Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulsed Electrical Discharge in Bubbled Water

Electrical discharges in water are used for generating hydrogen peroxide, ozone, hydroxyl and oxygen radicals, and other chemically active species for disinfection and purification of water. The interest in electrical discharges in bubbled water is motivated by the need to reduce the power consumption for igniting the discharge. Understanding the electrical and optical characteristics of the discharge will help guide the design of future purification systems. Here we report results of investigations that focus on the study of pulsed electrical discharges in a single bubble of oxygen or argon in water. The single‐bubble system consists of a negative needle electrode inside a gas bubble in water and a disk electrode separated from the needle electrode by 5 –10 mm of water. The bubble is stationary and is subjected to repeated 3 – 15 kV, 1 μs long voltage pulses. At these voltage levels, the discharge process is confined to the bubble with the water serving as a dielectric material covering the disk electrode. During a single voltage pulse multiple ∼100 ns long discharges occur in the bubble. These discharges deposit sufficient amount of charge on the surface of the bubble to generate a reverse‐polarity discharge during the voltage shut‐off. Experiments with Ar and O2 bubbles show the same optical emission intensity at 309 ± 5 nm (OH emissions). These results indicate that OH radicals are generated by electron‐driven processes in water vapor present in all bubbles. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The straight and narrow: a game theory model of broad- and narrow-spectrum empiric antibiotic therapy

Physicians prescribe empiric antibiotic treatment when definitive knowledge of the pathogen causing an infection is lacking. The options of empiric treatment can be largely divided into broad- and narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Prescribing a broad-spectrum antibiotic increases the chances of covering the causative pathogen, and hence benefits the current patient's recovery. However, prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics also accelerates the expansion of antibiotic resistance, potentially harming future patients. We analyze the social dilemma using game theory. In our game model, physicians choose between prescribing broad and narrow-spectrum antibiotics to their patients. Their decisions rely on the probability of an infection by a resistant pathogen before definitive laboratory results are available. We prove that whenever the equilibrium strategies differ from the socially optimal policy, the deviation is always towards a more excessive use of the broad-spectrum antibiotic. We further show that if prescribing broad-spectrum antibiotics only to patients with a high probability of resistant infection is the socially optimal policy, then decentralization of the decision making may make this policy individually irrational, and thus sabotage its implementation. We discuss the importance of improving the probabilistic information available to the physician and promoting centralized decision making.
An effective two-dimensional model for MHD flows with transverse magnetic field

This paper presents a model for quasi-two-dimensional MHD flows between two planes with small magnetic Reynolds number and constant transverse magnetic field orthogonal to the planes. A method is presented that allows three-dimensional effects to be taken into account in a two-dimensional equation of motion thanks to a model for the transverse velocity profile. This model is obtained by using a double perturbation asymptotic development both in the core flow and in the Hartmann layers arising along the planes. A new model is thus constructed that describes inertial effects in these two regions. Two separate classes of phenomena are found: one related to inertial effects in the Hartmann layer gives a model for recirculating flows and the other introduces the possibility of having a transverse dependence of the velocity profile in the core flow. The ‘recirculating’ velocity profile is then introduced in the transversally averaged equation of motion in order to provide an effective two-dimensional equation of motion. Analytical solutions of this model are obtained for two experimental configurations: isolated vortices generated by a point electrode and axisymmetric parallel layers occurring in the MATUR (MAgneticTURbulence) experiment. The theory is found to give a satisfactory agreement with the experiment so that it can be concluded that recirculating flows are actually responsible for both vortex core spreading and excessive dissipative behaviour of the axisymmetric sidewall layers.
Filamentary, patterned, and diffuse barrier discharges

Barrier discharges, also known as dielectric-barrier discharges or silent discharges, provide a simple technology to establish nonequilibrium plasma conditions in atmospheric-pressure gases. This property has led to a number of industrial applications, including ozone generation, surface modification, pollution control, CO/sub 2/ lasers, excimer lamps, and flat plasma-display panels. Depending on a variety of gas properties, operating parameters, and boundary conditions, the discharge can exhibit pronounced filamentary character, self-organized regular-discharge patterns, or completely diffuse appearance. The literature on these different types of barrier discharges is reviewed, and the underlying physical phenomena are discussed. Relative recent investigations on low-current density diffuse barrier discharges suggest novel applications of fairly "mild" plasmas for sterilization and disinfection purposes and utilizing their selective influence on biological cells.
Decentralized stabilization for expanding construction of large-scale systems

