Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of heart failure etiology on arterial wave reflection in heart transplant recipients: relation with C-reactive protein

Objectives Aortic augmentation index (AIa), a measure of arterial pressure wave reflection related to central and peripheral arterial stiffness, is elevated in many heart transplant recipients. We investigated whether the increase in wave reflection observed in some heart transplant recipients is influenced by the etiology of antecedent heart failure and circulating pro-inflammatory proteins early in the post-transplantation period. Methods Two months after heart transplantation, 20 heart transplant recipients underwent noninvasive measurement of aortic pressure and wave reflection properties and measurement of plasma pro-inflammatory proteins. Results AIa adjusted to a heart rate of 75 beats/min (AIaHR75) was higher in heart transplant recipients with ischemic (n = 12) compared with nonischemic (n = 8) heart failure (P < 0.01). Similarly, circulating C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation and an independent predictor of allograft vasculopathy and death in heart transplant recipients, was higher in heart transplant recipients with ischemic than with nonischemic heart failure (log-transformed, P < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant relation between log C-reactive protein and AIaHR75 (r = 0.68, P < 0.05), augmented pressure (r = 0.60, P < 0.01), roundtrip time of the reflected wave to the peripheral reflecting sites and back (r = -0.62; P < 0.01), and left ventricular wasted energy (r = 0.55, P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that log C-reactive protein explained 43% of the variance in AIaHR75 and the difference in AIaHR75 between groups was abolished when adjusted for log C-reactive protein. Conclusions Heart transplant recipients with antecedent ischemic heart failure demonstrated increased AIaHR75 compared with nonischemic heart transplant recipients and AIaHR75 was associated with higher circulating C-reactive protein concentration. Whether elevated arterial wave reflection and associated systemic low-grade inflammation early after transplantation have clinical implications in ischemic heart transplant recipients requires further investigation.
Symptomatische Therapie bei amyotrophischer Lateralsklerose

Muskelkrämpfe in i nd iv idue l le r D o s i e r u n g : P h e n y t o i n (z. B. Phenhydan®) , C a r b a m a z e p i n (z. B. Tegre ta l®) , Im ip ram in (z. B. Tof ran i l®) , P roca inam id (z. B. N o v o o a m i d ® ) , M a g n e s i u m (z. B. M a g n e s i u m Ver la®), Ch in i n (z. B. C h i n i n u m s u l f u r i c u m » B u c h l e r « ® ) , auch in K o m b i n a t i o n mit T h e o p h y l l i n (L imptar®)
Fatal fungaemia due to Sporothrix schenckii

Summary. A clinical case is reported of a 78‐year‐old male with antecedents of diabetes and alcoholism who was hospitalized because he showed cutaneous lesions on the face and extremities suggesting cutaneous tuberculosis, but after a first histological study cutaneous leishmaniasis was erroneously diagnosed. Because of some unusual characteristics of the patient, the skin biopsies were carefully re‐examined, as well as blood smears, which revealed elongated yeast form‐like cells suggestive of Sporothrix schenckii. The diagnosis was confirmed when the fungus grew in mice and in Sabouraud cultures inoculated with blood samples from the patient. It is recommended that Sp. schenckii is included in the differential diagnosis of ulcerative cutaneous lesions in patients from Mexican humid areas.
Dual-inverter control strategy for high-speed operation of EV induction motors

An integrated starter/alternator (ISA) is normally designed to have high pole structure (10-14 poles) for high starting torque. However, its back electromotive force (EMF) at the peak revolutions per minute should be less than its battery voltage for the power flow control. For example, the back-EMF of a 12-pole ISA should be 42 V at 6000 r/min. These types of conflicting requirements lead to a nonclassical motor design that has extremely large field-weakening range (8:1/spl sim/10:1). In this paper, we are considering the use of an induction machine instead of a permanent synchronous machine. As an idea for solving the voltage limit problem, two inverters are utilized with an objective of sharing the required voltage. The secondary inverter only takes care of the reactive voltage component that grows very fast in high-speed operation. Therefore, an extra voltage source is not required for the secondary inverter. Only a capacitor bank suffices for the secondary inverter.
Spoofing Capacitive Fingerprint Sensors

