Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small-Dose Hypobaric Lidocaine-Fentanyl Spinal Anesthesia for Short Duration Outpatient Laparoscopy. II. Optimal Fentanyl Dose

We performed a double-blind, controlled trial to determine the optimal dose of intrathecal fentanyl in small-dose hypobaric lidocaine spinal anesthesia for outpatient laparoscopy. Sixty-four gynecological patients were randomized into three groups, receiving 0, 10, or 25 micro g fentanyl added to 20 mg lidocaine and sterile water (total 3 mL). Administration was with 27-gauge Whitacre needles and patients sat upright until the block was >T-8. One patient in the 0-micro g fentanyl group required general anesthesia 40 min after the start of surgery, leaving 21 patients per group. Three patients in each of the 0-micro g and 10-micro g fentanyl groups had mild discomfort with trocar insertion, or return of some sensation and felt discomfort or sutures toward the end of surgery. Shoulder-tip pain was less frequent in the 25-micro g than 0-micro g fentanyl group, 28% vs 67% (P < 0.0166). Intraoperative supplementation with alfentanil (+/- propofol) was needed less often in the 25-micro g than 0-micro g fentanyl group, 43% vs 76% (P = 0.028). Recovery of sensation took longer in the 25-micro g than in the 0-micro g and 10-micro g fentanyl groups, 101 +/- 21 vs 84 +/- 20 and 87 +/- 18 min (P < 0.05), although motor recovery and discharge times were the same. Postoperative analgesia was needed earlier in the 0-micro g than in the 25-micro g fentanyl group, median 54 (13-120) vs 87 (65-132) min (P < 0.05). Pruritus was the only side effect that occurred more often in the 10-micro g and 25-micro g groups than in the 0-micro g fentanyl group, 62% and 67% vs 14% (P < 0.0166). One patient required an epidural blood patch for postdural puncture headache. Based on these results, we concluded that 25 micro g intrathecal fentanyl is required when 20 mg lidocaine is used for hypobaric spinal anesthesia (SA) to ensure reliable, durable anesthesia, reduce shoulder-tip pain, and minimize the need for intraoperative supplementation. This dose provides longer postoperative analgesia and does not increase side effects apart from pruritus. SA with small-dose hypobaric lidocaine-fentanyl was found to be a satisfactory technique for outpatient laparoscopy, although postdural puncture headache can occur in some patients. (Anesth Analg 1997;84:65-70)
Inhibition of angiogenesis by thrombospondin-1 is mediated by 2 independent regions within the type 1 repeats.

BACKGROUND Suppression of tumor growth by thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) has been associated with its ability to inhibit neovascularization. The antiangiogenic activity of TSP-1, as defined by cornea pocket assays, was previously mapped to the amino-terminal portion of the protein within the procollagen region and the type 1 repeats. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluated the specificity and efficacy of different regions of TSP-1 using recombinant fragments of the protein on chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis and endothelial cell proliferation assays. In both assays, fragments containing the second and third type 1 repeats but not the procollagen region inhibited angiogenesis and endothelial cell proliferation. To further define the sequences responsible for the angiostatic effect of TSP-1, we used synthetic peptides. The CAM assay defined 2 sequences that independently suppressed angiogenesis. The amino-terminal end of the type 1 repeats showed higher potency for inhibiting angiogenesis driven by basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), whereas the second region equally blocked angiogenesis driven by either FGF-2 or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Modifications of the active peptides revealed the specific amino acids required for the inhibitory response. One sequence included the conserved tryptophan residues in the amino-terminal end of the second and third type 1 repeats, and the other involved the amino acids that follow the CSVTCG sequence in the carboxy-terminus of these repeats. Both inhibition in the CAM assay and inhibition of breast tumor xenograft growth in nude mice were independent of the TGF-beta-activating sequence located in the second type 1 repeat. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the type 1 repeats of TSP-1 contain 2 subdomains that may independently inhibit neovascularization. They also identify 2 independent pathways by which TSP-1 can block FGF-2 and VEGF angiogenic signals on endothelial cells.
Microcontroller Uses and Standards in Modern Automobiles

Introduction With the onset of increasingly complex electrical systems, applications, and processing needs, the use of microcontrollers to handle operations has also increased significantly. Microcontroller applications are found in managing various electrical networks ranging from large equipment such as air conditioning units, mainframe computers, and airplane navigation systems, to smaller devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and digital watches. In particular, the presence of microcontrollers in automobiles plays an important role in automotive electronics, as evidenced by the presence of 25 to 35 electronic control units (ECUs) in the typical Ford vehicle. In luxury cars, such as the BMW 7 Series, the number of ECUs can range from 60 to 65 [1]. Microcontrollers manage ECU functions such as braking, steering, power windows and seats, headlights and taillights, and safety-checking to monitor other active microcontrollers. This paper reviews the current technological relationship between microcontrollers and automobiles as well as the standards and physical goals set by companies that manufacture such products.
Network analysis of brain activations in working memory: Behavior and age relationships

