Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lagrangian transport properties of pulmonary interfacial flows

Abstract Disease states characterized by airway fluid occlusion and pulmonary surfactant insufficiency, such as respiratory distress syndrome, have a high mortality rate. Understanding the mechanics of airway reopening, particularly involving surfactant transport, may provide an avenue to increase patient survival via optimized mechanical ventilation waveforms. We model the occluded airway as a liquid-filled rigid tube with the fluid phase displaced by a finger of air that propagates with both mean and sinusoidal velocity components. Finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) fields are employed to analyse the convective transport characteristics, taking note of Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) and their effects on transport. The Lagrangian perspective of these techniques reveals flow characteristics that are not readily apparent by observing Eulerian measures. These analysis techniques are applied to surfactant-free velocity fields determined computationally, with the boundary element method, and measured experimentally with micro particle image velocimetry ( $\ensuremath{\mu} $ -PIV). We find that the LCS divides the fluid into two regimes, one advected upstream (into the thin residual film) and the other downstream ahead of the advancing bubble. At higher oscillatory frequencies particles originating immediately inside the LCS experience long residence times at the air–liquid interface, which may be conducive to surfactant transport. At high frequencies a well-mixed attractor region is identified; this volume of fluid cyclically travels along the interface and into the bulk fluid. The Lagrangian analysis is applied to velocity data measured with 0.01 mg ml−1 of the clinical pulmonary surfactant Infasurf in the bulk fluid, demonstrating flow field modifications with respect to the surfactant-free system that were not visible in the Eulerian frame.
Model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions aimed at preventing medication error at hospital admission (medicines reconciliation).

RATIONALE Medication errors can lead to preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) that have significant cost and health implications. Errors often occur at care interfaces, and various interventions have been devised to reduce medication errors at the point of admission to hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the incremental costs and effects [measured as quality adjusted life years (QALYs)] of a range of such interventions for which evidence of effectiveness exists. METHODS A previously published medication errors model was adapted to describe the pathway of errors occurring at admission through to the occurrence of pADEs. The baseline model was populated using literature-based values, and then calibrated to observed outputs. Evidence of effects was derived from a systematic review of interventions aimed at preventing medication error at hospital admission. RESULTS All five interventions, for which evidence of effectiveness was identified, are estimated to be extremely cost-effective when compared with the baseline scenario. Pharmacist-led reconciliation intervention has the highest expected net benefits, and a probability of being cost-effective of over 60% by a QALY value of pound10 000. CONCLUSIONS The medication errors model provides reasonably strong evidence that some form of intervention to improve medicines reconciliation is a cost-effective use of NHS resources. The variation in the reported effectiveness of the few identified studies of medication error interventions illustrates the need for extreme attention to detail in the development of interventions, but also in their evaluation and may justify the primary evaluation of more than one specification of included interventions.
Smarter ICs

This article presented the possibilities of making microwave and mm-wave ICs more intelligent through a combination of established Si/SiGe BiCMOS technologies, which allow for complex ICs combining a multitude of high-speed analog and digital functions, and RFMEMS processing tightly integrated with the baseline BiCMOS technology. The addition of RFMEMS switches and integrated antennas enhanced by micromachining especially pays off at millimeter waves, where chip-to-board interconnects become increasingly cumbersome, and RFMEMS reconfiguration switches offer unparalleled low loss, high isolation, and high linearity.
Clostridium difficile Infection: A Comprehensive Review

Clostridium difficile is one of the most important causes of healthcare acquired diarrhea. The disease spectrum caused by C. difficile infection ranges from mild, self-limited, illness to a severe, life-threatening colitis. The incidence of C. difficile associated disease has risen dramatically over the last decade, leading to increased research interest aiming at the discovery of new virulence factors and the development of new treatment and prevention regimens. This review summarizes the pathogenesis and changing epidemiology of C. difficile associated disease, the clinical spectrum and laboratory methods to diagnose C. difficile infection, and current treatment strategies.
Towards better informed consent in endoscopy: a study of information and consent processes in gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy

Objective To determine the level of knowledge achieved by patients who have read a simple information sheet on gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy, and to determine the levels of information required by patients and solicitors specializing in clinical negligence. Design Self-administered questionnaires were sent to 516 patients in Leicester and 79 solicitors specializing in clinical negligence in England and Wales. The main objective outcome measures were the correct scores measured in a simple test of the content of information sheets about gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy. Other scores were based on the opinions of patients and solicitors on the type of information patients should receive and the levels of risk about which they should be informed. Results Of the clinical negligence specialists, 75%, compared with 44% of patients, felt that consent to procedures should be obtained 2 weeks before the test. In addition, 86% of solicitors felt that patients needed to be told about tests on at least two occasions and favoured booklets and videos. Both 48% of solicitors and 38% of patients felt that patients should be told of very uncommon risks, with 16% of clinical negligence specialists expecting patients to be told of risks of 1 in 1 000 000. The majority of patients (98%) and solicitors (95%) felt that patients should be formally tested as to whether they understand what they are told in the consent process. In an initial study of an information leaflet, South Asian patients had significantly poorer scores than English patients on formal testing of their knowledge of the leaflet's content. The poorest response (61% correct) was to a question including the word ‘indigestion', which had been omitted from the information leaflet. Its inclusion led to a significant increase in the number answering the question correctly (96%). The positioning of a word in the list of reasons for doing the test was also important. In the flexible sigmoidoscopy leaflet, the word ‘anaemia’ was placed in the middle of a list of reasons for doing the test; only 85% answered the question correctly. In the sample of patients who received the modified gastroscopy leaflet, recall at 6 months was significantly impaired with most loss of memory being related to the purpose of the test. Conclusions Consent needs to be supported by easy-to-read information and the patients’ understanding needs to be formally tested. Important concepts must be included in this information as well as any uncommon risks of the procedure. In order to ensure that the information can be understood, the text should be reviewed by an experienced educationalist. If the text is to be used in a multicultural setting, it is important to ensure that patients for whom English is not their first language can easily understand it. The movement away from ‘informed consent’ towards an ‘informed decision’ process should facilitate these improvements.
The ArmarX Framework - Supporting high level robot programming through state disclosure

In this paper we introduce the robot development environment (RDE) ArmarX. The goal of ArmarX is to ease the development of higher level capabilities for complex robotic systems. ArmarX is built upon the idea that consistent disclosure of the system state highly facilitates the development process. In order to show its applicability, we introduce a robot architecture for a complex humanoid system based on the ArmarX framework and discuss essential aspects based on an exemplary pick and place task.
Haemodynamic and renal effects of intravenous enalaprilat during coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with ischaemic heart dysfunction.

Renal dysfunction occurring after open heart surgery is multifactorial in origin but activation of the renin-angiotensin system may have a prominent role. Fourteen patients with ischaemic heart dysfunction scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were allocated to a treatment group [enalaprilat for 2 days; ACEI (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) group, n=7] or a control group (n=7). The cardiac index was significantly higher in ACEI-treated patients than in the controls before and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (P<0.05) and on postoperative day 2 (P<0.05). The systemic vascular resistance was significantly lower in the ACEI-treated patients than in the controls before and after CPB (P<0.05). Renal plasma flow, measured as [131I]orthoiodohippuran clearance (ClH), was higher in the ACEI group than in the control group before CPB, as was endogenous creatinine clearance after CPB (P<0.05). On post-operative day 7, ClH was significantly higher in the ACEI group than in the control group (P<0.05). Plasma renin activity and vasopressin concentration increased in both groups during CPB (P<0.05). The study demonstrates that administration of an i.v. ACEI, enalaprilat, improves cardiac output during CABG surgery in patients with ischaemic heart dysfunction. Moreover, renal perfusion was better maintained during surgery, and this effect was sustained up to post-operative day 7.
Loss of Sin3/Rpd3 Histone Deacetylase Restores the DNA Damage Response in Checkpoint-Deficient Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT We previously reported that expression of the human forkhead/winged helix transcription factor, CHES1 (checkpoint suppressor 1; FOXN3), suppresses sensitivity to DNA damage and restores damage-induced G2/M arrest in checkpoint-deficient strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that a functional glutathione S-transferase-Ches1 fusion protein binds in vivo to Sin3, a component of the S. cerevisiae Sin3/Rpd3 histone deacetylase complex. Checkpoint mutant strains with SIN3 deleted show increased resistance to UV irradiation, which is not further enhanced by CHES1 expression. Conversely, overexpression of SIN3 blocks the Ches1-mediated G2/M delay in response to DNA damage, which is consistent with Ches1 acting by inhibiting the Sin3/Rpd3 complex. Deletion of either SIN3 or RPD3 in rad9 or mec1 checkpoint mutant strains suppresses sensitivity to replication blocks and DNA damage resulting from Cdc9 ligase deficiency and UV irradiation. SIN3 or RPD3 deletions also restored G2/M arrest after DNA damage without concomitant Rad53 phosphorylation in mec1 mutant strains. This DNA damage response is absent in mad1 spindle checkpoint mutants. These data suggest that modulation of chromatin structure may regulate checkpoint responses in S. cerevisiae. Inhibition of histone deacetylation results in a DNA damage checkpoint response mediated by the spindle checkpoint pathway that compensates for loss of the primary DNA damage checkpoint pathway.
Rotating Circular Micro-Platform with Integrated Waveguides and Latching Arm for Reconfigurable Integrated Optics

