Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Class Selection and Class Differences in Relation to Stillbirths and Infant Deaths

nature (or a motor accident) has destroyed, why, there is little wonder that the surgeon is not only regarded with veneration but invested with glamour. Here I should remind you that glamour is not properly the attribute of a film actress who happens to combine an unruly temperament with a nicely developed figure. The word " glamour " is merely a corruption of " grammar," for which film actresses care little; and grammar, before it became the menace of the elementary school room, could mean the occult learning of scholars. It could mean the magic art-and to the layman the art of the plastic surgeon is close akin to that. Justice, however, compels me to add that the surgeon, no less than his patient, owes much to the modern anaesthetist: without the anaesthetist the surgeon would have fewer patients, and patients would have less admiration for the surgeon's skill.
Effect of β-alanine plus sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity cycling capacity.

PURPOSE We examined the effect of β-alanine supplementation plus sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity cycling capacity. METHODS Twenty males (age = 25 ± 5 yr, height = 1.79 ± 0.06 m, body mass = 80.0 ± 10.3 kg) were assigned to either a placebo (P) or a β-alanine (BA; 6.4 g·d(-1) for 4 wk) group based on power max, completing four cycling capacity tests at 110% of power max (CCT110%) to determine time to exhaustion (TTE) and total work done. A CCT(110%) was performed twice (habituation and baseline) before supplementation (with maltodextrin [MD]) and twice after supplementation (with MD and with sodium bicarbonate [SB]), using a crossover design with 2 d of rest between trials, creating four study conditions (PMD, PSB, BAMD, and BASB). Blood pH, Lactate, bicarbonate and base excess were determined at baseline, before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 5 min after exercise. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS TTE was increased in all conditions after supplementation (+1.6% PMD, +6.5% PSB, +12.1% BAMD, and +16.2% BASB). Both BAMD and BASB resulted in significantly improved TTE compared with that before supplementation (P ≤ 0.01). Although further increases in TTE (4.1%) were shown in BASB compared with BAMD, these differences were not significant (P = 0.74). Differences in total work done were similar to those of TTE. Blood bicarbonate concentrations were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) elevated before exercise in PSB and BASB but not in PMD or BAMD. Blood lactate concentrations were significantly elevated after exercise, remaining elevated after 5 min of recovery (P ≤ 0.001) and were highest in PSB and BASB. CONCLUSIONS Results show that BA improved high-intensity cycling capacity. However, despite a 6-s (∼4%) increase in TTE with the addition of SB, this did not reach statistical significance, but magnitude-based inferences suggested a ∼70% probability of a meaningful positive difference.
A Phase I Pharmacologic Study of Necitumumab (IMC-11F8), a Fully Human IgG1 Monoclonal Antibody Directed Against EGFR in Patients with Advanced Solid Malignancies

Purpose: This study aimed to determine a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose for disease-directed studies of necitumumab (IMC-11F8), a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody directed at the epidermal growth factor receptor, and to characterize the safety profile, pharmacokinetics, preliminary antitumor activity, and immunogenicity of necitumumab. Experimental Design: Patients with advanced solid malignancies were treated with 100 to 1,000 mg (flat dosing) necitumumab followed by a 2-week pharmacokinetics sampling period, before beginning 6-week cycles of therapy. Results: Sixty patients received necitumumab weekly (29 patients) or every other week (31 patients). Two patients receiving 1,000 mg every 2 weeks experienced dose-limiting toxicities (DLT; grade 3 headache), accompanied by grade 3 nausea and vomiting in one patient. Occurring hours after the initial dose, these DLTs established 800 mg as the MTD. Mild dose-related skin toxicity was the most common drug-related toxicity (80%). One patient in each arm experienced grade 3 acneform rash, which responded to oral antibiotics and topical therapy. Toxicity was similar on both schedules. Necitumumab exhibited saturable elimination and nonlinear pharmacokinetics. At 800 mg (both arms), its half-life was approximately 7 days. All patients treated with ≥600 mg necitumumab achieved target trough concentrations (≥40 μg/mL). Antibodies against necitumumab were not detected. Partial response and stable disease were experienced by 2 and 16 patients, respectively. Conclusion: Well tolerated, necitumumab is associated with preliminary evidence of antitumor activity, and achieves biologically relevant concentrations throughout the dosing period. The recommended dose of necitumumab for further clinical development is 800 mg (flat dose) weekly or every 2 weeks based on the clinical setting. Clin Cancer Res; 16(6); 1915–23
Comparison of the inactivation of canine and bovine parvovirus by freeze-drying and dry-heat treatment in two high purity factor VIII concentrates.

