Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of the vasopressin V1a receptor antagonist, SR 49059, on the response of human uterine arteries to vasopressin and other vasoactive substances

BACKGROUND Arginine vasopressin (AVP) activates the uterus via V1a receptors and is apparently an important factor for the myometrial hyperactivity, uterine ischemia and pain of primary dysmenorrhea. The orally active and selective, non-peptide AVP1a receptor antagonist, SR 49059, has been shown to inhibit the myometrial action of AVP, but the specific influence of this substance on the effects of AVP and other vasoactive agents on human uterine arteries is unknown. METHODS Concentration-responses of AVP on isolated medium-sized human uterine arteries were studied after incubation with only vehicle (DMSO, 0.1%) and with SR 49059 in concentrations of 0.5, 2.5 and 10 nmol/L. Furthermore, the concentration-responses of AVP were investigated without and with SR 49059 (2 and 10 nmol/L) on small and medium-sized arteries. Finally, the influence of 2.5 nmol/L of SR 49059 on concentration-responses of endothelin-1, noradrenaline and prostaglandin F2 alpha was studied. RESULTS The EC50 for AVP on medium-sized arteries was 0.53 +/- 13 nmol/L. SR 49059 caused a competitive, dose-dependent inhibition of AVP-responses, the highest concentration giving an EC50 of 460 nmol/L. The pA2 value was 9.84. The responses of the small artery preparations to AVP, both without and with the antagonist, were more pronounced than those of the medium-sized ones. The vasoconstrictive effects of endothelin-1, noradrenaline and prostaglandin F2 alpha were less pronounced than those of AVP and unaffected by pre-exposure to SR 49059. CONCLUSIONS The high potency of AVP on human uterine arteries, particularly those of small size, supports an involvement of the peptide in the regulation of uterine blood flow in both physiological and pathophysiological condition. SR 49059 is a potent and selective AVP V1a receptor antagonist in the smooth muscle of human uterine arteries.
Simple monopole slot antenna for WWAN/LTE handset application

Promising techniques of using a band-stop matching circuit and a low-profile C-strip for bandwidth enhancement of a simple monopole slot handset antenna for the WWAN/LTE operation are demonstrated. The simple monopole slot has a small size of 4 × 50 mm2 (200 mm2) and is embedded close to the bottom edge of the system ground plane of the handset. The band-stop circuit causes a parallel resonance at the high-frequency tail of the quarter-wavelength slot mode and generates an additional resonance nearby, thus resulting in a dual-resonance excitation of the quarter-wavelength slot mode. The C-strip having a low profile of 6 mm is disposed at the bottom edge of the system ground plane and can aid in generating the chassis (system ground plane) mode for further widening the bandwidth of the dual-resonant quarter-wavelength slot mode to achieve a wide lower band for the antenna. In addition, the C-strip provides a loop path which supports a loop resonant mode to combine with a higher-order resonant mode of the monopole slot to achieve a wide upper band. The antenna can hence cover the WWAN/LTE operation in the 704∼960 and 1710∼2690 MHz bands.
Optimal Transceiver Design for Interference Alignment Based Cognitive Radio Networks

Interference alignment (IA) can effectively eliminate the interference among users in cognitive radio (CR) networks. Nevertheless, to further increase the transmission rate of the primary user (PU) and guarantee its priority, we propose an optimal transceiver design (OTD) scheme for IA-based CR networks in this letter. In the OTD scheme, two partial-IA based algorithms are proposed to design the precoding matrices of SUs, in which the interference is aligned at the primary receiver with much lower overhead and complexity. Then the PU's precoding matrix is designed to maximize its throughput accordingly. To further improve the performance of SUs, their decoding matrices are re-designed. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Magnetic beads retention device for on-chip sandwich immuno-assay

We propose a new and original concept for the precise positioning and the geometrical retention of self-assembled magnetic microbeads in a structured microchannel. When brought in a homogeneous magnetic field, a solution of 500 nm diameter magnetic microbeads self-assembles in magnetic chains in the large sections of a periodically enlarge microchannel, thereby decreasing their magnetic dipolar energy. The self-assembled magnetic chains are retained over the cross-section of the microchannel in a flow velocity up to ~1 mm.s-1, and strongly interact with the analytes of the solution. Our device is able to perform full on-chip direct and sandwich immuno-assays, in a total assay time of less than 30 min. It consumes nanoliters of sample and reagent solutions, with a fluorescent detection limit of ~1 ng.mL-1 for biotinylated rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) and mouse IgG in the direct and two-site immuno-assay test, respectively.
Frequency selective multiuser hybrid precoding for mmWave systems with imperfect channel knowledge