A decentralized stabilization problem compatible with expanding the construction of large-scale systems is considered. It is assumed that a large-scale system is obtained by adding new subsystems one after another. When a new subsystem is connected to an already interconnected portion, a local controller is designed for the new subsystem so that both the subsystem and the resultant expanded system are stable. The proper-stable-factorization approach is used for calculating the local controllers. Sufficient conditions on subsystems for such stabilization are presented. They are expressed in terms of the solvability of linear matrix equations over the ring of stable rational matrices. >
Growth and collapse of cavitation bubbles near a curved rigid boundary

Laser-induced cavitation bubbles near a curved rigid boundary are observed experimentally using high-speed photography. An image theory is applied to obtain information on global bubble motion while a boundary integral method is employed to gain a more detailed understanding of the behaviour of a liquid jet that threads a collapsing bubble, creating a toroidal bubble. Comparisons between the theory and experiment show that when a comparable sized bubble is located near a rigid boundary the bubble motion is significantly influenced by the surface curvature of the boundary, which is characterized by a parameter ζ, giving convex walls for ζ < 1, concave walls for ζ > 1 and a flat wall when ζ = 1. If a boundary is slightly concave, the most pronounced migration occurs at the first bubble collapse. The velocity of a liquid jet impacting on the far side of the bubble surface tends to increase with decreasing parameter ζ. In the case of a convex boundary, the jet velocity is larger than that generated in the flat boundary case. Although the situation considered here is restricted to axisymmetric motion without mean flow, this result suggests that higher pressures can occur when cavitation bubbles collapse near a non-flat boundary. Bubble separation, including the pinch-off phenomenon, is observed in the final stage of the collapse of a bubble, with the oblate shape at its maximum volume attached to the surface of a convex boundary, followed by bubble splitting which is responsible for further bubble proliferation.
Association of Higher Ocrelizumab Exposure With Reduced Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis

Background and Objectives Ocrelizumab improved clinical and MRI measures of disease activity and progression in three phase 3 multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. Post hoc analyses demonstrated a correlation between the ocrelizumab serum concentration and the degree of blood B-cell depletion, and body weight was identified as the most influential covariate on ocrelizumab pharmacokinetics. The magnitude of ocrelizumab treatment benefit on disability progression was greater in lighter vs heavier patients. These observations suggest that higher ocrelizumab serum levels provide more complete B-cell depletion and a greater delay in disability progression. The current post hoc analyses assessed population exposure–efficacy/safety relationships of ocrelizumab in patients with relapsing and primary progressive MS. Methods Patients in OPERA I/II and ORATORIO were grouped in exposure quartiles based on their observed individual serum ocrelizumab level over the treatment period. Exposure–response relationships were analyzed for clinical efficacy (24-week confirmed disability progression (CDP), annualized relapse rate [ARR], and MRI outcomes) and adverse events. Results Ocrelizumab reduced new MRI lesion counts to nearly undetectable levels in patients with relapsing or primary progressive MS across all exposure subgroups, and reduced ARR in patients with relapsing MS to very low levels (0.13–0.18). A consistent trend of higher ocrelizumab exposure leading to lower rates of CDP was seen (0%–25% [lowest] to 75%–100% [highest] quartile hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals; relapsing MS: 0.70 [0.41–1.19], 0.85 [0.52–1.39], 0.47 [0.25–0.87], and 0.34 [0.17–0.70] vs interferon β-1a; primary progressive MS: 0.88 [0.59–1.30], 0.86 [0.60–1.25], 0.77 [0.52–1.14], and 0.55 [0.36–0.83] vs placebo). Infusion-related reactions, serious adverse events, and serious infections were similar across exposure subgroups. Discussion The almost complete reduction of ARR and MRI activity already evident in the lowest quartile, and across all ocrelizumab-exposure groups, suggests a ceiling effect. A consistent trend of higher ocrelizumab exposure leading to greater reduction in risk of CDP was observed, particularly in the relapsing MS trials, and was not associated with a higher rate of adverse events. Higher ocrelizumab exposure may provide improved control of disability progression by reducing disease activity below that detectable by ARR and MRI, and/or by attenuating other B-cell–related pathologies responsible for tissue damage. Classification of Evidence This analysis provides Class III evidence that higher ocrelizumab serum levels are related to greater reduction in risk of disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis. The study is rated Class III because of the initial treatment randomization disclosure that occurred after inclusion in the open-label extension. Trial Registration Information ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01247324 (OPERA I), NCT01412333 (OPERA II), and NCT01194570 (ORATORIO).
Co-Integration Rank Testing under Conditional Heteroskedasticity

