Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the efficacy of pre-operative oral pregabalin in attenuating haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation and on post-operative pain in patients undergoing elective surgery under

Objective: Haemodynamic response to airway instrumentation is a hazardous complication of general anaesthesia. We evaluated the efficacy of preoperative 150 mg of oral pregabalin in attenuating haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation as well as its efficacy in post-operative analgesia. Methods: In this randomized double blind placebo controlled study 50 patients between 18-60 years, ASA grade I & II, of both genders were randomly divided into two groups of 25 patients. Group P received oral pregabalin 150 mg & Group C received placebo, 1hour prior to surgery. Anaesthesia technique was standardized and both groups were assessed for haemodynamic changes during laryngoscopy and postoperatively for level of sedation and pain. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 17. Results: There was significantly less increase in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure in group p following intubation when compared to group c (p= 0.02, 0.03, 0.02 respectively). Preoperative & post-operative sedation scores were relatively higher after pregabalin premedication. Group p also had reduced analgesic consumption as compared to group c (p=0.04). Conclusion: This study shows that premedication with 150 mg of oral pregabalin safely attenuates haemodynamic responses to laryngoscopy & intubation & decreases post-operative pain with acceptable levels of sedation. Keywords: Haemodynamic response, Pregabalin, laryngoscopy, Intubation, Sedation, Analgesia
Informedia at TRECVID 2003: Analyzing and Searching Broadcast News Video

Abstract : A concentrated effort was made by the authors to develop an interface allowing a human to succeed with video topics as defined in TRECVID 2001. This interface was part of the TRECVID 2002 interactive query task, in which a person could issue multiple queries and refinements to the video corpus in formulating the shot answer set for the topic at hand. The interface was designed to present a visually rich set of thumbnail images to the user, tailored for expert control over the number, scale, and attributes of the images. Armed with this interface, an expert user completely familiar with the retrieval system and its features, but having no a priori knowledge of the TRECVID 2002 search test corpus, performed well on the search tasks. This exact system as used in the TRECVID 2002 interactive query task was again used for the TRECVID 2003 evaluation. To facilitate better visual browsing, we extended the storyboard idea to show keyframes across multiple video documents, where a document is automatically derived by segmenting a video production into story units through speech, silence, black frames, and other heuristics. The hierarchy of information units is frame, shot, document and full production. A set of documents is returned by a query. The shots for these documents are presented in a single storyboard, i.e., an ordered set of keyframes presented simultaneously on the computer screen, one keyframe per shot. Without further filtering, most queries would overwhelm the user with too many images. Through the use of query context, the cardinality of the image set can be greatly reduced. The search engine for text queries makes use of the Okapi method. The multiple document storyboard can be set to show only the shots containing matching words. This strategy of selecting a single thumbnail image to represent a video document based on query context resulted in more efficient information retrieval with greater user satisfaction.
The Size and Development of the Shadow Economies of 22 Transition and 21 OECD Countries

Using the currency demand and DYMIMIC approaches estimates are presented about the size of the shadow economy in 22 Transition and 21 OECD countries. Over 2001/2002 in 21 OECD countries is the average size of the shadow economy (in percent of official GDP) 16.7% of “official” GDP and of 22 Transition countries 38.0%. The average size of the shadow economy labor force (in percent of the population of working age) of the year 1998/99 in 7 OECD-countries is 15.3% and in 22 Transition countries is 30.2%. An increasing burden of taxation and social security contributions combined with rising state regulatory activities are the driving forces for the growth and size of the shadow economy (labor force).
Nowhere to Hide - Wide-field VLBI of the Hubble Deep Field-North

We present a new ultra-deep, wide-field VLBI survey targeting the central part of the Hubble Deep Field-North region using the European VLBI Network (EVN). The survey covers a large, 180 arcmin2, area to milliarcsecond resolutions and microJy sensitivities. Results are presented from the first of three epochs of observations, concentrating on a new calibration technique termed multi-source self-calibration (MSSC). MSSC uses the combined response of multiple faint sources to improve the phase stability of wide-field VLBI data sets. On average, MSSC improved the signal to noise of detected target sources by 27% in naturally weighted images and 63% in uniformly weighted images when compared to phase referenced calibration. We conclude with the first science results from this survey which concentrate on the redshift 2 sub-mm source, J123642+621331 (Waddington et al. 1999). Previous studies have indicated the presence of star-formation, together with a dusty, embedded AGN (Muxlow et al. 2005). This was confirmed by previous VLBI observations (Garrett et al. 2001, Chi et al. 2013), and makes the object a prime candidate to study the interplay between AGN and starburst activities at high redshifts. Combination imaging using the eMERGE (P.I. Muxlow) survey data (a combination of JVLA+VLA+MERLIN+eMERLIN) together with these new EVN data allows us to obtain radio images at a range of differing angular resolutions. This allows us to separate contributions from star-formation and embedded AGN.
Detection of Clostridium perfringens and determination of enterotoxin genes ( cpa and cpe ) in traditional turkish chicken doner kebab

