Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Below-knee deep vein thrombosis: An opportunity to prevent pulmonary embolism?

BACKGROUND The prevention of venous thromboembolic disease following trauma is a priority. In contrast to above-knee deep vein thrombosis (AKDVT), the management of below-knee deep vein thrombosis (BKDVT) is controversial because the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) has not been firmly established. We hypothesized that BKDVT and AKDVT have an equivalent risk for PE in trauma patients. METHODS We identified patients from July 2006 to December 2011 with BKDVT and/or AKDVT diagnosed by lower extremity duplex ultrasound (LEDU) and patients with PE diagnosed by computed tomography angiogram. Time of DVT onset, progression or regression, and time of PE were assessed. The BKDVT and AKDVT patient groups were defined by the location of DVT on initial LEDU. The use of therapeutic anticoagulation and inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) were compared between the BKDVT and AKDVT groups. RESULTS Of 11,330 patients evaluated during the study period, 2,881 (25.4%) underwent surveillance LEDU, and 251 (8.7%) of these patients had DVT alone or associated with PE. BKDVT progressed to AKDVT and/or PE in 21 patients (12.9%). PE rates were 6.1% and 1.1% in the BKDVT and AKDVT groups, respectively (p = 0.1). There was a higher rate of therapeutic anticoagulation and/or IVCF in the AKDVT group than in the BKDVT group (86% vs. 24%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION In our study population, BKDVT was associated with a higher rate of PE compared with AKDVT, which was likely secondary to the treatment of AKDVT. Because BKDVT progressed to AKDVT or PE in 1 of 8 patients, BKDVT should not be ignored in trauma patients. Aggressive chemical prophylaxis and perhaps therapeutic anticoagulation or IVCF should be considered in patients with BKDVT. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these conclusions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.
Effects of Actin-Like Proteins Encoded by Two Bacillus pumilus Phages on Unstable Lysogeny, Revealed by Genomic Analysis

ABSTRACT We characterized two newly isolated myoviruses, Bp8p-C and Bp8p-T, infecting the ginger rhizome rot disease pathogen Bacillus pumilus GR8. The plaque of Bp8p-T exhibited a clear center with a turbid rim, suggesting that Bp8p-T could transform into latent phage. Lysogeny assays showed that both the two phages could form latent states, while Bp8p-T could form latent phage at a higher frequency and stability than Bp8p-C. The genomes of Bp8p-C and Bp8p-T were 151,417 and 151,419 bp, respectively; both encoded 212 putative proteins, and only differed by three nucleotides. Moreover, owing to this difference, Bp8p-C encoded a truncated, putative actin-like plasmid segregation protein Gp27-C. Functional analysis of protein Gp27 showed that Gp27-T encoded by Bp8p-T exhibited higher ATPase activity and assembly ability than Gp27-C. The results indicate that the difference in Gp27 affected the phage lysogenic ability. Structural proteome analysis of Bp8p-C virion resulted in the identification of 14 structural proteins, among which a pectin lyase-like protein, a putative poly-gamma-glutamate hydrolase, and three proteins with unknown function, were firstly identified as components of the phage virion. Both phages exhibited specific lytic ability to the host strain GR8. Bp8p-C showed better control effect on the pathogen in ginger rhizome slices than Bp8p-T, suggesting that Bp8p-C has a potential application in bio-control of ginger rhizome rot disease.
Putative Polyketide Synthase and Laccase Genes for Biosynthesis of Aurofusarin in Gibberella zeae