We analyse the properties of the conventional Gaussian-based co-integrating rank tests of Johansen (1996) in the case where the vector of series under test is driven by globally stationary, conditionally heteroskedastic (martingale difference) innovations. We first demonstrate that the limiting null distributions of the rank statistics coincide with those derived by previous authors who assume either i.i. d. or (strict and covariance) stationary martingale difference innovations. We then propose wild bootstrap implementations of the co-integrating rank tests and demonstrate that the associated bootstrap rank statistics replicate the first-order asymptotic null distributions of the rank statistics. We show the same is also true of the corresponding rank tests based on the i.i. d. bootstrap of Swensen (2006). The wild bootstrap, however, has the important property that, unlike the i.i. d. bootstrap, it preserves in the re-sampled data the pattern of heteroskedasticity present in the original shocks. Consistent with this, numerical evidence suggests that, relative to tests based on the asymptotic critical values or the i.i. d. bootstrap, the wild bootstrap rank tests perform very well in small samples under a variety of conditionally heteroskedastic innovation processes. An empirical application to the term structure of interest rates is given.
Armature reaction effect and inductance of moving coil linear oscillatory actuator with unbalanced magnetic circuit

The unbalanced reciprocating force due to armature reaction field decreases the advantage of moving coil LOA, such as a high degree of linearity and controllability in the force and motion control. This paper firstly describes the coil inductance, the deviation of flux density, and the unbalanced reciprocation force, which are derived from the permeance model of motor. Secondly, the analytical method is verified using 2D finite element method and tests. Finally, the dynamic simulation algorithm considering the armature reaction and variable inductance is proposed and confirmed through the experiments.
A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer: 2nd Edition

The first edition of ‘A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer’ was initiated by the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists and published 17 years ago. Since then, significant advances have been made in the pathologic diagnosis, molecular genetics, and management of gastric cancer (GC). To reflect those changes, a committee for publishing a second edition of the report was formed within the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists. This second edition consists of two parts: standard data elements and conditional data elements. The standard data elements contain the basic pathologic findings and items necessary to predict the prognosis of GC patients, and they are adequate for routine surgical pathology service. Other diagnostic and prognostic factors relevant to adjuvant therapy, including molecular biomarkers, are classified as conditional data elements to allow each pathologist to selectively choose items appropriate to the environment in their institution. We trust that the standardized pathology report will be helpful for GC diagnosis and facilitate large-scale multidisciplinary collaborative studies.
Invited commentary to ‘Acute pain management after thoracoscopic lung resection: a systematic review and explorative meta-analysis’

Pain after thoracoscopic surgery may increase the incidence of postoperative complications and impair the final results. Surprisingly, Cattoni et al. [1] reported that, after video-assisted thoracic surgery for the treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax, 3–63% of patients complain about the persistence of ipsilateral chest pain and/or paresthaesia, even several years after surgery [2]. In this study, Spaans et al. [3] performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the mean pain scores of different analgesic techniques (thoracic epidural analgesia, continuous or single-shot unilateral regional analgesia and only systemic analgesia) after thoracoscopic anatomical lung resection. In particular, they examined the clinical data of 5573 patients, calculating the mean pain score on a 0–10 scale at 24, 48 and 72 h after surgery; moreover, as a secondary outcome, they analysed postoperative nausea and vomiting, additional opioids, the use of rescue analgesia and length of hospital stay. The prediction of the pain level and its treatment is crucial because the incidence of chronic chest pain after video-assisted-thoracoscopic surgery must be considered [2]. From a cursory reading of this article, one may conclude that, with the same pain score, unilateral loco-regional techniques have a shorter length of stay and a lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting than thoracic epidural analgesia; despite the outcomes have been calculated by a random-effect meta-analysis, and hence can guide us to credible conclusions, the authors point out that these conclusions cannot be drawn because the pooled results show an excessively high level of variability and heterogeneity between studies. Adding the presence of confounding factors, such as study design (randomized controlled trial versus non-randomized controlled trial), different thoracoscopic approaches (single-port versus multi-port) and the existence of local practices of analgesic protocols, a meta-analysis and comparisons between different analgesics are unreliable. Even though thoracic epidural analgesia in pain management in lung surgery has been used for decades, the recent PROSPECT guidelines support the loco-regional analgesic techniques discouraging the use of thoracic epidural analgesia due to its association with epidural haematomas and hypotension [4]. It has to be considered that, unlike this study, the PROSPECTS guidelines included patients with a majority not undergoing anatomical lung resection and did not perform a pooled meta-analysis. In conclusion, the exciting issue examined in this study needs further investigation and more rigorous clinical evidence, with a well-designed randomized trial comparing loco-regional analgesia techniques to thoracic epidural analgesia to understand the best analgesic procedure that can benefit most patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resections.
Administration of a single dose of lithium ameliorates rhabdomyolysis-associated acute kidney injury in rats

