Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Mechanisms of Transmural Dispersion of Myocardial Mechanics

slower recovery of LV function, occasionally associated with persistence of substantial regurgitation during follow-up. The mechanism of acute MR during LVABS is likely due to complex and multiple mechanisms. Nevertheless, the main factor involved seems to lie in the altered spatial relationship between mitral leaflets and the subvalvular apparatus, caused by the apical ballooning. Indeed, papillary muscle displacement was a constant finding in all our patients with acute MR, leading to impaired leaflet coaptation secondary to tethering. In addition, SAM occurred in 36% of patients with MR and appeared to play a relevant role in determining the presence and degree of regurgitation during the acute phase of LVABS, as well as causing significant LV outflow obstruction (5). It is well known from studies on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that SAM is almost constantly associated with variable degrees of MR, which may be severe (6,7). In patients with LVABS, SAM may originate from the combination of apical ballooning and distortion of the LV, abnormal papillary muscle tethering forces, mitral valve displacement, and proximity of midapical bulging and akynesia with hypercontractile basal LV segments (5). In addition, we cannot exclude the contribution of other mechanisms to acute MR, such as reduced papillary muscle contraction and absolute or relative decrease in LV preload. Conversely, a key role for mitral annulus dilation and structural leaflet abnormalities seems unlikely based on our findings. Finally, significant mitral leaflet sclerosis was found in the small number of patients with delayed or absent improvement of MR. This finding suggests that pre-existing degrees of valve degeneration or other structural abnormalities may be relevant in determining the extent and time-course of MR and its recovery in LVABS. These observations imply that acute MR should be actively sought and carefully evaluated in patients with LVABS, as a potential marker of adverse clinical course requiring aggressive treatment. Likewise, LVABS should be systematically considered in the differential diagnosis of patients admitted for heart failure or cardiogenic shock associated with acute MR. *Guido Parodi, MD, PhD, FESC
Endotoxin and its binding proteins in chronic liver disease: the effect of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting.

BACKGROUND Gut-derived endotoxin is insufficiently cleared by the diseased liver, and thus, is elevated in plasma of patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Endotoxin action might be modified by binding to soluble CD14 (sCD14) and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), both of which have not yet been sufficiently studied in CLD. METHODS Endotoxin, sCD14 and LBP have been determined in peripheral blood of 72 patients and 39 control subjects, and in portal and hepatic venous blood of 12 patients during transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) implantation. RESULTS Peripheral endotoxin (average 3-fold increased compared to controls), LBP, and sCD14 plasma levels were elevated in chronic liver disease irrespective of Child stage m, preserve/absence of cirrhosis or aetiology. LBP, and sCD14. Furthermore, endotoxin levels in the portal vein (38.1 +/- 6.1 pg/ml) were only slightly elevated compared to the hepatic vein (29.2 +/- 4.4 pg/ml), and peripheral endotoxin levels did not increase after TIPS. CONCLUSIONS Decreased hepatocellular function rather than hepatic blood shunting might be responsible for endotoxemia. The elevation in LBP and sCD14 levels may be a consequence of endotoxemia.
Medium‐chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs): A review of bioaccumulation potential in the aquatic environment

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are high molecular weight organochlorine compounds that have been used in a variety of industrial applications for many years. Medium‐chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) (CAS 85535‐85‐9; Alkanes, C14–17, chloro) are currently under investigation as potential persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) compounds. In this article, the bioaccumulation potential of MCCPs is assessed using a tiered framework proposed after a recent Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Pellston Workshop in 2008. The framework proposes the use of physicochemical properties and modeling assessment, bioconcentration/bioaccumulation (BCF/BAF) assessment, biomagnification (BMF) assessment, and trophic magnification factor (TMF) assessment. It is hoped that use of this framework could harmonize and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the chemical substance evaluation screening process for PBT properties. When applied to MCCPs, the following conclusions were made: empirical physiochemical data is available negating the use of models; laboratory BCFs range from 1000 to 15 000 (growth‐corrected lipid normalized values) for 2 MCCP structures; field BAFs were an order of magnitude higher than the trigger criterion for “B status possible”; although results may not meet acceptance criteria for field studies, laboratory‐derived BMFs for a number of C14–17 chlorinated alkanes were less than the trigger value of 1 (based on whole‐body concentrations) whereas field‐derived BMFs were less than 1 (based on lipid corrected values [generally used for field data] excluding one measure for sculpin, [Cottus cognatus]‐Diporeia that was based on only one detectable sample); and finally, TMFs were less than the trigger criterion value of 1, which are considered the most convincing evidence for bioaccumulative properties of a compound and the “Gold Standard” measure of bioaccumulation. This article also discusses the uncertainties surrounding the published data, especially concerning field data where limited sampling points are available and the difficulty in assessing the bioaccumulative potential of MCCPs as mixtures of different congeners. In conclusion, although some laboratory bioaccumulation values have a potential for concern, the majority of field values are more favorable when assessing the bioaccumulative potential of MCCPs. Definitive conclusions on the PBT assessment of MCCPs can be eased with further testing in both areas of P and B in the laboratory in conjunction with further monitoring of biota in the field to derive more robust field data. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:78–86. © 2013 SETAC
Relationships Between Computer-Based Testing and Behavioral Ratings in the Assessment of Attention and Activity in a Pediatric ADHD Stimulant Crossover Trial

