Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primary Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death Early Post-Myocardial Infarction: Root Cause Analysis for Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator Failure and Currently Available Options

The rate of death, including sudden cardiac death (SCD), is highest during the early period after a myocardial infarction (MI). 1 Implantable cardioverter–defibrillators (ICDs) improve survival rates of patients with various heart conditions who are at high risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA), by terminating those VTA.2–5 However, ICDs in conjunction with optimal medical therapy have failed to improve survival when implanted for primary prevention early after an MI in 2 prospective randomized controlled trials when compared with optimal medical therapy alone: the DINAMIT (Defibrillator in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial)6 and the IRIS (Immediate Risk Stratification Improves Survival Trial). 7 Therefore, current guidelines8 indicate that patients should not receive an ICD within 40 days after an MI without revascularization (DINAMIT criteria) or within 3 months after an MI with revascularization which leaves patients at risk for SCD during this gap of vulnerability period.9 Different hypotheses that may underlie the negative results of the DINAMIT and IRIS trials will be reviewed here in detail. A meta-analysis of the outcomes of these 2 studies is performed. In addition, we estimate annualized mortality through 3 years for these 2 trials and all other major primary prevention ICD trials with ischemic cardiomyopathy, creating a basis for comparison across studies. The current options available to reduce SCD post-MI will be discussed, including the potential impact of a wearable cardioverter–defibrillator (WCD; LifeVest; Zoll, Pittsburgh, PA) as a bridging therapy, in light of the various hypotheses underlying the lack of ICD benefit in DINAMIT and IRIS patients. The incidence of SCD is increased within the first few months post-MI. It is highest within the first month after an MI (1.2%–1.4%),1–10 followed by a progressive decline until a plateau after a few months. The mechanism of SCD post-MI, adjudicated initially …
Incentive Effects of Workers' Compensation Benefits: A Literature Synthesis

Increasingly, the health care community and public policymakers are recognizing the role of economic and psychosocial factors in disability in addition to their traditional attention to environmental, physical, and somatic influences on health and illness. In particular, current discussions of health rorm include serious consideration of the integration of workers' compensation and health plan benefits. This article synthesizes what is known regarding one important aspect of health policy: the effects on disability behavior of changes in workers' compensation benefits. The best available literature reveals that an increase of 10 percent in workers' compensation benefits is related to a I to 11 percent increase in the frequency of workers' compensation claims and a 2 to 11 percent increase in duration per claim. The article examines the sensitivity of these parameter estimates to differences in research design and proposes an idealized study methodology that, the authors hope, would improve the precision of estimates of the incentive effects of workers' compensation payments.
The utility of remotely sensed CO2 concentration data in surface source inversions

This paper aims to establish the required precision for column‐integrated CO2 concentration data to be useful in constraining surface sources. We use the method of synthesis inversion and compare the uncertainties in regional sources calculated from a moderate‐sized surface network and either global or oceanic coverage of column‐integrated pseudodata. With a simple measure of total uncertainty, we require precision of monthly averaged column data better than 2.5 ppmv on a 8° × 10° footprint for comparable performance with the existing surface network. If coverage is only oceanic we require 1.5 ppmv precision. We recommend more detailed studies on the feasibility of obtaining such observations from current and future satellite instruments.
An economic evaluation of trastuzumab as adjuvant treatment of early HER2-positive breast cancer patients in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE Trastuzumab (Herceptin), a recombinant, humanized, monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 is well established as an effective treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. Evidence from developed countries showed that trastuzumab was cost-effective; but there are few evidences in developing countries. This study assesses the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment in Colombia. METHODS A Markov health-state transition model was built to estimate clinical and economic outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer with or without 12 months trastuzumab adjuvant chemotherapy over a lifetime perspective with annual transition cycles. The model incorporated five health states (diseasefree, local recurrence, distant recurrence, cardiac failure, and death). Baseline event rates and 3-year hazard ratio (HR=0.51, IC 95% 0.44-0.59; p<0.0001) were derived from 4-year follow up of the N9831 and NSABP B-31 trial. Costs and utility weights were obtained from the literature and were discounted by 5% annually. RESULTS The model showed that the utilization of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment in early breast cancer can prolong 0.80 quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), compared with standard chemotherapy, an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of US$ 71,491 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION The results suggest that 1-year adjuvant Trastuzumab treatment is not cost-effective in Colombia, using the definition of WHO cost-effectiveness threshold of 3 times GDP per capita.
Tachykinins as mediators of slow EPSPs in guinea‐pig gall‐bladder ganglia: involvement of neurokinin‐3 receptors.

