Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear waves in excitable media : Approaches to cardiac arrhythmias

Biological systems have triggered the development of nonlinear science; the Van der Pol oscillator was first published as a model for the electro-mechanical oscillations of the beating heart [1]. Spiral re-entrant waves were initially characterised in a cellular automaton for cardiac arrhythmias [2], but later also in the reaction-diffusion equation that was introduced to applied mathematics as the KPP equation for spread of a gene in a population [3], and the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction [4] that was proposed as an analogue for metabolic biochemical oscillations. The continuing growth of quantitative biology and the development of computing resources have led to computational modelling forming an essential part of the interpretation of experimental results, and the formulation of quantitative hypotheses. The baroque complexity of biological systems – the periodic rhythm of the heart is produced by a set of currently several dozen membrane proteins (ion channels, exchangers and pumps) [5] that is modulated by intracellular ionic and biochemical dynamics — means that the computational modelling needs to be firmly guided by mathematical insights, based on simple nonlinear systems, or on rationally reduced systems. Studies of the heart using methods of non-linear science resulted in the development of the concept of an excitablemedium, which is currently one of the most developed and important branches of modern computational biology. This special issue has grown from a meeting ‘‘International Workshop onNon-Linear Dynamics in ExcitableMedia’’ held at the University of Ghent in April 2007. This workshop was organised by Prof. Henri Verschelde (Ghent University), Dr. Olivier Bernus (University of Leeds), Dr. Thomas Desaive and Prof. Pierre Dauby (University of Liège), Prof. Albert Goldbeter (Université Libre de Bruxelles), and Dr. Alexander Panfilov (University of Utrecht), and was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Ghent. The aim of this conference was to bring together researchers who study dynamics of excitable media, using various approaches from pure theoretical analytical methods to computational and experimental techniques, and to promote an active interaction between these groups who normally do not attend the same meetings. This issue contains papers which are being published as a result of the meeting. Below we put them within the context of non-linear dynamics in the heart after short introductory statements.
Acid Reflux Directly Causes Sleep Disturbances in Rat with Chronic Esophagitis

Background & Aims Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is strongly associated with sleep disturbances. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy improves subjective but not objective sleep parameters in patients with GERD. This study aimed to investigate the association between GERD and sleep, and the effect of PPI on sleep by using a rat model of chronic acid reflux esophagitis. Methods Acid reflux esophagitis was induced by ligating the transitional region between the forestomach and the glandular portion and then wrapping the duodenum near the pylorus. Rats underwent surgery for implantation of electrodes for electroencephalogram and electromyogram recordings, and they were transferred to a soundproof recording chamber. Polygraphic recordings were scored by using 10-s epochs for wake, rapid eye movement sleep, and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. To examine the role of acid reflux, rats were subcutaneously administered a PPI, omeprazole, at a dose of 20 mg/kg once daily. Results Rats with reflux esophagitis presented with several erosions, ulcers, and mucosal thickening with basal hyperplasia and marked inflammatory infiltration. The reflux esophagitis group showed a 34.0% increase in wake (232.2±11.4 min and 173.3±7.4 min in the reflux esophagitis and control groups, respectively; p<0.01) accompanied by a reduction in NREM sleep during light period, an increase in sleep fragmentation, and more frequent stage transitions. The use of omeprazole significantly improved sleep disturbances caused by reflux esophagitis, and this effect was not observed when the PPI was withdrawn. Conclusions Acid reflux directly causes sleep disturbances in rats with chronic esophagitis.
Spirituality and Religiousness: Differentiating the Diagnoses Through a Review of the Nursing Literature

PURPOSE. To differentiate the definitions of spirituality and religiousness as used in nursing literature. DATA SOURCES. Journal articles, books, book chapters. DATA SYNTHESIS. The nursing literature has been inconsistent in defining spirituality and religiousness. The spirituality literature defines spirituality as the broader concept, with religiousness as a subconcept, while the religiousness literature defines religiousness as the broader concept, with spirituality as a subconcept. CONCLUSIONS. Spirituality and religiousness are two separate nursing diagnoses with some common elements to both. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. The growth of parish nursing as an ANA-recognized specialty practice has heightened the awareness of caring for the human spirit. Clarity is needed in the terms used to define this specialty.
Pyridoxamine inhibits early renal disease and dyslipidemia in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat.

