Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ishi in Three Centuries

"Ishi in Three Centuries" brings together a range of insightful and unsettling perspectives and the latest research to enrich and personalize our understanding of one of the most famous Native Americans of the modern era - Ishi, the last Yahi. After decades of concealment from genocidal attacks on his people in California, Ishi (ca. 1860-1916) came out of hiding in 1911 and lived the last five years of his life in the University of California Anthropological Museum in San Francisco. Contributors to this volume illuminate Ishi the person, his relationship to anthropologist A. L. Kroeber and others, his Yahi world, and his enduring and evolving legacy for the twenty-first century. "Ishi in Three Centuries" features recent analytic translations of Ishi's stories, new information on his language, craft skills, and his personal life in San Francisco, with reminiscences of those who knew him and A. L. Kroeber. Multiple sides of the repatriation controversy are showcased and given equal weight. Especially valuable are discussions by Native American writers and artists, including Gerald Vizenor, Louis Owens, and Frank Tuttle, of how Ishi continues to inspire the creative imagination of American Indians.Karl Kroeber is Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. His most recent books include "Creation Myths of Primitive America", "Artistry in Native American Myths" (Nebraska 1998), and "Traditional Literature of the American Indian" (Nebraska 1997). Clifton Kroeber is Emeritus Norman Bridge Professor of Hispanic American History at Occidental College. He is the co-author of "Massacre on the Gila" and co-editor of "A Mohave War Reminiscence, 1854-1880" and "The Frontier in Perspective". Also available "Artistry in Native American Myths" by Karl Kroeber, 1998 (0-8032-7785-7 PB GBP22.95), "Traditional Literature of the American Indian: Texts and Interpretations 2nd edn" by Karl Kroeber, 1997 (0-8032-7782-2 PB GBP10.95).
Receiver Performance for Heterodyne Optical Communication

A model for the heterodyne optical channel that is consistent with experimental observations is introduced, and a general maximum-likelihood sequence estimation receiver that accounts for laser phase instabilities is proposed using the generalized log-likelihood functional. The performance of various suboptimal "estimator-correlator" receivers, obtained from optimal, nonimplementable receiver equations, is studied by simulation and compared to that of an incoherent receiver for practical parameter values. It is observed that, for hard decisions, the proposed receiver performs significantly better than an incoherent receiver for bit intervals larger than about half the coherence time of the laser oscillators, with larger gains to be expected when soft decisions on long sequences are made. A way of reducing the complexity of the soft-decisions receiver for long sequences is discussed.
A New Marker of Sepsis Post Burn Injury?*

Objectives:Accurate diagnosis of sepsis is difficult in patients post burn due to the large inflammatory response produced by the major insult. We aimed to estimate the values of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and procalcitonin and the changes in hemodynamic variables as markers of sepsis in critically ill burn patients. Design:Prospective, observational study. Setting:A quaternary-level university-affiliated ICU. Patients:Fifty-four patients with burns to total body surface area of greater than or equal to 15%, intubated with no previous cardiovascular comorbidities, were enrolled. Interventions:At admission, a FloTrac/Vigileo system was attached and daily blood samples taken from the arterial catheter. Infection surveillance was carried out daily with patients classified as septic/nonseptic according to American Burns Consensus criteria. Measurements and Main Results:N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, procalcitonin, and waveform analysis of changes in stroke volume index and systemic vascular resistance index were measured within the first 24 hours after burn and daily thereafter for the length of the ICU stay or until their first episode of sepsis. Prevalences of stroke volume variation less than 12% (normovolemia) with hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg) were recorded. Patients with sepsis differed significantly from “no sepsis” for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, systemic vascular resistance index, and stroke volume index on days 3–7. Procalcitonin did not differ between sepsis and “no sepsis” except for day 3. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves showed excellent discriminative power for B-type natriuretic peptide (p = 0.001; 95% CI, 0.99–1.00), systemic vascular resistance index (p < 0.001; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99), and stroke volume index (p < 0.01; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99) in predicting sepsis but not for procalcitonin (not significant; 95% CI, 0.29–0.46). A chi-square crosstab found that there was no relationship between hypotension with normovolemia (stroke volume variation < 12%) and sepsis. Conclusions:Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels and certain hemodynamic changes can be used as an early indicator of sepsis in patients with burn injury. Procalcitonin did not assist in the early diagnosis of sepsis.
Immunohistochemical Study of Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 and HER2/ neu in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Strong Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 Expression Predicts Better Survival

