Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Ventricular Refractory Periods Determined by Incremental and Decremental Scanning of an Extrastimulus

This study compared the ventricular effective refractory periods measured by scanning diastole with an extrastimulus in incremental and decrementaJ steps of 5 msec. The subjects of the study were 80 patients undergoing a clinically indicated electrophysiological test. Eight beat basic drive trains at a cycle length of 600 msec and an intertrain pause of 4 seconds were used to measure the ventricular effective refractory period (VERP). In the incremetal method, the extrastimulus initially was positioned at a coupling interval shorter than the VERP and the coupling interval then was progressively increased until ventricular capture occurred. In the decremental method, the initial extrastimulus coupling interval was longer than the VERP and the coupling interval was progressively shortened until ventricular capture was lost. In 50 subjects, the mean VERP determined by the incremental method, 252 ± 18 (± standard deviation), was significantly longer than the mean VERP determined in the same patients by the decremental method, 248 ± 18 msec (P < 0.0001). In ten subjects, a subthreshold stimulus (S') positioned 10 msec earlier than the VERP had an inhibitory effect that lengthened the VERP by an average of 7 msec; however, when S' was positioned after the seventh beat of an eight heat drive train, no inhibitory effect could be demonstrated. In 20 subjects, VERP's were determined by the incremental and decremental methods using intertrain pauses of 1, 4, 8, 12, and 20 seconds. The mean VERP measured by the incremental method was significantly less than the mean VERP measured by the decremental method when the intertrain pause was 1,4, or 8 seconds, but not when the pause was 12 or 20 seconds. The results of this study demonstrate that incremental scanning of an extrastimulus with eight beat basic drive trains yields a longer VERP than when the extrastimulus is scanned in decremental fashion. The discrepancy between the two methods is not attributable to inhibition by noncapturing extrastimuli in the incremental method, but rather to a decrease in the VERP caused by an effect of extrastimuli that capture the ventricle in the decremental method. Therefore, when a conventional eight beat driye train and 4 second intertrain pause are used to measure ventricular refractoriness, incremental scanning of an extrastimulus yields a more accurate VERP than does decremental scanning.
La presse algérienne : une dérégulation sous contraintes

Cet article se propose d’analyser conjointement les marches de la presse electronique et papier en Algerie. Cette analyse est declinee en quatre volets correspondant aux differentes variables proposees par Daniel C. Hallin et Paolo Mancini dans leur analyse comparative des systemes mediatiques : le premier explique les caracteristiques generales et specifiques des marches de la presse papier et des supports electroniques en Algerie ; le deuxieme montre les nouvelles formes (moins directes et moins visibles) d’interventionnisme de l’Etat ; le troisieme explique l’existence d’un « parallelisme » entre les champs journalistique et politique mais qui n’est pas partisan ; le dernier donne a voir le faible degre de professionnalisation des journalistes en raison du controle politique. Ce travail repose sur une enquete des textes de lois definissant les statuts juridiques de ces deux presses, des donnees quantitatives sur la diffusion et le marche publicitaire et une serie d’entretiens menes avec des acteurs de la presse papier et numerique.
Cyclin-dependent Kinases Phosphorylate Human Cdt1 and Induce Its Degradation*

Eukaryotic cells tightly control DNA replication so that replication origins fire only once during S phase within the same cell cycle. Cell cycle-regulated degradation of the replication licensing factor Cdt1 plays important roles in preventing more than one round of DNA replication per cell cycle. We have previously shown that the SCFSkp2-mediated ubiquitination pathway plays an important role in Cdt1 degradation. In this study, we demonstrate that human Cdt1 is a substrate of Cdk2 and Cdk4 both in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors such as p21 and p27 dramatically suppresses the phosphorylation of Cdt1, disrupts the interaction of Cdt1 with the F-box protein Skp2, and blocks the degradation of Cdt1. Further analysis reveals that Cdt1 interacts with cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) complexes through a cyclin/Cdk binding consensus site, located at the N terminus of Cdt1. A Cdt1 mutant carrying four amino acid substitutions at the Cdk binding site dramatically reduces associations with cyclin/Cdk complexes. This mutant is not phosphorylated, fails to bind Skp2 and is more stable than wild-type Cdt1. These data suggest that cyclin/Cdk-mediated Cdt1 phosphorylation is required for the association of Cdt1 with the SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase and thus is important for the cell cycle dependent degradation of Cdt1 in mammalian cells.
Couple adjustment to a stressful life event: a dyadic investigation of the roles of positive reframing and perceived benefits

