Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upward Shift of the Lower Range of Coronary Flow Autoregulation in Hypertensive Patients With Hypertrophy of the Left Ventricle

BackgroundAt any given perfusion pressure, coronary reserve is expressed by the difference between autoregulated and maximally vasodilated flow. In hypertension the raised coronary resistance reduces the steepness of the pressure-flow relationship at maximal vasodilatation. In the presence of cardiac hypertrophy the line of autoregulated flow becomes higher. For these reasons coronary reserve is reduced and the point at which baseline flow approaches the maximal achievable flow might be shifted to a higher perfusion pressure. Thus, any reduction below this elevated and critical value of pressure would lower the coronary flow. Methods and ResultsThe investigated patients were normotensive (controls, nine) and hypertensive with normal (group I, seven) or augmented LV mass index because of concentric LV hypertrophy (group II, eight). All had effort-induced angina and angiographically normal left epicardial branches. Flow in the great cardiac vein was measured by thermodilution in the baseline and during stepwise (5 mm Hg every 5 minutes) decrease of the coronary perfusion pressure with a titrated nitroprusside i.v. infusion; perfusion pressures of 60 mm Hg in the controls and 70 mm Hg in the hypertensives were taken as end points. Baseline flow averaged 102 ml/min in normotensives, 104 ml/min in hypertensive group I and 148 ml/min in hypertensive group II. At the end points flow was similar to baseline in the controls and group I. In group II coronary flow started to decline and myocardial 02 extraction started to slightly but significantly rise at perfusion pressures of 90-80 mm Hg; at the end point flow was reduced by 26% (p<0.01 from baseline). The perfusion patterns did not seem to be related to the changes in tension-time index and heart rate. ConclusionsThe association of high blood pressure (reduced ability of the coronary arterioles to dilate) and hypertrophy of the myocardium (augmented baseline coronary flow) may shift the point of exhaustion of coronary reserve to a higher perfusion pressure and make the myocardium vulnerable to treatment-induced relative hypertension. (Circulation 1991;83:845–853)
Effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II on the growth of antler cells in vitro.

The effects of insulin-like growth factors -I and -II (IGF-I and -II) on the growth of undifferentiated (fibroblast zone) cells from the growing tip of red deer velvet antlers and from cells 1.5 cm distal to the growing tip (cartilage zone) were investigated in primary cell culture. The addition of IGF-I or IGF-II to the medium of cultures preincubated in serum-free medium for 24 h increased the rate of [3H]thymidine uptake in a dose-dependent manner in both cell types, with maximal stimulation occurring when 1 nM-30 nM was added. The addition of IGF-II to the incubation medium containing IGF-I did not cause a further increase in [3H]thymidine uptake in either cell type over and above each growth factor alone, indicating that there were unlikely to be synergistic effects of IGF-II on the mitogenicity of IGF-I. Binding studies were carried out using 3 x 10(5) fibroblast zone cells and cartilage zone cells after they had been incubated in serum-free medium for 24 h. 125I-Labelled IGF-I (10(-9) M) in a final volume of 200 microliters was added to each culture and incubation carried out at 4 degrees C for a further hour. 125I-Labelled IGF-I bound specifically to both fibroblasts and cartilage zone cells; binding was displaced by both unlabelled IGF-I and by IGF-I antibody. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Efficient minimum-phase prefilter computation using fast QL-factorization

This paper presents a novel approach for computing both the minimum-phase filter and the associated all-pass filter in a computationally efficient way using fast QL-factorization. A desirable property of this approach is that the complexity is independent of the size of the matrix being QL-factorized. Instead, the complexity scales with the required precision of the filters as well as the filter length.
The role of processing support in the remediation of aphasic language production disorders

Performance factors such as resource or memory limitations, as opposed to loss of linguistic knowledge per se, are increasingly implicated in aphasic language impairments. Here we investigate the consequences of this hypothesis for the remediation of aphasic language production. Two nonfluent aphasic subjects used a computerised communication system (CS) to practice narrative production. The CS serves primarily as a processing prosthesis, allowing the user to record spoken sentence elements, replay these elements, and build them up into larger structures by manipulating icons on the screen. Use ofthe CS in conjunction with explicit training of syntactic structure has been reported to bring about gains in unaided language production. Here we examine the treatment impact or CS-based processing support alone. Eleven weeks of independent home use of the CS resulted in some marked changes in one subject's production of unaided spoken narratives. The most striking and consistent changes involved more structured and informative speech. The second subject, who presented with far more severe lexical impairments, did not show comparable gains in the structural properties of his unaided speech, but was able to produce markedly more structured narratives when aided by the CS. These results support the performance hypothesis because the CS provided no structure-modelling or feedback. In addition, the first subject's treatment gains indicate that practising narrative production with processing support may be effective in bringing about increased structural complexity and informativeness in aphasic speech. This is congruent with other claims in the literature that increasing the complexity or difficulty of the training material may in some cases increase the efficacy of the treatment.
Tackling Learning Intractability Through Topological Organization and Regulation of Cortical Networks

