Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dexmedetomidine as intramuscular premedication in outpatient cataract surgery

Alpha2 agonists have been shown to decrease intra‐ocular pressure in ophthalmic surgery. We studied the effects of dexmedetomidine, a new a2 agonist, on intra‐ocular pressure, haemodynamic parameters, sedation, anxiolysis and dryness of mouth in 35 (Asa physical status 1–3) patients undergoing day‐case cataract surgery under peri‐ocular anaesthesia. Five different doses of dexmedetomidine (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.5 μg.kg−1) were used in this double‐blind, randomised and placebo‐controlled study. The trial drug was administered into the deltoid muscle 60 min before surgery. The 1.0 μg. kg−1 dose of dexmedetomidine produced a 32% reduction of intra‐ocular pressure (p = 0.002). This dose induced moderate sedation, but was not associated with significant haemodynamic changes. A significant decrease in heart rate and systolic blood pressure was seen only with the highest dose of dexmedetomidine. Our results suggest that dexmedetomidine 1.0 μg. kg−1 produces sedation and a reduction of intra‐ocular pressure with minimal haemodynamic side effects when given intramuscularly as premedication before cataract surgery under regional anaesthesia.
Building institutional repository: an overview

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe how the ISRO HQ Institutional Repository (IR) idea emerged and what are the steps taken to implement and build the IR. The scope of the repository, which started with newspaper clippings, has been enhanced to accommodate research papers, speeches/lectures, office orders/memorandums, videos, annual reports and the in‐house publications.Design/methodology/approach – A comparative study of the available open source digital library software is made taking into consideration the availability of technical support, possibility of hands on training and the resources available for implementing the IR. Logical approach is made in building different communities, collections and decisions are taken in sharing the responsibility of maintaining different collections.Findings – The paper provides evidence on how the ISRO HQ IR was built from scratch and how different collections with numerous forms and formats can be accommodated using DSpace software. Many problem.
(18)F-FDG PET in localization of frontal lobe epilepsy: comparison of visual and SPM analysis.

UNLABELLED The sensitivity of (18)F-FDG PET to localize epileptogenic zones in frontal lobe epilepsy was evaluated by both visual assessment and statistical parametric mapping (SPM). METHODS Twenty-nine patients with frontal lobe epilepsy were examined. All patients showed good outcome after surgical resection (Engel class I or II). On pathologic examination, 22 patients had cortical dysplasia, 4 had tumors, 1 had cortical scars, and 2 had an old infarct. Hypometabolic lesions were found on (18)F-FDG PET images by both visual assessment and SPM analysis. On SPM analysis, the cutoff threshold was varied and sensitivity to find epileptogenic zones was compared. RESULTS MRI showed structural lesions in 15 patients and normal findings in 14. (18)F-FDG PET correctly localized the epileptogenic zones in 16 patients (55%) by visual assessment. The sensitivity of (18)F-FDG PET was 36% in patients without structural lesions on MRI and 73% in patients with structural lesions. On SPM analysis, using an uncorrected probability value of 0.005 as the threshold, the sensitivity of SPM analysis was 66%, which was not statistically different from the sensitivity of visual assessment. The sensitivity decreased according to the decrease in probability value. CONCLUSION (18)F-FDG PET was sensitive in localizing epileptogenic zones by revealing hypometabolic areas in nonlesional patients with frontal lobe epilepsy as well as in lesional patients. SPM analysis showed a comparable sensitivity to visual assessment and could be used as an aid in diagnosing epileptogenic zones in frontal lobe epilepsy.
Rate Minimaxity of the Lasso and Dantzig Estimators

We consider the estimation of regression coefficients in a high-dimensional linear model. A lower bound of the minimax `q risk is provided for regression coefficients in `r balls, along with a minimax lower bound for the tail of the `q loss. Under certain conditions on the design matrix and penalty level, we prove that these minimax convergence rates are attained by both the Lasso and Dantzig estimators.
Peritoneal Transport during Dialysis with Amino Acid-Based Solutions

