Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Riociguat for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND Riociguat, a member of a new class of compounds (soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators), has been shown in previous clinical studies to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. METHODS In this phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we randomly assigned 261 patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy to receive placebo or riociguat. The primary end point was the change from baseline to the end of week 16 in the distance walked in 6 minutes. Secondary end points included changes from baseline in pulmonary vascular resistance, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, time to clinical worsening, Borg dyspnea score, quality-of-life variables, and safety. RESULTS By week 16, the 6-minute walk distance had increased by a mean of 39 m in the riociguat group, as compared with a mean decrease of 6 m in the placebo group (least-squares mean difference, 46 m; 95% confidence interval [CI], 25 to 67; P<0.001). Pulmonary vascular resistance decreased by 226 dyn·sec·cm(-5) in the riociguat group and increased by 23 dyn·sec·cm(-5) in the placebo group (least-squares mean difference, -246 dyn·sec·cm(-5); 95% CI, -303 to -190; P<0.001). Riociguat was also associated with significant improvements in the NT-proBNP level (P<0.001) and WHO functional class (P=0.003). The most common serious adverse events were right ventricular failure (in 3% of patients in each group) and syncope (in 2% of the riociguat group and in 3% of the placebo group). CONCLUSIONS Riociguat significantly improved exercise capacity and pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. (Funded by Bayer HealthCare; CHEST-1 and CHEST-2 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00855465 and NCT00910429, respectively.)
Evaluation of the role of pathology in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary and extrapulmonary sarcoidosis.

UNLABELLED INTRODUCTION; Sarcoidosis is a multisystem, granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Sarcoid granulomas appear as immunological response to a particular but still unknown agent of the human body. OBJECTIVE The main purpose of this study was to point out the important fact that the exact diagnosis of sarcoidosis must be estimated by clinical and pathological correlation, and team cooperation between the clinician and the pathologist. METHODS Of 751 patients referred with the suspected diagnosis of sarcoidosis, from 1995 to 1999, 663 (431 female and 232 male) were analyzed and confirmed as having sarcoidosis stage I-III based on biopsy findings obtained by bronchoscopy, open lung biopsy, skin biopsy, liver biopsy or splenectomy. RESULTS Diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made in 663 patients, 431 females and 232 males (ratio 1.9:1). The average age of patients varied from 16 to 67 years, with those below age 50 years being predominant (78.4%). The highest number of patients was diagnosed in stage I of lung sarcoidosis (81.7%). Sarcoidosis was the most common cause of hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy (72.2%). CONCLUSION Biopsy is a necessary diagnostic procedure for pathological diagnosis of sarcoid granuloma before treatment even in patients where clinical, radiological, biochemical and immunological tests imply the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.
On the Existence of Subsonic Flows of a Compressible Fluid.

1. The stationary, irrotational flow of a compressible fluid is characterized by a quasi-linear second order partial differential equation with coefficients which are functions of the first derivatives. The equation is sometimes elliptic and sometimes hyperbolic, depending on the magnitude of these first derivatives. The question of the existence of such flows satisfying prescribed conditions is uncertain, and it is not known beforehand whether, for the desired flow, the equation is always elliptic or partly elliptic and partly hyperbolic. We shall indicate here how to establish existence theorems for purely subsonic flows, corresponding to the completely elliptic case. Consider, for definiteness, the two-dimensional flow about a fixed object with a prescribed velocity u0 at infinity in the positive x-direction. The boundary of the fixed object will be supposed to be a smooth curve, say with continuous third derivatives. The fluid will be supposed to have the adiabatic law p = Apy, y > 1, as equation of state, although the following considerations apply to any equation of state. The flow is characterized by a velocity potential function sp(x, y) satisfying the partial differential equation
Patient compliance with a group model of care: the hernia clinic.

