Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic effects of glucose-insulin infusions: myocardium and whole body

In target organs, insulin switches substrate utilization from free fatty acids to glucose, a change that: (i) is oxygen-efficient; (ii) repletes glycogen stores; (iii) removes potentially toxic fatty acids; and (iv) restores intracellular potassium. During or after an ischaemic challenge, the insulin metabolic mode should protect cellular functions provided that insulin can reach the ischaemic tissue. Insulin, however, also exerts non-metabolic effects, such as membrane hyperpolarization, the stimulation of adrenergic activity, and inhibition of parasympathetic tone, which may counter its beneficial metabolic actions. The net balance between the favourable and unfavourable effects of insulin on ischaemic tissues depends on: (i) the dose-response of the various effects; (ii) the presence of insulin resistance; (iii) the coexistence of hyperglycaemia; and (iv) the stage of ischaemic tissue damage. At present, a role for glucose-insulin-potassium infusions in clinical practice seems to be clearly established in the case of diabetic patients with acute coronary syndromes, and in patients undergoing urgent or elective cardiac surgery. Its role as an adjunctive therapy in the management of myocardial infarction in non-diabetic individuals has been tested in several clinical trials; however, the evidence emerging from them is inconclusive.
Orexin/hypocretin neuron activation is correlated with alcohol seeking and preference in a topographically specific manner

Orexin (ORX) (also known as hypocretin) neurons are located exclusively in the posterior hypothalamus, and are involved in a wide range of behaviours, including motivation for drugs of abuse such as alcohol. Hypothalamic subregions contain functionally distinct populations of ORX neurons that may play different roles in regulating drug‐motivated and alcohol‐motivated behaviours. To investigate the role of ORX neurons in ethanol (EtOH) seeking, we measured Fos activation of ORX neurons in rats following three different measures of EtOH seeking and preference: (i) context‐induced reinstatement, or ABA renewal; (ii) cue‐induced reinstatement of extinguished responding for EtOH; and (iii) a home cage task in which preference for EtOH (vs. water) was measured in the absence of either reinforcer. We found significant activation of ORX neurons in multiple subregions across all three behavioural tests. Notably, ORX neuron activation in the lateral hypothalamus correlated with the degree of seeking in context reinstatement and the degree of preference in home cage preference testing. In addition, Fos activation in ORX neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamic and perifornical areas was correlated with context and home cage seeking/preference, respectively. Surprisingly, we found no relationship between the degree of cue‐induced reinstatement and ORX neuron activation in any region, despite robust activation overall during reinstatement. These results demonstrate a strong relationship between ORX neuron activation and EtOH seeking/preference, but one that is differentially expressed across ORX field subregions, depending on reinstatement modality.
The effects of crew resource management on teamwork and safety climate at Veterans Health Administration facilities

Communication failure is a significant source of adverse events in health care and a leading root cause of sentinel events reported to the Joint Commission. The Veterans Health Administration National Center for Patient Safety established Clinical Team Training (CTT) as a comprehensive program to enhance patient safety and to improve communication and teamwork among health care professionals. CTT is based on techniques used in aviation's Crew Resource Management (CRM) training. The aviation industry has reached a significant safety record in large part related to the culture change generated by CRM and sustained by its recurrent implementation. This article focuses on the improvement of communication, teamwork, and patient safety by utilizing a standardized, CRM-based, interprofessional, immersive training in diverse clinical areas. The Teamwork and Safety Climate Questionnaire was used to evaluate safety climate before and after CTT. The scores for all of the 27 questions on the questionnaire showed an increase from baseline to 12 months, and 11 of those increases were statistically significant. A recurrent training is recommended to maintain the positive outcomes. CTT enhances patient safety and reduces risk of patient harm by improving teamwork and facilitating clear, concise, specific and timely communication among health care professionals.
The role of formant amplitude in the perception of /i/ and /u/ in normal hearing listeners

The effect of formant amplitude in the perception of vowels for speakers of English in normal hearing, was investigated. Two sets of stimuli including full-spectrum stimuli and incomplete-spectrum stimuli consisted of harmonics at the center of the first five formants were used to determine the perception of /i/ and /u/ in normal hearing. Participants were subjected a forced-choice vowel identification task with two sets of stimuli varied in amplitude of F 2 and F 3 in a fully-crossed 7×7 design and identified each stimulus 8 times. It was observed that there were a greater number of /i/ responses in the full-spectrum condition due to reduced spectral contrast while there were more /u/ responses in the incomplete-spectrum condition due to the ability of listeners to perceive F 2 at very low amplitudes. Result shows that formant amplitude influence vowel perception in synthetic monophthongs.
An Efficient Algorithm for Capacity and Outage Probability Estimation in MIMO Channels

