Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidural Clonidine Used as the Sole Analgesic Agent during and after Abdominal Surgery: A Dose‐Response Study

Background Many studies have shown the beneficial effect of epidural clonidine in postoperative pain management. In these studies, the patients received local anesthetics, opioids, or both in combination with clonidine. Due to the interactive potentiation of those drugs, the importance of the intrinsic analgesic properties of the alpha2 ‐adrenoceptor agonist is difficult to establish. The authors investigated the analgesic potency of epidural clonidine when used as the sole analgesic agent during and after major abdominal surgery. Methods Fifty young adult patients undergoing intestinal surgery under general anesthesia with propofol were studied. At induction, the patients received epidurally either an initial dose of 2 micro gram/kg clonidine followed by an infusion of 0.5 micro gram [center dot] kg‐1 [center dot] h‐1 (group 1, n = 10) or 4 micro gram/kg followed by 1 micro gram [center dot] kg‐1 [center dot] h‐1 (group 2, n = 20) or 8 micro gram [center dot] kg‐1 [center dot] h‐1 followed by an infusion of 2 micro gram [center dot] kg‐1 [center dot] h‐1 (group 3, n = 20). During the operation, increases in arterial blood pressure or heart rate that did not respond to a propofol bolus (0.5 mg/kg) were treated with a bolus of intravenous lidocaine (1 mg/kg). Three successive injections were allowed. When baseline values were not restored, opioids were added and the patient was removed from the study. After operation, the clonidine infusions were maintained for 12 h. During this period and at every 30 min, sedation scores and visual analog scale values at rest and at cough were noted. In case of subjective scores up to 5 cm at rest or up to 8 cm at cough, the patients were given access to a patient‐controlled analgesia device that delivered epidural bupivacaine. The end point of the study was reached once the patient activated the analgesic delivery button. Results During surgery, 60% of patients in group 1 compared with 33% of patients in group 2 and only 5% of patients in group 3 were removed from the study protocol because of inadequate anesthesia (P < 0.05). After operation, epidural clonidine provided complete analgesia lasting 30 +/‐ 21 min in group 1 compared with 251 + 237 min in group 2 or 369 +/‐ 256 min in group 3 (P < 0.05 for group 1 vs. groups 2 and 3 and group 2 vs. group 3). Conclusions Epidural clonidine used as the sole analgesic agent provided dose‐dependent control of the hemodynamic changes associated with surgical stimulation. It also produced dose‐dependent postoperative analgesia without major side effects.
Improved cardiorespiratory endurance following 6 months of resistance exercise in elderly men and women.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of 6 months of high- or low-intensity resistance exercise on aerobic capacity and treadmill time to exhaustion in adults aged 60 to 83 years. METHODS Sixty-two men and women completed the study protocol. Subjects were matched for strength and randomly assigned to a control (n = 16), low-intensity exercise (LEX, n = 24), or high-intensity exercise (HEX, n = 22) group. Subjects trained at either 50% of their one repetition maximum (1-RM) for 13 repetitions (LEX) or 80% of 1-RM for 8 repetitions (HEX) 3 times per week for 24 weeks. One set each of 12 exercises was performed. Strength was measured for the leg press, chest press, leg curl, leg extension, overhead press, biceps curl, seated row, and triceps dip. Muscular endurance was measured for the leg press and chest press. Aerobic capacity (peak oxygen consumption [VO(2)peak]) was measured during an incremental treadmill test (Naughton). Treadmill time to exhaustion was measured as the time to exhaustion during the incremental exercise test. RESULTS The 1-RM significantly increased (P< or =.05) for all exercises tested for both the HEX and LEX groups. Aerobic capacity increased (P< or =.05) by 23.5% (20.2 to 24.7 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and by 20.1% (20.9 to 24.4 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) for the LEX and HEX groups, respectively. Treadmill time increased (P< or =.05) by 26.4% and 23.3% for the LEX and HEX groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Significant improvements in aerobic capacity and treadmill time to exhaustion can be obtained in older adults as a consequence of either high- or low-intensity resistance exercise. These findings suggest that increased strength, as a consequence of resistance exercise training, may allow older adults to reach and/or improve their aerobic capacity.
Offloading Surrogates Characterization via Mobile Crowdsensing