In this work we design the precoders/combiners for a multiuser mmWave system considering a frequency selective channel model. We assume that the available channel information is imperfect, and only the estimates of the autocorrelation of the received signal, and the cross-correlation with the transmitted signal are available. Using this knowledge, the precoder and combiners are designed via an iterative MMSE algorithm. The solutions are decomposed into the frequency-flat analog and frequency-selective digital precoders/combiners, which obtain a close performance to the all-digital solution in terms of achievable rate as shown in the simulations.
Improving Team Performance for Public Health Preparedness

Abstract Objective Between May 2010 and September 2011, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health partnered with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to assess the effect of exercises on team performance during public health emergency response. Methods Participants were divided into 3 research teams exposed to various levels of intervention. Groups consisted of a control group that was given standard MDH training exercises, a didactic group exposed to team dynamics and communication training, and a treatment group that received the didactic training in addition to a post-exercise facilitated debriefing. To assess differences in team performance, teams engaged in 15 functional exercises. Results Differences in team performance across the 3 groups were identified, although there was no trend in team performance over time for any of the groups. Groups demonstrated fluctuation in team performance during the study period. Attitudinal surveys demonstrated an increase in workplace satisfaction and confidence in training among all groups throughout the study period. Conclusions Findings from this research support that a critical link exists between training type and team performance during public health emergency response. This research supports that intentional teamwork training for emergency response workers is essential for effective public health emergency response. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:7–10)
Aliskiren/valsartan combination for the treatment of cardiovascular and renal diseases

Chronic activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a key role in the development of hypertension, and cardiac and renal diseases. RAAS inhibitors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), improve cardiovascular and renal outcomes. However, studies have shown that residual morbidity and mortality remains high, despite current optimal treatment. More comprehensive control of the RAAS might provide additional reductions in morbidity and mortality. Direct renin inhibitors offer the potential for enhanced RAAS control as they target the system at the point of activation, thereby reducing plasma renin activity (PRA); by contrast, ARBs and ACE inhibitors increase PRA. Elevated PRA is independently associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A single-pill combination of the direct renin inhibitor, aliskiren, and the ARB, valsartan, at once-daily doses of 150/160 mg and 300/320 mg, has recently been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of hypertension in patients not adequately controlled on aliskiren or ARB monotherapy, and as initial therapy in patients likely to need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure goals. This article examines the efficacy, safety and tolerability of aliskiren/valsartan combination therapy, and considers the evidence for the potential organ-protection benefits of this treatment.
Impact of Increasing Demand for Dairy Alternative Beverages on Dairy Farmer Welfare in the United States

Production and consumption of dairy alternative beverages in the United States has been on the rise as per capita consumption of fluid milk continues to fall. Almond milk and soymilk are the fastest growing categories in the U.S. dairy alternative marketplace. Using household-level purchase data from 2011 Nielsen Homescan panel and tobit econometric procedure, the conditional and unconditional own-price, cross-price and income elasticities for soymilk and almond milk were estimated. Income, age, employment status, education level, race, ethnicity, region and presence of children are significant drivers affecting the demand for dairy alternative beverages, such as almond milk and soy milk. We use the estimates from the tobit econometric procedure to predict how changes in demographic profiles, prices and income will likely affect demand for the aforementioned dairy and dairy alternative products, and how these changes in retail demand will affect the blend price, production and producer surplus of U.S. dairy farmers subject to the federal milk marketing order system. To model the farm-side effects we follow Balagtas and Sumner (2001) and use estimates of elasticities of supply for milk from the literature.
Implicit stereotyping and medical decisions: unconscious stereotype activation in practitioners' thoughts about African Americans.

OBJECTIVES We investigated whether stereotypes unconsciously influence the thinking and behavior of physicians, as they have been shown to do in other professional settings, such as among law enforcement personnel and teachers. METHODS We conducted 2 studies to examine whether stereotypes are implicitly activated in physicians. Study 1 assessed what diseases and treatments doctors associate with African Americans. Study 2 presented these (and control terms) to doctors as part of a computerized task. Subliminal images of African American and White men appeared prior to each word, and reaction times to words were recorded. RESULTS When primed with an African American face, doctors reacted more quickly for stereotypical diseases, indicating an implicit association of certain diseases with African Americans. These comprised not only diseases African Americans are genetically predisposed to, but also conditions and social behaviors with no biological association (e.g., obesity, drug abuse). CONCLUSIONS We found implicit stereotyping among physicians; faces they never consciously saw altered performance. This suggests that diagnoses and treatment of African American patients may be biased, even in the absence of the practitioner's intent or awareness.
Detection of open and short faults in 3D-ICs based on through silicon via (TSV)

This paper proposes a procedure for estimating the location of open or short defects in a Through Silicon Via daisy-chain structure. The equivalent inductance and capacitance are extracted, at low frequency, through the measured and/or computed Z11 parameter of a three dimensional model in which the short and open defects are intentionally created in specific points.
A numerical study on base geometry of transistor laser: Quantum-well location effect

