Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxicity of cuprizone a Cu2+ chelating agent on isolated mouse brain mitochondria: a justification for demyelination and subsequent behavioral dysfunction

Abstract Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with an unknown etiology and no effective cure, despite decades of extensive research that led to the development of several partially effective treatments. In this study we aimed to investigate brain mitochondrial dysfunction in demyelination induced by cuprizone in mice. Cuprizone was used for induction of demyelination in mice through a diet containing 0.2% w/w cuprizone for 5 weeks. Behavioral tests for proving of MS was performed and then mitochondria from brain of animals were isolated and afterwards parameters of mitochondrial dysfunction examined. Results of mitochondrial dysfunction parameters such as mitochondrial swelling, production ROS, collapse of the membrane potential showed that isolated mitochondria from cuprizone treated mice have been damaged compared to those of untreated control mice. It is likely that demyelination induced mitochondrial damage led to increased mitochondrial ROS formation and progression of oxidative damages in neurons. It is suggested that cuprizone which is a Cu2+ chelating agent causes impairment of electron transport chain (complex IV) and antioxidant system (SOD) in mitochondria leading to decreased ATP production and increased ROS formation.
Venlafaxine occupation at the noradrenaline reuptake site: in-vivo determination in healthy volunteers

Venlafaxine, a serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, is an effective antidepressant at doses of 75 mg p.o. daily and above. Preclinical and healthy volunteer studies have demonstrated that venlafaxine is more potent at the serotonin than at the noradrenaline reuptake site, with noradrenergic blocking effects being observed at doses >75 mg p.o. in man. We used the Multiple Organs Coincidences Counter and [11C] meta hydroxy ephedrine (MHED) to test whether significant occupation of cardiac sympathetic neurones was achieved in man in vivo after the acute administration of venlafaxine 75 mg p.o. in nine healthy volunteers. MHED is a tracer which binds at the noradrenaline reuptake site. This study demonstrates that the [11C]MHED signal is significantly reduced after the administration of venlafaxine 75 mg p.o. thus showing that noradrenaline reuptake blockade is observable at this dose. This effect is predominantly seen in volunteers who received > 1 mg/kg venlafaxine.
Fast frame rate 2D cardiac deformation imaging based on RF data: What do we gain?

Fast acquisition sequences enable >200Hz 2D cardiac B-mode imaging with little compromise in image quality. Fast imaging minimizes frame to frame decorrelation, enabling radiofrequency (RF)-based tracking for enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in motion and deformation imaging. Our objective was to compare the performance and clinical usefulness of Fast RF-based Tracking (FRFT) to the established modalities Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) and image-based speckle tracking (ST).
Preoperative Sequential TACE and PVE to Increase Resectability in the Cirrhotic Patient With HCC.

CASE REPORT A 58-year-old male college professor was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1995 through routine liver function studies for insurance testing. Interferon therapy was initiated but discontinued after 1 month due to adverse side effects. He was followed with serial liver ultrasonography (US) studies and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) measurements but lapsed for 18 months until recent AFP was found to be 2,194 ng/mL. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a 7.5 cm right liver mass. No pruritis, jaundice, weight loss, or other symptoms were observed. Laboratory studies revealed normal liver function tests, including a bilirubin of 1.0, INR of 1.2, and a platelet count of 220×10/L. Needle biopsy was performed, which confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma. Figures 1 and 2 show magnetic resonance images (MRI) revealing a well-circumscribed tumor in the right lobe and the presence of a cyst. Based on the preoperative evaluation, the patient was felt to be a potential candidate for liver resection but would require a right hemihepatectomy. However, following liver volumetric calculation of the projected remnant liver (segments 1, 2, 3, and 4), the ratio of future liver remnant [FLR]/total estimated liver volume [TELV]) was 28.4%, which in a cirrhotic patient was considered insufficient to expect a good functional postoperative reserve. The strategy developed for this patient was to employ sequential, preoperative, selective transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to achieve tumor response followed by portal vein embolization (PVE) of the right hemiliver to illicit hypertrophy of future liver remnant. The patient underwent TACE followed 4 weeks later by right PVE. A post-TACE non-contrast CT scan incorporating lipiodol revealed satisfactory uptake within the tumor [Figure 3]. MRI scan 4 weeks after TACE revealed evidence of tumor necrosis but without an appreciable change in the tumor size [Figure 4]. Follow-up MRI imaging performed 4 weeks post PVE revealed successful occlusion of portal flow with an increase in the size of the left hemiliver [Figure 5]. Interestingly, in addition to the observed contralateral hepatic hypertophy, a significant reduction in the tumor diameter was observed after PVE. Changes in the FLR/TELV ratio were as follows: 28.4% before TACE, 33.5% post TACE, and 48.6% after PVE [Table 1]. Having achieved sufficient projected remnant liver volume, the patient went on to undergo successful right hepatectomy [Figure 6].
The Nigerian budgeting process: a framework for increasing employment performance