This paper uses data mining of a mobile crowdsensed dataset of passive WiFi scans to define attributes that can characterize a chaotic WiFi deployment with respect to offloading opportunities. Besides indicators of signal quality, we define indicators of contact windows and contact opportunities with an Access Point (AP). We apply k-means clustering to identify classes of APs, and observe that interference metrics are more relevant than plain RSSI; that contact window metrics can be estimated using only APs' coverage data; and that popularity and importance can characterize APs whether the offloading targets many or only a few users.
Integration of a state of the art ECoG recording ASIC into a fully implantable electronic environment

A fully implantable system for BCI studies has been designed around a state of the art ECoG recording ASIC. The device is able to record on 64 electrodes with selectable gain and sampling frequency, with less than 0. 7μVRMS input referred noise in the [0.5Hz - 300Hz] band. It is powered remotely through an inductive link at 13.56MHz, communicates wirelessly on the MICS band at 402MHz with a custom designed base station connected to a PC and complies with the regulations applicable to class III AIMD. The architecture and design choices are detailed and the performances are compared with respect to other existing systems.
Discourse analysis for considering emotional effects on others

We developed a system for extracting Discounted Utterances(DUs) and evaluating them. We defined the DU as “Utterance which was ignored by others in a conversation in spite of its potential. ” We aim to mine participants' unique stories and specialized knowledge based on their experiences from DUs. The proposed system is designed for considering emotional effects on others in conversations. We analyzed a meeting of toilet design as a case study. Each participant here has his/her own specialty. The system extracted DUs as triggers for mining the unique stories. We employed double helical model in Chance Discovery to the system. The study shows the significance of the system, and makes it clear that the DU in this paper is not just ignored in the conversation and includes speakers' unspoken stories based on speakers' own experiences. These stories are useful for the development of systems. Besides, some of DUs indicated the sense of existing values. By utilizing DUs, the system can also provide opportunities to improve existing systems.
Gradient-Based Algorithm for Determining Tumor Volumes in Small Animals Using Planar Fluorescence Imaging Platform