Objective To evaluate the potential clinical role of amino acids as an osmotic agent. Design The peritoneal transport of fluid, amino acids, and other solutes was investigated during a 6–hour single-cycle peritoneal dialysis with PDA 1% versus 1.36% glucose (n=6) or PDA 2.7% versus 3.86% glucose solution (n=9). Patients Fifteen stable nondiabetic continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Results The fractional absorption of the osmotic agents at 6 hours was higher with PDA 2.7% versus glucose 3.86% (p<0.005). The diffusive mass transport coefficient, KeD’ calculated for a period of dialysate isovolemia was higher with PDA 2.7% versus PDA 1% for essential, nonessential (p<0.005), and total (p<0.05) amino acids. The intraperitoneal volume-over-time curves and KqD values for urea, creatinine, glucose, albumin, β2microglobulin, and total protein did not differ between the amino acid solutions and the corresponding glucose solutions. KeD for urea was significantly higher during the dwell with PDA 2.7% versus PDA 1% (p<0.05). Plasma amino acid concentrations increased substantially during the first 1– 2 hours and then decreased gradually. Valine and methionine rose to 792% and 1119% of baseline values, respectively. Conclusions We conclude that the peritoneal transport of fluid and investigated solutes, except amino acids, was not different with the amino acid solutions compared with the corresponding equimolar glucose solutions. However, ultrafiltration tended to be lower with amino acid solutions. Furthermore, the fractional absorption of amino acids and KeD values for amino acids was higher with PDA 2.7% versus PDA 1 %, suggesting an effect of the hypertonic amino acid solution on the peritoneal membrane transport properties. Also, the hypertonic PDA2.7% solution yielded nonphysiologically high plasma levels of several amino acids. We therefore consider this solution not to be safe enough for long term clinical use. ”
Enhancing electrocatalytic oxygen reduction on MnO(2) with vacancies.

Oxygen-vacant nanocrystalline MnO(2) has been prepared by the simple process of annealing pristine oxide in Ar or O(2) . Both experimental and computational studies indicate that the catalytic activity of MnO(2) towards oxygen reduction is enhanced by introducing a modest concentration of oxygen vacancies.
Industrial Policies in Developing Countries: History and Perspectives

This paper presents a historical and empirical account of the role played by government intervention in the form of industrial policies in spurring development and growth in developing countries in the last fifty years. Adopting the taxonomy proposed in Cimoli et alt. (2008), it describes the set of industrial policies implemented since the end of WWII to today in a number of developing countries. Which are the characteristics of successful industrial policies? Are there industrial policies, among the ones that have worked in the past, which can be also useful in the present context? Is there a fit-all recipe, or the high degree of country heterogeneity makes impossible to identify any general effective industrial policy? These are some of the questions this papers tries to suggest some answers.
Thrombocytopenia in Neonatal Infection

Serial platelet counts by phase microscopy were done for three groups of neonates who were admitted to the Special Care Unit of the Miller Children's Hospital. Group 1 (78 neonates) was evaluated for septicemia. Group 2 (28 neo nates) was randomly selected sick neonates whose working diagnosis was not septicemia. Group 3 (16 neonates) was clinically normal preterm neonates (28 to 36 weeks gestation). For groups 1 and 2, platelet counts were done serially, at the time blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures were obtained and then 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours later. For group 3, platelet counts were done on the second, seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth day of life. Sixteen of the group 1 infants were found to have septicemia; ten of these 16 had thrombo cytopenia (platelets <100,000/mm3). In group 2, five infants had thrombocyto penia, one because of isoimmune disease and four as a result of possible disseminated intravascular coagulation. Thrombocytopenia persisted for 1 to 10 days; platelet counts of group 3 were the same as those of older children and adults.
Effect of Exercise-Diet Manipulation on Muscle Glycogen and Its Subsequent Utilization During Performance*

