Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Humoral Nature of the Hypoglycemic Factor of Muscular Work

The striated muscle mass of the body, by virtue of its weight alone, constitutes the major quantitative factor in the bodily conversion of foodstuffs to CO2, water and energy. The flow of gluconeogenic precursors to the liver, the hepatic manufacture of sugar and the release of glucose in the satisfaction of the ever-changing needs of total muscular activity of the body represent a complex of regulation which is taken for granted but is understood inadequately in detail. Outside of an occasional epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia, the stability of the blood sugar gives no indication of the changing ebb and flow of foodstuff which attends the wide range of activity from the sedentary, basal muscle tone of deep sleep to the mild, moderate or severe exertions which characterize the normal course of events. The minute by minute alterations in oxygen consumption and the difficulties experienced in making a truly basal metabolic rate measurement are common clinical experiences. This variability in oxygen consumption must be reflected in equivalent variation in the rate of substrate metabolism.
Regional Dynamics: Burgundian Landscapes in Historical Perspective

Three papers look at essential components of medieval subsistence and economy. Langdon’s paper (Ch. 5) summarizing what is known of agricultural equipment fills a gap in the literature, and provides some interesting evidence for regionalism, conservatism and change. The papers on plant and animal resources depend much more heavily on the evidence from excavations in towns, the destination of much rural produce. Greig’s contribution (Ch. 6) emphasizes that archaeobotanical results are still too few to provide much comment to place alongside documentary sources. For instance, pepper is first mentioned in sources of the 11th century but first recorded archaeologically from the Mary Rose. Grant (Ch. 8) is able to say rather more about animal resources both as food and as indicators of status. She again stresses the problems of a recent discipline. Smith’s paper (Ch. 9) looks at demography and population dynamics, and is a n excellent summary of the documentary evidence and current debate. Archaeologists should find much of interest in his model of demographic change in the later medieval period, still mortality driven, but one in which a greater place is provided for institutions and their influence in stimulating or minimizing certain trends. In a final paper (Ch. 10) Astill and Grant draw in part on the various contributions to look at efficiency, progress and change. The general picture that they delineate of medieval agriculture is a slightly depressing one with opportunities missed. Themes explored in detail include precautions against failure, seasonality, status and regionalism. Apart from the last, these together provide a good synthesis of the archaeological perspective on the late-medieval economy. The examination of regional differences and change is little more than anecdotal, yet the potential for setting this within a theoretical framework was considerable (see for instance Crumley & Marquardt, reviewed on page 406). The scale and scope of the volume are perhaps too tightly drawn. In restricting the study to England, the editors have unnecessarily constrained themselves within boundaries that may reflect much of the contemporary organization of archaeology, but which have little connection with changes in the medieval peasant economy, subsistence and interaction with the environment. The time scale could also have been extended, at least back to the middle Saxon period. The 11th century date seems to imply 1066, a date of little significance to this study. In these aspects and in the need to undertake a more rigorous regional analysis, there is thus scope for a future collected volume with a wider perspective. The volume is well produced. There are few accidental omissions and the illustrations are well drawn to a consistent standard (p. 115 the Mary Rose was not a battleship, p. 192 the reference to Fisher 1943 is missing from the bibliography). ROGER LEECH RCHME, Southampton
A COMPETITIVIDADE DO CACAU BAIANO FRENTE AO COMÉRCIO INTERNACIONAL

Resumo: As relacoes de producao inerentes a atividade agricola brasileira sempre tiveram forte ligacao com a dinâmica do mercado internacional. A producao cacaueira no sul da Bahia nao foge a esses aspectos. Nesse artigo, analisaremos a insercao do cacau baiano no comercio internacional. Para tanto, foram utilizados dados do Sistema de Analise das Informacoes de Comercio Exterior via Internet (ALICE-Web), da Secretaria de Comercio Exterior (SECEX), do Ministerio do Desenvolvimento, Industria e Comercio Exterior (MDIC) nos anos de 1997 a 2011. Adicionalmente, foram construidos os indices de vantagens relativas e de competitividade revelada para observar o comportamento da producao do estado no comercio internacional. Os resultados mostram que a Bahia apresenta vantagens relativas nas exportacoes de cacau ao longo dos anos considerados. A competitividade revelada mostrou-se, porem, ameacada com desvantagem elevada em quase todos os anos da serie estudada. Palavras-chave: Vantagens comparativas; competitividade revelada; cacau; Bahia. Classificacao JEL: F00; F01.
The Use of Conjunctival Pedicle Flaps to Prevent Corneal Perforation in Graft-Versus-Host Disease

ABSTRACT Purpose: We report the clinical outcomes of two chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) corneal thinning cases that were successfully treated with conjunctival pedicle flaps in an effort to prevent impending corneal perforation. Methods: The patients were treated with topical and systemic corticosteroids, therapeutic contact lenses, lubricants, and punctual plugs. Conjunctival pedicle flaps were used because conventional treatments had failed, and corneal perforation was imminent. Results: Both patients were successfully treated with conjunctival pedicle flaps. Following conjunctival flap removal, one patient had corneal clarity restored following penetrating keratoplasty. Conclusions: Conjunctival pedicle flaps provided a strong barrier for the corneal surface and stabilized anterior chamber in cGVHD patients with impending corneal perforation following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
In situ degradation of oil in a soil of the boreal region of the Northwest Territories.

