Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti–Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor Antibodies in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Background Activating anti–angiotensin type 1 receptor antibodies (AT1R-AA) have been described in patients with systemic scleroderma, an auto-immune disorder with clinical fibrotic features. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may have clinical fibrotic features, whose pathogenesis may be similar with systemic sclerosis. Objective To evaluate the presence of AT1R-AA and their association with clinical and biological symptoms in cGvHD patients. Material and Methods Sera from 87 patients including 45 extensive cGvHD and 42 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients without cGvHD were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of AT1R-AA using an enzymatic immunoassay. Results The frequency of AT1R-AA was significantly increased (odds ratio [OR]=3.4, P=0.04) in the cGvHD group (24.4%) compared with the non-cGvHD group (7.1%). In the cGvHD group the positivity of AT1R-AA was significantly associated with: i/ the presence of antinuclear antibodies (OR=5.9, P=0.04) ii/ a more severe global and organ-specific cGvHD scoring (P<0.05), iii/ the presence of active skin or mucosal erosions (OR=19.2, P<0.01). There was no difference between the number and the types of organs involved by the cGvHD between the AT1R-AA–positive versus AT1R-AA–negative subgroups. Conclusion This preliminary study suggests a potential role and prognostic value of AT1R-AA in cGvHD.
Evaluation of the implementation of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes.

PURPOSE This paper aims to provide insight into nursing classifications and to report the effects of nursing diagnostics implementation. This paper summarizes the results of six studies. METHODS Two systematic reviews, instrument development and testing, a pre-post intervention study, and a cluster-randomized trial were performed. FINDINGS The NANDA International classification met most of the literature-based classification criteria, and results showed the Quality of Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (Q-DIO) to be a reliable instrument to measure the documented quality of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes. Implementation of standardized nursing language significantly improved the quality of documented nursing diagnoses, related interventions, and patient outcomes. As a follow-up measure, Guided Clinical Reasoning (GCR) was effective in supporting nurses' clinical reasoning skills. CONCLUSIONS Carefully implementing classifications led to enhanced, accurately stated nursing diagnoses, more effective nursing interventions, and better patient outcomes. IMPLICATIONS Rethinking implementation methods for standardized language and using GCR is recommended. Based on the results of this study, the inclusion of NANDA International diagnoses with related interventions and outcomes in electronic health records is suggested.
Design of a wearable sensor badge for smart kindergarten

We describe the system design of "Smart Kindergarten", a smart problem solving environment for early childhood education. Two crucial building blocks that make up smart kindergarten are iBadge, a lightweight power-aware sensor-instrumented badge, and Sylph, a sensor middleware infrastructure. Equipped with sensors, radio, and DSP, iBadge has been designed to be worn by kids and teachers to unobtrusively capture the interaction between the kids and their surroundings. The captured data is then wirelessly transmitted to Sylph, a middleware infrastructure, which provides means of accessing the data in coherent and user-friendly manner. In this paper, we present the design challenges of iBadge and Sylph and our efforts in integrating these two systems.
Automatic View-Point Selection for Inter-Operative Endoscopic Surveillance

Abstract. Esophageal adenocarcinoma arises from Barrett’s esophagus, which is the most serious complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Strategies for screening involve periodic surveillance and tissue biopsies. A major challenge in such regular examinations is to record and track the disease evolution and re-localization of biopsied sites to provide targeted treatments. In this paper, we extend our original inter-operative relocalization framework to provide a constrained image based search for obtaining the best view-point match to the live view. Within this context we investigate the effect of, (a) the choice of feature descriptors and color-space, (b) filtering of uninformative frames, (c) endoscopic modality, for view-point localization. Our experiments indicate an improvement in the best view-point retrieval rate to [92%, 87%] from [73%, 76%] (in our previous approach) for NBI and WL.
Developing Secure Cloud Applications

Today the main limit to Cloud adoption is related to the perception of a security loss the users have. Indeed, the existing solutions to provide security are mainly focused on Cloud service provider prospective in order to securely integrate frameworks and Infrastructures as a Services in a Cloud datacenter. Customer could not monitor and evaluate the security mechanisms enforced by service provider. Service Level Agreements mainly focus on performance related terms and no guarantees are given for security mechanisms. Customers are interested in tools to verify and monitor the implemented security requirements. On the other hand, developers need tools to deploy Cloud applications offering measurable security grants to end users. In this paper, we propose an approach to implement security mechanisms as components in the application design process. We modeled security interactions according to the specific threat, the specific security requirements and user/application capabilities trying to improve security. It enables a Service Provider to offer security guarantees to customers. The approach has been designed to fit with different Cloud platforms, but to demonstrate its applicability, we will present a case study on the mOSAIC Platform.
Visual component composition using composition patterns