1. The effects of endogenous tachykinins and related peptides on intact guinea‐pig gall‐bladder neurones were investigated with single‐electrode voltage‐ and current‐clamp recording techniques. 2. Pressure ejection of substance P (100 microM) caused a long lasting membrane depolarization that was associated with a decrease in input resistance. In cells that were voltage‐clamped to their resting membrane potential, substance P activated an inward current. 3. The reversal potentials of the substance P‐induced depolarization and inward current were congruent to 0 mV. In a low‐Na+ solution, the substance P‐induced depolarization and inward current were reduced in amplitude. 4. Substance P increased the excitability of neurones, as evidenced by a greater anodal break activity and an increase in the number of action potentials generated during a depolarizing current pulse. 5. Substance P, neurokinin A (NKA) and neurokinin B (NKB) were applied by superfusion to determine the relative potencies of these tachykinins. NKB was the most potent, with an EC50 of 24 nM. The EC50 values for NKA and substance P were 47.8 and 281 nM, respectively. 6. The neurokinin‐3 (NK‐3) receptor agonist senktide depolarized neurones with an EC50 of 6.3 nM. Neither the NK‐1 receptor agonist [Sar9,Met(O2)11]‐substance P nor the NK‐2 receptor agonist [beta‐Ala8]‐NKA(4‐10) caused a measurable depolarization. 7. The NK‐3 antagonist [Trp7,beta‐Ala8]‐NKA (4‐10) inhibited the responsiveness of gall‐bladder neurones to substance P with a KB (dissociation constant of receptor antagonist) of 49 nM, and depressed both capsaicin‐induced depolarizations and stimulus‐evoked slow EPSPs. 8. These data indicate that tachykinins mediate slow EPSPs in guinea‐pig gall‐bladder ganglia by activating NK‐3 receptors on gall‐bladder neurones. It is proposed that in response to inflammation or high intraluminal pressure, tachykinins may be released within ganglia by sensory fibres and act directly on intrinsic neurones to facilitate ganglionic transmission.
Elastica in SO(3)

Abstract In a Riemannian manifold M, elastica are solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equation of the following second order constrained variational problem: find a unit-speed curve in M, interpolating two given points with given initial and final (unit) velocities, of minimal average squared geodesic curvature. We study elastica in Lie groups G equipped with bi-invariant Riemannian metrics, focusing, with a view to applications in engineering and computer graphics, on the group SO(3) of rotations of Euclidean 3-space. For compact G, we show that elastica extend to the whole real line. For G = SO(3), we solve the Euler-Lagrange equation by quadratures.
Acute and painful erythema of the hands and feet. Acral erythema induced by chemotherapy.

REPORT OF A CASE A 62-year-old woman was evaluated for asthenia and spontaneous bleeding. A bone marrow biopsy revealed acute myelocytic leukemia, type M3. The patient was treated with a polychemotherapy regimen of cytarabine administered in a continuous intravenous infusion for 1 week plus daunorubicin adminstered during the first 3 days of each cycle. On day 5 of her first cycle, the patient felt acute dysesthesia of her hands and feet, rapidly followed by erythematous macules and patches involving the dorsal and ventral surfaces of her palms and soles and the dorsum of her hands and feet (Figure 1andFigure 2). The lesions, which almost completely covered her palms and soles, disappeared in 1 week, accompanied by desquamation. A skin biopsy specimen was obtained (Figure 3). What is your diagnosis? DIAGNOSIS: Acral erythema induced by chemotherapy.
Pharmacotherapy Interventions Undertaken by Pharmacists in the Fleetwood Phase III Study: the Role of Process Control