There have been several systematic inquiries into the functioning of Nigeria’s budgetimplementation process, and employment performance, particularly over the past fewdecades in order to diagnose the country’s budget implementation problems. This articlereports on an investigation into the effects of the formal budgeting process, budgetaryparticipation, sector size, and ownership on the employment performance of Nigerianministries, departments, agencies and parastatals. The study drew on observations from thearea of financial planning and control and its influence on employment performance, andwas conducted to fill the gap in previous literature about how budgeting practice affectsemployment performance. Hopefully, this theoretical exploration will provide fresh insightinto the possible correlation between budgeting practice and employment performance. Acombination of financial and non-financial measurements is suggested to reflect theeffectiveness of budgeting practice on employment performance. The findings provide moreevidence regarding the impact of the budgeting process on employment performance, andsuggestions for increasing employment performance level in Nigeria are provided, thusproviding possible solutions to similar challenges faced by other developing countries.
Reducing Serious Injury From Falls in Two Veterans' Hospital Medical‐Surgical Units

A large veteran's hospital participated in a year-long collaborative project across 9 hospitals to reduce serious injury from falls in acute care, targeting medical-surgical units. The primary objective of this project was to develop and test a set of interventions (bundles) to prevent serious physical injury (fractures and hemorrhagic bleeds) from patient falls. The interventions were implemented using tests of change on 2 medical-surgical units focused on engaging unit-based staff and combining innovations for vulnerable populations at greatest risk for injury if they fall.
Consumer preferences for water billing structures: A choice modelling approach

The structure of water tariffs is attracting the interest of scholars concerned about the efficacy of the present pricing arrangements. However, finding consensus on the 'appropriate' structure of water and wastewater tariffs has proven problematic. In addition, relatively little is understood of the preferences of consumers in this context. This paper reports the findings of a recent study that developed empirical models of consumer preferences for billing structures for urban water use in regional Victoria.
Adjustable Frequency–Duty-Cycle Hybrid Control Strategy for Full-Bridge Series Resonant Converters in Electric Vehicle Chargers

In this paper, an effective output voltage control method using adjustable frequency-duty-cycle hybrid control is presented. By using the proposed method, the operating performance of the full-bridge series resonant dc-dc converter applied to the onboard charger in electric vehicles under the constant-voltage charge mode is improved. The proposed control method improves the system efficiency of the charger up to 4% for light load conditions compared with the conventional control method without any extra hardware. A theoretical analysis is described along with a loss analysis in detail, and the validity of the proposed method is verified by experiment with a 3.3-kW prototype onboard charger.
Interim Financial Reporting in the Asia-Pacific Region : A Review of Regulatory Requirements

This paper addresses the question of how interim financial reporting regulation varies across the Asia-Pacific region. Using a content analysis method, the study investigates the relevant regulations in eight selected countries in the Asia-Pacific region which differ in a number of country-level attributes. We find that the regulations in the region show considerable variation in terms of the form of regulatory enforcement, reporting lag, audit requirements, and reporting form. By providing the first in-depth review of the nature of differences in interim financial reporting in key countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the findings of this study will be of interest to investors, regulators and researchers in their quest for international “convergence” in financial reporting practices.
An Abstract Architecture for Service Trading . On the Design of the Framework

Many software companies are using SOA (service-oriented architectures) as the cornerstone for their business activities. In this context, service level agreements (SLAs) are gaining importance in both cross-organizational and intraorganizational scenarios because they provide important benefits to both the service consumer and the service provider. On the one hand, SLAs grant consumers guarantees about how a service will be provided. On the other hand, SLAs allow the providers to deploy an automated provision of services based on the SLAs on which they have agreed with their customers. SLAs are a prominent research field in both the academy and the industry. In this report, we focus on the service trading process, which is the process of locating, selecting, negotiating, and creating SLAs. This process can be applied to a variety of scenarios and, hence, their requirements are also very different. Despite some service trading architectures have been proposed, they are not suitable for every single service trading scenario. Particularly, they do not cover well all aspects of complex service trading scenarios and they lack support for the implementation of advanced automated decision-making. To solve these shortcomings, we have developed an abstract architecture for service trading. We understand an abstract architecture as a specification that defines a set of elements (subsystems, components, interfaces, data types, or collaborations) and that may be applied to different domains and implemented with a variety of technologies. The goals of the abstract architecture are that it must tackle complex service trading scenarios and it must give full support to implement advanced automated decision-making mechanisms. To reach these goals, we take as a starting point a set of properties for abstract service trading architectures obtained as a result of an analysis of several practical scenarios. Next, we specify the abstract architecture following a role-based approach. Therefore, the abstract architecture is described by means of the roles and collaborations that are necessary to develop this automated service trading. Furthermore, we define the elements that are necessary to support an advanced automated decision-making in service trading. In addition, we motivate and introduce the idea of trading protocols. A trading protocol specifies the temporal constraints imposed in the trading process and the choreographies used in each stage of the process. In summary, the contribution of this work is threefold. First, we identify the main characteristics of the service trading process. Second, we analyse and compare the most significant abstract architectures for service trading. And third, we develop an abstract architecture for service trading that deals with complex scenarios and supports advanced automated decision-making. Additionally, we introduce and motivate the concept of trading protocol.
The Impact of Exchange Rate Shocks on Sectoral Activity and Prices in the Euro Area