Planar fluorescence imaging is widely used in biological research because of its simplicity, use of nonionizing radiation, and high-throughput data acquisition. In cancer research, where small animal models are used to study the in vivo effects of cancer therapeutics, the output of interest is often the tumor volume. Unfortunately, inaccuracies in determining tumor volume from surface-weighted projection fluorescence images undermine the data, and alternative physical or conventional tomographic approaches are prone to error or are tedious for most laboratories. Here, we report a method that uses a priori knowledge of a tumor xenograft model, a tumor-targeting near infrared probe, and a custom-developed image analysis planar view tumor volume algorithm (PV-TVA) to estimate tumor volume from planar fluorescence images. Our algorithm processes images obtained using near infrared light for improving imaging depth in tissue in comparison with light in the visible spectrum. We benchmarked our results against the actual tumor volume obtained from a standard water volume displacement method. Compared with a caliper-based method that has an average deviation from an actual volume of 18% (204.34 ± 115.35 mm3), our PV-TVA average deviation from the actual volume was 9% (97.24 ± 70.45 mm3; P < .001). Using a normalization-based analysis, we found that bioluminescence imaging and PV-TVA average deviations from actual volume were 36% and 10%, respectively. The improved accuracy of tumor volume assessment from planar fluorescence images, rapid data analysis, and the ease of archiving images for subsequent retrieval and analysis potentially lend our PV-TVA method to diverse cancer imaging applications.
Imaging , Diagnosis , Prognosis Improved Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Breast TumorswithMultiparametric 18 FluorodeoxyglucosePositron Emission Tomography Magnetic Resonance Imaging : A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To assess whether multiparametric fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (MP FDG PET-MRI) using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), three-dimensional protonMRspectroscopic imaging (3DH-MRSI), and FDG-PET enables an improved differentiation of benign and malignant breast tumors. Experimental Design: Seventy-six female patients (mean age, 55.7 years; range, 25–86 years) with an imaging abnormality (BI-RADS 0, 4–5) were included in this Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study. Patients underwent fused PET-MRI of the breast with FDG-PET/CT and MP MRI at 3T. The likelihood ofmalignancy was assessed for all single parameters, forMPMRIwith two/three parameters, and for MP FDG PET-MRI. Histopathology was used as the standard of reference. Appropriate statistical tests were used to assess sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for each assessment combination. Results: There were 53 malignant and 23 benign breast lesions. MP FDG PET-MRI yielded a significantly higher area under the cure (AUC) of 0.935 than DCE-MRI (AUC, 0.86; P 1⁄4 0.044) and the combination of DCE-MRI and another parameter (AUC, 0.761–0.826; P 1⁄4 0.013–0.020). MP FDG PETMRI showed slight further improvement to MPMRI with three parameters (AUC, 0.925; P1⁄4 0.317). Using MP FDGPET-MRI there would have been a reduction of the unnecessary breast biopsies recommended by MP imaging with one or two parameters (P 1⁄4 0.002–0.011). Conclusion: This feasibility study shows thatMP FDGPET-MRI enables an improved differentiation of benign andmalignant breast tumors when several MRI and PET parameters are combined. MP FDG PETMRI may lead to a reduction in unnecessary breast biopsies. Clin Cancer Res; 1–10. 2014 AACR.
Multipathing, reciprocal traveltime fields and raylets

SUMMARY A new theory for the calculation of later seismic arrivals in heterogeneous media is presented. We introduce the concept of a ‘raylet’, which is a segment of a later arriving ray path between source and receiver defined by joint properties of forward and reciprocal traveltime fields. We show that all rays between a single source and receiver in arbitrary heterogeneous media can be divided into a unique set of raylets, any one of which can be used to construct the complete two-point path. A particularly useful property of raylets is that they correspond to stationary curves in the summed (forward and reciprocal) traveltime fields, i.e. adding the first (or second, or even later) arriving traveltime field from some point A to the first (or second, or even later) arriving traveltime field from some point B. We show that many raylets, each corresponding to a later arriving phase, require only earlier arrival traveltime fields for their construction. The theory describing the properties of raylets is the primary result of the paper. One practical consequence is that many later arrivals between source and receiver in heterogeneous media can be found from just two first-arrival traveltime fields, one from the source and the other (the reciprocal field) from the receiver. The theory and a method for constructing later arrivals is demonstrated though numerical experiments in 2-D but holds without change in 3-D. We use a simple grid-based eikonal solver to compute forward and reciprocal first-arrival traveltime fields, and validate our results with a ray-based wave front construction (WFC) technique. In one test involving a simple wave front triplication (or swallowtail), all three arrivals are retrieved. In another example featuring severe velocity heterogeneities, 16 out of a total of 37 arrivals are found. The theory shows that combining second and higher order traveltime fields from source and receiver yields all raylets and hence all later arrivals. In practice only first-arrival traveltime fields are usually available and for this case we describe a simple procedure to find any remaining arrivals using intermediate artificial sources together with their first-arrival traveltime fields. The properties of raylets and their manifestation in the joint traveltime field appears to be a previously unrecognized feature and provides a novel new approach to the calculation of later arrivals.
The Isolation and Partial Characterization of A Babesia Sp. From Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni)

