Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sutureless aortic valve replacement with Perceval bioprosthesis: are there predicting factors for postoperative pacemaker implantation?

OBJECTIVES Aortic valve replacement (AVR) with sutureless bioprostheses has become an alternative to conventional AVR for patients with intermediate to high operative risk. However, this technique is associated with an increased risk of postoperative conduction disorders. METHODS We analysed 258 patients who underwent AVR with the Perceval prosthesis from July 2010 to September 2014 at our centre. Electrocardiography were obtained at baseline to record preoperatively the presence of conduction disorders. Preoperative risk factors, intraoperative procedures and complications (61 variables) were compared between patients with permanent pacemaker (PPM group) and without (no-PPM group) need for postoperative PPM implantation. RESULTS One hundred and sixty-nine patients underwent isolated AVR with the Perceval bioprosthesis, 89 patients had associated surgery and 23 patients underwent redo operations. The mean age was 77.7 ± 5 years, 139 patients were female (46%) and the mean logistic EuroSCORE was 13.2 ± 11%. At baseline, 8 patients had already an implanted pacemaker. Postoperatively, 27 patients (10.5%) required new PPM implantation due to complete atrioventricular block. On univariate analysis, age (PPM vs no-PPM group: 80 ± 5 vs 77 ± 5 years, P = 0.009) and preoperative presence of right bundle branch block (RBBB) [overall n = 20 (7.8%); PPM vs no-PPM group: 9 vs 11 (33 vs 4.8%); P < 0.001] were identified as independent predictors of postoperative conduction disorders, but only pre-existing RBBB persisted on multivariate analysis (odds ratio 11.3-C-statistic 0.74, error estimate 0.064, confidence interval 0.672-0.801; P = 0.0002). Among patients undergoing sutureless AVR, the rate of PPM implantation was high. CONCLUSIONS The analysis of the data collected made it possible to identify preoperatively a subset of patients undergoing sutureless AVR at higher risk of postoperative atrioventricular block. Additional surgical precautions should be implemented to prevent the occurrence of conduction disorders after sutureless AVR.
Bayesian Latent Class Models in Malaria Diagnosis

Aims The main focus of this study is to illustrate the importance of the statistical analysis in the evaluation of the accuracy of malaria diagnostic tests, without admitting a reference test, exploring a dataset (3317) collected in São Tomé and Príncipe. Methods Bayesian Latent Class Models (without and with constraints) are used to estimate the malaria infection prevalence, together with sensitivities, specificities, and predictive values of three diagnostic tests (RDT, Microscopy and PCR), in four subpopulations simultaneously based on a stratified analysis by age groups (, 5 years old) and fever status (febrile, afebrile). Results In the afebrile individuals with at least five years old, the posterior mean of the malaria infection prevalence is 3.2% with a highest posterior density interval of [2.3–4.1]. The other three subpopulations (febrile 5 years, afebrile or febrile children less than 5 years) present a higher prevalence around 10.3% [8.8–11.7]. In afebrile children under-five years old, the sensitivity of microscopy is 50.5% [37.7–63.2]. In children under-five, the estimated sensitivities/specificities of RDT are 95.4% [90.3–99.5]/93.8% [91.6–96.0] – afebrile – and 94.1% [87.5–99.4]/97.5% [95.5–99.3] – febrile. In individuals with at least five years old are 96.0% [91.5–99.7]/98.7% [98.1–99.2] – afebrile – and 97.9% [95.3–99.8]/97.7% [96.6–98.6] – febrile. The PCR yields the most reliable results in four subpopulations. Conclusions The utility of this RDT in the field seems to be relevant. However, in all subpopulations, data provide enough evidence to suggest caution with the positive predictive values of the RDT. Microscopy has poor sensitivity compared to the other tests, particularly, in the afebrile children less than 5 years. This type of findings reveals the danger of statistical analysis based on microscopy as a reference test. Bayesian Latent Class Models provide a powerful tool to evaluate malaria diagnostic tests, taking into account different groups of interest.
Uniform Learning in a Deep Neural Network via "Oddball" Stochastic Gradient Descent