This white paper discusses methods and findings from one of Novetta’s many approaches to vulnerability assessment: the fabrication of non-gelatinous artifacts for capacitive fingerprint sensors. We present methods of evaluating artifact performance relative to that of live presentations and gummy fingerprint artifacts. Two sets of artifacts are comprised of latex face paint or acrylic fabric paint and coated with a thin layer of Bare Conductive Paint. The third set of artifacts is comprised of latex face paint coated with a thin layer of delicatessen gold leaf.
Exposure to Bioaerosols during the Growth Season of Tomatoes in an Organic Greenhouse Using Supresivit (Trichoderma harzianum) and Mycostop (Streptomyces griseoviridis)

ABSTRACT In working environments, especially in confined spaces like greenhouses, elevated concentrations of airborne microorganisms may become a problem for workers' health. Additionally, the use of microbial pest control agents (MPCAs) may increase exposure to microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate tomato growers' exposure to naturally occurring bioaerosol components [dust, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, (1→3)-β-d-glucans, and endotoxin] and MPCAs applied by drip irrigation. Airborne dust was collected with filter samplers and analyzed for microorganisms by plate counts and total counts using a microscope. Analysis of (1→3)-β-d-glucan and endotoxin content was performed by kinetic, chromatic Limulus amoebocyte lysate tests. The fungal strain (Trichoderma harzianum) from the biocontrol product Supresivit was identified by PCR analysis. Measurements were performed on the day of drip irrigation and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the irrigation. T. harzianum from Supresivit could be detected only on the day of treatment. Streptomyces griseoviridis, an applied MPCA, was not detected in the air during this investigation. We found that bioaerosol exposure increases during the growth season and that exposure to fungi, bacteria, and endotoxin can reach levels during the harvest period that may cause respiratory symptoms in growers. The collected data indicate that MPCAs applied by drip irrigation do not become airborne later in the season.
IL-15 Prevents Apoptosis, Reverses Innate and Adaptive Immune Dysfunction, and Improves Survival in Sepsis

IL-15 is a pluripotent antiapoptotic cytokine that signals to cells of both the innate and adaptive immune system and is regarded as a highly promising immunomodulatory agent in cancer therapy. Sepsis is a lethal condition in which apoptosis-induced depletion of immune cells and subsequent immunosuppression are thought to contribute to morbidity and mortality. This study tested the ability of IL-15 to block apoptosis, prevent immunosuppression, and improve survival in sepsis. Mice were made septic using cecal ligation and puncture or Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. The experiments comprised a 2 × 2 full factorial design with surgical sepsis versus sham and IL-15 versus vehicle. In addition to survival studies, splenic cellularity, canonical markers of activation and proliferation, intracellular pro- and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family protein expression, and markers of immune cell apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. Cytokine production was examined both in plasma of treated mice and splenocytes that were stimulated ex vivo. IL-15 blocked sepsis-induced apoptosis of NK cells, dendritic cells, and CD8 T cells. IL-15 also decreased sepsis-induced gut epithelial apoptosis. IL-15 therapy increased the abundance of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 while decreasing proapoptotic Bim and PUMA. IL-15 increased both circulating IFN-γ, as well as the percentage of NK cells that produced IFN-γ. Finally, IL-15 increased survival in both cecal ligation and puncture and P. aeruginosa pneumonia. In conclusion, IL-15 prevents two immunopathologic hallmarks of sepsis, namely, apoptosis and immunosuppression, and improves survival in two different models of sepsis. IL-15 represents a potentially novel therapy of this highly lethal disorder.
Planar bent-cross-shaped metaline antenna for circularly polarized reconfigurable radiation