BACKGROUND In February 2006, a hernia clinic was established at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was based on a group model of care and was established to increase effective use of resources to reduce waiting times. We conducted a survey of patients referred to the hernia clinic to determine compliance. METHODS We developed and mailed a questionnaire to all patients who had surgery after assessment at the hernia clinic. Data were analyzed for the entire study group and for 2 subgroups: patients in group I had the same surgeon for assessment and surgery, whereas patients in group II had a different surgeon for assessment and surgery. Differences between subgroups were assessed using the 2-tailed Fisher exact test. Waiting times were recorded. RESULTS In all, 94 patients responded to the survey. Of these, 67% had the same surgeon for assessment and surgery, and 31% had a different surgeon; 2% were not sure. Two-thirds were comfortable having their surgery performed by a surgeon whom they met the day of surgery. Most patients had confidence in the competence of any surgeon and considered service to be better and faster in a specialized centre. Most felt that a group of surgeons providing hernia care uses resources more effectively. The waiting times from referral to initial consult decreased from 208 (standard deviation [SD] 139) days in 2007 to 59 (SD 70) days in 2009. CONCLUSION Patient compliance with a group model of care for hernia surgery is high.
Pattern Recognition of Vibrations in Metal Enclosures of Gas Insulated Equipment and its Application

This paper presents the characteristics of vibration, caused by partial discharge, electrostatic forced particles, electromagnetic or electrostatic forced parts, and operation of switchgear, etc., in metal enclosures of gas insulated equipment. A technique for pattern recognition of these vibrations is discussed and a method of three dimensional spectrographic display is examined. Suggestions for application of this method to predict internal faults in gas insulated equipment are proposed.
A Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis algorithm for optimization and uncertainty assessment of hydrologic model parameters

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods have become increasingly popular for estimating the posterior probability distribution of parameters in hydrologic models. However, MCMC methods require the a priori definition of a proposal or sampling distribution, which determines the explorative capabilities and efficiency of the sampler and therefore the statistical properties of the Markov Chain and its rate of convergence. In this paper we present an MCMC sampler entitled the Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis algorithm (SCEM‐UA), which is well suited to infer the posterior distribution of hydrologic model parameters. The SCEM‐UA algorithm is a modified version of the original SCE‐UA global optimization algorithm developed by Duan et al. [1992] . The SCEM‐UA algorithm operates by merging the strengths of the Metropolis algorithm, controlled random search, competitive evolution, and complex shuffling in order to continuously update the proposal distribution and evolve the sampler to the posterior target distribution. Three case studies demonstrate that the adaptive capability of the SCEM‐UA algorithm significantly reduces the number of model simulations needed to infer the posterior distribution of the parameters when compared with the traditional Metropolis‐Hastings samplers.
UVicSPACE: Research & Learning Repository

Background: Social media is used by community-based organizations (CBOs) to promote the well-being of gay and bisexual men (GBM). However, few studies have quantified which factors facilitate the diffusion of health content tailored for sexual minorities. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify post characteristics that can be leveraged to optimize the health promotion efforts of CBOs on Facebook. Methods: The Facebook application programming interface was used to collect 5 years’ of posts shared across 10 Facebook pages administered by Vancouver-based CBOs promoting GBM health. Network analysis assessed basic indicators of network structure. Content analyses were conducted using informatics-based approaches. Hierarchical negative binomial regression of post engagement data was used to identify meaningful covariates of engagement. Results: In total, 14,071 posts were shared and 21,537 users engaged with these posts. Most users (n=13,315) engaged only once. There was moderate correlation between the number of posts and the number of CBOs users engaged with ( r =.53, P <.001). Higher user engagement was positively associated with positive sentiment, sharing multimedia, and posting about pre-exposure prophylaxis, stigma, and mental health. Engagement was negatively associated with asking questions, posting about dating, and sharing posts during or after work (versus before). Conclusions: Results highlight the existence of a core group of Facebook users who facilitate diffusion. Factors associated with greater user engagement present CBOs with a number of strategies for improving the diffusion of health content.
Human Frequency-Following Response: Representation of Tonal Sweeps