We report a numerical method based on both experimental data and physical model to simulate quantum-well dislocation effect inside the base region of a transistor laser of 150μm cavity length. Utilizing a special calculation method, base recombination lifetime is simulated for different quantum-well locations. In order to investigate optical bandwidth dependence on quantum well location coupled carrier photon equations are analyzed. Simulation shows significant enhancement in optical bandwidth (up to ∼51GHz) due to moving the quantum well toward collector while current gain decreases. Also reported in this work is an optimum place for quantum-well to locate in the base region in order to maximize the bandwidth.
A performance study of the HSLS routing algorithm for ad hoc networks

It is well known that routing overhead minimization is a primary pursuit of routing protocol developers. However, proactive protocols usually tend to increase routing overhead as network size grows. The fuzzy sighted link state (FSLS) protocol family is a set of routing algorithms that are shown to have very good routing overhead characteristics and also the ability to scale. We propose a scheme that augments the already good characteristics of the hazy sighted link state (HSLS) protocol, a special case of the FSLS protocol family. Simulations show a significant reduction of routing packets transmitted, with minor effect on throughput, average number of hops and mean data packet delay metrics.
The influence of the Web on the decision-making process during the pregnancy-puerperal cycle : Literature review and proposal for a research project

In the context of the existing paradigms of communication and health, this paper explores the influence that the web may have on the decision-making processes of women who are either pregnant or in the six weeks following the delivery – the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. For this, the processes of ‘autonomy’ and ‘mediation’ will be analyzed, considering their importance to understand how search practices and procedures are carried out on the web. The aim is therefore to assess whether the decision-making process of pregnant and postpartum women – in first and subsequent pregnancies – is influenced by the search for information provided by institutional and/or commercial websites, and if the nature, quantity and quality of information is taken into account when choosing a source of information. Moreover, we want to understand whether the participation of pregnant and postpartum women in social networks improves their decision-making ability and if the views and stories shared by other pregnant women can influence decisions. Finally, we are assessing whether the decision-making process of pregnant and postpartum women is supported by the opinion expressed by health professionals or by independent web searches. This research is being supported by data collected through an exploratory survey applied to pregnant and postpartum women. To complement and better understand the data collected during the survey, we are also conducting in-depth interviews with pregnant women, postpartum women and health professionals. We are also studying the case of an online community specifically developed to support pregnant and postpartum women.
Can No-Arbitrage SDF Models with Regime Shifts Explain the Correlations between Commodity, Stock, and Bond Returns?

We investigate whether it is possible to find a Stochastic Discount Factor (SDF) that jointly prices the cross-section of eight U.S. portfolios of stocks, Treasuries, corporate bonds, and commodities and replicates their observed moments, and especially correlations. We use the first three principal components extracted from a set of 112 U.S. macro variables as pricing factors. We also introduce commodity-based factors in the SDF, motivated by commodity pricing theories and we use them either separately or in conjunction with the macro-based ones. We report that it is not impossible to find a set of macroeconomic factors able to jointly price the cross section of stocks, bonds, and commodities; however, this task is accomplished by a small set of commodity-based factors. Observed correlations for commodities are perfectly matched by a parsimonious, single state, diagonal factor VAR model where only three commodity-based factors enter the SDF. While introducing regimes does not improve the performance in all cases, they could be beneficial to replicating correlations among commodity and bond portfolios.
Maternal Interpersonal Trauma and Child Social‐Emotional Development: An Intergenerational Effect

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that maternal interpersonal trauma can adversely affect offspring health, but little is known about potential transmission pathways. We investigated whether interpersonal trauma exposure had direct and indirect associations with offspring social-emotional development at 12-months of age in an at-risk, home visited population. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 1172 mother-child dyads who participated in a multi-site, early childhood home visiting program. Children were born January 2007 to June 2010 and data were collected at enrolment (prenatal/birth) through 12-months of age. Multivariable path analyses were used to examine the relationship between maternal interpersonal trauma, subsequent psychosocial mediators (maternal depressive symptoms, social support, and home environment), and the outcome of child social-emotional development measured with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE). Maternal interpersonal trauma was characterized as any previous exposure, the level of exposure, and type (e.g. abuse) of exposure. RESULTS The prevalence of maternal interpersonal trauma exposure was 69.1%, and exposures ranged from 1 type (19.3%) to 7 types (2.3%). Interpersonal trauma was associated with a 3.6 point (95% confidence interval 1.8, 5.4) higher ASQ:SE score among offspring and indicated greater developmental risk. An estimated 23.4% of the total effect was mediated by increased maternal depressive symptoms and lower social support. Differential effects were observed by the level and type of interpersonal trauma exposure. CONCLUSION Maternal interpersonal trauma exposures can negatively impact child social-emotional development, acting in part through maternal psychosocial factors. Future research is needed to further elucidate the mechanisms of intergenerational risk.
Assessing RBF Networks Using DELVE