A planar antenna consisting of four bent arms on a thin dielectric substrate is investigated. The arms are located symmetrically with respect to the coordinate origin, and each is made of a circularly polarized (CP) metaline that shows a negative propagation phase constant at the design frequency (2.45 GHz). The antenna height is extremely small: approximately 0.03 wavelength. By changing the feed point, the antenna can be made to radiate a CP wave in each of the four orthogonal directions of the azimuth plane. The VSWR is less than 2. Mutual coupling between the four arms is small (less than −30 dB).
Fitting and Evaluating a Hearing Aid for Recipients of a Unilateral Cochlear Implant : The NAL Approach Part 2 . Bimodal hearing

32 THE HEARING REVIEW AUGUST 2004 reach the right ear a bit sooner than it will reach the left ear. It will also be slightly louder in the right than in the left ear. This head diffraction effect will enhance speech intelligibility in noise when speech and noise come from different sides of the head, because the brain can selectively attend to the ear with a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for understanding speech. Even when the same signal and noise reach both ears, the brain can combine both inputs to produce more salient central representations of the speech signal (binaural redundancy) than if only input from one ear is available. The brain can also make use of the inter-aural time differences to partially reduce the deleterious effect of noise (binaural squelch). For unilateral cochlear implant users who have residual hearing in the nonimplanted ear, it is possible to provide binaural hearing by fitting a hearing aid to that ear. Increasing evidence points to the binaural benefits that are possible with the use of bimodal hearing devices, including improved speech intelligibility, better sound localization, and functional improvements in real-life environments. This article examines this research and discusses clinical issues related to bimodal device use.
Factors Associated with Needlestick Injuries in Health Care Occupations: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION Needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs), are among the main job-related injuries that health care workers experience. In fact, contraction of hepatitis B or hepatitis C from work-related NSIs is one of the most common occupational hazards among health care workers. AIM The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with NSIs in health care occupation. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, a systematic and purposive review with emphasis on the research question was run to retrieve, evaluate and consolidate the required information. The following four key words were used to search for the relevant articles published from January 1998 to May 2015: NSI health care workers, risk factor and factors associated, in Science direct, EBSCO Host, PubMed, ProQuest, SID and Cochrane Library. Several steps of evaluation were taken to select and analyse the full texts of relevant articles. According to the inclusion criteria, we finally selected 11 articles from the 18642 retrieved articles. RESULTS The data of the analysed articles indicated that the highest incidence of NSIs was seen in nurses and that the associated factors were age, level of education, number of shifts per month and history of related training. The highest rate of NSIs was related to instrument preparation followed by injection and recapping of used needles. Findings show that health care workers suffer a high rate of needlestick injuries. CONCLUSION It was seen that device, location, or action cannot be separately considered as responsible for all types of the NSIs. Rather, each of them has a contribution to the NSIs. Nevertheless, factors with higher frequency should be given a higher priority.
Reflectance modelling using terrestrial LiDAR intensity data

With the increasing use of Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLSs) to sense various environments it becomes increasingly necessary to develop automated processing techniques to deal with the large amount of data generated. To aid in the automatic processing, researchers have recently been turning to the use of “intensity” data returned by TLSs as an additional source of information. Ideally a value that is independent of distance and incidence angle, and that instead is related to the surface properties being scanned is desired. For diffuse surfaces this value is termed the reflectance. A method for modelling the reflectance of a diffuse surface using returned intensity, angle of incidence and range obtained from TLSs is presented. The model is applied to two different TLS instruments, a Faro Focus3D and Riegl VZ-400. A model is parametrized for each instrument using data obtained in an underground potash mine. For the Riegl instrument the model is verified using a data set obtained above ground, in a grass playing field. The standard deviation of error is 0.064 or 6.4%. For the Faro instrument the model is obtained using only a subset of the acquired data set and verified with the remainder. The standard deviation for the Faro model is 0.061 or 6.1%.
Life without transcriptional control? From fly to man and back again