Rhabdomyolysis is characterized by muscle damage and leads to acute kidney injury (AKI). Clinical and experimental studies suggest that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inhibition protects against AKI basically through its critical role in tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Treatment with a single dose of lithium, an inhibitor of GSK3β, accelerated recovery of renal function in cisplatin and ischemic/reperfusion-induced AKI models. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a single dose of lithium in the treatment of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. Male Wistar rats were allocated to four groups: Sham, received saline 0.9% intraperitoneally (IP); lithium (Li), received a single IP injection of lithium chloride (LiCl) 80 mg/kg body weight (BW); glycerol (Gly), received a single dose of glycerol 50% 5 mL/kg BW intramuscular (IM); glycerol plus lithium (Gly+Li), received a single dose of glycerol 50% IM plus LiCl IP injected 2 hours after glycerol administration. After 24 hours, we performed inulin clearance experiments and collected blood / kidney / muscle samples. Gly rats exhibited renal function impairment accompanied by kidney injury, inflammation and alterations in signaling pathways for apoptosis and redox state balance. Gly+Li rats showed a remarkable improvement in renal function as well as kidney injury score, diminished CPK levels and an overstated decrease of renal and muscle GSK3β protein expression. Furthermore, administration of lithium lowered the amount of macrophage infiltrate, reduced NFκB and caspase renal protein expression and increased the antioxidant component MnSOD. Lithium treatment attenuated renal dysfunction in rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI by improving inulin clearance and reducing CPK levels, inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. These therapeutic effects were due to the inhibition of GSK3β and possibly associated with a decrease in muscle injury.
Identifying Early-Phase Clinical Trial Participants at Risk for Experiencing Worse Clinical Outcomes

PURPOSE: To identify early-phase clinical trial (EP-CT) participants at risk for experiencing worse clinical outcomes and describe receipt of supportive care services. METHODS: A retrospective review of the electronic health records of consecutive patients enrolled in EP-CTs from 2017 to 2019 examined baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes, and receipt of supportive care services. The validated Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) prognosis score was calculated using data at the time of EP-CT enrollment (scores range from 0 to 3; scores ≥ 2 indicate poor prognosis). Differences in patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, and receipt of supportive care services were compared on the basis of RMH scores. RESULTS: Among 350 patients (median age = 63.2 years [range, 23.0-84.3 years], 57.1% female, 98.0% metastatic cancer), 31.7% had an RMH score indicating a poor prognosis. Those with poor prognosis RMH scores had worse overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.00; P < .001), shorter time on trial (HR, 1.53; P < .001), and lower likelihood of completing the dose-limiting toxicity period (odds ratio, 0.42; P = .006) versus those with good prognosis scores. Patients with poor prognosis scores had greater risk of emergency room visits (HR, 1.66; P = .037) and hospitalizations (HR, 1.69; P = .016) while on trial, and earlier hospice enrollment (HR, 2.22; P = .006). Patients with poor prognosis scores were significantly more likely to receive palliative care consultation (46.8% v 27.6%; P < .001), but not other supportive care services. CONCLUSION: This study found that RMH prognosis score could identify patients at risk for decreased survival, shorter time on trial, and greater use of health care services. The findings underscore the need to develop supportive care interventions targeting EP-CT participants' distinct needs.