In this paper, different methods for training radial basis function (RBF) networks for regression problems are described and illustrated. Then, using data from the DELVE archive, they are empirically compared with each other and with some other well known methods for machine learning. Each of the RBF methods performs well on at least one DELVE task, but none are as consistent as the best of the other non-RBF methods.
The novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa two‐component regulator BfmR controls bacteriophage‐mediated lysis and DNA release during biofilm development through PhdA

Biofilms are surface‐adhered bacterial communities encased in an extracellular matrix composed of polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular (e)DNA, with eDNA required for biofilm formation and integrity. Here we demonstrate that eDNA release is controlled by BfmR, a regulator essential for Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development. Expression of bfmR coincided with localized cell death and DNA release, and could be stimulated by conditions resulting in membrane perturbation and cell lysis. ΔbfmR mutant biofilms demonstrated increased cell lysis and eDNA release suggesting BfmR to suppress, but not eliminate, these processes. Genome‐wide transcriptional profiling indicated that BfmR was required for repression of genes associated with bacteriophage assembly and bacteriophage‐mediated lysis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of direct BfmR targets identified the promoter of PA0691, termed here phdA, encoding a previously undescribed homologue of the prevent‐host‐death (Phd) family of proteins. Lack of phdA expression coincided with impaired biofilm development and increased cell death, a phenotype comparable to ΔbfmR. Expression of phdA in ΔbfmR restored eDNA release, cell lysis and biofilm formation to wild‐type levels, with phdA overexpression promoting resistance to the superinfective bacteriophage Pf4, detected only in biofilms. Therefore, we propose that BfmR regulates biofilm development by limiting bacteriophage‐mediated lysis and thus, eDNA release, via PhdA.
A Set-Membership-Based Blind Equalization Algorithm for High-order QAM Signals

This paper presents a new blind equalization algorithm based on the concept of set-membership filtering (SMF). We first employ a new strategy in the stop-and-go algorithm (SGA) to improve the update reliability by substituting the Sato-like error with multimodulus error and involving a penalty function. Then an adaptive algorithm is derived in terms of the SGA and the set-membership binormalized data-reusing LMS algorithm. During the coefficients update, the proposed algorithm uses two constraint sets to construct reliable solution space. Simulation results demonstrate that compared with other algorithms including SGA, the proposed algorithm provides superior performance with regard to both the convergence rate and the steady-state mean square error (MSE), and is comparatively efficient for high-order QAM signals
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenocortical Axis Suppression following a Single Epidural Injection of Methylprednisolone Acetate.

BACKGROUND Epidural injections (EIs) are the most commonly performed minimally invasive intervention in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP). There is inconsistency in data to accurately predict the degree of hypothalamic-piuitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression in patients receiving exogenous steroid therapy, especially in the form of epidural steroid injections (ESIs). OBJECTIVE We aim to quantify the degree and duration of HPA axis suppression after a single ESI of 80 mg methyl prednisolone acetate in patients with CLBP. STUDY DESIGN A single open-label prospective study. SETTING An operating room of a tertiary care hospital. METHODS Patients with CLBP and unilateral radicular pain were included in this study. An ESI of 80 mg of methylprednisolone acetate was administered in each patient. Blood samples for cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were collected before the ESI and on days 7, 14, and 28 after the ESI. The patients' pain levels were graded on the numeric rating scale (NRS) at baseline and on days 7, 14, 28, and 60 after the ESI in the pain clinic. RESULTS A total of 30 patients were enrolled in this study. The median with interquartile range (IQR) serum cortisol level at baseline and on days 7, 14, and 28 after intervention were found to be 329.55 (208.49 - 399.48) nmol/L, 72.99 (52.95 - 119.82) nmol/L, 194.45 (73.88 - 292.52) nmol/L, and 302.56 (257.68 - 357.43) nmol/L, respectively. A significant discrease in the serum cortisol levels was observed on days 7 (P < 0.001) and 14 (P < 0.001). Twenty-six (87%), 13 (43%), and 2 (7%) patients had serum cortisol levels below normal (<170 nmol/L) on days 7, 14, and 28, respectively. HPA axis suppression was observed in all of the patients for a median (IQR) period of 14 days (range: 11-17 days). LIMITATIONS This study was an unblinded observational study. The effect of a single ESI was studied and the sample collection of day 21 serum cortisol and ACTH were passed over. CONCLUSIONS HPA axis function was suppressed after the ESI until day 14 and returned to the normal range by postoperative week 4. KEY WORDS Epidural injections, steroids, HPA, suppression, cortisol, ACTH.