All organisms adapt to changes in their environment by adjustments in gene expression, and in all organisms, from Escherichia coli to man, the most important control point is at transcription initiation. All, that is, except those belonging to one very small family of early‐branching eukaryotes, which seems to have completely lost the ability to regulate transcription by RNA polymerase II. The organisms concerned are unicellular, spindle‐ like flagellates that flourish in the digestive systems of arthropods, in the blood, macrophages and brains of vertebrates from humans to lizards, and even in the sap of coconut palms and lemon trees. Many of them are able to multiply both in a vertebrate (or plant) and an invertebrate, which serves to transmit the parasites from one vertebrate (or plant) to the next. Adaptation to the two distinct environments, with different temperatures, nutrients and defences, requires major changes in gene expression. Yet this seems to be achieved in the total absence of any developmental regulation of RNA polymerase II; perhaps even without any specific polymerase II transcription initiation. This extraordinary state of affairs might be written off as an irrelevant evolutionary quirk (and, indeed, might have even gone unnoticed) if it were not for the fact that some of the organisms concerned, the trypanosomes and the leishmanias, kill millions of people every year (http://www.who.ch). The leishmanias cause a spectrum of diseases ranging from self‐resolving skin ulcers to lethal infection of the internal organs. One‐and‐a‐half to two million people are newly infected every year in the tropics and southern Europe. Leishmania has an extracellular form in the gut of the vector, the sand‐fly, but multiply as spherical aflagellate forms within the lysosomes of mammalian macrophages. Leishmania must be phagocytosed without activating the host macrophage and must combat oxidative, acidic and proteolytic stresses. The South …
Population subdivision and gene flow in Danish house mice

Genetic subdivision in local populations of the European house mice, Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus, was analysed to study patterns of gene flow. The data consisted of frequencies of microsatellite alleles in 16 samples (250 individuals) from a total of 11 sites in Jutland, which included successive samples from three sites. Sequences of the control region of mitochondrial DNA in three successive samples from one site were also analysed. Microsatellite genotype frequencies within samples were close to Hardy‐Weinberg expectations. Levels of microsatellite differentiation among samples (θ= 0.05–0.21) corresponded to limited gene flow at migration‐drift equilibrium (Nm= 1–5). Weak isolation by distance for microsatellites in M. m. musculus suggested that gene flow tends to occur among neighbouring sites. Estimates of effective population size over a few generations were much lower than those corresponding to the long periods needed for arrival at mutation‐drift equilibrium. This suggested that subpopulations had been influenced by gene flow since formation, or had originated recently from genetically diverse founders.
Improved Quantification of DNA Methylation Using Methylation-Sensitive Restriction Enzymes and Real-Time PCR

Heterogeneity of cells with respect to the DNA methylation status at a specific CpG site is a problem when assessing methylation status. We have developed a simple two-step method for the quantification of the percent of cells that display methylation at a specific CpG site in the promoter of a specific gene. The first step is overnight digestion of genomic DNA (optimal conc. 20ng/5μl) with a relevant methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme (optimal 2 units). This is followed by real time PCR, using the SYBR® Green method, with primers that bracket the site cleaved by the enzyme. By including fully methylated and fully non-methylated DNA in each PCR plate, the errors caused by non-specific digestion or incomplete digestion can be measured and used to adjust the raw results and thus increase specificity. The method can detect differences in methylation status if these are more than 10%. No specialized equipment is required beyond the real-time PCR system and the method can be adapted for any of the 53 commercially available methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes.
Semantic Abstraction of IA-64 Multimedia Instructions

This paper presents an effective approach to semantic abstraction of IA-64 multimedia instructions, which is important to binary translation. In particular, the authors take example for multimedia instructions used in motion estimation to describe the details of generating higher-level intermediate representation from IA-64 assembly language. Finally, the originality and soundness of the approach is proved.
The Thatcher revolution : Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, and the transformation of modern Britain, 1979-2001

