LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of diagnostic potential of serological, molecular and cell culture methods for detection of Q fever in ruminants.

Q fever is an infectious disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. Diagnosis of Q fever based on clinical symptoms is unattainable; thus, different laboratory techniques are used to detect the infection. The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic potential of ELISA, CFT, conventional PCR, real-time PCR and cell culture. The tests were carried out on 2251 serum samples from ruminants. Moreover, 668 placentas, 1277 vaginal swabs and 306 specimens of the internal organs of aborted foetuses were examined by PCR and cell culture. Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare the results obtained by ELISA, CFT, PCR, real-time PCR and isolation in cell culture. The χ(2) test confirmed that in most cases the results obtained by means of the different methods were correlated with each other (P<0.05). The highest correlation coefficients (r=0.76-0.87) were observed in the case of real-time PCR and conventional PCR. ELISA and CFT were moderately correlated (r=0.43-0.45). When the comparison was made between the results of tests run on samples from swabs and aborted foetuses, the r values between ELISA and CFT were lower than those between ELISA and PCRs. A negligible, or weak to moderate relationship was mostly observed when the method of cell culture isolation was compared with all the other analytical techniques investigated. The use of a combination of different laboratory methods, preferably ELISA for serology and polymerase chain reactions for the agent detection, is suggested to achieve the correct diagnosis of Q fever.
Teaching Johnny not to fall for phish

Phishing attacks, in which criminals lure Internet users to Web sites that spoof legitimate Web sites, are occurring with increasing frequency and are causing considerable harm to victims. While a great deal of effort has been devoted to solving the phishing problem by prevention and detection of phishing emails and phishing Web sites, little research has been done in the area of training users to recognize those attacks. Our research focuses on educating users about phishing and helping them make better trust decisions. We identified a number of challenges for end-user security education in general and anti-phishing education in particular: users are not motivated to learn about security; for most users, security is a secondary task; it is difficult to teach people to identify security threats without also increasing their tendency to misjudge nonthreats as threats. Keeping these challenges in mind, we developed an email-based anti-phishing education system called “PhishGuru” and an online game called “Anti-Phishing Phil” that teaches users how to use cues in URLs to avoid falling for phishing attacks. We applied learning science instructional principles in the design of PhishGuru and Anti-Phishing Phil. In this article we present the results of PhishGuru and Anti-Phishing Phil user studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools. Our results suggest that, while automated detection systems should be used as the first line of defense against phishing attacks, user education offers a complementary approach to help people better recognize fraudulent emails and websites.
What drives a successful e-Learning? An empirical investigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction

E-learning is emerging as the new paradigm of modern education. Worldwide, the e-learning market has a growth rate of 35.6%, but failures exist. Little is known about why many users stop their online learning after their initial experience. Previous research done under different task environments has suggested a variety of factors affecting user satisfaction with e-Learning. This study developed an integrated model with six dimensions: learners, instructors, courses, technology, design, and environment. A survey was conducted to investigate the critical factors affecting learners’ satisfaction in e-Learning. The results revealed that learner computer anxiety, instructor attitude toward e-Learning, e-Learning course flexibility, e-Learning course quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and diversity in assessments are the critical factors affecting learners’ perceived satisfaction. The results show institutions how to improve learner satisfaction and further strengthen their e-Learning implementation. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Signalling through RHEB-1 mediates intermittent fasting-induced longevity in C. elegans

