Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal and Fetal Catecholamines and Uterine Incision-to-Delivery Interval During Elective Cesarean

The fetal sympathoadrenal system is activated during periods of intrauterine stress such as inadequate uterine perfusion. During cesarean, the period of interruption of uteroplacental blood flow is extended as the time interval uterine incision to delivery increases. An increasing uterine incision-to-delivery interval with spinal or general anesthesia has been associated with a poorer neonatal outcome. This association has not been demonstrated previously in patients undergoing cesarean delivery under epidural anesthesia. We investigated the correlation between prolonged uterine incision-to-delivery intervals, fetal catecholamine concentrations, and fetal blood gas values at delivery in parturients undergoing cesarean under epidural anesthesia and in 28 under spinal anesthesia. Infants delivered after prolonged uterine incision-to-delivery intervals had significantly lower pH values in both the epidural and spinal groups. With longer uterine incision-to-delivery intervals, umbilical arterial norepinephrine concentrations were increased significantly. Umbilical arterial pH values were significantly lower in infants with higher umbilical arterial catecholamine concentrations. The importance of minimizing the uterine incision-to-delivery interval, regardless the type of anesthetic selected, is demonstrated. (Obstet Gynecol 75:600, 1990)
Preemptive Analgesic Effects of Ketorolac in Ankle Fracture Surgery

BackgroundPreemptive analgesia has been difficult to show in human experiments. If ketorolac has preemptive effects, then there may be an advantage to administering it at the beginning of surgery despite the potential for increased blood loss. MethodsThe authors performed a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 48 patients scheduled for ankle fracture surgery in a county trauma hospital. Anesthesia management was standardized and included adequate opioid analgesia (5 &mgr;g/kg fentanyl and 0.1 mg/kg morphine). Intravenous 30 mg ketorolac was administered to 23 patients before tourniquet inflation and to 25 patients after tourniquet inflation. Visual analog scale pain scores, morphine patient-controlled analgesia consumption, nausea–vomiting, and postoperative bleeding were measured. ResultsThe 23 patients given ketorolac before tourniquet inflation had no increase in pain postoperatively compared with their preoperative baseline (P = 0.280). The 25 patients who received ketorolac minutes later after tourniquet inflation had significant increases in their postoperative pain compared with their preoperative baseline (P = 0.00116). This effect was short-lived, and by 6 h the pain score in this group was not significantly more than it was preoperatively. Intergroup comparison showed a lower visual analog scale score at 2 (P = 0.0203) and 4 h (P = 0.00549) in the preemptive group and lower nausea scores at hour 6 (P = 0.00704). There was no difference in patient-controlled analgesia consumption between groups. ConclusionsIntravenous 30 mg ketorolac appears to have preemptive analgesic effects in patients undergoing ankle fracture repair. Ketorolac administered before tourniquet inflation prevents postoperative pain being perceived as more intense than preoperative pain.
Tumor Response to Radiotherapy Regulated by Endothelial Cell Apoptosis

About 50% of cancer patients receive radiation therapy. Here we investigated the hypothesis that tumor response to radiation is determined not only by tumor cell phenotype but also by microvascular sensitivity. MCA/129 fibrosarcomas and B16F1 melanomas grown in apoptosis-resistant acid sphingomyelinase (asmase)–deficient or Bax-deficient mice displayed markedly reduced baseline microvascular endothelial apoptosis and grew 200 to 400% faster than tumors on wild-type microvasculature. Thus, endothelial apoptosis is a homeostatic factor regulating angiogenesis-dependent tumor growth. Moreover, these tumors exhibited reduced endothelial apoptosis upon irradiation and, unlike tumors in wild-type mice, they were resistant to single-dose radiation up to 20 grays (Gy). These studies indicate that microvascular damage regulates tumor cell response to radiation at the clinically relevant dose range.
In vitro inhibition of Streptococci binding to enamel acquired pellicle by Plant Lectins