: The demand for the fast-food industry in the world is increasing day by day. In this sense, chicken doner kebab becomes frequently preferred food source in daily life. At the same time, chicken doner kebab is both a good animal origin protein source and a cheaper option. Therefore, it is prepared and consumed in high amounts in Turkey. In this study, it was aimed to determine the presence of Clostridium perfringens and its toxin genes in traditional Turkish chicken doner kebabs purchased from restaurants and modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) samples collected from markets. For this purpose, 100 ready-to-cook and 100 ready-to-eat, totally 200 doner samples have been used as material. As a result, the prevalence of C. perfringens has been found 29%, 6% in ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat samples, respectively. The cpa gene was detected in all isolates. However, both cpa and cpe gene was found only in 4% of isolates.
Forecasting the Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the Northwest Pacific through Identifying the Causal Factors in Cyclone–Climate Interactions

AbstractHow to extract the causal relations in climate-cyclone interactions is an important problem in atmospheric science. Traditionally the most commonly used research methodology in this field is time-delayed correlation analysis. This may be not appropriate, since correlation cannot imply causality as it lacks the needed asymmetry or directedness between dynamical events. In this study, we introduced to this field a recently developed and very concise but rigorous formula, i.e., a formula for information flow (IF), to fulfill the purpose. We proposed a new way to normalize the IF, and then used the normalized IF (NIF) to detect the causal relation between the tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the western North Pacific (WNP) and a variety of climate modes. It is shown that El Nino–Southern Oscillation as well as Pacific decadal oscillation are the dominant factors that modulate the WNP TC genesis. Besides, the western Pacific subtropical high and the monsoon trough are also playing important roles in .
Comparison of 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients With SAPHO Syndrome

Purpose Synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome is a rare inflammatory disorder of bone, joints, and skin, with various stages of bone lesions including inflammation and bone marrow fibrosis. Because the inflammation-induced fibrosis and bone marrow fibrosis are important features in SAPHO syndrome, we undertook a prospective investigation to evaluate whether PET/CT with 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04, a novel PET agent targeting fibroblast activation protein, was useful in the evaluation of the patients with SAPHO syndrome. Patients and Methods 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT was performed on a cohort of 21 patients with known SAPHO syndrome. All patients underwent 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and 18F-FDG PET/CT on 2 consecutive days. The positive rates of the PET/CT scans at the sites of the osteoarticular symptom, the uptake values, and agreement with clinical osteoarticular symptom were compared. Results A total of 38 sites of involvement were detected. 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed 28 lesions. In contrast, 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT detected not only all lesions shown on 18F-FDG PET/CT but additional 10 lesions. 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 scan also demonstrated significantly higher uptake and target-to-background ratio than 18F-FDG studies in the skeletal involvements. The agreement between 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04–positive lesions and current osteoarticular lesions was substantial (κ = 0.79, P < 0.001), whereas 18F-FDG had low to moderate agreement with clinical symptoms (κ = 0.52, P < 0.001). Conclusions 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 has potential as a promising imaging agent for the evaluation of SAPHO syndrome.
Search for third generation scalar quarks in events with b-tagged jets with the ATLAS detector

The thesis presents the results of two searches for the direct pair-production of third generation scalar quarks, the stop and the sbottom, in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Third generation squarks are studied in the context of natural supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, highlighting their role in the solution of the Higgs hierarchy problem and considering both R-parity conserving and violating decay scenarios. The signal models of interest produce final states characterised by the presence of two bottom quarks, and the identification of the hadronic jets generated by their fragmentation plays a crucial role in the analyses. The performance of b-jet identification algorithms is studied in detail, and a novel approach for the estimate of the associated systematic uncertainties is presented. The first analysis in the thesis is a search for a pairproduced sbottom with two-body decays into Standard Model third generation quarks and quasi-degenerate electroweakinos, while the second targets the pair-production of the stop followed by R-parity violating decays into a bottom quark and a lepton. No evidence of SUSY particles is found, and exclusion limits are set on the relevant signal models using dedicated statistical tools.
Non-parametric Bayesian inference through MCMC method for Y-linked two-sex branching processes with blind choice