When training deep neural networks, it is typically assumed that the training examples are uniformly difficult to learn. Or, to restate, it is assumed that the training error will be uniformly distributed across the training examples. Based on these assumptions, each training example is used an equal number of times. However, this assumption may not be valid in many cases. "Oddball SGD" (novelty-driven stochastic gradient descent) was recently introduced to drive training probabilistically according to the error distribution - training frequency is proportional to training error magnitude. In this article, using a deep neural network to encode a video, we show that oddball SGD can be used to enforce uniform error across the training set.
Thrombin Mediates Severe Neurovascular Injury During Ischemia

Background and Purpose— Cerebral ischemia initiates cascades of pathological events such as edema, blood–brain barrier breakdown, and tissue degeneration. Thrombin activation is a key step in coagulation, and thrombin has recently been shown to mediate endothelial permeability and cellular toxicity in vitro. We examined the effect of thrombin on vasculature during ischemia in vivo. Methods— Focal ischemia was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 4 hours followed by a short period of reperfusion. High-molecular-weight fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran was injected before surgery to label the severe vascular disruption. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was used to identify dying cells, which were quantified with manual counts. Intra-arterial thrombin or intravenous thrombin inhibitors were infused during ischemia and reperfusion. Results— Infusion of thrombin (3 U/kg) intra-arterially during ischemia greatly enlarged the volume of severe vascular disruption, as visualized by fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran extravasation (P<0.05). Thrombin also promoted blood–brain barrier leakage of IgG during ischemia. Vascular disruption was blocked by intravenous infusion of the direct thrombin inhibitor argatroban (1.69 mg/kg, P<0.05). Greater numbers of dying cells were found in regions of severe vascular disruption, and interventions that reduced vascular leakage also reduced the numbers of dying cells. Conclusions— Thrombin mediates severe vascular disruption during ischemia and thrombin inhibitors may partially ameliorate vascular disruption. Further work is needed to establish whether thrombin, entering parenchyma due to increased vascular permeability, augments neurotoxicity during ischemia.
Adrenal function and high dose inhaled corticosteroids for asthma

OBJECTIVE To investigate effects on adrenal function of fluticasone, a recently released inhaled steroid preparation with lower systemic bioavailability than beclomethasone dipropionate. METHODS 34 children on high doses (400-909 μg/m2/d) of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate or budesonide were recruited into a double blind, crossover study investigating the effects on adrenal function of beclomethasone and fluticasone propionate, given using a standard spacer (Volumatic). The 24 hour excretion rates of total cortisol and cortisol metabolites were determined at baseline (after a two week run in), after six weeks treatment with an equal dose of beclomethasone, and after six weeks of treatment with half the dose of fluticasone, both given through a spacer device. RESULTS The comparison of effects between fluticasone and beclomethasone during treatment periods, although favouring fluticasone in all measured variables, reached significance only after correction for urinary creatinine excretion (tetrahydrocortisol and 5α-tetrahydrocortisol geometric means: 424 v 341 μg/m2/d). The baseline data showed adrenal suppression in the children taking beclomethasone (total cortisol geometric means: 975 v 1542 μg/d) and a dose related suppression in the children taking budesonide. Suppressed adrenal function in the children who were taking beclomethasone at baseline subsequently improved with fluticasone and beclomethasone during treatment periods. CONCLUSIONS Fluticasone is less likely to suppress adrenal function than beclomethasone at therapeutically equivalent doses. The baseline data also support the claim that spacer devices should be used for the administration of high doses of inhaled topical steroids.
Classifying Multivariate Time Series by Learning Sequence-level Discriminative Patterns