Dietary restriction is the most effective and reproducible intervention to extend lifespan in divergent species. In mammals, two regimens of dietary restriction, intermittent fasting (IF) and chronic caloric restriction, have proven to extend lifespan and reduce the incidence of age-related disorders. An important characteristic of IF is that it can increase lifespan even when there is little or no overall decrease in calorie intake. The molecular mechanisms underlying IF-induced longevity, however, remain largely unknown. Here we establish an IF regimen that effectively extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans, and show that the low molecular weight GTPase RHEB-1 has a dual role in lifespan regulation; RHEB-1 is required for the IF-induced longevity, whereas inhibition of RHEB-1 mimics the caloric-restriction effects. RHEB-1 exerts its effects in part by the insulin/insulin growth factor (IGF)-like signalling effector DAF-16 in IF. Our analyses demonstrate that most fasting-induced upregulated genes require RHEB-1 function for their induction, and that RHEB-1 and TOR signalling are required for the fasting-induced downregulation of an insulin-like peptide, INS-7. These findings identify the essential role of signalling by RHEB-1 in IF-induced longevity and gene expression changes, and suggest a molecular link between the IF-induced longevity and the insulin/IGF-like signalling pathway.
Comparison of a carbohydrate-free diet vs. fasting on plasma glucose, insulin and glucagon in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE
Hyperglycemia improves when patients with type 2 diabetes are placed on a weight-loss diet. Improvement typically occurs soon after diet implementation. This rapid response could result from low fuel supply (calories), lower carbohydrate content of the weight-loss diet, and/or weight loss per se. To differentiate these effects, glucose, insulin, C-peptide and glucagon were determined during the last 24 h of a 3-day period without food (severe calorie restriction) and a calorie-sufficient, carbohydrate-free diet.


RESEARCH DESIGN
Seven subjects with untreated type 2 diabetes were studied. A randomized-crossover design with a 4-week washout period between arms was used.


METHODS
Results from both the calorie-sufficient, carbohydrate-free diet and the 3-day fast were compared with the initial standard diet consisting of 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein and 30% fat.


RESULTS
The overnight fasting glucose concentration decreased from 196 (standard diet) to 160 (carbohydrate-free diet) to 127 mg/dl (fasting). The 24 h glucose and insulin area responses decreased by 35% and 48% on day 3 of the carbohydrate-free diet, and by 49% and 69% after fasting. Overnight basal insulin and glucagon remained unchanged.


CONCLUSIONS
Short-term fasting dramatically lowered overnight fasting and 24 h integrated glucose concentrations. Carbohydrate restriction per se could account for 71% of the reduction. Insulin could not entirely explain the glucose responses. In the absence of carbohydrate, the net insulin response was 28% of the standard diet. Glucagon did not contribute to the metabolic adaptations observed.
Fused-filament 3D printing (3DP) for fabrication of tablets.

The use of fused-filament 3D printing (FF 3DP) to fabricate individual tablets is demonstrated. The technology permits the manufacture of tablets containing drug doses tailored to individual patients, or to fabrication of tablets with specific drug-release profiles. Commercially produced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filament was loaded with a model drug (fluorescein) by swelling of the polymer in ethanolic drug solution. A final drug-loading of 0.29% w/w was achieved. Tablets of PVA/fluorescein (10 mm diameter) were printed using a 3D printer. It was found that changing the degree of infill percentage in the printer software varied the weight and volume of the printed tablets. The tablets were mechanically strong and no significant thermal degradation of the active occurred during printing. Dissolution tests were conducted in modified Hank's buffer. The results showed release profiles were dependent on the infill percentage used to print the tablet. The study indicates that FF 3DP has the potential to offer a new solution for fabricating personalized-dose medicines or unit dosage forms with controlled-release profiles. In addition, the low cost of FDM printers means the paradigm of extemporaneous or point-of-use manufacture of personalized-dose tablets is both feasible and attainable.
Categorical abstract algebraic logic: Gentzen pi -institutions and the deduction-detachment property

Given a π -institution I , a hierarchy of π -institutions I(n ) is constructed, for n ≥ 1. We call I(n ) the n-th order counterpart of I . The second-order counterpart of a deductive π -institution is a Gentzen π -institution, i.e. a π -institution associated with a structural Gentzen system in a canonical way. So, by analogy, the second order counterpart I(2) of I is also called the “Gentzenization” of I . In the main result of the paper, it is shown that I is strongly Gentzen , i.e. it is deductively equivalent to its Gentzenization via a special deductive equivalence, if and only if it has the deduction-detachment property . (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Two-photon direct laser writing of ultracompact multi-lens objectives