A key challenge in evolving control systems for robots using neural networks is training tractability. Evolving monolithic fixed topology neural networks is shown to be intractable with limited supervision in high dimensional search spaces. Common strategies to overcome this limitation are to provide more supervision by encouraging particular solution strategies, manually decomposing the task and segmenting the search space and network. These strategies require a supervisor with domain knowledge and may not be feasible for difficult tasks where novel concepts are required. The alternate strategy is to use self-organized task decomposition to solve difficult tasks with limited supervision. The artificial neural tissue (ANT) approach presented here uses self-organized task decomposition to solve tasks. ANT inspired by neurobiology combines standard neural networks with a novel wireless signaling scheme modeling chemical diffusion of neurotransmitters. These chemicals are used to dynamically activate and inhibit wired network of neurons using a coarse-coding framework. Using only a global fitness function that does not encourage a predefined solution, modular networks of neurons are shown to self-organize and perform task decomposition. This approach solves the sign-following task found to be intractable with conventional fixed and variable topology networks. In this paper, key attributes of the ANT architecture that perform self-organized task decomposition are shown. The architecture is robust and scalable to number of neurons, synaptic connections, and initialization parameters.
The effects of growth factors on the proliferation and in vitro angiogenesis of human macular inner choroidal endothelial cells

Aim: To investigate the effect of VEGF165, FGF2, IGF-1, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB and IL-1β on the proliferation and angiogenic tube formation of human macular inner choroidal endothelial cells (ICEC). Methods: The proliferation of human macular ICECs after exposure to the aforementioned growth factors was determined by using both a WST-1 colorimetric assay and a cell-counting technique. The effect of growth factors on ICEC angiogenesis was assessed by sprout formation using a three-dimensional in vitro Matrigel duplex assay. Results: Using both the WST-1 assay and a cell-counting technique, VEGF165 and FGF2 both significantly increased human macular ICEC proliferation. The effect of equimolar concentrations of VEGF165 and FGF2 was additive. There was no significant effect for IGF-1, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB or IL-1β on proliferation up to a growth factor concentration of 1000 pmol/l. The angiogenesis assay found a significant effect on sprout formation for VEGF165 and FGF-2. Again, the effect of equimolar concentrations of VEGF165 and FGF2 was additive. There was no significant effect for IGF-1, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB or IL-1β on sprout formation at 1000 pmol/l. Conclusions: Both VEGF165 and FGF2 significantly increase human macular ICEC proliferation and sprout formation in an angiogenesis assay. When present together, their effect was additive. IGF-1, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB and IL-1β did not have any significant effect on proliferation or sprout formation in vitro. These results suggest that targeting other growth factors such as FGF2, in addition to VEGF, may be beneficial in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
TETRABox - A Generic White-Box Testing Framework for Model Transformations

Model transformations play a vital role in Model-Driven Engineering. Due to their increasing complexity, proper means for ensuring their quality are needed. Although numerous approaches for testing of model transformations have been proposed, their focus is rather on formal verification than on execution-based testing. Additionally, existing approaches do not consider the actual transformation definition, rarely provide hints for debugging in case of an error and are specific to a certain transformation language. Therefore we propose TETRA Box as a generic framework for execution-based white-box testing of transformation languages. For this, we base on symbolic execution of model transformations. Additionally, by employing our Pattern-based Modeling Language for Model Transformations (PaMoMo), we are able to provide dedicated failure traces that are aligned to the actual transformation definition as a hint for debugging.
vLOD: high-fidelity walkthrough of large virtual environments

We present visibility computation and data organization algorithms that enable high-fidelity walkthroughs of large 3D geometric data sets. A novel feature of our walkthrough system is that it performs work proportional only to the required detail in visible geometry at the rendering time. To accomplish this, we use a precomputation phase that efficiently generates per cell vLOD: the geometry visible from a view-region at the right level of detail. We encode changes between neighboring cells' vLODs, which are not required to be memory resident. At the rendering time, we incrementally construct the vLOD for the current view-cell and render it. We have a small CPU and memory requirement for rendering and are able to display models with tens of millions of polygons at interactive frame rates with less than one pixel screen-space deviation and accurate visibility.
Facilitators and barriers to doctoral supervision: A case study in health sciences

Supervision capacity is becoming an issue that may restrict the ability of universities to meet eligible students’ needs. Although there has been considerable research into the methods of supervision and the supervisor-student relationship, at this time there is little specific research into reasons why qualified academics choose or otherwise to put their names forward to be doctoral supervisors. This research explores the facilitating factors and barriers to supervision as viewed by academics in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland. The research was carried out via face-to-face semi-structured interviews with academics eligible to supervise doctoral candidates. Four themes were identified from the interview data, namely workload agreements, time pressures, quality of students and recognition of the supervisor’s contribution. The results provide a platform for more research into this area as well as identify possible ways to enhance the facilitators and alleviate the barriers.
Mixing of random walks and other diffusions on a graph

We survey results on two diffusion processes on graphs: random walks and chip-firing (closely related to the “abelian sandpile” or “avalanche” model of self-organized criticality in statistical mechanics). Many tools in the study of these processes are common, and results on one can be used to obtain results on the other. We survey some classical tools in the study of mixing properties of random walks; then we introduce the notion of “access time” between two distributions on the nodes, and show that it has nice properties. Surveying and extending work of Aldous, we discuss several notions of mixing time of a random walk. Then we describe chip-firing games, and show how these new results on random walks can be used to improve earlier results. We also give a brief illustration how general results on chip-firing games can be applied in the study of avalanches.
Data base navigation: an office environment for the professional

Abstract The potential of the computer to assist in the everyday information handling activities of professional people has received little attention. This paper proposes a number of novel facilities to produce, for this purpose, an office environment in which a needed item of information can rapidly be sought and identified. It involves a new display technique which overcomes the classical “windowing” problem, and the use of natural dialogues utilizing simple actions such as pointing, gesturing, touching and spoken commands. The simple dialogue makes the scheme well suited to the professional person, who is most likely unwilling to learn complex command languages. Little disturbances to the appearance of the office need be involved.
Gelişim Kültürü Ve Lider Desteğinin Yenilikçi Davranış Ve İş Performansına Etkisi: İş-Aile Çatışmasının Aracılık Rolü

Orgut kulturu ve liderlik orgutsel davranislar uzerinde etkisi olan onemli girdi degiskenlerdendir. Son yillarda rekabet gucunun elde edilmesinde onemli bir faktor olan yeniklikciligin ve is performansinin artirilmasinda orgut kulturu ve lider desteginin rolu ve onemi giderek artmaktadir. Calisanlarin yenilikci davranislari ve is performansinin artirilmasinda bir orgut kultur turu olan gelisim kulturunun ve lider desteginin etkisini ve bu etkide is-aile catismasinin aracilik rolunu belirlemek bu calismanin temel problemini olusturmaktadir. Savunma sektorunde yapilan bir arastirma ile calisanlarin tutumlari olculerek en uygun model belirlenmeye calisilmistir. Arastirma sonucunda gelisim kulturu ve lider desteginin calisanlarin yenilikci davranisini artirdigi ve bu etkide is-aile catismasinin kismi aracilik etkisi oldugu belirlenmistir. Ayrica gelisim kulturu ve lider desteginin calisanlarin is performasini da artirdigi ancak bu etkide is-aile catismasinin aracilik etkisi olmadigi da tespit edilmistir. Bu kapsamda yapilan gizli degiskenlerle yol analiziyle uyumlu bir model kurularak yonetici ve liderlere onerilerde bulunulmustur.
Between green and grey: towards a new green volume indicator for cities

Trees in urban settings have vast and documented benefits for city dwellers. We propose that to represent city green the green volume should be taken into account, instead of surface or number of trees. In addition, green volume should be seen in relation to the built “grey” volume to account for dilution or misrepresentation effects. This paper is a first contribution to develop tree-to-building volume indicators that can be used to measure and compare the greenness of cities or neighbourhoods and integrate spatial quality indicators. Our indicator is presented as a proportion between volume of trees and buildings, within geographic units. Tree volume was calculated from an existing 3D tree model derived from highly detailed light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, while grey volume was determined from LiDAR point cloud combined with detailed building footprints. The indicator presents expected and meaningful results when tested against distance to city centre and land use types.
Revision of Failed Pedicle Screws Using Hydroxyapatite Cement: A Biomechanical Analysis

Study Design. The biomechanical influence of in situ setting hydroxyapatite cement was examined for use in pedicle screw revision surgery. Pull‐out testing of control and pedicle screws augmented with hydroxyapatite cement was performed in human cadaver vertebrae. Objectives. To determine the immediate effect of using hydroxyapatite cement to augment revision pedicle screws after failure of the primary pedicle screw fixation. Summary of Background Data. The potential problems associated with using polymethylmethacrylate to augment revision pedicular instrumentation have prompted the search for other solutions. The introduction of resorbable hydroxyapatite pastes may have provided new biocompatible solutions for pedicle screw revision. Methods. Ten human cadaver vertebrae were instrumented with 6.0‐mm pedicle screws in each pedicle. The screws were loaded to failure in axial tension (pull‐out). The failed pedicles then were instrumented with 7.0‐mm pedicle screws, either augmented with hydroxyapatite cement or nonaugmented, which also were loaded to failure. Finally, the nonaugmented 7.0‐mm screw hole was reinstrumented with a hydroxyapatite cement‐augmented, 7.0‐mm pedicle screw and loaded to failure. Results. The pull‐out strength of the 7.0‐mm, hydroxyapatite cement‐augmented screws was 325% (P = 2.9 × 10−5) of that of the 6.0‐mm control screws, whereas the strength of the 7.0‐mm nonaugmented screws was only 73% (P = 2.0 × 10−2) of that of the 6.0‐mm control screws. The 7.0‐mm screws augmented with hydroxyapatite cement also were able to salvage 7.0‐mm pull‐out sites to 384% (P = 6.9E‐5) of the pull‐out strength of the 7.0‐mm nonaugmented screws. Conclusions. Hydroxyapatite cement may be a mechanically viable alternative to polymethyl methacrylate for augmenting revision pedicular instrumentation and should be considered for future experimental, animal, and clinical testing.
Whole Language vs. Code Emphasis: Underlying Assumptions and Their Implications for Reading Instruction*

Promoters ofWhole Language hew to the belief that learning to read and write can be as natural and effortless as learning to perceive and produce speech. From this it follows that there is no special key to reading and writing, no explicit principle to be taught that, once learned, makes the written language transparent to a child who can speak. Lacking such a principle, Whole Language falls back on a method that encourages children to get from print just enough information to provide a basis for guessing at the gist. A very different method, called Code Emphasis, presupposes that learning the spoken language is, indeed, perfectly natural and seemingly effortless, but only because speech is managed, as reading and writing are not, by a biological specialization, that automatically spells or parses all the words the child commands. Hence, a child normally learns to use words without ever becoming explicitly aware that each one is formed by the consonants and vowels that an alphabet represents. Yet it is exactly this awareness that must be taught if the child is to grasp the alphabetic principle and so understand how the artifacts of an alphabet transcribe the natural units oflanguage. There is evidence that preliterate children do not, in fact, have much of this awareness; that the amount they do have predicts their reading achievement; that the awareness can be taught; and that the relative difficulty oflearning it that some children have may be a reflection of weakness in the phonological component of their natural capacity for language.
Induction chemotherapy followed by reduced-volume radiation therapy for newly diagnosed central nervous system germinoma.

OBJECT Although curative, radiation, which is conventionally administered for germinomas, causes significant neurological sequelae. This study aimed at reducing the volume and dose of radiation to a localized level of 24 Gy by pretreating the patient with chemotherapy. METHODS Seventeen patients were divided into two risk groups based on serological findings and the extent of tumor. They were treated with chemotherapy prior to receiving localized radiation therapy. Six patients with solitary pure germinomas were treated with three or four cycles of cisplatin and etoposide (EP regimen) followed by 24-Gy local radiation therapy. Eleven patients with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-secreting, multifocal, or disseminated germinomas received four to five cycles of ifosfamide, cisplatin, and etoposide (ICE regimen) followed by 24-Gy local radiation therapy. Craniospinal ports were used only in three cases of germinomas with dissemination. Gross-total resection was performed in three patients. Fourteen patients were able to be evaluated for their responses to chemotherapy. All patients achieved a complete response within three cycles. At a median follow-up duration of 24 months, 16 patients (94%) were alive without recurrence. One patient with an HCG-secreting germinoma experienced recurrence 38 months after surgery. That patient underwent successful salvage therapy using the same protocol. Thus, all 17 patients became free of disease with a 70 to 100% Karnofsky Performance Scale status. Toxicities associated with this study's chemotherapy regimen were mostly transient. No patient showed neurological or endocrinological deterioration during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS The EP and ICE regimens were highly effective in treating the central nervous system germinomas and permitted dose and volume reduction of the radiotherapy. Localized 24-Gy irradiation was sufficient for disease control.
Performance Evaluation of Efficient Routing Protocols in Delay Tolerant Network under Different Human Mobility Models

Delay and/or Disruption-Tolerant Networking (DTN) is a novel communication prototype that can span across multiple networks and deal with unpredicted conditions in the Internet model.Delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) are partitioned wireless ad hoc networks with intermittent connectivity. Additional terminology in this family of dynamic networks includes disruption-tolerant networks, intermittently connected networks, and opportunistic networks. Routing of the packets in DTN is based on store-carry-and forward paradigm. In this paper, we study and analyze performance of well known PROPHET and Spray and Wait routing protocol, under different human mobility models such as Truncated Levy Walk mobility model (TLW),Self-similar Least Action Walk (SLAW) and Random way point (RWP) model. The MATLAB simulator is used in order to analyze the performance of these routing protocols.Simulation results illustrate that Spray and Wait significantly outperforms the PROPHET on aspects of delivery ratio, average delay and communication overhead.