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: This study examines positive reframing (a form of meaning making), perceived benefits (a form of meanings made) and adjustment in couples who experienced a stressful life event in the past year. This study tested whether couple members’ scores were nonindependent and whether one’s own perceived benefits was predicted by their own positive reframing (actor effect) as well as their partner’s positive reframing (partner effect). Further, this study tested actor and partner effects for the link between perceived benefits and adjustment and whether positive reframing (the initial variable) works through perceived benefits (the mediator) to affect adjustment (the outcome) at the dyadic level. Design: A standard dyadic design was used. Methods: Eighty couples completed measures of positive reframing, perceived benefits, and adjustment (depression, anxiety, positive affect, life satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction). Results: Partners’ scores on study variables were related, and although only actor effects were found for the path between positive reframing and perceived benefits, both actor and partner effects were found for the path between perceived benefits and adjustment. Mediation was found for actor–actor and actor-partner indirect effects. Conclusions: Results indicate that a greater focus on interpersonal factors is needed to further meaning-making theory and inform practice.
Effects of mesalamine (5‐aminosalicylic acid) on bacterial gene expression

Background: 5‐Aminosalicylic acid (5‐ASA) is a well‐established treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may reduce the risk of colon cancer in patients with chronic colitis, but the mechanisms underlying these effects have not been fully elucidated. Although 5‐ASA delivery is targeted to the distal gut, little is known about its effects on the luminal bacteria that reside there. Intestinal bacteria are believed play a role in causing or perpetuating IBD, and bioremediation has been studied as a therapeutic strategy. In an effort to better understand the bacteriological effects of 5‐ASA, we examined the role of this compound at the level of bacterial gene expression. Methods: 5‐ASA was screened for its effects on a random promoter library representing the genome of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as a model enteric bacterium. Forty‐five constructs representing 38 unique promoters were found to be responsive to 5‐ASA, and included genes involved in bacterial invasion, cellular metabolism, and stress resistance. Several genes of unknown function were also identified. These effects occurred at 5‐ASA concentrations that are relevant to those achieved in the distal intestinal tract in patients with IBD but did not inhibit bacterial growth. Results: Bacterial invasiveness was decreased by 5‐ASA. Some of the identified genes had homologs among commensal Gram‐negative enteric bacteria. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that 5‐ASA has potent effects on bacterial gene expression. These novel findings implicate intestinal bacteria as pharmacological targets of 5‐ASA, perhaps contributing to the therapeutic action of this important class of IBD drugs.
Semi-Automated Clustering of Gene Expression Data Sets

Clustering, as one of key analysis tools for gene expression data sets, attempts to discover groups of genes having similar expression patterns. In order to get a reasonable biological interpretation, it is desirable that a clustering result be accurate enough. However, conventional clustering methods do not always meet this demand since they require the exact tuning of input parameters and cluster centers for an acceptable quality of result. Through an intuitive user interaction, Ul-Cluster solves the problem mentioned above, and yields better clustering results.
Emerging Role of Gasotransmitters in Renal Transplantation

Once patients with kidney disease progress to end‐stage renal failure, transplantation is the preferred option of treatment resulting in improved quality of life and reduced mortality compared to dialysis. Although 1‐year survival has improved considerably, graft and patient survival in the long term have not been concurrent, and therefore new tools to improve long‐term graft and patient survival are warranted. Over the past decades, the gasotransmitters nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have emerged as potent cytoprotective mediators in various diseases. All three gasotransmitters are endogenously produced messenger molecules that possess vasodilatory, anti‐apoptotic, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant properties by influencing an array of intracellular signaling processes. Although many regulatory functions of gasotransmitters have overlapping actions, differences have also been reported. In addition, crosstalk between NO, CO and H2S results in synergistic regulatory effects. Endogenous and exogenous manipulation of gasotransmitter levels modulates several processes involved in renal transplantation. This review focuses on mechanisms of gas‐mediated cytoprotection and complex interactions between gasotransmitters in renal transplantation.
Voluntary and visual control of the vestibuloocular reflex after cerebral hemidecortication