Aim: Initial colonization of the tooth surface by streptococci involves the attachment of these bacteria to adsorbed salivary components of the acquired pellicle. In dental biofilm this adhesion may also involve lectin‐like components, present on the surface of the organisms, which bind to complementary carbohydrates on the surface of the tooth. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the potential of six lectins, extracted from seeds of Leguminosae family members, to inhibit the adherence of five streptococci species to acquired pellicle in vitro.
Load-Commutated SCR Current-Source-Inverter-Fed Induction Motor Drive With Sinusoidal Motor Voltage and Current

Current source inverter (CSI) is an attractive solution in high-power drives. The conventional gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) based CSI-fed induction motor drives suffer from drawbacks such as low-frequency torque pulsation, harmonic heating, and unstable operation at low-speed ranges. These drawbacks can be overcome by connecting a current-controlled voltage source inverter (VSI) across the motor terminal replacing the bulky ac capacitors. The VSI provides the harmonic currents, which results in sinusoidal motor voltage and current even with the CSI switching at fundamental frequency. This paper proposes a CSI-fed induction motor drive scheme where GTOs are replaced by thyristors in the CSI without any external circuit to assist the turning off of the thyristors. Here, the current-controlled VSI, connected in shunt, is designed to supply the volt ampere reactive requirement of the induction motor, and the CSI is made to operate in leading power factor mode such that the thyristors in the CSI are autosequentially turned off. The resulting drive will be able to feed medium-voltage, high-power induction motors directly. A sensorless vector-controlled CSI drive based on the proposed configuration is developed. The experimental results from a 5 hp prototype are presented. Experimental results show that the proposed drive has stable operation throughout the operating range of speeds.
Institutional Complexity in the Field of Offshore Campuses : Dealing with Competing Institutional Logics in Borderless Higher Education

This paper explores the institutional logics in the organizational field of offshore campuses in Singapore. According to the neo? institutional theory, institutional logics provide the organizing principles for guiding behavior of actors in a field. However, more and more organizations are being confronted with competing institutional logics which cause irreconcilable conflicts. Compliance to demands is difficult to realize, since satisfying some demands requires defying others. This paper sets the basis to encounter the remaining question: how are organizations dealing with competing institutional logics? An inductive comparative case study has been conducted in order to grasp the institutional complexity in the context of borderless higher education. As a result, the author identifies six different institutional logics which are predominant in the field. The research findings contribute to institutional literature by proving that competing logics can co? exist in the same field and competition between these logics leads to institutional complexity. The key contribution is a more precise picture of the institutional demands in the field of international branch campuses.
Sound velocities of PbTe to 14 GPa: evidence for coupling between acoustic and optic phonons

Sound velocities of PbTe have been determined to 14 GPa using an ultrasonic interferometric method, which allowed for a detailed investigation of the characteristic variations of P and S wave velocities across the phase transitions from F m 3 ¯ m? > (B1) to the orthorhombic Pbnm to P m 3 ¯ m? > (B2). Elastic bulk and shear moduli and their pressure derivatives have been determined by fitting the measured velocities using a finite-strain approach. Based on the measured velocities and Debye theory, an estimate is made of the acoustic phonon contribution to the thermal conductivity, considering inter-phonon interactions only. By combining this result with previous determinations of the thermal conductivity due to electrons, the combination was found to have a significantly lower value than the previously determined total thermal conductivity. This is interpreted as evidence for coupling between the low-lying transverse optic (TO) and longitudinal acoustic (LA) modes, allowing the transfer of thermal energy from the acoustic to the optic modes. Possible explanations are discussed in the paper.
Antimicrobial activity and stability of protonectin with D‐amino acid substitutions

