Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Scheme of Intermittent Benznidazole Administration in Patients Chronically Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi: a Pilot Short-Term Follow-Up Study with Adult Patients

ABSTRACT There is a clinical need to test new schemes of benznidazole administration that are expected to be at least as effective as the current therapeutic scheme but safer. This study assessed a new scheme of benznidazole administration in chronic Chagas disease patients. A pilot study with intermittent doses of benznidazole at 5 mg/kg/day in two daily doses every 5 days for a total of 60 days was designed. The main criterion of response was the comparison of quantitative PCR (qPCR) findings prior to and 1 week after the end of treatment. The safety profile was assessed by the rate of suspensions and severity of adverse effects. Twenty patients were analyzed for safety, while qPCR was tested for 17 of them. The average age was 43 ± 7.9 years; 55% were female. Sixty-five percent of treated subjects showed detectable qPCR results prior to treatment of 1.45 (0.63 to 2.81) and 2.1 (1.18 to 2.78) parasitic equivalents per milliliter of blood (par.eq/ml) for kinetoplastic DNA (kDNA) qPCR and nuclear repetitive sequence satellite DNA (SatDNA) qPCR, respectively. One patient showed detectable PCR at the end of treatment (1/17), corresponding to 6% treatment failure, compared with 11/17 (65%) patients pretreatment (P = 0.01). Adverse effects were present in 10/20 (50%) patients, but in only one case was treatment suspended. Eight patients showed mild adverse effects, whereas moderate reactions with increased liver enzymes were observed in two patients. The main accomplishment of this pilot study is the promising low rate of treatment suspension. Intermittent administration of benznidazole emerges a new potential therapeutic scheme, the efficacy of which should be confirmed by long-term assessment posttreatment.
Politicians as Prize Fighters: Electoral Selection and Incumbency Advantage

This paper attacks the notion that incumbency advantage in House elections depends on bonds of loyalty or trust between Members of Congress (MCs) and the masses of ordinary constituents. Most MCs never become much better known or liked than they were at the time of their first reelections. The reason that MCs win reelection at high rates is due to what Erikson and Wright (1993) call electoral selection: Owing to their manner of selection, incumbents are simply better politicians than most of their opponents and are therefore usually able to best them in electoral combat. The first part of the paper is based on survey data of constituent attitudes toward MCs; the second part examines electoral selection through an analysis of the career patterns of MCs and world heavy-weight boxing champions, who are also a highly selected group.
Three-Dimensional Assessment of Skin Wounds Using a Standard Digital Camera

In this paper, after an overview of the literature concerning the imaging technologies applied to skin wounds assessment, we present an original approach to build 3-D models of skin wounds from color images. The method can deal with uncalibrated images acquired with a handheld digital camera with free zooming. Compared with the cumbersome imaging systems already proposed, this novel solution uses a low-cost and user-friendly image acquisition device suitable for widespread application in health care centers. However, this method entails the development of a robust image processing chain. An original iterative matching scheme is used to generate a dense estimation of the surface geometry from two widely separated views. The best configuration for taking photographs lies between 15deg and 30deg for the vergency angle. The metric reconstruction of the skin wound is fully automated through self-calibration. From the 3-D model of the skin wound, accurate volumetric measurements are achieved. The accuracy of the inferred 3-D surface is validated by registration to a ground truth and repetitive tests on volume. The global precision around 3% is in accordance with the clinical requirement of 5% for assessing the healing process.
Reducing Perceived Physical Stress While Transferring Residents

The purpose of this small study was to compare the physical exertion felt by nursing staff while transferring non-weight bearing residents from bed to chair and chair to bed using various methods of transfer. Another goal was to compare the residents' feelings of comfort and security using these transfer methods. Transfers using a specially designed chair that included a friction reducing transfer pad with handles were compared with transfers using a mechanical lift and a gait belt. Nursing personnel rated their perceived exertion immediately after the transfers; residents rated their feelings of comfort and security immediately after the transfer. Perceived physical exertion to shoulders, upper back, low back, and body were significantly decreased when using the chair and transfer pad. Residents reported feeling more comfortable and more secure while being transferred via the chair and pad versus the traditional methods of transfer in and out of bed.
Tuberculum Sellae Meningiomas: Surgical Technique, Visual Outcome, and Prognostic Factors in 51 Cases

