8.3 and 79 ± 3.2 points, respectively. A significant difference with regard to micromotion was found between the noncoated components fixed without cement and the hydroxyapatite-coated components fixed without cement as well as between the noncoated components fixed without cement and the components fixed with cement (p < 0.001, analysis of variance). The hydroxyapatite-coated components fixed without cement and the components fixed with cement both had far less micromotion along the longitudinal axis (subsidence) throughout the follow-up period than did the noncoated components fixed without cement. At the two-year follow-up evaluation, the subsidence of the noncoated components was -0.73 ± 0.924 millimeter, the subsidence of the cemented components was -0.05 ± 0.109 millimeter, and the subsidence of the hydroxyapatite-coated components was -0.06 ± 0.169 millimeter. The cemented components as well as the hydroxyapatite-coated components also had less translation along the transverse axis (p < 0.001, analysis of variance) and the sagittal axis (p < 0.001, analysis of variance) compared with the noncoated components. In conclusion, micromotion of hydroxyapatite-coated tibial components fixed without cement was similar to that of tibial components fixed with cement. Therefore, hydroxyapatite, a biological mediator, may be necessary for the adequate fixation of tibial components when cement is not used.
Establishing pediatric immune response zones using the Cylex® ImmuKnowTM assay

Abstract: For all transplant patients, the transplant physician must balance the risk of rejection caused by under‐immunosuppression against the risk of drug toxicity, secondary infections and post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder with over‐immunosuppression. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved in vitro assay, the Cylex® ImmuKnowTM assay, provides a global assessment of cellular immune function to help monitor the immune status of immunosuppressed patients. This assay uses the plant lectin phytohemagglutinin to stimulate lymphocytes; an ATP assay is then used to measure the degree of activation of CD4+ T cells. However, the normal values for this assay were developed with healthy adult patients. In this study, we determined the normal ranges for the ImmuKnowTM assay in healthy children and compared those values to levels obtained in healthy adults and in stable pediatric renal transplant patients. We found that healthy children 12 yr of age and older showed immune function levels indistinguishable from adults, while healthy children under 12 had significantly lower immune function levels than adults. For adults, the ImmuKnowTM assay zones (in ng/mL ATP) of strong, moderate and low immune function correspond to >525, 225 to 525, and <225. In children under 12, we found the corresponding zones to be >395, 175–395 and <175 ng/mL. The median value for normal adults is 415, whereas it is only 295 for children <12 yr of age and this value decreases to 165 in stable renal transplant patients <12 yr of age (compared with 258 for stable adult renal transplant patients). Thus, this study provides critical information necessary to utilize the ImmuKnowTM assay with pediatric patients. In adults, the degree of immune function as assessed by the ImmuKnowTM assay helps to predict patients at risk for infection or rejection. If further studies in pediatric patients document the same and is true for children, then the ImmuKnowTM assay will provide a useful adjunct tool to prevent over‐ or under‐immunosuppression as newly developed drugs are utilized or drug treatment is altered because of drug side effects, toxicity, concurrent illnesses or rejection.
Reciprocal transplantations between the optic tectum and the cerebellum in adult goldfish.

1. The topographic pattern of re‐established visual projections after a reciprocal transplantation between tectal and cerebellar tissues was studied in adult goldfish. 2. A rectangular tissue was dissected from the left tectum, and a similar piece from the cerebellum in the same fish. The cerebellar piece was rotated by either 180 or 0 degrees around the dorsoventral axis, and transplanted into the tectum in place of the tectal piece. This tectal tissue was likewise grafted into the cerebellum after either 180 or 0 degrees rotation in the same fish. 3. The tectal graft disappeared from the cerebellum within 2 months after surgery. The operated cerebellum showed a remarkable capability for healing its excised part. No visual responses were recorded from the cerebellum. 4. The cerebellar grafts remained in place within the operated tectum in twenty fish. In fifteen of these fish, tested 3 or 4 months after surgery, the cerebellar grafts did not give any visual responses, unlike the surrounding responsive area of the tectum. These fish showed a partial scotoma in the central area of the visual field, which corresponded to the unresponsive transplanted area of the tectum. Autoradiographic examination after intraocular injection of L‐[3H]proline showed that these cerebellar grafts did not contain any noticeable label, in contrast to the extensively labelled surrounding tectal tissues. 5. Sporadic visual responses were recorded from deep layers in the transplanted area of the tectum in five of the twenty fish at early post‐operative periods. The receptive fields of these responses were distributed in a correct retinotopic order, regardless of whether the cerebellar tissue had been rotated by either 180 or 0 degrees. Autoradiographic examination, however, revealed that these cerebellar grafts were not invaded by regenerating optic fibres. Instead, they bypassed the interposed cerebellar tissue by making detours beneath the graft on the way towards their appropriate target zones within the tectal tissue. 6. This selective avoidance of a foreign (cerebellar) tissue and the orderly reinnervation of the proper tectal tissue by regenerating optic fibres provide us with further evidence for neuronal specificity.
Моделирование Реального Курса Рубля В Условиях Изменения Режима Денежно-Кредитной Политики [Modeling the real ruble exchange rate under monetary policy regime change]