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 The Rise of Margaret Thatcher Chapter 4 The Beginnings of Thatcherism, 1979-1983 Chapter 5 The Heyday of Thatcherism, 1983-1987 Chapter 6 The Fall of Margaret Thatcher, 1987-1990 Chapter 7 Thatcherite Reform Chapter 8 John Major and the Thatcher Legacy, 1990-1993 Chapter 9 John Major: Continuing the Thatcher Revolution Chapter 10 The Triumph of "New Labour," 1994-1997 Chapter 11 Tony Blair: Getting Going, 1997-1998 Chapter 12 Toward a New Mandate, 1999-2001 Chapter 13 Major and Blair: Wrapping Up the Thatcher Revolution Chapter 14 Assessment: What was the Thatcher Revolution? Chapter 15 Bibliographical Note Chapter 16 Index Chapter 17 About the Author
File-Based Encryption with SM4

Mobile phones have been developed from the general communication equipment to smart phones. People also use the phone from simply keeping in touch to storing more communication details and privacy. Nowadays, Android has became the most widely used operating system. Google proposed FDE (full disk encryption) in Android 5.0, 2014, and FBE (file-based encryption) in Android 7.0, 2016, to protect the user data from being stolen. This study introduces the the domestic encryption algorithm SM4, and through the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) to make it in Android kernel to achieve a rapid and complete "optional" file encryption to reflect the more humane way of operation.
Effect of carnosic acid, quercetin and α-tocopherol on lipid and protein oxidation in an in vitro simulated gastric digestion model

Abstract Carnosic acid, quercetin and α-tocopherol are well-known antioxidants in many biological systems. However, their antioxidative effect during food digestion against lipid and protein oxidation is not well known. Therefore, in this study, an in vitro simulated gastric digestion model was used to investigate their stability during gastrointestinal conditions and their antioxidative properties during low pH digestion. In general, the stability of the antioxidants in the different steps of digestion was in the order of α-tocopherol > quercetin > carnosic acid. Salivary components, as well as the acidity of the gastric juice, were responsible for the reduction in antioxidants. Both α-tocopherol and quercetin were able to lower lipid oxidation during digestion, while the effect on protein oxidation was not clear. In contrast, carnosic acid did not have any effect on lipid oxidation and tended to stimulate protein oxidation. This study clearly demonstrated that the environmental conditions are of major importance to the properties of antioxidant compounds.
Activity of oxaliplatin in patients with relapsed or cisplatin-refractory germ cell cancer: a study of the German Testicular Cancer Study Group.

PURPOSE To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of oxaliplatin, a diaminocyclohaxane platinum derivative with incomplete cross-resistance to cisplatin in patients with relapsed or cisplatin-refractory germ cell cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-two patients with nonseminomatous cisplatin-refractory germ cell cancer or relapsed disease after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) plus autologous stem-cell support were treated with single-agent oxaliplatin 60 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 repeated every 4 weeks (group 1; n = 16) or oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) given on days 1 and 15 of a 4-week cycle (group 2; n = 16). Patients were pretreated with a median of seven (range, three to 13) cisplatin-containing treatment cycles; 78% had received carboplatin/etoposide-based HDCT before oxaliplatin therapy. Twenty-seven patients (84%) were considered refractory (n = 20; 63%) or absolutely refractory (n = 7; 22%) to cisplatin therapy. RESULTS Overall, four patients achieved a partial remission (13%; 95% confidence interval, 1% to 24%). Two additional patients achieved disease stabilization. All responses were observed in cisplatin-refractory patients, including three who had not responded to previous HDCT. Patients received a median two cycles of oxaliplatin with a median cumulative dose of 350 mg/m(2). Hematologic toxicity was generally mild, with five patients developing grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia. Nonhematologic side effects consisted mainly of nausea/vomiting. One patient developed grade 3 neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION Considering the particularly unfavorable prognostic characteristics of this patient population compared with patients from previous trials for new drugs in germ cell cancer, eg, paclitaxel and gemcitabine, a 13% overall response rate and a 19% response rate in the group treated with oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) seems to be of interest. Oxaliplatin may be a palliative treatment option for this patient population, and evaluation in combination regimens is warranted.