Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study for relevance of the acute myocardial ischemia to arrhythmia by the optical mapping method

Ventricular arrhythmias are commonly observed in patients with acute coronary occlusion and ischemia. The purpose of the present study is to determine ischemic electrophysiological effects and their role in ischemia-induced arrhythmia. Optical mapping of the membrane potential with voltage-sensitive dyes was used in the study. The mapping was performed with di-4-ANEPPS in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. The excitation–contraction decoupler 2,3-butanedione monoxime was used to suppress motion artifacts caused by contraction of the heart. The acute global ischemia was developed by a rapid reduction of the flow rate. The experiments revealed that ischemic tissues were characterized by an obvious reduction in action potential duration and action potential upstroke, slower conduction velocity (CV) and the property of post-repolarization refractoriness. Moreover, the magnitude of CV reduced both in control and ischemia when the pacing cycle length was short. CV reduction was even early in ischemia, resulting in a broader curve during ischemia. Moreover, the dominant frequency of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) in ischemia was less than that in control, implying a decreasing tendency of VT/VF frequency for low excitability. Therefore, combined with our previous simulation study, the dynamic changes of CV and longer refractory period were suggested to play an important role in the ischemia-related arrhythmia. Low excitability in ischemic tissue was the fundamental mechanism in it.
Pharmacokinetic variability of antiretroviral drugs and correlation with virological outcome: 2 years of experience in routine clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES To assess the inter-individual and intra-individual plasma concentration variabilities of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs) in routine clinical practice and to investigate their relationships with virological failure. METHODS We retrospectively enrolled HIV-infected patients undergoing therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of NNRTIs and PIs during routine outpatient visits. Plasma drug concentrations were measured by HPLC-UV and were considered therapeutic if above the proposed minimum efficacy trough concentration. Inter-individual and intra-individual variabilities were evaluated through the coefficient of variation (CV). RESULTS A total of 457 PI and 172 NNRTI plasma concentrations were measured from 363 patients (HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL in 70.8%, median CD4 count 434 cells/mm(3)). NNRTIs showed less inter-individual (CV(inter) 54.8% versus 84.3%) and intra-individual (CV(intra) 19.0% versus 38.1%) pharmacokinetic variabilities than PIs. Intra-individual variability was constantly lower than inter-individual variability for each drug. Subtherapeutic drug concentrations were observed in 106 samples (16.9%). Older age (P = 0.020) and higher viral load (P = 0.013) were associated with subtherapeutic levels. Patients with therapeutic levels had a viral load of <50 copies/mL more frequently than those with subtherapeutic levels (74.8% versus 63.2%, P = 0.020). The estimated proportion with virological failure at 24 weeks was 0.21 in patients with suboptimal baseline drug levels and 0.08 in those with optimal levels (P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, therapeutic drug levels showed an independent negative association with virological failure (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS A wide inter-individual and limited intra-individual pharmacokinetic variabilities, together with the demonstration of a concentration-response relationship, suggest that TDM is a useful tool for the clinical management of patients treated with NNRTIs or PIs.
Architectural support for mobile objects in large scale distributed systems

The paper discusses the relevant features of an object support system that provides basic facilities for building flexible distributed applications in environments where objects can be mobile and occasional failures (node crashes, real or virtual network partitions) are possible. These facilities are for naming, locating and invoking objects, persistence and garbage collection. One of the key features is an efficient and reliable object reference scheme that is particularly good for dealing with mobile objects. The design presented scales to systems of arbitrary size and is portable since it only requires a few standard capabilities from the underlying operating system. <<ETX>>
Why do corporate actors engage in pro-social behaviour? A Bourdieusian perspective on corporate social responsibility

Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social practice, this article develops a novel approach to the study of corporate social responsibility (CSR). According to this approach, pro-social activities are conceptualized as social practices that individual managers employ in their efforts to attain social power. Whether such practices are enacted or not depends on (1) the particular features of the social field; (2) the individual managers’ socially shaped dispositions and (3) their stock of different forms of capital. By combining these theoretical concepts, the Bourdieusian approach we develop highlights the interplay between the economic and non-economic motivations that underlie CSR, acknowledging influences both on the micro- and the macro-level, as well as deterministic and voluntaristic aspects of human behaviour.
Effects of a Flexibility and Relaxation Programme, Walking, and Nordic Walking on Parkinson's Disease

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) progress despite optimized medical treatment. The present study investigated the effects of a flexibility and relaxation programme, walking, and Nordic walking (NW) on walking speed, stride length, stride length variability, Parkinson-specific disability (UPDRS), and health-related quality of life (PDQ 39). 90 PD patients were randomly allocated to the 3 treatment groups. Patients participated in a 6-month study with 3 exercise sessions per week, each lasting 70 min. Assessment after completion of the training showed that pain was reduced in all groups, and balance and health-related quality of life were improved. Furthermore, walking, and Nordic walking improved stride length, gait variability, maximal walking speed, exercise capacity at submaximal level, and PD disease-specific disability on the UPDRS in addition. Nordic walking was superior to the flexibility and relaxation programme and walking in improving postural stability, stride length, gait pattern and gait variability. No significant injuries occurred during the training. All patients of the Nordic walking group continued Nordic walking after completing the study.
Serum lipoprotein (a) levels in patients with arterial hypertension.