Abstract Complete tumor resection with preservation or improvement of visual function is the goal of tuberculum sellae meningioma (TSM) treatment. The authors retrospectively reviewed 51 patients treated surgically for TSM between 2003 and 2010, with special attention to surgical technique, visual outcomes, and prognostic factors for treatment outcome. All patients were operated via the lateral subfrontal approach. The cohort mean age and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) on admission was 57.1 ± 13.6 and 84.3 ± 11.7, respectively. The most common presenting sign was visual impairment. The mean tumor size was 29.4 ± 10.7 mm. In 45 of the patients (88.2%), gross total resection was achieved. Improvement and/or preservation of visual acuity and visual field were achieved in 95.9% and 85.3%, respectively. Visual functions on admission were found to be the strongest predictors for postoperative improvement in visual outcome, followed by better KPS on admission, smaller tumor size, and young age. Postoperative neurological complications included cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, meningitis, and postoperative seizures. TSM can be safely operated on through the lateral subfrontal approach. A high percentage of complete tumor resection and excellent visual outcomes are achieved using this technique. Surgical treatment in the early stage of the disease may result in a better visual outcome.
A double-blind randomized clinical trial of rapid tranquilization with I.M. clonazepam and I.M. haloperidol in agitated psychotic patients with manic symptoms.

This double-blind clinical trial studied 16 acutely agitated psychotic patients with manic or manic-like symptoms who needed rapid tranquilization and were therefore on maintenance treatment. They were randomized to receive intramuscular preparations of clonazepam (1 to 2 mg) or haloperidol (5 to 10 mg) at 0, 0.5, and 1.0 hours. Both medications produced significant reduction of manic symptoms within two hours of initial treatment; however, haloperidol produced beneficial results more rapidly than clonazepam. All patients completed the study, with the exception of one haloperidol-treated patient who developed severe parkinsonism. It was concluded that I.M. clonazepam is an effective, safe, but slower-acting alternative to I.M. haloperidol in the treatment of agitated psychiatric patients in need of rapid tranquilization.
Dynamic Index Tracking and Risk Exposure Control Using Derivatives

ABSTRACT We develop a methodology for index tracking and risk exposure control using financial derivatives. Under a continuous-time diffusion framework for price evolution, we present a pathwise approach to construct dynamic portfolios of derivatives in order to gain exposure to an index and/or market factors that may be not directly tradable. Among our results, we establish a general tracking condition that relates the portfolio drift to the desired exposure coefficients under any given model. We also derive a slippage process that reveals how the portfolio return deviates from the targeted return. In our multi-factor setting, the portfolio’s realized slippage depends not only on the realized variance of the index but also the realized covariance among the index and factors. We implement our trading strategies under a number of models, and compare the tracking strategies and performances when using different derivatives, such as futures and options.
Comparisons of SCR and Active-set Methods for PAPR Reduction in OFDM Systems

signal to clipping noise ratio (SCR) and active-set methods are two existing methods for peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction based on tone reservation. In this paper, the computational complexit ies of these two methods are analyzed and simulation is done for comparing their PAPR-reducing performance . The simulation results show that active-set method requires less computational complexity than that of SCR method while they achieve similar PAPR reduction performance.
The impact of vertical relations in explaining the division of gains in mergers - European evidence

Vertical mergers remain relatively little studied topic in corporate finance. In this thesis I use input-output tables to identify vertical mergers and measure the degree of vertical dependence between the acquirer and the target in European mergers in the years 1990 to 2012. Using this information I study if the division of euro denominated gains in vertical mergers is influenced by the degree of vertical dependence between the target and the acquirer. Furthermore, I present data on the proportions of different merger types in Europe and demonstrate that vertical mergers are more common than suggested by traditional methods of identifying vertical mergers. Although I do not find conclusive evidence that vertical dependence between the acquirer and target influence the division of gains, I find clues suggesting this, however, could be the case and would warrant further research.
A Discrete Choice Conjoint Experiment to Evaluate Parent Preferences for Treatment of Young, Medication Naive Children with ADHD