BACKGROUND Nonenzymatic reactions between sugars or lipids and protein and formation of advanced glycation and lipoxidation end products (AGE/ALEs) contribute to the chemical modification and cross-linking of tissue proteins with age. Accelerated formation of AGE/ALEs during hyperglycemia is implicated in the development of diabetic complications. In this study, we examined the effect of the AGE/ALE inhibitor pyridoxamine on chemical modification and cross-linking of collagen and development of renal disease in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat. METHODS Diabetic rats were treated with pyridoxamine; parallel experiments were conducted with aminoguanidine, the prototype AGE inhibitor. Progression of renal disease was evaluated by measurements of albuminuria and plasma creatinine concentration. Plasma triglycerides, cholesterol, lactate and pyruvate were measured by enzymatic assays, and AGE/ALEs in skin collagen by HPLC and GC-MS assays. RESULTS Pyridoxamine significantly inhibited the increase in albuminuria, plasma creatinine, hyperlipidemia and plasma lactate/pyruvate ratio in diabetic rats, without an effect on blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin. AGE/ALEs, fluorescence and cross-linking of skin collagen increased approximately twofold in diabetic versus control rats after seven months of diabetes. Pyridoxamine caused a significant (25 to 50%) decrease the AGE/ALEs, carboxymethyllysine and carboxyethyllysine, cross-linking and fluorescence in skin collagen of diabetic rats, but did not affect pentosidine. CONCLUSIONS Pyridoxamine inhibits the progression of renal disease, and decreases hyperlipidemia and apparent redox imbalances in diabetic rats. Pyridoxamine and aminoguanidine had similar effects on parameters measured, supporting a mechanism of action involving AGE/ALE inhibition.
Group-work for offender patients on sex offending in a high security hospital: Investigating aspects of impact via qualitative analysis

Abstract Qualitative methods can improve the understanding of the dynamic group processes that occur during interventions with sex offenders and how these might impact upon outcomes. The current study presents themes from post-group interviews with 17 male offender patients referred for group-work on sex offending in a high security hospital. Individual interview transcripts were analysed thematically and five themes were generated: the impact of disclosing offending experiences; essential ingredients of group-work; peer processes; taking on an offender identity; and life after the group. Despite methodological differences between this study and other research, there is clear thematic narrative overlap in findings. This suggests some outcomes in common across interventions for sex offenders, and demonstrates the usefulness of including reflective narratives as a means of gathering information about the impact of group-work for patients with serious offence histories.
Excitation ratiometric fluorescent biosensor for zinc ion at picomolar levels.

Zinc is a metal ion of increasing significance in several biomedical fields, including neuroscience, immunology, reproductive biology, and cancer. Fluorescent indicators have added greatly to our understanding of the biology of several metal ions, most notably calcium. Despite substantial efforts, only recently have zinc indicators been developed which are sufficiently selective for use in the complex intra- and extracellular milieus, and which are capable of quantifying the free zinc levels with some degree of reliability. However, these indicators (such as FuraZin-1 and Newport Green DCF) have only modest sensitivity, and there is growing evidence that significantly lower levels of free zinc may be biologically relevant in some instances. We have adapted the peerless selectivity and sensitivity of a carbonic anhydrase-based indicator system to an excitation ratiometric format based on resonance energy transfer: i.e., where the zinc ion level is transduced as the ratio of fluorescence intensities excited at two different excitation wavelengths, which is preferred for fluorescence microscopy. The system exhibits more than a 60% increase in the ratio of intensity excited at 365 nm to that excited at 546 nm (emission observed at 617 nm). The detection limit is about 10 pM in zinc buffered systems, a 10-1000-fold improvement on the Fura indicators (which respond to Ca and Mg as well), and a 10 000-fold improvement on the recently described FuraZin-1.
Dream Themes: Effect of a Series of Thematically Related Words on the Content of Dreams

