Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of cardiovascular responses to passive head‐up tilt using continuous pulse wave analysis and impedance cardiography

Objective. To non‐invasively measure central haemodynamics, arterial stiffness, cardiac function and vascular resistance, with the subject in the supine position and during head‐up tilt, in order to examine the haemodynamic changes associated with alterations in the augmentation index, and to investigate repeatability and reproducibility of the measurement protocol. Material and methods. Thirty‐three healthy volunteers (21–51 years) were investigated using continuous pulse wave analysis from the radial artery with a tonometric sensor, whole‐body impedance cardiography and plethysmographic blood pressure (BP) recordings from the fingers. The measurements were performed with the subject supine and during passive head‐up tilt, and repeated during the same session and on four separate days. Results. During the head‐up tilt, diastolic BP (5.2±0.6 %), heart rate (27.6±1.9 %) and vascular resistance (12.5±1.7 %) increased (all p<0.05), while systolic BP (−3.2±0.6 %), aortic pulse pressure (−23.3±1.4 %), augmentation index (−11.6±0.7 %), aortic reflection time (−7.0±1.0 %), ejection duration (−21.4±0.7 %), stroke volume (−26.1±1.2 %) and cardiac output (−5.0±1.5 %) decreased (all p<0.05). Augmentation index at rest correlated with aortic systolic BP (r = 0.423), aortic reflection time (r = −0.647), pulse wave velocity (r = 0.287) and age (r = 0.480). The change in augmentation index during head‐up tilt correlated with the change in aortic systolic BP (r = 0.469), aortic pulse pressure (r = 0.606), ejection duration (r = 0.374) and heart rate (r = −0.445). According to Bland‐Altman and repeatability index analyses, repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements were good during the same session and on separate days. Conclusions. Combined pulse wave analysis and impedance cardiography with the subject in the supine position and during head‐up tilt is a repeatable and reproducible method for comprehensive investigation of the cardiovascular function.
Somatosensory evoked potentials correlate with neurological outcome in rabbits undergoing cerebral air embolism.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) have been used as an outcome measure in models of cerebral air embolism despite the lack of studies correlating SSEPs with other measures of neurological injury. We examined the relationship between SSEPs and neurological impairment in the setting of cerebral air embolism. METHODS Anesthetized New Zealand White rabbits received either 0, 50, 100, or 150 microL/kg of air into the internal carotid artery. SSEPs were recorded at intervals for the subsequent 2 hours. After the final recording the anesthetic was discontinued, and the animals recovered. Animals were neurologically evaluated at 3 and 24 hours after cerebral air embolism on a scale of zero (normal) to 97 (coma) points. RESULTS There was a clear relationship between the dose of air and 2-hour SSEP amplitude (P = .00003). SSEP amplitudes at 2 hours were inversely correlated with neurological impairment scores at 3 hours (r = -0.71, P < .0001). SSEP amplitudes at 2 hours were less in animals that died (11 +/- 16%; n = 9) than in those that survived to 24 hours (53 +/- 20%; n = 9) (P = .0008). CONCLUSIONS These results support SSEPs as an index of neurological impairment in this model of cerebral air embolism.
The Moderator Effect of Test Anxiety in the Relationship between Test Expectancy and the Retention of Prose

The effect of test expectancy and test anxiety on the retention of prose is not yet profoundly examined in an ecologically valid learning context. The influence of test expectancy, test anxiety, and differences in intelligence on the retention of prose was addressed in the hypothesis that test anxiety would act as a moderator between test expectancy and memory retention of prose. Also examined was whether this relation would still be valid if differences in general intelligence were controlled. University freshmen (N = 292) participated. Analysis indicated that test anxiety acted as a moderator between test expectancy and prose memory performance, even after controlling for differences in general intelligence. The low and high test-anxious group expecting a retention test seemed to profit from positive arousal elicited by the expectedness of a retention test. The high test-anxious group not expecting a retention test performed in a rather detrimental way on a retention test given negative arousal elicited by the unexpectedness of a retention test. Implications for further research are elaborated and discussed.
Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma Overexpressing Platelet-derived Growth Factor Receptor α

Pulmonary artery sarcoma is highly malignant and easily metastasizes to the systemic organs. Both the introduction of novel diagnostic procedures and the development of new treatment modalities are required to achieve long-term survival. Several studies have shown that platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) gene amplification is frequently observed in pulmonary artery sarcoma. PDGFRα is known to be involved in cell proliferation in certain malignancies. PDGFRα may become a potential biological marker in pulmonary artery sarcoma. We report a case in which a diagnosis of pulmonary artery sarcoma overexpressing PDGFRα was made using endovascular catheter biopsy following positron emission tomography with integrated computed tomography (PET/CT) scans.
Spatial location of neutralizing and non-neutralizing B cell epitopes on domain 1 of ricin toxin’s binding subunit