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics result in the emergence of resistant bacteria and fungi, which make an urgent need of the new antimicrobial agents. Nowadays, antimicrobial peptides have attracted great attention of researchers. However, the low physiological stability in biological system limits the application of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides as novel therapeutics. In the present study, we synthesized derivatives of protonectin by substituting all the amino acid residues or the cationic lysine residue with the corresponding D‐amino acids. Both the D‐enantiomer of protonectin (D‐prt) and D‐Lys‐protonectin (D‐Lys‐prt) exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi. Moreover, D‐prt showed strong stability against trypsin, chymotrypsin and the human serum, while D‐Lys‐prt only showed strong stability against trypsin. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that D‐Lys‐prt still kept typical α‐helical structure in the membrane mimicking environment, while D‐prt showed left hand α‐helical structure. In addition, propidium iodide uptake assay and bacteria and fungi killing experiments indicated that all D‐amino acid substitution or partially D‐amino acid substitution analogs could disrupt the integrity of membrane and lead the cell death. In summary, these findings suggested that D‐prt and D‐Lys‐prt might be promising candidate antibiotic agents for therapeutic application against resistant bacteria and fungi infection. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PROMISES WE KEPT: MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHERS WHO STAYED AMIDST ONGOING EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

In this qualitative study of middle school English teachers, I investigated the phenomenon of why teachers stay, year in and year out, despite challenges brought on by educational reforms and negative depictions from the general public. The teachers’ experiences illustrate the dedication and perseverance of professionals committed to working with students year in and year out. I framed this case study (Merriam, 1988) in theories of sensemaking (Maitliss & Christianson, 2014; Wieck, 1995) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 2011). The participants were three teachers who taught middle school English for over ten years. Within this time frame they were exposed to multiple, ongoing reforms: No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards. I used sensemaking and critical pedagogy lenses to explore how these teachers experienced issues of power and interpreted educational reforms. I also examined the reasons why they persisted in the profession. I employed grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and Gee’s (2011) Seven Building Tasks for analysis to identify four categories to illuminate the teachers’ stories: 1) Public Perception of the Profession, 2) Pedagogy and Curriculum, 3) Relationships, and 4) Being a Teacher. The teachers’ experienced ongoing struggles and yet had longevity in the profession. Implications of the study point to the perils and promises of long-term teaching. The perils were challenges of the profession: demands from administrators, new and limiting curriculum, a negative public perception, and long hours. The promises these teachers kept were commitments to decision makers and the public, middle school students and their families, and to the profession. It is these promises that they kept each year that motivated the teachers and sustained them over time. INDEX WORDS: Educational reform, Neoliberal, No child left behind, Race to the top, Common core state standards, Teacher morale, Teacher attrition, Teacher retention, Teacher experience, Teacher stories, Teacher longevity, Grounded theory PROMISES WE KEPT: MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHERS WHO STAYED AMIDST ONGOING EDUCATIONAL REFORMS by
Reliability testing of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under multiple stressors

We performed an experiment on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with high voltage and high power as stressors. We found that devices tested under high power generally degraded more than those tested under high voltage. In particular, the high-voltage-tested devices did not degrade significantly as suggested by some papers in the literature. The same papers in the literature also suggest that high voltages cause cracks and pits. However, the high-voltage-tested devices in this study do not exhibit cracks or pits in TEM images, while the high-power-tested devices exhibit pits.
Could chest wall rigidity be a factor in rapid death from illicit fentanyl abuse?

