Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medication Reconciliation Effect on Prolonged Inpatient Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis

Background: While medication reconciliation (MR) has been shown to reduce medication errors by limiting errors of transcription, omission, and duplicate therapy, its Impact on the provision of unnecessary prophylaxis is largely unknown. Objective: To determine the effect of MR on the incidence of prolonged stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) across the continuum of care from hospital admission to discharge as well as evaluate clinical conditions associated with prolonged SUR Methods: This retrospective study assessed patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and had SUP initiated. Patients were excluded if they were receiving gastroprotective therapy prior to ICU admission, were being treated for an acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or died. The need for SUP was determined using risk factors adapted from evidence-based guidelines developed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The use of SUP was assessed upon transfer from the ICU to a non-ICU setting and at hospital discharge. Results were compared between pre-MR and post-MR groups. Results: Data from 114 (pre-MR, n = 53; post-MR, n = 61) medical and surgical ICU patients were evaluated. There was no significant difference in the use of prolonged SUP upon transfer from the ICU to a non-ICU setting in the pre-MR and post-MR groups, respectively (85% [45/53] vs 79% [48/61), p = 0.393). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the use of prolonged SUP upon hospital discharge In the pre-MR and post-MR groups, respectively (14% [6/44] vs 23% [10743), p = 0.247), There were no clinical conditions for which prolonged SUP use was predominant. Conclusions: The strategy of MR alone will not decrease the incidence of prolonged SUP in hospitalized patients. Other techniques should be evaluated to encourage appropriate use of acid-suppressive agents.
Maresin 1 Ameliorates Lung Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Suppressing Oxidative Stress via Activation of the Nrf-2-Mediated HO-1 Signaling Pathway

Lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in various clinical conditions and heavily damaged lung function. Oxidative stress reaction and antioxidant enzymes play a pivotal role in the etiopathogenesis of lung I/R injury. In the current study, we investigated the impact of Maresin 1 on lung I/R injury and explored the possible mechanism involved in this process. MaR 1 ameliorated I/R-induced lung injury score, wet/dry weight ratio, myeloperoxidase, tumor necrosis factor, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) leukocyte count, BALF neutrophil ratio, and pulmonary permeability index levels in lung tissue. MaR 1 significantly reduced ROS, methane dicarboxylic aldehyde, and 15-F2t-isoprostane generation and restored antioxidative enzyme (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase) activities. Administration of MaR 1 improved the expression of nuclear Nrf-2 and cytosolic HO-1 in I/R-treated lung tissue. Furthermore, we also found that the protective effects of MaR 1 on lung tissue injury and oxidative stress were reversed by HO-1 activity inhibitor, Znpp-IX. Nrf-2 transcription factor inhibitor, brusatol, significantly decreased MaR 1-induced nuclear Nrf-2 and cytosolic HO-1 expression. In conclusion, these results indicate that MaR 1 protects against lung I/R injury through suppressing oxidative stress. The mechanism is partially explained by activation of the Nrf-2-mediated HO-1 signaling pathway.
Acute Effect of a Dried Ethanol-Water Extract of Garlic on the Microhaemovascular System of the Skin

Summary In the present study, the acute vasoactive effect of a dried hydrophilic extract of garlic with 600 mg active substance (Alliosan®) was investigated in 10 healthy volunteers. Laser-Doppler fluxmetry, video capillary microscopy and transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen measurements were used for the objective assessment of functional and morphological parameters. An increase in perfusion could be demonstrated by these means. This was based on an increase in erythrocyte flow velocity of up to 2 h duration, which was mainly due to vasodilation in both arterial and venous vessels. A change in transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen or an influence on sympathetically-mediated vasomotor reflexes could not be demonstrated. Furthermore, there was no evidence of an influence on reactive hyperaemia after controlled hyperthermia. The test substance was shown to increase the cutaneous microperfusion.
A proteomics approach to the study of the molecular consequence of IgE‐mediated cell signalling in RBL‐2H3.1 cells and 2D reference map preparation for the RBL‐2H3.1 cell line

A highly reproducible 2D (two‐dimensional) map for the proteome and a pattern of protein phosphorylation of high secretory variant of RBL‐2H3 cells (RBL‐2H3.1) (a model cell in allergy studies) in resting and treated cells with IgE or IgE+Ag are presented. Major molecular changes were seen in the proteome of 3 h‐activated cells with IgE+Ag, especially for proteins of ∼17 kDa compared with the control. We have identified 13 proteins on 11 corresponding spots as up‐regulated proteins in response to IgE+Ag activation. Also, protein identification on 55 spots with MALDI—TOF (matrix‐assisted laser‐desorption ionization—time‐of‐flight) and ESI‐MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) resulted in a reliable 2D reference map and an opportunity for the subsequent use of a 1 min‐activated cell map for a phosphoproteomics study.
Intravital Microscope Studies on the Effects of Neurokinin Agonists and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide on Dural Vessel Diameter in the Anaesthetized Rat