UNLABELLED Lp(a) is capable of deleteriously altering the balance between the procoagulant and anticoagulant, proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory, and vasorelaxing and vasoconstricting properties of the endothelium. MATERIAL AND METHOD The purpose of this study was to investigate the serum concentration of Lp(a) and the main parameters of lipid profile in three groups of subjects: a control group that included 16 healthy subjects, 20 patients with arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia and 20 patients with arterial hypertension without dyslipidemia. Using B-mode ultrasonography, we evaluated carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and flow mediated vasodilation (FMD) on brachial artery. RESULTS We found significant higher Lp(a) concentrations in hypertensive patients with dislipidemia (70 +/- 55.95 mg/dL, p < 0.001) and in hypertensive patients without dislipidemia (69 +/- 52.33 mg/dL, p < 0.001), comparative with the control group (19 +/- 14.64 mg/dL). In hypertensive patients with dislipidemia we found a strong negative correlation between Lp(a) and carotid IMT (R2 = -0.75, p < 0.001) and a moderate negative correlation between Lp(a) and FMD (R2 = -0.38, p < 0.001). Lp(a) level wasn't correlated with the main parameters of lipid profile. CONCLUSIONS These results indicated that serum Lp(a) values could play an important role in essential hypertension pathogenesis and could be considered as an individual risk factor in hypertensive patients.
Relating Ability and Personality to the Efficacy and Performance of Dyadic Teams

We examined the extent to which member ability and personality relate to differences in team performance and team efficacy in a task setting that simulated the high degree of role interdependence and human-technology interaction found in many military contexts. 168 male participants were assigned to dyadic teams and trained for two weeks to learn and perform a complex computer task that simulated the demands of a dynamic aviation environment. Participants also completed measures of general mental ability, psychomotor ability, and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability). Team performance and team efficacy were assessed multiple times throughout training. Results indicated that ability was a critical determinant of both performance and efficacy, and personality traits yielded an incremental contribution to both performance and efficacy. In particular, psychomotor ability and conscientiousness were the strongest and most consistent factors associated with team effectiveness.
Single-stage switched-resonator converter topology with wide conversion ratio for volume-sensitive applications

In this study, a switched-resonator converter with high efficiency over a wide conversion ratio range is introduced. Inspired by the gyrator resonant switched-capacitor concept, the new topology provides high efficiency over wide and continuous range of conversion ratios using a single resonator. This is enabled by new modes of operation (switching sequences) developed and analyzed in this study, that modifies the charge-balance of the flying capacitor. By that, the efficiency characteristics of the converter can be shaped to peak at various conversion ratios. A generalized methodology is presented to describe resonator-type converters with multiple operation-modes as two-ports, which is then used to analyze three showcase operational modes of the presented topology. Experimental results of the three modes validate the developed theoretical model, and demonstrate the superiority of the concept in terms of efficiency (over 10%) and current-sourcing capabilities (over 80%) using a compact 5W prototype.
Simulation and analysis on start criterions of low voltage ride-through control

This paper proposes a new start criterion of the crowbar circuits based on doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). The working principle of supply-side and rotor-side converters and control strategy during a fault are investigated briefly. In the case of using the same fault control method, different criterions of starting crowbar have different effects on the performance of LVRT when a three phase fault occurs. Simulation results indicate that the start criterion of detecting feeder voltage in the wind farm makes a good performance of LVRT while choosing the optimum crowbar resistance and the appropriate fault control strategy.
ADICCIONES TECNOLOGICAS: EL DOCENTE COMO AGENTE DE PREVENCION.