The relationship of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and HER2/ neu expression in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with multiple parameters including survival were examined. Patients with primary NSCLC who had surgical resection and follow-up of at least 5 years were included in the study. There were 57 patients (38 men and 19 women), 44 to 75 years old (median age, 61 years); 28 patients had adenocarcinoma (AD) and 29 had squamous cell carcinoma. Tumors were examined for TTF-1 and HER2/ neu expression using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Clinical and follow-up data were obtained from the hospital records and Cancer Center database. Representative tumor sections were stained using standard immunohistochemical technique and commercial antibodies for TTF-1 (clone 8G7G3/1, Dako) and HER2/ neu (polyclonal, Dako). Tumors were graded as negative (<5%), weak positive (5–49%), and strong positive (>50%), based on the percentage of positively stained tumor cells. Statistical analyses were performed using log-rank test, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. TTF-1 expression was seen in 45.6% of all tumors (80% of ADs and 14% of squamous cell carcinomas). Eighteen patients with tumors showing strong TTF-1 expression had significantly better survival compared with the 39 patients whose tumors showed negative or weak TTF-1 expression, although many more of the higher stage AD had strong TTF-1 staining than stage I AD. The TTF-1 expression did not correlate with tumor differentiation and was considered an independent predictor of survival. Seventeen of the 18 tumors with strong TTF-1 expression were ADs. Only eight of 57 (17%) tumors showed HER2/ neu expression; seven of these eight were ADs. Although HER2/ neu expression and survival did not show correlation, the majority of those ADs with weak or strong HER2/ neu staining also had strong TTF-1 staining, were mostly stage I tumors, and had overall longer survival. All patients with stage I disease showed better 5-year survival compared with those with stages II and III. Hispanic patients had significantly worse survival compared with Caucasians and African Americans. The results of this study suggest that strong expression of TTF-1 is an independent predictor of better survival and may be a useful prognostic tool for evaluation of patients with NSCLC.
The epidemiology of at-risk and binge drinking among middle-aged and elderly community adults: National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article was to estimate the prevalence, distribution, and correlates of at-risk alcohol use (especially binge drinking) among middle-aged and elderly persons in the United States and to compare at-risk alcohol use between women and men. METHOD Secondary analysis of the 2005 and 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was conducted for 10,953 respondents aged 50 years and older. Among respondents, 6,717 were 50 to 64 years of age and 4,236 were > or =65 years. Social and demographic variables, alcohol use (including at-risk use), binge drinking, serious psychological distress, and self-rated health were assessed. RESULTS Overall, 66% of male respondents and 55% of female respondents reported alcohol use during the past year. At-risk alcohol use and binge drinking were more frequent among respondents 50 to 64 years of age relative to respondents aged 65 years or older. In the > or =65 years old age group, 13% of men and 8% of women reported at-risk alcohol use, and more than 14% of men and 3% of women reported binge drinking. Among male subjects, binge drinking compared with no alcohol use was associated with higher income and being separated, divorced, or widowed, while being employed and nonmedical use of prescription drugs were associated with binge drinking compared with no alcohol use among women. For all respondents, binge drinking relative to no alcohol use was associated with the use of tobacco and illicit drugs. Among women who reported using alcohol, being African American and less educated were associated with binge drinking, but race/ethnicity and educational level were not associated with binge drinking in men who reported using alcohol. CONCLUSIONS At-risk and binge drinking are frequently reported by middle-aged and elderly adults nationwide and are therefore of public health concern. Clinicians working with middle-aged and older adults should screen for binge drinking and coexisting use of other substances.
Early Identification of Patients at Risk of Developing a Persistent Back Problem: The Predictive Validity of The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire

ObjectiveTo test the predictive utility of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire in identifying patients at risk for developing persistent back pain problems. DesignProspective, where participants completed the questionnaire and their cases were followed for 6 months to assess outcome with regard to pain, function, and absenteeism due to sickness. ParticipantsOne hundred seven patients, recruited from seven primary care units. ResultsDiscriminant analyses showed that the items on the questionnaire were significantly related to future problems. For absenteeism due to sickness, 68% of the patients were correctly classified into one of three groups, whereas an even distribution would have produced 33%. The analyses for function correctly classified 81%, and for pain 71%, into one of two groups, compared with a chance level of 50%. A total score analysis demonstrated that a cutoff score of 90 points had a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 65% for absenteeism due to sickness, and a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 79% for functional ability. ConclusionsThe results underscore that psychological variables are related to outcome 6 months later, and they replicate and extend earlier findings indicating that the Örebro Screening Questionnaire is a clinically reliable and valid instrument. The total score was a relatively good predictor of future absenteeism due to sickness as well as function, but not of pain. The results suggest that the instrument could be of value in isolating patients in need of early interventions and may promote the use of appropriate interventions for patients with psychological risk factors.
Purification, Potency, and Efficacy of the Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Binding Domain from Pichia pastoris as a Recombinant Vaccine Candidate