Ricin toxin’s binding subunit (RTB) is a galactose-/N-acetylgalactosamine (Gal/GalNac)-specific lectin that mediates uptake and intracellular trafficking of ricin within mammalian cells. Structurally, RTB consists of two globular domains, each divided into three homologous sub-domains (α, β, γ). In this report, we describe five new murine IgG monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against RTB: MH3, 8A1, 8B3, LF1, and LC5. The mAbs have similar binding affinities (KD) for ricin holotoxin, but displayed a wide range of in vitro toxin-neutralizing activities. Competition ELISAs indicate that the two most potent toxin-neutralizing mAbs (MH3, 8A1), as well as one of the moderate toxin-neutralizing mAbs (LF1), recognize distinct epitopes near the low affinity Gal recognition domain in RTB subdomain 1α. Evaluated in a mouse model of systemic ricin challenge, all five mAbs afforded some benefit against intoxication, but only MH3 was protective. However, neither MH3 nor 24B11, another well-characterized mAb against RTB subdomain 1α, could passively protect mice against a mucosal (intranasal) ricin challenge. This is in contrast to SylH3, a previously characterized mAb directed against an epitope near RTB’s high affinity Gal/GalNac recognition element in sub-domain 2γ, which protected animals against systemic and mucosal ricin exposure. SylH3 was significantly more effective than MH3 and 24B11 at blocking ricin attachment to host cell receptors, suggesting that mucosal immunity to ricin is best imparted by antibodies that target RTB’s high affinity Gal/GalNac recognition element in subdomain 2γ, not the low affinity Gal recognition domain in subdomain 1α.
Path tracing in production - part 1: production renderers

The last few years have seen a decisive move of the movie making industry towards rendering using physically-based methods, mostly implemented in terms of path tracing. Increasing demands on the realism of lighting, rendering and material modeling, paired with a working paradigm that very naturally models the behaviour of light like in the real world mean that more and more movies each year are created the physically-based way. This shift has also been recently recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which in this year's SciTech ceremony has awarded three ray tracing renderers for their crucial contribution to this move. While the language and toolkit available to the technical directors get closer and closer to natural language, an understanding of the techniques and algorithms behind the workings of the renderer of choice are still of fundamental importance to make efficient use of the available resources, especially when the hard-learned lessons and tricks from the previous world of rasterization-based rendering can introduce confusion and cause costly mistakes. In this course, the architectures and novel possibilities of the next generation of production renderers are introduced to a wide audience including technical directors, artists, and researchers. This is the first part of a two part course. While the first part focuses on architecture and implementation, the second one focuses on usage patterns and workflows.
Influence of basic research investment on corporate performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to add to the existing research about how corporate performance is influenced by their basic research (BR) investment. On this basis, the authors examined the moderating effect of human capital structure (HCS) on the relationship between BR investment and corporate performance. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested using static and dynamic models to analyze a large-scale data of Chinese A-share listed companies. Findings This study provides empirical evidence that contributes to the research about how private BR investment influences corporate performance in the digital age. In addition, human resource is an important dynamic ability for enterprise development. Based on the dynamic capability theory, further research finds that the human resources practice on the knowledge stock can enhance the company’s dynamic capability, thereby enhancing the company’s core competitiveness. Research limitations/implications The results may be affected by the context of the data set. This study considers the influence of private research investment type on corporate performance, further studies considering the influence of specific contextual variables, such as corporate industry differences, could yield richer insights that would help validate the results of this study. Practical implications This study provides useful information for managers. As well as increasing the investment in the BR of enterprise and creating the necessary conditions to increase the competitiveness of enterprise, they should strive to adjust the structure and quality of researchers involved in BR projects. Originality/value This research contributes to the enterprise’s BR investment and the management of human capital resource. It points that the investment of BR positively influences the corporate performance. In addition, the increasing of high-skilled labor’s proportion positively promotes the promotion of BR investment on corporate performance.
Reflex regulation during sustained and intermittent submaximal contractions in humans