This study describes a novel intravital microscope technique for direct measurement of dural blood vessel diameter through a closed cranial window in anaesthetized rats. This technique avoids removal of the skull which can lead to problems o altered vessel reactivity and brain swelling that are encountered with open cranial window techniques. Substance P and calcitonin gene-related (CGRP) evoked increases in dura vessel diameter, which were abolished by the NK1 receptor antagonist, RP67580 and the CGRP receptor antagonist, human-CGRP(8–31) respectively. Neurokinin A produced increases in dural vessel diameter which were unaffected by the NK2 receptor antagonist SR 48968 but were blocked by RP67580, suggesting that neurokinin A can act through NK1 receptors to produce dural vasodilation in rats. The NK3 receptor agonist, senktide, had no effects on dural vessel diameter. All drugs were administered intravenously. In humans, vasodilation within the meningeal vasculature has been implicated in the pathogenesis of migraine, the present experiments indicate that substance P or neurokinin A (both acting through NK1 receptors) or CGRP may be responsible.
Calcineurin-Crz1 Signaling in Lower Eukaryotes

ABSTRACT Calcium ions are ubiquitous intracellular messengers. An increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration activates many proteins, including calmodulin and the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin. The phosphatase is conserved from yeast to humans (except in plants), and many target proteins of calcineurin have been identified. The most prominent and best-investigated targets, however, are the transcription factors NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) in mammals and Crz1 (calcineurin-responsive zinc finger 1) in yeast. In recent years, many orthologues of Crz1 have been identified and characterized in various species of fungi, amoebae, and other lower eukaryotes. It has been shown that the functions of calcineurin-Crz1 signaling, ranging from ion homeostasis through cell wall biogenesis to the building of filamentous structures, are conserved in the different organisms. Furthermore, frequency-modulated gene expression through Crz1 has been discovered as a striking new mechanism by which cells can coordinate their response to a signal. In this review, I focus on the latest findings concerning calcineurin-Crz1 signaling in fungi, amoebae and other lower eukaryotes. I discuss the potential of Crz1 and its orthologues as putative drug targets, and I also discuss possible parallels with calcineurin-NFAT signaling in mammals.
Prediction of mono and multiphasic growth parameters of broilers (short communication).

Abstract. The main objective of this study was to predict mono and multiphasic growth model parameters of broilers. For this purpose daily body weights-age data of 106 male and female chickens reared under different stocking densities (GR1=11 birds/m 2 , GR2=17 birds/m 2 and GR3=25 birds/m 2 ) were used. Results of mono and multiphasic (diphasic and triphasic) growth curve analyses showed that defining the growth of birds using multiphasic growth models instead of monophasic growth models, displays more detailed and reliable results. Based on goodness-of-fit criteria, lead to the choice of a triphasic logistic growth function for GR1 and GR2, and diphasic function for GR3 males and females.
Global Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Functional Importance of Sirt2 in Endothelial Cells under Oxidative Stress

The NAD+-dependent deacetylases Sirt1 and Sirt2 mediate cellular stress responses and are highly expressed in vascular endothelial cells. In contrast to the well-documented protective actions of Sirt1, the role of endothelial Sirt2 remains unknown. Using cDNA microarray and PCR validation, we examined global gene expression changes in response to Sirt2 knock down in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells under oxidative stress. We found that Sirt2 knock down changed expression of 340 genes, which are mainly involved in cellular processes including actin binding, cellular amino acid metabolic process, transmembrane receptor protein serine/threonine kinase signaling, ferrous iron transport, protein transport and localization, cell morphogenesis, and functions associated with endosome membrane and the trans-Golgi network. These genes and associated functions were largely non-overlapping with those altered by Sirt1 knock down. Moreover, we showed that pharmacological inhibition of Sirt2 attenuated oxidant-induced cell toxicity in endothelial cells. These suggest that Sirt2 is functionally important in endothelial cells under oxidative stress, and may have a primarily distinct role as compared to Sirt1. Our results may provide a basis for future studies aiming to dissect the specific signaling pathway(s) that mediates specific Sirt2 functions in endothelial cells.
Metacognitive Monitoring in Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract The ability to engage in self-reflective processes is a capacity that may be disrupted after neurological compromise; research to date has demonstrated that patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) show reduced awareness of their deficits and functional ability compared to caretaker or clinician reports. Assessment of awareness of deficit, however, has been limited by the use of subjective measures (without comparison to actual performance) that are susceptible to report bias. This study used concurrent measurements from cognitive testing and confidence judgments about performance to investigate in-the-moment metacognitive experiences after moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. Deficits in metacognitive accuracy were found in adults with TBI for some but not all indices, suggesting that metacognition may not be a unitary construct. Findings also revealed that not all indices of executive functioning reliably predict metacognitive ability. (JINS, 2011, 17, 720–731)
Tilt Angle On-Line Prognosis by Using Improved Sparse LSSVR and Dynamic Sliding Window

