Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ionic mechanism of action potential prolongation in ventricular myocytes from dogs with pacing-induced heart failure.

Membrane current abnormalities have been described in human heart failure. To determine whether similar current changes are observed in a large animal model of heart failure, we studied dogs with pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. Myocytes isolated from the midmyocardium of 13 dogs with heart failure induced by 3 to 4 weeks of rapid ventricular pacing and from 16 nonpaced control dogs did not differ in cell surface area or resting membrane potential. Nevertheless, action potential duration (APD) was significantly prolonged in myocytes isolated from failing ventricles (APD at 90% repolarization, 1097 +/- 73 milliseconds [failing hearts, n = 30] versus 842 +/- 56 milliseconds [control hearts, n = 25]; P < .05), and the prominent repolarizing notch in phase 1 was dramatically attenuated. Basal L-type Ca2+ current and whole-cell Na+ current did not differ in cells from failing and from control hearts, but significant differences in K+ currents were observed. The density of the inward rectifier K+ current (IKl) was reduced in cells from failing hearts at test potentials below -90 mV (at -150 mV, -19.1 +/- 2.2 pA/pF [failing hearts, n = 18] versus -32.2 +/- 5.1 pA/pF [control hearts, n = 15]; P < .05). The small outward current component of IKl was also reduced in cells from failing hearts (at -60 mV, 1.7 +/- 0.2 pA/pF [failing hearts] versus 2.5 +/- 0.2 pA/pF [control hearts]; P < .05). The peak of the Ca(2+)-independent transient outward current (Ito) was dramatically reduced in myocytes isolated from failing hearts compared with nonfailing control hearts (at +80 mV, 7.0 +/- 0.9 pA/pF [failing hearts, n = 20] versus 20.4 +/- 3.2 pA/pF [control hearts, n = 15]; P < .001), while the steady state component was unchanged. There were no significant differences in Ito kinetics or single-channel conductance. A reduction in the number of functional Ito channels was demonstrated by nonstationary fluctuation analysis (0.4 +/- 0.03 channels per square micrometer [failing hearts, n = 5] versus 1.2 +/- 0.1 channels per square micrometer [control hearts, n = 3]; P < .001). Pharmacological reduction of Ito by 4-aminopyridine in control myocytes decreased the notch amplitude and prolonged the APD. Current clamp-release experiments in which current was injected for 8 milliseconds to reproduce the notch sufficed to shorten the APD significantly in cells from failing hearts. These data support the hypothesis that downregulation of Ito in pacing-induced heart failure is at least partially responsible for the action potential prolongation. Because the repolarization abnormalities mimic those in cells isolated from failing human ventricular myocardium, canine pacing-induced cardiomyopathy may provide insights into the development of repolarization abnormalities and the mechanisms of sudden death in patients with heart failure.
A 1-MHz 5-kV Power Supply Applying SiC Diodes and GaN HEMT Cascode MOSFETs in Soft Switching

A new high-voltage (HV) power supply based on the half-wave Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier topology is introduced. The proposed power supply operates at 1 MHz (at least ten times faster than conventional HV multipliers) and exhibits a very stable output voltage with minimal ripple (<;0.1%). The proposed power supply has a high power density due to the high frequency and is also highly efficient (>90%). The high operation frequency and efficiency were facilitated by a critical design that applies softly switched wide-bandgap devices (silicon carbide diodes and gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor cascode MOSFETS) in full bridge cascaded by a voltage multiplier topology. Experimental evidence is provided from a prototype unit that raises the voltage from 300 V to 5 kV, with a 93% efficiency.
Fibronectin levels during intraperitoneal inflammation

Fibronectin is a high-molecular-weight opsonic protein known to influence macrophage uptake of nonbacterial particulate matter. The concentration of fibronectin in serum and the quantity of fibronectin in the inflamed peritoneal space were examined in rats after intraperitoneal casein injection. Fibronectin levels were studied in relation to the opsonic activity of the serum, as assayed by the uptake of gelatin-coated. 51Cr-labeled, fixed sheep erythrocytes by adherent peritoneal macrophage monolayers. Intraperitoneal inflammation resulted in a marked increase in peritoneal fluid fibronectin that lasted throughout a 4-day observation period. The opsonic activity of serum also increased after casein challenge at 24, 48, and 72 h. The elevation in the level of fibronectin in the peritoneal space appeared to coincide with or closely precede the maximal increase in concentration of inflammatory peritoneal macrophages. After casein injection, when serum immunoreactive fibronectin increased, an enhancement in phagocytic clearance of blood-borne gelatin-coated test particles was also observed. It is suggested that the elevation of fibronectin in blood during intraperitoneal inflammation may mediate enhanced liver phagocytic function. The increased amount of fibronectin in the inflamed peritoneal space may also influence the phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages.
Cell‐Surface Antigen Expression in Early and Term Gestation Fetal Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