An efficient algorithm based on a biased Monte Carlo method known as Transition Matrix Monte Carlo (TMMC) is proposed for capacity and outage probability estimation in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. The algorithm is generally applicable to any fading scenario. A MIMO maximal ratio combining system operating over Nakagami-m fading is used to validate the algorithm.
One-year pilot study on tauroursodeoxycholic acid as an adjuvant treatment after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND The usefulness of ursodeoxycholic acid after liver transplantation is controversial. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, the natural taurine-amidate, is a highly hydrophilic and cytoprotective bile salt currently under investigation. AIMS To investigate the clinical usefulness of tauroursodeoxycholic acid after liver transplantation. PATIENTS Thirty-three patients undergoing liver transplantation entered the study. METHODS Sixteen patients were randomized to receive tauroursodeoxycholic acid (250 b.i.d. for 12 months) and 17 served as controls. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid was given from day 5 after transplantation for one year. RESULTS Tauroursodeoxycholic acid treatment was safe and well tolerated. No drop outs occurred. Among the 29 patients undergoing long-term follow-up, five deaths occurred (3 of whom in the tauroursodeoxycholic acid group), none of which was related to treatment. The one-year actuarial survival was 78.6% in patients treated with tauroursodeoxycholic acid and 86.7% in controls (n.s.). No differences were observed with respect to early or late graft function and survival, nor to acute cellular rejection. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid therapy was associated with lower serum cholesterol levels (p < 0.02) during the early postoperative months; with milder cholestasis; with a drop in biliary cholates but no changes in endogenous hydrophobic bile salts. CONCLUSIONS Long-term treatment with low dose tauroursodeoxycholic acid after liver transplantation is safe but does not affect graft function and survival.
Adjuvant active specific immunotherapy for stage II and III colon cancer with an autologous tumor cell vaccine: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study E5283.

PURPOSE A randomized phase III clinical trial of adjuvant active specific immunotherapy (ASI) with an autologous tumor cell-bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was conducted to determine whether surgical resection plus ASI was more beneficial than resection alone in stage II and III colon cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients (n = 412) with colon cancer (297 with stage II disease, 115 with stage III disease) were randomly allocated to an observation arm or to a treatment arm in which they received three weekly intradermal vaccine injections of 10(7) irradiated autologous tumor cells beginning approximately 4 weeks after surgery. The first two weekly injections also contained 10(7) BCG organisms. Patients were observed for determination of time to recurrence and disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS This was a negative study in that after a 7.6-year median follow-up period, there were no statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes between the treatment arms. However, there were disease-free survival (P =.078) and overall survival (P =.12) trends in favor of ASI when treatment compliance was evaluated, ie, patients who received the intended treatment had a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DCH) response to the third vaccination (induration >/=5 mm). Also, the magnitude of the DCH response correlated with improved prognosis. The 5-year survival proportion was 84.6% for those with indurations greater than 10 mm, compared with 45.0% for those with indurations less than 5 mm. CONCLUSIONS When all randomized patients were evaluated, no significant clinical benefit was seen with ASI in surgically resected colon cancer patients with stage II or III colon cancer. However, there was an indication that treatment compliance with effective immunization results in disease-free and overall survival benefits.
Collecting cross-cultural user data with internationalized storyboard survey

Globalization and the search for experiential aspects of technology products and services have increased the demand for cross-cultural user feedback. Remote methods would suit agile global data collection, but only few common practices yet exist. Thus, the goal of the present study was to determine ways in which common visual stimulus material (internationalized storyboards) are perceived similarly and differently by cross-cultural respondents. An internationalized remote online storyboard survey was designed to collect cross-cultural user data of 252 respondents, from the USA, Brazil, India, Italy and Finland -- around the topic of mobile content sharing concepts. It was found that, for the majority of situations and details, storyboards supported a similar interpretation by users from different cultural backgrounds; and internationalized pictures assisted respondents in providing rich answers to a long survey because of a sound understanding of the intended situations and ease of imagining themselves in different usage situations.
On the Other Applications of Organic Electronics on Foil

Organic electronics are gaining attention in the electronics world, thanks to the use of organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays in TV and computer monitors and to the presented prototypes of consumer devices with flexible and rollable displays. In this tutorial, however, we take a broader outlook on the other possible applications of organic electronics technology.
Extreme response style and symptom return after depression treatment: the role of positive extreme responding.