This study investigated the relationships between computer-based testing and behavioral ratings in the assessment of stimulant-induced changes in attention and activity in a pediatric ADHD crossover trial with methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and a placebo. Here 36 children between 9 and 14 years old were randomly and evenly assigned to each of six counterbalanced drug orders. A computer-based continuous performance test combined with a motion-tracking system (cb-CPT-MTS) and an ADHD questionnaire rated by teachers constituted the outcome measures. All outcome measures responded to stimulants in a comparable way at the group level, as shown by significant treatment effects of similar size for the two stimulants compared with a placebo. Computer-based and rating-based measures were unrelated in the assessment of stimulant-induced changes in attention and activity in individual children; no significant correlations between these measures in the assessment of change from placebo to stimulant conditions across the sample were detected. Results suggest that computer-based testing and behavioral ratings cannot be considered equivalent in the assessment of stimulant-induced changes in attention and activity among ADHD children.
Characteristics and dimensions of the sinus membrane in patients referred for single-implant treatment in the posterior maxilla: a cone beam computed tomographic analysis.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the thickness and anatomic characteristics of the sinus membrane using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in patients evaluated for implant surgery in the posterior maxilla. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 131 consecutive patients referred for dental implant placement in the posterior maxilla. A total of 138 CBCT images was obtained using fields of view of 4 × 4 cm, 6 × 6 cm, or 8 × 8 cm. Reformatted sagittal CBCT slices were analyzed with regard to the thickness and characteristics of the sinus membrane at single-tooth gaps in the posterior maxilla. Factors that might influence the dimensions of the sinus membrane, such as age, sex, endodontic status, and the season, were analyzed. RESULTS The mean thickness of the maxillary sinus mucosa varied between 2.1 and 2.69 mm in the three locations analyzed. Fewer than half of the evaluated sinuses exhibited a healthy mucosa (49 of 138, or 35.51%). Most of the pathologic findings were flat, shallow thickenings (63 of 138, or 45.65%). Sex did not influence the thickness of the sinus membrane at the root tips of the premolars or at single-tooth gaps, but there was a statistically significant correlation in the region of the maxillary molars. No other evaluated factors had a statistically significant effect on the dimensions of the antral mucosa. CONCLUSIONS In the present study, sex was the only factor influencing the dimension of the sinus membrane, whereas patient age, season, and the endodontic status of neighboring teeth had no significant effect on the thickness of the antral mucosa. Future studies should address which types of mucosal thickening require interdisciplinary therapy.
Atopic dermatitis

ABSTRACT: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common dermatologic disease that can occur at different ages with different clinical manifestations. The etiologic factors and the pathogenetic pathways of AD have been thoroughly investigated but as often happens, something more has to be yet elucidated before the statement, that we possess the overall comprehension of the disease, could be considered the truth. Treatment of AD is often challenging, because of the chronic course of the disease and the fact that even the best of therapies is affected by adverse events, intolerances, or the possible occurrence of contraindications resulting from a sudden change in the overall health status of the patient (e.g., the onset of some comorbidities). Hence, the need to know “how, when, with what, and why” to treat AD patients with the many therapeutic modalities is now in the hands of the dermatologists.
Determining the minimum clinically important differences for outcomes in the DOMINO trial

Although less likely to be reported in clinical trials than expressions of the statistical significance of differences in outcomes, whether or not a treatment has delivered a specified minimum clinically important difference (MCID) is also relevant to patients and their caregivers and doctors. Many dementia treatment randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have not reported MCIDs and, where they have been done, observed differences have not reached these.
User-level implementation of checkpointing for multithreaded applications on Windows NT