Horizontal vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) function was studied in five patients after cerebral hemidecortication. In darkness, VOR gain contralateral to the decorticate hemisphere was slightly higher than ipsilateral gain. Voluntary modulation of the reflex by attempted fixation of imaginary targets in darkness increased this VOR asymmetry. Voluntary cancellation of the ipsilateral VOR was better than cancellation of the contralateral VOR. Voluntary enhancement of the contralateral VOR was better than enhancement of the ipsilateral VOR. Visual control of the reflex while viewing foveal targets further increased the VOR asymmetry. Defective visual modulation corresponded to paresis of ipsilateral smooth pursuit. Abnormal voluntary responses in darkness indicate that cerebral control of the reflex can be independent of the pursuit system. The hemispheres may use a corollary discharge of eye position in the orbit and a head velocity signal to direct smooth eye movements toward the perceived location of objects. One hemisphere regulates ipsilateral smooth eye movements that achieve voluntary and visual control of the VOR.
Polyamines decrease Escherichia coli outer membrane permeability

The permeability of the outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria to hydrophilic compounds is mostly due to the presence of porin channels. We tested the effects of four polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine) on two processes known to depend on intact porin function: fluxes of beta-lactam antibiotics in live cells and chemotaxis. In both cases, inhibition was observed. Measurements of the rate of permeation of cephaloridine and of chemotaxis in swarm plates and capillary assays were used to determine the concentration dependence of this modulation. The effective concentration ranges depended on the nature of the polyamine and varied from submillimolar for spermine to tens of millimolar for cadaverine. Both OmpC and OmpF porins were inhibited, although the effects on OmpC appeared to be milder. These results are in agreement with our observations that polyamines inhibit porin-mediated ion fluxes in electrophysiological experiments, and they suggest that a low-affinity polyamine binding site might exist in these porins. These results reveal the potential use of porins as targets for blocking agents and suggest that polyamines may act as endogenous modulators of outer membrane permeability.
Using OpenStreetMap to inventory bicycle infrastructure: A comparison with open data from cities

ABSTARCT With rapid growth in bicycling, timely and spatially rich bicycling infrastructure data are essential for understanding determinants of ridership, equity of access, and potential for future developments. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative global map that was built by volunteers and is promising for active transportation research. In this article, we use OSM to inventory bicycling infrastructure in six Canadian cities, compare it to municipal open data, and provide guidance for practitioners using OSM data. We conducted an evaluation of OSM and open data, overall and for four categories of bicycle infrastructure: cycle tracks; on-street bicycle lanes; paths (bicycle only or multiuse); and local street bikeways. We found that the concordance in terms of total length of OSM infrastructure to open data infrastructure very high in two of the six cities (< ±2%), and reasonably high in all cities (maximum difference ±30%). Concordance for infrastructure categories was highest for on-street bicycle lanes, which were the most common, and easily identifiable type of bicycle infrastructure in the OSM data, and lowest for cycle tracks and local street bikeways, both of which are new or relatively rare infrastructure types in some Canadian cities. In some cases, OSM was more detailed and timely than open data. A challenge in OSM is consistent tagging of bicycle infrastructure types. We encourage practitioners to consider OSM data for multicity studies, but to be mindful of potential inconsistencies in attribution and local definitions. We also recommend users of OSM to publish data queries for repeatability.
Corporate Social Responsibility of Ukrainian tourist enterprises: identity, strategy and performance

This paper investigates the level of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) development of two groups of Ukrainian tourist enterprises (tour operators-franchisers and travel agencies-franchisees). The system of metrics has been proposed in order to justify CSR assessment and performance on the base of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach in terms of identification of four stakeholder groups (consumer, business community, employees and society). Based on a sample of 179 Ukrainian tourist enterprises, regression results show that there is a strong positive relationship between the independent variables (the number of CSR development programs with staff participation; transparency in corporate reporting index and the number of social projects aimed at the development of local community and society) and the resulting indicator of CSR performance – a franchise business network. We have discovered that the CSR activity significantly increases the number of franchises, which is the key factor of CSR performance from a strategic perspective.
Pathogenesis of respiratory failure (ARDS) after hemorrhage and trauma: I. Cardiorespiratory patterns preceding the development of ARDS