ABSTRACT Recombinant botulinum neurotoxin serotype A binding domain [BoNT/A(Hc)], expressed in Pichia pastoris, was developed as a vaccine candidate for preventing botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) intoxication. After fermentation and cell disruption, BoNT/A(Hc) was purified by using a three-step chromatographic process consisting of expanded-bed chromatography, Mono S cation-exchange chromatography, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Two pools of immunogenic product were separated on the Mono S column and processed individually. Both products were more than 95% pure and indistinguishable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blot analysis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Each protein was assayed for potency in mice at immunogen doses ranging from 2.4 ng to 10 μg, followed by challenge with 1,000 mouse intraperitoneal 50% lethal doses (i.p. LD50) of BoNT/A. The calculated 50% effective dose for both peaks was approximately 0.1 μg/mouse. Peak 1 was evaluated further in a mouse efficacy assay. Mice were injected either once, twice, or three times at five different doses and subsequently challenged with 100,000 mouse i.p. LD50 of BoNT/A. In general, multiple injections protected better than one, with complete or nearly complete protection realized at doses of ≥0.5 μg/mouse. Serum neutralization and ELISA titers were also determined. Tellingly, 82 of 83 mice with antibody titers of ≥1,600, as measured by ELISA, survived, but only 6 of 42 mice with titers of ≤100 survived. This work shows that the purified BoNT/A(Hc) produced was a highly effective immunogen, able to protect against a high challenge dose of neurotoxin.
The emergence of group stress in medieval French

The thesis investigates the development of the group-stress system in French from the earliest textual records to 1500. Empirical work is based on a corpus compiled especially for the study, which comprises 87 extracts from medieval French texts totalling over 250,000 words, composed mainly of verse texts to make use of the extra phonological information provided by the form. A unique metrical and syntactic annotation is used in the corpus to permit studies of phonological phrasing and stress placement in lines of verse.
Endogenous renal 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitory factors in patients with low-renin essential hypertension.

11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) modulates the access of corticosteroids to their receptors and is important in blood pressure control. The excretion of renal 11 beta-HSD (ie, NAD(+)-dependent isoform) is thought to protect renal mineralocorticoid receptors from cortisol. To examine whether endogenous renal 11 beta-HSD inhibitory factor(s) may be involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension, we studied the urinary excretion of such inhibitors in 30 patients with low-renin essential hypertension and 20 normotensive control subjects. The effect of sodium restriction on the urinary excretion of the inhibitors wa also evaluated in six normotensive control subjects. Urine was extracted with Sep-Pak cartridges and high-performance liquid chromatography. Endogenous renal 11 beta-HSD inhibitors were measured by the inhibition of 11 beta-HSD bioactivity in microsomes from the human kidney. The urinary excretion of the inhibitors was significantly increased in patients with low-renin essential hypertension (1280 +/- 88 nmol/d, mean +/- SEM) compared with normotensive control subjects (704 +/- 56 nmol/d) (P < .05). Ratios of urinary tetrahydrocortisol+allo-tetrahydrocortisol to tetrahydrocortisone did not differ significantly. Sodium restriction reduced the urinary excretion of the endogenous renal 11 beta-HSD inhibitors but did not affect the ratio of urinary tetrahydrocortisol+allo-tetrahydrocortisol to tetrahydrocortisone. Endogenous renal 11 beta-HSD inhibitory factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of low-renin essential hypertension by modulating the activity of 11 beta-HSD. Sodium intake may directly or indirectly regulate the inhibitory factors.
Quality-of-Life Benefit from Cochlear Implantation in the Elderly

Objective: To compare the audiologic results of geriatric patients receiving cochlear implants with younger age groups and to evaluate the quality of life after cochlear implantation in the geriatric population by means of validated quality-of-life questionnaires. Study Design: Cross-sectional study involving 89 postlingually deafened cochlear implant subjects. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: A total of 89 postlingually deafened patients were included in the study, among which were 25 patients who were aged 70 years or older. Interventions: All patients received a cochlear implant. Subjects were implanted with either the Laura, Nucleus 24, or Med-el Combi 40+ cochlear implant systems implementing the SPEAK, ACE, CIS, or CIS+ coding strategies. Mean Outcome Measures: Speech recognition was determined by means of phonetically balanced monosyllabic word lists. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, the Glasgow Benefit Inventory, and the scale for the prediction of hearing disability in sensorineural hearing loss were used to quantify the quality of life. Results: Mean audiologic performance for the three groups increased significantly after implantation (p < 0.001). Postoperative audiologic performance of the geriatric population led to useful hearing, but these scores were significantly lower than for the younger age groups (p = 0.002). However, the quality-of-life outcomes for the geriatric group were similar to those of the younger age groups (p = 0.411 for the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults; p = 0.886 for the Glasgow Benefit Inventory). Conclusion: The results of this study prove that cochlear implantation in the elderly provides improvements in quality of life and speech understanding, similar to those for younger adult cochlear implant recipients.
Current Shared Cascade Structure for the Driver Stages of Switching Mode RF Power Amplifiers