Auditory nerve single-unit population studies have demonstrated that phase locking plays a dominant role in the neural encoding of steady-state speech sounds. Recently, we have reported that the phase-locked activity underlying the human frequency-following response (FFR) could also encode the first two formants of several tonal approximations of steady-state vowels. Since auditory nerve single-unit population studies have also demonstrated that phase locking is used to represent time-varying speech-like sounds, it was reasoned that the phase-locked neural activity underlying the human FFR, likewise, is dynamic enough to represent time-varying sounds. FFRs to a rising and a falling tone were obtained from 8 normal-hearing adults at 95, 85, 75 and 65 dB nHL. Results clearly demonstrated that the human FFR does indeed follow the trajectory of the rising and falling tones. Also, amplitude changes in the FFR supported the view that neural phase locking decreases with increasing frequency. Finally, the relatively smaller FFR amplitude for the falling tone compared to its rising counterpart lends further support to the notion that rising tones produce greater neural synchrony than falling tones. These results indicate that the human FFR may be used to evaluate encoding of time-varying speech sounds like diphthongs and certain consonant-vowel syllables.
Lignan Glycosides from Gentianella acuta ( Michx . ) Hulten . and Their Protective Effects Against H 2 O 2-Induced Apoptosis in H 9 c 2

Two new lignan glycosides named acutosides A ( 1) and B (2) have been isolated from the whole plant of Gentianella acute (Michx) Hulten. and their structures were determine d as (-)-(7R,8S,7'E)-4-hydroxy-3,3'dimethoxy-7,4'-epoxy-8,5'-neolign-7'-ene-9,9'-diol 9'-ethyl ether-4O-β-D-glucopyranoside and (-)-(7 R,8S,7'E)4-hydroxy-3,3'-dimethoxy-7,4'-epoxy-8,5'-neolign-7' -ene-9,9'-diol 9-ethyl ether-9'O β-D-glucopyranoside by means of 1D-, 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, CD techniques and chemical reactions. Along with the above two new compounds we have obtained six known ones: (7 R,8S)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol-4,9'-diO-β-Dglucopyranoside ( 3), alaschanisoside A ( 4), citrusin A (5), 8,4',9'-trihydroxy-3,3'-dimethoxy-9,7'-epoxylign a 4O-β-D-glucopyranoside ( 6), leptolepisol D ( 7) and acanthoside D ( 8). The cardioprotective effects of compounds 1-8 were evaluated by measuring the viability of the c ompounds 1-8 pretreated H9c2 cardiomyoblasts after exposure to H2O2-induced apoptosis, the results showed that compoun ds 1, 3, 6 and 8 which could increase cell viability >15% at 200 μM had remarkably protective influence against H 2O2-induced apoptosis. All the compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against two human tumor cell lines: gastric cancer SGC-7901 and breast cancer MCF-7. But they were inactive (IC 50>40 μM).
Renal response to volume depletion and expansion in Milan hypertensive rats.

In previous studies on Milan hypertensive (MHS) rats, we found an impaired tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) response before, during and after development of hypertension. In the present study MHS rats and rats of the Milan normotensive strain (MNS) were investigated after 24 hours of volume depletion (VD) and subsequently after 5% isotonic volume expansion (VE) with respect to whole kidney function, interstitial hydrostatic (P(int)) and oncotic (IIint) pressures, stop-flow pressure characteristics of TGF and changes in early proximal flow rate in response to increased loop of Henle flow. MHS rats had higher mean arterial blood pressure (Pa) than MNS rats (129 vs. 101 mmHg) both after VD and after subsequent VE. No difference in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was found. Both strains had a low urine flow rate (approximately 1.5 microliters min-1) during VD, which increased fourfold after VE. The interstitium was significantly more dehydrated in MHS, as indicated by a more negative net interstitial pressure (P(int)-IIint than in MNS (-1.3 +/- 0.3 vs. +/- 0.0 +/- 0.5 mmHg) after VE. The TGF mechanism was more activated in MHS during volume depletion, as indicated by a larger drop in stop-flow pressure (Psf) in response to loop of Henle perfusion (7.1 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.7 +/- 0.2 mmHg, P less than 0.05). However, during VD the loop of Henle flow that elicited half maximal response in Psf, the turning point (TP), was equally low in MHS and MNS (13.5 +/- 0.6 and 14.3 +/- 0.4, respectively). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
PSCAD/EMTDC model of a 3-phase grid connected photovoltaic solar system