We improve current visual component composition environments by introducing composition patterns as first class objects that can be defined, stored and reused independently of the components. We document both components and composition patterns using an extended sequence diagram notation. For a component, typical usage protocols are specified while a composition pattern specifies how a set of roles interact. From this documentation, we check whether a component can work as described by a composition pattern using finite state automata theory and we generate glue-code for the composition. In this paper we present our approach, explain the checking algorithm and glue code generation and discuss the tool support we developed.
Evaporative Cooling of Gas Turbine Exhaust Gas: CFD Simulation, Experimental Verification and Sensitivity Analysis

When large amount of gas turbine hot exhaust gas is required to be cooled for reuse in a closed cycle system, the conventional cooling methods will no longer be successful. The great temperature difference, the little space available for cooling, the large speed by which the exhaust gas is expelled, and finally the low exhaust gas pressure represent a great challenge for such a practice. Evaporative cooling is increasingly used as an efficient method to enhance thermal comfort in exhaust gas recirculation. In a water spray system, a cloud of very fine water droplets is produced using pressure nozzles. Analysis of spray penetration and evaporation requires a careful integration of the process conditions such as exhaust gas velocity, nozzle spray pattern, and water flow rate. The droplet size distribution is a critical input to calculations of droplet trajectory, evaporation time, and quenching rate. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is considered a valuable tool when assessing the potential and performance of evaporative cooling. In this paper, a systematic evaluation of the Lagrangian-Eulerian (LE) approach for evaporative cooling provided by the use of a water spray system with a hollow-cone configuration of two nozzles differs in rate and particle size distribution is presented. The evaluation is based on grid-sensitivity analysis and verified using experimental measurements. The effect of the hot exhaust gas temperature, the cooling water flow rate and nozzle Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) is also presented. The results show that CFD simulation of evaporation by the LE approach, in spite of its limitations, can accurately predict the evaporation process. Finally, a good matching with the experimental measurements of the cooled exhaust gas temperature is achieved.
Deformation mechanism of forging tool for multi-stage forming of deep groove ball bearing

In this study, two design configurations routinely adopted in actual mass production for deep groove ball bearing rings of multi-stage warm forging process are investigated numerically and experimentally. The deformation mechanism, forging defects, microstructures, and compositions analysis are the main focus of this study. For type A design with a stepped configuration, inner and outer rings are automatically pierced and separated in the multi-step forging machine. On the other hand, for the type B geometry, additional step is required by the customized milling machine. For type A design, the main issue encountered during actual forging process is the inadequate material filling at the upper corner radius and folding defects at the transition area of inner wall of forgings. For type B design, the material flow is unsatisfactorily directed and lower outer radius is insufficiently filled. Therefore, variations of forging parameters include billet weight, punch/knock out pin geometry and the effect of lubricating fluid is systematically investigated. In addition, the finite element method has been performed and compared with the actual forging experiments. In summary, the modification of tooling design, dimension variation of billet weight, and the forging temperature difference as impacted by the lubricating fluid, which are identified as the three major factors of the forging integrity and stability of the mass production process. The results are particularly useful for the advanced tooling design and contribute largely to minimize the tool failure and the integrity of the bearing forged.
Cell wall composition throughout development for the model grass Brachypodium distachyon

Temperate perennial grasses are important worldwide as a livestock nutritive energy source and a potential feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuel production. The annual temperate grass Brachypodium distachyon has been championed as a useful model system to facilitate biological research in agriculturally important temperate forage grasses based on phylogenetic relationships. To physically corroborate genetic predictions, we determined the chemical composition profiles of organ-specific cell walls throughout the development of two common diploid accessions of Brachypodium distachyon, Bd21-3 and Bd21. Chemical analysis was performed on cell walls isolated from distinct organs (i.e., leaves, sheaths, stems, and roots) at three developmental stages of (1) 12-day seedling, (2) vegetative-to-reproductive transition, and (3) mature seed fill. In addition, we have included cell wall analysis of embryonic callus used for genetic transformations. Composition of cell walls based on components lignin, hydroxycinnamates, uronosyls, neutral sugars, and protein suggests that Brachypodium distachyon is similar chemically to agriculturally important forage grasses. There were modest compositional differences in hydroxycinnamate profiles between accessions Bd21-3 and Bd21. In addition, when compared to agronomical important C3 grasses, more mature Brachypodium stem cell walls have a relative increase in glucose of 48% and a decrease in lignin of 36%. Though differences exist between Brachypodium and agronomical important C3 grasses, Brachypodium distachyon should be still a useful model system for genetic manipulation of cell wall composition to determine the impact upon functional characteristics such as rumen digestibility or energy conversion efficiency for bioenergy production.
Heart phantom with electrical properties of heart muscle tissue