In this work, we propose a current shared cascade (CSC) structure for the driver stages of switching mode RF power amplifiers (PAs); this CSC is designed using a differential structure. The CSC structure is composed of a first driver stage stacked on top of a second driver stage. The first and second driver stages share a dc current and the effective supply voltages of each driver stage become approximately half the value of the supply voltage of the power stage. The CSC structure enhances the power efficiency because no additional regulator, usually required for the supply voltage of the driver stages, is necessary. We designed the PA to prove the feasibility of the proposed CSC structure. From the measured results, we successfully verify the feasibility of the proposed topology.
The Calcineurin B Subunit (CnB) Is a New Ligand of Integrin αM That Mediates CnB-Induced Apo2L/TRAIL Expression in Macrophages

We showed previously that the calcineurin B subunit (CnB) plays an important role in activation of peritoneal macrophage, but the underlying mechanism remained unknown. To examine whether there is a CnB receptor on peritoneal macrophages, we performed the radioligand binding assay of receptors. The receptor saturation binding curve demonstrated high-affinity and specific binding; the maximum binding was 1090 fmol/105 cells, and the Kd was 70.59 pM. Then, we used a CnB affinity resin to trap potential receptors from highly purified peritoneal macrophage membranes. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that the binding protein was mouse integrin αM. We next performed a competition binding experiment to confirm the binding of CnB to integrin αM. This showed that FITC-CnB bound specifically to peritoneal macrophages and that binding was blocked by the addition of integrin αM Ab. We observed that CnB could induce TRAIL gene expression in peritoneal macrophages in vitro and in vivo. Integrin αM Ab blocking, RNA interference, and ligand competition experiments demonstrated that CnB-induced TRAIL expression is dependent on integrin αM. Furthermore, the tumoricidal activity of CnB-activated peritoneal macrophages is partially dependent on TRAIL. In addition, CnB treatment significantly prolongs the survival of mice bearing H22 ascites tumors, which has a positive correlation with the induction level of TRAIL. These results reveal a novel function of the CnB in innate immunity and cancer surveillance. They also point to a new signaling pathway leading to induction of TRAIL and suggest a possible application of CnB in cancer therapy.
Prophylactic versus Selective Use of Surfactant in Preventing Morbidity and Mortality in Preterm Infants

BACKGROUND This section is under preparation and will be included in the next issue. OBJECTIVES To compare the effect of prophylactic surfactant administration to surfactant treatment of established respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. SEARCH STRATEGY Searches were made of the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, Medline (MeSH terms: pulmonary surfactant; limits: age groups, newborn infants), previous reviews including cross-references, abstracts, conference and symposia proceedings, expert informants, and journal handsearching in the English language. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled trials which compared the effects of prophylactic surfactant administration to surfactant treatment of established respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants were included in the analysis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data regarding clinical outcomes including the incidence of pneumothorax, pulmonary interstitial emphysema, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage (any grade and severe intraventricular hemorrhage), bronchopulmonary dysplasia, mortality, bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death, and retinopathy of prematurity were excerpted from the reports of the clinical trials by the reviewers. Data analysis was done in accordance with the standards of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. MAIN RESULTS The majority of included studies noted an initial improvement in the respiratory status and a decrease in the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in infants who received prophylactic surfactant. The meta-analysis supports a decrease in the incidence of pneumothorax, a decrease in the incidence of pulmonary interstitial emphysema, a decrease in the incidence of mortality and a decrease in the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death associated with prophylactic administration of surfactant. No significant untoward effects of prophylactic surfactant administration are noted. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic surfactant administration to infants judged to be at risk of developing respiratory distress syndrome (intubated infants less than 30-32 weeks gestation) has been demonstrated to improve clinical outcome. Infants who receive prophylactic surfactant have a decreased incidence of pneumothorax, a decreased incidence of pulmonary interstitial emphysema and a decreased incidence of mortality. However, it remains unclear exactly which criteria should be used to judge "at risk" infants who would require prophylactic surfactant administration.