Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies of systemically administered colistin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii in mouse thigh and lung infection models: smaller response in lung infection.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the exposure-response relationships between unbound colistin in plasma and antibacterial activity in mouse thigh and lung infections. METHODS Dose fractionation studies (subcutaneous colistin sulphate at 1.25-160 mg/kg/day) were conducted in neutropenic mice in which infection (three strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and three strains of Acinetobacter baumannii) had been produced by intramuscular thigh injection or aerosol lung delivery. Bacterial burden was measured at 24 h after initiation of colistin treatment. Plasma protein binding was measured by rapid equilibrium dialysis and ultracentrifugation. The inhibitory sigmoid dose-effect model and non-linear least squares regression were employed to determine the relationship between exposure to unbound colistin and efficacy. RESULTS Plasma binding of colistin was constant over the concentration range ∼2-50 mg/L. The average ± SD percentage bound for all concentrations was 92.9 ± 3.3% by ultracentrifugation and 90.4 ± 1.1% by equilibrium dialysis. In the thigh model, across all six strains the antibacterial effect of colistin was well correlated with fAUC/MIC (R(2) = 0.82-0.94 for P. aeruginosa and R(2) = 0.84-0.95 for A. baumannii). Target values of fAUC/MIC for 2 log10 kill were 7.4-13.7 for P. aeruginosa and 7.4-17.6 for A. baumannii. In the lung model, for only two strains of P. aeruginosa and one strain of A. baumannii was it possible to achieve 2 log10 kill (fAUC/MIC target values 36.8-105), even at the highest colistin dose tolerated by mice. This dose was not able to achieve bacteriostasis for the other two strains of A. baumannii. CONCLUSIONS Colistin was substantially less effective in lung infection. The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target values will assist in the design of optimized dosage regimens.
Rex, Lex et Judex

Doubts about the traditional, positivistic interpretation of Montesquieu's ‘bouche de la loi’-text – Reading Montesquieu in his historical context – England and France: judge made law and parlementaire ideology – Natural law context – Lex animata, lex loquens: King versus judge – The Ciceronian and English background of the ‘bouche de la loi’ – The Fronde and les Mazarinades – George Buchanan, Sir Edward Coke and Calvin's Case
Authentic Second Language Interaction in an Instructional Setting: Assessing an Inter-Class Exchange Programme

This study reports on collaboration between second language (L2) instructors of English and Japanese. Learners and speakers of each language were brought together on a regular basis to serve as models, partners, group members, and supportive peers to assist each other’s language learning efforts. ANOVA analyses were used to contrast students in the programme with others in regular classes on reported frequency of L2 use beyond the instructional setting, friendship patterns maintained within the first language (L1) and L2, three aspects of motivation for second language acquisition, and attitudes held toward culturally different others (ATCD). Significant differences were found between students inside and outside the programme on four of the variables analyzed. Multiple regressions were then used to assess the impact of six predictor variables (L1-USE, first L1-FR and L2-FR language friendship patterns, two aspects of SLA motivation, and ATCD) on reported levels of L2 use outside of the classroom. Four of the predictors were found to be significant to the equation, which accounted for approximately 28% of the variance in L2 use. The findings suggest regular immersion in an authentic L2 environment created within an instructional setting may assist learners in developing stronger motivation to use a L2, augment tendencies toward friendships between learners and members of a L2 speech community, and assist in development of more positive attitudes toward culturally different others.
Rwa - a game engine for real world audio games

Audio guides and (interactive) sound walks have existed for decades. Even smartphone games taking place in the real world are no longer a novelty. But due to the lack of a sufficient middleware which fulfills the requirements for creating this software genre, artists, game developers and institutions such as museums are forced to implement rather similar functionality over and over again. This paper describes the basic principles of Real World Audio (RWA), an extendable audio game engine for targeting smartphone operating systems, which rolls out all functionality for the generation of the above-mentioned software genres. It combines the ability for building location- based audio walks and -guides with the components necessary for game development. Using either the smartphone sensors or an external sensor board for head tracking and gesture recognition, RWA allows developers to create audio walks, audio adventures and audio role playing games (RPG) outside in the real world.
Lateral Eye-Movement Consistency is Related to Academic Aptitude