ABSTRACT. A novel Babesia parasite of desert bighorn sheep was isolated. Its taxonomic description, host range, pathogenicity and antigenic relatedness were in vestigated. the parasite was infective for black‐tailed and white‐tailed deer, but with host‐specific differences compared to that of bighorn sheep. A splenectomized calf and domestic sheep were refractory to infection. A comparative immunofluorescence assay detected antigens cross‐reactive with Babesia odocoilei, B. divergens, B. equi and B. caballi, but not with B. bovis or, B. bigemina. Babesia odocoilei was also infective for bighorn sheep, allowing comparison by a cross‐challenge experiment, the results of which supported the conclusion that this parasite was not B. odocoilei. However, the bighorn sheep Babesia cannot currently be distinguished from B. capreoli described from roe deer in northern Germany. Data indicate that, while this parasite may not present a problem for domestic animals, it may cause disease in bighorn sheep and deer populations.
trans-3,4,5′-Trihydroxystibene Inhibits Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells

trans-3,4,5′-Trihydroxystibene (resveratrol) is a natural product commonly found in the human diet and has been shown recently to have anticancer effects on various human cancer cells. However, the molecular basis for its anticancer action remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of resveratrol on hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in human ovarian cancer cells A2780/CP70 and OVCAR-3. We found that although resveratrol did not affect HIF-1α mRNA levels, it did dramatically inhibit both basal-level and growth factor-induced HIF-1α protein expression in the cells. Resveratrol also greatly inhibited VEGF expression. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that resveratrol inhibited HIF-1α and VEGF expression through multiple mechanisms. First, resveratrol inhibited AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, which played a partial role in the down-regulation of HIF-1α expression. Second, resveratrol inhibited insulin-like growth factor 1-induced HIF-1α expression through the inhibition of protein translational regulators, including Mr 70,000 ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1, S6 ribosomal protein, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1, and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E. Finally, we showed that resveratrol substantially induced HIF-1α protein degradation through the proteasome pathway. Our data suggested that resveratrol may inhibit human ovarian cancer progression and angiogenesis by inhibiting HIF-1α and VEGF expression and thus provide a novel potential mechanism for the anticancer action of resveratrol.
Multi-input control-affine systems static feedback equivalent to a triangular form and their flatness

ABSTRACT In this paper, we give a complete geometric characterisation of systems locally static feedback equivalent to a triangular form compatible with the chained form, for m = 1, respectively with the m-chained form, for m ≥ 2, where the number of controls is m + 1. They are x-flat systems. We provide a system of first-order PDE's to be solved in order to find all x-flat outputs, for m = 1, respectively all minimal x-flat outputs, for m ≥ 2. We illustrate our results by examples, in particular, by an application to a mechanical system: the coin rolling without slipping on a moving table.
Video Modeling and Imaging Training on Performance of Tennis Service of 9- to 12-Year-Old Children

The purpose of this work is to analyze, in a pilot study, the effects of video modeling and imagery training over 24 weeks on tennis service performance. Three groups of 9- to 12-yr. -old tennis players participated: (a) a physical practice group, who received physical training, (b) a physical practice + video group who received physical training plus watched a video modeling mental training, and (c) a physical practice + video + imagery group who received physical training plus video modeling and imagery mental training. The results for the intragroup pre-posttest comparisons showed that tennis performance did not significantly improve for the physical training group. The groups given mental training showed improvement from pre- to postintervention. Finally, the posttest comparison between groups indicated that diere were significant differences between the group given physical training only compared to the groups given mental training but that the latter two did not differ significantly from each other.
DNA synthesis in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts

Abstract. The relationship between relative rates of DNA synthesis and DNA content in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts (BS cells) was investigated by flow cytometry. The cells were pulse labelled with 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU). The BrdU content and cellular DNA content of individual BS cells were simultaneously measured by flow cytometry in which the cells were double‐stained by a FITC‐conjugated anti BrdU monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the BrdU content (green) and by PI (propidium iodide) (red) for total DNA content. Their red fluorescence histograms were analysed by a microcomputer to evaluate the cell fractions of each S compartment. The BrdU uptake in the early S phase of BS cells was lower than that of normal cells (fibroblasts from skin of a normal human), whereas the uptake in the middle and late S phase was essentially the same as that of normal cells. The early S phase in BS cells accounted for over 50% of the S phase cells. These findings suggest that, in comparison with normal cells, the rate of DNA synthesis in the early S phase of BS cells is lower, but is identical to controls in the middle and late S phases.
Bacterial communities in commercial aircraft high‐efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters assessed by PhyloChip analysis

