Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do neonates, infants and young children need a higher dose of enoxaparin in the cardiac intensive care unit?

Abstract Background Thromboembolic events are a serious complication occurring in critically ill children admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit. Although enoxaparin is one of the current anticoagulants of choice, dosages in children are extrapolated from adult guidelines. Recent data suggest that this population may need a higher dose than what is currently recommended to achieve target anti-factor Xa levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether children less than 2 years old admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit require a higher enoxaparin dose than that currently recommended to achieve target anti-factor Xa levels. Methods Retrospective chart review including patients who received enoxaparin for the treatment or prophylaxis of venous thrombosis between January, 2005 and October, 2007. Patients were classified as younger and older as well as prophylactic and therapeutic on the basis of age and enoxaparin dose, respectively. Younger patients were those 2 month old or less and older patients were those older than 2 months of age. Results A total of 31 patients were identified; 13 (42%) were 2 months or younger and 25 (81%) were postoperative patients. Ten (32%) received prophylactic and 21 (68%) received therapeutic enoxaparin doses. To achieve optimal anti-factor Xa levels, enoxaparin dose was increased in all groups and reached statistical significance in all patients except those older than 2 months who received prophylactic enoxaparin. An average of 2.8 dosage adjustments was needed. No bleeding complications were reported. Conclusions Young children, infants, and neonates admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit required a significantly higher enoxaparin dose than that currently recommended to achieve target anti-factor Xa levels.
Analytic Solution of Steady Three-Dimensional Problem of Condensation Film on Inclined Rotating Disk by Differential Transform Method

The differential transform method (DTM) is applied to the steady three-dimensional problem of a condensation film on an inclined rotating disk. With similarity method, the governing equations can be reduced to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The approximate solutions of these equations are obtained in the form of series with easily computable terms. The velocity and temperature profiles are shown and the influence of Prandtl number on the temperature profiles is discussed in detail. The validity of our solutions is verified by the numerical results.
Autonomic and Energy-Efficient Management of Large-Scale Virtualized Data Centers. (Gestion autonome et économique en énergie des grands centres de données virtualisés)

Large-scale virtualized data centers require cloud providers to implement scalable, autonomic, and energy-efficient cloud management systems. To address these challenges this thesis provides four main contributions. The first one proposes Snooze, a novel Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud management system, which is designed to scale across many thousands of servers and virtual machines (VMs) while being easy to configure, highly available, and energy efficient. For scalability, Snooze performs distributed VM management based on a hierarchical architecture. To support ease of configuration and high availability Snooze implements self-configuring and self-healing features. Finally, for energy efficiency, Snooze integrates a holistic energy management approach via VM resource (i.e. CPU, memory, network) utilization monitoring, underload/overload detection and mitigation, VM consolidation (by implementing a modified version of the Sercon algorithm), and power management to transition idle servers into a power saving mode. A highly modular Snooze prototype was developed and extensively evaluated on the Grid'5000 testbed using realistic applications. Results show that: (i) distributed VM management does not impact submission time; (ii) fault tolerance mechanisms do not impact application performance and (iii) the system scales well with an increasing number of resources thus making it suitable for managing large-scale data centers. We also show that the system is able to dynamically scale the data center energy consumption with its utilization thus allowing it to conserve substantial power amounts with only limited impact on application performance. Snooze is an open-source software under the GPLv2 license. The second contribution is a novel VM placement algorithm based on the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) meta-heuristic. ACO is interesting for VM placement due to its polynomial worst-case time complexity, close to optimal solutions and ease of parallelization. Simulation results show that while the scalability of the current algorithm implementation is limited to a smaller number of servers and VMs, the algorithm outperforms the evaluated First-Fit Decreasing greedy approach in terms of the number of required servers and computes close to optimal solutions. In order to enable scalable VM consolidation, this thesis makes two further contributions: (i) an ACO-based consolidation algorithm; (ii) a fully decentralized consolidation system based on an unstructured peer-to-peer network. The key idea is to apply consolidation only in small, randomly formed neighbourhoods of servers. We evaluated our approach by emulation on the Grid'5000 testbed using two state-of-the-art consolidation algorithms (i.e. Sercon and V-MAN) and our ACO-based consolidation algorithm. Results show our system to be scalable as well as to achieve a data center utilization close to the one obtained by executing a centralized consolidation algorithm.
The effect of 5‐HT and selective 5‐HT receptor agonists and antagonists on rat dorsal vagal preganglionic neurones in vitro