Photovoltaic (PV) solar farms are being increasingly utilized for producing energy, worldwide. To integrate such solar farms with the grid, a thorough technical study is required in terms of their impact on system voltage, power quality, response to faults and short circuit contributions, etc. These studies require a complete modeling of the PV solar system in an electromagnetic transient software environment like PSCAD/EMTDC. This paper presents a PSCAD/EMTDC model of PV solar panels, the grid connected three phase voltage sourced inverter (VSI) and its controller system. The VSI control is implemented with current control loops. A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is implemented to get the maximum output power for any given solar irradiation and temperature. This is integrated with the inverter control in such a way that the requirement of DC-DC converter is eliminated to harvest the maximum power. The inverter model also maintains near unity power factor regardless of the level of power output and maintains an acceptable level of current harmonics. Finally, the developed model is validated with the output of a commercially used PV module.
Bacteriological and Physicochemical Analyses of Borehole and Well Water Sources in Ijebu-Ode, Southwestern Nigeria

An investigative study was carried out to determine the bacteriological and physicochemical qualities of borehole and well water samples in Ijebu-Ode, Southwestern Nigeria. Ten water samples each of borehole and well water sources were collected within the geographical location. Physicochemical parameters were determined using standard methods. The total bacterial count was determined by pour plate technique and total coliform determined using 3-3-3 regimen. Identifications of isolates were done using standard methods. The colour and turbidity of water samples were within the normal range. Eight genera of bacteria which include Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp, Salmonella sp, Shigella sp, Enterococcus sp, Proteus sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from the water samples. Total bacterial count in borehole and well waters sampled ranged from zero to 2.5 x 10 2 cfu/ml and zero to 8.1 x 10 2 cfu/ml, respectively. The total coliform count of the borehole waters analyzed ranged from zero to 16 MPN index of coliform/100 ml while that of well waters ranged from 16 to 1100 MPN index of coliform/100 ml of the water samples. All borehole water samples had zero faecal coliform count while in well water samples, count ranged from zero to 4.1 x 10 2 cfu/ml. It was concluded that not all borehole waters are safe for consumption and well waters were of poorer bacteriological qualities indicative of health risk to the inhabitants of the geographical location.
Phosphatidylinositol 3,5‐bisphosphate: Low abundance, high significance

Recent studies of the low abundant signaling lipid, phosphatidylinositol 3,5‐bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2), reveal an intriguingly diverse list of downstream pathways, the intertwined relationship between PI(3,5)P2 and PI5P, as well as links to neurodegenerative diseases. Derived from the structural lipid phosphatidylinositol, PI(3,5)P2 is dynamically generated on multiple cellular compartments where interactions with an increasing list of effectors regulate many cellular pathways. A complex of proteins that includes Fab1/PIKfyve, Vac14, and Fig4/Sac3 mediates the biosynthesis of PI(3,5)P2, and mutations that disrupt complex function and/or formation cause profound consequences in cells. Surprisingly, mutations in this pathway are linked with neurological diseases, including Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Future studies of PI(3,5)P2 and PI5P are likely to expand the roles of these lipids in regulation of cellular functions, as well as provide new approaches for treatment of some neurological diseases.
A mouse model of conditional lipodystrophy