Dreams can be influenced by external stimuli. In this study attempts were made to influence or direct the theme of a dream or sleep mentation using a series of thematically related words. 10 subjects were presented one of four series of 6 tape-recorded theme words, repeated 10 times, during REM or Stage 2 sleep followed by awakening to collect the dream or mentation report. Of the 40 awakenings, 30 produced a report, 10 of which were judged by two “blind” judges to be on the same or a very similar theme to the words. It was concluded that the theme of a dream can be influenced by the theme of the words.
Seven strong claims about successful school leadership

This article provides an overview of the literature concerning successful school leadership. It draws on the international literature and is derived from a more extensive review of the literature completed in the early stage of the authors’ project. The prime purpose of this review is to summarise the main findings from the wealth of empirical studies undertaken in the leadership field.
A cluster randomized controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy for common mental disorders in patients with advanced cancer

Background Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to reduce psychological morbidity in people with cancer, but no randomized controlled trial (RCT) exists in palliative care. We aimed to determine whether home care nurses could be taught to deliver basic cognitive behavioural techniques and so reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Method Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) at St Christopher's Hospice were randomly allocated to receive training in CBT or continue their usual practice. At the end of the trial, nurses were rated on the Cognitive Therapy First Aid Rating Scale (CTFARS) for CBT competence. Home care patients who scored as possible cases on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) entered the trial. Participants received home care nursing visits. Assessments were carried out at baseline, 6, 10 and 16 weeks. Results Eight nurses received CBT training and seven continued practice as usual. The mean CTFARS scores were 35.9 for the CBT nurses and 19.0 for the controls (p=0.02). A total of 328 patients (54%) were possible cases and 80 entered the trial; most of those excluded were too ill to participate. There was an interaction between group and time: individuals receiving CBT had lower anxiety scores over time [coefficient −0.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.35 to −0.05, p=0.01]. No effect of the training was found for depression. Conclusions It is possible to conduct a randomized trial of psychological interventions in palliative care but there is considerable attrition from physical morbidity and mortality. Nurses can learn to integrate basic CBT methods into their clinical practice. This training may be associated with better outcomes for symptoms of anxiety.
Effect and Safety of Rosuvastatin in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose The benefit of statins in acute stroke remains uncertain. Statins may prevent stroke recurrence during the acute stage of stroke via pleiotropic effects. However, statins may increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. We investigated the effect and safety of rosuvastatin in acute stroke patients. Methods This randomized, double-blind, multi-center trial compared rosuvastatin 20 mg and placebo in statin-naïve stroke patients who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) within 48 hours after symptom onset. The primary outcome was occurrence of new ischemic lesions on DWI at 5 or 14 days. Results This trial was stopped early after randomization of 316 patients due to slow enrollment. Among 289 patients with at least one follow-up imaging, the frequency of new ischemic lesions on DWI was not different between groups (rosuvastatin: 27/137, 19.7% vs. placebo: 36/152, 23.6%) (relative risk 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.53–1.30). Infarct volume growth at 5 days (log-transformed volume change, rosuvastatin: 0.2±1.0 mm3 vs. placebo: 0.3±1.3 mm3; P=0.784) was not different, either. However, hemorrhagic infarction or parenchymal/subarachnoid hemorrhage on gradient-recalled echo magnetic resonance imaging occurred less frequently in the rosuvastatin group (6/137, 4.4%) than the placebo group (22/152, 14.5%, P=0.007). Among 314 patients with at least one dose of study medication, progression or clinical recurrence of stroke tended to occur less frequently in the rosuvastatin group (1/155, 0.6% vs. 7/159, 4.4%, P=0.067). Adverse events did not differ between groups. Conclusions The efficacy of rosuvastatin in reducing recurrence in acute stroke was inconclusive. However, statin use was safe and reduced hemorrhagic transformation.
Design and Optimization of a P+N+IN+ Tunnel FET with Si Channel and SiGe Source

