Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardioprotective Properties of Humoral Factors Released From Rat Hearts Subject to Ischemic Preconditioning

Myocardial protection can be achieved by transfer of coronary effluent from ischemically preconditioned to non-preconditioned hearts. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that preconditioned effluent from rat hearts purified by Sep-Pak C-18 cartridges could induce remote cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury through the activation of protein kinase C signaling pathway. Buffer-perfused rat hearts were subject to 30 min ischemia and 60 min reperfusion. The myocardial I/R injury was assessed by postischemic contractile function recovery and infarct size. The protective effect of coronary effluent collected during ischemic preconditioning (IPC) was tested in non-preconditioned hearts in presence or absence of a PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine. Infarct size was 17 ± 2% in preconditioned versus 37 ± 1% in control hearts (P < 0.001). Hearts perfused with fresh preconditioned effluent had infarct sizes of 16 ± 3% versus 36 ± 1% in hearts treated with non-preconditioned effluent. The cardioprotective effect was lost when the effluent was left at room temperature during 24 h (infarct size, 40 ± 3%) or heated to 70°C (26 ± 4%, P < 0.05) or 100°C (39 ± 1%, P < 0.001). The lyophilized effluent was stable for 30 days, and its purification in a Sep-Pak C-18 column resulted in a hydrophobic fraction that reduced the infarct size to 17 ± 2% versus 38 ± 2% for the hydrophilic fraction. Chelerythrine (100 μM) inhibited the reduction of infarct size induced by IPC (35 ± 4%) or hydrophobic fraction (37 ± 3%). Recovery of the contractile function at reperfusion was higher in preconditioned group (74 ± 6% versus 17 ± 7% in control, P < 0.001) and hydrophobic fraction (66 ± 7% versus 8 ± 4% in hydrophilic fraction, P < 0.001). Similarly, chelerythrine was able to abrogate the contractile function recovery (12 ± 6%, P < 0.001 versus preconditioned group and 19 ± 7%, P < 0.001 versus hydrophobic fraction). In conclusion, the cardioprotective factors released in the coronary effluent by IPC are thermolabile hydrophobic substances with molecular weights higher than 3.5 kDa and acting through PKC activation.
Synergistic Growth‐Inhibitory Activity of Tumour Necrosis Factor and Alpha Interferon Contribution to the Monocyte‐Derived Cytostatic Activity towards Human Leukaemia K562 Cells

Monocyte supernatants are cytotoxic towards WEHI 164clone 13 cells and cytostatic towards K562 cells The Cytotoxic towards the clone 13 cells is entirely due to tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), since it was completely neutralized by recombinant TNFα (rTNF) antiserum, and identical dose‐response curves were obtained with supernatants and rTNFα. The Cytostatic activity towards the K562 cells, however, was only partly due to TNFα, since this activity was only partly neutralized by the rTNFα antiserum. Moreover, the supernatants were found to be more cytostatic towards K562 cells than rTNFα preparations that contained comparable amounts of TNF. Alpha interferon (IFN‐α also contributed to cytostasis of the K562 cells, since antibodies against IFN‐α partially inhibited the cytostatic activity in the supernatants, and further inhibition, although not complete, was obtained in the presence of both IFN‐α antibodies and rTNFα antiserum Moreover, recombinant IFN‐α‐2c (rIFN‐α‐2c) inhibited the growth of K562 cells, acting synergistically with rTNFα. Upon cation exchange chromatography, natural TNF in the monocyte supernatant eluted more broadly than rTNF, and significant amounts of TNFα were found in all column fractions containing cytostatic activity.
Studies in General Practice: Interpractice Differences

Based on results of a recent epidemiological study in general practice, interpractice differences are described and found to be rather marked. They include differences in patients population, case definitions and ability to diagnose nosologic groups. Based on relevant literature and own experiences, measures are described which help to reduce interpractice differences and to improve the quality of study data. Examples of training procedures, exchange of information and technical support are given. As a consequence of the interpractice differences these measures are found to be not only desirable but imperative.
Simultaneous Neural Control of Simple Reaching and Grasping With the Modular Prosthetic Limb Using Intracranial EEG

Intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) signals from two human subjects were used to achieve simultaneous neural control of reaching and grasping movements with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL), a dexterous robotic prosthetic arm. We performed functional mapping of high gamma activity while the subject made reaching and grasping movements to identify task-selective electrodes. Independent, online control of reaching and grasping was then achieved using high gamma activity from a small subset of electrodes with a model trained on short blocks of reaching and grasping with no further adaptation. Classification accuracy did not decline (p <; 0.05, one-way ANOVA) over three blocks of testing in either subject. Mean classification accuracy during independently executed overt reach and grasp movements for (Subject 1, Subject 2) were (0.85, 0.81) and (0.80, 0.96), respectively, and during simultaneous execution they were (0.83, 0.88) and (0.58, 0.88), respectively. Our models leveraged knowledge of the subject's individual functional neuroanatomy for reaching and grasping movements, allowing rapid acquisition of control in a time-sensitive clinical setting. We demonstrate the potential feasibility of verifying functionally meaningful iEEG-based control of the MPL prior to chronic implantation, during which additional capabilities of the MPL might be exploited with further training.
Miniaturized Omnidirectional Horizontally Polarized Antenna

A novel miniaturized impedance matched antenna with omnidirectional horizontally polarized radiation pattern is presented. The antenna structure resembles a circular loop formed by a circular array of shunt miniaturized n-fold resonant dipole antennas, which will be referred to as miniature composite wireloop antenna (MCWLA). The proposed antenna does not require an external matching network and can easily be matched to balanced ports with any desired impedance. MCWLAs can be made to be a very small fraction of the wavelength and yet to provide a relatively high radiation efficiency. The antenna input impedance can be adjusted by the number of array n-folded dipole elements, the number of folds and the diameter of the composite loop. The input impedance can be lowered by increasing the number of elements and/or by decreasing the loop diameter. Conversely, the input impedance, for a fixed number of elements and diameter, can be increased by increasing the fold number. The antenna efficiency increases with increasing the loop diameter. To demonstrate the proposed concept, a MCWLA is designed with diameter λ/8 and is designed and fabricated using the standard PCB approach on a thin substrate (λ/500). To achieve omnidirectional radiation pattern in H-plane, a minimum of three elements fed in-phase around the inscribing loop are used. It is shown that impedance match to a 50-Ω line can be achieved using fourfold miniaturized dipole elements. The simulation shows strong uniform current distribution on the A transformer balun that is used to connect the balanced port of the antenna to a small coaxial line at the center of the loop. The measured gain, including the loss through the balun, is to be 0 dBi and the gain variation in the H-plane is shown to be less than 0.5 dB for the prototype MCWLA.
Branched‐chain amino acids

The branched‐chain amino acids (BCAA), isoleucine, leucine and valine, are unique in that they are principally metabolized extrahepatically in the skeletal muscle. This observation led to the investigation of these nutrients in a number of clinical scenarios. By far the most intensively studied applications for BCAA have been in patients with liver failure and/or patients in catabolic disease states. However, the resulting studies have not demonstrated a clear clinical benefit for BCAA nutritional supplements. In patients with liver failure, the BCAA did improve nitrogen retention and protein synthesis, but their effect on patient outcome was less clear. Similarly, in critically ill septic patients, BCAA did not improve either survival or morbidity. The BCAA are important nutrients, and it seems that any specific benefits associated with their use will be based upon a greater understanding of the underlying cellular biology. Potential areas of further research may include the combination of BCAA supplements with other anabolic factors (e.g. growth hormone) in managing patients with catabolic disease states.
Environmental Health Organisations against Tobacco

Implementing the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) relies heavily on enforcement. Little is known of the way different enforcement agencies operate, prioritise or network. A questionnaire was sent to representatives of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) in 36 countries. Tobacco control was given low priority. Almost two thirds did not have any tobacco control policy. A third reported their organisation had worked with other agencies on tobacco control. Obstacles to addressing tobacco control included a lack of resources (61%) and absence of a coherent strategy (39%).
Network security: VoIP security on data network--a guide

Information Security has emerged as one of the biggest concerns that network administrators and other stakeholders face today. Most data custodians face Information Security risks on a daily basis; thus, it is up to Information Security professionals to research these threats and exploits to secure private information from unauthorized access and mismanagement. It can be easily stated that familiarity with a particular technology can be helpful in securing information. It can also be stated that new and emerging technologies are harder to secure, but not impossible. This paper will consider and focus on both technical and legal aspects, and approaches on how to secure Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Data Network's facility to facility traffic in particular. Both technical and legal aspects are important in protecting VoIP Networks. This paper will take the following approach: The History of VoIP and short comings, Security Issues of VoIP (current gaps), Current Solutions for the current security issues, Future Solutions for VoIP security and Future concerns more specifically the passing of Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) and its impact on VoIP security.
A dynamic spectrum access MAC protocol based on spectrum analysis and spectrum sharing