To investigate whether the intensity and duration of a sustained contraction influences reflex regulation, we compared sustained fatiguing contractions at 25 % and 50 % of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force in the human abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle. Because the activation of motoneurones during fatigue may be reflexively controlled by the metabolic status of the muscle, we also compared reflex activities during sustained and intermittent (6 s contraction, 4 s rest) contractions at 25 % MVC for an identical duration. The short‐latency Hoffmann(H) reflex and the long‐latency reflex (LLR) were recorded during voluntary contractions, before, during and after the fatigue tests, with each response normalised to the compound muscle action potential (M‐wave). The results showed that fatigue during sustained contractions was inversely related to the intensity, and hence the duration, of the effort. The MVC force and associated surface electromyogram (EMG) declined by 26.2 % and 35.2 %, respectively, after the sustained contraction at 50 % MVC, and by 34.2 % and 44.2 % after the sustained contraction at 25 % MVC. Although the average EMG increased progressively with time during the two sustained fatiguing contractions, the amplitudes of the H and LLR reflexes decreased significantly. Combined with previous data ( Duchateau & Hainaut, 1993 ), the results show that the effect on the H reflex is independent of the intensity of the sustained contraction, whereas the decline in the LLR is closely related to the duration of the contraction. Because there were no changes in the intermittent test at 25 % MVC, the results indicate that the net excitatory spinal and supraspinal reflex‐mediated input to the motoneurone pool is reduced. This decline in excitation to the motoneurones, however, can be temporarily compensated by an enhancement of the central drive.
Clinicopathological correlates of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Sri Lanka

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a major healthcare issue in Sri Lanka. This study included 125 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of CKDu undergoing renal biopsy at one hospital from 2008 to 2012. Associations between renal outcome parameters, epidemiological data, and histopathological findings were examined and regression models constructed based on univariate associations with outcome variables as serum creatinine >1.2 and stage of CKD >3. The mean patient age was 46.21 years (standard deviation = 11.64). A marked male predominance was noted. A positive family history of CKD was seen in 35.8%. Prominent histopathological features were glomerular sclerosis (94.8%), interstitial infiltration (76%) with lymphocytic infiltration, interstitial fibrosis (71.2%), and tubular atrophy (70.4%). Importantly, significant histological changes were seen in patients with early CKDu. For CKD stage >3 independent associations were: interstitial fibrosis [P = 0.005; odds ratio (OR) =0.153] and interstitial infiltrate (P = 0.030; OR = 0.2440. For serum creatinine >1.2, independent predictors were >50% glomerular sclerosis (P = 0.041; OR = 0.92), tubular atrophy (P = 0.034; OR = 0.171, and more than 40 residential life years (P = 0.009; OR = 9.229). Chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) appears to be the predominant histopathological finding in patients with CKDu, with significant renal pathology established early on in the course of the disease. Interstitial infiltration appears to be an independent association of advancing CKD, CKDu, histopathology, histology, and TIN.
Community leadership: A comparison between asset-based community-led development (ABCD) and the traditional needs-based approach

ABSTRACT A comparison study was undertaken between the asset-based community-led development (ABCD) approaches versus the traditional needs-based approach to community development relating to community leadership. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 24 community projects in South Africa for the study, of which 14 were sensitised to ABCD and 10 were not. The kind of community leadership developed in ABCD communities enabled communities to lead their own development by co-investing their own assets, and leveraging their assets with resources from external agencies. In comparison, although development took place, the leadership that emerged in the needs-oriented projects was more authoritarian in nature, and in some instances, seemed to establish a dependency on external agencies. Community leadership that contributes to projects that were more driven by community members complements the principles of appreciative leadership, which were more evident in ABCD-sensitised communities.
Psychological distress, iron deficiency, active disease and female gender are independent risk factors for fatigue in patients with ulcerative colitis

Background Patients with ulcerative colitis often report fatigue. Objectives To investigate prevalence of and risk factors for fatigue in patients with ulcerative colitis with active disease and during deep remission. Methods In this cross-sectional study, disease activity was evaluated with endoscopy and calprotectin, and patients were classified as having active disease (n = 133) or being in deep remission (n = 155). Blood samples were analysed to assess anaemia, iron deficiency and systemic immune activity. Patients completed questionnaires to assess fatigue, psychological distress, gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life. Results The prevalence of high fatigue (general fatigue ≥ 13, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory) was 40% in the full study population. Among patients with high fatigue, female gender and iron deficiency were more prevalent, and these patients had more severe disease activity and reported higher levels of anxiety, depression and decreased quality of life compared with patients with no/mild fatigue. A logistic regression analysis identified probable psychiatric disorder (odds ratio (OR) (confidence interval) 6.1 (3.1–12.2)), iron deficiency (OR 2.5 (1.2–5.1)), active disease (OR 2.2 (1.2–3.9)) and female gender (OR 2.1 (1.1–3.7)) as independent risk factors for high fatigue. Similar results were found concerning psychological distress, gender and quality of life, but immune markers did not differ in patients in deep remission with high vs. no/mild fatigue. Conclusions Probable psychiatric disorder, iron deficiency, active disease and female gender are independent risk factors for high fatigue in patients with ulcerative colitis. Low-grade immune activity does not seem to be the cause of fatigue among patients in deep remission.
A New Modeling Approach of Embedded Fuel-Cell Power Generators Based on Artificial Neural Network