ABSTRACT Mycelia of Gibberella zeae (anamorph, Fusarium graminearum), an important pathogen of cereal crops, are yellow to tan with white to carmine red margins. We isolated genes encoding the following two proteins that are required for aurofusarin biosynthesis from G. zeae: a type I polyketide synthase (PKS) and a putative laccase. Screening of insertional mutants of G. zeae, which were generated by using a restriction enzyme-mediated integration procedure, resulted in the isolation of mutant S4B3076, which is a pigment mutant. In a sexual cross of the mutant with a strain with normal pigmentation, the pigment mutation was linked to the inserted vector. The vector insertion site in S4B3076 was a HindIII site 38 bp upstream from an open reading frame (ORF) on contig 1.116 in the F. graminearum genome database. The ORF, designated Gip1 (for Gibberella zeae pigment mutation 1), encodes a putative laccase. A 30-kb region surrounding the insertion site and Gip1 contains 10 additional ORFs, including a putative ORF identified as PKS12 whose product exhibits about 40% amino acid identity to the products of type I fungal PKS genes, which are involved in pigment biosynthesis. Targeted gene deletion and complementation analyses confirmed that both Gip1 and PKS12 are required for aurofusarin production in G. zeae. This information is the first information concerning the biosynthesis of these pigments by G. zeae and could help in studies of their toxicity in domesticated animals.
Photoconductivity in trans-polyacetylene: Transport and recombination of photogenerated charged excitations.

Photoconductivity in unoriented Shirakawa-type polyacetylene as well as in highly oriented Durham-Graz-type polyacetylene has been measured. Both cw and transient experiments on different time scales have been carried out. The existence and the behavior of a fast and a slow component of the photoconductivity have been investigated in detail and the relationship between the two components has been elucidated. For the fast component we have observed a relaxation time of ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1/2}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}100 ps, a migration distance of the carriers up to 400 A\r{}, and a mobility of \ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\approxeq}2 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/V s. The mobility of the slow component is 2 orders of magnitude lower. In the oriented samples two kinds of anisotropy of the photocurrent have been found, one with respect to the direction of the applied electric field with a value of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\parallel}}}$/${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$=50, and the other with respect to the polarization of the incident light. From a comparison of these data with those of photoinduced absorption measurements, we attribute the fast component mainly to polarons and the slow component to a hopping transport of charged solitonlike defects.
Improvements in glucose metabolism early after gastric bypass surgery are not explained by increases in total bile acids and fibroblast growth factor 19 concentrations.

CONTEXT Bile acids and fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) have been suggested as key mediators of the improvements in glucose metabolism after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). OBJECTIVE To describe fasting and postprandial state total bile acid (TBA) and FGF19 concentrations before and after RYGB and relate them to parameters of glucose metabolism, glucagon-like peptide-1, cholecystokinin, and cholesterol fractions. DESIGN AND SETTING A prospective descriptive study was performed at the Department of Endocrinology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark. PATIENTS Thirteen type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients and 12 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects participated in the study. INTERVENTION A 4-hour liquid meal test was performed before and 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after RYGB. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We measured fasting and postprandial TBA and FGF19 concentrations. RESULTS Fasting TBA concentrations decreased in NGT subjects (P < .001) and were unchanged in T2D patients 1 week after surgery, but then increased gradually in both groups with time from surgery (ANOVA Ptime < .001). Area under the curve (AUC) TBA was decreased in NGT subjects 1 week after RYGB (before surgery, 567 mmol * min/L [interquartile range, 481-826]; 1 wk, 419 [381-508]; P = .009) and was unchanged in T2D patients (894 [573-1002]; 695 [349-1147]; P = .97) but then increased with time from surgery in both groups (Ptime < .001). Fasting FGF19 concentrations were unchanged acutely after RYGB (NGT, 140 pg/mL [100-162], 134 [119-204], P = .42; T2D, 162 [130-196], 154 [104-164], P = .68) and remained unchanged throughout the follow-up period. AUC FGF19 increased gradually with time after surgery (Ptime < .001), resembling the changes seen with AUC TBA. One week after RYGB, glucose metabolism improved, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased, and cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion increased, whereas FFA concentrations were unchanged. CONCLUSION TBA and FGF19 do not explain acute changes in glucose metabolism, cholesterol fractions, and gut hormone secretion after RYGB.
Protein Kinase R Is a Novel Mediator of CD40 Signaling and Plays a Critical Role in Modulating Immunoglobulin Expression during Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Effective immunoglobulin responses play a vital role in protection against most pathogens. However, the molecular mediators and mechanisms responsible for signaling and selective expression of immunoglobulin types remain to be elucidated. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that protein kinase R (PKR) plays a crucial role in IgE responses to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in vitro. In this study, we show that PKR plays a critical role in IgG expression both in vivo and in vitro. PKR−/− mice show significantly altered serum IgG levels during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. IgG2a expression is particularly sensitive to a lack of PKR and is below the detection level in mock- or RSV-infected PKR−/− mice. Interestingly, we show that upon activation by anti-CD40 and gamma interferon (IFN-γ), B cells from PKR−/− mice show diminished major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), CD80, and CD86 levels on the cell surface compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Our data also show that PKR is necessary for optimal expression of adhesion molecules, such as CD11a and ICAM-1, that are necessary for homotypic aggregation of B cells. Furthermore, in this report we demonstrate for the first time that upon CD40 ligation, PKR is rapidly phosphorylated and activated, indicating that PKR is an early and novel downstream mediator of CD40 signaling pathways.
The changing role of thrombolytic therapy in the management of acute deep vein thrombosis