The radio spectrum is a finite resource and the current spectrum licensing model has led to a fenomenon known as spectrum scarcity. Several approaches have been presented in order to improve the effectiveness of spectrum utilization. This works main contribution is is to present an approach to opportunistic spectrum sensing and allocation focused on maximizing spectrum usage while minimizing communication time and interference on primary communications. Compared an alternative, our approach presents significant improvements in the spectrum access and utilization, improving network throughput up to 16 times.
Golimumab: A Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitor for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

OBJECTIVE To review the pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and safety data of golimumab, an anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) monoclonal antibody. DATA SOURCES A search of MEDLINE (1950-September 2009) was performed to identify any published clinical trials or review articles pertaining to golimumab. Key search terms included golimumab, rheumatoid arthritis, CNTO 148, and anti-TNF-α inhibitors. Bibliographies of selected articles were reviewed to identify other relevant citations. Abstracts from national and international meetings and information from the manufacturer were also reviewed. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION All available published articles and abstracts describing golimumab's pharmacologic or pharmacokinetic profile, efficacy, and safety were included. DATA SYNTHESIS Golimumab is a fully humanized TNF-α monoclonal antibody that is specific for human TNF-α. Trials have investigated the use of golimumab in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are on methotrexate, are methotrexate-naïve, and have previously tried TNF-α inhibition therapy. When used in combination with methotrexate or another disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, golimumab therapy results in improvements of clinical outcomes including the American College of Rheumatology parameters in all of the aforementioned populations. Although multiple doses and dosing regimens have been studied, the Food and Drug Administration-approved dose is 50 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks. The most common adverse effects include injection site erythema, headaches, and nausea. There were a limited number of incidences of serious infection or malignancy. CONCLUSIONS With 4 TNF-α monoclonal antibodies currently on the market, it is unclear what golimumab's place in therapy for RA will be. Some benefits include monthly injections, proven efficacy after previous TNF-α inhibitor therapy, and limited antibody development during therapy. However, with a lack of longer-term trials assessing efficacy and safety compared with other TNF-α inhibitors, golimumab should be reserved for use after other therapies fail.
Interpreter services, language concordance, and health care quality

AbstractBACKGROUND: Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) have more difficulty communicating with health care providers and are less satisfied with their care than others. Both interpreter- and language-concordant clinicians may help overcome these problems but few studies have compared these approaches. OBJECTIVE: To compare self-reported communication and visit ratings for LEP Asian immigrants whose visits involve either a clinic interpreter or a clinician speaking their native language. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey—response rate 74%. PATIENTS: Two thousand seven hundred and fifteen LEP Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant adults who received care at 11 community-based health centers across the U.S. MEASUREMENTS: Five self-reported communication measures and overall rating of care. RESULTS: Patients who used interpreters were more likely than language-concordant patients to report having questions about their care (30.1% vs 20.9%, P<.001) or about mental health (25.3% vs 18.2%, P=.005) they wanted to ask but did not. They did not differ significantly in their response to 3 other communication measures or their likelihood of rating the health care received as “excellent” or “very good” (51.7% vs 50.9%, P=.8). Patients who rated their interpreters highly (“excellent” or “very good”) were more likely to rate the health care they received highly (adjusted odds ratio 4.8, 95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 10.1). CONCLUSIONS: Assessments of communication and health care quality for outpatient visits are similar for LEP Asian immigrants who use interpreters and those whose clinicians speak their language. However, interpreter use may compromise certain aspects of communication. The perceived quality of the interpreter is strongly associated with patients’ assessments of quality of care overall.
Genetic algorithm based efficient positioning error compensation technique with low computational complexity

To alleviate positioning error using wireless ultra wideband (UWB) is primary concern, and it has been studied how to reduce the positioning error effectively. Thanks to many repeated transmissions of UWB signals, we can have a variety of selections to point out the most precise positioning result. Towards this, scanning method has been preferred to be used due to its simplicity. This exhaustive method firstly fixes the candidate position, and calculates the sum of distances from observed positions. However, it has tremendous number of computations, and the complexity is more serious if the size of two-dimensional range is the larger. To mitigate the large number of computations, this paper proposes the technique employing genetic algorithm. To exploit its superiority, simulations will be conducted to show the reduction of complexity, and the efficiency on positioning capability.
Effect of Lactation on Maternal Body Weight: A Systematic Review

The impact of lactation on maternal weight after delivery remains unclear. To address this question, we performed a systematic review of the literature. We searched PubMed, POPLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS computerized databases for relevant articles and classified the evidence using the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force rating system. We found 42 studies, of which 28 contained relevant information: 15 prospective cohort studies, 1 retrospective cohort study, 1 cross-sectional study, and 11 case-series reports. The methods used in these studies varied widely, thus precluding aggregation of results. Level II-2 and III evidence supports a class “C” recommendation: insufficient evidence exists to support an effect of lactation on maternal weight after delivery. Better longitudinal studies with a clear definition of breast-feeding; clear, specific outcome measures; study periods extending 1 or 2 years after delivery; and better control of potentially confounding factors will be needed to resolve this question. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader will be able to compile the literature on the effect of lactation on maternal weight, to compare the various studies, and to summarize the data on the effect of lactation on maternal weight gain.
Four Paths to Integrated Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and Their Related Industries

The advancement of the development of cultural creation,design services and other high-end services and the promotion of deep integration with the real economy are the major measures to cultivate new growth point of national economy and increase national cultural soft power.The integrated development of cultural creative industry and real industry should promote the vertical industrial chain extension and horizontal services chain expansion between design services and industry,and inspire the power of industrial upgrading.The integrated development of cultural creative industry and tourism should build the intellectual core of tourism charm and a framework with rich content,diverse subjects and dynamic development.The integrated development of cultural creative industry and urban planning and architectural design industry should adhere to the people-oriented principle and realize the unity of economic,ecological and cultural values.The integrated development of cultural creative industry and agriculture should combine with requirements of China's agricultural development at every stage,take leisure agricultural projects as a breakthrough,and construct agricultural forms featured by ecological culture value and the significance of modern services.
Social Coordination in Older Adulthood: A Dual-Process Model

Background/Study Context: In a variety of collaborative circumstances, participants must adopt the perspective of a partner and establish a shared mental representation that helps mediate common understanding. This process is referred to as social coordination. Here, the authors investigate the effect of aging on social coordination and consider separately the component processes related to perspective-taking and working memory. Methods: Twelve young adults and 14 older adults completed an experimental, language-based coordination task. Subjects were asked to describe a scene with sufficient detail so that a conversational partner could identify a target object in the context of other, competing objects that shared a variable number of features. Trials varied in the information available to the partner (perspective-taking demand) and in the number of competing objects present in the scene (working memory demand). Responses were scored according to adjective use. Results: Results indicated that social coordination performance decreases with age. Whereas young adults performed close to ceiling, older adults were only precise in 49.70% of trials. In analyses examining perspective-taking conditions with no competitors, older adults were consistently impaired relative to young adults; in analyses examining the number of competitors during the simplest perspective-taking condition, both older and younger adults became more impaired with increasing numbers of competitors. Conclusion: The experimental data suggest that social coordination decreases with age, which may affect communicative efficacy. Older adults’ tendency to provide insufficient responses suggests a limitation in perspective-taking, and the pattern of decline in common ground performance with increasing competitors suggests that this is independent of working memory decline. In sum, our results suggest that social coordination deficits in aging may be multifactorial.
Outcome of respiratory intensive care for the elderly

We followed 1018 patients admitted consecutively to a multidisciplinary respiratory ICU (RICU), with special attention to patients aged 75 yr and over. The elderly had a higher RICU (11/49) and in-hospital (21/49) mortality than younger patients. The 28 survivors of hospitalization had a lower acute physiology score (APS) than nonsurvivors on admission (16.1 ± 7.8 vs. 21.8 ± 8.9, respectively), indicating less severe illness. The quality of long-term survival (12 to 24 months) was assessed using an open-ended questionnaire. Eighteen hospital survivors were alive at the time of follow-up and the quality of life was deemed satisfactory by 10 of 13 patients who were living independently. Only two of 28 survivors had been transferred to nursing home care, and two were in acute care hospitals We conclude most elderly patients discharged from the RICU consider their lifestyle satisfactory and are not a large drain on community health care resources. Further studies of the screening process which determines RICU admission are necessary, because unimodal criteria such as age and APS after admission were not of prognostic value.