This work presents a laterally rotating micromachined platform integrated under optical waveguides to control the in-plane propagation direction of light within a die to select one of multiple outputs. The platform is designed to exhibit low constant optical losses throughout the motion range and is actuated electrostatically using an optimized circular comb drive. An angular motion of ±9.5° using 180 V is demonstrated. To minimize the optical losses between the moving and fixed parts, a gap-closing mechanism is implemented to reduce the initial air gap to submicron values. A latch structure is implemented to hold the platform in place with a resolution of 0.25° over the entire motion range. The platform was integrated with silicon nitride waveguides to create a crossbar switch and preliminary optical measurements are reported. In the bar state, the loss was measured to be 14.8 dB with the gap closed whereas in the cross state it was 12.2 dB. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first optical switch based on a rotating microelectromechanical device with integrated silicon nitride waveguides reported to date.
Venture capital : the complete guide for investors

The first guide through the principles and process of successful investing in entrepreneurial companies, from the viewpoint of a venture capitalist. Silver's Four Laws of Venture Capital, plus in-depth discussions on forming the management team, raising funds to invest, generating a local deal flow, and other valuable information provide a rigorously thorough treatment of this recently popular subject.
Preference for A + B Contracting Technique among State Departments of Transportation

The objectives of the research are to compare performance, cost and value implications of design-build contracts, A+B contracts, lane rental contracts and traditional contracts. Specific performance and cost measures considered are Administration Costs, Project Costs, Management Complexity, Disruption to Third Parties, Road User Costs, Innovation, Product/Process Quality, and Funding Flexibility & Duration. Performance parameters are compared on nine different project types. The research compares the three innovative contracting techniques to traditional contracting on relevant performance factors for each project type, resulting in a "best practices guide" along with project selection criteria for innovative contracting methods. The research methodology utilized a survey of national experts who rated each innovative contracting method for each performance factor on each of the project types. Results of the findings from the survey of national experts as well as summaries of case study interviews are described and discussed.
Identification and self-tuning predictive control of heat exchanger

Heat exchange belongs to the class of basic thermal processes which occur in a range of industrial technologies, particularly in the energetic, chemical, polymer and rubber industry. The process of heat exchange is often implemented by through-flow heat exchangers. It is apparent that for an exact theoretical description of dynamics of heat exchange processes it is necessary to use partial differential equations. Heat exchange is namely a process with distributed parameters. It is also necessary to take into account its nonlinear and stochastic character. In spite of these facts, most of thermal equipment is controlled by digital modifications of PID controllers at present. This paper deals with identification of a dynamic behavior of a through-flow heat exchanger and a design of an self-tuning predictive controller for its control. The designed controller was verified by a real-time control of experimental laboratory heat exchanger.
Resident and nonresident hunter and angler expenditures, characteristics, and economic effects, North Dakota, 2001-2002.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic effects of hunting and fishing activities during the 2001-2002 season on the North Dakota economy, and to compare current information to previous studies to identify trends in hunting and angling activities. A mail survey of 29,034 resident hunters and anglers and 7,199 nonresident hunters and anglers was conducted to solicit information on 21 hunting and fishing activities during the 2001-2002 season. Total spending by hunters and anglers in North Dakota during the 2001-2002 season was estimated at $468.5 million, excluding purchases of licenses. Resident hunter and angler expenditures were estimated at $402.7 million, and nonresident hunter and angler expenditures were estimated at $65.9 million. Hunting expenditures were estimated at $166.4 million, and fishing expenditures were estimated at $302.1 million. Total spending in rural areas was estimated at $213.4 million by residents and $48.4 million by nonresidents. Total direct expenditures ($468.5 million) from hunting and fishing in North Dakota generated nearly $544.9 million in secondary economic effects. Gross business volume (direct and secondary effects) of hunting and fishing in North Dakota was estimated at $1 billion. Hunting and fishing activities were estimated to generate $30.5 million in general state tax collections and support 13,100 full-time equivalent jobs throughout the state. As a result of increased average per person spending in most hunting and fishing activities and increased number of participants in most activities, total spending in North Dakota increased by $106 million or 29 percent from 1996-97 to 2001-02. Total spending by resident hunters and anglers increased by $73 million or 22 percent, while nonresident spending increased by $33 million or 101 percent over the period. Hunter expenditures increased by $31 million or 23 percent, while angler expenditures increased by $75 million or 33 percent over the period. Gross business volume from all hunting and fishing activities increased by $233.9 million (30 percent) over the period. The economic importance of hunting and fishing in North Dakota has continued to increase throughout the 1990s, and continues to be an important source of economic activity in the state. However, policy decisions affecting wildlife management should not be based solely on economic information, and must balance the ever increasing demand for wildlife-related recreation with the supply of wildlife-related resources to ensure the continued economic benefits that abundant hunting and fishing opportunities provide to the state.
Intestinal Permeability Measurements — A New Application for Water-Soluble Contrast Media?