1 Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings were made from 142 visually identified rat dorsal vagal preganglionic neurones (DVMs). Applications of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT, 20 μm, 2 min) elicited a slow depolarization (8.2 ± 0.5 mV, n = 59) in 95% of the cells tested, accompanied by an increase in excitability. In (68%) of DVMs the depolarization was associated with an increase in apparent membrane resistance (Rm, 22.7 ± 2.2%). These depolarizations and increases in Rm (14.3 ± 2.6%, n = 8) were maintained in a medium which blocked synaptic transmission. 2 The response to 5‐HT was associated with a reversal potential (Erev) of −91 ± 1 mV at an extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) of 4.2 mM. This correlated well with the K+ equilibrium potential (EK = −89 mV). 3 The depolarizing effect of 5‐HT was attenuated by the 5‐HT2A/2C receptor antagonists, ketanserin (1 μm), LY 53,857 (1 μm) and the 5‐HT1A/2A receptor antagonist, spiperone (1 γM). The 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist, pindobind 5‐HT1A (5 μm), had no effect on the depolarizing response to 5‐HT. 4 The effect of 5‐HT was mimicked by the 5‐HT2A/2C receptor agonist, α‐methyl‐5‐HT (50 μm), the 5‐HT1 receptor agonist, 5‐carboxamidotryptamine (20 μm) and the putative 5‐HT4 agonist, 5‐methyoxytryptamine (50 μm). The selective 5‐HT4 receptor antagonist, GR113808, had no effect on the depolarizing effect of 5‐HT or 5‐MEOT on DVMs. 5 The 5‐HT3 antagonists, MDL 72222 (10 μm) and ICS‐205–930 (1 and 10 μm), partially reduced the effect of 5‐HT. The 5‐HT3 receptor agonist, 2‐methyl‐5‐HT (100–300 μm), excited a proportion of neurones tested (56%) by evoking a depolarizing and/or an increase in postsynaptic potentials (p.s.ps). 6 These results are consistent with direct, postsynaptic actions of 5‐HT on DVMs via 5‐HT2A receptors, being mediated, in part, by the reduction of K+ conductance.
A cost comparison of more and less nutritious food choices in US supermarkets

Abstract Objective The present study directly compared prices of more and less nutritious foods within given categories in US supermarkets. Design Foods selected from six supermarkets in Jackson County were categorized using the five criteria of the Nutrition Detectives™ (ND) programme and an item-to-item cost comparison was made using posted prices. The nutritional quality of foods was distinguished using the clues of the ND nutrition education programme for elementary-school children and validated using the Overall Nutritional Quality Index. Setting Supermarkets in Jackson County, MO, USA. Subjects Not applicable. Results The average price of the item for more nutritious foods did not differ significantly from that of less nutritious foods overall ($US 2·89 (sd $US 0·74) v. $US 2·85 (sd $0·68), P = 0·76). More nutritious breads cost more than less nutritious breads ($US 3·36 (sd $ US 0·28) v. $US 2·56 (sd $US 0·80, P = 0·03), whereas more nutritious cereals ($US 2·46 (sd $US 0·69) v. $US 3·50 (sd $US 0·30), P < 0·01) and cookies ($US 2·76 (sd $US 0·50) v. $US 3·40 (sd $US0·28), P < 0·01) cost less. Conclusions Our findings indicate that it is possible to choose more nutritious foods within many common categories without spending more money and suggest that making small improvements in dietary choices does not invariably cost more.
A comparison of electron density and hepatocarcinogenic activity for various derivatives of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene.

The overall basicity for a series of 4′-alkyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzenes and for a series of prime-dimethyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzenes has been resolved into pKam and pKaz, which represent the pKa of the two basic centers. The electror densities at the two basic centers were compared with the hepatocarcinogenic activity, and the results indicate a relationship between the electron density at the amino nitrogen and hepatocarcinogenic activity. The results are also consistent with the theory of appropriate electron densities at the amino and azo groups.
Stabilized, Freeze-Dried PCR Mix for Detection of Mycobacteria

ABSTRACT We report here the development of a freeze-drying procedure allowing stabilization at ambient temperature of preoptimized, premixed, and predispensed PCR mixes aimed at the detection of mycobacteria in clinical materials. The freeze-dried mixes retained activity at 4°C and at 20°C for 1 year and for 3 months at 37°C, as judged by their performance with 50 and 500 fg of purifiedMycobacterium bovis BCG target DNA.
Impacts of License Choice and Organizational Sponsorship on User Interest and Development Activity in Open Source Software Projects