Individuals who move their eyes consistently in one direction in response to reflective questions (ns = 22, 23) score significantly higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than those who are inconsistent in direction of eye-movement (ns = 14, 7). The results suggest that degree of cerebral lateralization is related to academic aptitude.
The effectiveness of brief interventions in the clinical setting in reducing alcohol misuse and binge drinking in adolescents: a critical review of the literature.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the effectiveness of brief interventions for adolescent alcohol misuse and to determine if these interventions are useful in reducing alcohol consumption. To determine if brief interventions could be used successfully by nurses in the clinical setting. BACKGROUND Australian adolescents are consuming risky levels of alcohol in ever increasing numbers. The fiscal, health-related and social costs of this alcohol misuse are rising at an alarming rate and must be addressed as a matter of priority. Brief interventions have been used with some success for adult problem drinkers in the clinical setting. Brief interventions delivered in the clinical setting by nurses who are 'on the scene' are therefore a potential strategy to redress the epidemic of adolescent alcohol misuse. DESIGN Literature review. METHODS Multiple databases were searched to locate randomised controlled trials published within the past 10 years, with participants aged 12-25 years. Included studies used brief intervention strategies specific to alcohol reduction. Fourteen studies met these criteria and were reviewed. RESULTS A range of different interventions, settings, participant age-ranges and outcome measures were used, limiting generalisability to the studied populations. No trials were carried out by nurses and only one took place in Australia. Motivational interviewing (one form of brief intervention) was partially successful, with the most encouraging results relating to harm minimisation. Long-term follow-up trials using motivational interviewing reported significant reductions in alcohol intake and harmful effects, but this may be partially attributed to a normal maturation trend to a steady reduction in alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS No single intervention could be confidently recommended due to confounding evidence. However, successful elements of past studies warrant further investigation. These include face-to-face, one-session, motivational interviewing-style brief interventions, focusing on harm minimisation and all with long-term follow-up. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The introduction of brief interventions in the hospital setting has the potential to address the epidemic of adolescent alcohol misuse. Nurses are well placed to deliver these interventions, but a standardised approach is required to ensure consistency. Further research is urgently needed to ensure clinical practice is based on the best available evidence and to ensure findings are more relevant to Australian adolescents and to nurses in a clinical setting.
Systematic study of preimplantation stages of pregnancy in the sheep.

Pregnant and non· pregnant ewes were killed at various times during the period up to 15 days after service. The purpose of the study was to examine a number of parameters related to ovarian and uterine activity with a view to establishing the point at which the embryo first has measurable effects on the physiology of the ewe.
Increasing Mechanical Properties of 2-D-Structured Electrospun Nylon 6 Non-Woven Fiber Mats

Tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and toughness of electrospun nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats were improved by increasing individual nanofiber strength and fiber–fiber load sharing. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as reinforcement to increase the strength of the electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers. Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and toughness of the nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats electrospun from 20 wt % solutions increased 51%, 87%, and 136%, respectively, after incorporating 1 wt % CNTs into the nylon 6 nanofibers. Three methods were investigated to enhance fiber–fiber load sharing: increasing friction between fibers, thermal bonding, and solvent bonding. The addition of beaded nylon 6 nanofibers into the non-woven fiber mats to increase fiber-fiber friction resulted in a statistically significantly increase in Young’s modulus over comparable smooth non-woven fiber mats. After annealing, tensile strength, elongation, and toughness of the nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats electrospun from 20 wt % + 10 wt % solutions increased 26%, 28%, and 68% compared to those from 20 wt % solutions. Solvent bonding with formic acid vapor at room temperature for 30 min caused increases of 56%, 67%, and 39% in the Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and toughness of non-woven fiber mats, respectively. The increases attributed to increased individual nanofiber strength and solvent bonding synergistically resulted in the improvement of Young’s modulus of the electrospun nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats.
On the Malleability of Performance