Replicate field plots comprising a control; control plus oil; control plus oil and fertilizer (urea phosphate, 27:27:0); control plus oil and bacteria; and control plus oil, fertilizer, and bacteria were established at Norman Wells, N.W. T. , Canada. Plots were monitored over a 3-year period for changes in microbial numbers and the chemical composition of recovered oil. Where fertilizer was applied, there was a rapid increase in bacterial numbers, but no increase in fungal propagules. This was followed by a rapid disappearance of n-alkanes, isoprenoids, and a continuous loss in weight of saturate compounds in recovered oil. Changes in the content of asphaltenes, aromatics, and nitrogen-, sulphur-, and oxygen-containing fractions also are discussed. The seeding of oil-soaked plots with oil-degrading bacteria did not have any effect on the composition of recovered oil. Fertilized plots showed a more rapid rate of vegetation with cotton grass and Labrador tea being the dominant species in revegetation.
Clenbuterol: a medal in tablet form?

Institute, Sports Science Exchange 1993; 4, No. 42). Exertional rhabdomyolysis is the degeneration of skeletal muscle caused by excessive unaccustomed exercise. Symptoms include muscle pain, weakness and swelling, myoglobinuria, and increased levels of muscle enzymes and other muscle constituents in the blood. Myoglobin released from damaged muscle cells may spill over from the blood resulting in a dark colour urine. In certain situations myoglobin can precipitate in the kidneys and cause renal failure. The mechanism by which myoglobinuria can lead to acute renal failure is not completely understood. However, kidney failure most often occurs when heat stress and dehydration are present. A lack of physical conditioning for the specific exercises performed plus an insufficient degree of acclimatization to heat are contributing factors. A viral infection or an attempt at a novel diet manipulation before competition may affect this condition. Because severe cases of rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure are rare, it is thought some individuals may have a subclinical muscle disorder that only becomes apparent when the above conditions present.
Functional Human T Lymphocyte Development from Cord Blood CD34+ Cells in Nonobese Diabetic/Shi-scid, IL-2 Receptor γ Null Mice1

An experimental model for human T lymphocyte development from hemopoietic stem cells is necessary to study the complex processes of T cell differentiation in vivo. In this study, we report a newly developed nonobese diabetic (NOD)/Shi-scid, IL-2Rγ null (NOD/SCID/γcnull) mouse model for human T lymphopoiesis. When these mice were transplanted with human cord blood CD34+ cells, the mice reproductively developed human T cells in their thymus and migrated into peripheral lymphoid organs. Furthermore, these T cells bear polyclonal TCR-αβ, and respond not only to mitogenic stimuli, such as PHA and IL-2, but to allogenic human cells. These results indicate that functional human T lymphocytes can be reconstituted from CD34+ cells in NOD/SCID/γcnull mice. This newly developed mouse model is expected to become a useful tool for the analysis of human T lymphopoiesis and immune response, and an animal model for studying T lymphotropic viral infections, such as HIV.
A Music Composition Model with Genetic Programming – A Case Study of Chord Progression and Bassline -

In this paper, we present the improvement of our automatic music composition model using genetic programming, which is constructed with two independent but cooperative models for chord progression and melody. The improvements are the chord progression generation model and the bassline generation model. The chord progression generation model, considering tension notes, generates chord progression suitable for jazz blues. In the music theory, tension notes that are granted for the corresponding chords are determined for some cases but it is not easy to automatically determine what to apply from such theoretical codes. In this model, by focusing on the relation between the chord’s top notes with tension notes and melody tones, we attempt to automatically generate chords. Further, by adding the bassline generating part, this system is applied to Jazz improvisation.
Correlation of DTI metrics in the wall and cavity of brain abscess with histology and immunohistochemistry