ABSTRACT Dirichlet-process-based non-parametric Bayesian inference is developed for a Y-linked two-sex branching process with blind choice. This stochastic model is suitable for analysing the evolution of the number of carriers of two alleles of a Y-linked gene in a two-sex monogamous population where each female chooses her partner from among the male population without caring about his type (i.e. the allele he carries). The only data assumed to be available are the total number of females and males (regardless of their types) up to some generation and the numbers of each type of male in the last generation. A simulation method which is based on a Dirichlet process and a Gibbs sampler is developed to estimate the posterior distributions of the model's main parameters. Finally, the computational efficiency of the algorithm is illustrated with example simulations and an application to real data.
of Pneumocystis carinii antibody and antigen detection for diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia after

The first description of pneumocysts is credited to Chagas' in 1909, who mistook them for trypanosomes in guineapig lungs. Carini reported similar structures in rat lungs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Subsequently Dr and Madame Delanoe in Paris found pneumocysts in sewer rats without trypanosomiasis and proposed the name Pneumocystis carinii in honour of the Brazilian Carini. ' Although Chagas probably reported the first human case of pneumocystosis, its importance was not recognised until the second world war, when outbreaks of pneumonia occurred throughout Europe in malnourished children in overcrowded orphanages.23 Histologically, the lungs of such patients showed considerable mononuclear cell interstitial infiltration and foamy vacuolated alveolar exudates. The condition was named interstitial plasma cell pneumonia. A definite association with P carinii infection was made in 1952.4 Subsequently, pneumocystis pneumonia was diagnosed in infants with congenital immunodeficiency states. Epidemic pneumocystis pneumonia has virtually disappeared from Europe, but is still recognised in parts of the world where malnutrition and poverty prevail. ' 2 5 Until recently pneumocystis pneumonia largely affected patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment and corticosteroids for cancer, organ transplantation, and other conditions. Reports from 1981 onwards, however, detailed the association between pneumocystis pneumonia, other opportunistic infections, and Kaposi's sarcoma in previously well homosexual men and drug abusers.6 The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has caused intense interest in the medical and lay press. Recently, 169 cases of AIDS have been recorded in the United Kingdom, 762 in Europe, and 8495 in the United States (Communicable Disease Surveillance Center, 1985, unpublished), As pneumocystis pneumonia is by far the commonest opportunistic infection (85%) in AIDS, clinicians and micro-
Pre-Anesthetic Evaluation: A Needs Assessment of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists Transitioning to Clinical Practice

The pre-anesthetic evaluation (PAE) is a critical part of providing anesthesia, and an important component of patient safety. Student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) are often required to independently perform the PAE upon entering their clinical training. Stress, anxiety, doubt, a novel environment and time constraints can lead to a lack of confidence and competence at this time. These barriers can result in an inefficient and inadequate assessment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct a needs assessment to determine the overall readiness of SRNAs to independently perform a thorough PAE upon entering clinical residency. A focus group was conducted and qualitative data software was used for thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified from the focus group data. These were barriers to performing the PAE, emotions experienced, facilitators for performing the PAE, and the SRNA’s experience of their role transition. The ability to practice the PAE prior to entering clinical residency as well as using a reference guide are beneficial to SRNAs as they start their clinical residency. These tools can help decrease stress and anxiety allowing for a more consistent, thorough, and efficient PAE.
Light-induced performance increase of silicon heterojunction solar cells

Silicon heterojunction solar cells consist of crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers coated with doped/intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) bilayers for passivating-contact formation. Here, we unambiguously demonstrate that carrier injection either due to light soaking or (dark) forward-voltage bias increases the open circuit voltage and fill factor of finished cells, leading to a conversion efficiency gain of up to 0.3% absolute. This phenomenon contrasts markedly with the light-induced degradation known for thin-film a-Si:H solar cells. We associate our performance gain with an increase in surface passivation, which we find is specific to doped a-Si:H/c-Si structures. Our experiments suggest that this improvement originates from a reduced density of recombination-active interface states. To understand the time dependence of the observed phenomena, a kinetic model is presented.
Source, propagation, and effects of lightning in the Earth-ionosphere system

Source, propagation, and effects of lightning in the Earth-ionosphere system Michael L. Hutchins Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Robert H. Holzworth Department of Earth and Space Sciences The capabilities of the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) are expanded to enable research of the source, propagation, and effects of lightning in the Earthionosphere system. The main expansion of the network capability is the measurement of the very low frequency radiated energy from lightning; the radiated stroke energy is one to one related to the canonical peak current measurements of other ground based networks. Stroke energy is used to develop a model of the network relative detection efficiency; this internal model rates the coverage capabilities of the network compared to the networks best regional coverage. The last dataset developed and discussed is the clustering of the lightning locations into both flashes and the active lightning regions of thunderstorms. These three capabilities of the network allow tracing the effects of lightning and thunderstorms from their source, to a proxy for the global electric circuit and to the magnetosphere. The source of lightning is investigated in two regimes: within thunderstorms and between thunderstorms. Within thunderstorms the time between flashes is found to be proportional to the resulting flash energy for differing thunderstorms, regions, and seasons. Between thunderstorms the lightning energy is shown to differ between land and ocean, with oceanic thunderstorms producing stronger and fewer strokes. The propagation of the radiated energy is measured using the lightning as a probe of attenuation along the different propagation paths. Attenuation is seen to have an asymmetry with magnetic azimuth: eastward moving waves are attenuated less than westward moving waves. The attenuation asymmetry is complimentary to the observed asymmetry in whistler and radio energy emitted through the ionosphere into the magnetosphere. Thunderstorm clusters are used to estimate the total upward current contribution of thunderstorms to the global electric circuit. It is shown that WWLLN can provide one of the first continuous global measurements of this current to the global electric circuit.
Gardner Phenomenology in Minimally Polydisperse Crystalline Systems