Lipodystrophies are syndromes of adipose tissue degeneration associated with severe defects in lipid and glucose homeostasis. We report here the generation and analysis of Ppargldi, a targeted allele that confers conditional dominant lipodystrophy in mice. The Ppargldi allele was generated by insertion of the Tet activator (tTA) and a tTA-regulated Flag-Pparg1 transgene into the Pparg gene. Unexpectedly, tTA elicits mild lipodystrophy, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, and the Flag-PPARγ1 transgene surprisingly exacerbates these traits. Doxycycline can both completely prevent and reverse these phenotypes, providing a mouse model of inducible lipodystrophy. Embryonic fibroblasts from either Ppargldi/+ or the phenotypically similar aP2-nSrebp1c (Sr) transgenic mice undergo robust adipogenesis, suggesting that neither strain develops lipodystrophy because of defective adipocyte differentiation. In addition, Ppargldi/+ adipose tissue shares extensive gene expression aberrations with that of Sr mice, authenticating the phenotype at the molecular level and revealing a common expression signature of lipodystrophic fat. Thus, the Ppargldi/+ mouse provides a conditional animal model for studying lipodystrophy and its associated physiology and gene expression.
Vasomotor and respiratory responses evoked from the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey are mediated by the dorsomedial hypothalamus

Activation of neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) evokes increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP), sympathetic activity, heart rate (HR) and respiratory activity. Results of previous studies suggest that the DMH‐evoked increases in MAP and HR are mediated by neurons within the periaqueductal grey (PAG), but a recent study has proposed that the converse is also true, i.e. that increases in MAP and HR evoked from the PAG depend upon neuronal activity in the DMH. In this study in anaesthetized rats, we examined the functional relationship between the DMH and PAG in regulating renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and respiratory activity (determined by measuring phrenic nerve activity (PNA)). Bilateral microinjections of the neuronal inhibitor muscimol into the DMH virtually abolished the increases in MAP, RSNA and PNA burst rate and amplitude evoked from the dorsolateral (dl) PAG. In contrast, multiple bilateral injections of much larger (10 times) doses of muscimol or of the local anaesthetic lignocaine into sites in the dlPAG at three different rostrocaudal levels did not reduce the magnitude or duration of the sympathetic vasomotor and respiratory responses evoked by disinhibition of neurons in the DMH. Thus, sympathetic vasomotor and respiratory responses generated from the dlPAG are dependent upon neuronal activity in the DMH, but not the converse. The results of this study together with those of previous studies indicate that the PAG regulates cardiovascular and respiratory function via both ascending projections to the DMH and descending projections to the ventral medulla, that originate from different PAG subregions.
Ultrastructural characterization of the mesostriatal dopamine innervation in mice, including two mouse lines of conditional VGLUT2 knockout in dopamine neurons

Despite the increasing use of genetically modified mice to investigate the dopamine (DA) system, little is known about the ultrastructural features of the striatal DA innervation in the mouse. This issue is particularly relevant in view of recent evidence for expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) by a subset of mesencephalic DA neurons in mouse as well as rat. We used immuno‐electron microscopy to characterize tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐labeled terminals in the core and shell of nucleus accumbens and the neostriatum of two mouse lines in which the Vglut2 gene was selectively disrupted in DA neurons (cKO), their control littermates, and C57BL/6/J wild‐type mice, aged P15 or adult. The three regions were also examined in cKO mice and their controls of both ages after dual TH–VGLUT2 immunolabeling. Irrespective of the region, age and genotype, the TH‐immunoreactive varicosities appeared similar in size, vesicular content, percentage with mitochondria, and exceedingly low frequency of synaptic membrane specialization. No dually labeled axon terminals were found at either age in control or in cKO mice. Unless TH and VGLUT2 are segregated in different axon terminals of the same neurons, these results favor the view that the glutamatergic cophenotype of mesencephalic DA neurons is more important during the early development of these neurons than for the establishment of their scarce synaptic connectivity. They also suggest that, in mouse even more than rat, the mesostriatal DA system operates mainly through non‐targeted release of DA, diffuse transmission and the maintenance of an ambient DA level.