Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic epidermal cooling during pulsed laser treatment of port-wine stain. A new methodology with preliminary clinical evaluation.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN The clinical objective in the treatment of a patient with port-wine stain (PWS) undergoing laser therapy is to maximize thermal damage to the PWS, while at the same time minimizing nonspecific injury to the normal overlying epidermis. With dynamic cooling, the epidermis can be cooled selectively. When a cryogen spurt is applied to the skin surface for an appropriately short period of time (on the order of tens of milliseconds), the cooling remains localized in the epidermis, while leaving the temperature of the deeper PWS vessels unchanged. RESULTS Comparative measurements obtained by a fast infrared imaging detector demonstrated that the surface temperature prior to laser exposure could be reduced by as much as 40 degrees C using the dynamic cooling technique. No skin surface textural changes were noted on PWS test sites cooled with a 20- to 80-millisecond cryogen spurt after flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser (FLPPDL) exposure (lambda = 585 nm; tau p = 450 microseconds) at the maximum light dosage possible (10 J/cm2). In contrast, epidermal necrosis occurred on the uncooled sites after such exposure. Six months after laser exposure, clinically significant blanching on the cooled sites indicates laser photothermolysis of PWS blood vessels did occur. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary experiments demonstrate the feasibility of selectively cooling the normal overlying epidermis without affecting the temperature of the deeper PWS vessels. Furthermore, protection of the epidermis from thermal injury, produced by melanin light absorption at clinically relevant wavelengths, can be achieved effectively. An additional advantage of dynamic epidermal cooling is reduction of patient discomfort associated with FLPPDL therapy. Further studies are under way to determine an optimum strategy for applying this dynamic cooling technique during pulsed laser treatment of patients with PWS and others with selected dermatoses (dermal melanocytic lesions and tattoos).
The place and role of events in the tourist development of the Southwest Serbia cluster

Events are activities that belong to the group of created attractions, which every destination that plans the successful development of tourism should have. The main role of the event is to promote tourism through the autonomous power of attraction of the event itself and to complement the tourist supply of a particular destination. The Southwest Serbia cluster has significant attractive features for the development of different forms of tourism, where a special role is played by event tourism, that is, various types of events. Some events in this cluster are of international significance, since, in addition to attracting domestic tourists, they also attract a significant number of foreign ones.
Quantitative trait loci mapping of genes that influence the sensitivity and tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia in BXD recombinant inbred mice.

A recent method allows the identification of the rough genetic map location in mice of genes that exert modest effects on continuously distributed (i.e., quantitative) variables. Sensitivity and tolerance tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol were studied with the purpose of identifying such quantitative trait loci (QTL). Mice from two progenitor inbred strains, C57BL/6J and DBA/2J, and 19 of their recombinant inbred (RI) BXD strains, were given ethanol daily for 3 days. By administering several doses of ethanol and recording multiple postdrug temperatures on the first and third injection day, the authors were able to compute several indices of initial sensitivity and tolerance magnitude in the RI strain battery. The strains differed at most times and doses in their acute reductions in body temperature with respect to their predrug base lines, which indicated genetic control of sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypothermia. The areas under the curve (which describes the initial hypothermic response over time), a measure that reflects both the maximal hypothermia achieved and the duration of total hypothermic response, also differed. The strains also differed in the magnitude of the tolerance developed to ethanol-induced hypothermia. Genetic determinants of sensitivity (and tolerance) to different doses of ethanol were primarily independent, although genetic sensitivity and tolerance to the intermediate (2- and 3-g/kg) doses were significantly correlated. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Determinants of carotid intima‐media thickness: a population‐based ultrasonography study in Eastern Finnish men

Abstract. We investigated the determinants of maximal intima‐media thickness of common carotid arteries in a population‐based sample of 1224 Eastern Finnish men aged 42, 48, 54 or 60 years. A high‐resolution B‐mode ultrasonographic examination was performed as part of the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The maximal intima‐media thickness (IMT) varied between 0.48 mm and 4.09 mm (mean value ± SD, 0.94 mm ± 0.38 mm). Age (standardized partial coefficient, beta = 0.238, P < 0.0001), ambulatory pulse pressure (beta = 0.130, P < 0.0001), cigarette‐years of smoking (beta = 0.125, P < 0.0001), serum LDL cholesterol concentration (beta = 0.125, P < 0.0001), history of ischaemic heart disease (beta = 0.125, P < 0.0001), pre‐exercise systolic blood pressure (beta = 0.070, P = 0.0113) and diabetes (beta = 0.068, P = 0.0072) were most strongly associated with IMT. This study confirms the role of systolic blood pressure, smoking and serum LDL cholesterol levels as major risk factors for increased carotid intima‐media thickness.
Short-Term Measurement of Linear Growth in Preterm Infants: Validation of a Hand-Held Knemometer