The objective of this study was to compare the expression of primitive cell‐surface antigens on CD34+ cells from early in gestation to those from term gestations. Fetal blood samples were obtained from 10 early gestation (21.0 ± 0.8 [SE] weeks) and 12 term gestation (39.3 ± 0.4 weeks) fetuses. The mononuclear cell population was separated by red cell lysis. Two‐color flow cytometry was used to assess cell surface antigen coexpression of CD34 with CD33, CD38, and HLA‐DR as well as staining by a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies for lineage‐associated (Lin) antigens (CD2, CD10, CD11b, CD19, CD20, CD33, CD36, 7B9, and Glycophorin‐A). The frequency of CD34+ cells (5.5 ± 0.9 versus 1.5 ± 0.2, p < 0.001) was significantly higher in the early gestational age group. Within the CD34+ population, the frequency of CD34+/CD38− cells (81.8 ± 9.9 versus 51.3 ± 7.7, p = 0.02) and CD34+/DR− cells (15.3 ± 7.4 versus 8.2 ± 2.7, p = 0.05) was also higher in the early gestational age group. In contrast, CD34+/CD33− (51.8 ± 10.1 versus 83.0 ± 6.1, p = 0.02) and CD34+/Lin− cells (15.9 ± 7.0 versus 51.8 ± 6.9, p < 0.01) were higher in the term gestation group. The high percentage of CD34+, CD34+/CD38−, and CD34+/DR− cells supports our hypothesis that early gestational age fetal blood has a higher frequency of primitive hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells than does umbilical cord blood at term. This suggests that hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells in early fetal blood may be a desirable target for in utero gene therapy. However, further studies to characterize the functional properties of CD34+ cell subsets at different stages of fetal development will be necessary to determine the appropriateness of targeting fetal hematopoietic cells for in utero gene therapy. The higher frequency of CD34+/CD33− and CD34+/Lin− cells from term gestational age fetuses was unexpected, and the significance of this finding is unclear at this time.
Hydroxyurea for sickle cell anemia: what have we learned and what questions still remain?

Purpose of reviewSickle cell anemia (SCA) is a well characterized severe hematological disorder with substantial morbidity and early mortality. Hydroxyurea is a potent inducer of fetal hemoglobin, and evidence over the past 25 years has documented its laboratory and clinical efficacy for both adults and children with SCA. Recent findingsThe phase III study of hydroxyurea in infants (BABY HUG) has just been completed and preliminary results indicate equivocal benefits for organ protection during the 2-year treatment period, but significant benefits for pain, acute chest syndrome, hospitalizations, and transfusions. Three new reports document the benefits of hydroxyurea on reducing mortality in SCA: two adult trials (LaSHS and MSH) and one pediatric study (Brazilian cohort). Recent results from the HUSTLE protocol suggest minimal genotoxicity or carcinogenicity with long-term hydroxyurea exposure. SummaryThe potential utility of hydroxyurea for all patients with SCA is clear and indisputable. With decades of accumulated evidence and documented efficacy with an acceptable long-term safety profile, it is time to consider hydroxyurea treatment the standard of care for all young patients with SCA. Exporting our knowledge and experience with hydroxyurea to developing nations with large medical burdens from SCA can help relieve global suffering from this condition.
Was Milton Friedman's Hope for Monetarism Reasonable? Optimal Wage Indexation Re-Examined.

Gray and Benassy analysed the optimal wage indexation choice for representative agents and labor unions when monetary or/and real shocks are generated by a symmetric distribution. Here their analysis is extended to the more relevant choice for firm owners. In general, the probability of contractionary monetary and real shocks, either alone or simultaneously, can make any degree of indexation optimal. If restricted to plausible values, a firm’s optimal choice is usually the opposite of that for representative/self-employed agents or labor unions, because it can increase the owner’s profit at the expense of worker’s income. Indexation is arguably non-optimal for firms.
On the persistence of computer dreams - an application framework for robust adaptive deployment

The anticipated rewards of adaptive approaches will only be fully realised when autonomic algorithms can take configuration and deployment decisions that match and exceed those of human engineers. Such decisions are typically characterised as being based on a foundation of experience and knowledge. In humans, these underpinnings are themselves founded on the ashes of failure, the exuberance of courage and (sometimes) the outrageousness of fortune. We describe an application framework that will allow the incorporation of similarly risky, error prone and downright dangerous software artifacts into live systems - without undermining the certainty of correctness at application level. We achieve this by introducing the notion of application dreaming.
English and language-in-education policy in the ASEAN Plus Three Forum

The ASEAN Plus Three Forum is a regional forum that facilitates political, economic and educational cooperation between the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that are located in Southeast Asia and three countries located in East Asia. The former comprise Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand; while the latter include Japan, China and South Korea. In the ASEAN Plus Three Forum, English plays increasingly significant roles – it has now become the working language of the ASEAN Economic Community member states (Stroupe & Kimura, 2015) whose population reaches 625 million people, and is now considered a massive educational market in East Asia such as Japan (Hammond, 2013). However, it remains unclear how this emerging prominence of English has brought implications to the important nexus between language and educational policy in the ASEAN Plus Three Forum. While recent publications have provided invaluable contributions to describing the shared challenges that the ASEAN Economic Community state members face in their efforts to increase their citizens’ English language proficiency (see Bigalke & Sharbawi, 2013; Stroupe & Kimura, 2015), little is known about how the ASEAN Plus Three member states develop their language-in-education policies. This is the impetus for this special issue of Asian Englishes (volume 18, issue 3). As Guest Editors of this volume we are interested in compiling articles that address the role of English and language-in-education policy in the ASEAN Plus Three member states. Addressing the issue is of paramount importance given two major considerations. The first concerns the consequences arising from the emerging politics of the members of the ASEAN Plus Three Forum in the post-Second World War period in East and Southeast Asia. The post-war period, for many members of the Forum, is the period in which they achieved independence from colonialism. According to Kirkpatrick and Liddicoat (2017), independence resulted in the greater role of language-in-education policy in consolidating national language(s) and establishing foreign language policy within the contexts of national identity, economic development, modernisation and global economy participation among the Forum members.
The Effects of Ozurdex® (Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant) on Experimental Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy

Purpose: To investigate a new sustained-release formulation of dexamethasone (Ozurdex®) for inhibiting proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and its effect on the expression of retinal glial reaction and inflammation in experimental PVR eyes. Methods: We used 30 pigmented rabbits for this study. One week after gas compression, the eyes were injected with 5 × 104 retinal pigment epithelial cells into the vitreous cavity to induce PVR. Concurrently, one eye also received an intravitreal injection of Ozurdex; the other eye was used as a control. PVR was graded by indirect ophthalmoscopy on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28. The expression of the retinal glial reaction and inflammation in experimental PVR eyes were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Results: PVR severity increased gradually and peaked after 14 days, and no differences in PVR severity between the study and control groups were observed at any time point. The expression of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) increased on days 7 and 14 in both the PVR control and study groups. While the use of Ozurdex in the study group showed less GFAP expression, this difference was not significant. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 significantly increased on days 7 and 14 in PVR control eyes. There was a significant difference in TNF-α between PVR control eyes and Ozurdex-treated eyes on days 7 (p < 0.001) and 14 (p = 0.019). Ozurdex in the study group showed lower IL-6 expression; however, this difference was not significant on days 7 (p = 0.063) and 14 (p = 0.052). Conclusions: The intravitreal injection of Ozurdex suppressed the expression of inflammatory markers; however, it did not mitigate the severity of experimental PVR in this animal model.
Attributing illness to ‘old age:’ Consequences of a self-directed stereotype for health and mortality

Stereotypic beliefs about older adults and the aging process have led to endorsement of the myth that ‘to be old is to be ill. ’ This study examined community-dwelling older adults’ (N = 105, age 80+) beliefs about the causes of their chronic illness (ie, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.), and tested the hypothesis that attributing the onset of illness to ‘old age’ is associated with negative health outcomes. A series of multiple regressions (controlling for chronological age, gender, income, severity of chronic conditions, functional status and health locus of control) demonstrated that ‘old age’ attributions were associated with more frequent perceived health symptoms, poorer health maintenance behaviours and a greater likelihood of mortality at 2-year follow-up. The probability of death was more than double among participants who strongly endorsed the ‘old age’ attribution as compared to those who did not (36% vs. 14%). Findings are framed in the context of self-directed stereotypes and implications for potential interventions are considered.
Models and Algorithms for the Integrated Planning of Bin Allocation and Vehicle Routing in Solid Waste Management

The efficient organization of waste collection systems based on bins located along the streets involves the solution of several tactical optimization problems. In particular, the bin configuration and sizing at each collection site as well as the service frequency over a given planning horizon have to be decided. In this context, a higher service frequency leads to higher routing costs, but at the same time less or smaller bins are required, which leads to lower bin allocation investment costs. The bins used have different types and different costs and there is a limit on the space at each collection site as well as a limit on the total number of bins of each type that can be used. In this paper we consider the problem of designing a collection system consisting of the combination of a vehicle routing and a bin allocation problem in which the trade-off between the associated costs has to be considered. The solution approach combines an effective variable neighborhood search metaheuristic for the routing part with a mixed integer linear programming-based exact method for the solution of the bin allocation part. We propose hierarchical solution procedures where the two decision problems are solved in sequence, as well as an integrated approach where the two problems are considered simultaneously. Extensive computational testing on synthetic and real-world instances with hundreds of collection sites shows the benefit of the integrated approaches with respect to the hierarchical ones.
Case-Control and Vector Studies of Nosocomial Acquisition of Pseudomonas Cepacia in Adult Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract Objective: To examine factors associated with nosocomial acquisition of Pseudomonas cepacia in adult patients with cystic fibrosis. Design: A retrospective case-control study of 5 patients with nosocomial acquisition of P cepacia versus 20 matched controls who failed to develop P cepacia infection. Selective handwashing, air sampling, and respiratory equipment sampling also were performed. Setting: A university hospital providing tertiary care to 95 adult cystic fibrosis patients. Patience: All patients are adults with known cystic fibrosis. Case definition required multiple negative sputum cultures for P cepacia prior to and during admission, with a positive sputum culture prior to discharge. Controls had negative sputum cultures for P cepacia prior to and throughout hospitalization. Controls were matched for age, gender, disease severity, and frequency of hospitalizations. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of nosocomial acquisition of P cepacia included receiving humidifier or nebulized treatments (60% versus 5%, p = .016, odds ratio= 28.5, 95% confidence interval= 1.93 to 420.58). Factors without significance included ward, room, teaching versus nonteaching status, use of steroids, sharing a hospital room with another cystic fibrosis patient, antibiotic use, presence of portocath in situ, or socializing with another individual with cystic fibrosis known to be P cepacia -positive. Air sampling studies failed to demonstrate aerosolization of P cepacia by coughing cystic fibrosis patients over a 1-hour sampling time. Handwashing studies failed to demonstrate P cepacia on hands of cystic fibrosis patients, nurses, or physiotherapists (before or after physiotherapy). Reservoirs from nebulizers consistently grew P cepacia following therapy. Conclusions: Respiratory equipment may be an important source of nosocomial acquisition of P cepacia in adult cystic fibrosis patients.
Analysis of ASTC in a correlated Rayleigh fading channel with imperfect channel estimation

In this paper, we analyze the performance of an Algebraic Space Time Codes (ASTC), called the Golden code. Due to its Algebraic construction based on Quaternionic algebra, the code has a full rate, full diversity, non-vanishing constant minimum determinant for increasing spectral efficiency, uniform average transmitted energy per antenna and good shaping. In this paper, we analyze the performances of the Golden codes in correlated Rayleigh channel. We consider a coherent demodulator and we analyze the channel estimation error impact.
Independent Control of Gibberellin Biosynthesis and Flowering Time by the Circadian Clock in Arabidopsis1

Flowering of the facultative long-day plant Arabidopsis is controlled by several endogenous and environmental factors, among them gibberellins (GAs) and day length. The promotion of flowering by long days involves an endogenous clock that interacts with light cues provided by the environment. Light, and specifically photoperiod, is also known to regulate the biosynthesis of GAs, but the effects of GAs and photoperiod on flowering are at least partially separable. Here, we have used a short-period mutant,toc1, to investigate the role of the circadian clock in the control of flowering time by GAs and photoperiod. We show thattoc1 affects expression of several floral regulators and a GA biosynthetic gene, but that these effects are independent.
The evolution of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: Similarity of genetic backgrounds in historically early methicillin-susceptible and -resistant isolates and contemporary epidemic clones

The key genetic component of methicillin resistance, the mecA determinant, is not native to Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, the evolution of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) must have begun with the acquisition of the mecA determinant from an unknown heterologous source some time before the first reported appearance of MRSA isolates in clinical specimens in the U.K. and Denmark (in the early 1960s). We compared the genetic backgrounds and phenotypes of a group of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates to the properties of MRSA strains isolated in Denmark and the U.K. during the same time period, and also to the genetic profiles of contemporary epidemic clones of MRSA. All early MRSA isolates resembled a large group of the early MSSA blood isolates in phenotypic and genetic properties, including phage group, antibiotype (resistance to penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern, and spaA type and multilocus sequence type, strongly suggesting that the early MSSA examined here represented the progeny of a strain that served as one of the first S. aureus recipients of the methicillin-resistance determinant in Europe. The genetic background of this group of early MSSA isolates was also very similar to that of the widely disseminated contemporary “Iberian clone” of MRSA, suggesting that genetic determinants present in early MSSA and essential for some aspects of the epidemicity and/or virulence of these strains may have been retained by this highly successful contemporary MRSA lineage.