Abstract Air travel can rapidly transport infectious diseases globally. To facilitate the design of biosensors for infectious organisms in commercial aircraft, we characterized bacterial diversity in aircraft air. Samples from 61 aircraft high‐efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters were analyzed with a custom microarray of 16S rRNA gene sequences (PhyloChip), representing bacterial lineages. A total of 606 subfamilies from 41 phyla were detected. The most abundant bacterial subfamilies included bacteria associated with humans, especially skin, gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, and with water and soil habitats. Operational taxonomic units that contain important human pathogens as well as their close, more benign relatives were detected. When compared to 43 samples of urban outdoor air, aircraft samples differed in composition, with higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria lineages in aircraft samples, and higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Betaproteobacteria lineages in outdoor air samples. In addition, aircraft and outdoor air samples differed in the incidence of taxa containing human pathogens. Overall, these results demonstrate that HEPA filter samples can be used to deeply characterize bacterial diversity in aircraft air and suggest that the presence of close relatives of certain pathogens must be taken into account in probe design for aircraft biosensors. Practical Implications A biosensor that could be deployed in commercial aircraft would be required to function at an extremely low false alarm rate, making an understanding of microbial background important. This study reveals a diverse bacterial background present on aircraft, including bacteria closely related to pathogens of public health concern. Furthermore, this aircraft background is different from outdoor air, suggesting different probes may be needed to detect airborne contaminants to achieve minimal false alarm rates. This study also indicates that aircraft HEPA filters could be used with other molecular techniques to further characterize background bacteria and in investigations in the wake of a disease outbreak.
Determinants of the Seasonal Migration of the Elderly to Sunbelt States

For the first time in 1980, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled information relating to seasonal migration. More than one-half million persons were identified as nonpermanent residents of the localities in which they were living on the census day. Interpreting these data as measures of temporary migration flows, this article uses this information for the states of Arizona and Florida to investigate the nature of the seasonal migration of the elderly to Sunbelt states every winter.
Prevalence and Management of Invalid GeneXpert Enterovirus Results Obtained with Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples: a 2-Year Study

ABSTRACT A total of 525 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples submitted during the 2007 and 2008 enteroviral seasons were included in a study to determine the prevalence of and potential risk factors for invalid Cepheid GeneXpert enterovirus assay (GXEA) results, as well as possible solutions for the problem. The invalid GXEA results were reported for 43 (8.2%) specimens and correlated with increased visibility of red blood cells (P < 0.0001) but not with CSF xanthochromia and clotting. Invalid GXEA result rates were markedly diminished by 82.1% and 96.0% and test sensitivities were minimally decreased by 1.7% and 3.6% when these specimens were tested at a 1:5 dilution and after a freeze-thaw cycle, respectively.
Modified integrated circuit interface based on M×N-ary variable width period modulation

A modified IC interface based on M×N-ary variable width period modulation is proposed to reduce the complexity of circuit design, and to improve the data transfer rate of a bandwidth-limited system. A demonstration system is built by using two Field Programmable Gate Arrays to simulate the transceiver functions in a RS232 bus, and to verify the feasibility and validity of the interface proposed. Theoretical analysis and experimental results indicates that, the interface proposed can be used not only to reduce the bandwidth and the switching frequency requirements, thereby reducing the design complexity of a high-speed system, but also to increase the data transfer rate of a bandwidth-limited system. Experimental results indicate that a data transfer rate of more than 1.1 Mbps can be achieved using the interface proposed in a RS232 serial bus without any other change in hardware circuit.