This paper investigates the impact of exchange rate shocks on sectoral activity and prices in the euro area. Using a VAR framework it provides evidence on the magnitude and speed of the impact of exchange rate shocks on activity in all main euro area sectors and on activity and producer prices in a large set of sub-sectors of industry (excluding construction). Substantial heterogeneity in the impact of exchange rate shocks across sectors is identified as regards both activity and prices. According to our results, among the main euro area sectors an exchange rate shock has the strongest impact on value added in industry (excl. construction) and trade and transportation services. Within industry (excl. construction), among its main sub-sectors all of the impact on production comes via manufacturing, while among the main industrial groupings (MIGs), capital and intermediate goods production respond most strongly. As regards the impact on prices, among the sub-sectors of industry (excl. construction), the impact is largest on producer prices in electricity, gas and water supply, and in line with this producer prices in MIG energy are most sensitive to an exchange rate shock. JEL Classification: C32, E31
Estimating losses to customers on account of mis-selling life insurance policies in India

This paper presents two approaches that use publicly available data to estimate the loss to investors from mis-selling of insurance products. The first approach uses the number of lapsed policies from the annual reports of the insurance regulator, IRDA, while the second method uses the persistence of premium payments that are reported in the annual reports of individual insurance companies. Both these methods arrive at a similar estimate a loss of about Rs.1. 5 trillion, or $28 billion, to investors owing to mis-selling over the 2004-05 to 2011-12 period.
Systemic Amyloidosis : The Usefulness of Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration for Detecting Amyloid Deposits

A 75-year-old man with a history of dyspnea lasting for three years presented to our hospital. Chest computed tomography showed bilateral pulmonary nodules, some of which were calcified, in addition to mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy and bilateral pleural effusions. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided (EBUS) transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of the subcarinal lymph nodes showed amorphous acellular material compatible with λ-light chain amyloid deposits. Sternal bone marrow aspiration demonstrated increased small lymphocytes admixed with plasma cells and plasmacytoid lymphocytes. Serum immunoglobulin values were decreased with the exception of immunoglobulin M monoclonal peak. We subsequently diagnosed the patient as having Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia accompanying AL-type amyloidosis. In this case, EBUS-TBNA was useful for detecting AL-type amyloidosis.
An Optimal Allocation of Carry-Save-Adders in Arithmetic Circuits

Carry-save-adder (CSA) is one of the most widely used components for fast arithmetic in industry. This paper provides a solution to the problem of finding an optimal-timing allocation of CSAs in arithmetic circuits. Namely, we present a polynomial time algorithm which finds an optimal-timing CSA allocation for a given arithmetic expression. We then extend our result for CSA allocation to the problem of optimizing arithmetic expressions across the boundary of design hierarchy by introducing a new concept, called auxiliary ports. Our algorithm can be used to carry out the CSA allocation step optimally and automatically and this can be done within the context of a standard RTL synthesis environment.
Data Adaptive Dual Domain Denoising: a Method to Boost State of the Art Denoising Algorithms

This article presents DA3D (Data Adaptive Dual Domain Denoising), a “last step denoising” method that takes as input a noisy image and as a guide the result of any state-of-the-art denoising algorithm. The method performs frequency domain shrinkage on shape and data-adaptive patches. DA3D doesn’t process all the image samples, which allows it to use large patches (64 × 64 pixels). The shape and data-adaptive patches are dynamically selected, eﬀec-tively concentrating the computations on areas with more details, thus accelerating the process considerably. DA3D also reduces the staircasing artifacts sometimes present in smooth parts of the guide images. The eﬀectiveness of DA3D is conﬁrmed by extensive experimentation. DA3D improves the result of almost all state-of-the-art methods, and this improvement requires little additional computation time.
The Treatment of Bleeding in Acquired Haemophilia with Recombinant Factor VIIa: A Multicentre Study