This study examined the effect of three exercise-diet regimens on muscle glycogen supercompensation and subsequent performance during a 20.9-km run. A diet containing 15% carbohydrate (CHO,L), 50% CHO (M), or 70% (CHO (H) was arranged in three trials as follows: trial A = 3 days L, 3 days H; trial B = 3 days M, 3 days H; trial C = 6 days M. For each trial a 5-day depletion-taper exercise sequence was conducted on the treadmill at 73% VO2 max. The runs were 90, 40, 40, 20, and 20 min, respectively. A day of rest preceded the 20.9-km performance run. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the gastrocnemius on days 4 and 7 (both prior to and after the performance run). Trials A, B, and C elevated muscle glycogen to 207, 203, and 159 mmol glucosyl units/kg wet tissue (mmG), respectively. The performance run in both trials A and B utilized significantly more glycogen than in trial C: 5.0 and 5.1 mmG/km vs. 3.1 mmG/km. There were, however, no differences in either performance run times or post-performance run glycogen levels between the trials. These data demonstrate that (1) muscle glycogen can be elevated to high levels with a moderate exercise-diet regimen; (2) initial muscle glycogen levels influence the amount subsequently utilized during exercise; (3) carbohydrate loading is of no benefit to performance for trained runners during a 20.9-km run.
Activation by Attention of the Human Reticular Formation and Thalamic Intralaminar Nuclei

It has been known for over 45 years that electrical stimulation of the midbrain reticular formation and of the thalamic intralaminar nuclei of the brain alerts animals. However, lesions of these sectors fail to impair arousal and vigilance in some cases, making the role of the ascending activating reticular system controversial. Here, a positron emission tomographic study showed activation of the midbrain reticular formation and of thalamic intralaminar nuclei when human participants went from a relaxed awake state to an attention-demanding reaction-time task. These results confirm the role of these areas of the brain and brainstem in arousal and vigilance.
Virtuous Leadership: A Theoretical Model and Research Agenda

In this manuscript we attempt to shed light on the concept of virtuous leadership. We first attempt to identify the nature of virtuous leadership. Next, we specify two potential antecedents of virtuous vertical leadership. Specifically, we identify the personal characteristic of responsibility disposition as well as environmental cues as potential predictors of subsequent virtuous leadership. Moreover, we articulate how virtuous vertical leadership might result in virtuous shared leadership. We also demonstrate how both vertical and shared virtuous leadership can act as key factors in the creation of organizational learning. Importantly, we specify several important research implications of our theoretical model. Finally, we illustrate several practical considerations when it comes to developing and enhancing virtuous leadership.
Illness and injury in animal confinement workers.

Raising pigs and poultry indoors in large confinement facilities is increasingly common in U.S. agriculture. High endotoxin, ammonia, and dust levels contribute to acute and chronic respiratory symptoms in people who work in these settings. Respiratory conditions observed include the asthma-like syndrome, bronchitis, and asthma exacerbation. Organic dust toxic syndrome also has been described. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is found in a small number of those who raise poultry. Hog confinement workers are at risk of hydrogen sulfide poisoning. These and other conditions seen in confinement workers are described, and health management procedures are outlined.
Frozen rumen fluid as microbial inoculum in the two-stage in vitro digestibility assay of ruminant feeds

This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of using frozen rumen fluid (RF) as an inoculum source in the determination the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of ruminant feeds. In the first experiment six roughages (barley straw, wheat straw, lentil straw, wheat silage, maize silage and lucerne hay) and six different compound feeds (two dairy cattle, two beef cattle, one ram lamb and one lamb finishing compound feeds) were chosen as test material. Two different types of cryoprotectants (5% glycerol vs. 5% dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO) and two types of freezing methods (liquid nitrogen vs. deep freezing) were used to preserve the RF. Fresh RF was used as the control. In response to the results of the first experiment, a second experiment was conducted to establish if microbial digestibility could be improved by extending the duration of incubation of the roughages from 48 to 60, 72 or 96 h. When using the RF inoculum treated with 5% DMSO and frozen in liquid nitrogen, the IVDMD of the compound feeds were similar to those of the control. However, when the 5% DMSO treated inoculum was frozen in the deep freezer, some of the compound feeds had similar IVDMD values to the control but not all. Lower IVDMD values were recorded when glycerol was used as a cryoprotectant. In the case of the roughages the use of both freezing methods and cryoprotectants resulted in lower IVDMD values compared to the control. In the second experiment the increasing of the duration of incubation of roughages from 48 to 72 h improved their IVDMD to values similar to that of the control. This suggested that the length of the incubation of roughages should be 72 h instead of 48 h when using inocula treated with 5% DMSO as a cryoprotectant and frozen in a deep freezer. However, further research is required before frozen RF can be recommended as source of inoculum.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Local Anesthetic Agents