OBJECTIVE Evidence linking extreme response style (ER) to depressive relapse has been mixed. One reason might be high levels of extreme responses that are positive in nature (ER-Ps) compared with those negative in nature (ER-Ns) at posttreatment. ER-Ps likely consist of both maladaptive "style" responses and adaptive "content" responses (i.e., legitimate denials of dysfunction). The composition of ER-Ps might confound measures of total extreme responding as well as conventional scores on cognitive questionnaires. In the current study, we assessed ER in a new sample by (a) disambiguating ER-Ps that reflect style from those that reflect content and (b) assessing the contribution of ER-Ps to the prediction of relapse/recurrence. METHOD Responders (N = 104) to a randomized controlled trial of cognitive therapy versus medications for moderate to severe depression had an average age of 40 years (SD = 12), and they were 58% female, 38% married/cohabitating, and 85% Caucasian. ER variables were calculated using the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS; Weissman, 1979), with ER-Ps categorized as either content or style responses. ER indices and DAS scores were used to predict symptom return over 2 years. RESULTS No standard extreme responding variables (e.g., an index of total extreme responding) predicted symptom return, but higher relative levels of style ER-P predicted relapse/recurrence. Total DAS scores also predicted relapse/recurrence but only when high levels of style ER-P responses were controlled. CONCLUSIONS ER-Ps, at least on the DAS, appear to contain indicators of both adaptive and maladaptive positive responses. Future research should attend to the valence of the extreme responses as well as to the content of extreme positive responses, which may reflect either healthy or unhealthy tendencies.
Achieving high-dependability optimal multicast in Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) form a recent class of networks that has appeared lately. Multicasting is the transfer of information or messages to multiple destination hosts at the same time and over wireless mesh networks is an essential communication function and also a challenging aim. Because WMNs are used as wireless backbones in a characteristic manner, they have the nature that the wireless communication isn't dependable. Hence, it is important to defend them versus link or node failures. Distributing data utilizing multicast in an undependable network doesn't assure trustworthy delivery, which is the major necessity for many significant applications. In this paper, we design a high-dependability optimal multicast protocol called HDMesh based on minimum-delay route trees for WMNs. The proposed protocol, HDMesh, uses a local repair mechanism based on a failure occurrence prediction mechanism, which intends to decrease the control overhead and obtain fast repair before route breakage happens. The new local repair mechanism is more adaption to the real WMNs. Mathematical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the HDMesh protocol works in an efficient and dependable manner for WMNs and network performance can be improved in an important manner.
Implant Stability Change and Osseointegration Speed of Immediately Loaded Photofunctionalized Implants

Objectives:This study evaluated the degree and rate of implant stability development for photofunctionalized dental implants in humans. Materials and Methods:Thirty-three implants (7 patients) placed in the maxilla and immediate loaded were evaluated. Photofunctionalization was performed by treating implants with ultraviolet for 15 minutes immediately before placement. Implant stability was assessed by measuring the implant stability quotient (ISQ) weekly starting from implant placement up to 3 months. Osseointegration speed index (OSI), defined as ISQ increase per month, was also evaluated. Results:The average ISQ for photofunctionalized implants at week 6 was 78.0, which was considerably higher than the average ISQ of 66.1, reported in literature for various as-received implants after a longer healing time of 2 to 6 months. No stability dip was observed for photofunctionalized implants regardless of the initial ISQ values. The OSI for photofunctionalized implants was 6.3 and 3.1 when their initial ISQ was 65 to 70 and 71 to 75, respectively, whereas the OSI values for as-received implants calculated from literature ranged from −3.0 to 1.17 with an average of −0.10. Conclusions:Photofunctionalization accelerated and enhanced osseointegration of dental implants, providing novel and practical avenues for further advancement in implant therapy.
Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy improves dysphagia after brainstem stroke

Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy has been shown to effectively treat dysphagia after stroke-based pseudobulbar paralysis. We presumed that this therapy would be effective for dysphagia after bulbar paralysis in patients with brainstem infarction. Sixty-four patients with dysphagia following brainstem infarction were recruited and divided into a medulla oblongata infarction group (n = 22), a midbrain and pons infarction group (n = 16), and a multiple cerebral infarction group (n = 26) according to their magnetic resonance imaging results. All patients received Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture for 28 days. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC6), Renzhong (DU26), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Fengchi (GB20), Wangu (GB12), and Yifeng (SJ17). Furthermore, the posterior pharyngeal wall was pricked. Before and after treatment, patient swallowing functions were evaluated with the Kubota Water Test, Fujishima Ichiro Rating Scale, and the Standard Swallowing Assessment. The Barthel Index was also used to evaluate their quality of life. Results showed that after 28 days of treatment, scores on the Kubota Water Test and Standard Swallowing Assessment had decreased, but scores on the Fujishima Ichiro Rating Scale and Barthel Index had increased in each group. The total efficacy rate was 92.2% after treatment, and was most obvious in patients with medulla oblongata infarction (95.9%). These findings suggest that Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy can repair the connection of upper motor neurons to the medulla oblongata motor nucleus, promote the recovery of brainstem infarction, and improve patient′s swallowing ability and quality of life.
PATHOGENESIS OF LONGITUDINAL SPLITTING OF MUSCLE FIBRES IN NEUROGENIC DISORDERS AND IN POLYMYOSITIS