Time series classification algorithms designed to use local context do not work on landcover classification problems where the instances of the two classes may often exhibit similar feature values due to the large natural variations in other land covers across the year and unrelated phenomena that they undergo. In this paper, we propose to learn discriminative patterns from the entire length of the time series, and use them as predictive features to identify the class of interest. We propose a novel neural network algorithm to learn the key signature of the class of interest as a function of the feature values together with the discriminative pattern made from that signature through the entire time series in a joint framework. We demonstrate the utility of this technique on the landcover classification application of burned area mapping that is is considerable societal importance.
Quercetin inhibits p21‐RAS expression in human colon cancer cell lines and in primary colorectal tumors

Immunocytochemical studies have revealed that 10 μM quercetin reduced the steady state levels of p21‐ras proteins in both colon cancer cell lines and primary colorectal tumors. These findings were confirmed by Western blot and flow cytometric analysis showing that the inhibition of p21‐ras expression by quercetin was time‐ and concentration‐dependent. Twenty‐four‐hour treatment with 10 μM quercetin reduced p21‐ras levels to about 50% of control values. Quercetin was similarly effective in inhibiting the expression of K‐, H‐, and N‐ras proteins. Moreover, the effect of quercetin on ras oncogene expression was not dependent on the cell cycle position of colon cancer cells and appeared to be specific and not merely a consequence of overall inhibition of protein synthesis. Northern blot analysis revealed that quercetin produced in colon cancer cells an early (30 min) reduction of the steady state levels of K‐, H‐, and N‐ras mRNAs. This reduction was also present after 6 hr of flavonoid treatment. These effects of quercetin suggest a possible chemopreventive role for this compound in colorectal carcinogenesis. Int. J. Cancer 85:438–445, 2000. ©2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Compact waveguide bandstop filters for wide stopbands

A new type of waveguide bandstop filter is introduced consisting of series resonant short-circuited stubs without coupling irises. In contrast to conventional bandstop filters the designs are capable of realizing very broad stop bandwidths, and also provide an alternative design to corrugated filters for realization of waveguide lowpass filters. They differ from the latter in having larger internal dimensions, thus giving lower insertion loss and improved power handling capability.
Robust stabilization of linear uncertain plants with polynomially time varying parameters

Abstract The robust stabilization of uncertain linear time-varying continuous-time systems with a mode-switch dynamics is considered. Each mode is characterized by a dynamical matrix containing elements whose time behavior over bounded time intervals is sufficiently smooth to be well described by interval polynomials of arbitrary degree. The stability conditions of the switching closed-loop system are derived defining a switched Lyapunov function and involving the dwell time of the system over each single mode. An important feature of the paper is that, unlike all the other existing methods, each plant mode can be stabilized over arbitrarily large uncertain domains of parameters and their derivatives.
AMOEBAS AND SDP JAN FONIOK AND

Abstract. The hypersurface amoeba membership problem is the problem to decide whether for an input point λ ∈ R, the point λ is an element of the amoeba of the hypersurface generated by a multivariate complex Laurent polynomial c. We present an algorithm to solve this problem based on semidefinite programming and on Lasserre’s moment method for approximating the minimum of a real polynomial. The problem can be approximated by a sequence of semidefinite programs. In particular, we show that if the polynomial c is linear, this approach leads to a precise solution to the problem.
Serum Lipoprotein Changes after Orchidectomy and Treatment with Oestrogens and Luliberin Analogues in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats

The effect of androgen deprivation on lipoprotein profile and cardiovascular risk in men with advanced prostatic carcinoma is a matter of controversy. We describe an experimental model to evaluate the effects of orchidectomy and oestrogen and luliberin analogue administration on lipoprotein profiles in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Eighty rats were divided into three treatment groups and a control group. Results were compared with the scanty human data found in the literature. The oestrogen group was that which showed more differences compared with the control group, but its lipoprotein profile differed from that obtained in humans. Orchidectomy and luliberin analogue groups showed fewer differences than the oestrogen group, but a non-favourable lipoprotein profile in terms of cardiovascular risk was observed. There were important differences between humans and rats with regard to lipoprotein profile, suggesting that rats are probably not a good model for the study of atherogenic risk.
Can Platelet-rich Plasma Be Used for Skin Rejuvenation? Evaluation of Effects of Platelet-rich Plasma on Human Dermal Fibroblast