On-line tilt angle detection and prognosis are the important prerequisites of real-time movement controlling. This paper develops a time-effective tilt angle prognosis methodology and its evaluation prototype. First, a complementary filter is imported to extend both the superiorities sufficiently of accelerometer and gyroscope, accurate tilt angle detection then can be achieved in a wide range of frequency. Second, an improved sparse least-squares support vector regression is proposed for tilt angle prognosis, its configurable singularity spectrum technology keeps away from the high-order matrix operation through eliminating nonprincipal components among raw vectors. Third, novel composite judgment criteria and its derived dynamic sliding window mechanism are proposed to pursue scientific balance of the prediction precision and computational cost. Fourth, double chains quantum genetic algorithm is introduced as the optimization tool to search optimal parameters of the above-mentioned models. Finally, the prototype setup and the corresponding experimental results are demonstrated and discussed in detail, which promise that our proposed methodology could be potentially applied to the actual motion control systems.
A lateral control assistant for the dynamic model of vehicles subject to state constraints

An assistant control scheme for the dynamic model of a car to help the driver track a given reference or to keep the car in a given lane while making sure that all the system states satisfy pre-defined constraints is given. The assistant control algorithm is based on a hysteresis switch and the formal properties of the closed-loop system are studied via a Lyapunov-like analysis. Simulation results showing the effectiveness of the driving assistance system are presented.
Incidence and prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in Northern Norway.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence and prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) over a prolonged period in the 2 northernmost counties of Norway, where HLA-B27 has a high prevalence in the population. METHODS We conducted a cohort study of all patients registered with a diagnosis of AS between 1960 and 1993 at the University Hospital of Northern Norway, which is the sole rheumatology department serving these counties. We registered demographics, year of disease onset (clinical disease), and year of diagnosis (radiograph confirmation) for all patients. The date of onset of clinical disease in patients with AS was used in the calculation of incidence rates. Annual incidence and point/period prevalence rates were expressed per 100,000 adults. Primary AS was defined as AS in the absence of psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). RESULTS A total of 534 patients (75.1% male, mean age at clinical diagnosis 24.2 years, 93.0% HLA-B27 positive) had a confirmed diagnosis of AS (by the modified New York criteria). Median time from disease onset to radiologic confirmation was 8.0 years. Annual incidence of primary AS (n = 417) was 7.26, while estimated point prevalence rose from 0.036% in 1970 to 0.10% in 1980 and to 0.21% in 1990 with a period prevalence of 0.26%. AS was secondary to psoriasis or IBD in 117 patients (18.1%), with a diagnostic delay similar to that in primary AS. Annual incidence (14.1) and period prevalence in 1982-1993 (0.41%) were significantly higher in the town of Tromsø than in the surrounding rural region (5.21 and 0.22%, respectively). Mortality in patients with AS was low. CONCLUSION The incidence of AS was relatively stable in the northern part of Norway over a 34-year period. Incidence and prevalence are higher than reported in similar studies from Finland and Minnesota, possibly due to a higher population prevalence of HLA-B27.
Differentiation Effects by the Combination of Spheroid Formation and Sodium Butyrate Treatment in Human Hepatoblastoma Cell Line (Hep G2): A Possible Cell Source for Hybrid Artificial Liver

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of human hepatoblastoma cell line (Hep G2), which differentiates by spheroid formation, and treatment with sodium butyrate (SB) as a cell source for hybrid artificial liver (HAL). Hep G2 spontaneously formed spheroids in polyurethane foam (PUF) within 3 days of culture and restored weak ammonia removal activity. Treatment with SB, which is a histone deacetylase inhibitor, further increased the ammonia removal activity of Hep G2 spheroids in a concentration-dependent manner. The activation of ornithine transcarbamylase—a urea cycle enzyme—was significantly related to the upregulation of ammonia removal by spheroid formation, but scarcely contributed to the further upregulation following SB treatment. In contrast with ammonia removal, treatment with SB reduced the albumin secretion of Hep G2 spheroids in a concentration-dependent manner. In the PUF-HAL module in a circulation culture, the ammonia removal rate and albumin secretion rate (per unit volume of the module) of Hep G2 spheroids treated with 5 mM SB were almost the same as those of primary porcine hepatocyte spheroids. These results suggest that simultaneous use of spheroid formation and SB treatment in Hep G2 is beneficial in enhancing the functions of human hepatocytes with potential applications in regenerative medicine and drug screening.
SAVCBS 2004 Specification and Verification of Component-Based Systems: Workshop Proceedings

