Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-invasive measurements of cardiac output in atrial fibrillation: Inert gas rebreathing and impedance cardiography

Abstract Background. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To test the effect of interventions, knowledge of cardiac output (CO) is important. However, the irregular heart rate might cause some methods for determination of CO to have inherent weaknesses. Objective. To assess the validity of these methods in AF, a new inert gas rebreathing device and impedance cardiography was tested with echocardiography as reference. Methods. Using a cross-sectional design, 127 patients with AF and 24 in SR were consecutively recruited. Resting CO was measured using inert gas rebreathing (n = 62) or impedance measurement of intrathoracic blood flow (n = 89) in separate studies with echocardiographic measurement as reference. Results. CO determined with impedance cardiography was mean 4.77 L/min ± 2.24(SD) compared to 4.93 L/min ± 1.17 by echocardiography (n = 89, n.s.) in patients with AF. CO by inert gas rebreathing was 4.98 L/min ± 2.49(SD) compared to 5.70 L/min ± 2.49 by echocardiography (n = 62, n.s.) in patients with AF and SR (AF 5.42 ± 2.9 vs. 6.27, n.s. and SR 4.09 ± 1.08 vs. 4.35 ± 0.86, n.s.). Mean bias between impedance cardiography and echocardiography was 0.14 ± 0.95 L/min and −0.13 ± 0.98 L/min between inert gas rebreathing and echocardiography. Inert gas rebreathing showed larger intra-patient variation than impedance cardiography (0.11 vs. 0.054). Correlation between inert gas rebreathing and echocardiography was r = −0.060 and between impedance cardiography and echocardiography was r = 0.128. Impedance cardiography and inert gas rebreathing both underestimated CO compared to echocardiography. Conclusion. Variation between the inert gas rebreathing and the reference method for AF patients was less than desired. Impedance cardiography was superior to inert gas rebreathing and showed acceptable agreement with echocardiography and variability similar to echocardiography.
National Survey for Drug-Resistant Variants in Newly Diagnosed Antiretroviral Drug-Naive Patients With HIV/AIDS in South Korea: 1999-2005

We investigated the prevalence of drug-resistant variants and assessed their severity against antiretroviral drugs among patients in South Korea. Three hundred antiretroviral drug-naive patients were collected and drug-resistant variants were analyzed using the Stanford database with sequences and mutation data of the HIV-1 genes for protease (codons 1-99) and reverse transcriptase (codons 1-250). Of this group, 199 isolates (66.3%) showed at least 1 or more sites related to drug resistance. However, the average prevalence of drug resistance for patients newly diagnosed with HIV-1 but still treatment-naive between 1999 and 2005 was very low (4.3%, by “SIR” interpretation) compared with other countries. Most of the newly infected patients carried HIV subtype B (96%, n = 288) based on phylogenetic analysis of the conserved pol region. In summary, there has been no significant increase in the prevalence of drug resistance among antiretroviral drug-naive patients infected with HIV-1 for the last 7 years in South Korea. This study is quite significant regarding its larger scale of prevalence study for drug-resistant variants comparing to other drug-resistant studies using small scale of populations in South Korea. It is also important to provide suitable guidelines of genotyping assays for Korean drug-naive patients.
Turnover and Associated Factors in Asian Foreign-Educated Nurses

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study are to (1) describe the gap between expected and perceived organizational experiences among Asian foreign-educated nurses (FENs) in the United States and (2) to examine factors associated with turnover in their 1st year of employment. BACKGROUND: Little is known about factors associated with turnover among Asian FENs. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with a convenience sampling was conducted. Subjects (n = 201) responded either via Web-based or mail survey. A series of simple and multivariable logistic regressions were used. RESULTS: Expectations of FENs before organizational entry were significantly higher than their experiences. The FENs who reported less organizational responsibility than expected were more likely to leave their 1st employment to move to another organization or unit. CONCLUSION: This study may contribute to our understanding of the potential factors that assist or interfere with the organization’s administrative retention plan for Asian FENs.
Amino acid sequence specificities of an adhesive recognition signal

Synthetic peptides derived from the cell‐binding domain of fibronectin have previously been found to inhibit fibronectin‐mediated adhesion in vitro competitively and reversibly, as well as inhibiting cell migratory events in vivo. The amino acid sequence specificity required for this inhibitory activity has been examined further using variations of the originally identified active peptide sequences. The most active small peptide was found to be the pentapeptide Gly‐Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐Ser. Although the tetrapeptide Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐Ser was found to retain substantial activity, it was approximately threefold less active. An “inverted” peptide sequence with these same four amino acids arranged in the mirror sym‐metrical sequence Ser‐Asp‐Gly‐Arg was found to be nearly as active as the forward sequence. However, the same inverted tetrapeptide sequence embedded in a synthetic decapeptide derived from a sequence of histocompatibility antigens has minimal activity, suggesting the importance of adjacent sequences in modifying the activity of such peptides. Neither substitution of amino acids of the same charge nor reversal of the positions of the two charged amino acids retains biological activity. Decreasing the spacing between the charged residues also causes a loss of activity. Our results suggest the hypothesis that this adhesive recognition signal consists of a specific arrangement of one acidic and one basic charged group and additional information provided by adjacent amino acids.
Heterogenization of remaining biodiversity in fragmented tropical forests across agricultural landscapes

The increasing worldwide interest on the conservation of tropical forests reflects the conversion of over 50% of their area into agricultural lands and other uses. Understanding the distribution of remaining biodiversity across agricultural landscapes is an essential task to guide future conservation strategies. To understand the long-term effects of fragmentation on biodiversity, we investigated whether forest fragments in southeastern Brazil are under a taxonomic homogenization or heterogenization process. We estimated pre-deforestation species richness and composition based on a Species Distribution Modelling approach, and compared them to the observed patterns of α- and β-diversity. In particular, we asked (i) if changes in β-diversity reveal convergence or divergence on species composition; (ii) if these changes are similar between forest fragments in Strictly Protected Areas (SPAs) (n=20) and within private lands (n=367) and in different regions of the state (West, Center, and Southeast). We detected steep reductions in observed local species richness in relation to our modeled predictions, and this was particularly true among forest fragments in non-protected private lands. The higher observed β diversity indicated an overall biotic heterogenization process, consistent with the idea that the originally diverse vegetation is now reduced to small and isolated patches, with unique disturbance histories and impoverished communities derived from a large regional species pool. Since conservation of biodiversity extends beyond the boundaries of strictly Protected Areas, we advocate forest fragments are valuable for conservation in agricultural landscapes, with particular relevance for private lands, which represent the most exposed and neglected share of what is left.
Fatigue behavior of dental resin composites: flexural fatigue in vitro versus 6 years in vivo.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate fatigue behavior of direct resin composite restorations (Tetric Ceram vs. Grandio) in vitro and in vivo over an observation period of 6 years. METHODS For the in vitro part, Young's moduli (YM) were calculated and both initial (FS: flexural strength) and fatigue flexural strength (FFL: flexural fatigue limit) were evaluated in a four-point bending setup (n = 15) in distilled water at 37°C. For the in vivo part, 30 patients received 68 direct resin composite restorations of the same materials (Grandio bonded with Solobond M; Tetric Ceram bonded with Syntac). Patients revealed a minimum of two different class II restorations in different quadrants. Epoxy replicas of restored teeth were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at 30× magnification for fatigue characteristics, and 11 selected restorations per group were assessed for marginal fatigue characteristics at 200×. RESULTS In vitro, YM was 15.7 GPa (Grandio) and 8.7 GPa (Tetric Ceram; p < 0.05), FS was 115.0 MPa (Grandio) versus 101.5 MPa (Tetric Ceram; p > 0.05), and FFL was 63.0 MPa (Grandio) versus 44.3 MPa (Tetric Ceram; p < 0.05). In vivo, no significant difference in fatigue behavior (cracks, chippings) was evaluated for the different materials under investigation. However, marginal breakdown was more pronounced under the SEM for Tetric Ceram (7.9% vs. 4.8% for Grandio; p < 0.05), but without being clinically relevant. SEM analysis exhibited distinct wear patterns after 6 years with no significant differences among materials as well. SIGNIFICANCES Despite higher in vitro values for YM, FS, and FFL for Grandio, clinical outcome for both resin composite materials over 6 years of clinical service was similar. Higher FFLs in vitro seem to be related to less marginal composite fractures in vivo but without any influence on clinical outcome until the 6 years recall.
The Indian Medical Council (professional conduct, etiquette and ethics) regulations, 2002.

New Delhi dated the 11 March, 2002 No. MCI211(2)2001-Regn. In exercise of the powers conferred under section 20A read with section 33(m) of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (102 of 1956), the Medical Council of India, with the previous approval of the Central Government, hereby makes the following regulations relating to the Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics for registered medical practitioners, namely:
Simulation and application of GPR in Artificial Freezing Engineering

In Artificial Freezing Engineering(AFE), the distribution of freezing soil and its defects are important to engineering safety. Based on relative permittivity measured by vector network analyzer, electromagnetic models of artificial freezing walls were made. Then Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) exploration of AFE was simulated by Time Domain Finite Element Method (TD-FEM) coupled with freezing temperature calculation. GPR were also used in AFE exploration. The research results show that GPR exploration and numerical simulation are in good accordance with each other.
Utility Scores In Patients With Oxygen-Dependent COPD: A Case-Control Study

Abstract Background: Utility measures that summarize the health-related quality of life of an individual using a single number usually between 0 (death) and 1 (full health) are useful to quantify the benefits of health care interventions in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and to help prioritizing limited health resources from cost-effectiveness analyses among patients with different health conditions. Objective: To determine utility scores in patients with oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Patients with oxygen-dependent COPD (the cases) were matched, on a 1:2 basis, to COPD controls according to gender, age (± 5 years) and FEV1 (±5% predicted). Utility scores were obtained from the SF-6D, a measure derived from the SF-36. Results: From a cohort of 102 patients with oxygen-dependent COPD, 68 (42 men; mean age: 71 years; mean FEV1: 35% predicted) were successfully matched with 136 controls. We found clinically and statistically significant differences in mean utility scores between cases (0.588 ± 0.071) and controls (0.627 ± 0.085; p = 0.001). The same differences were observed in men and women. Conclusion: Oxygen-dependence adds to the burden of disease in terms of quality of life. These utility scores may be useful in cost-utility analyses involving patients with oxygen-dependent COPD.
Ab initio calculations of BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 (001) and (011) surface structures

We present and discuss the results of calculations of surface relaxations and rumplings for the (001) and (011) surfaces of BaTiO3 and PbTiO3, using a hybrid B3PW description of exchange and correlation. On the (001) surfaces, we consider both AO (A = Ba or Pb) and TiO2 terminations. In the former case, the surface AO layer is found to relax inward for both materials, while outward relaxations of all atoms in the second layer are found at both kinds of (001) terminations and for both materials. The surface relaxation energies of BaO and TiO2 terminations on BaTiO3 (001) are found to be comparable, as are those of PbO and TiO2 on PbTiO3 (001), although in both cases the relaxation energy is slightly larger for the TiO2 termination. As for the (011) surfaces, we consider three types of surfaces, terminating on a TiO layer, a Ba or Pb layer, or an O layer. Here, the relaxation energies are much larger for the TiO-terminated than for the Ba or Pb-terminated surfaces. The relaxed surface energy for the O-terminated surface is about the same as the corresponding average of the TiO and Pb-terminated surfaces on PbTiO3, but much less than the average of the TiO and Ba-terminated surfaces on BaTiO3. We predict a considerable increase of the Ti-O chemical bond covalency near the BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 (011) surface as compared to both the bulk and the (001) surface.
ArtForm: a tool for exploring the codebase of form-based websites

We describe ArtForm, a tool for exploring the codebase of dynamic data-driven websites where users enter data via forms. ArtForm extends an instrumented browser, so it can directly implement user interactions, adding in symbolic and concolic execution of JavaScript. The tool supports a range of exploration modes with varying degrees of user intervention. It includes a number of adaptations of concolic execution to the setting of form-based web programs.
Characterization of Yeast Yea4p, a Uridine Diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine Transporter Localized in the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Required for Chitin Synthesis*

Chitin is an essential cell wall component, synthesis of which is regulated throughout the cell cycle in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We cloned an S. cerevisiae gene, YEA4, whose product is homologous to the Kluyveromyces lactis uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) transporter. An epitope-tagged Yea4p localized mainly in the 10,000 ×g pellet (P2), suggesting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) localization. Membrane vesicles from the P2 fraction showed an 8-fold higher UDP-GlcNAc transport activity in cells harboring a multicopyYEA4 plasmid than in cells harboring vector alone. The activity distribution is identical with the protein distribution in P2, whether the gene is overexpressed or not, suggesting its native localization in P2. Immunolocalization of epitope-tagged Yea4p further revealed ER localization. The increase in transport activity due to theYEA4 overexpression is specific for UDP-GlcNAc, but not for UDP-galactose and GDP-mannose. Δyea4-disrupted cells showed a reduced rate of UDP-GlcNAc transport, contained less chitin, and were larger and rounder in shape than the wild type cells. Our results indicate that YEA4 encodes an ER-localized UDP-GlcNAc transporter that is required for cell wall chitin synthesis in S. cerevisiae.
Development of online machine vision system using support vector regression (SVR) algorithm for grade prediction of iron ores

The present study attempts to develop a machine vision system for continuous monitoring of grades of iron ores during transportation through conveyor belts. The machine vision system was developed using the support vector regression (SVR) algorithm. A radial basis function (RBF) kernel was used for the development of optimized hyperplane by transforming input space into large dimensional feature space. A set of 39-image features (27-colour and 12-texture) were extracted from each of the 88-captured images of iron ore samples. The grade values of iron ore samples corresponding to the 88-captured images were analyzed in the laboratory. The SVR model was developed using the optimized feature subset obtained using a genetic algorithm. The correlation coefficient between the actual grades and model predicted grades for testing samples was found to be 0.8244.
Novel identification of expressed genes and functional classification of hypothetical proteins from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A

To implement the 2‐DE database of serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis (MenA) and improve its potential of investigation in bacterial biology, cell extracts were separated by tricine‐SDS‐PAGE and 131 novel proteins were identified by μLC‐ESI‐IT‐MS/MS. These identifications extended to 404, the number of MenA gene expression products characterized at the proteome level, approximately covering 20% of the total ORFs predicted from genome sequence. This technical approach was particularly useful in ascertaining expression of ribosomal as well as hypothetical proteins. Particular attention was paid to functional characterization of hypothetical proteins by means of software analyses and database searches.
Teratogenicity of patulin and patulin adducts formed with cysteine

The mean lethal dose of patulin for the chicken embryo injected in the air cell before incubation was determined to be 68.7 mug and that for the 4-day-old embryo was 2.35 mug. Both patulin (1 to 2 mug/egg) and the reaction mixture between patulin and cysteine (15 to 150 mug of patulin equivalents) were teratogenic to the chicken embryo. At least two ninhydrin-negative and four ninhydrin-positive products were formed during the latter reaction. Our explanation of the reaction mechanism remains to be elaborated.
Stratégies d'accès et d'allocation des ressources pour la radio cognitive. (Spectrum Sensing and Resource Allocation Strategies for Cognitive Radio)