Inflammation is the physiologic process by which vascularized tissues respond to injury. Although inflammation is crucial to the maintenance of the health and integrity of an individual organism, when dysregulated it can result in widespread tissue destruction. The inflammatory response to injury can thus be regarded as a double-edged sword. Local anesthetic agents reversibly block neural voltage-gated Na channels, and thus nerve conduction. Over the past decade, it has been demonstrated that these agents influence a wide range of immune functions, and inflammation. More recently, investigators have begun to examine potential clinical roles for local anesthetics that take advantage of these effects. Acute inflammation refers to the rapid, short-lived (minutes to days), relatively uniform response to injury, characterized by local accumulation of plasma proteins and neutrophilic leukocytes. Chronic inflammation is of longer duration and typically comprises influx of lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblast activity. This review addresses the effects of local anesthetics on acute inflammation.
DNA sequence variation in BpMADS2 gene in two populations of Betula pendula

The PISTILLATA (PI) homologue, BpMADS2, was isolated from silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and used to study nucleotide polymorphism. Two regions (together about 2450 bp) comprising mainly untranslated sequences were sequenced from 10 individuals from each of two populations in Finland. The nucleotide polymorphism was low in the BpMADS2 locus, especially in the coding region. The synonymous site overall nucleotide diversity (πs) was 0.0043 and the nonsynonymous nucleotide diversity (πa) was only 0.000052. For the whole region, the π values for the two populations were 0.0039 and 0.0045, and for the coding regions, the π values were only 0 and 0.00066 (for the corresponding coding regions of Arabidopsis thaliana PI world‐wide π was 0.0021). Estimates of π or θ did not differ significantly between the two populations, and the two populations were not diverged from each other. Two classes of BpMADS2 alleles were present in both populations, suggesting that this gene exhibits allelic dimorphism. In addition to the nucleotide site variation, two microsatellites were also associated within the haplotypes. This allelic dimorphism might be the result of postglacial re‐colonization partly from northwestern, partly from southeastern/eastern refugia. The sequence comparison detected five recombination events in the regions studied. The large number of microsatellites in all of the three introns studied suggests that BpMADS2 is a hotspot for microsatellite formation.
Intracellular T cell cytokines in patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B‐CLL)

Abstract: Analysis of cytokine production is a tool to functionally characterise T cells. In this study, spontaneous and polyclonal activation induced cytokine production in T cells were assessed by flow cytometry in patients with B‐CLL. Patients with progressive disease had a significantly increased number of T cells spontaneously producing IL‐2, IL‐4 and GM‐CSF as compared to healthy donors and patients with non‐progressive CLL, which was not the case for TNF‐α and IFN‐γ producing T cells. However, no difference in the frequency of T cells producing these cytokines was seen comparing patients with non‐progressive disease to control donors. Polyclonal activation of B‐CLL T cells in vitro induced an increased proportion of T cells producing these five cytokines in patients as well as in control donors, indicating that T cells in CLL patients might have a relatively well preserved functional capacity. However, the increase in GM‐CSF, TNF‐α and IL‐4 producing T cells was more marked in CLL patients than in controls. Furthermore, following activation, a higher frequency of cytokine‐producing T cells was noted in patients with progressive disease as compared to those with non‐progressive disease. The augmented number of cytokine‐producing T cells in CLL may indicate an up‐regulated capability of T cells to secrete cytokines, especially in patients with progressive CLL. The increased production of the T cell derived cytokines GM‐CSF, TNF‐α, IL‐4 and IL‐2 is interesting, as these cytokines have previously been shown to support growth of B‐CLL leukaemic cells in vitro and as T cells might specifically recognise the autologous leukaemic B cells in vivo. The findings may suggest a role for T cells in the pathogenesis of B‐CLL.
Capsular glucan and intracellular glycogen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: biosynthesis and impact on the persistence in mice