The inactivation of bovine parvovirus (BPV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) by freeze-drying and terminal dry-heat treatment at 80 degrees C for 72 h has been investigated in two high purity factor VIII concentrates. In one product, CPV was slightly more resistant to freeze-drying compared to BPV, i.e. 0.7 vs. 1.4 log. However, BPV was substantially more resistant to heat-treatment compared to CPV, i.e. 1.3 vs. > 3.1 log inactivation after 72 h at 80 degrees C. In a second product, CPV was also slightly more resistant to freeze-drying than BPV, i.e. 0.2 vs. 1.3 log inactivation. However, heat-treatment gave essentially similar inactivation for both viruses, i.e. 2.8-3.4 log after 72 h at 80 degrees C. In conclusion, the resistance of these parvovirus models is dependent both on the type of virus and on the specific product involved.
Performance Analysis of Graphene Nanoribbon Field Effect Transistors in the Presence of Surface Roughness

Device performance of armchair graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors in the presence of surface roughness scattering is studied. A 2-D Gaussian autocorrelation function is employed to model the surface roughness. Tight-binding Hamiltonian and nonequilibrium Green's function formalism are used to perform atomic scale electronic transport simulation. The effect of geometrical and surface roughness parameters on the ON-current, the OFF-current, the transconductance, and the subthreshold swing is investigated. Surface roughness can strongly affect the device performance depending on how large is the roughness amplitude or how small is the roughness correlation length.
Electrochemical reduction and stripping voltammetric determination of the anti-glaucoma drug levobunolol HCl in formulation and human serum at the mercury electrode

Levobunolol HCl is a potent non-selective s-adrenoceptor blocking agent used for the topical treatment of increased intraocular pressure in patients with chronic open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Precise, rapid and extraction-free square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (SW-AdCSV) method has been described for trace quantitation of levobunolol HCl in bulk form, commercial formulation (ophthalmologic drops) and human serum. Limits of quantification (LOQ) of 1.0 × 10-10 mol L-1 (in bulk form) and 2.5 × 10-10 mol L-1 levobunolol HCl (in spiked human serum) were achieved by the described method. Insignificant interferences from excipients associated with formulation of levobunolol HCl and from some common metal ions, co-administrated drugs, some other s-blocker agents and its metabolite dihydrolevobunolol that are likely to be present in the biological fluids were obtained. The described SW-AdCSV method is sensitive enough to assay the drug in human serum compared to most of the reported methods.
Effects of Different Soil Amendments on Soil pH and Heavy Metals Content in Maize ( Zea Mays [l.])

Manure from livestock is an important source of nutrient for crop production in the small holder sector. It helps farmers reduce inputs of commercial fertiliser, thereby, increasing the profit margin of the farmer. Not much been done to determine the effects of kraal, goat, poultry and lime on soil pH in Swaziland and nothing has been done to assess if the levels of heavy metals each of these manure contributes to the soil in maize production are within the WHO’s safe standards for human consumption. The objectives of the study were to find out the effects of organic and inorganic soil amendments on soil pH and to find the content of heavy metals in maize tissues and grain on maize grown in soil amended with organic and inorganic soil ameliorants. A field experiment, in a randomised complete block design was conducted at Nhlangano Research Station in the 2014/2015 cropping season. Treatments were effective in increasing the soil pH. Goat manure treatment improved soil pH from 4.77 to pH 5.14 whilst the lime treatment improved the soil pH to pH 5.13 at full rate. Chicken manure treatment raised the pH to 4.86 at half rate whilst the goat manure treatment raised soil pH to 4.86 at half rate. The content of Zn was highest in the grain with the goat manure treatment at full rate (0.128 g/kg) and lowest in the chicken manure and lime treatments at half rate (0.025 and 0.021 g/kg). This was due to the high Zn content in the manure. The control treatment had 0.117 g/kg Fe in the grain while the cattle manure treatment at half rate had 0.101 g/kg Fe in the grain. Cadmium was highest in the lime treatment at full rate, goat manure at full rate and both chicken manure treatments (0.022 g/kg Cd). Copper was highest in the control treatment (0.009 g/kg) and lowest in the chicken manure treatment at half rate, goat and lime at full rate (0.003 g/kg). Goat and cattle manure was recommended for amelioration of acid soils.
Solids Volume Fraction Measurement of Gas-Solid Two-Phase Flow Based on Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Technique