Background: The Fleetwood Model incorporates prospective review, direct communication with the prescriber, and formalized pharmacotherapy planning in patients at highest risk for medication-related problems. Objectives: To describe the intervention activities performed by consultant pharmacists and dispensing pharmacists in the context of the Fleetwood Phase III Study. Methods: We report on a total of 4272 residents living in 12 nursing homes included in the intervention arm of the demonstration project. The intervention period was January through December 2004. Using pharmacotherapy planning software with a Web-based interface, daily interchange of information from the commercial pharmacy software, as well as laptop-based software for use in the nursing homes, pharmacists documented the reason for the intervention, the level of service, and the extent to which the recommendations were accepted. Results: There were 2118 Fleetwood interventions performed on 4272 residents (intervention rate: 9.48/100 resident months), with 81% of interventions performed by consultant pharmacists. The top 5 reasons for Fleetwood interventions by dispensing pharmacists were: missing information/clarification needed (19.8%), drug–age precautions (14.4%), excessive duration alert (9.5%), suboptimal regimen (8.7%), and laboratory test needed (7.3%). The top 5 reasons for involvement of the consultant pharmacists were: laboratory test needed (13.1%), missing information/clarification needed (13%), unnecessary drug (10.3%), product selection opportunity (10.3%), and excessive duration alert (9.1%). Conclusions: Extending the federally mandated medication review process in nursing homes to incorporate elements of the Fleetwood Model is possible. The recommendation acceptance rates for pharmacist interventions are high.
Tackling complexity in an interdisciplinary scholarly network: Requirements for semantic publishing

Scholarly communication is complex. The clarification of concepts like “academic publication”, “document”, “semantics” and “ontology” facilitates tracking the limitations and benefits of the media of the current publishing system, as well as of a possible alternative medium. In this paper, requirements for such a new medium of scholarly communication, labeled Scholarly Network, have been collected and a basic model has been developed. An interdisciplinary network of concepts and assertions, created with the help of Semantic Web technologies by scholars and reviewed by peers and information professionals, can provide a quick overview of the state of research. The model picks up the concept of Nanopublications, but maps information in a more granular way. For a better understanding of which problems have to be solved by developing such a publication medium, e.g. , inconsistency, theories of Radical Constructivism are of great help.
Electrical motor design for hybrid heavy-duty electrical powertrain

The aim of this paper is to design the electric motorization of a hybrid powertrain applied to a heavy vehicle. A high electromagnetic torque is necessary to start up vehicle and to realize a boost working of the powertrain. The paper focuses on the surface-mounted permanent magnet (PM) synchronous drive design, including the design of the motor and the inverter. In order to achieve this design, an analytical model (AM) is used for the motor and a first machine has been obtained according to the specifications. The method makes it possible to optimize the electrical machine overall and then its integration in the power train. Then, finite element analyses (FEA) has been used to validate the results obtained through AM.
Determinar las características demográficas y resultados espirométricos en trabajadores de la asociación nacional de fabricantes de ladrillos y materiales de construcción (Anafalco) en el mes de agosto del 2013