The existing user-level checkpointing schemes support only a certain portion of multithreaded programs on the Windows operating system, which are based on single-threaded programs. This paper focuses on studying a checkpointing scheme to support inter-thread synchronization and quantitative variation of threads for multithreaded processes. Unlike other proposed schemes, in which a thread is suspended by another thread at checkpointing, our checkpointing scheme employs a strategy by which a thread suspends itself. Therefore, it is free of nondeterminacy of thread suspension point, thereby ensuring correct rollback recovery. Our checkpointing scheme supports also various synchronization objects such as Mutex, CriticalSection and Event, as well as Semaphore, WaitableTimer and Thread.
Surface WindSpeed Statistics Modelling : Alternatives to the Weibull Distribution and Performance Evaluation

Wind-speed statistics are generally modelled using theWeibull distribution. However, theWeibull distribution is based on empirical rather than physical justification andmight display strong limitations for its applications. Here, we derive wind-speed distributions analytically with different assumptions on the wind components to model wind anisotropy, wind extremes and multiple wind regimes. We quantitatively confront these distributions with an extensive set of meteorological data (89 stations covering various sub-climatic regions in France) to identify distributions that perform best and the reasons for this, and we analyze the sensitivity of the proposed distributions to the diurnal to seasonal variability. We find that local topography, unsteady wind fluctuations as well as persistent wind regimes are determinants for the performances of these distributions, as they induce anisotropy or nonGaussian fluctuations of the wind components. A Rayleigh–Rice distribution is proposed to model the combination of weak isotropic wind and persistent wind regimes. It outperforms all other tested distributions (Weibull, elliptical and non-Gaussian) and is the only proposed distribution able to catch accurately the diurnal and seasonal variability.
Four-platform distributed MIMO radar measurements and imagery

This paper presents the results of a distributed multiple-input/multiple-output radar system which emulates four transmitters and four receivers. This experimental multistatic X-band system is employed for synthetic aperture radar imaging of both simple and complex scattering structures, and comparisons are made with the corresponding monostatic imagery. The required cross-platform coherency is maintained through a calibration technique which ensures accurate multistatic image registration and formation over ultra-wide frequency bands and large azimuthal collection angles. The collected high resolution imagery facilitates detailed analysis of multistatic scattering phenomenology and demonstrates the feasibility of coherent distributed sensor imaging. This demonstration is foundational to the structure of multi-platform radio frequency imaging architectures and provides a basis for further development of coherent distributed sensing.
The measurement of bacterial viabilities by slide culture.

SUMMARY: A procedure is described for measuring the viabilities (% viable/total organisms) of populations of Aerobacter aerogenes by short-term incubation on agar films followed by differential counting under the microscope. The only special apparatus needed is a supply of metal annuli. The procedure estimates viability with 95 % fiducial limits of ± 9%; it appears applicable to other aerobic bacteria, to yeasts and to spore suspensions.
First National Survey of Antibiotic Susceptibility of the Bacteroides fragilis Group: Emerging Resistance to Carbapenems in Argentina

ABSTRACT The antibiotic susceptibility rates of 363 clinical Bacteroides fragilis group isolates collected from 17 centers in Argentina during the period from 2006 to 2009 were as follows: piperacillin-tazobactam, 99%; ampicillin-sulbactam, 92%; cefoxitin, 72%; tigecycline, 100%; moxifloxacin, 91%; and clindamycin, 52%. No metronidazole resistance was detected in these isolates during this time period. Resistance to imipenem, doripenem, and ertapenem was observed in 1.1%, 1.6%, and 2.3% of B. fragilis group strains, respectively. B. fragilis species showed a resistance profile of 1.5% to imipenem, 1.9% to doripenem, and 2.4% to ertapenem. This is the first report of carbapenem resistance in Argentina. The cfiA gene was present in 8 out of 23 isolates, all of them belonging to the B. fragilis species and displaying reduced susceptibility or resistance to carbapenems (MICs ≥ 4 μg/ml). Three out of eight cfiA-positive isolates were fully resistant to carbapenems, while 5 out of 8 isolates showed low-level resistance (MICs, 4 to 8 μg/ml). The inhibition by EDTA was a good predictor of the presence of metallo-β-lactamases in the fully resistant B. fragilis strains, but discrepant results were observed for low-level resistant isolates. B. fragilis was more susceptible to antimicrobial agents than other Bacteroides species. Bacteroides vulgatus species was the most resistant to ampicillin-sulbactam and piperacillin-tazobactam, and B. thetaiotaomicron/ovatus strains showed the highest level of resistance to carbapenems, with an unknown resistance mechanism. B. vulgatus and the uncommon non-Bacteroides fragilis species were the most resistant to moxifloxacin, showing an overall resistance rate of 15.1%.
Potential Application of Multipolarization SAR for Pine-Plantation Biomass Estimation