Terahertz technique is a new measurement technique which has emerged in recent years. In this paper, the possibility of the application of terahertz technique to the measurement of gas-solid two-phase flow has been discussed. The research works are carried out on a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system and focus on the solids volume fraction measurement of gas-solid two-phase flow with high concentration of particles. Measurement models based on transmission attenuation and transmission time delay are studied and compared. Research works verify that terahertz technique may provide a new solution to the problem of high solids volume fraction measurement of gas-solid two-phase flow. Experimental results also indicate that the transmission time delay model is more appropriate than the transmission attenuation model in the measurement of high solids volume fraction.
Simultaneous interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control: the induction machine case study

We argue in this article that the standard two-stage procedure used in interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control (IDA–PBC)–consisting of splitting the control action into the sum of energy-shaping and damping injection terms–is not without loss of generality, and effectively reduces the set of systems that can be stabilised with IDA–PBC. To overcome this problem we carry out, simultaneously, both stages and refer to this variation of the method as SIDA–PBC. To illustrate the application of SIDA–PBC we consider the practically important example given by the control problem of the induction machine. First, we show that torque and rotor flux regulation of the induction motor cannot be solved with two stage IDA–PBC. It is, however, solvable with SIDA–PBC. Second, we prove that with SIDA–PBC we can shape the total energy of the full (electrical and mechanical) dynamics of a doubly-fed induction generator used in power flow regulation tasks, while with two stage IDA–PBC only the electrical energy can be shaped. Simulation results of these examples are presented to illustrate the performance improvement obtained with SIDA–PBC.
On-Chip Biological and Chemical Sensing With Reversed Fano Lineshape Enabled by Embedded Microring Resonators

High- Q microresonators play an important role in developing fully integrated, highly sensitive, and cost-effective bio/chemical sensors. The Fano effect in doubly resonant physical systems may be used to improve sensing performance. In this paper, we show that coupled optical resonators (sometimes termed photonic molecules) in an embedded configuration can significantly enhance the sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) of on-chip sensors by producing a reversed Fano effect. Improvement of one order in sensitivity, as compared to a sensor based on conventional Fano effect, can be achieved using embedded high- Q resonators on a CMOS-compatible platform. We estimate the LOD by taking into account thermal drift, optical losses (material absorption, scattering, substrate leakage and bending loss), laser intensity noise, linewidth and frequency jitter, and link and detector signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The overall LOD is found to be as low as 3.24 × 10-8 RIU. Moreover, in the proposed sensor based on embedded rings, intensity SNR is no longer the limiting factor of the LOD, which could be further lowered with better thermal control and laser frequency stability.
*Authority, Risk, and Performance Incentives: Evidence from Division Manager Positions Inside Firms

I show that performance incentives vary by decision-making authority of division managers. For division managers with broader authority, i.e., those designated as corporate officers, both the sensitivity of pay to global performance measures and the relative importance of global to local measures are larger, relative to non-officers. There is no difference in sensitivity of pay to local measures by officer status. These results support theories suggesting that authority over project selection combined with incentives designed to maximize firm performance, as well as induce effort for the division, are important in incentive design for division managers. Consistent with earlier findings, the evidence strongly supports one of the main predictions of the principal-agent model, that is, a negative tradeoff between risk and incentives.
Parameter Estimation for Coupled Tank using Estimate Filtering