Endovascular therapy for lower extremity venous obstruction is emerging as a viable adjunct to anticoagulation in selected patients with acute and chronic deep vein thrombosis. While the standard of care for deep vein thrombosis remains centered upon heparinoids and warfarin therapy, there is growing evidence to support early intervention with thrombolysis to preserve valve function and restore patency of the vein. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of endovascular techniques for the treatment of acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis as an adjunct to routine anticoagulation.
Compilation and analysis of data on securitised public debt in Kenya

This paper presents the framework for compiling and analysing data on securitised public domestic debt in Kenya, and the measures being undertaken to improve the quality of the data. Section 45 of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Act provides the legal framework for the Bank to manage public domestic debt on behalf of the government. Compilation of data on securitised debt, and public debt in general, is guided by international standards specified in the IMF manuals. Kenya subscribed to the IMF GDDS and SDDS in 2002 with the aim of improving the quality, coverage, periodicity and timeliness of its macroeconomic data, and a commitment to improving the integrity and ensuring timely dissemination of data to the public. Comparability of data across time and countries requires that the compilation methodology be guided by certain principles.
Demographic analysis of marital dissolution in Kenya

This is a demographic analysis of marital dissolution. It is an attempt to examine regional differentials in determinants of marital dissolution, with a view of explaining the factors influencing the rates, levels and finally pattern of marital dissolution. The study objectives are as follows: to determine marital disso­ lution by specific durations of marriage for selected characteristics of women for each region, thus determine regional differentials of these factors as determinants of marital dissolution; to find out the nuptial patterns of those in stable and unstable unions; and to suggest policy recommendations which could help deal with this socio-demographic problem. The hypotheses tested were: (i) Regional pattern(s) of marital dissolution is not a function of the following: sociocultural, economic, environmental and demographic variables (e.g Age at first marriage, education levels, place of work, religion e.t.c). (ii) There’s homogeneity in the following socio-cultural, economic, environmental and demographic factors (Age at first marriage, educa­ tion levels, place of residence, ethnicity, pattern of work, religion e.t.c) in determining regional variations and patterns of marital dissolution. The study used the Kenya Fertility Sample Survey data (1977/78), i : which aimed at collecting information on fertility levels and trends in Kenya and to investigate the differing patterns and determinants of fertility amongst Kenyas heterogeneous population. A total of 8,452 women aged 15 to 50 years were identified in the 8,891 success­ fully enumerated households, giving a ratio of 0.95 eligible women
Changes in the Strength of Recurrent Inhibition in Cobalt‐Induced Epilepsy