Forty‐six middle‐aged female subjects were scanned using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during performance of three distinct stages of a working memory task—encoding, rehearsal, and recognition—for both printed pseudowords and visual forms. An expanse of areas, involving the inferior frontal, parietal, and extrastriate cortex, was active in response to stimuli during both the encoding and recognition periods. Additional increases during memory recognition were seen in right prefrontal regions, replicating a now‐common finding [for reviews, see Fletcher et al. (1997) Trends Neurosci 20:213–218; MacLeod et al. (1998) NeuroImage 7:41–48], and broadly supporting the Hemispheric Encoding/Retrieval Asymmetry hypothesis [Tulving et al. (1994) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:2016–2020]. Notably, this asymmetry was not qualified by the type of material being processed. A few sites demonstrated higher activity levels during the rehearsal period, in the absence of any new stimuli, including the medial extrastriate, precuneus, and the medial temporal lobe. Further analyses examined relationships among subjects' brain activations, age, and behavioral scores on working memory tests, acquired outside the scanner. Correlations between brain scores and behavior scores indicated that activations in a number of areas, mainly frontal, were associated with performance. A multivariate analysis, Partial Least Squares [McIntosh et al. (1996) NeuroImage 3:143–157, (1997) Hum Brain Map 5:323–327], was then used to extract component effects from this large set of univariate correlations. Results indicated that better memory performance outside the scanner was associated with higher activity at specific sites within the frontal and, additionally, the medial temporal lobes. Analysis of age effects revealed that younger subjects tended to activate more than older subjects in areas of extrastriate cortex, medial frontal cortex, and the right medial temporal lobe; older subjects tended to activate more than younger subjects in the insular cortex, right inferior temporal lobe, and right inferior frontal gyrus. These results extend recent reports indicating that these regions are specifically involved in the memory impairments seen with aging. Microsc. Res. Tech. 51:64–74, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Possible role for glycosphingolipids in the control of immune responses

Preparations of gangliosides from bovine brain contain material which acts as a strong mitogen on murine spleen cells. This material is highly lipophilic and co‐purifies with the ganglioside fraction. It contains saccharides of a similar composition to those found in monosialogangliosides, as well as a sphinogsine base and an appreciable amount of peptide. The common brain gangliosides GM1, GD1a, and GD1b, on the other hand, are not mitogenic and act as suppressors of the mitogenic activity of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on murine spleen cells. Both the mitogenically active and suppressive fractions of bovine brain glycosphingolipid were found to act exclusively on B lymphocytes. Since gangliosides and related compounds are components of plasma membranes and of amphipathic nature, they may passively migrate between the lymphocyte subpopulations and thus act as physiological modulators of immune responses.
Timing of acid weathering on Mars: A kinetic‐thermodynamic assessment

[1] Weathering of olivine basalt by H2SO4-HCl aqueous solutions at the conditions of early Mars was investigated through numerical modeling in a system open with respect to CO2 and O2 only. The model includes dissolution rates of primary and secondary minerals and oxidation rate of aqueous Fe2+, as well as chemical equilibration among solutes, dissolved gases, and precipitates. The results reveal fast dissolution of Fe-Mg minerals at low pH, followed by preferential dissolution of plagioclase at higher pH. Correspondingly, solutions evolve from acidic, Mg-Ca-Fe2+-Fe3+-Al3+ compositions toward Na-rich alkaline fluids. The period over which neutralization and mineral precipitation may occur is shorter at higher initial pH, lower water to rock ratios, and larger mineral surface areas. Early stages of weathering are characterized by the formation of amorphous silica, goethite, and kaolinite, while zeolites and carbonates form considerably later at higher pH, where silica dissolves. Slow oxidation of Fe2+ causes precipitation of ferrous phyllosilicates. Comparison with Martian observations indicate that amorphous silica, Fe3+ oxyhydroxides, and Mg-, Ca-, and Fe-sulfates could have formed during multiple short-term episodes of acid weathering that were terminated by freezing and/or evaporation. Throughout history, impact generation of oxidants (e.g., O2, SO3, NO2) caused formation of strong acids and incremental Fe2+ oxidation, the processes that are not efficient during O2-deficient periods of volcanic degassing. Although impact-generated acid rainfalls could have caused intense weathering and erosion in Noachian time, dilution of acids and a prolonged existence of surface solutions favored local neutralization of solution, and formation, transport and deposition of clays.
NITROGEN LIMITATION ADAPTATION, a Target of MicroRNA827, Mediates Degradation of Plasma Membrane–Localized Phosphate Transporters to Maintain Phosphate Homeostasis in Arabidopsis[W][OPEN]