This is the proceedings of the 2004 SAVCBS workshop. The workshop is concerned with how formal (i.e., mathematical) techniques can be or should be used to establish a suitable foundation for the specification and verification of component-based systems. Component-based systems are a growing concern for the software engineering community. Specification and reasoning techniques are urgently needed to permit composition of systems from components. Component-based specification and verification is also vital for scaling advanced verification techniques such as extended static analysis and model checking to the size of real systems. The workshop considers formalization of both functional and non-functional behavior, such as performance or reliability.
The interpretation of a moving retinal image

It is shown that from a monocular view of a rigid, textured, curved surface it is possible, in principle, to determine the gradient of the surface at any point, and the motion of the eye relative to it, from the velocity field of the changing retinal image, and its first and second spatial derivatives. The relevant equations are redundant, thus providing a test of the rigidity assumption. They involve, among other observable quantities, the components of shear of the retinal velocity field, suggesting that the visual system may possess specialized channels for computing these components.
Tracking the fate of antigen-specific versus cytokine-activated natural killer cells after cytomegalovirus infection

Nabekura and Lanier demonstrate that two distinct long-lived NK cell subsets with different functional properties differentiate during mouse model of cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. NK cells expressing the MCMV-specific Ly49H receptor differentiated into memory NK cells and Ly49H− NK cells differentiated into cytokine-activated NK cells. Memory NK cells show enhanced effector function, whereas cytokine-activated NK cells persisted better in an MCMV-free environment.
Comparative Study on Quality Attributes of Gari Obtained from Some Processing Centres in South West, Nigeria

Gari is one of the most popular fermented food made from cassava and eaten in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. However, acceptability relies on the conformity with the major quality attributes demanded for in gari. The present study therefore, is aimed at generating data that can produce useful information on the quality attributes of different gari samples produced in South West, Nigeria and to compare the results with standards as stipulated by Gari Regulation (1980). Gari samples obtained from eight major processing centres spread across South-West, Nigeria were analysed for desired chemical, physical and sensory attributes. The gari samples were coded AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, GG and HH representing processing centres 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively. The moisture content for all samples varied between 10.3 and 12.4% which enhanced water absorption capacities varying from 68.36-72.11%. However, fat contents of between 0.33 and 0.44% were generally low in spite of the addition of palm oil during roasting operation, which indicated that addition of palm oil did not have direct impact on the gari samples. The acidity, calculated as lactic acid indicated 0.03, 0.03, 0.04, 0.03, 0.04, 0.04, 0.03 and 0.03%, respectively were below the recommended maximum value of 1.0%. The swelling index recorded for all the gari samples were generally good since it was three times the original volume. The hydrocyanic acid which varied from 0.008 to 0.011% was low for all the samples when compared with 0.6% stipulated by the Gari Regulation (1980). The particle size distribution varied between the eight samples, suggesting that none of the samples was graded and was found to be acceptable grain size distribution irrespective of what was stipulated. The sensory evaluation ratings showed significant difference in terms of colour, taste, odour and overall acceptability and was due to differences in the processing methods employed for the production of the gari samples.
The Design and Evaluation of Graphical Radial Menus

Graphical menus provide slow performance and yet users often try to select menu commands as fast as possible. Shortcut techniques that enable users to by-pass selections from a graphical menu are fast, but are not the ultimate answer to the performance problem. Shortcut techniques pose high demands on human memory. They require much training and frequent use. They do not scale well. And they often cannot be provided on devices with limited capabilities, such as mobile devices with small screens, small keyboards, or touch screens. Because of these problems, users often times ‘stick’ to a graphical menu and are condemned to its poor performance. This thesis argues that the performance of graphical menus can be improved. The thesis consists of three parts: The first part presents the background knowledge and the problem of slow graphical menus. The second part presents the design of a menu that supports the needs of novices, experts, and those transitioning from novice to expert. In particular, the design explicitly aims at improving selection performance by leveraging concentric radial layout. The third part of the thesis presents the evaluation of the design and its main characteristics. Four studies are conducted based on two controlled, user experiments. A number of variables are analysed including pointing time, visual search time, navigation performance, novice/expert performance, navigation errors, and screen consumption. A number of factors are controlled including menu size, location of menu items, menu design, and layout variation. Traditional linear menus are included for comparison. Objective and subjective measures are used. Additionally, a performance model based on pointing laws is proposed and used to measure the motor processing rates of tested designs. The evaluation shows that designing with performance in mind can result in faster graphical menus compared to traditional menus. The proposed Compact Radial Layout menu is approximately 20-30% faster in a variety of conditions, reduces navigation errors, induces users to faster movements and decreases screen consumption. The evaluation also shows that, with a consistent pattern of organizing items in radial menus, search and navigation performance can be further improved. At the same time, the results indicate that the improved navigation performance in radial menus comes at the cost of slower visual search.