In this paper, we present a method of determining the parameters of a dynamic system using state estimate filter. State estimate filters such as Extended Kalman filter and the Unscented Kalman filter are widely used to estimate the status in robot and GPS navigation systems. However, in dynamic systems, determining parameters is difficult because many kinds of the dynamic systems have the properties like a non-linearity and complexity. The work we have done is that the status and parameters are simultaneously estimated to decide the parameter value based on the measurement data set of the system. The works were applied to a coupled tank. The mentioned system was modeled and then setup for computer simulations and experimental purposes to test the performance of the estimation process.
EC-GMR Data Analysis for Inspection of Multilayer Airframe Structures

Eddy-current testing (ECT) is widely used in inspection of multilayer aircraft skin structures for the detection of cracks under fasteners (CUF). Detection of deep hidden CUF poses a major challenge in traditional ECT techniques largely because the weak eddy-current signal due to a subsurface crack is dominated by the strong signal from the aluminum or steel fastener. Giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors are finding increasing applications in directly measuring weak magnetic fields associated with induced eddy currents. The measured flux image at a fastener site is in general symmetric and an asymmetry is introduced by the presence of a subsurface crack, which is used for defect detection. This paper presents novel methods that employ the resident phase information, for improving detection probability of GMR signal analysis. Using computational model, the effectiveness of the proposed methods for enhancing detection of CUF is investigated. Results demonstrating the potential of these techniques for detection of second layer CUF are presented.
Development of a mathematical model for evaluating the dynamics of normal and apoptotic Chinese hamster ovary cells

A metabolic flux based methodology was developed for modeling the metabolism of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line. The elimination of insignificant fluxes resulted in a simplified metabolic network which was the basis for modeling the significant metabolites. Employing kinetic rate expressions for growing and non‐growing subpopulations, a logistic model was developed for cell growth and dynamic models were formulated to describe culture composition and monoclonal antibody (MAb) secretion. The model was validated for a range of nutrient concentrations. Good agreement was obtained between model predictions and experimental data. The ultimate goal of this study is to establish a comprehensive dynamic model which may be used for model‐based optimization of the cell culture for MAb production in both batch and fed‐batch systems. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2011
Circadian Rhythmicity in Levodopa Pharmacokinetics in Patients With Parkinson Disease

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to compare daytime and nighttime plasma pharmacokinetics (PK) of levodopa in patients with Parkinson disease. Methods:Four-hour plasma profiles of levodopa were captured in 8 patients with Parkinson disease after the second daily levodopa dose and after the identical dose at bedtime. Patients were fasting 2 hours before and 2 hours after dose intakes, except standardized amounts of tap water. Body position was upright during daytime testing and supine during nighttime testing. Four patients were additionally tested at daytime in supine position. Results:The absorption rate was significantly delayed at nighttime dosing. The time at which the maximum peaks occurred was delayed from 25 (15-240) to 105 (20-240) minutes, respectively. Maximum concentrations were significantly lower at night, but the plasma exposure (area under the curve, 0-4 hours) was unaffected. Supine daytime plasma PK was in between day and night results. Conclusions:There is a slower absorption rate of levodopa during nighttime, probably related to delayed gastric emptying. However, the extent of absorption and bioavailability were unaffected. As the effect of posture on plasma PK was less than the effect of nighttime, this study suggests that the circadian rhythm has a pronounced effect on gastric emptying and absorption rate. Nevertheless, body position may also be an important factor, and it can be recommended that levodopa tablets be taken in upright position that probably should be sustained for at least 30 minutes.
Allele-specific expression of a variant-specific surface protein (VSP) of Giardia lamblia.