What differentiates successful from unsuccessful open source software projects? This paper develops and tests a model of the impacts of license restrictiveness and organizational sponsorship on two indicators of success: user interest in, and development activity on, open source software development projects. Using data gathered from Freshmeat.net and project home pages, the main conclusions derived from the analysis are that (1) license restrictiveness and organizational sponsorship interact to influence user perceptions of the likely utility of open source software in such a way that users are most attracted to projects that are sponsored by nonmarket organizations and that employ nonrestrictive licenses, and (2) licensing and sponsorship address complementary developer motivations such that the influence of licensing on development activity depends on what kind of organizational sponsor a project has. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and the paper outlines several avenues for future research.
Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Reduces both Withdrawal Syndrome and Hypercortisolism in Severe Abstinent Alcoholics: An Open Study vs. Diazepam

In 42 alcoholic inpatients we performed an open randomized study to compare the effects of diazepam and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) on the suppression of severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome and hypercortisolism. Both diazepam (.5 mg/kg bodyweight, q.i.d.) and GHB (50 mg/kg bodyweight, q.i.d.) were orally administered for three weeks. During all study period, GHB was more able than diazepam in reducing both withdrawal syndrome and hypercortisolism. These effects were evident during the first week of treatment and persisted throughout the study period. The results confirm a strict correlation between high levels of plasma cortisol and alcohol withdrawal symptoms and they show a slight superiority of GHB over diazepam in the suppression of both ethanol withdrawal and hypercortisolism. Taken together, our data suggest that GHB may act as potent anti-withdrawal agent in severe abstinent alcoholics.
Biotin-Lys-His Blocks Aggregation of RNA-binding Protein TLS, a Cause of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

RNA-binding protein TLS/FUS is a causative gene for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). TLS mutations induce the propensity of TLS to form aggregates in motor neurons causing neuronal degenerative lesions to their necrosis. TLS is prone to be precipitated in high concentration around 10 mg/ml, while mutated TLS is suspected to be precipitated even lower or physiological concentration in the motor neurons. An unidentified agent from infections would cause formation of the precipitation of TLS through their surface antigens. The precipitation driven with agents might be attribute to a small compound appeared on the surface. Biotinylated isoxazole (BISOX) has been reported to be precipitated with divergent RNA-binding proteins including TLS in nuclear extracts of cultured mammalian cells. We have published a molecular model for crystal formation of BISOX with TLS providing a plat form for searching novel regulators to precipitate TLS in neuronal disorders. Because BISOX is an artificial compound, we have further explored to obtain naturally occurring agents to induce the TLS precipitation and generated a conceivable biological compound, biotin-Lys-His (BLH). We have examined the precipitation of BLH with HeLa cell nuclear extract, but did not detect any TLS signal. Then, we add BLH to reaction of BISOX with TLS, and serendipitously observed a robust inhibitory effect of BLH on the formation of crystal of BISOX with TLS. We employed in silico analysis to show how BLH blocks the crystal formation of BISOX with TLS. The computational analysis of the events presented a model that BLH should be incorporated into the crystal formation of BISOX but some steric hindrance placed by BLH blocks growing of the crystal of BISOX and TLS. These results provide the potentiality that BLH should block the aggregate formation of TLS in ALS, leading to a seed for drug discovery against ALS, although it needs future endeavor to find more compounds to have effect on the TLS aggregation.
Device therapy for atrial septal defects in a multicenter cohort: Acute outcomes and adverse events

Background: Secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) closure devices were granted approval based on industry‐sponsored, prospective, nonrandomized, single device studies, demonstrating acceptable efficacy and safety in selected patients. We sought to report community practice and outcomes. Methods and Results: Procedure specific data was collected on cases considered for ASD closure in the congenital cardiac catheterization project on outcomes (C3PO) between February 1, 2007 and June 31, 2010. Eight centers contributed data during this time period. All adverse events (AE) were independently reviewed and classified by a five level severity scale. In 40 months (2/07–6/10), 653 of 688 ASDs were occluded with a single device using an AMPLATZER® Septal Occluder (ASO) in 566 (87%), GORE® HELEX® Septal Occluder (HSO) in 33 (5%), and a CardioSEAL® or STARFlex™ device (CSD) in 54 (8%). Most patients had an isolated ASD (93%). 85% were >2 years of age. The ASD median diameter was 12 mm [8,16] for ASO, with smaller diameters in HSO 8 mm [7,10] and CSD 8 mm [5,10] (P < 0.001). AE (n = 82) were recorded in 76 cases, 11.5% (95% CI 9.2%, 14.1%) and classified as high severity in 4.7% (95% CI 3.2%, 6.5%), with no mortality. A new conduction abnormality was detected during 15 cases and did not resolve in one. Transcatheter device retrieval was possible in 7 of 10 device embolizations. Device erosion occurred in 3 of 566, 0.5% (95% CI 0.1%, 1.5%), ASO implants. Conclusion: Although device closure of ASDs is associated with low morbidity and rare mortality, ongoing assessment of device safety profiles are warranted, and registries offer opportunities to facilitate the required surveillance. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Osmotic Demyelination and Hypertonic Dehydration in a 9-Year-Old Girl: Changes in Cerebrospinal Fluid Myelin Basic Protein