Current lens systems are restricted in size, shape and dimensions by limitations of manufacturing. Multi-lens elements with non-spherical shapes are required for high optical performance and to correct for aberrations when imaging at wide angles and large fields. Here we present a novel concept in optics that overcomes all of the aforementioned difficulties and opens the new field of 3D printed microand nano-optics with complex lens designs. We demonstrate the complete process chain, from optical design, manufacturing by femtosecond two-photon direct laser writing and testing to the application of multi-lens objectives with sizes around 100 μm, and validate their high performance and functionality by quantitative measurements of the modulation transfer function and aberrations. The unprecedented flexibility of our method paves the way towards printed optical miniature instruments such as endoscopes, fibre-imaging systems for cell biology, new illumination systems, miniature optical fibre traps, integrated quantum emitters and detectors, and miniature drones and robots with autonomous vision.
[Morphine as first medication for treatment of cancer pain].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The medications used according to the recommendation of the World Health Organization do not promote pain relief in a number of patients with cancer pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of morphine as first medication for the treatment of moderate cancer pain in patients with advanced and/or metastatic disease, as an option to the recommendations of the World Health Organization analgesic ladder.


METHOD
Sixty patients without opioid therapy, with ≥18 years of age, were randomized into two groups. G1 patients received medication according to the analgesic ladder and started treatment with non-opioids in the first, weak opioids in the second, and strong opioids in the third step; G2 patients received morphine as first analgesic medication. The efficacy and tolerability of initial use of morphine were evaluated every two weeks for three months.


RESULTS
The groups were similar with respect to demographic data. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding pain intensity, quality of life, physical capacity, satisfaction with treatment, need for complementation and dose of morphine. In G1 there was a higher incidence of nausea (p=0.0088), drowsiness (p=0.0005), constipation (p=0.0071) and dizziness (p=0.0376) in the second visit and drowsiness (p=0.05) in the third.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of morphine as first medication for pain treatment did not promote better analgesic effect than the ladder recommended by World Health Organization, with higher incidence of adverse effects.
Validation of a quantitative FFQ for a study of diet and risk of colorectal adenoma among Japanese Brazilians.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the validity of a 161-item quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) that was developed to evaluate dietary risk factors for a colorectal adenoma case–control study.


DESIGN
A cross-sectional validation study of the QFFQ against 4 d food diary using Pearson correlation coefficients, cross-classification, weighted k statistics and Bland–Altman plotting.


SETTING
Two hospitals in Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil.


SUBJECTS
Ninety-seven healthy Japanese-Brazilian adults (40–75 years) were recruited. One participant was excluded from the analysis due to unusual energy intake report.


RESULTS
Mean daily nutrient intakes from the QFFQ were higher than from the food diary. The mean Pearson correlation coefficient for nutrient intakes between the QFFQ and the average of the 4 d food diary was 0?43, and increased to 0?45 after correcting correlations for attenuation due to residual day-to-day variation in the food diary measurements. Adjustment for total energy and further adjustment for age and gender decreased the correlation; however, 77% of observations remained in the same or adjacent quartiles with a mean weighted k of 0?22. Bland–Altman plots on loge-transformed data showed no linear trend between the differences and means for energy, fat, protein, total folate and vitamin C. Compared with the food diary, the QFFQ showed consistently reasonable performance for dietary fibre, total folate, retinol, riboflavin and vitamin C.


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation supports the relative validity of the QFFQ as a method for assessing long-term dietary intake. The instrument will be a useful tool in the analysis of diet–adenoma associations in the case–control study.
Relationship between call light use and response time and inpatient falls in acute care settings.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This exploratory study used archived hospital data to determine whether the call light use rate and the average call light response time contribute to the fall and the injurious fall rates in acute care settings.