Abstract The weakened heart is supported by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood. In case the heart muscle recovers during LVAD therapy, the patient has to be weaned from the device. To date, there is no adequate method to detect heart muscle recovery in LVAD therapy. In order to establish a novel method based on the measurement of electric conductivity, this study presents a silicone model of a ventricle mock-up to simulate the electrical properties of cardiac muscle tissue. Previously, it has been shown that the electrical properties of myocardial tissue change during ischemia, so that these changes are a possible estimate for measuring the condition of myocardial tissue. To this purpose, this study presents a casting process for a ventricle model and describes the materials used to imitate the electrical properties of the heart muscle to obtain conductive material. Initial results showed that the higher the carbon concentration in the silicone, the higher the conductivity of the silicone samples. The measurements were performed at different frequencies and the samples were analyzed for homogenization.
The design of joint source and channel trellis waveform coders

The generalized Lloyd algorithm is applied to the design of joint source and channel trellis waveform coders to encode discrete-time continuous-amplitude stationary and ergodic sources operating over discrete memoryless noisy channels. Experimental results are provided for independent and autoregressive Gaussian sources, binary symmetric channels, and absolute error and squared error distortion measures. Performance of the joint codes is compared with the tandem combination of a trellis source code and a trellis channel code on the independent Gaussian source using the squared error distortion measure operating over an additive white Gaussian noise channel. It is observed that the jointly optimized codes achieve performance close to or better than that of separately optimized tandem codes of the same constraint length. Performance improvement via a predictive joint source and channel trellis code is demonstrated for the autoregressive Gaussian source using the squared error distortion measure.
Pursuing integration of performance measures into electronic medical records: beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist medications

Objective: Electronic medical records seldom integrate performance indicators into daily operations. Assessing quality indicators traditionally requires resource intensive chart reviews of small samples. We sought to use an electronic medical record to assess use of β-adrenergic antagonist medications (β-blockers) following myocardial infarction, to compare a standardized manual assessment with assessment using electronic medical records, and to discuss potential for future integration of performance indicators into electronic records. Design: Cross-sectional data analysis. Setting: An urban academic medical center. Participants: US Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age or older, admitted to hospital with myocardial infarction between 1995 and 1999. Measurements and main results: Manual chart review was compared with a computer driven assessment of electronic records. Administration of β-blockers and cases excluded from use of β-blockers were measured, based on Medicare criteria. Among 4490 older adults, 391 (4%) of 9018 hospital admissions contained codes for myocardial infarction. In 323 (83%) of the 391 hospital admissions, criteria for excluding β-blockers were met; 235 (60%) were excluded due to heart failure. Of 68 hospital admissions for myocardial infarction that did not meet exclusion criteria, physicians prescribed β-blockers in 49 (72%) on admission and 42 (62%) at discharge. Compared with manual chart review, electronic review had a sensitivity of 83–100% and led to fewer false negative findings. Conclusions: An electronic medical records system can be used instead of chart review to measure use of β-blockers after myocardial infarction. This should lead to integration of real time automated performance measurement into electronic medical records.
An audit of seafood consumption awareness during pregnancy and its association with maternal and fetal outcomes in a Turkish population

Summary This study was conducted to audit maternal seafood intake awareness during pregnancy and to determine whether there is an association between fish consumption and various pregnancy outcomes. In total, 553 low-risk and healthy pregnant women were given a questionnaire concerning fish consumption. Pregnant women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-term labour-birth, macrosomia, low birth weight and small for gestational age were analysed. Fatty fish consumers tended to have higher birth weight infants than lean fish consumers. Low fish consumption was significantly correlated with low birth weight and small for gestational age (SGA) infants. The more fatty fish that the low fish consumers consumed, the more likely they were to have SGA infants. Fish consumption did not have an impact on the development of gestational diabetes mellitus, macrosomia or pre-term labour-birth. Low fish consumption during pregnancy may be associated with the development of low birth weight and SGA infants in a Turkish population.
Multiple roles of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 in the formation of the mammalian forelimb zeugopod