A 9-year-old girl was admitted for the treatment of hyper-natremic dehydration. Her history was significant for psychogenic polydipsia, hyponatremia, and a renal concentrating defect. She presented with a 2-day history of altered mental status, ataxia, lethargy, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Meningitis was ruled out. Over the course of her illness, slow rehydration was maintained with a gradual decrease (10 mEq per 24 hours) of the serum sodium. Despite this care, she developed quadriparesis, and magnetic resonance imaging performed on day 6 of her illness was consistent with osmotic demyelination (central pontine myelinolysis). To rule out an excessively rapid correction of hypernatremia as the etiology of the problem, a myelin basic protein was measured in the cerebrospinal fluid that had been obtained on hospital day 1. The myelin basic protein was 649.50 ng/mL (normal, 0.07-4.10 ng/mL). The current literature is presented regarding the postulated pathogenesis of central pontine myelinolysis and suggested therapies, previous reports of central pontine myelinolysis in children are reviewed, and the potential role of myelin basic protein in its diagnosis is discussed.
Early alteration of nucleocytoplasmic traffic induced by some RNA viruses.

A HeLa cell line expressing the green fluorescent protein fused to the SV40 T-antigen nuclear localization signal (EGFP-NLS) was established. Fluorescence in these cells was confined to the nuclei. After poliovirus infection, cytoplasmic fluorescence in a proportion of cells could be detected by 1 h postinfection (p.i.) and in virtually all of the fluorescent cells by 2 h p.i. The relocation could be prevented by cycloheximide but not by inhibition of poliovirus replication by guanidine. HCl. Nuclear exit of a protein composed of three copies of GFP fused to the NLS also occurred upon poliovirus infection. A similar redistribution of EGFP-NLS took place upon infection with coxsakievirus B3 and, to a lesser extent, with vesicular stomatitis virus. The EGFP-NLS efflux was not due to the loss of NLS. Thus, some positive-strand and negative-strand RNA viruses trigger a rapid nonspecific relocation of nuclear proteins.
Debt, Taxes, and Liquidity

We analyze a model of optimal capital structure and liquidity choice based on a dynamic tradeoff theory for financially constrained firms. In addition to the classical tradeoff between the expected tax advantages of debt and bankruptcy costs, we introduce a cost of external financing for the firm, which generates a precautionary demand for liquidity and an optimal liquidity management policy for the firm. An important new cost of debt financing in this context is an endogenous debt servicing cost: debt payments drain the firm's valuable liquidity reserves and thus impose higher expected external financing costs on the firm. The precautionary demand for liquidity also means that realized earnings are separated in time from payouts to shareholders, implying that the classical Miller-formula for the net tax benefits of debt no longer holds. Our model offers a novel perspective for the "debt conservatism puzzle" by showing that financially constrained firms choose to limit debt usages in order to preserve their liquidity. In some cases, they may not even exhaust their risk-free debt capacity.
Oral mucosal reactivation rates of herpesviruses among HIV‐1 seropositive persons

Herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein‐Barr virus infections are prevalent among HIV‐1 infected persons. The relationships between salivary shedding of these herpesviruses have not been characterized. Salivary samples were collected on a median of 61 consecutive days from 41 HIV‐1 seropositive persons and tested for HSV‐1, HSV‐2, CMV and EBV. HSV was detected on 5%, CMV on 19% and EBV on 71% of the days of sampling. HSV shedding was not related to CMV or EBV shedding rates. Persons with EBV shedding rates >40% had CMV DNA detected in their saliva significantly more often than those with EBV shedding rates ≤40% (P = 0.008). The odds of detecting CMV were greater on days with HSV (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4, 4.4) or EBV (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.9, 7.9) shedding. No significant associations between HSV shedding rates and CD4 count, plasma HIV‐1 RNA or HAART were observed. Increasing plasma HIV‐1 RNA was associated with greater frequency (P = 0.01) and quantity (P < 0.001) of EBV shedding. Among persons not receiving HAART, CD4 counts >200 cells/mm3 were associated with lower frequency (P = 0.02) and quantity (P = 0.03) of CMV compared with CD4 counts ≤200 cells/mm3. These data suggest that separate factors influence mucosal shedding of each of the three classes of herpesviruses but that virological interactions between the pathogens also exist. J. Med. Virol. 80: 1153–1159, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.