ABSTRACT: A hand-held electronic knemometer, resembling a pair of callipers, for measuring knee-heel length in preterm infants was developed to improve the accuracy of measuring linear growth velocity in infants. The measuring system is based on a magnetic encoder and has a resolution of 0.01 mm. The knee-heel length is recorded automatically when the pressure applied on the heel reaches a preset value. The result of a measurement sequence is expressed as the average of five sequential readings. The error of one measurement sequence was 0.82 mm, corresponding to a coefficient of variation of 0.8% or 2 d of growth in knee-heel length. It includes the technical error and an error component due to the correlation of the readings within a series. The estimated error on the measurement of the knee-heel growth velocity (expressed as mm/d), measured over a 3-wk period, was 0.04 mm, corresponding to a coefficient of variation of 8%. Longitudinal growth data from 11 healthy preterm infants (birth weight 918–1482 g) are presented. Knee-heel length velocity from birth until day of regained birth weight was similar to the velocity during the following weeks, showing that there was no deceleration of growth immediately after birth. In conclusion, the method is accurate and gentle in measuring linear growth velocity over short periods and can be useful in monitoring the progress of ill infants and in growth studies of preterm and mature infants, in which linear growth is a more relevant short-term outcome than weight gain.
Crosslink insertion for minimizing OCV clock skew

Crosslinks may be inserted in a few clock tree nodes to reduce on-chip variation induced clock skew, simply called OCV skew. A change in clock transition and clock latency should be accurately estimated and be reflected in crosslink insertion algorithm, which we study. Fast estimation of OCV skew is important, which we also address. Crosslink insertion problem is modeled into a graph, and is solved through integer linear programming (ILP) as well as a fast heuristic. Experiments in 28-nm technology indicate that maximum OCV skew is reduced by 44% and 35%, on average, by ILP and heuristic algorithm, respectively.
A method for hand-eye and camera-to-camera calibration for limited fields of view

In classical robot-camera calibration, a 6D transformation between the camera frame and the local frame of a robot is estimated by first observing a known calibration object from a number of different view points and then finding transformation parameters that minimize the reprojection error. The disadvantage with this is that often not all configurations can be reached by the end-effector, which leads to an inaccurate parameter estimation. Therefore, we propose a more versatile method based on the detection of oriented visual features, in our case AprilTags. From a collected number of such detections during a defined rotation of a joint, we fit a Bingham distribution by maximizing the observation likelihood of the detected orientations. After a tilt and a second rotation, a camera-to-joint transformation can be determined. In experiments with accurate ground truth available, we evaluate our approach in terms of precision and robustness, both for hand-eye/robot-camera and for camera-camera calibration, with classical solutions serving as a baseline.
Advocate or Traditional Bureaucrat: Understanding the Role of ESL Supervisors in Shaping Local Education Policy toward Immigrant Communities

ADVOCATE OR TRADITIONAL BUREAUCRAT: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ESL SUPERVISORS IN SHAPING LOCAL EDUCATION POLICY TOWARD IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES By Grant E. Rissler, Doctoral Candidate A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017. Dissertation Chairperson: Dr. Saltanat Liebert, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Public Administration L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs As recent immigrants seek a productive and dignified life in “new immigrant destinations” that have little historical experience with immigration, public education systems serve a key function in immigrant integration efforts. In a federal system increasingly focused on accountability, a crucial sub-set of education policy and local responsiveness to immigration is English language instruction and services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students and parents. In such contexts, the role that local bureaucrats play, and whether they actively represent the interests of the newfound diversity of community members, are crucial questions if strongly held American ideals of social equity and equal opportunity are to be upheld. This research asks broad questions at the intersection of bureaucratic power, representative bureaucracy and educational policy toward English language learners at the local level. Variations in how school systems in the political bellwether of Virginia responded to a recent policy shock federal guidance released in January 2015 that reiterated local school system responsibility for providing equal educational access to LEP students and parents – form a unique window into local policymaking. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed methodology that consists of a state-wide survey and interviews with a sub-set of the Title III coordinators who supervise programs for English Language Learners, this research shows Title III coordinators to be unrepresentative in passive terms of the foreign born population but nevertheless to have a strong sense of advocating for English Language Learners. Findings suggest that public service motivation is the key explanatory factor in driving a sense of role advocacy and this in turn drives a greater range of action taking by the coordinator to benefit ELLs. Despite this link between role advocacy and coordinator action, role advocacy is not found to be significant in driving the likelihood or range of system level responsiveness to the letter. Instead, political and demographic factors increase the likelihood of system action but, counter to existing literature, more conservative localities are found to be more likely to have responded to the Dear Colleague Letter. This suggests that a previous reluctance to act in these places may have been dislodged by the letter and points to the importance of change over time in conceptualizing local responsiveness to immigrants.
News Media Use: International Comparative Research