The detection and quantification of altered intestinal barrier function (intestinal permeability) have been addressed frequently during the last years, but the tests available for determination of intestinal permeability are both flawed and have limitations. The new water-soluble roentgen contrast media (CM) of low- and iso-osmolar type have been proposed as intestinal permeability probes. In this article this possible new application for water-soluble CM is discussed in terms of their inherent properties and the experimental and clinical results obtained so far. The 2 iso-osmolar dimers, iodixanol (Visipaque) and iotrolan (Isovist), seem to be as good as the well-documented radio-labeled permeability probe 51Cr-EDTA in detecting injury of the intestinal mucosal barrier. The CM offer the advantage of allowing direct control of bowel wall exposure with the aid of fluoroscopy. Current permeability probes lack this quality. Iodine-containing substances may be analyzed by the rapid, simple and reliable X-ray fluorescence technique, which is suitable for application in routine clinical practice. We conclude that the new water-soluble roentgen CM have properties which may be of use in the diagnosis and quantification of altered intestinal barrier function.
Molecular Chaperone Hsp104 Can Promote Yeast Prion Generation

[URE3] is an amyloid-based prion of Ure2p, a regulator of nitrogen catabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Ure2p of the human pathogen Candida albicans can also be a prion in S. cerevisiae. We find that overproduction of the disaggregating chaperone, Hsp104, increases the frequency of de novo [URE3] prion formation by the Ure2p of S. cerevisiae and that of C. albicans. This stimulation is strongly dependent on the presence of the [PIN+] prion, known from previous work to enhance [URE3] prion generation. Our data suggest that transient Hsp104 overproduction enhances prion generation through persistent effects on Rnq1 amyloid, as well as during overproduction by disassembly of amorphous Ure2 aggregates (generated during Ure2p overproduction), driving the aggregation toward the amyloid pathway. Overproduction of other major cytosolic chaperones of the Hsp70 and Hsp40 families (Ssa1p, Sse1p, and Ydj1p) inhibit prion formation, whereas another yeast Hsp40, Sis1p, modulates the effects of Hsp104p on both prion induction and prion curing in a prion-specific manner. The same factor may both enhance de novo prion generation and destabilize existing prion variants, suggesting that prion variants may be selected by changes in the chaperone network.
Assessment of nutritional status: vitamin A and zinc in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

BACKGROUND Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) present with low antibody levels, impaired lymphocyte function, and chronic inflammation. Vitamin A and zinc are essential components of the immune system and can be redistributed in the body as a result of inflammation. OBJECTIVE To compare levels of retinol, beta-carotene, and zinc in patients with CVID and healthy controls after evaluating a series of parameters for each participant. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study of CVID patients and healthy controls matched for age and gender. All participants underwent a nutritional and laboratory evaluation comprising a complete blood count and determination of levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), soluble CD14 (sCD14), retinol, beta-carotene, and serum and erythrocyte zinc. RESULTS We included 17 patients (mean age, 28.54 years) and 17 controls. Mean (SD) retinol levels were lower in patients: 1.99 (0.67) micromol/L vs 2.72 (0.96) micromol/L. Median beta-carotene levels were similar in both groups (0.30 micromol/L). Median serum zinc levels were 50.0 microg/dL (50-100 microg/dL) in the patients and 100.0 microg/dL (50-150 microg/dL) in the controls. Mean levels of erythrocyte zinc were lower among patients: 37.32 (10.51) microgZn/gHb vs 44.91 (7.67) microgZn/gHb in the controls. Median CRP levels were significantly higher among patients: 4.99 (0.15-34.51) mg/L vs 0.55 (0.17-6.06) mg/L. No differences in translocation marker levels were observed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS CVID patients had lower levels of retinol and zinc than controls. Since micronutrient deficiency could aggravate their disease and contribute to chronic inflammation, micronutrient status should always be assessed in patients with primary immunodeficiency.
Social Divisions in School Participation and Attainment in India: 1983-2004

This study documents the size and nature of boy-girl and Hindu-Muslim gaps in childrens school participation and attainments in India. Individual-level data from two successive rounds of the National Sample Survey suggest that considerable progress has been made in decreasing the Hindu-Muslim gap. Nonetheless, the gap remains sizable even after controlling for numerous socioeconomic and parental covariates, and the Muslim educational disadvantage in India today is greater than that experienced by girls and Scheduled Caste Hindu children. A gender gap still appears within as well as between communities, though it is smaller within Muslim communities. While differences in gender and other demographic and socio-economic covariates have recently become more important in explaining the Hindu-Muslim gap, those differences altogether explain only 25 percent to 45 percent of the observed schooling gap.