Sin negar las ventajas que el uso de las tecnologias supone, en los ultimos anos se ha reconocido la existencia de un problema relacionado con el uso abusivo o patologico de las TIC. Ante la necesidad de prevenir esta problematica, en este estudio se evaluaron las posibilidades de los docentes de nivel primario de la ciudad de Cordoba-Argentina de actuar como agentes preventivos del uso abusivo o patologico de las TIC y, de este modo, potenciar los factores de proteccion hacia las adicciones tecnologicas desde la escuela. Para ello se realizo un estudio descriptivo no experimental transversal, administrando una escala de uso problematico de las tecnologiasyunatecnofobia,juntoaunaencuestasemipautadasobre el reconocimiento de los indicadores de uso problematico de las TIC en ninos. Entre los 61 docentes que participaron del estudio, el total considera que las TIC suponen algun riesgo para los ninos. Si bien no se encontraron docentes tecnofobicos, hay actitudes y valoraciones negativas,ansiedad y aversion altas,y autoeficacia baja hacia lasTIC. Un 6.6% presenta tecno-dependencia. Las percepciones y usos de los docentes de las TIC actuarian como barrera a su rol de agentes de proteccion. Palabras Clave adicciones tecnologias prevencion docentes Abstract TECHNOLOGICAL ADDICTIONS: THE TEACHERS AS A PREVENTING AGENT Without claiming to deny the advantages of the use of technology, problems related to the abusive or pathologic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been recognized in recent years. In need of preventing this obstacle, this study evaluated the abilities of elementary school teachers in the city of CordobaArgentina to act as preventative agents of the abusive or pathological uses of ICT and, in this way, reinforce the protective factors against technology addition within the school environment.For this purpose a descriptive, non-experimental transversal study was conducted. Two scales were administered: one of problematic uses of technology and the other of technophobia together with a quasi-structured survey about the recognition of the indicators of the problematic uses of ICT in children. Among the 61 teachers that participated in the study, all considered ICT to be a risk factor of unproductive behaviors. While technophobia wasn’t found among teachers, they had negative opinions and assessments of technology, anxiety, high aversion and low self-efficacy toward ICT. A total of 6.6% exhibited signs of techno-dependency.The perceptions and uses of ICT by teachers will act a barrier in their role as protective agents. Key Words addictions technologies prevention teachers
Intracellular pH controls cell membrane Na+ and K+ conductances and transport in frog skin epithelium

We determined the effects of intracellular respiratory and metabolic acid or alkali loads, at constant or variable external pH, on the apical membrane Na+-specific conductance (ga) and basolateral membrane conductance (gb), principally due to K+, in the short-circuited isolated frog skin epithelium. Conductances were determined from the current-voltage relations of the amiloride-inhibitable cellular current pathway, and intracellular pH (pHi) was measured using double barreled H+-sensitive microelectrodes. The experimental set up permitted simultaneous recording of conductances and pHi from the same epithelial cell. We found that due to the asymmetric permeability properties of apical and basolateral cell membranes to HCO3- and NH+4, the direction of the variations in pHi was dependent on the side of addition of the acid or alkali load. Specifically, changing from control Ringer, gassed in air without HCO3- (pHo = 7.4), to one containing 25 mmol/liter HCO3- that was gassed in 5% CO2 (pHo = 7.4) on the apical side caused a rapid intracellular acidification whereas when this maneuver was performed from the basolateral side of the epithelium a slight intracellular alkalinization was produced. The addition of 15 mmol/liter NH4Cl to control Ringer on the apical side caused an immediate intracellular alkalinization that lasted up to 30 min; subsequent removal of NH4Cl resulted in a reversible fall in pHi, whereas basolateral addition of NH4Cl produced a prolonged intracellular acidosis. Using these maneouvres to change pHi we found that the transepithelial Na+ transport rate (Isc), and ga, and gb were increased by an intracellular alkalinization and decreased by an acid shift in pHi. These variations in Isc, ga, and gb with changing pHi occurred simultaneously, instantaneously, and in parallel even upon small perturbations of pHi (range, 7.1-7.4). Taken together these results indicate that pHi may act as an intrinsic regulator of epithelial ion transport.
Combining various solution techniques for dynamic fault tree analysis of computer systems

Fault trees provide a conceptually simple modeling framework to represent system-level reliability in terms of interactions between component reliabilities. DIFtree (Dynamic Innovative Fault trees) effectively combines the best static fault tree solution technique (binary decision diagrams) with Markov solution techniques for dynamic fault trees. DIFtree includes advanced techniques for modeling coverage; coverage modeling has been shown to be critical to the analysis of fault-tolerant computer systems. DIFtree is based on a divide-and-conquer technique for modularizing the system-level fault tree into independent sub-trees; different solution techniques can be used for sub-trees. In this paper, we extend the DIFtree analysis capability to model several different distributions of time-to-failure, including fixed probabilities (no time component), exponential (constant hazard rate), Weibull (time-varying hazard rate) and log-normal. Our approach extends both the BDD and Markov analytical approaches and incorporates simulation as well.
Polysomnographic and multiple sleep latency testing data in a large sample of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and their relationship with subjective scores