The current study examined treatment preferences of 183 parents of young (average age = 5.8 years, SD = 0.6), medication naive children with ADHD. Preferences were evaluated using a discrete choice experiment in which parents made choices between different combinations of treatment characteristics, outcomes, and costs. Latent class analysis yielded two segments of parents: (a) medication avoidant parents constituted 70.5% of the sample whose treatment decisions were strongly influenced by a desire to avoid medication, and (b) outcome oriented parents constituted 29.5% of the sample whose treatment decisions were most influenced by a desire for positive treatment outcomes. Parents in the outcome oriented segment were more stressed and depressed, had lower socioeconomic status and education, were more likely to be single parents, and had more disruptive and impaired children. Simulations predicted that parents would prefer treatments with behavior therapy over treatments with stimulant medication only.
How Do Investments in Human Resource Management Practices Affect Firm-Specific Risk in the Restaurant Industry?

Despite the importance of achieving a competitive advantage in human resources in the restaurant industry, restaurant firms often hesitate to make significant investments in human resource management (HRM) practices because of outcome uncertainty, operational issues, and limited financial resources, among other issues. Building upon the strategic human resource management (SHRM) literature, the current study attempts to better understand the HRM issues in the restaurant industry and investigate the effects of HRM practices on a firm’s risk. More specifically, we explore the separate effects of positive and negative HRM practices on firm-specific risk (i.e., unsystematic risk) in the restaurant industry. Our findings demonstrate that positive HRM practices have a nonsignificant relationship with firms’ unsystematic risk, but negative HRM practices have an inverted U-shaped relationship with unsystematic risk, supporting the stakeholder theory, theory of desensitization, and slack resource theory.
Latent infection and the elusive cytomegalovirus.

Herpesviruses characteristically establish latent infections in their hosts. In some instances, the tissue sites or even the specific cells that harbor dormant virus have been identified experimentally. However, the sites of cytomegalovirus (CMV) latency have been difficult to define experimentally in humans, even though epidemiologic evidence indicates that undetectable virus can be transferred from donor to recipient in transfused blood or a transplanted organ. Recently, DNA of human CMV has been found in peripheral blood leukocytes and in normal or malignant colonic tissue by hybridization methods. Studies in mice strongly implicate splenic B lymphocytes as cellular reservoirs of latent CMV; however, the virus may also persist in the salivary glands, the prostate, the testes, peripheral blood, and possibly macrophages. Whether latent CMV infection in these tissues is maintained in a single ubiquitous cell type (e.g., lymphocytes or macrophages) or in various cell types is not known. Definition of the sites and mechanisms involved in the maintenance of latent CMV is essential for a thorough understanding of the pathogenesis of CMV infection. Now that trials with live CMV vaccine have begun, further investigations of latent CMV infection in humans and in animal models are clearly needed.
Hormone-deprived serum impairs angiogenic properties in human endothelial cells regardless of estrogens

ABSTRACT Aims: In vitro studies on hormone biological activities are commonly performed on cells cultured in nominally hormone-free media consisting of phenol-red-free media supplemented with charcoal-stripped (CS) serum. These media are largely used in almost all cell types, including endothelial cells (ECs). Methods: Cell number and metabolic activity were measured with standard methods. Angiogenesis was evaluated in a three-dimensional spheroid sprouting assay. Results: When we compared human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) cultured in standard conditions (199 medium supplemented with normal serum) with HUVECs grown in the hormone-free medium (phenol-red-free 199 medium supplemented with CS serum), we found that cells stop to grow in the absence of hormones. Notably, neither 17-β2 estradiol nor dihydrotestosterone reversed this inhibition. Moreover, the presence of the CS serum was sufficient to abrogate the ability of HUVECs to sprout in a three-dimensional spheroid assay, thus affecting a functional property of ECs. Conclusions: Our results suggest that one or possibly more substances removed by stripping procedure from serum and different from sex hormones are crucial for the maintenance of in vitro ECs distinctive properties. Therefore, caution should be used when ECs are studied in media containing the CS serum.
Sodium deprivation and salt intake activate separate neuronal subpopulations in the nucleus of the solitary tract and the parabrachial complex