Objetivo: Identificar las alteraciones espirometricas en trabajadores de las ladrilleras en el sur de Bogota y sus condiciones sociodemograficas Metodologia: Se realizo un estudio descriptivo de tipo transversal, donde se evaluaron las condiciones demograficas de trabajadores de 17 ladrilleras de 33 que conforman LA ASOCIACION NACIONAL DE FABRICANTES DE LADRILLOS Y MATERIALES DE CONSTRUCCION (ANAFALCO) y el resultado de la espirometria en pacientes con examenes medicos ocupacionales en el mes de agosto de 2013 realizados por la compania ASODER CONSULTORES IPS en Bogota Colombia. Los datos obtenidos son descritos mediante medidas de frecuencia relativas como porcentajes y se considero el uso de tablas de contingencia para el cruce de variables. Resultados: Se encontro una poblacion predominantemente masculina, cuya media de edad es de 41,6 anos, con un nivel educativo dada por educacion basica primaria incompleta y con prevalencia del estado civil de union libre; el 91% de la poblacion labora en el area operativa, con una antiguedad en la empresa prevalente entre 1 a 5 anos con un 44%. El 31% de los trabajadores presento habito de consumo de cigarrillo, y el 35% reporto practicar algun ejercicio fisico. En los resultados de la espirometria el 79% presento resultado normal, el 21% mostro espirometria anormal, con predominancia de patron obstructivo leve (17%). Conclusiones: La alteracion del patron espirometrico predomina en trabajadores del area operativa, con edad mayor a 50 anos, que llevan mas de 10 anos trabajando en la empresa. El habito de fumar no es un factor de riesgo directamente relacionado, pero la practica de deporte si figura como factor protector. El patron de alteracion predominante fue el obstructivo leve, lo que sugiere la posibilidad de aplicar medidas de prevencion y proteccion para minimizar la progresion hacia alteraciones de mayor severidad.
Climate change will increase savannas at the expense of forests and treeless vegetation in tropical and subtropical Americas

Transition areas between biomes are particularly sensitive to environmental changes. Our understanding of the impacts of ongoing climate change on terrestrial ecosystems has significantly increased during the last years. However, it is largely unknown how climatic change will affect transitions among major vegetation types. We modelled the distribution of three alternative states (forest, savanna and treeless areas) in the tropical and subtropical Americas by means of climate‐niche modelling. We studied how such distribution will change by the year 2070 by using 17 downscaled and calibrated global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and the latest scenarios provided by the 5th Assessment Report of the IPCC. Our results support the savannization of the tropical and subtropical Americas because of climate change, with an increase in savannas mainly at the expense of forests. Our models predict an important geographical shift in the current distribution of transition areas between forest and savannas, which is much less pronounced in the case of those between savannas and treeless areas. Largest shifts, up to 600 km northward, are predicted in the forest–savanna transitions located in the eastern Amazon. Our findings indicate that climate change will promote a shift towards more unstable states: the extent of the transition areas will notably increase, and largely stable forest areas are predicted to shrink dramatically. Synthesis. Our work explores dimensions of the impact of climate change on biomes that have received little attention so far. Our results indicate that climate change will not only affect the extent of savanna, forest and treeless areas in the tropical and subtropical Americas, but also will: (i) promote a significant geographical shift and an increase of the extent of transition areas between biomes and (ii) decrease the stability of the equilibrium between forest, savanna and treeless areas, yielding a more unpredictable system.
The European climate under a 2 °C global warming

A global warming of 2 °C relative to pre-industrial climate has been considered as a threshold which society should endeavor to remain below, in order to limit the dangerous effects of anthropogenic climate change. The possible changes in regional climate under this target level of global warming have so far not been investigated in detail. Using an ensemble of 15 regional climate simulations downscaling six transient global climate simulations, we identify the respective time periods corresponding to 2 °C global warming, describe the range of projected changes for the European climate for this level of global warming, and investigate the uncertainty across the multi-model ensemble. Robust changes in mean and extreme temperature, precipitation, winds and surface energy budgets are found based on the ensemble of simulations. The results indicate that most of Europe will experience higher warming than the global average. They also reveal strong distributional patterns across Europe, which will be important in subsequent impact assessments and adaptation responses in different countries and regions. For instance, a North–South (West–East) warming gradient is found for summer (winter) along with a general increase in heavy precipitation and summer extreme temperatures. Tying the ensemble analysis to time periods with a prescribed global temperature change rather than fixed time periods allows for the identification of more robust regional patterns of temperature changes due to removal of some of the uncertainty related to the global models’ climate sensitivity.
The Phosphochlorinated Polymeric Sorbents for Sorption of Gold (III)