To evaluate clinical and physiologic determinants of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), we studied 152 consecutively monitored patients with trauma and hemorrhage; 60 developed ARDS. The Cardiorespiratory patterns of hemorrhage and trauma patients who did not develop ARDS were compared to those who subsequently did develop ARDS, but before the time of their ARDS. Comparisons also were made in the patients with trauma and those with hemorrhage, as well as in those who survived and those who did not. Hemorrhage and trauma patients who developed ARDS had greater reductions in blood volume, red cell mass, PaCO2 and O2 delivery throughout all stages, as well as greater pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI) and pH in the early and middle stages. Nonsurvivors of ARDS had greater deficits in blood volume and red cell mass, higher PVRI and pH, as well as lower central venous pressure (CVP), hemoglobin (Hgb), and PaCO2 than did ARDS survivors. Hemorrhage patients had lower blood volume, left ventricular function, O2 delivery and &OV0312;O2, as well as higher systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), PVRI, and O2 extraction than either the trauma patients or normal subjects. Description of the temporal Cardiorespiratory patterns before the clinical appearance of ARDS showed the progressive appearance of these deficits beginning 36 h before the hypoxemia was observed. The data are consistent with the concept that ARDS after hemorrhage and trauma is preceded by hypovolemia, reduced myocardial performance, inadequate O2 delivery, and inadequate O2 extraction needed to maintain &OV0312;O2 at the elevated levels demanded by the increased metabolic requirements of the injured patients. Thus, the so-called shock lung is a complication of shock associated with hypovolemia, hypoxemia, and inadequate cardiac compensatory responses to increased O2 demands.
The impact of dexmedetomidine or xylocaine continuous infusion on opioid consumption and recovery after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND Postoperative pain control for morbidly obese patients represents a challenge because of their sensitivity towards opioid-induced respiratory depression. We elected both dexmedetomidine and xylocaine (lidocaine) continuous infusions as adjuvants because they lack respiratory depression side effect. METHODS A total of 150 ASA I to III patients were enrolled in the study, randomly allocated into three equal parallel groups; the control, lidocaine or dexmedetomidine group. Patients received either dexmedetomidine 1 µg/kg bolus over 10 minutes followed by 0.4 µg/kg/h continuous infusion, lidocaine 2 mg/kg bolus over 10 minutes followed by 1.5 mg/kg/h continuous infusion or saline bolus and continuous infusion during the whole operation period. The total morphine consumption was designed to be the primary outcome variable, pain score, and quality of recovery 40 was set as secondary outcome variables. Pain score was measured by numerical rating scale while the quality of recovery score was estimated by the QOR-40 questionnaire. P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Both dexmedetomidine and lidocaine reduced the total morphine consumption where it was 14±4, 18±4, and 29±5 mg in the dexmedetomidine, lidocaine, and control groups, respectively (P<0.0001). While dexmedetomidine reduced postoperative pain at all measured time points, lidocaine reduced only early pain. Both drugs displayed better quality of recovery score 40 measured at postoperative day 3; 186±2 for the dexmedetomidine group versus 176±6 for the lidocaine group versus 140±6 for the control group (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Continuous infusion of either dexmedetomidine or xylocaine reduces postoperative opioid consumption, pain and improve the quality of recovery following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
Obesity and hypertension prevalence in populations of African origin. The Investigators of the International Collaborative Study on Hypertension in Blacks.

Obesity has been shown to be associated with hypertension in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, but there has not previously been an opportunity to compare the magnitude of this relation and estimate the contribution of obesity to hypertension risk across these populations. The International Collaborative Study on Hypertension in Blacks (ICSHIB) used age-stratified sampling and a standardized protocol to measure blood pressure and hypertension risk factors. We analyzed data on 9,102 men and women, age 25-74 years, from seven sites. We studied hypertension (140/90 mmHg or medication) in relation to body mass index (BMI) and sex-specific BMI cut-points designating "overweight" and "obesity. " The prevalence of these conditions ranged from 6% to 63% for overweight, from 1% to 36% for obesity, and from 12% to 35% for hypertension. Adjusted relative risks were similar in most sites, ranging from 1.3 to 2.3 for both cut-points. We found that 6-29% of hypertension in each population was attributable to overweight and 0-16% to obesity. Comparing rural Africa with the United States, 43% of the difference in hypertension prevalence for women was attributable to overweight, and 22% for men, whereas respective values for obesity were 14% and 11%. These results indicate that the association between adiposity and hypertension is roughly constant across a range of environments, with little evidence for variation in susceptibility to effects of overweight in these groups.
Capacitive tactile sensor for quadrupled spatial resolution

Unlike conventional arrangement of capacitors on the xy-plane in tactile sensors, this work stacked two capacitors in the z-direction with a shared electrode. This novel arrangement reduced the required projective area of the capacitors from four to one, quadrupled the spatial resolution of the tactile sensor without losing its functionality and sensitivity. Theoretical design, numerical simulation, fabrication, and analysis were thoroughly conducted in this work. The proposed capacitive tactile sensor and its results prevailed conventional planar ones not only in structure and fabrication simplicity but also in alleviation of angle detection error.