This entry discusses the current state of research on news media use from an international comparative perspective. Although mono-national studies on news consumption are easy to obtain anywhere, international comparative research in this area can be considered a real shortcoming. This entry presents an overview of important comparative analyses that consider media use for political information as their key variable and that were published between 2006 and 2016. In this short time span, fundamental changes in news media habits can be identified across media systems around the world. The entry discusses the research questions and methods of these studies, as well as their findings and shortcomings. In conclusion, opportunities and challenges for future studies in the field of international comparative media use research are addressed.
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Compared with Vancomycin for the Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus Infection

OBJECTIVE To compare trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) and vancomycin regarding efficacy and safety in the therapy of serious Staphylococcus aureus infections. DESIGN Randomized, double-blind comparative trial. SETTING A tertiary-care hospital. PATIENTS One hundred and one intravenous drug users hospitalized with S. aureus infection. MEASUREMENTS Cure and failure rates; blood and wound cultures; minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations; serum inhibitory and bactericidal titers; temperature; leukocyte count; durations of treatment and hospitalization; and toxicity. RESULTS Of 228 intravenous drug users, 101 had S. aureus infection and were included in the efficacy analysis (43 received TMP-SMZ and 58 received vancomycin). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) accounted for 47% of S. aureus isolates, and 65% of patients were bacteremic. Infections were cured in 57 of 58 vancomycin recipients and in 37 of 43 TMP-SMZ recipients (P less than 0.02). Failure occurred mostly in patients with tricuspid valve endocarditis and only in those with infection caused by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). The mean duration of bacteremia was 6.7 days in TMP-SMZ recipients and 4.3 days in vancomycin recipients. Among 222 subjects hospitalized for at least 24 hours, toxicity rates were similar for TMP-SMZ (23%) and vancomycin (20%) recipients; nausea and vomiting were associated with TMP-SMZ and inflammation at the intravenous site was associated with vancomycin. Forty-four percent of TMP-SMZ recipients and 29% of vancomycin recipients experienced side effects in the efficacy cohort (P greater than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Vancomycin is superior to TMP-SMZ in efficacy and safety when treating intravenous drug users who have staphylococcal infections. However, all treatment failures occurred in patients with MSSA infection at any site. Therefore, TMP-SMZ may be considered as an alternative to vancomycin in selected cases of MRSA infection.
Sirtuin 1 in rat orthotopic liver transplantation: an IGL-1 preservation solution approach.

AIM To investigate the possible involvement of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in rat orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), when Institute Georges Lopez 1 (IGL-1) preservation solution is enriched with trimetazidine (TMZ). METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used as donors and recipients. Livers were stored in IGL-1 preservation solution for 8h at 4 °C, and then underwent OLT according to Kamada's cuff technique without arterialization. In another group, livers were stored in IGL-1 preservation solution supplemented with TMZ, at 10(-6) mol/L, for 8 h at 4 °C and then underwent OLT. Rats were sacrificed 24 h after reperfusion, and liver and plasma samples were collected. Liver injury (transaminase levels), mitochondrial damage (glutamate dehydrogenase activity) oxidative stress (malondialdehyde levels), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)), the co-factor necessary for SIRT1 activity, were determined by biochemical methods. SIRT1 and its substrates (ac-FoxO1, ac-p53), the precursor of NAD(+), nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), as well as the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), p-mTOR, p-p70S6K (direct substrate of mTOR), autophagy parameters (beclin-1, LC3B) and MAP kinases (p-p38 and p-ERK) were determined by Western blot. RESULTS Liver grafts preserved in IGL-1 solution enriched with TMZ presented reduced liver injury and mitochondrial damage compared with those preserved in IGL-1 solution alone. In addition, livers preserved in IGL-1 + TMZ presented reduced levels of oxidative stress. This was consistent with enhanced SIRT1 protein expression and elevated SIRT1 activity, as indicated by decreased acetylation of p53 and FoxO1. The elevated SIRT1 activity in presence of TMZ can be attributed to the enhanced NAMPT protein and NAD(+)/NADH levels. Up-regulation of SIRT1 was consistent with activation of AMPK and inhibition of phosphorylation of mTOR and its direct substrate (p-p70S6K). As a consequence, autophagy mediators (beclin-1 and LC3B) were over-expressed. Furthermore, MAP kinases were regulated in livers preserved with IGL-1 + TMZ, as they were characterized by enhanced p-ERK and decreased p-p38 protein expression. CONCLUSION Our study shows that IGL-1 preservation solution enriched with TMZ protects liver grafts from the IRI associated with OLT, through SIRT1 up-regulation.
THE EFFECTS OF IDEA PART C EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN CHILD WELFARE

