Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Early Acute Kidney Injury on Management and Outcome in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis of a Multicenter Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES To understand the impact of mild-moderate and severe acute kidney injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN Secondary analysis of the "Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure", an international prospective cohort study of patients with severe respiratory failure. SETTING Four-hundred fifty-nine ICUs from 50 countries across five continents. SUBJECTS Patients with a glomerular filtration rate greater than 60 mL/min/1.73 m prior to admission who fulfilled criteria of acute respiratory distress syndrome on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. INTERVENTIONS Patients were categorized based on worst serum creatinine or urine output into: 1) no acute kidney injury (serum creatinine < 132 µmol/L or urine output ≥ 0.5 mL/kg/hr), 2) mild-moderate acute kidney injury (serum creatinine 132-354 µmol/L or minimum urine output between 0.3 and 0.5mL/kg/hr), or 3) severe acute kidney injury (serum creatinine > 354 µmol/L or renal replacement therapy or minimum urine output < 0.3 mL/kg/hr). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary outcome was hospital mortality, whereas secondary outcomes included prevalence of acute kidney injury and characterization of acute respiratory distress syndrome risk factors and illness severity patterns, in patients with acute kidney injury versus no acute kidney injury. One-thousand nine-hundred seventy-four patients met inclusion criteria: 1,209 (61%) with no acute kidney injury, 468 (24%) with mild-moderate acute kidney injury, and 297 (15%) with severe acute kidney injury. The impact of acute kidney injury on the ventilatory management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome was relatively limited, with no differences in arterial CO2 tension or in tidal or minute ventilation between the groups. Hospital mortality increased from 31% in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients with no acute kidney injury to 50% in mild-moderate acute kidney injury (p ≤ 0.001 vs no acute kidney injury) and 58% in severe acute kidney injury (p ≤ 0.001 vs no acute kidney injury and mild-moderate acute kidney injury). In multivariate analyses, both mild-moderate (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.24-2.09; p < 0.001) and severe (odds ratio, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.55-2.94; p < 0.001) acute kidney injury were independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS The development of acute kidney injury, even when mild-moderate in severity, is associated with a substantial increase in mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Application of Graph Theory for Identifying Connectivity Patterns in Human Brain Networks: A Systematic Review

Background: Analysis of the human connectome using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) started in the mid-1990s and attracted increasing attention in attempts to discover the neural underpinnings of human cognition and neurological disorders. In general, brain connectivity patterns from fMRI data are classified as statistical dependencies (functional connectivity) or causal interactions (effective connectivity) among various neural units. Computational methods, especially graph theory-based methods, have recently played a significant role in understanding brain connectivity architecture. Objectives: Thanks to the emergence of graph theoretical analysis, the main purpose of the current paper is to systematically review how brain properties can emerge through the interactions of distinct neuronal units in various cognitive and neurological applications using fMRI. Moreover, this article provides an overview of the existing functional and effective connectivity methods used to construct the brain network, along with their advantages and pitfalls. Methods: In this systematic review, the databases Science Direct, Scopus, arXiv, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SpringerLink are employed for exploring the evolution of computational methods in human brain connectivity from 1990 to the present, focusing on graph theory. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to assess the risk of bias in individual studies. Results: Our results show that graph theory and its implications in cognitive neuroscience have attracted the attention of researchers since 2009 (as the Human Connectome Project launched), because of their prominent capability in characterizing the behavior of complex brain systems. Although graph theoretical approach can be generally applied to either functional or effective connectivity patterns during rest or task performance, to date, most articles have focused on the resting-state functional connectivity. Conclusions: This review provides an insight into how to utilize graph theoretical measures to make neurobiological inferences regarding the mechanisms underlying human cognition and behavior as well as different brain disorders.
Toxic Effects of Cd and Zn on the Photosynthetic Apparatus of the Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa Pseudo-Metallophytes

Hyperaccumulation and hypertolerance of Trace Metal Elements (TME) like Cd and Zn are highly variable in pseudo-metallophytes species. In this study we compared the impact of high Cd or Zn concentration on the photosynthetic apparatus of the Arabidopsis arenosa and Arabidopsis halleri pseudo-metallophytes growing on the same contaminated site in Piekary Slaskie in southern Poland. Plants were grown in hydroponic culture for 6 weeks, and then treated with 1.0 mM Cd or 5.0 mM Zn for 5 days. Chlorophyll a fluorescence and pigment content were measured after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days in plants grown in control and exposed to Cd or Zn treatments. Moreover, the effect of TME excess on the level of oxidative stress and gas-exchange parameters were investigated. In both plant species, exposure to high Cd or Zn induced a decrease in chlorophyll and an increase in anthocyanin contents in leaves compared to the control condition. After 5 days Cd treatment, energy absorbance, trapped energy flux and the percentage of active reaction centers decreased in both species. However, the dissipated energy flux in the leaves of A. arenosa was smaller than in A. halleri. Zn treatment had more toxic effect than Cd on electron transport in A. halleri compared with A. arenosa. A. arenosa plants treated with Zn excess did not react as strongly as in the Cd treatment and a decrease only in electron transport flux and percentage of active reaction centers compared with control was observed. The two species showed contrasting Cd and Zn accumulation. Cd concentration was almost 3-fold higher in A. arenosa leaves than in A. halleri. On the opposite, A. halleri leaves contained 3-fold higher Zn concentration than A. arenosa. In short, our results showed that the two Arabidopsis metallicolous populations are resistant to high Cd or Zn concentration, however, the photosynthetic apparatus responded differently to the toxic effects.
Quantitative Wide-Field Imaging Techniques for Fluorescence Guided Neurosurgery

Fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) has fueled the development of novel technologies aimed at maximizing the utility of fluorescence imaging to help clinicians diagnose and in certain cases treat diseases across a breadth of disciplines such as dermatology, gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, and neurosurgery. In neurosurgery, the goal of FGS technologies is to provide the neurosurgeon with additional information which can serve as a visual aid to better identify tumor tissue and associated margins. Yet, current clinical FGS technologies are qualitative in nature, limiting the ability to make accurate, reliable, and repeatable measurements. To this end, developments in fluorescence quantification are needed to overcome current limitations of FGS. Here we present an overview of the recent developments in quantitative fluorescence guidance technologies and conclude with the most recent developments aimed at wide-field quantitative fluorescence imaging approaches in neurosurgery.
Distribution by Document Size

Search engines split large datasets across multiple machines using document distribution. Documents are typically distributed randomly to produce good load balancing. We propose that documents be distributed by their size instead. This can make load balancing more difficult, but it produces immediate improvements in both index size and query throughput. To support our proposal, we show improvements to an in-memory conjunctive list intersection system running on the GOV2 dataset using simple16 compression combined with either skips or bitvectors. While our list intersection system does not implement ranking, we also expect significant performance improvements from using document size distribution in ranking based search systems. In addition, implementations can be adapted to produce further performance improvements that exploit the document size distribution. We present some examples that apply to a full ranking based search engine and leave their verification for future work.
Longevity Effect of Liuwei Dihuang in Both Caenorhabditis Elegans and Aged Mice

Liuwei Dihuang (LWDH), a famous traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in the clinical treatment of aging-related diseases in China. However, its pharmacological mechanisms are not clear. In the present study, we evaluated the lifespan extension effect of LWDH in C. elegans and mice and revealed its underlying mechanisms. The results showed that LWDH significantly extended the lifespan of C. elegans in a dose-dependent manner. LWDH also conferred protection to nematodes against oxidative stress and reduced their fat storage. Genetics analysis and microarray data showed that the longevity effect of LWDH was attributed to the regulation of the innate immune response, proteolysis, lipid metabolism, and the oxidation-reduction process and was dependent on daf-16. Among the six herbs in the formula, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata and Fructus Macrocarpii contributed most to the longevity effect of this medicine, while the other four components had a synergistic effect on the longevity effect of the prescription. The lack of any single herb reduced the efficacy of the complete formula. LWDH also extended the lifespan and reduced both the weight and oxidant stress status in aged mice. Taken together, these results suggested that LWDH might function in a multi-target manner to extend the lifespan in both C. elegans and aged mice, and the best effect was achieved with the complete formula.
Growth Conditions of Sequentially Electrodeposited Buffer Layers for YBCO Superconductor

We report recent technical advances in the fabrication by sequential electrodeposition (ED) of Gd<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Gd<sub>2</sub>Zr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> buffer architecture. A systematic study is performed for a fundamental understanding of the buffer structure grown by ED. The electrolyte composition, solution flow rate, composition/concentration of chemicals, and annealing conditions are found to affect considerably the deposition of the layer, formation of the pyrochlore oxide, and film texture. The as-deposited and annealed films were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Smooth and crack-free layers were obtained. The surface roughness of the bilayer buffer was about 3 nm. Both layers were biaxially textured. The out-of-plane mosaic spread Deltaomega was about 6deg and 7.8deg for Gd<sub>2</sub>Zr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and Gd<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> grains, respectively. The in-plane grain dispersion Deltaphi was 8.4deg and 9.3deg for Gd<sub>2</sub>Zr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and Gd<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> layers, respectively.
Rational arrangement of measuring shear wave speed in the liver