This study evaluated the simple methods to improve the sorptional capability of polymeric sorbent to gold (III) ions. The polymeric sorbents have been synthesized by a chemical modification of dithizone phosphorchlorinated PB. The structure and composition of functional polymers are studied by IR spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis, the diffusion of optical spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental analysis. It found that the obtained sorbents had porous crosslinked structure and did not dissolve in any organic solvents, solutions of inorganic acids and alkalines. The sorption properties of the syntesized polymer sorbents onto gold (III) ion in aqueous solutions have been studied. It is found that the adsorption effect of gold makes 85% - 90% and the equilibrium sorption capacity of polymer sorbent is 137 mg/g in acidic media. In order to improve sorption efficiency of sorbents to gold ions, the non-covalent immobilization of organic sulfur containing compound to the polymer matrix was carried out. The gold embedded polymer matrix was characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD and visible absorption spectroscopy. The obtained results indicated that the polymeric sorbent contained metallic form of zero-valent gold. It was found that the average particle size of elemental gold crystals was 28.31 nm.
Effect of electrical stunning frequency on meat quality, plasma parameters, and protein solubility of broilers

&NA; This study was designed to compare the effects of different stunning frequencies of pulsed direct current on meat quality of broilers. This was achieved by investigating plasma parameters, blood loss, carcass damage, meat water‐holding capacity, meat color, meat shear value, muscle pH, and protein solubility. A total of 400 broilers was divided into 5 treatment groups and stunned with 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 Hz at 15 V for 10 seconds. Blood samples were collected immediately after cutting the neck. Pectoralis major muscles were removed from the carcass after chilling and placed in ice. Breast muscle pH and meat color were determined at both 2 and 24 h postmortem. Drip loss, cooking loss, pressing loss, and cooked breast meat‐shear values were determined at 24 h postmortem. Treatment at 500 and 900 Hz significantly increased (P < 0.05) blood plasma corticosterone and lactate concentrations compared with the 700 Hz group. The wing damage of carcasses was significantly serious in the 500, 800, and 900 Hz groups. The Pectoralis minor damage of carcesses in the 700 Hz group was significantly lower (P < 0.05) compared to the other stunning groups. The pH at 2 h postmortem in the 500 and 900 Hz groups was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than in other groups. However, the final pH and meat color were not affected by stunning frequency. In the 500 and 900 Hz groups, the protein solubility and shear force values were significantly lower (P < 0.05) and drip loss was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in the 700 Hz group. This study indicates that the waveform of the pulsed direct current is acceptable for stunning broilers at a stunning frequency of 700 Hz.
A new ligand for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), GW7845, inhibits rat mammary carcinogenesis.

We have tested a new ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, GW7845, as an inhibitor of experimental mammary carcinogenesis, using the classic rat model with nitrosomethylurea as carcinogen. Rats were first treated with a single dose of nitrosomethylurea (50 mg/kg body weight, i.p.). Starting 1 week later, they were fed GW7845, at either 60 or 30 mg/kg of diet, for 2 months. This agent significantly reduced tumor incidence, tumor number, and tumor weight at both doses. This is the first report of the use of a ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma to prevent experimental breast cancer.
Frequency analysis and synthesis of a class of nonlinear filters

Nonlinear filters are analyzed from a spectral point of view. The equivalent frequency behavior of a filter is described by its linear part, which represents the linear nonrecursive filter, that best matches, in the mean-square sense, the behavior of the filter. The class considered includes all the order statistic filters (L-filters) such as median, midrange, alpha-trim, and some new order statistic filters (Ll-filters) defined by the authors to generalize L-filters and FIR filters. The formulation leads to a technique for imposing on the nonlinear filters a given spectral behavior. A simulation of the design for a low-pass Ll-filter is given. >