Summary Recombinant factor Vila was used to treat 38 patients with acquired haemophilia participating in the Novoseven compassionate-use program. 19 were male, median age 59, range 2-89 years. The median pre-treatment anti-human (H) and anti-porcine (P) inhibitor titre was H 43 BU/ml (range 1-4500) and P 4.5 BU/ml (range 0-1600). Recombinant factor VIIa was used as first-line therapy for 14 bleeding episodes and as salvage-therapy for 60 episodes which failed to respond to blood-product therapy given for a median of four days (range 1-21 days) prior to treatment with rVIIa. Pre-rVIIa treatment was not reported for four episodes. The indications for treatment were 7 haemarthroses, 40 muscle haematomas, 20 urinary or GI haemorrhages and 3 surgical interventions. The median starting dose of rVIIa was 90.4 ug/kg (range 45-181). A median of 28 doses (range 1-541) were given per episode, over a median 3.9 days (range 0-43). Efficacy was assessed clinically 8 and 24 h after the start of rVIIa and at the end of treatment. A good response was obtained in all 14 bleeds for which rVIIa was used as first-line therapy. The response after 24 h of rVIIa salvage-therapy for 60 bleeds was good in 75%, partial in 17% and poor in 8%. Efficacy was unreported in 4 cases. The median prothrombin time (PTT) shortened from 12 s (range 9.3-20) pre-treatment to 8.8 s (range 6-14) during treatment. The clinical response did not correlate with the dose of rVIIa used, the type of bleed or the degree of shortening of the PTT following rVIIa infusion. Three patients died from haemorrhagic complications of acquired haemophilia. This mortality of 7.9% is lower than previously reported for this condition. Although one patient developed DIC during treatment with rVIIa, this was probably attributable to hypovolaemic shock, massive transfusion and the use of PCCs. This study demonstrates that rVIIa is a safe, useful and effective treatment for bleeding in patients with acquired haemophilia.
Reactive Oxygen Species Regulate Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Differentially in Cancer and Ischemia

ABSTRACT In exercise, as well as cancer and ischemia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1) transcriptionally activates hundreds of genes vital for cell homeostasis and angiogenesis. While potentially beneficial in ischemia, upregulation of the HIF1 transcription factor has been linked to inflammation, poor prognosis in many cancers, and decreased susceptibility of tumors to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Considering HIF1's function, HIF1α protein and its hydroxylation cofactors look increasingly attractive as therapeutic targets. Independently, antioxidants have shown promise in lowering the risk of some cancers and improving neurological and cardiac function following ischemia. The mechanism of how different antioxidants and reactive oxygen species influence HIF1α expression has drawn interest and intense debate. Here we present an experimentally based computational model of HIF1α protein degradation that represents how reactive oxygen species and antioxidants likely affect the HIF1 pathway differentially in cancer and ischemia. We use the model to demonstrate effects on HIF1α expression from combined doses of five potential therapeutically targeted compounds (iron, ascorbate, hydrogen peroxide, 2-oxoglutarate, and succinate) influenced by cellular oxidation-reduction and involved in HIF1α hydroxylation. Results justify the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species work by two opposite ways on the HIF1 system. We also show how tumor cells and cells under ischemic conditions would differentially respond to reactive oxygen species via changes to HIF1α expression over the course of hours to days, dependent on extracellular hydrogen peroxide levels and largely independent of initial intracellular levels, during hypoxia.
Experiments with regulations & markets linking upstream tree plantations with downstream water users

Land-use change in upper catchments impact downstream water flows. As trees use large amounts of water the expansion of upstream plantations can substantially reduce water availability to downstream users. There can also be impacts on downstream salinity due to reduced dilution flows. In some jurisdictions afforestation requires the purchase of water rights from downstream holders, while in others it does not, effectively handing the water rights to the upstream landholders. We consider the economic efficiency and equity (profitability and distributional) consequences of upstream land use change in the presence of a water market under alternate property rights regimes and different salinity scenarios.
Predicting Child Abuse Potential: An Empirical Investigation of Two Theoretical Frameworks

This study investigated two theoretical risk models predicting child maltreatment potential: (a) Belsky's (1993) developmental-ecological model and (b) the cumulative risk model in a sample of 610 caregivers (49% African American, 46% European American; 53% single) with a child between 3 and 6 years old. Results extend the literature by using a widely accepted and valid risk instrument rather than occurrence rates (e.g., reports to child protective services, observations). Results indicated Belsky's developmental-ecological model, in which risk markers were organized into three separate conceptual domains, provided a poor fit to the data. In contrast, the cumulative risk model, which included the accumulation of risk markers, was significant in predicting child abuse potential.