ABSTRACT Background: Despite the majority of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) complaining about sleep disturbances and/or non-refreshing sleep, abnormalities in objective sleep parameters have not consistently been identified in this population. Purpose: To assess objective parameters of sleep and sleepiness in a large sample of patients with CFS and their relationship with the subjective dimensions of mental and physical health, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Methods: Objective sleep parameters were derived from polysomnography (PSG) and multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT). Subjective scores for mental and physical health, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and fatigue were based on validated, self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to predict sleepiness, global quality of sleep and fatigue. Results: PSG in 184 CFS patients indicated decreased total sleep time and sleep efficiency as well as increased sleep latency and waking after sleep onset. Only a few modest but significant correlations (r’s < .30) were found between objective parameters of sleep and sleepiness and subjective scores for health, sleep quality and fatigue. Conclusions: Objective sleep parameters indicated poor sleep in CFS, suggesting an insomnia phenotype, but with only modest associations to subjective scores of mental and physical health, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and fatigue.
COMPARING TREE‐RING CHRONOLOGIES AND REPEATED TIMBER INVENTORIES AS FOREST MONITORING TOOLS

Historical information on forest growth is essential to evaluate and under- stand change in managed and unmanaged forests. Two ground-truth nondestructive sources of information on interannual to interdecadal changes are (a) repeated timber inventories and (b) tree-ring chronologies. I present here a case study of how those two types of data can complement and benefit each other. At the Gus Pearson Research Natural Area, a ponderosa pine stand near Flagstaff (Arizona, USA), timber inventories were repeated by the U.S. Forest Service from 1920 to 1990. The analysis of those data has revealed a decline of individual tree growth over the 20th century, attributed to increased stand density. Monthly precipitation and temperature at the study area showed no overall trend from 1910 to 1990. Tree-ring data collected at the area after 1990, and spanning the last few centuries, were compared to the inventory data to represent growth trends. Periodic basal area in- crement computed from forest inventories showed parallel trends but higher absolute values (especially for small pines) than periodic basal area increment computed from increment cores. Among selected ways of developing a tree-ring chronology, average ring area closely matched repeated forest inventories for 20th century trends and revealed that decadal-scale growth rates in the 1900s have been anomalous compared to the previous 300 years. The mensurational and dendrochronological approaches to forest monitoring showed advantages and disadvantages. Repeated forest inventories quantified growth of individual trees and of the entire stand, thus providing a complete picture, even in retrospect; but they had longer-than-annual resolution, and covered only the last decades. Dendrochronological data quantified annual xylem growth of individual trees over their whole life span, thus placing recent growth trends into a much longer historical perspective; but they had limited spatial coverage and could lead to different trends depending on the type of standardization option. Overall, the combination of both approaches is recommended for evaluating changes of forest growth at multiannual scales.
Unsupervised trajectory pattern classification using hierarchical Dirichlet Process Mixture hidden Markov model

In this paper we present a trajectory clustering method based on nonparametric Bayesian approach proposed for analyzing dynamic systems. Our method uses a modified hierarchical Dirichlet process-hidden Markov model in order to learn trajectory patterns into its parameter variables in an unsupervised way. Due to inherited Bayesian structure, this model resolves some limitations in trajectory clustering problem such as sequential analysis, incremental learning and non-uniform sampling. In this paper we introduce this model and its learning algorithm and finally we evaluate its performance.
Adaptive Consensus Control of Nonlinear Multiagent Systems With Unknown Control Directions Under Stochastic Topologies

The consensus problem over high-order nonlinear multiagent systems with the Brunovsky-type model is studied. The model parameters and control directions of agents are supposed to be unknown. Hence, based on Nussbaum-type functions, an adaptive protocol is proposed, which guarantees achieving consensus in the network when the parameters and control directions of the agents are unknown and unidentical. The main contribution of this paper (compared with the existing similar results in the literature) is to guarantee achieving consensus in networks of agents when the communication topology is not connected constantly, and communication links stochastically switch over time. It is shown that if the probability of the network connectivity is not zero, under some conditions, almost sure consensus can be achieved. Illustrative examples verify the accuracy of the proposed consensus protocol.
Effects of hypothermia on halothane MAC and isoflurane MAC in the rat.

MAC was determined in tracheotomized rats for halothane (5 rats) and inoflurane (3 rats) at 37, 32, and 27 C. Rectilinear decreases in MAC occurred with both agents. The change with halothane (4.82 per cent per degree) did not differ significantly from that seen with isoflurane (5.28 per cent per de