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed in eight patients with brain abscess (BA). The aim of this study was to see the difference in the relationship between intercellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐1 (LFA‐1) expression and DTI metrics measured in vivo in the wall and cavity of BA and its possible explanation vis‐à‐vis histology and immunohistochemistry. Neuroinflammatory molecules (NMs) were quantified from BA cavity aspirate of the patients and quantitative immunohistochemical analysis was performed for ICAM‐1 and LFA‐1 in the BA wall, showing maximal positive staining and correlated with DTI metrics. The fractional anisotropy (FA) significantly increased while mean diffusivity and spherical anisotropy significantly decreased in the BA wall compared to the BA cavity. In the BA wall, FA and linear anisotropy (CL) showed a significant positive correlation with ICAM‐1 and LFA‐1 expression whereas FA and planar anisotropy positively correlated with NMs quantified from aspirated pus respectively. Higher FA values in the BA wall compared to BA cavity, even when ICAM‐1 and LFA‐1 were expressed only in the macrophages and not in the collagen fibers, suggests that a combination of both concentric layers of collagen fibers as well as neutrophils and macrophages provide structural orientation and are responsible for increased FA. In the BA wall, increased CL was found compared to the cavity, indicating the presence of concentrically laid collagen fibers responsible for the diffusion of water molecules in the direction parallel to the collagen fibers. We conclude that in the BA, different mechanisms are operative for the changes in the DTI metrics in the wall and cavity; these conclusions are validated by histology and immunohistochemistry. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hormonal and metabolic effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome: results from a cross-sectional analysis and a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by an adverse metabolic profile. Although dietary changes are advocated, optimal nutritional management remains uncertain. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly long-chain (LC) n-3 (omega-3) PUFAs, improve metabolic health, but their therapeutic potential in PCOS is unknown. OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine the associations between plasma PUFAs and metabolic and hormonal aspects of PCOS to investigate the efficacy of LC n-3 PUFA supplementation and to support the findings with mechanistic cellular studies. DESIGN We selected a cross-sectional PCOS cohort (n = 104) and conducted a principal component analysis on plasma fatty acid profiles. Effects of LC n-3 PUFA supplementation on fasting and postprandial metabolic and hormonal markers were determined in PCOS subjects (n = 22) by a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled intervention. Direct effects of n-6 (omega-6) compared with n-3 PUFAs on steroidogenesis were investigated in primary bovine theca cells. RESULTS Cross-sectional data showed that a greater plasma n-6 PUFA concentration and n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio were associated with higher circulating androgens and that plasma LC n-3 PUFA status was associated with a less atherogenic lipid profile. LC n-3 PUFA supplementation reduced plasma bioavailable testosterone concentrations (P < 0.05), with the greatest reductions in subjects who exhibited greater reductions in plasma n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios. The treatment of bovine theca cells with n-6 rather than with n-3 PUFAs up-regulated androstenedione secretion (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Cross-sectional data suggest that PUFAs modulated hormonal and lipid profiles and that supplementation with LC n-3 PUFAs improves androgenic profiles in PCOS. In bovine theca cells, arachidonic acid modulated androstenedione secretion, which suggests an indirect effect of n-3 PUFAs through the displacement of or increased competition with n-6 PUFAs. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01189669.
Brain atrophy evaluated by computed tomography in independent and institutionalized hip fracture patients

Purpose: To examine if there is an association between brain computed tomography (CT) findings and place of residence in a series of hip fracture patients. Method: The CT scans taken immediately after hip fracture of 215 patients (mean age 81.6 years) living in their own homes or otherwise independently (home-dwelling group) and 95 patients (mean age 82.5 years) permanently institutionalized (institutionalized group) were analysed. Results: The institutionalized patients had significantly more cortical cerebral (frontal, p = 0.004; temporal, p = 0.007; parietal, p < 0.001) and central cerebral (third ventricle width, p < 0.001; frontal horn width, p < 0.001; midbody width, p < 0.001) atrophy than the home-dwelling ones. This was also true of atrophy in the white-matter (WM) area (p < 0.001). The institutionalized patients also had more atrophy of the cerebellar hemisphere (atrophy of the cerebellopontine angle cistern, p = 0.002, greater fourth ventricle width, p = 0.020). No significant difference was seen in the incidence of brain infarcts. Conclusions: Hip fracture patients living in institutions have more brain atrophy than those living independently. The brain atrophy may be one factor in the multiple mechanism underlying their institutional admission.
Primary hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus infection in korea

Serological evidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and serum alphafetoprotein (AFP) were assayed in sera from 112 Korean patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) and from 63 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Serological evidence of HBV infection was found in 100% of PHC patients and in 97% of controls. The majority of PHC patients (87%) were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). In contrast, only 14% of control individuals were positive for HBsAg, but 82% were positive for antibody to HBsAg (anti‐HBs). Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was detected in a high percentage (38%) of HBsAg‐positive PHC patients, but in none of the nine HBsAg‐positive control individuals. Serum AFP was detectable in 83% of PHC patients but in only one of 63 controls (1.5%). These results document that HBV infection may be the mjor factor in the development of PHC in this country.
Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision: Early and late results