Summary: Changes in the strength of recurrent inhibition in the feline cortex in cobalt (CoCl2)‐induced epilepsy were observed. The strength of inhibition was analyzed in terms of paired‐pulse depression of the amplitude of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) elicited by stimulation of the ventral posterolateral (VPL) thalamic nucleus. An enhancement in recurrent inhibition was observed shortly after CoCl2 application. The size of the amplitude of cortical evoked potentials (EPs) elicited by VPL stimulation increased simultaneously. The reduction of inhibition that appeared later was associated with after discharges (ADS) evoked by VPL stimulation. These ADS frequently extended to epileptic discharges. These results suggest that the reduction in recurrent inhibition induced by CoCl2 application plays an important role in the spread of seizure activity.
Protective Effect of Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate to Liver Injury in a Sepsis Model with Cecum Ligation and Perforation â An Animal Study

Introduction: Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is a low molecular thiol antioxidant and is a strong inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B activation. Recent animal studies have shown a delaying effect of intraperitoneal sepsis on healing after colon anastomosis. Our aim in this study is to use pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate in sepsis treatment to research the place of nuclear factor kappa B inhibition in preventing tissue injury and organ function disorders and the effect on organ failure caused by clinical worsening of sepsis. Materials and methods: Our study was completed on a total of 28 rats in Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. In our study subjects were grouped as control (n=4) liver subjects, “Group A” (n=4) (sham group), “Group B” (n=8) (Sepsis group) (laparotomy and cecal mobilization), “Group C” (n=8) Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate subjects and “Group D” (n=8) sepsis+ Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate subjects. Apart from the sham group (control group) rats had the polymicrobial sepsis model described in the literature of cecum ligation and perforation used to induce sepsis. Group A (sham group, n=8) had mini laparatomy performed after anaesthesia and then the abdomen was closed without cecum ligation and perforation. Group B (sepsis group, n=8) had the cecum isolated with mini laparotomy, sepsis was induced with the cecum ligation and perforation method and then the abdomen was closed. Group C (Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, n=8) had 100 mg/kg/day Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate administered by gavage 15 minutes before and 12 hours after mini laparotomy procedure. Group D (sepsis+Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, n=8) had pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate administed by gavage 15 minutes before and 12 hours after cecum ligation and perforation to induce sepsis. Results: When mortality in the groups is assessed, as there was no procedure performed on the sham group (performed cecum ligation and perforation or antioxidant administered) no rat died and all 8 rats were sacrificed for histopathological and immunohistochemical assessment. In the Group B of the 7 rats that died, 5 died from 24-36 hours, and 2 were exitus before 48 hours. In Group D (sepsis+ Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) 2 were exitus in the first 48 hours with the other 2 exitus on the 5th day and 3 rats were alive on the 10th day. In Group C (sham +Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) 1 rat was exitus in the first 72 hours, while the remaining 6 were still alive on the 10th day. The livers of the cases were investigated for morphology, p65 and inductible nitic oxide synthase activity after hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining. The results were statistically assessed. Conclusion: In these results, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate appears to be an appropriate medication with potential efficacy for sepsis and septic shock treatment. As the results of clinical studies of antioxidants used for sepsis treatment are still controversial, there is a need for broader and longer duration studies.
Joint Power and Admission Control for Spectral and Energy Efficiency Maximization in Heterogeneous OFDMA Networks

This paper studies the joint power and admission control (JPAC) problem for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) based heterogeneous networks. We consider a small-cell network coexisting with a macro-cell network. Small cells are not only subject to constraints imposed by interference with the macro-cell network but also by the minimum achievable rates of secondary user equipment (SUE). The goal is to admit as many SUE as possible to satisfy the minimum rate requirements while maximizing a certain network utility associated with the admitted SUE. To this end, we formulate two JPAC problems aimed at maximizing the network spectral efficiency (SE) and network energy efficiency (EE), respectively, where the latter has not been considered before. In light of the NP-hardness of the admission control and SE maximization problems, prior works have often treated the two problems separately without considering OFDMA constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel joint optimization framework that is capable of considering power control, admission control, and resource block assignment simultaneously. Via advanced convex approximation techniques and sequential SUE deflation procedures, we develop efficient algorithms that jointly maximize the SE/EE and the number of admitted SUE. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms yield substantially higher SE/EE and admit more SUE than existing methods.
Discussion of moral hazard and management control in just-in-time settings