We study the structure and dynamics of crystals of minimally polydisperse hard spheres at high pressures. Structurally, they exhibit a power-law scaling in their probability distribution of weak forces and small interparticle gaps as well as a flat density of vibrational states. Dynamically, they display anomalous aging beyond a characteristic pressure. Although essentially crystalline, these solids thus display features reminiscent of the Gardner phase observed in certain amorphous solids. Because preparing these materials is fast and facile, they are ideal for testing a theory of amorphous materials. They are also amenable to experimental realizations in commercially-available particulate systems.
Dark energy mechanisms in the context of extra dimensional models

DARK ENERGY MECHANISMS IN THE CONTEXT OF EXTRA DIMENSIONAL MODELS Dark energy is the simplest and the most standart explanation to account for the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. In this thesis we use the term ’dark energy’ in its standart meaning i.e. a field or fluid that is responsible for the cosmic acceleration in the frame work of general relativity. Meanwhile extra dimensions is an attractive framework to understand many otherwise unexplained physical phenomena in a clear, simple formulation. Therefore the study of extra dimensional cosmological models is an attractive area of study. In this thesis we have considered viability of extra dimensional cosmological models in the light of the accelerated expansion of the universe. We have confirmed the results of studies that have shown the incompatibility of a broad class of extra dimensional cosmological models with a dark energy of an equation of state close to that of cosmological constant. We have discussed also possible theoritical and observational ways to avoid the no-go theorems for extra dimensional cosmological models as well.
On the challenge of five-hole-probe measurements at high subsonic Mach numbers in the wake of transonic turbine cascades

Five-hole-probes are common use in turbomachinery flow investigations, even though, inserting a probe into a flow field inevitably induces perturbations to the flow which can falsify the measurement results, especially when exposed to transonic flows. The objective of the investigations presented here is to evaluate the Mach number measurements of a five-hole-probe (5HP) in the wake flow of a transonic turbine cascade at engine relevant Reynolds numbers by comparing them to the results of particle image velocimetry (PIV). Furthermore, PIV measurements were performed with inserted probe to investigate the influence of the probe on the wake flow field. Together with a sensitivity study of 5HP measurements in flow regimes close to Ma = 1, the results demonstrate how the measurement uncertainty can be improved in high subsonic flow regimes.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity through a mechanism involving P2X7 receptors.

The recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 'ecstasy') produces a neuro-inflammatory response in rats characterized by an increase in microglial activation and IL-1β levels. The integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is important in preserving the homeostasis of the brain and has been shown to be affected by neuro-inflammatory processes. We aimed to study the effect of a single dose of MDMA on the activity of metalloproteinases (MMPs), expression of extracellular matrix proteins, BBB leakage and the role of the ionotropic purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2X7R) in the changes induced by the drug. Adult male Dark Agouti rats were treated with MDMA (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and killed at several time-points in order to evaluate MMP-9 and MMP-3 activity in the hippocampus and laminin and collagen-IV expression and IgG extravasation in the dentate gyrus. Microglial activation, P2X7R expression and localization were also determined in the dentate gyrus. Separate groups were treated with MDMA and the P2X7R antagonists Brilliant Blue G (BBG; 50 mg/kg, i.p.) or A-438079 (30 mg/kg, i.p.). MDMA increased MMP-3 and MMP-9 activity, reduced laminin and collagen-IV expression and increased IgG immunoreactivity. In addition, MDMA increased microglial activation and P2X7R immunoreactivity in these cells. BBG suppressed the increase in MMP-9 and MMP-3 activity, prevented basal lamina degradation and IgG extravasation into the brain parenchyma. A-438079 also prevented the MDMA-induced reduction in laminin and collagen-IV immunoreactivity. These results indicate that MDMA alters BBB permeability through an early P2X7R-mediated event, which in turn leads to enhancement of MMP-9 and MMP-3 activity and degradation of extracellular matrix.