Salt intake is an established response to sodium deficiency, but the brain circuits that regulate this behavior remain poorly understood. We studied the activation of neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and their efferent target nuclei in the pontine parabrachial complex (PB) in rats during sodium deprivation and after salt intake. After 8‐day dietary sodium deprivation, immunoreactivity for c‐Fos (a neuronal activity marker) increased markedly within the aldosterone‐sensitive neurons of the NTS, which express the enzyme 11‐β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (HSD2). In the PB, c‐Fos labeling increased specifically within two sites that relay signals from the HSD2 neurons to the forebrain—the pre‐locus coeruleus and the innermost region of the external lateral parabrachial nucleus. Then, 1–2 hours after sodium‐deprived rats ingested salt (a hypertonic 3% solution of NaCl), c‐Fos immunoreactivity within the HSD2 neurons was virtually eliminated, despite a large increase in c‐Fos activation in the surrounding NTS (including the A2 noradrenergic neurons) and area postrema. Also after salt intake, c‐Fos activation increased within pontine nuclei that relay gustatory (caudal medial PB) and viscerosensory (rostral lateral PB) information from the NTS to the forebrain. Thus, sodium deficiency and salt intake stimulate separate subpopulations of neurons in the NTS, which then transmit this information to the forebrain via largely separate relay nuclei in the PB complex. These findings offer new perspectives on the roles of sensory information from the brainstem in the regulation of sodium appetite. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:379–403, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Paediatric hearing aid management: a demonstration project for using virtual visits to enhance parent support

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of virtual visits to monitor hearing aid use with data logging measurements and provide parent support for hearing aid management. Design: A 6-month longitudinal case study design was used. Study sample: Four families and two providers participated. Results: Average hours of daily hearing aid use increased 3.5 h from the beginning to the end of the study period. Prior to receiving virtual visits, the parents and the clinicians generally indicated they were hopeful about the benefits of virtual visits including the frequency and convenience of the appointments but had some concerns about technical difficulties. These concerns diminished at the conclusion of the study. Conclusion: Virtual visits provided benefits to families including flexibility and timely access to support. The ability to collect data logging information more frequently was important for effective problem-solving to increase hearing aid use. Both parents and clinicians were accepting of tele-support. Parents and professionals would benefit from technology that allows them to access data logging information more easily and frequently.
The Sister of P-glycoprotein Represents the Canalicular Bile Salt Export Pump of Mammalian Liver*

Canalicular secretion of bile salts is a vital function of the vertebrate liver, yet the molecular identity of the involved ATP-dependent carrier protein has not been elucidated. We cloned the full-length cDNA of the sister of P-glycoprotein (spgp; M r ∼160,000) of rat liver and demonstrated that it functions as an ATP-dependent bile salt transporter in cRNA injectedXenopus laevis oocytes and in vesicles isolated from transfected Sf9 cells. The latter demonstrated a 5-fold stimulation of ATP-dependent taurocholate transport as compared with controls. This spgp-mediated taurocholate transport was stimulated solely by ATP, was inhibited by vanadate, and exhibited saturability with increasing concentrations of taurocholate (K m ≃ 5 μm). Furthermore, spgp-mediated transport rates of various bile salts followed the same order of magnitude as ATP-dependent transport in canalicular rat liver plasma membrane vesicles, i.e.taurochenodeoxycholate > tauroursodeoxycholate = taurocholate > glycocholate = cholate. Tissue distribution assessed by Northern blotting revealed predominant, if not exclusive, expression of spgp in the liver, where it was further localized to the canalicular microvilli and to subcanalicular vesicles of the hepatocytes by in situ immunofluorescence and immunogold labeling studies. These results indicate that the sister of P-glycoprotein is the major canalicular bile salt export pump of mammalian liver.
Up‐regulation of NADPH oxidase components and increased production of interferon‐gamma by leukocytes from sickle cell disease patients