A Silicon tunnel FET with Si1-x Gex source is investigated and optimized for improved performance. In order to optimize the device performance, Germanium mole fraction and the length of the SiGe region is varied and the optimum values are obtained. Moreover, the source/channel hetero-junction is assumed graded. The grading distance is varied from zero (abrupt hetero-junction) to total channel length to achieve the best performance, i.e. low offstate current, high Ion/Ioff and low sub-threshold swing.
Neonatal Persistent Exposure to 6‐Propyl‐2‐thiouracil, a Thyroid‐Disrupting Chemical, Differentially Modulates Expression of Hepatic Catalase and C/EBP‐β in Adult Rats

Persistent exposure of rats to 6‐propyl‐2‐thiouracil (PTU) from birth resulted in decreases in plasma thyroid hormone (TH) levels and hepatic expression of catalase and CCAAT enhancer binding protein β (C/EBP‐β). Catalase promoter region (–185 to +52) that contains binding sites for C/EBP‐β showed an augmentation in the methylation level along with a change in methylation pattern of CpG islands in response to PTU treatment. PTU withdrawal on 30 days of birth restored TH levels and C/EBP‐β to control rats in adulthood. Although catalase expression was restored to some extent in adult rats in response to PTU withdrawal, a permanent change in its promoter CpG methylation pattern was recorded. The results suggest that downregulation of adult hepatic catalase gene in response to persistent neonatal PTU exposure may not solely be attributed to thyroid‐disrupting properties of PTU. It is possible that besides thyroid‐disrupting behavior, PTU may impair expression of hepatic catalase by altering methylation pattern of its promoter.
Combining forecast densities from VARs with uncertain instabilities

Recursive-weight forecast combination is often found to an ineffective method of improving point forecast accuracy in the presence of uncertain instabilities. We examine the effectiveness of this strategy for forecast densities using (many) vector autoregressive (VAR) and autoregressive (AR) models of output growth, inflation and interest rates. Our proposed recursive-weight density combination strategy, based on the recursive logarithmic score of the forecast densities, produces well-calibrated predictive densities for US real-time data by giving substantial weight to models that allow for structural breaks. In contrast, equal-weight combinations produce poorly calibrated forecast densities for Great Moderation data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Provisioning Statistical QoS for Coordinated Communications with Limited Feedback