Abstract Background: There has been a significant spike in fentanyl-related deaths from illicit fentanyl supplied via the heroin trade. Past fentanyl access was primarily oral or dermal via prescription fentanyl patch diversion. One factor potentially driving this increase in fatalities is the change in route of administration. Rapid intravenous (IV) fentanyl can produce chest wall rigidity. We evaluated post-mortem fentanyl and norfentanyl concentrations in a recent surge of lethal fentanyl intoxications. Methods: Fentanyl related deaths from the Franklin County coroner’s office from January to September 2015 were identified. Presumptive positive fentanyl results were confirmed by quantitative analysis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and were able to quantify fentanyl, norfentanyl, alfentanyl, and sufentanyl. Results: 48 fentanyl deaths were identified. Mean fentanyl concentrations were 12.5 ng/ml, (range 0.5 ng/ml to >40 ng/ml). Mean norfentanyl concentrations were 1.9 ng/ml (range none detected to 8.3 ng/ml). No appreciable concentrations of norfentanyl could be detected in 20 of 48 cases (42%) and were less than 1 ng/ml in 25 cases (52%). Elevated fentanyl concentrations did not correlate with rises in norfentanyl levels. In several cases fentanyl concentrations were strikingly high (22 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml) with no norfentanyl detected. Discussion: The lack of any measurable norfentanyl in half of our cases suggests a very rapid death, consistent with acute chest rigidity. An alternate explanation could be a dose-related rapid onset of respiratory arrest. Deaths occurred with low levels of fentanyl in the therapeutic range (1–2 ng/ml) in apparent non-naïve opiate abusers. Acute chest wall rigidity is a well-recognized complication in the medical community but unknown within the drug abuse community. The average abuser of illicit opioids may be unaware of the increasing fentanyl content of their illicit opioid purchase. Conclusion: In summary we believe sudden onset chest wall rigidity may be a significant and previously unreported factor leading to an increased mortality, from illicit IV fentanyl use. Fentanyl and norfentanyl ratios and concentrations suggest a more rapid onset of death given the finding of fentanyl without norfentanyl in many of the fatalities. Chest wall rigidity may help explain the cause of death in these instances, in contrast to the typical opioid-related overdose deaths. Intravenous heroin users should be educated regarding this potentially fatal complication given the increasingly common substitution and combination with heroin of fentanyl.
RGS5, a Hypoxia-inducible Apoptotic Stimulator in Endothelial Cells*

Endothelial cells rapidly respond to changes in oxygen homeostasis by regulating gene expression. Regulator of G protein signaling 5 (RGS5) is a negative regulator of G protein-mediated signaling that is strongly expressed in vessels during angiogenesis; however, the role of RGS5 in hypoxia has not been fully understood. Under hypoxic conditions, we found that the expression of RGS5, but not other RGS, was induced in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). RGS5 mRNA was increased when HUVEC were incubated with chemicals that stabilized hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), whereas hypoxia-stimulated RGS5 promoter activity was absent in HIF-1β−/− cells. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is regulated by HIF-1, did not appear to be involved in hypoxia-induced RGS5 expression; however, VEGF-mediated activation of p38 but not ERK1/2 was increased by RGS5. Overexpression of RGS5 in HUVEC exhibited a reduced growth rate without affecting the cell proliferation. Annexin V assay revealed that RGS5 induced apoptosis with significantly increased activation of caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Small interfering RNA-specific for RGS5, caspase-3 inhibitor, and p38 inhibitor resulted in an attenuation of RGS5-stimulated apoptosis. Matrigel assay proved that RGS5 significantly impaired the angiogenic effect of VEGF and stimulated apoptosis in vivo. We concluded that RGS5 is a novel HIF-1-dependent, hypoxia-induced gene that is involved in the induction of endothelial apoptosis. Moreover, RGS5 antagonizes the angiogenic effect of VEGF by increasing the activation of p38 signaling, suggesting that RGS5 could be an important target for apoptotic therapy.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Different Murine Tissues Have Differential Capacity to Metabolize Extracellular Nucleotides

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown a great potential for cell‐based therapy and many different therapeutic purposes. Despite the recent advances in the knowledge of MSCs biology, their biochemical and molecular properties are still poorly defined. Ecto‐nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (E‐NTPDases) and ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase (eNT/CD73) are widely expressed enzymes that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides, generating an important cellular signaling cascade. Currently, studies have evidenced the relationship between the purinergic system and the development, maintenance, and differentiation of stem cells. The objective of this study is to identify the NTPDases and eNT/CD73 and compare the levels of nucleotide hydrolysis on MSCs isolated from different murine tissues (bone marrow, lung, vena cava, kidney, pancreas, spleen, skin, and adipose tissue). MSCs from all tissues investigated expressed the ectoenzymes at different levels. In MSCs from pancreas and adipose tissue, the hydrolysis of triphosphonucleosides was significantly higher when compared to the other cells. The diphosphonucleosides were hydrolyzed at a higher rate by MSC from pancreas when compared to MSC from other tissues. The differential nucleotide hydrolysis activity and enzyme expression in these cells suggests that MSCs play different roles in regulating the purinergic system in these tissues. Overall MSCs are an attractive adult‐derived cell population for therapies, however, the fact that ecto‐nucleotide metabolism can affect the microenvironment, modulating important events, such as immune response, makes the assessment of this metabolism an important part of the characterization of MSCs to be applied therapeutically. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1673–1682, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Foreign exchange market interventions: A frequently used and effective tool