BACKGROUND Shear wave speed has been widely applied to quantify a degree of liver fibrosis. However, there is no standardized procedure, which makes it difficult to utilize the speed universally. AIM To provide procedural standardization of shear wave speed measurement. METHODS Point shear wave elastography (pSWE) was measured in 781 patients, and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2dSWE) was measured on the same day in 18 cases. Regions-of-interest were placed at 12 sites, and the median and robust coefficient-of-variation (CVR) were calculated. A residual sum-of-square (Σdi2) was computed for bootstrap values of 1000 iterations in 18 cases with each assumption of 1 to 12 measurements. The proportion of the Σdi2 (%Σdi2) was calculated as the ratio of Σdi2 to pSWE after converting it based on the correlation between pSWE and 2dSWE. RESULTS The CVR showed a significantly broader distribution in the left lobe (P < 0.0001), and the smallest CVR in the right anterior segment that covered 95% cases was 40.4%. pSWE was significantly higher in the left lobe than in the right lobe (1.63 ± 0.78 m/s vs 1.61 ± 0.78 m/s, P = 0.0004), and the difference between the lobes became further discrete when the subjects were limited to the cases with a CVR less than 40.4% in any segment (1.76 ± 0.80 m/s vs 1.70 ± 0.82 m/s, P < 0.0001). The highest values of the CVR in every 0.1 m/s interval were plotted in convex upward along pSWE and peaked at 1.93 m/s. pSWE and 2dSWE were significantly correlated (P < 0.0001, r = 0.95). In 216000 resamples from 18 cases, the %Σdi2 of 12 sites was 8.0% and gradually increased as the acquisition sites decreased to reach a significant difference with a %Σdi2 of 7 sites (P = 0.027). CONCLUSION These data suggest that shear wave speed should be measured at 8 or more sites of spreading in both lobes.
Wage and Employment Effects of Workplace Representation - A 'Right to Co-Manage' Model

This paper introduces a two-stage union-oligopoly-council model of wage and employment determination wherein at the first stage wage is negotiated through collective bargaining and at the second stage employment in each firm is co-determined by the employer and its works council. We provide a full characterization of the model outcome for all parameter values of bargaining power and co-determination power. In particular, works councils always increase employment while their impact on wage can be non-monotonic. Overall, individual works councils' pursuit of own workers' interests may well harm the workers as a union.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Experimental Models of Brain Disorders

This review gives an overview of the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in experimental models of brain disorders. MRI is a noninvasive and versatile imaging modality that allows longitudinal and three-dimensional assessment of tissue morphology, metabolism, physiology, and function. MRI can be sensitized to proton density, T1, T2, susceptibility contrast, magnetization transfer, diffusion, perfusion, and flow. The combination of different MRI approaches (e.g., diffusion-weighted MRI, perfusion MRI, functional MRI, cell-specific MRI, and molecular MRI) allows in vivo multiparametric assessment of the pathophysiology, recovery mechanisms, and treatment strategies in experimental models of stroke, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and other brain disorders. This report reviews established MRI methods as well as promising developments in MRI research that have advanced and continue to improve our understanding of neurologic diseases and that are believed to contribute to the development of recovery improving strategies.
5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Profiles Are Prognostic of Outcome in Neuroblastoma and Reveal Transcriptional Networks That Correlate With Tumor Phenotype

PURPOSE Whole-genome profiles of the epigenetic modification 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) are robust diagnostic biomarkers in adult patients with cancer. We investigated if 5-hmC profiles would serve as novel prognostic markers in neuroblastoma, a clinically heterogeneous pediatric cancer. Because this DNA modification facilitates active gene expression, we hypothesized that 5-hmC profiles would identify transcriptomic networks driving the clinical behavior of neuroblastoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Nano-hmC-Seal sequencing was performed on DNA from Discovery (n = 51), Validation (n = 38), and Children’s Oncology Group (n = 20) cohorts of neuroblastoma tumors. RNA was isolated from 48 tumors for RNA sequencing. Genes with differential 5-hmC or expression between clusters were identified using DESeq2. A 5-hmC model predicting outcome in high-risk patients was established using linear discriminant analysis. RESULTS Comparison of low- versus high-risk tumors in the Discovery cohort revealed 577 genes with differential 5-hmC. Hierarchical clustering of tumors from the Discovery and Validation cohorts using these genes identified two main clusters highly associated with established prognostic markers, clinical risk group, and outcome. Genes with increased 5-hmC and expression in the favorable cluster were enriched for pathways of neuronal differentiation and KRAS activation, whereas genes involved in inflammation and the PRC2 complex were identified in the unfavorable cluster. The linear discriminant analysis model trained on high-risk Discovery cohort tumors was prognostic of outcome when applied to high-risk tumors from the Validation and Children’s Oncology Group cohorts (hazard ratio, 3.8). CONCLUSION 5-hmC profiles may be optimal DNA-based biomarkers in neuroblastoma. Analysis of transcriptional networks regulated by these epigenomic modifications may lead to a deeper understanding of drivers of neuroblastoma phenotype.
Robot-Assisted Simulated Strabismus Surgery