Background: Laparoscopic colectomy is superior to open colectomy in terms of short‐term surgical outcomes. There is solid evidence indicating that laparoscopic and open surgery are equally effective for colon cancer, but for rectal cancer, the issues of neoadjuvant treatment, the need for total mesorectal excision and autonomic nerve preservation, and the technical demands of a well‐constructed low colorectal or coloanal anastomosis challenge even the most specialized surgeons. This review discusses the available evidence on short‐term and long‐term outcomes after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.
100 Million dimensions large-scale global optimization using distributed GPU computing

At this time, many industrial and science problems deal with a large number of decision variables. Classic metaheuristics have shown excellent search abilities on bounded problems, but they often lose their efficacy when applied to large ones. This is known as the curse of dimensionality. To this issue, we have to add the simple fact that the solution evaluation becomes excessively demanding in time. To push the research state forward on this type of problems, the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation regularly organises a competition on large-scale global optimization since 2008. On the other hand, general purpose computing with graphics processing units has become very attractive in the last years, because they may attain very high speed-up ratios on problems with high data parallelism levels. In this work, we study the benefits of exploiting a scalable and distributed computational architecture with multiple GPUs for large scale function optimisation. The study is carried out in terms of 1) evaluation speed-up, 2) quality of the results, and 3) extremely large scale optimisation with real-parameter functions with up to 108 variables.
Statistical parsing and language modeling based on constraint dependency grammar

This thesis focuses on the development of effective and efficient language models (LMs) for speech recognition systems. We selected Constraint Dependency Grammar (CDG) as the underlying framework because CDG parses can be lexicalized at the word level with a rich set of lexical features for modeling subcategorization and wh-movement without a combinatorial explosion of the parameter space and because CDG is able to model languages with crossing dependencies and free word ordering. Two types of LMs were developed: an almost-parsing LM and a full parser-based LM The quality of these LMs gained significantly from the insights obtained from initial CDG grammar induction experiments. The almost-parsing LM uses a data structure derived from CDG parses called a SuperARV that tightly integrates knowledge of words, lexical features, and syntactic constraints. The full CDG parser-based LM utilizes complete parse information obtained by adding the modifiee links to the SuperARVs assigned to each word in a sentence in order to capture important long-distance dependency constraints. We have evaluated the almost-parsing LM on a variety of large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) tasks and found that it reduced recognition error rates significantly compared to commonly used word-based LMs, achieving performance competitive to state-of-the-art parser-based LMs with a significantly lower time complexity. The full CDG parser-based LM, when evaluated on the DARPA Wall Street Journal CSR task, outperformed the almost-parsing LM and produced a performance comparable to or exceeding the state-of-the-art parser-based LMs.
Impact of HCV Protease-Inhibitor-Based Triple Therapy for Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Infection

Boceprevir and telaprevir are the first HCV protease inhibitors to be approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection. These drugs must be used in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (P/R) to maximize efficacy and prevent the emergence of resistance-associated variants (RAVs). In randomized, placebo-controlled international studies in treatment-naive and previously treated HCV patients, treatment with either boceprevir- or telaprevir-based triple therapy regimens significantly increased sustained virological response rates compared with placebo plus P/R. Protease inhibitors have the potential, not only to significantly increase cure rates among patients with genotype 1 infection, but also to reduce the duration of treatment for patients who have an extended rapid virological response. Boceprevir is associated with an increased incidence of anaemia and dysgeusia and telaprevir is associated with an increased incidence of rash and anaemia. The emergence of RAVs was associated with an increased risk of virological failure in clinical studies. Although these new drugs bring significant promise, it remains unclear if all genotype 1 patients will need triple therapy. Here, we review some of the complexities uncovered and controversies highlighted by the introduction of HCV protease inhibitors.
Predictors of persistent airway stenosis in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis.

SETTING The university and municipal hospitals in Seoul, Korea. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictors of persistent airway stenosis following anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis (TB). DESIGN Diagnosis of TB was confirmed by microbiology or histopathology. Bronchoscopic examinations revealed that patients had endobronchial lesions compatible with endobronchial TB. Study subjects had at least one follow-up bronchoscopy to evaluate their treatment response. Treatment response was determined by changes in the degree or extent of airway stenosis between the first and last bronchoscopic examinations. RESULTS Sixty-seven subjects were recruited retrospectively from Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul National University Boramae Hospital. Persistent bronchostenosis occurred in 41.8% of the patients. In multivariate regression analysis, age >45 years (OR 3.65), pure or combined fibrostenotic subtype (OR 5.54) and duration from onset of chief complaint to the initiation of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy >90 days (OR 5.98) were identified as independent predictors of persistent airway stenosis. Oral corticosteroids (prednisolone equivalent >or=30 mg/d) did not reduce the frequency of persistent airway stenosis. CONCLUSION Early diagnosis and early administration of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy before involvement of the deeper airways is important to prevent the development of unwanted sequelae of bronchostenosis.