Alles, Datar, and Lambert (henceforth ADL) set out to explore the management control and motivational aspects of Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory production systems within the agency theory paradigm. Specifically, ADL rely on the linear principal-agent model developed by Holmstrdm and Milgrom [1987; 1991]. The contribution of this type of analysis is determined jointly by the technical novelty of the results and their successful application to a specific setting studied. The following discussion is intended to aid in the evaluation of these aspects of ADL's paper. In section 2 I give a brief summary of the model followed by a discussion of the results in section 3. Section 4 addresses whether the model and the results capture recognizable features of the specific setting studied, i.e., issues of external validity. Finally, some concluding remarks are provided in section 5.
SMART: An Efficient Resource Search and Management Scheme for Vehicular Cloud-Connected System

A Vehicular Cloud generally focuses on several aspects, which include providing a set of computational services at low cost to vehicle drivers; minimizing traffic congestion, accidents, travel time, and environmental pollution; and ensuring the use of low energy and real-time services of software, platforms, and infrastructure with QoS to drivers. The largest challenge in vehicular mobile Clouds consists of creating a mechanism for management and search resources that does not depend on roadside infrastructure, which consequently requires the spontaneous and dynamic creation of a Cloud through the resources shared by vehicles. Therefore, the system must enable collaboration and co-operation between vehicles so that they may establish connections to provide resources. To address this challenge, we propose a peer-to-peer protocol to assist in the discovery and management of resources in a vehicular mobile Cloud without depending on the support of a roadside infrastructure so that vehicles are expected to organize themselves and establish collaborations to manage and share their resources. Simulation results show that the proposed approach introduces a short search time of approximately 0.5 (ms) to seek resources in one hop and approximately 0.9 (ms) to seek more of a hop in resources. Furthermore, the proposed protocol enables a high availability of resources, about 87%.
A comparative study on the value of scenic views between an inland and a coastal city in Korea

ABSTRACT This study estimates hedonic house price models for an inland city of Seoul and a coastal city of Pusan using spatial regression with successful bidding price data of court auction during the period from January 2006 to December 2014. Among hedonic attributes such as floor area, building age, total floor level, living floor level, direction of the window of the living room, proximity to natural environment, scenic views and others employed in this study, our main focus is on scenic views. As a result of our empirical analysis, the most preferred view turns out to be a water-related view such as a broad river view in Seoul or an ocean view in Pusan. A mountain view, affecting negatively in a coastal city like Pusan which is adjacent to the beautiful ocean, has positive influence in Seoul, since it is an inland city with no ocean in sight with only a river running across the heart of the city which is surrounded by mountains serving as its boundary. While a building view in Seoul has negative effect on the price, it affects positively in Pusan.
Second‐order statistics of multiuser relay cooperation systems over Nakagami‐m fading channels

To attain overall recognition of the effect of Nakagami‐m channel parameters on the second‐order statistics and to present a guide to the design and configuration of systems, we investigate the average level crossing rate (LCR) and average fading duration (AFD) of multiuser single relay cooperation wireless communications, in which the multiple mobile users communicate with base station under the help of single relay. On the basis of the statistical channel state information (CSI) between mobile users and relay, a single user is selected to communicate with base station. For the multiuser relay cooperation communications, we first present the integral expressions to the LCR and AFD of equivalent end‐to‐end envelope by using strict mathematical proof. Then with appropriate approximation, we obtain the closed‐form solutions to the upper and lower bounds of average LCR and AFD as well as the ones of Laplace approximation. Finally, on the basis of the derivations, we validate the approximations to LCR and AFD, and investigate the effect of the system parameters on LCR and AFD. The comparison results show that the derivations match well the simulations, and the exact values can be bounded by the obtained upper and lower bounds. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.