The surfaces of Giardia lamblia trophozoites demonstrate variable expression of a set of cysteine-rich surface proteins, called variant-specific surface proteins (VSP). The cloned Giardia line, WBA6, expresses a 170 kD VSP (VSPA6 or CRP170) which contains approximately 18 to 23 copies of a 65 amino acid repeat. We have cloned the expressed vspA6 gene containing 23 repeats from a genomic library as well as copies of the vspA6 gene with only 8 or 9 repeats from both WBA6 and from WB1269, a cloned line derived from WBA6 which has lost the expressed copy of the gene. The recombinant clones containing the genes with only 8 or 9 repeats have 8 nucleotide substitutions in the coding region. All the recombinant clones map to the same chromosomal location, yet RNA sequencing and comparison with the transcript size indicate that only the clone with 23 repeats contains a gene producing a stable transcript. The most likely interpretation of these data is that G.lamblia trophozoites contain multiple alleles of the vspA6 gene of which only one is expressed.
Drug Abuse Prevention Intervention Research : Methodological Issues

“A theory is a systematically related set of statements, including some law-like generalizations, that is empirically testable” (Rudner 1966, p. IO). Theories or models are abstractions that enable us to represent part of the world by a simpler structure. They simplify decisionmaking and help us predict the future. Most important, they help us generalize from one instance, location, or group to another.
Morphometric study of gastric mucosa in dogs submitted to proximal gastric vagotomy, splenectomy or proximal gastric vagotomy associated with splenectomy

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos da esplenectomia total e da vagotomia gastrica proximal (VGP) isoladas e associadas sobre a vascularizacao gastrica. METODOS: Utilizaram-se 28 caes, distribuidos em quatro grupos: grupo A, laparotomia e manipulacao gastrica; grupo B, VGP; grupo C, VGP associada a esplenectomia; grupo D, esplenectomia isolada. Todos os animais foram mortos no 7o pos-operatorio e imediatamente infundiu-se o corante na aorta toracica. O estomago aberto pela grande curvatura foi fotografado. Na superficie mucosa gastrica, a formacao de areas coradas e desprovidas de coloracao foi mensurada por tres metodos: decomposicao milimetrica, planimetrico e morfometria computadorizada. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se nos grupos B e C formacao de area desprovida de coloracao na pequena curvatura gastrica, sendo significativamente maior no grupo C (p< 0,05). Nos grupos A e D tais areas nao foram observadas. A analise estatistica nao revelou diferencas significativas entre os resultados dos tres metodos utilizados. CONCLUSOES: Nas condicoes desse estudo os resultados permitiram concluir que nos animais com o estomago integro e naqueles onde a esplenectomia foi realizada de forma isolada, a vascularizacao do estomago permitiu a perfusao de toda a superficie do orgao. Nos animais submetidos a VGP isolada e principalmente quando a VGP foi associada a esplenectomia ocorreu significativa diminuicao do suprimento sanguineo na curvatura gastrica menor, sugerindo a potencialidade isquemica dessa regiao.
Model Based Diagnosis in ITS for Programming with Pedagogical Patterns

It is not easy for a student to develop programming skills and learn how to construct their own problem solving algorithms. Well designed materials and tools can guide programming students knowledge and skill construction. Such tools may allow students to acquire better and faster the necessary programming skills. In this paper we show the results of some experiments realized on a set of faulty programs using ProPAT deBUG, an automatic program debugger, based on the Model Based Diagnosis technique of Artificial Intelligence. The results show that during the interactive debugging process it is possible for a student to learn by answering the questions posed by the AI diagnosis system to discriminate a set of fault hypotheses.
Validation of the Electromagnetic Code FACETS for Numerical Simulation of Radar Target Images

Abstract : Validation of the computational electromagnetic code FACETS (Frequency Asymptotic Code for Electromagnetic Target Scattering) for simulating radar images of a target is obtained, through direct simulation-to-measurement comparisons. A 3-dimensional computer-aided design model of a canonical target known as SLICY (Sandia laboratory Implementation of Cylinders) and the corresponding measured SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) image data of SLICY from the MSTAR (Moving and Stationary Target Acquisition and Recognition) datasets are used in the validation process. Computed SAR images of the SLICY target sampled over 360 degrees in azimuth and at two elevation angles are evaluated by comparing against measured images. The results indicate that computed images of high fidelity can be generated if the scattering primitives on the target are correctly included in the computer-aided design model and this information is correctly translated for computation in the electromagnetic code.