BACKGROUND
Inpatients often use call lights to seek nurses' attention and assistance. Although implied in patient safety, no studies have examined data related to the call light use or the response time to call lights collected via existing tracking mechanisms to monitor nursing practice.


DESIGN
The study was conducted in a Michigan community hospital and used archived hospital data for analyses for the period from February 2007-June 2008. The unit of analysis was unit-week.


METHOD
The call light use rate per patient-day was calculated based on information retrieved from the call light tracking system. The average response time in seconds was used as generated from the tracking system. The fall and injurious fall rates per 1000 patient-days were calculated based on the fall incident reports. SPSS was used for data analyses. One-way ANOVA and correlation analyses were conducted.


RESULTS
More calls for assistance related to less fall-related patient harm. Surprisingly, longer response time to call lights also related to fewer total falls and less fall-related patient harm. Generally speaking, more call light use related to longer response times.


CONCLUSIONS
This study's findings challenged the appropriateness of targeting the goals of reducing the frequency of call light use and the fall rates as two outcome indicators of conducting hourly patient rounds.


RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Encouraging call light use is a key to reducing injurious fall rates. Unit managers should routinely monitor the trend of the call light use rate and ensure that the call light use rate is maintained at least above the mean rate.
Patterns and correlates of prescription opioid use in OEF/OIF veterans with chronic noncancer pain.

OBJECTIVES
Little is known about the treatment Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans receive for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). We sought to describe the prevalence of prescription opioid use, types, and doses of opioids received and to identify correlates of receiving prescription opioids for CNCP among OEF/OIF veterans.


DESIGN
Retrospective review of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data.


SETTING
Ambulatory clinics within a VA regional health care network.


PATIENTS
OEF/OIF veterans who had at least three elevated pain screening scores within a 12-month period in 2008. Within this group, those prescribed opioids (N = 485) over the next 12 months were compared with those not prescribed opioids (N = 277). In addition, patients receiving opioids short term (<90 days, N = 284) were compared with patients receiving them long term (≥90 consecutive days, N = 201).


RESULTS
Of 762 OEF/OIF veterans with CNCP, 64% were prescribed at least one opioid medication over the 12 months following their index dates. Of those prescribed an opioid, 59% were prescribed opioids short term and 41% were prescribed opioids long term. The average morphine-equivalent opioid dose for short-term users was 23.7 mg (standard deviation [SD] = 20.5) compared with 40.8 mg (SD = 36.1) for long-term users (P < 0.001). Fifty-one percent of long-term opioid users were prescribed short-acting opioids only, and one-third were also prescribed sedative hypnotics. In adjusted analyses, diagnoses of low back pain, migraine headache, posttraumatic stress disorder, and nicotine use disorder were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving an opioid prescription.


CONCLUSION
Prescription opioid use is common among OEF/OIF veterans with CNCP and is associated with several pain diagnoses and medical conditions.
Biliary complications after hydatid liver surgery: Incidence and risk factors

The aims of this study were to determine the incidence and risk factors of biliary leakage and biliary fistu lae after hydatid liver surgery and to suggest preventive precautions. From January 1999 to June 2000, 70 cysts were examined from 54 patients who were operated on for hydatid liver disease. Age, sex, primary or recurrent disease, liver function tests, number, location, content, radiological type, and diameter and cav ity management techniques were examined with univariate and multivariate analyses for biliary complica tions. Biliary leakage occurred in 14 cysts (26%) from the patients. Purulent and/or bilious cyst content (61.9% vs. 2.0%; P = 0.022), male gender (40.9% vs. 10.4%; P = 0.038), and pre-operative raised alka line phosphatase and gamma glutamyl transferase levels (34.6% vs. 11.4%; P = 0.047) were found as in dependent risk factors for post-operative biliary leakage. Nine instances of biliary leakage (16.7%) closed spontaneously within seven days. The remaining five instances of biliary leakage (9.3%) persisted for more than 10 days and were accepted as biliary fistulae. Stepwise logistic regression identified cyst con tent was the only risk factor for biliary fistulae (19% vs. 2%; P = 0.036). Described risk factors for post operative biliary complications after hydatid liver surgery may be the guidelines for additional pre-opera tive or intra-operative radiological interventions of the biliary tract and for preventive procedures such as surgical biliary drainage.
Pancreas oxygen persufflation increases ATP levels as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance.