Background Autologous platelet-rich plasma has attracted attention in various medical fields recently, including orthopedic, plastic, and dental surgeries and dermatology for its wound healing ability. Further, it has been used clinically in mesotherapy for skin rejuvenation. Objective In this study, the effects of activated platelet-rich plasma (aPRP) and activated platelet-poor plasma (aPPP) have been investigated on the remodelling of the extracellular matrix, a process that requires activation of dermal fibroblasts, which is essential for rejuvenation of aged skin. Methods Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were prepared using a double-spin method and then activated with thrombin and calcium chloride. The proliferative effects of aPRP and aPPP were measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation assay, and their effects on matrix protein synthesis were assessed by quantifying levels of procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide (PIP) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The production of collagen and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) was studied by Western blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results Platelet numbers in PRP increased to 9.4-fold over baseline values. aPRP and aPPP both stimulated cell proliferation, with peak proliferation occurring in cells grown in 5% aPRP. Levels of PIP were highest in cells grown in the presence of 5% aPRP. Additionally, aPRP and aPPP increased the expression of type I collagen, MMP-1 protein, and mRNA in human dermal fibroblasts. Conclusion aPRP and aPPP promote tissue remodelling in aged skin and may be used as adjuvant treatment to lasers for skin rejuvenation in cosmetic dermatology.
Prediction of Defects in Nano-Imprint Lithography Using FEM Simulation

In nano-imprint lithography (NIL) process, which has shown to be a good method to fabricate polymeric patterns, several kinds of pattern defects due to thermal effects during polymer flow and mold release operation have been reported. A typical defect in NIL process with high aspect ratio and low resist thickness pattern is a resist fracture during the mold release operation. It seems due to interfacial adhesion between polymer and mold. In the present investigation, FEM simulation of NIL process was carried out to predict the defects of the polymer pattern and to optimize the process by FEA. To achieve the above mentioned purpose, FEM simulation technique based on constitutive modeling of polymer with experiments was firstly investigated [1]. Secondly, the embossing operation in NIL process was investigated in detail by FEM. From the analytical results, it was found that the non-uniform flow-pattern of polymer and the applied pressure in the embossing operation induce the cavity and the drastic lateral-strain at the edge of pattern. It was also shown that the low polymer-thickness result in the delamination of polymer from the substrate. It seems that the above phenomena cause the defects of the final polymer pattern.
Moderate Liver Impairment Has No Influence on Daptomycin Pharmacokinetics

Daptomycin (N‐decanoyl‐L‐tryptophyl‐L‐asparaginyl‐L‐aspartyl‐L‐threonylglycyl‐L‐ornithyl‐L‐aspartyl‐D‐alanyl‐L‐aspartylglycyl‐D‐seryl‐threo‐3‐methyl‐L‐glutamyl‐3‐anthraniloyl‐L‐alanine‐lactone) is a novel cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic derived from the fermentation of Streptomyces roseosporus. Daptomycin was recently approved for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by aerobic gram‐positive bacteria, including those caused by methicillin‐resistant and methicillin‐susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. This single‐dose, parallel‐design, matchedcontrolled study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of daptomycin in subjects between ages 18 and 80 years with moderately impaired hepatic function (Child‐Pugh Class B, n = 10). Subjects were administered a single intravenous dose (6 mg/kg total body weight) over 30 minutes using a syringe pump. A normal volunteer control group matched by weight (±25 lb/11 kg), age (±10 years), and sex was included in this study for comparison to the hepatic‐impaired group. The pharmacokinetic parameters of daptomycin were similar in both groups. Adverse events occurred only in the hepatic‐impaired patients and were consistent with the subjects' disease state. In conclusion, subjects with moderate hepatic impairment receiving daptomycin do not require an adjustment in daptomycin dose or dose regimen.
Computational Design of Multi-component Bio-Inspired Bilayer Membranes