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogenic mycobacterial species produce large amounts of a glycogen‐like α‐glucan that represents the major polysaccharide of their outermost capsular layer. To determine the role of the surface‐exposed glucan in the physiology and virulence of these bacteria, orthologues of the glg genes involved in the biosynthesis of glycogen in Escherichia coli were identified in M. tuberculosis H37Rv and inactivated by allelic replacement. Biochemical analyses of the mutants and complemented strains indicated that the synthesis of glucan and glycogen involves the α‐1,4‐glucosyltransferases Rv3032 and GlgA (Rv1212c), the ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase GlgC (Rv1213) and the branching enzyme GlgB (Rv1326c). Disruption of glgC reduced by half the glucan and glycogen contents of M. tuberculosis, whereas the inactivation of glgA and Rv3032 affected the production of capsular glucan and glycogen, respectively. Attempts to disrupt Rv3032 in the glgA mutant were unsuccessful, suggesting that a functional copy of at least one of the two α‐1,4‐glucosyltransferases is required for growth. Importantly, the glgA mutant was impaired in its ability to persist in mice, suggesting a role for the capsular glucan in the persistence phase of infection. Unexpectedly, GlgB was found to be an essential enzyme.
Electro-osmotic fluxes in multi-well electro-remediation processes

In recent years, electrokinetic techniques on a laboratory scale have been studied but few applications have been assessed at full-scale. In this work, a mock-up plant with two rows of three electrodes positioned in semipermeable electrolyte wells has been used to study the electro-osmotic flux distribution. Water accumulated in the cathodic wells when an electric voltage gradient was applied between the two electrode-well rows. Likewise, slight differences in the water flux were observed depending on the position and number of electrodes used and on the voltage gradient applied. Results show that the electro-osmotic flow did not increase proportionally with the number of electrodes used. During the start-up of the study, there was an abrupt change in the current density, pH and conductivity of the soil portions closest to electrodic wells due to electrokinetic processes. These differences can be explained in terms of the complex current distributions from anode and cathode rows.
Pediatric Cancer Patients' Treatment-Related Distress and Longer-Term Anxiety: An Individual Differences Perspective

Objective: Although distress during treatment procedures and longer-term treatment-related anxiety are among the most common cancer-related stressors for children and their families, they are not invariant. This study examined whether individual differences in temperament and personality play a role in how children respond to treatment procedures. Attention control, a facet of the effortful control dimension of temperament, and the personality attribute ego-resilience were hypothesized to predict lower levels of distress during procedures. Moreover, ego-resilience and distress during procedures were hypothesized to account for indirect associations between attention control and longer-term treatment-related anxiety. Child gender was examined as a potential moderator of these relationships. Method: Participants were 147 children undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer and their parents. At baseline, parents reported on children's effortful control and ego-resilience. Multiple raters assessed children's distress during multiple cancer-related procedures. Treatment-related anxiety was measured 3 and 9 months after the last assessed treatment procedure. Results: Attention control was linked to ego-resilience and lower levels of distress, and these variables, in turn, accounted for indirect associations between attention control and treatment-related anxiety. Associations involving ego-resilience were stronger for boys than girls. Conclusion: Attention control plays an important role in children's immediate and longer-term responses to cancer-related medical procedures. Medical staff should consider individual differences in child temperament and personality when considering the nature and extent of support to provide to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
A Passivity Enforcement Scheme for Delay-Based Transmission Line Macromodels

This letter presents an algorithm for the enforcement of passivity in transmission-line macromodels based on the generalized method of characteristics. The algorithm is based on first-order perturbations of the solutions to a frequency-dependent eigenvalue problem. The theoretical formulation provides an extension of techniques that were available only for lumped models to the more general class of delay-based models.