Longitudinal splitting of muscle fibres has been studied in the biopsies of eighteen patients with neurogenic disorders, and of twenty with polymyositis. In neurogenic disorders splitting predominantly affects hypertrophied fibres, and is probably due to mechanical overload induced by normal loads imposed on a weakened muscle. A similar phenomenon occurs in hypertrophied fibres in chronic polymyositis. However, in acute, or active polymyositis an appearance resembling fibre splitting can result from sequestration of necrotic segments within a fibre and also from regeneration occurring within intact sarcolemmal tubes after segmental sub‐endomysial necrosis. These different processes, which can be distinguished by light and ultrastructural criteria, are important compensatory factors in neuromuscular disorders.
Plant extracts for the topical management of psoriasis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Patients with psoriasis frequently use preparations of plant extracts. Physicians need to be aware of the current evidence concerning these products. This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of preparations of plant extracts used topically for psoriasis. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, two Chinese databases and article reference lists. Randomized controlled trials investigating extracts of single plants were included. Preparations of multiple plants and combinations of plant extracts plus conventional therapies were excluded. Two authors conducted searches, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Outcomes used in meta‐analyses were: clinical efficacy, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score, and quality of life and symptom scores. The 12 included studies investigated extracts of: Mahonia aquifolium (n = 5), Aloe vera (n = 3), indigo naturalis (n = 2), kukui nut oil (n = 1) and Camptotheca acuminata nut (n = 1). Methodological quality was variable. Six studies provided data suitable for meta‐analysis of clinical efficacy, and five were vs. placebo (relative risk 3·37, 95% confidence interval 1·36–8·33). Experimental studies indicate components of indigo naturalis, Mahonia and Camptotheca have anti‐inflammatory, antiproliferative and other actions of relevance to psoriasis. The clinical trial evidence provides limited support for preparations containing extracts of M. aquifolium, indigo naturalis and Aloe vera for the topical management of plaque psoriasis based on multiple studies. No serious adverse events were reported. Because of the small size of most studies and methodological weaknesses, strong conclusions cannot be made. The magnitudes of any effects cannot be measured with accuracy, so it is difficult to assess the clinical relevance of these preparations.
Activation of the phasic pontine‐wave generator enhances improvement of learning performance: a mechanism for sleep‐dependent plasticity

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that supplementary activation of the phasic pontine wave (P‐wave) generator during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhances consolidation and integration of memories, resulting in improved learning. To test this hypothesis, two groups of rats were trained on a two‐way active avoidance learning task in the morning. Immediately after training, one group of rats received a carbachol microinjection into the P‐wave generator and the other group was microinjected with control saline into the same target area. After training trials and microinjections, rats were allowed a 6‐h period of undisturbed sleep in the polygraphic recording chamber. At the end of 6 h of undisturbed sleep–wake recordings, rats were retested in a session of avoidance learning trials. After learning trials, the total percentage of time spent in REM sleep was significantly increased in both saline (15.36%)‐ and carbachol (17.70%)‐microinjected rats. After learning trials, REM sleep P‐wave density was significantly greater throughout the 6‐h period of recordings in carbachol treated rats than in the saline treated rats. In the retrial session, the improvement in learning task performance was 22.75% higher in the carbachol‐microinjected rats than in the saline‐microinjected rats. These findings show that the consolidation and integration of memories create a homeostatic demand for P‐waves. In addition, these findings provide experimental evidence, for the first time, that activation of the P‐wave generator may enhance consolidation and integration of memories, resulting in improved performance on a recently learned task.
The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

The Internet has become such an integral part of people’s daily lives that one can easily forget how young it is. After a two-decade gestation period, during which the network was primarily the plaything of university-based computer scientists, the Internet exploded onto the public’s consciousness during the mid-1990s. During this period, the Internet was widely regarded as unlike anything that had ever gone before. 1 Every month seemed to bear witness to a new innovation that made possible new forms of expression and communication. The Internet’s potential seemed limitless. 2