OF DISSERTATION THE EFFECTS OF IDEA PART C EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN CHILD WELFARE There is ample evidence indicating that maltreatment has deleterious effects on the development of infants and toddlers. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2003 requires referrals from child welfare (CW) to IDEA Part C Early Intervention services to provide developmental assessments and services for children younger than three with substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect. Thus, this study aims to examine the effects of Part C services on the well-being of young children and their families in CW. This study used a secondary dataset, the National Survey of Children and Adolescent Well-Being II, to examine the research questions. The study results indicate that Part C services can help to decrease the decline and have greater improvement in the well-being outcomes of young children with and without substantiated cases in CW. Also, Part C services can enhance language and adaptive skills for children who are in need of developmental and learning services. However, the developmental and learning needs of those young children are under-identified and under-addressed by CW professionals. Ample research has emphasized that Part C services can lead to positive outcomes for children who are at risk for developmental delays or dysfunction. If those children and their families are not offered timely and appropriate early interventions, their difficulties can become more severe, which often leads to lifelong consequences. To address the developmental needs of those children as early as possible, this study’s findings indicate an urgent need to enhance CW professionals’ knowledge of early childhood development and intervention as well as to improve their capabilities to identify young children’ developmental needs. State administrators and policymakers should reexamine the existing relationship between CW and Part C to further establish a better referral-making system in response to the mandated referrals under CAPTA of 2003 and IDEA of 2004.
Nitric oxide release from kidneys of hypertensive rats treated with imidapril.

To examine whether endothelial dysfunction in hypertension is reversible or not, we studied the effects of imidapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, on nitric oxide release in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. After a 4-week treatment with imidapril (1 or 10 mg/d SC) or vehicle, acetylcholine-induced vasodilation and nitric oxide release in the isolated kidneys were determined. Nitric oxide release was measured by a chemiluminescense assay. Imidapril lowered blood pressure in stroke-prone SHR in a dose-dependent manner. Untreated stroke-prone SHR exhibited significantly attenuated responses to acetylcholine (10(-8) mol/L) of both renal perfusion pressure (stroke-prone SHE 42 +/- 4% versus Wistar-Kyoto rats [WKY] 58 +/- 4% [mean +/- SE], P < .01) and nitric oxide release (stroke-prone SHR +7.6 +/- 2.1 versus WKY +29.7 +/- 9.7 fmol/min per gram of kidney wt, P < .01). Imidapril at 10 mg/d significantly increased acetylcholine-induced renal vasodilation and nitric oxide release in stroke-prone SHR (renal perfusion pressure, 56 +/- 3%; nitric oxide release, +27.1 +/- 6.4 fmol/min per gram of kidney wt; both P < .01 versus stroke-prone SHR treated with vehicle). On the other hand, imidapril neither decreased blood pressure nor changed nitric oxide release induced by acetylcholine in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Staining for endothelial nitric oxide synthase and brain nitric oxide synthase was clearly detected in the kidneys of both stroke-prone SHR and WKY, whereas staining intensity was weaker in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Inducible nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity was barely noticeable in any type of rat. Thus, imidapril restored endothelial damage by pressure-dependent mechanisms. Most of the nitric oxide detected in the perfusate seemed to be derived from constitutive nitric oxide synthase.
Motor unit recruitment and derecruitment induced by brief increase in contraction amplitude of the human trapezius muscle

The activity pattern of low‐threshold human trapezius motor units was examined in response to brief, voluntary increases in contraction amplitude (‘EMG pulse’) superimposed on a constant contraction at 4–7% of the surface electromyographic (EMG) response at maximal voluntary contraction (4–7% EMGmax). EMG pulses at 15–20% EMGmax were superimposed every minute on contractions of 5, 10, or 30 min duration. A quadrifilar fine‐wire electrode recorded single motor unit activity and a surface electrode recorded simultaneously the surface EMG signal. Low‐threshold motor units recruited at the start of the contraction were observed to stop firing while motor units of higher recruitment threshold stayed active. Derecruitment of a motor unit coincided with the end of an EMG pulse. The lowest‐threshold motor units showed only brief silent periods. Some motor units with recruitment threshold up to 5% EMGmax higher than the constant contraction level were recruited during an EMG pulse and kept firing throughout the contraction. Following an EMG pulse, there was a marked reduction in motor unit firing rates upon return of the surface EMG signal to the constant contraction level, outlasting the EMG pulse by 4 s on average. The reduction in firing rates may serve as a trigger to induce derecruitment. We speculate that the silent periods following derecruitment may be due to deactivation of non‐inactivating inward current (‘plateau potentials’). The firing behaviour of trapezius motor units in these experiments may thus illustrate a mechanism and a control strategy to reduce fatigue of motor units with sustained activity patterns.