Is it common for central banks to intervene in foreign exchange markets in order to influence exchange rates? And if so, is it effective? From a German perspective, these questions seem surprising, since the European Central Bank (ECB) does not intervene in foreign exchange markets—rather, it lets the exchange rates float freely. The situation is very different in the emerging countries: according to the present analysis, central banks in these countries intervene in the foreign exchange market on almost one out of every three days. This study draws upon both confidential and publicly available data on foreign exchange market interventions from 33 countries— including industrialized, emerging, and developing countries—between 1995 and 2011. According to these data, central banks primarily bought foreign currencies to build foreign exchange reserves. The average intervention volume on days when interventions took place was close to 50 million USD; projected onto the GDP of the European Monetary Union, this would equal roughly two billion USD. On average, interventions lasted for five days, but could also be significantly shorter or longer. Most interventions were carried out against the existing exchange rate trends. Measured against the standard success measures—without taking control variables into account—interventions were successful in 60 to 90 percent of the cases. These success rates are significantly higher than the likelihood of these exchange rates improving on their own. FX interventions are thus a non-negligible tool when it comes to economic policy strategies.
Oscillator-Based Active Bridge Circuit for Resistance Measurement

This work deals with the designing of an oscillator based bridge set-up that can be used for in-circuit resistance measurement for a wide range of values. The circuit utilizes op-amp based active bridge in integration with relaxation oscillator to convert the resistance change into time period or duty cycle. The addition of an oscillator makes the bridge self-sustaining in nature. A novel, low cost, and highly sensitive active bridge is given for direct measurements of resistance of networks of arbitrary configuration. It can, in addition be used for the measurement of discrete resistors and resistance of the resistive sensor. The proposed circuit that we are studying is found to give accurate results for discrete resistance values in the lower range of 20 Ω - 900Ω. Also, the circuit has been interfaced with RTD (a resistive sensor) to confirm its effectiveness for small resistance measurement.
Müllerian inhibiting substance preferentially inhibits stem/progenitors in human ovarian cancer cell lines compared with chemotherapeutics

Cancer stem cells are proposed to be tumor-initiating cells capable of tumorigenesis, recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance, and, like somatic stem cells, are thought to be capable of unlimited self-renewal and, when stimulated, proliferation and differentiation. Here we select cells by expression of a panel of markers to enrich for a population with stem cell-like characteristics. A panel of eight was initially selected from 95 human cell surface antigens as each was shared among human ovarian primary cancers, ovarian cancer cell lines, and normal fimbria. A total of 150 combinations of markers were reduced to a panel of three—CD44, CD24, and Epcam—which selected, in three ovarian cancer cell lines, those cells which best formed colonies. Cells expressing CD44, CD24, and Epcam exhibited stem cell characteristics of shorter tumor-free intervals in vivo after limiting dilution, and enhanced migration in invasion assays in vitro. Also, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel increased this enriched population which, conversely, was significantly inhibited by Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS) or the MIS mimetic SP600125. These findings demonstrate that flow cytometry can be used to detect a population which shows differential drug sensitivity, and imply that treatment of patients can be individualized to target both stem/progenitor cell enriched and nonenriched subpopulations. The findings also suggest that this population, amenable to isolation by flow cytometry, can be used to screen for novel treatment paradigms, including biologic agents such as MIS, which will improve outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer.