Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Perioperative Allogeneic Red Blood Cell Transfusion on Recurrence and Overall Survival After Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases

BACKGROUND: Perioperative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion has been conclusively shown to be associated with adverse oncologic outcomes after resection of nonmetastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for a perioperative transfusion and to assess the effects of transfusion on survival after curative-intended resection of hepatic metastases in patients featuring stage IV colorectal cancer. DESIGN: This was an observational study with a retrospective analysis of a prospective data collection. SETTING: The study was conducted at a tertiary care center. PATIENTS: A total of 292 patients undergoing curative-intended liver resection for colorectal liver metastases were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed identifying factors influencing transfusion, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients (36%) received allogeneic red blood cells. Female sex (p = 0.00004), preoperative anemia (p = 0.001), major intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.00001), and major postoperative complications (p = 0.02) were independently associated with the necessity of transfusion. Median recurrence-free and overall survival were 58 months. Allogeneic red blood cell transfusion was significantly associated with reduced recurrence-free survival (32 vs 72 months; p = 0.008). It was reduced further by administration of >2 units (27 months; p = 0.02). Overall survival was not significantly influenced by transfusion (48 vs 63 months; p = 0.08). When multivariately adjusted for major intraoperative blood loss and factors univariately associated, namely comorbidities, tumor load, and positive resection margins, transfusion was an independent predictor for reduced recurrence-free survival (p = 0.03). LIMITATIONS: These include the retrospective and observational design, as well as the impossibility to prove causality of the association between transfusion and poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal liver metastases, perioperative transfusion is independently associated with earlier disease recurrence. This emphasizes appropriate blood management measures, including the conservative correction of preoperative anemia, the use of low transfusion triggers, and the minimization of intraoperative blood loss.
Temperature measurement of plasma-assisted flames: comparison between optical emission spectroscopy and 2-color laser induced fluorescence techniques

Accurate thermometry of highly reactive environments, such as plasma-assisted combustion, is challenging. With the help of conical laminar premixed methane-air flames, this study compares two thermometry techniques for the temperature determination in a combustion front enhanced by nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges. Based on emission spectroscopic analysis, the results show that the rotational temperature of CH(A) gives a reasonable estimate for the adiabatic flame temperature, only for lean and stoichiometric conditions. The rotational temperature of N2(C) is found to significantly underestimate the flame temperature. The 2-color OH-PLIF technique gives correct values of the flame temperature.
A segmented color plane histogram based feature extraction scheme for automatic bleeding detection in wireless capsule endoscopy

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a recently developed revolutionary video technology to visually inspect the entire gastrointestinal tract in a non-invasive way. However, a major problem associated with this technology is that to detect bleeding, a physician has to analyze the tremendous amount of image frames, which is both time consuming and due to oversight often leads to human error. These limitations give motivation for development of computer aided automatic bleeding detection schemes. In this paper, to investigate bleeding, the analysis of WCE image frames is carried out in normalized RGB (rgb) color space as human perception of bleeding is associated with different shades of red and rgb overcomes some of the drawbacks of conventional RGB color space. In the proposed method, at first, the WCE image frame is segmented based on different ranges of r-values. Then for a certain level of r-value, the variation in g plane is presented with the help of histogram. Features are extracted from the proposed r versus g plane histograms. For the purpose of classification, KNN classifier is employed. Extensive experimentation on several WCE image frames obtained from various publicly available WCE videos makes it evident that the proposed method outperforms some of the existing methods in terms of accuracy (98.12%), sensitivity (94.98%) and specificity (98.55%).
Diffusion limited aggregation on the Boolean lattice

In the Diffusion Limited Aggregation (DLA) process on on $\mathbb{Z}^2$, or more generally $\mathbb{Z}^d$, particles aggregate to an initially occupied origin by arrivals on a random walk. The scaling limit of the result, empirically, is a fractal with dimension strictly less than $d$. Very little has been shown rigorously about the process, however. We study an analogous process on the Boolean lattice $\{0,1\}^n$, in which particles take random decreasing walks from $(1,\dots,1)$, and stick at the last vertex before they encounter an occupied site for the first time; the vertex $(0,\dots,0)$ is initially occupied. In this model, we can rigorously prove that lower levels of the lattice become full, and that the process ends by producing an isolated path of unbounded length reaching $(1,\dots,1)$.
Structural and Functional Features of the Reovirus σ1 Tail

ABSTRACT Mammalian orthoreovirus attachment to target cells is mediated by the outer capsid protein σ1, which projects from the virion surface. The σ1 protein is a homotrimer consisting of a filamentous tail, which is partly inserted into the virion; a body domain constructed from β-spiral repeats; and a globular head with receptor-binding properties. The σ1 tail is predicted to form an α-helical coiled coil. Although σ1 undergoes a conformational change during cell entry, the nature of this change and its contributions to viral replication are unknown. Electron micrographs of σ1 molecules released from virions identified three regions of flexibility, including one at the midpoint of the molecule, that may be involved in its structural rearrangement. To enable a detailed understanding of essential σ1 tail organization and properties, we determined high-resolution structures of the reovirus type 1 Lang (T1L) and type 3 Dearing (T3D) σ1 tail domains. Both molecules feature extended α-helical coiled coils, with T1L σ1 harboring central chloride ions. Each molecule displays a discontinuity (stutter) within the coiled coil and an unexpectedly seamless transition to the body domain. The transition region features conserved interdomain interactions and appears rigid rather than highly flexible. Functional analyses of reoviruses containing engineered σ1 mutations suggest that conserved residues predicted to stabilize the coiled-coil-to-body junction are essential for σ1 folding and encapsidation, whereas central chloride ion coordination and the stutter are dispensable for efficient replication. Together, these findings enable modeling of full-length reovirus σ1 and provide insight into the stabilization of a multidomain virus attachment protein. IMPORTANCE While it is established that different conformational states of attachment proteins of enveloped viruses mediate receptor binding and membrane fusion, less is understood about how such proteins mediate attachment and entry of nonenveloped viruses. The filamentous reovirus attachment protein σ1 binds cellular receptors; contains regions of predicted flexibility, including one at the fiber midpoint; and undergoes a conformational change during cell entry. Neither the nature of the structural change nor its contribution to viral infection is understood. We determined crystal structures of large σ1 fragments for two different reovirus serotypes. We observed an unexpectedly tight transition between two domains spanning the fiber midpoint, which allows for little flexibility. Studies of reoviruses with engineered changes near the σ1 midpoint suggest that the stabilization of this region is critical for function. Together with a previously determined structure, we now have a complete model of the full-length, elongated reovirus σ1 attachment protein.
Yoga in Print Media: Missing the Heart of the Practice

Background: Popular media typically portray yoga as an exercise or posture practice despite the reality that yoga comprised eight practices (called limbs) including ethical behavior, conscious lifestyle choices, postures, breathing, introspection, concentration, meditation, and wholeness. Aim: This study assessed the comprehensiveness of yoga practice as represented in articles in the popular yoga magazine, Yoga Journal. It explored the degree to which articles referenced each of the eight limbs of yoga and other contents (e.g., fitness, spirituality). Materials and Methods: Six coders were trained to reliably and independently review 702 articles in 33 Yoga Journal issues published between 2007 and 2014, coding for the limbs of yoga and other contents. Results: Breathing and postures were most frequently referenced, which were covered in 48.7% and 40.1% of articles.Internal practices were covered in 36.5% of articles with introspection being the most and concentration the least commonly referred to internal practices. Ethical and lifestyle practices were least frequently covered (5.2% and 6.8%). Since 2007, coverage of postures steadily increased, whereas contents related to the other limbs steadily decreased. The most frequent other contents related to fitness (31.7%), spirituality (20.8), and relationships (18.7%) coverage of these did not change across time. Conclusions: Representation of yoga in articles contained in the most popular yoga magazine is heavily biased in favor of physical practices. Recommendations are offered about how to shift media representation of yoga to make the heart of the practice more accessible to individuals who could experience health benefits but currently feel excluded from the practice.
Screening and correlates of neurotic disorders among general medical outpatients in Xi'an China.

PURPOSE Little is known about the distribution and correlates of neurotic disorders among general medical outpatients. The aim was to identify the population distribution and associated factors of neurotic disorders among general medical outpatients. DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional design was used. Computer-assisted interviews of 372 general outpatients aged 16 years or older in Xi'an China were conducted using a Chinese version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 3.0 (CIDI-3.0). FINDINGS The estimated lifetime prevalence of any ICD-10 neurotic disorder among general medical outpatients was 10.8%. The most prevalent subtype of neurotic disorders was specific phobias (5.7%) followed by obsessive-compulsive disorders (3.8%) and social phobias (1.3%). General outpatients who visited the department of internal medicine (OR = 6.55, 95% CI 1.51-28.38), who were under 40 years old (OR = 4.44, 95% CI 2.05-9.62), had less than high school education (OR = 4.19, 95% CI 1.79-9.79), and were female (OR = 2.25, 95% CI 1.14-4.47) were most likely to report neurotic disorders. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Effective identification of neurotic disorders is crucial for its early detection and targeted intervention among general medical outpatients. Those outpatients who had younger age and lower education level, and were female and had visited internal medicine departments require additional attention.
Study of an optimized wind-diesel hybrid system for canadian remote sites

Diesel generators are the main source of electrical energy that supply most of the remote isolated areas in the world. Unfortunately, these motors still pose enormous technical, financial, and environmental challenges. Therefore, the combination of these generators with renewable sources like wind energy in a wind-diesel hybrid system (WDS) could reduce these deficits by reducing the fossil fuel consumption and the operating time of diesel engines, and by reducing the operation costs and environmental harm. In addition, because the intermittency of wind energy and its dissipation during windy periods require an energy storage system, the WDS combined with compressed air energy storage (CAES) seems to be a good solution for this problem. Many recent studies have shown that the optimal management of the stored air reserve would be to overcharge an existing diesel engine with compressed air. Based on this concept, a new wind-diesel hybrid system with adiabatic air compression and storage at constant pressure has been proposed (ACP-WDCAS). This concept combines CAES and hydro-pneumatic energy storage technologies with a wind-diesel system. In this paper, we will present the operative principle of this system and propose a numerical model of each of its components. Moreover, we studied the effect of the pressure intake and temperature on the thermodynamic cycle of the diesel engine to determine the optimal values of the parameters that will optimize fuel consumption. Finally we will compare this system with available technologies in order to demonstrate its performance.
Home polygraphic recording with telemedicine monitoring for diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnoea in stroke (HOPES Study): study protocol for a single-blind, randomised controlled trial

Introduction Meta-analyses report that more than 50% of patients who had a stroke suffer from moderate to severe sleep apnoea (SA), with adherence rates to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy of only 30%. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether PAP adherence in patients who had a stroke with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) can be improved by a PAP training strategy during inhospital rehabilitation combined with a telemedicine monitoring system after discharge. Further objectives are (1) to compare the validity of a non-attended level-III polygraphy with that of a level-II polysomnography (PSG) in the diagnosis of SA, (2) to compare the validity of an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) yielded by the PAP device with that obtained during PSG, (3) to determine changes in nocturnal systolic blood pressure (BP) due to PAP therapy with the pulse transit time (PTT) method and (4) to assess the impact of telemonitored PAP therapy on neurorehabilitation outcome parameters. Methods and analyses Single-blind, monocentre, randomised controlled trial. It includes 55 patients who had a subacute stroke, aged 19–70 years, with moderate to severe OSA, who have undergone successful PAP training and titration at the neurorehabilitation unit. Patients are randomised to either a standard care group or a telemedicine group. PAP adherence, sleep and respiratory variables, subjective and objective sleep quality, systolic BP (PTT method) of the two groups are compared after 3 months and 1 year as well as cognitive and motor neurorehabilitation outcome parameters, quality of life and PAP satisfaction. Additionally, intranight AHI/total sleep time versus AHI/time in bed and night-to-night variability of the AHI are assessed. Ethics and dissemination Before screening, all participants will be provided with oral and written information. The study will be disseminated by peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number NCT02748681; Pre-results.
The role of speckle tracking imaging in the noninvasive detection of acute rejection after heterotopic cardiac transplantation in rats

Objective Acute cardiac allograft rejection continues to be the cause of graft loss and contributes to the morbidity and mortality after cardiac transplantation. Repetitive endomyocardial biopsies are necessary to monitor the eff ects of immunosuppressants after cardiac transplantation. In this study, we investigate whether speckle tracking imaging (STI) is a valuable method in assessing acute cardiac rejection. Methods and resultsHearts from Brown Norway rats or Lewis rats were transplanted into other Brown Norway rats. Isografts and groups of allografts, either untreated or treated with cyclosporine A (CsA) at a low dose (3 mg •kg-1• d-1) or a high dose (10 mg •kg-1• d-1), were compared 7 days after transplantation. Echocardiography-derived left ventricular post wall thickness was increased only in untreated allografts. The left ventricular ejection fraction was signifi cantly lower in the allografts compared with the isografts, but allografts treated without or with low-dose CsA showed similar results . The radial velocity and systolic radial strain rate showed a lower value in untreated allografts than other grafts, but there is no signifi cant diff erence between allografts treated with high- or low-dose CsA and isografts. The circumferential strain and circumferential strain rate were comparable among the 4 groups. However, the radial strain exhibited a clear gradient in these groups (2.8 ± 1.3 in untreated allografts, 5.2 ± 0.9 in allografts treated with lowdose CsA, 6.3 ± 1.8 in allografts treated with high-dose CsA, and 12.7 ± 7.9 in isografts, P < 0.001). Conclusions STI is able to off er a noninvasive method for detecting transplant allograft rejection.
Cloning of an endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase gene from Clostridium josui and its expression in Escherichia coli

The gene for carboxymethyl cellulose-degrading enzyme (endoglucanase) from Clostridium josui (FERM P-9684) was cloned in Escherichia coli HB101 with pBR322. A 5.6-kilobase-pair HindIII fragment encoding an endoglucanase was hybridized with C. josui chromosomal DNA. The size of the cloned DNA fragment was reduced with PvuII, and the resulting active fragment (2 kilobase pairs, with restriction sites of EcoRI and PstI) was ligated into pUC118 at the SmaI sites (pUCJ1). The endoglucanase production by E. coli JM103(pUCJ1) in Luria-Bertani broth was enhanced up to approximately three times by maintaining the pH at 6.5 and using 80 mM NaCl.
Lipoxin A4 augments host defense in sepsis and reduces Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence through quorum sensing inhibition

Bacterial infections can quickly turn into sepsis, with its attendant clinical sequelae of inflammation, tissue injury, and organ failure. Paradoxically, sustained inflammation in sepsis may lead to immune suppression, because of which the host is unable to clear the existing infection. Use of agents that suppress the inflammatory response may accelerate host immune suppression, whereas use of traditional antibiotics does not significantly affect inflammation. In this study, we investigated whether lipoxin A4 (LXA4), a specialized, proresolution lipid mediator, could increase neutrophil phagocytic activity as well as reduce bacterial virulence. Using the mouse cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis, the administration of LXA4 (7 μg/kg i.v.) 1 h after surgery increased neutrophil phagocytic ability and Fcg receptor I (CD64) expression. Ex vivo studies have confirmed that the direct addition of LXA4 to CLP neutrophils increased phagocytic ability but not CD64 expression. LXA4 did not affect neutrophils taken from control mice in which CD64 expression was minimal. Taken together with in vivo data, these results suggest that LXA4 directly augments CD64‐mediated neutrophil phagocytic ability but does not directly increase neutrophil CD64 expression. Bacterial communication and virulence is regulated by quorum sensing inducers. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, virulence is induced with release of various virulence factors, by N‐3‐oxododecanolyl homoserine lactone binding to the quorum sensing receptor, LasR. We show that LXA4 is an inhibitor of LasR in P. aeruginosa and that it decreases the release of pyocyanin exotoxin. These results suggest that LXA4 has the novel dual properties of increasing host defense and decreasing pathogen virulence by inhibiting quorum sensing. —Wu, B. , Capilato, J., Pham, M. P., Walker, J., Spur, B. , Rodriguez, A. , Perez, L. J., Yin, K. Lipoxin A4 augments host defense in sepsis and reduces Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence through quorum sensing inhibition. FASEB J. 30, 2400–2410 (2016). www.fasebj. org
Sequential dynamic gadolinium magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted imaging: effects on transit time and cerebral blood volume measurements

Purpose: To evaluate if two gadolinium perfusion studies can be performed during the same table occupancy without degradation of the derived data in the second study. Material and Methods: Magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion studies of the whole brain were performed on 12 patients during the administration of two gadolinium boluses separated by 8 min. In six patients, gadolinium was given as two 20-ml administrations of standard 0.5 M chelate (Magnevist), whilst the other six patients received two 10-ml administrations of 1.0 M chelate (Gadovist). Results: There were no significant differences in subjective quality between the time–intensity curves of the first and second perfusion studies using either the 0.5 M or 1.0 M gadolinium chelate. The objective measurements in quality of the time–intensity curves (maximum signal change and full width at half maximum) changed by less than 5% of the original values on the second perfusion study. The first-moment mean transit times did not change significantly on the sequential studies. The regional cerebral blood volume tended to increase on the second study (by 15% on average), but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The results from two sequential dynamic gadolinium-based perfusion studies can be compared in a meaningful manner using the technique described.
An approach to mental image based understanding of natural language: Focused on static and dynamic spatial relations

It must be rather difficult for ordinary people to communicate with robots using special technical languages. Therefore, it must be more desirable for them to use natural language (NL) for such a purpose because it is the most conventional among them. This work proposes a methodology for natural language understanding through an AI system named Conversation Management System (CMS) based on Mental Image Directed Semantic Theory proposed by M. Yokota. CMS is intended to enable a robot to understand NL in the same way as people do, and actually can reach the most plausible semantic interpretation of an input text and return desirable outcomes by employing word concepts, postulates, and inference rules. Recently, the authors have applied several spatial terms in English language, for example verbs, prepositions (e.g. between, along, left, right, and so on). We found that the methodology is outstanding from conventional approaches with the attempt to provide robots understand NL based on mental image model. This paper focuses on how CMS understands static spatial (3D) relations expressed in NL.