Our investigation is motivated by the need to design bilayer membranes with tunable interfacial and mechanical properties for use in a range of applications, such as targeted drug delivery, sensing and imaging. We draw inspiration from biological cell membranes and focus on their principal constituents. In this paper, we present our results on the role of molecular architecture on the interfacial, structural and dynamical properties of bio-inspired membranes. We focus on four lipid architectures with variations in the head group shape and the hydrocarbon tail length. Each lipid species is composed of a hydrophilic head group and two hydrophobic tails. In addition, we study a model of the Cholesterol molecule to understand the interfacial properties of a bilayer membrane composed of rigid, single-tail molecular species. We demonstrate the properties of the bilayer membranes to be determined by the molecular architecture and rigidity of the constituent species. Finally, we demonstrate the formation of a stable mixed bilayer membrane composed of Cholesterol and one of the phospholipid species. Our approach can be adopted to design multi-component bilayer membranes with tunable interfacial and mechanical properties. We use a Molecular Dynamics-based mesoscopic simulation technique called Dissipative Particle Dynamics that resolves the molecular details of the components through soft-sphere coarse-grained models and reproduces the hydrodynamic behavior of the system over extended time scales.
A design of generator excitation control based on NDAS model

This paper proposed the Modified Multi-Index Control (MMIC) design method in nonlinear differential algebraic system (NDAS), according to differential geometric control theory, M derivative, etc. Firstly, principle of this method is researched. Secondly, Based on Hartman theorem, ci parameter in the method is configured in linear system. Besides, MMIC is applied to single machine infinite-bus power system, which is based on nonlinear differential-algebraic model, and excitation control scheme is proposed. Last, the simulation results demonstrate that the scheme can enhance the regulative precision of generator terminal voltage, and make states trace for their given values respectively. For the system with implicit function, dynamic and steady-state performance are coordinated effectively by the method. Thus, MMIC is valuable for application.
A novel tractable framework to analyse heterogeneous cellular networks

Heterogeneous cellular networks consisting of microcell, picocell, femtocell, distributed antennas and relays co-deployed in space and frequency with carefully planned tower-mounted base stations, increase the complexity of the cellular network structure, which makes a tractable analysis model difficult to obtain. Since the traditional system-level simulation suffers from a computational complexity and being not tractable, recent research focused on using stochastic geometry to develop new general models for both single tier and heterogeneous cellular networks. In this paper, we propose a tractable model for downlink heterogeneous cellular network and based on that, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) distribution and accordingly the coverage (or equivalently outage) probability for a randomly located mobile user in this network can be derived. Compared to previous work, this new equivalent received power connectivity model takes the effects of different transmit powers and outage thresholds across tiers into consideration, thus making the analysis more accurate for noise-limited scenarios and extendable for a more general circumstance, such as the frequency reuse scenario.
Nicotinuric Acid

OBJECTIVE Metabolic syndrome is a multiplex disorder and puts patients on the road to type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. However, a surrogate biomarker in plasma or urine in fully reflecting features of metabolic syndrome has not been explored. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Urine metabolomics has potential utility in metabolic profiling because urine metabolites analysis reflects global outflux of metabolic change. Accordingly, we collected data on subjects (n = 99) with overweight, dyslipidemia, hypertension or impaired glucose tolerance and took a metabolomics approach to analyze the metabolites of urine revealed in metabolic syndrome by high-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry and elicit potential biomarkers to picture metabolic syndrome. RESULTS Our results revealed that the urine nicotinuric acid value of subjects with diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5% or those receiving diabetes medications) (n = 25) was higher than subjects without diabetes (n = 37) (221 ± 31 vs. 152 ± 13 × 103 mAU, P = 0.0268). Moreover, urinary nicotinuric acid level was positively correlated with body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol and high sensitivity C-reactive protein, but negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study, to our knowledge, to propose that nicotinuric acid represents an important pathogenic mechanism in process from metabolic syndrome to diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.