We have previously demonstrated that mononuclear leukocytes from patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) release higher amounts of superoxide compared with normal controls. The aim of this study was to further study the NADPH oxidase system in these patients by investigating gene expression of NADPH oxidase components, phosphorylation of p47phox component, and the release of cytokines related to NADPH oxidase activation in mononuclear leukocytes from patients with SCD. gp91phox gene expression was significantly higher in monocytes from SCD patients compared with normal controls (P = 0.036). Monocytes from SCD patients showed higher levels of p47phox phosphorylation compared with normal controls. INF‐γ release by lymphocytes from SCD patients was significantly higher compared with normal controls, after 48 h culture with phytohemagglutinin (P = 0.02). The release of TNF‐α by monocytes from SCD patients and normal controls was similar after 24 and 48 h culture with lipopolysaccharide (P > 0.05). We conclude that monocytes from SCD patients show higher levels of gp91phox gene expression and p47phox phosphorylation, along with increased IFN‐γ release by SCD lymphocytes. These findings help to explain our previous observation showing the increased respiratory burst activity of mononuclear leukocytes from SCD patients and may contribute to inflammation and tissue damage in these patients. Am. J. Hematol. , 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Disparity of Perfusion and Glucose Metabolism of Epileptogenic Zones in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Demonstrated by SPM/SPAM Analysis on 15O Water PET, [18F]FDG‐PET, and [99mTc]‐HMPAO SPECT

Summary: Purpose: To elucidate uncoupling of perfusion and metabolism and its significance in epilepsy, 15O water and 18F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and Tc‐99m hexamethyl‐propyleneamine‐oxime (HMPAO) single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were examined by SPM (statistical parametric mapping) and quantitation by using SPAM (statistical probabilistic anatomic map).
FINANCING CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: MAJOR CHANGES SINCE 1802

Universities began operating in the present borders of Canada in 1802. As annual enrolments grew to 1,147,233 in 2012, so too did university expenditures. Government contributions to university revenues fluctuated from 62% in 1920 to 46% in 1935, reaching a high of 81% in the mid- to late 1970s, then falling to 48% in 2014. Annual university revenues increased about 275 times between 1920 and 2014 (in constant 2014 dollars), from $129.3 million to $35.5 billion. In the two centuries between 1813 and 2013, undergraduate fees (in constant 2013 dollars) increased by a factor of 24, from $236 to $5,720.
Simulating humans: computer graphics animation and control

1. Introduction and Historical Background 1.1 Why make human figure models? 1.2 Historical roots 1.3 What is currently possible? 1.4 Manipulation, animation, and simulation 1.5 What did we leave out? 2. Mody Modeling 2.1 Geometric body modeling 2.2 Representing articulated figures 2.3 A flexible torso model 2.4 Shoulder complex 2.5 Clothing models 2.6 The anthropometry database 2.7 The anthropometry spreadsheet 2.8 Strength and torque display 3. Spatial Interaction 3.1 Direct manipulation 3.2 Manipulation with constraints 3.3 Inverse kinematic positioning 4. Behavioral Control of Articulated Figures 4.1 An interactive system for postural control 4.2 Interactive manipulation with behaviors 4.3 The animation interface 4.4 Human figure motions 4.5 Virtual human control 5. Simulation with Societies of Behaviors 5.1 Forward simulation with behaviors 5.2 Locomotion 5.3 Strength guided motion 5.4 Collision-free path and motion planning 5.5 Posture planning 6. Task-level Specifications 6.1 Performance simulation with simple commands 6.2 Natural language expressions of kinematics and space 6.3 Task-level simulation 6.4 A framework for instruction understanding 7. Epilogue 7.1 A road map toward the future 7.2 Conclusion