This work reports that NLA mediates endocytosis and degradation of PHT1s via ubiquitination and functions cooperatively with PHO2 to regulate the abundance of PHT1s in different subcellular compartments. This finding uncovers a mechanism of modulation of Pi transport activity through the integration of miRNA-mediated posttranscriptional and ubiquitin-mediated posttranslational pathways. Members of the Arabidopsis thaliana PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER1 (PHT1) family are key players in acquisition of Pi from the rhizosphere, and their regulation is indispensable for the maintenance of cellular Pi homeostasis. Here, we reveal posttranslational regulation of Pi transport through modulation of degradation of PHT1 proteins by the RING-type ubiquitin E3 ligase, NITROGEN LIMITATION ADAPTATION (NLA). Loss of function of NLA caused high Pi accumulation resulting from increases in the levels of several PHT1s at the protein rather than the transcript level. Evidence of decreased endocytosis and ubiquitination of PHT1s in nla mutants and interaction between NLA and PHT1s in the plasma membranes suggests that NLA directs the ubiquitination of plasma membrane–localized PHT1s, which triggers clathrin-dependent endocytosis followed by endosomal sorting to vacuoles. Furthermore, different subcellular localization of NLA and PHOSPHATE2 (PHO2; a ubiquitin E2 conjugase) and the synergistic effect of the accumulation of PHT1s and Pi in nla pho2 mutants suggest that they function independently but cooperatively to regulate PHT1 protein amounts. Intriguingly, NLA and PHO2 are the targets of two Pi starvation-induced microRNAs, miR827 and miR399, respectively. Therefore, our findings uncover modulation of Pi transport activity in response to Pi availability through the integration of a microRNA-mediated posttranscriptional pathway and a ubiquitin-mediated posttranslational regulatory pathway.
Benchmarking page segmentation algorithms

A method for automatically evaluating the quality of document page segmentation algorithms is introduced. Many different zoning techniques are now available but there is no robust method available to benchmark and evaluate them reliably. Our proposed strategy is a region-based approach, in which segmentation results are compared with manually generated "ground truth files", describing all possible correct segmentations. A segmentation ground truthing scheme has been proposed. The evaluation of segmentation quality is achieved by testing the overlap between the two sets of regions. In fact, the regions are defined as the "black" pixels contained in the extracted polygons. An explicit specification of segmentation errors and a numerical evaluation are derived. The algorithm is simple and fast, and provides a multi-level output for each segmentation. <<ETX>>
Experiments in the Perception of Stress

Differences of stress are perceived by the listener as variations in a complex pattern bounded by four psychological dimensions : length, loudness, pitch and quality. The physical correlates of these perceptual factors are the duration, intensity, fundamental frequency and formant structure of the speech sound waves. Experiments have been made in order to measure the &ect on stress judgments of changes in three of these physical dimensions, duration, intensity and fundamental frequency. The experimental method was to synthesize speech stimuli in which these quantities could be controlled and varied over a considerable range and to use this material to construct iistening tests which were carried out by large groups of subjects. English word-pairs of the type subject, object, digest, formed the language material for the tests; in the first experiment variations in duration were combined with variations in intensity. The results showed that both duration and intensity act as cues in stress judgments ; duration produced the greater overall fluctuation in the judgments and a method is suggested of making a quantitative comparison of the effect of the two cues. The second experiment combined duration changes with step changes of fundamental frequency. The results showed that the direction of a step change of frequency had a strong influence on stress judgments but the magnitude of the frequency change had no marked effect. The tendency was for a higher syllable to be heard as stressed in preference to a lower one. The third test included variations in fundamental frequency within one syllable and contained a range of patterns which imposed sentence intonation on the test items. The results again demonstrated the all-or-none effect of frequency changes and showed that this may outweigh the duration cue altogether.
IL-21 Is Produced by Th17 Cells and Drives IL-17 Production in a STAT3-dependent Manner*