This paper presents the techniques and the potential utility of multipolarization Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for pineplantation biomass estimation. Three channels of SAR data, one from the Shuttle Imaging Radar SIR-A and the other two from the aircraft SAR, were acquired over the Baldwin County, Alabama, study area. The SIR-A data were acquired with HH polarization and the aircraft SAR data with VV and VH polarizations. Linear regression techniques are used to estimate the pine-plantation biomass, tree height, and age using 21 test plots. The results indicate that the multipolarization data are highly related to the plantation biomass. The results suggest a potential application of multipolarization SAR for pine-plantation biomass estimation.
The “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” Policy and Military Performance

This paper is a response to Schumm's 2004 critique of Belkin's 2003 article, dealing with the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy in the U.S. military. Schumm's critique specified four reasons for continuing to exclude homosexuals from military service: military effectiveness, sexual asymmetries, Christian soldiers' dilemma of “living a lie” and skewed opinions of policy makers and military elites. Each of these categories is analyzed and discussed.
Digital-controlled power factor corrector with transition current mode control without zero current detection

It is well known that transition current mode control for power factor corrector can reduce the reversal recovery loss for the diode. This method can be realized using discrete control integrated circuit which requires zero-crossing detection circuit. In this paper, a novel control technique for digital-controlled power factor corrector to achieve transition current mode control is proposed. The switching period to retain zero current switching is predicted and the turn-on period is determined by the voltage controller. Experimental results derived from a DSP-based controller are presented for confirmation. The power factor corrector is with 100 V/AC input and 400 V/DC output. Its power rating is 250 W. Experimental results show that the power factor is higher than 0.98, efficiency is greater than 94% and current total harmonics distortion (THDi) is smaller than 4% under full load condition and confirms the above-mentioned claims very well.
Growth and Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes on Porous Silicon

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized on porous silicon (PS) substrates by catalytic pyrolysis of acetylene at 823, 873 and 973 K, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Field emission measurements have been used to characterize the structures, compositions and electron emission properties of the CNTs, respectively. The results reveal that the diameters of CNTs increase with the growth temperatures as well as the intensities of D and G peaks in Raman spectra. Besides, the carbon content increases as increasing the temperature, whereas the concentrations of oxygen and silicon decrease. Field emission properties for CNTs grown at various temperatures follow exponential increase with the increase of electric field.
Ins and outs of the long-run unemployment dynamics

This article studies the contribution of inflow and outflow rates to the unemployment dynamics in the long-run. I find that both inflow and outflow rates contribute significantly to variation in the long-run trend in the unemployment rate in both the United States and Japan. In the United States, the inflow and outflow rates account for roughly similar proportions of overall unemployment variability in the long run. On the other hand, in Japan, the inflow rate accounts for much of unemployment variation in the long run, and the contribution of the inflow rate to overall unemployment fluctuation is around 62%.
FcγRIIB and autoimmunity

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by adaptive immune responses against self‐antigens, including humoral responses resulting in the production of autoantibodies. Autoantibodies generate inflammation by activating complement and engaging Fcγ receptors (FcγRs). The inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB plays a central role in regulating the generation of autoantibodies and their effector functions, which include activation of innate immune cells and the cellular arm of the adaptive immune system, via effects on antigen presentation to CD4 T cells. Polymorphisms in FcγRIIB have been associated with susceptibility to autoimmunity but protection against infections in humans and mice. In the last few years, new mechanisms by which FcγRIIB controls the adaptive immune response have been described. Notably, FcγRIIB has been shown to regulate germinal center B cells and dendritic cell migration, with potential impact on the development of autoimmune diseases. Recent work has also highlighted the implication of FcγRIIB on the regulation of the innate immune system, via inhibition of Toll‐like receptor‐ and complement receptor‐mediated activation. This review will provide an update on the role of FcγRIIB in adaptive immune responses in autoimmunity, and then focus on their emerging function in innate immunity.
An application of reinforcement learning algorithms to industrial multi-robot stations for cooperative handling operation

This paper presents a novel approach to operate industrial robots as used for manufacturing lines within a cooperative robot station. The proposed framework consists of the application of especially to the cooperative robot handling problem adjusted Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms. Such RL-algorithms deal with sequential decision making processes in a trial-and-error learning interaction with the environment, to finally gain an optimal team-working behavior among the robots. In particular application results to a real team-working robot station underline the effectiveness of the novel RL approach.