Popular stereotypes of aging affect the performance of seniors in a number of different domains, from memory performance to physiological response. The authors undertook a review of this area, in which they examined 17 studies that looked at the impact of stereotype primes on older individuals' cognitive, physical, physiological and psychological performance. Analyses included investigating the effects of both positive and negative age stereotypes, and implicit and explicit priming methodologies. The authors utilized a meta-analytic technique on a subset of studies that examined the impact of priming on memory performance. This yielded an effect size of 0.38. The results suggest that popular stereotypes of aging (and the corresponding subtle changes in the testing environment) are important variables to consider for those researchers testing performance of seniors.
Immunomodulatory role of Tinospora cordifolia as an adjuvant in surgical treatment of diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND Chronic diabetic patients with wounds have deficient growth factors and impaired local and systemic cellular immunity. Treatment with growth factors is expensive with risk of infection transmission and these factors may not achieve optimum wound concentration. We evaluated the role of generalized immunomodulation in diabetic ulcers by using Tinospora cordifolia as an adjuvant therapy and studied its influence on parameters/determinants of healing, on bacterial eradication and on polymorphonuclear phagocytosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective double-blind randomized controlled study lasting for over 18 months in 50 patients. The ulcer was classified by wound morphology and severity with Wound Severity Score (Pecoraro-Reiber system). Mean ulcer area, depth and perimeter were measured and swabs taken for culture. Blood was collected to assess polymorphonuclear % phagocytosis (PMN function by Lehrer-Cline C. albicans method). Medical therapy, glycemic control, debridement, wound care were optimized. At 4 weeks, parameters were reassessed. PMN function was reviewed at 3 months. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS Forty-five patients completed the trial: study group - 23 (M:F = 17:1; mean age = 56.3 years; mean ulcer duration = 21.1 days); control group 22 (M:F = 19:3; mean age = 56.3 years; mean ulcer duration = 30.4 days). Net improvement was seen in 17 patients (73.9%) in the study group; while in the control group, in 13 patients (59.1%); P = 0.292. Specific parameters included rate of change of ulcer area - cm(2) /day (study - 0.15; control - 0.07; P = 0.145); rate of change of ulcer perimeter - mm/day (study - 0.09; control = - 0.07; P = 0.089); change of depth - mm (study - 2.2; control - 1.4; P = 0.096); change of wound score (study - 14.4; control - 10.6; P = 0.149); total number of debridements (study - 1.9; control - 2.5; P = 0.03) and change in % phagocytosis (study - 3.9; control - 2.3; P = 0.048). CONCLUSION Diabetic patients with foot ulcers on T. cordifolia as an adjuvant therapy showed significantly better final outcome with improvement in wound healing. Reduced debridements and improved phagocytosis were statistically significant, indicating beneficial effects of immunomodulation for ulcer healing.
Review of the evolution of electrodiagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradicoloneuropathy

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradicoloneuropathy (CIDP) is a treatable form of neuropathy. Efforts to devise sets of electrodiagnostic (nerve conduction) criteria to distinguish primary demyelination from primary axonal neuropathies have been elusive, and at least 16 criteria have been proposed. Modifications to criteria frequently represent minor changes based on applying a set to a small number of patients with the clinical diagnosis of CIDP, whereas others are based on physiological changes related to demyelination and other pathophysiological features. The various modifications continue to result in limited sensitivity, likely related to the wide range of nerve conduction abnormalities among CIDP patients. Although some sets are appropriate for formal clinical drug trials, their complexity makes them difficult to apply in the clinic or electromyography laboratory. This study considers the evolution of the criteria, discusses their limitations, and ends with a simplified set of guidelines that can be applied in the clinic or laboratory. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Approach to Estimating Participant Pollutant Exposures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution ( MESA Air )

M A R T I N A . C O H E N , * , † S A R A D . A D A R , † R Y A N W . A L L E N , † , ∇ E D W A R D A V O L , ‡ C Y N T H I A L . C U R L , † T I M O T H Y G O U L D , § D A V I D H A R D I E , † A N N E H O , † P A T R I C K K I N N E Y , | T I M O T H Y V . L A R S O N , § P A U L S A M P S O N , ⊥ L I A N N E S H E P P A R D , # K A R E N D . S T U K O V S K Y , # S U S A N S . S W A N , † , O L . J . S A L L Y L I U , † , 2 A N D J O E L D . K A U F M A N † Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, Department of Statistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, and Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Training patients in Time Pressure Management, a cognitive strategy for mental slowness

Purpose: To provide clinical practitioners with a framework for teaching patients Time Pressure Management, a cognitive strategy that aims to reduce disabilities arising from mental slowness due to acquired brain injury. Time Pressure Management provides patients with compensatory strategies to deal with time pressure in daily life. Application of the training in clinical practice is illustrated using two case examples from a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of Time Pressure Management for patients with stroke. Rationale: The Time Pressure Management approach is based on Michon's task analysis, describing levels of decision-making in complex cognitive tasks. Decisions with little or no time pressure are not impaired by mental slowness. Therefore, patients should try to transfer actions from situations with high time pressure to situations where the preserved decision levels with little or no time pressure can work. Theory into practice: Several factors are required to teach patients to use Time Pressure Management. First, sufficient awareness is needed to recognize that there is a deficit and behavioural change is necessary. Sufficient awareness is also required to recognize and anticipate time pressure situations and to realize that the strategy is helpful and might also be useful in new and more difficult circumstances. Second, adequate motivation is needed to learn the strategy. And finally, the training should be adjusted to the patient's individual learning abilities and cognitive skills.
Low-power widely tunable Gm-C filter with an adaptive DC-blocking, triode-biased MOSFET transconductor