Purpose This study aims to investigate the feasibility of robot-assisted simulated strabismus surgery using the new da Vinci Xi Surgical System and to report what we believe is the first use of a surgical robot in experimental eye muscle surgery. Methods Robot-assisted strabismus surgeries were performed on a strabismus eye model using the robotic da Vinci Xi Surgical System. On the lateral rectus of each eye, we performed a procedure including, successively, a 4-mm plication followed by a 4-mm recession of the muscle to end with a 4-mm resection. Operative time from conjunctival opening to closing and successful completion of the different steps with or without complications or unexpected events were assessed. Results Robot-assisted strabismus procedures were successfully performed on six eyes. The feasibility of robot-assisted simulated strabismus surgery is confirmed. The da Vinci Xi system provided the appropriate dexterity and operative field visualization necessary to perform conjunctival and Tenon's capsule opening and closing, muscle identification, suturing, desinsertion, sectioning, and resuturing. The mean duration to complete the whole procedure was 27 minutes (range, 22–35). There were no complications or unexpected intraoperative events. Conclusions Experimental robot-assisted strabismus surgery is technically feasible using the new robotic da Vinci Xi Surgical System. This is, to our knowledge, the first use of a surgical robot in ocular muscle surgery. Translational Relevance Further experimentation will allow the advantages of robot-assisted microsurgery to be identified while underlining the improvements and innovations necessary for clinical use.
Influence of hypo and hyper methionine supplementation on growth performance and immunological responses to Newcastle disease vaccinations of broiler chickens.

This study was carried out to determine the effect of varying levels of methionine supplementation in di et of broiler chickens on their immunological response to Newcastle disease , growth performance , organ characteristics and haematological parameters . A total of two hundred birds were raised from day - old to six (6) weeks . T hey were distributed into four treatments A, B, C and D with five replicates per treatment, each replicate having 10 birds. At both starter and finisher phases of the experiment, there were four experimental diets A, B, C and D. Diet A was the control diet and contained a standard of 0.38% methionine , diet B wa s the diet containing 0.5% methionine as permitted by National Research Council ( NRC ) standards while diet s C and D contained 0.63 % and 0.75% methionine supplementary levels , respectively. By the third week of the experiment, some of the general observations made include d leg weakness which later progressed to complete paralysis in about 40% of the birds placed on diet C and D . Mortality occurred in 70% of the paralysed birds. The immunological responses after vaccination with Newcastle disease vaccine intra - ocular ( NDV i/o ) revealed that chickens fed with 0.5% methionine ( treatment B) recorded the highest antibody titre value ( log 2 7 ) while treatment D (fed with 0.75% methionine) had the lowest mean titre value (log 2 5 ). Thereafter, administration of NDV LaSota elicited immune responses with antibody titre values being highest in treatment B (log 2 9 ) and least in both treatments A and D (log 2 7 ). T he performance characteristics such as the final body weight (FBW) , weight gain (TWG) , feed intake (TFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed significant (p<0.05) differences among the various dietary treatments , with birds on NRC requirement methionine based diet having significantly (p<0.05) higher FBW, TWG, FCR and TFI than those fed the rest test diets throughout the experimental period. Relative weight of the organs liver and gizzard were also significantly (P< 0.05) different between treatment groups. Among the haematological variables only the red blood cell count ( RBC ) , mean corpuscular haemoglobin ( MCH ) and mean corpuscular volume ( MCV ) values were significantly different (p<0.05) among treatment groups in the starter phase of the experiment and erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ) , basophil and eosinophil in the finisher phase . It was concluded that methionine supplementation at this high inclusion levels is detrimental to the immune response, growth performance, nutrient utilization and organ characteristics of broiler chickens .
Strain tolerance of two-dimensional crystal growth on curved surfaces

2D crystals of WS2 stretch as they grow over curved surfaces, allowing strain engineering of their optoelectronic properties. Two-dimensional (2D) crystal growth over substrate features is fundamentally guided by the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, which mandates that rigid, planar crystals cannot conform to surfaces with nonzero Gaussian curvature. Here, we reveal how topographic curvature of lithographically designed substrate features govern the strain and growth dynamics of triangular WS2 monolayer single crystals. Single crystals grow conformally without strain over deep trenches and other features with zero Gaussian curvature; however, features with nonzero Gaussian curvature can easily impart sufficient strain to initiate grain boundaries and fractured growth in different directions. Within a strain-tolerant regime, however, triangular single crystals can accommodate considerable (<1.1%) localized strain exerted by surface features that shift the bandgap up to 150 meV. Within this regime, the crystal growth accelerates in specific directions, which we describe using a growth model. These results present a previously unexplored strategy to strain-engineer the growth directions and optoelectronic properties of 2D crystals.