Among the various kinds of electrical vehicle (EV) prototypes presented by the car manufacturers, fuel-cell EVs seem to be a very promising solution. Five different fuel-cell technologies are available in the research laboratories. Nevertheless, only two technologies can really be considered for transportation applications due to their solid electrolyte, i.e., proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and solid oxide fuel cells. The PEMFCs are investigated in this paper. When talking about EV design, a simulation model of the whole fuel-cell system is a binding milestone. This would lead in the optimization ability of the complete vehicle (including all ancillaries, output electrical converter, and their dedicated control laws). Nevertheless, the fuel-cell model is strongly dependent on many physicochemical parameters that are difficult to evaluate on a real PEMFC stack. Moreover, the analytical relations governing the behavior of a PEMFC system are also far from being easy. Thus, a ldquominimal behavioral modelrdquo of a fuel-cell system, which is able to evaluate the output variables and their variations, is highly interesting. Artificial neural networks propose a very efficient tool to reach such an aim. In this paper, a PEMFC neural network model is proposed.
Adjuvanticity and protective immunity elicited by Leishmania donovani antigens encapsulated in positively charged liposomes

In the search for a leishmaniasis vaccine, extensive studies of cutaneous leishmaniasis have been carried out. Investigations in this regard with the visceral form are limited. As an initial step in the identification of the protective molecules, leishmanial antigens extracted from the membranes of Leishmania donovani promastigotes, alone or in association with liposomes, were evaluated for their immunogenicity and ability to elicit a protective immune response against challenge infection. Intraperitoneal immunization of hamsters and BALB/c mice with the leishmanial antigens conferred protection against infection with the virulent promastigotes. Encapsulation in positively charged liposomes significantly enhanced the protective efficacy of these antigens. The splenic parasite burden of hamsters was reduced by 97% after 6 months of infection. BALB/c mice exhibited 87 and 81.3% protection in the liver and spleen, respectively, after 4 months of infection. These protected animals elicited profound delayed-type hypersensitivity and increased levels of Leishmania-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. Protection in mice also coincided with elevated levels of IgM and IgA antibodies, which decreased with disease progression in the control-infected animals. Although both IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies were present in the sera of infected mice, IgG1 appeared to be the predominant isotype, suggesting a preferential induction of the Th2 type of immune response over that of Th1. Effective stimulation of all the IgG isotypes, particularly IgG2a, after immunization with liposome encapsulated antigens seems to be responsible for the significant levels of resistance against the disease. Taken together, these data indicate a potential for the liposomal antigens as a vaccine which could trigger both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.
Assessing Risk to Birds from Industrial Wind Energy Development via Paired Resource Selection Models

When wildlife habitat overlaps with industrial development animals may be harmed. Because wildlife and people select resources to maximize biological fitness and economic return, respectively, we estimated risk, the probability of eagles encountering and being affected by turbines, by overlaying models of resource selection for each entity. This conceptual framework can be applied across multiple spatial scales to understand and mitigate impacts of industry on wildlife. We estimated risk to Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) from wind energy development in 3 topographically distinct regions of the central Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania (United States) based on models of resource selection of wind facilities (n = 43) and of northbound migrating eagles (n = 30). Risk to eagles from wind energy was greatest in the Ridge and Valley region; all 24 eagles that passed through that region used the highest risk landscapes at least once during low altitude flight. In contrast, only half of the birds that entered the Allegheny Plateau region used highest risk landscapes and none did in the Allegheny Mountains. Likewise, in the Allegheny Mountains, the majority of wind turbines (56%) were situated in poor eagle habitat; thus, risk to eagles is lower there than in the Ridge and Valley, where only 1% of turbines are in poor eagle habitat. Risk within individual facilities was extremely variable; on average, facilities had 11% (SD 23; range = 0–100%) of turbines in highest risk landscapes and 26% (SD 30; range = 0–85%) of turbines in the lowest risk landscapes. Our results provide a mechanism for relocating high‐risk turbines, and they show the feasibility of this novel and highly adaptable framework for managing risk of harm to wildlife from industrial development.