We propose a new transconductor to achieve a wide continuous-tuning-range filter applicable to IEEE802.11a/b/g W-LANs, W-CDMA, and Bluetooth, without sacrificing power consumption. The wide tuning range is achieved by employing triode-biased input MOSFETs, whose transconductance is widely tuned with drain bias. The transconductor also employs an adaptive DC-blocking circuit that suppresses any idle current in the high transconductance mode, resulting in minimizing the power consumption of the transconductor. A 4th-order Butterworth low-pass filter, using this new transconductor, exhibits a cutoff frequency tuning range of 0.5-12 MHz with power consumption of 1.1-4.7 mW. The tuning range is 5 times wider than other works with low power consumption.
Addressing Visual Consistency in Video Retargeting: A Refined Homogeneous Approach

For the video retargeting problem which adjusts video content into a smaller display device, it is not clear how to balance the three conflicting design objectives: 1) visual interestingness preservation; 2) temporal retargeting consistency; and 3) nondeformation. To understand their perceptual importance, we first identify that the latter two play a dominating role in making the retargeting results appealing. Then a statistical study on human response to the targeting scale is carried out, suggesting that the global preservation of contents pursued by most existing approaches is not necessary. Based on the newly prioritized objectives and the statistical findings, we design a video retargeting system which, as a refined homogeneous approach, addresses the temporal consistency issue holistically and is still capable of preserving high degree of visual interestingness. In particular, we propose a volume retargeting cost metric to jointly consider the retargeting objectives and formulate video retargeting as an optimization problem in graph representation. A dynamic programming solution is then given. In addition, we introduce a nonlinear fusion based attention model to measure the visual interestingness distribution. The experiment results from both image rendering and subjective tests indicate that our proposed attention modeling and video retargeting system outperform their conventional methods, respectively.
Patterns of Acquired Bleeding Disorders in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Bleeding disorders constitute a large proportion of referrals to hematology departments. Worldwide, acquired causes of bleeding are commoner than inherited ones. To identify the spectrum of these disorders, we evaluated all referrals for bleeding encountered in this tertiary care centre over a one-year period. Of the total 1342 cases, 1040 (77.5%) had underlying exclusively acquired causes, whereas inherited causes constituted 302 cases (22.5%). Amongst acquired causes, disseminated intravascular coagulation was seen in 297 (28.6%), hepatic coagulopathy in 218 (20.9%), neurosurgical causes (intracranial bleeds) in 154 (14.8%), malignancy in 89 (8.6%), and miscellaneous multiple acquired causes including those due to anticoagulant drug overdose in 282 patients (27.1%). Referrals for isolated prolonged prothrombin time or thrombocytopenia were common, but were excluded from this study because not all presented with bleeding. Prompt laboratory work-up and precise identification of acquired causes of bleeding is the key to planning appropriate patient management including transfusion support.
Letter: Influence of Experimental Parameters on Identification of Whole Cell Rhizobium by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI ToF-MS) has been used to identify bacteria on the basis of its spectral nature. Identification of bacteria using MALDI ToF mass spectra depends on instrumental parameters and sample preparation protocol. Here we have optimized the sample preparation protocol for whole cell Rhizobium and evaluated the effect of its different growth phases to find out specific growth periods superior to the taxonomical approach. Sample preparation integrates the most important step influencing the quality and reproducibility of the spectra. The important factors in sample preparation include selection of matrix, solvent and acid concentration. A maximum numbers of peaks have been observed using 2,4-dihydroxy-phenylazobenzoic acid (HABA) rather than the commonly used α-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid (CHCA) or 3, 5-dimethoxy- 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (sinapinic acid) for whole cell Rhizobium identification. A protocol has been optimized after considering different experimental variables including various phases of bacterial growth and late log to stationary phase has been found to be best for identification of whole cell Rhizobium by this method.
Continuous improvement in manufacturing companies in Jordan

This article examines the motives and means used by Jordanian manufacturing companies to promote, support and sustain their Continuous Improvement activities. The researchers surveyed all Jordanian manufacturing companies listed under the industrial category in Amman Stock Exchange, with their Continuous Improvement (CI) being measured through the CI survey developed by the Continuous Innovation Network (CINet). Data analysis revealed that customer satisfaction, cost reduction, quality control and improvement, and productivity improvement were the main motives for CI in Jordanian companies. When implementing improvement activities, these companies were found to face some problems related to performance measures, culture, time, funding and organisational commitment. The survey results also indicated that CI contributed to improvements in productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, safety and working conditions, employee commitment/attitude towards change, cooperation and communication, and supplier and c.