La radio cognitive est une technique prometteuse pour l'utilisation efficace du spectre. Elle doit surveiller l'activite dynamique dans le spectre du primaire et adapter la transmission des utilisateurs secondaires pour une meilleure allocation des ressources spectrales. La detection spectrale aveugle et l'allocation des ressources pour la radio cognitive sont traitees dans cette these. L'objectif de la premiere partie de cette these est de voir si la selection des modeles ou l'estimation de la dimension spatiale du signal primaire ainsi que la theorie de l'information et les mesures de distance pourraient etre utilises pour ameliorer les performances de detection du spectre d'une maniere aveugle et dans des zones a faible rapport signal a bruit. Grâce a un effort de recherche approfondie, deux nouvelles methodes de detection basees sur l'analyse de la distribution et l'estimation de la dimension du signal primaire recu ont ete proposees et analysees. La deuxieme partie de cette these presente et analyse deux strategies de selection d'utilisateurs secondaires basees sur la probabilite outage. La premiere strategie explore l'idee de combiner la diversite des gains multi-utilisateurs avec des techniques de partage spectrale pour essayer de maximiser la somme des capacites des utilisateurs secondaire tout en maintenant la probabilite outage de l'utilisateur primaire non degradee d'une maniere distribuee. La deuxieme strategie traite le probleme de beamforming dans le contexte de la radio cognitive pour un systeme d'utilisateurs secondaires MIMO et propose une methode de selection d'utilisateurs basee sur la probabilite outage.
Extracellular matrix expression of human tenocytes in three‐dimensional air–liquid and PLGA cultures compared with tendon tissue: Implications for tendon tissue engineering

Tenocyte transplantation may prove to be an approach to support healing of tendon defects. Cell–cell and cell–matrix contacts within three‐dimensional (3D) cultures may prevent tenocyte dedifferentiation observed in monolayer (2D) culture. The present study compares both neotissue formation and tenocyte extracellular matrix (ECM) expression in 2D and 3D cultures directly with that of native tendon, in order to determine optimal conditions for tendon tissue engineering. Primary human tenocytes were embedded in poly[lactic‐co‐glycolic‐acid] (PLGA)‐scaffolds and high‐density cultures. Neotissue formation was examined by hematoxyline–eosine (H&E) and immunofluorescence staining. Gene expression of ECM proteins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was compared at days 0 (2D), 14, and 28 in 3D cultures and tendon. Histomorphology of 3D culture showed tendon‐like tissue as tenocyte cell nuclei became more elongated and ECM accumulated. Type I collagen gene expression was higher in 2D culture than in tendon and decreased in 4‐week‐old 3D cultures, whereas type III collagen was only elevated in high‐density culture compared with tendon. Decorin and COMP were reduced in 2D and increased in 3D culture almost to ex vivo level. These results suggest that the 3D high‐density or biodegradable scaffolds cultures encourage the differentiation of expanded monolayer tenocytes in vitro to tendon‐like tissue. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1170–1177, 2010
Disposed to Distraction: Genetic Variation in the Cholinergic System Influences Distractibility But Not Time-on-Task Effects

Both the passage of time and external distraction make it difficult to keep attention on the task at hand. We tested the hypothesis that time-on-task and external distraction pose independent challenges to attention and that the brain's cholinergic system selectively modulates our ability to resist distraction. Participants with a polymorphism limiting cholinergic capacity (Ile89Val variant [rs1013940] of the choline transporter gene SLC5A7) and matched controls completed self-report measures of attention and a laboratory task that measured decrements in sustained attention with and without distraction. We found evidence that distraction and time-on-task effects are independent and that the cholinergic system is strongly linked to greater vulnerability to distraction. Ile89Val participants reported more distraction during everyday life than controls, and their task performance was more severely impacted by the presence of an ecologically valid video distractor (similar to a television playing in the background). These results are the first to demonstrate a specific impairment in cognitive control associated with the Ile89Val polymorphism and add to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience studies indicating the cholinergic system's critical role in overcoming distraction.
Polarity Shift Handling Techniques: A Survey

This paper presents a survey on sentiment analysis with respect to the polarity shifting problem. Sentiment Analysis is one of the most widely researched applications of Natural Language Processing. The opinions mostly expressed in social networking sites can be harnessed through automated methods using sentiment analysis. Polarity classiﬁcation is the most classical sentiment analysis task which aims at classifying reviews into either positive, negative or neutral. Polarity shifting is a challenge to sentiment classiﬁcation and is considered as one of the main reasons why the standard machine learning algorithms make inaccurate predictions. In this paper various techniques to handle the polarity shift problem are explained. A comparitive study is done on these techniques and the classiﬁcation performance of each technique is explained.