Mutations in the 5′ or posterior murine Hox genes (paralogous groups 9-13) markedly affect the formation of the stylopod, zeugopod and autopod of both forelimbs and hindlimbs. Targeted disruption of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 or Hoxa10, Hoxc10 and Hoxd10 result in gross mispatterning of the radius and ulna or the femur, respectively. Similarly, in mice with disruptions of both Hoxa13 and Hoxd13, development of the forelimb and hindlimb autopod is severely curtailed. Although these examples clearly illustrate the major roles played by the posterior Hox genes, little is known regarding the stage or stages at which Hox transcription factors intersect with the limb development program to ensure proper patterning of the principle elements of the limb. Moreover, the cellular and/or molecular bases for the developmental defects observed in these mutant mice have not been described. In this study, we show that malformation of the forelimb zeugopod in Hoxa11/Hoxd11 double mutants is a consequence of interruption at multiple steps during the formation of the radius and ulna. In particular, reductions in the levels of Fgf8 and Fgf10 expression may be related to the observed delay in forelimb bud outgrowth that, in turn, leads to the formation of smaller mesenchymal condensations. However, the most significant defect appears to be the failure to form normal growth plates at the proximal and distal ends of the zeugopod bones. As a consequence, growth and maturation of these bones is highly disorganized, resulting in the creation of amorphous bony elements, rather than a normal radius and ulna.
Business Cycle Accounting for International Financial Crises : The Link Between Banks and the Investment Wedge

While three generations of models have studied the causes of financial crises, less is known about the mechanisms by which crises lead to output drops. One unresolved question is whether the mechanisms behind output drops are similar across episodes. To address this question, we apply the Business Cycle Accounting (BCA) methodology by Chari et al. (2007) to a sample of crises. While the efficiency wedge is invariably the most important one, the relevance of the labor and investment wedges varies depending on the size of the output drop and the severity of banking problems—as measured by bank closures, nonperforming loans and credit flows. Typically, in cases with smaller output drops and milder banking crises, the labor wedge tends to be more important than the investment wedge. The opposite is true in cases, such as those in East Asia in 1997/98, with larger output drops and severe banking problems. JEL Classification: E13; E32; G01; O47
Molecular Dynamics Simulations on the Tensile Deformation and Failure of a Polyethylene/Copper Interface

In this study, a microscale interface consisting of amorphous polyethylene (PE) chains with the united-atom (UA) model and face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal copper as the substrate was established. Moving the copper layer with a given rate, the damage evolution of the interface during the tensile deformation was examined by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The stress-strain relationship was obtained to capture the evolution of tensile deformation. The distribution of the temperature field was adopted to predict the damage initiation and the failure mode. The phase diagram of the failure mode with respect to the thickness of the PE layer and the loading rate was provided. The results show that the PE layer with smaller thickness brings higher load-bearing capacity with larger yield strength. As for the rate-dependence, a rate-hardening followed by a rate-softening of yield strength was observed. In addition, the failure modes evolves from cohesive failure to interfacial one as the loading rate of tension increases progressively. It can be assumed that the control parameter on the failure mode changes from pure material strength of PE to the bonding strength between PE and copper. Furthermore, a larger thickness of PE layer leads to the cohesive failure with higher probability under a narrow range of loading rate with small values. However, the thickness-dependence of failure mode attenuates gradually and diminishes ultimately under higher loading rate, which leads to the transformation from mixed mode to interfacial one.
Molecular changes in the esophageal epithelium after a subchronic exposure to cigarette smoke in the presence of bile-acid reflux

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux of bile acids plays an important role in the development of Barrett’s esophagus (BE)–associated esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Cigarette smoke has been demonstrated to exacerbate the effects of reflux and thus the initial stages of EAC carcinogenesis. To date, no in vivo studies have been conducted to look at the concomitant effects of cigarette smoke and bile acids on EAC incidence. Methods: In this pilot study, rats that underwent esophagoduodenal anastomosis (EDA) surgery to induce reflux were exposed to whole-body cigarette smoke 3 weeks after surgery. Smoke exposure (135 mg/m3/day) was done for 4 h/day for 5 consecutive days and animals were euthanized after a 48-h recovery period. Results: Exposure to EDA-smoke accelerated the development of BE when compared to EDA-air. The presence of reflux caused a significant 3.5-fold increase in nuclear factor-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) staining (1.47 ± 0.6; p = 0.01). Animals with both reflux and smoking had the highest (10-fold; 4 ± 0.9) induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression (p < 0.05). Similarly, there was a 10-fold increase in 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) protein adducts identified in all smoke-exposed animals (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Cigarette smoke aggravates reflux-induced BE and potentially accelerates the progression of BE to EAC through the loss of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and overexpression of NF-κB- and COX-2-mediated factors.