CD4+ helper T cells can differentiate into several possible fates including: Th1, Th2, T regulatory, and Th17 cells. Although, cytokine production by non-T cells is an important factor in helper T cell differentiation, a characteristic feature of both Th1 and Th2 lineages is their ability to secrete cytokines that promote their respective differentiation. However, cytokines produced by T cells that help to sustain Th17 cells have not yet been identified. Here we show that IL-21 is a product of Th17 cells, which is induced in a Stat3-dependent manner. Additionally, Stat3 can directly bind the Il21 promoter. IL-21 also induces IL-17 production and expression of the transcription factor, RORγt. Furthermore, generation of Th17 cells in the conventional manner is attenuated by blocking IL-21. IL-21 is known to activate Stat3 and its ability to induce Th17 differentiation is abrogated in the absence of Stat3. These data argue that IL-21 serves as an autocrine factor secreted by Th17 cells that promotes or sustains Th17 lineage commitment.
Evaluation of a Liquid Cooling Concept for High Power Processors

A high performance liquid cooling architecture for high power processors in less than 45 mm height electronics chassis (1U rack space) was proposed and investigated experimentally. A review of several system cooling approaches from CPU to data center was also provided. The present proposed method employs conventional heat pipes to transport local CPU heat to the edge of an electronics module coupled with system liquid cold plates. As coolant from external cooling distribution unit in data center flows through the system cold plates in the rack, CPU heat load is rejected to data center cooling facility. Capable of removing the processor power as high as 450W is demonstrated from a prototype built. Experiments were conducted to characterize the prototype thermal performance between liquid inlet and heat pipe evaporator base. A 25 mm times 25 mm heat block was used to simulate CPU and provide heat source to the heat pipe evaporator base. The impacts of heat transfer rate, flow rate, and liquid inlet temperature were evaluated. The total thermal resistance of below 0.090degC/W was achieved at water flow rate of 1 l/min and heat transfer rate of 450W.
Urinary markers in the detection of bladder cancer: what's new?

Purpose of review Bladder cancer is one of the most common genitourinary malignancies and is a potentially life-threatening diagnosis. For many patients, however, the diagnosis of bladder cancer entails a lifetime of vigilant, costly, and invasive surveillance for recurrent and/or progressive disease. In the context of relative limitations of the current standard of cystoscopy and cytology, there has been burgeoning activity in the development of novel molecular urine-based markers for bladder cancer detection. Recent findings A large number of candidate bladder cancer biomarkers have emerged as our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of the disease has evolved. Many of these are in the relatively earlier phases of development but several have received the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration for clinical use and are already being applied to patients in clinical practice. Summary Urine-based markers for bladder cancer detection represent an area of substantial innovation and discovery with potentially profound scientific, clinical, and economic implications. As more of these tests become standardized and undergo evaluation in large multicenter trials, it is conceivable that a novel marker or panel of markers will emerge as a major enhancement to the current standard of care.
Simulating the outer layers of Procyon A: a comparison with the Sun

We compare a new 3D radiative hydrodynamical simulation of the surface layers of Procyon A to a similar 3D simulation of the surface layers of the Sun. Both simulations include realistic input physics and are performed using the same numerical techniques and computer codes. Convection in the surface layers of Procyon A is very different from the Sun. Compared with the Sun, the atmospheric structure and convective flow in Procyon A exhibit the following characteristics. (i)The highly superadiabatic transition layer (SAL) is located at a much shallower optical depth; it is in a dynamically active region and its outer region is sometimes located in the optically thin atmosphere. (ii)The outer region of the SAL moves from an optically thin region to a thick region and back again over a time of 20‐30 min. This motion, which is driven by the granulation, takes place in a time approximately half the turnover time of the largest granules. (iii)The peak rms velocity in the vertical direction is much larger in Procyon A. The main reason for the radically different radiative‐convective behaviour in Procyon A compared with the Sun is the role played by turbulent eddies in determining the overall flow/thermal structure. The turbulent pressure and turbulent kinetic energy can exceed 50 per cent of the local gas pressure (compared with about 10‐20 per cent in the Sun). In such regions, the mixing lengthy theory is a poor approximation. The Procyon A simulation thus reveals two distinct time-scales: the autocorrelation time of the vertical velocity and the characteristic time-scale of the SAL, which is tied to granulation. Just below the surface, the autocorrelation decay time is about 5 min in Procyon A and the SAL motion time-scale is 20‐30 min. In the simulations, the peak value of the superadiabaticity varies between 0.5 and 3. When the SAL penetrates the optically thin region, there are efficient radiative losses and the peak of the SAL is low. We speculate that these losses damp out the relative amplitudes in luminosity (temperature fluctuations) compared with velocity (Doppler). Although this will not affect the frequencies of the peaks in the power spectrum, it will probably lower the average amplitude of the peaks relative to the noise background.