BACKGROUND
Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes. Due to a shortage of suitable human pancreata, high cost, and the large dose of islets presently required for long-term diabetes reversal; it is important to maximize viable islet yield. Traditional methods of pancreas preservation have been identified as suboptimal due to insufficient oxygenation. Enhanced oxygen delivery is a key area of improvement. In this paper, we explored improved oxygen delivery by persufflation (PSF), ie, vascular gas perfusion.


METHODS
Human pancreata were obtained from brain-dead donors. Porcine pancreata were procured by en bloc viscerectomy from heparinized donation after cardiac death donors and were either preserved by either two-layer method (TLM) or PSF. Following procurement, organs were transported to a 1.5-T magnetic resonance (MR) system for (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate their bioenergetic status by measuring the ratio of adenosine triphosphate to inorganic phosphate (ATP:P(i)) and for assessing PSF homogeneity by MRI.


RESULTS
Human and porcine pancreata can be effectively preserved by PSF. MRI showed that pancreatic tissue was homogeneously filled with gas. TLM can effectively raise ATP:P(i) levels in rat pancreata but not in larger porcine pancreata. ATP:P(i) levels were almost undetectable in porcine organs preserved with TLM. When human or porcine organs were preserved by PSF, ATP:P(i) was elevated to levels similar to those observed in rat pancreata.


CONCLUSION
The methods developed for human and porcine pancreas PSF homogeneously deliver oxygen throughout the organ. This elevates ATP levels during preservation and may improve islet isolation outcomes while enabling the use of marginal donors, thus expanding the usable donor pool.
Development and psychometric evaluation of the patient assessment of upper gastrointestinal symptom severity index (PAGI-SYM) in patients with upper gastrointestinal disorders

Objective: Describe the development and evaluation of a new self-report instrument, the patient assessment of upper gastrointestinal disorders-symptom severity index (PAGI-SYM) in subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dyspepsia, or gastroparesis. Methods: Recruited subjects with GERD (n=810), dyspepsia (n=767), or gastroparesis (n=169) from the US, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland. Subjects completed the PAGI-SYM, SF-36, a disease-specific HRQL measure (PAGI-QOL), and disability day questions. Two-week reproducibility was evaluated in 277 stable subjects. We evaluated construct validity by correlating subscale scores with SF-36, PAGI-QOL, disability days, and global symptom severity scores. Results: The final 20-item PAGI-SYM has six subscales: heartburn/regurgitation, fullness/early satiety, nausea/vomiting, bloating, upper abdominal pain, and lower abdominal pain. Internal consistency reliability was good (α =0.79 0.91); test–retest reliability was acceptable (Intraclass correlation coefficients α =0.60 0.82). PAGI-SYM subscale scores correlated significantly with SF-36 scores (all p < 0.0001), PAGI-QOL scores (all p < 0.0001), disability days (p< 0.0001), and global symptom severity (p < 0.0001). Mean PAGI-SYM scores varied significantly in groups defined by disability days (all p < 0.0001), where greater symptom severity was associated with more disability days. Conclusions: Results suggest the PAGI-SYM, a brief symptom severity instrument, has good reliability and evidence supporting construct validity in subjects with GERD, dyspepsia, or gastroparesis.
Spectral filtering in neutron interferometry and wave-corpuscle dualism.

In the following we discuss a recent experiment [H. Kaiser et al., Phys. Rev. A 45, 31 (1992)] on spectral filtering regarding its relevance to the wave-corpuscle dualism. An interpretation of the experiment is given, with the assumption, according to de Broglie, that a neutron is a real corpuscle traveling in space-time and surrounded by a guiding wave