The paper estimates vector error correction model (VECM) for the real ruble exchange rate and the real oil prices. The VECM model takes into account the structural break in short run parameters due to monetary policy regime change in November 2014. Estimates show that the real exchange rate response to oil price shocks has dramatically changed. Before November 2014 it is needed approximately one year to correct 50% of a real exchange rate gap due to oil prices permanent change. From November 2014 the real exchange rate adapts to oil price shocks almost instantly. The estimate of long-run elasticity of the real exchange rate on real oil prices is 0.33.
Impact of Antimalarial Treatment and Chemoprevention on the Drug Sensitivity of Malaria Parasites Isolated from Ugandan Children

ABSTRACT Changing treatment practices may be selecting for changes in the drug sensitivity of malaria parasites. We characterized ex vivo drug sensitivity and parasite polymorphisms associated with sensitivity in 459 Plasmodium falciparum samples obtained from subjects enrolled in two clinical trials in Tororo, Uganda, from 2010 to 2013. Sensitivities to chloroquine and monodesethylamodiaquine varied widely; sensitivities to quinine, dihydroartemisinin, lumefantrine, and piperaquine were generally good. Associations between ex vivo drug sensitivity and parasite polymorphisms included decreased chloroquine and monodesethylamodiaquine sensitivity and increased lumefantrine and piperaquine sensitivity with pfcrt 76T, as well as increased lumefantrine sensitivity with pfmdr1 86Y, Y184, and 1246Y. Over time, ex vivo sensitivity decreased for lumefantrine and piperaquine and increased for chloroquine, the prevalences of pfcrt K76 and pfmdr1 N86 and D1246 increased, and the prevalences of pfdhfr and pfdhps polymorphisms associated with antifolate resistance were unchanged. In recurrent infections, recent prior treatment with artemether-lumefantrine was associated with decreased ex vivo lumefantrine sensitivity and increased prevalence of pfcrt K76 and pfmdr1 N86, 184F, and D1246. In children assigned chemoprevention with monthly dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine with documented circulating piperaquine, breakthrough infections had increased the prevalence of pfmdr1 86Y and 1246Y compared to untreated controls. The noted impacts of therapy and chemoprevention on parasite polymorphisms remained significant in multivariate analysis correcting for calendar time. Overall, changes in parasite sensitivity were consistent with altered selective pressures due to changing treatment practices in Uganda. These changes may threaten the antimalarial treatment and preventive efficacies of artemether-lumefantrine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, respectively.
Changing Trends in, and Characteristics Associated with, Not Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization in Elderly Adults Hospitalized with ST‐Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction

To describe decade‐ long trends (1999–2009) in the rates of not undergoing cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in individuals aged 65 and older presenting with an ST‐segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) and factors associated with not undergoing these procedures.
Evaluation of Recombination Repair Pathways in Thermal Radiosensitization

Abstract Raaphorst, G. P., Maude-Leblanc, J. and Li, L. Evaluation of Recombination Repair Pathways in Thermal Radiosensitization. Radiat. Res. 161, 215–218 (2004). Thermal radiosensitization has been shown to cause inhibition of repair of sublethal and potentially lethal damage and DNA DSBs. In this study we assessed thermal radiosensitization in mutants deficient in homologous recombinational (HR) repair and nonhomologous end joining repair (NHEJ). Using cells of the mouse wild-type embryo fibroblast cell line MEF and its Ku80–/– derivative that is deficient in NHEJ, we showed that thermal radiosensitization is the same in both cell lines. Further studies with cells of the wild-type CHO-AA8 cell line and its derivative IRSISF, which is deficient in HR, also showed comparable thermal radiosensitization in both cell lines. Further experiments using cells of chicken DT40 cell lines also showed comparable thermal radiosensitization between the wild-type HR mutant Rad54, the NHEJ mutant Ku70, and the double mutant Rad 54-Ku70. These results indicate that the HR and NHEJ pathways may not be targets for thermal radiosensitization.