The capacity performance of ICIC has been extensively studied in coordinated multi-point transmissions (CoMP). In practice however, due to limited feedback, the acquired channel direction information (CDI), which is crucial for ICIC, is often partially available. Hence one may question whether the ICIC is able to meet the Quality-of- Service (QoS) requirements. This paper considers the optimal partitioning of the feedback bits in CoMP while accounting for the inter-cell interference cancellation (ICIC). In this paper, we adopt a statistical model of QoS in CoMP by using the notion of effective capacity (EC). Utilizing EC we then formulate the system function as an optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the total EC subject to the limited feedback available to the cluster of base stations (BSs). Analytical approximations are then obtained on the EC performance which are then utilized as the base for algorithms that assign feedback bits among the user equipments (UEs) and BSs. Using simulations we then investigate the accuracy of the obtained approximations and highlight practical system designs for dealing with stringent delay requirements. Of crucial practical importance, the findings of this paper also indicates that in CoMP there is an optimal cluster size for a given feedback capacity that maximizes the corresponding EC.
Dimensions of religiosity and their relationship to lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE The role of religion in mental illness remains understudied. Most prior investigations of this relationship have used measures of religiosity that do not reflect its complexity and/or have examined a small number of psychiatric outcomes. This study used data from a general population sample to clarify the dimensions of religiosity and the relationships of these dimensions to risk for lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders. METHOD Responses to 78 items assessing various aspects of broadly defined religiosity were obtained from 2,616 male and female twins from a general population registry. The association between the resulting religiosity dimensions and the lifetime risk for nine disorders assessed at personal interview was evaluated by logistic regression. Of these disorders, five were "internalizing" (major depression, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and bulimia nervosa), and four were "externalizing" (nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, drug abuse or dependence, and adult antisocial behavior). RESULTS Seven factors were identified: general religiosity, social religiosity, involved God, forgiveness, God as judge, unvengefulness, and thankfulness. Two factors were associated with reduced risk for both internalizing and externalizing disorders (social religiosity and thankfulness), four factors with reduced risk for externalizing disorders only (general religiosity, involved God, forgiveness, and God as judge), and one factor with reduced risk for internalizing disorders only (unvengefulness). CONCLUSIONS Religiosity is a complex, multidimensional construct with substantial associations with lifetime psychopathology. Some dimensions of religiosity are related to reduced risk specifically for internalizing disorders, and others to reduced risk specifically for externalizing disorders, while still others are less specific in their associations. These results do not address the nature of the causal link between religiosity and risk for illness.
Engraftment of allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cells with purine analog-containing chemotherapy: harnessing graft-versus-leukemia without myeloablative therapy.

The immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia effect is important to prevent relapse after allogeneic progenitor cell transplantation. This process requires engraftment of donor immuno-competent cells. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of achieving engraftment of allogeneic peripheral blood or bone marrow progenitor cell after purine analog containing nonmyeloablative chemotherapy. Patients with advanced leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who were not candidates for a conventional myeloablative therapy because of older age or organ dysfunction were eligible. All patients had an HLA-identical or one-antigen-mismatched related donor. Fifteen patients were treated (13 with acute myeloid leukemia and 2 with MDS). The median age was 59 years (range, 27 to 71 years). Twelve patients were either refractory to therapy or beyond first relapse. Eight patients received fludarabine at 30 mg/m2/d for 4 days with idarubicin at 12 mg/m2/d for 3 days and ara-c at 2 g/m2/d for 4 days (n = 7) or melphalan at 140 mg/m2/d (n = 1). Seven patients received 2-chloro-deoxyadenosine at 12 mg/m2/d for 5 days and ara-C 1 at g/m2/d for 5 days. Thirteen patients received allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells and 1 received bone marrow after chemotherapy. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and methyl-prednisolone. Treatment was generally well tolerated, with only 1 death from multiorgan failure before receiving stem cells. Thirteen patients achieved a neutrophil count of greater than 0.5 x 10(9)/L a median of 10 days postinfusion (range, 8 to 17 days). Ten patients achieved platelet counts of 20 x 10(9)/L a median of 13 days after progenitor cell infusion (range, 7 to 78 days). Eight patients achieved complete remissions (bone marrow blasts were < 5% with neutrophil recovery and platelet transfusion independence) that lasted a median of 60 days posttransplantation (range, 34 to 170+ days). Acute GVHD grade > or = 2 occurred in 3 patients. Chimerism analysis of bone marrow cells in 6 of 8 patients achieving remission showed > or = 90% donor cells between 14 and 30 days postinfusion, and 3 of 4 patients remaining in remission between 60 and 90 days continued to have > or = 80% donor cells. We conclude that purine analog-containing nonmyeloablative regimens allow engraftment of HLA-compatible hematopoietic progenitor cells. This approach permits us to explore the graft-versus-leukemia effect without the toxicity of myeloablative therapy and warrants further study in patients with leukemia who are ineligible for conventional transplantation with myeloablative regimens either because of age or concurrent medical conditions.