LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Demographic characteristics and prognostic indicators of childhood burn in a developing country.

Children constitute a significant proportion of burn victims in most studies from the developing countries. While there has been a progressive improvement in the outcome from childhood burn in many developed nations, the morbidity and mortality remains high in many low and middle income countries. The aim of our study is to evaluate the demographic characteristics and prognostic indicators of childhood burn in a major referral teaching hospital in a developing country. A review of the records of 638 patients with acute burns managed over a 10-year period from January 2001 to December 2010 at the University College Hospital, Ibadan Nigeria was done. The clinical and epidemiological data were retrieved from computerized data base using the ISBI proforma. Information obtained includes Biodata, Etiology, location, TBSA, presence of Inhalation injury and the treatment outcome. Data of patients aged 16 years and below were analyzed using the SPSS version 16. The main outcome measure was the patient's survival. 289 children representing 45.3% of the total number of burn patients were managed over the period. The M:F ratio was 1.1:1. The median age of the cohort was 4.0 years while the median TBSA was 21.0%. Non-intentional causes were responsible for 89.6% cases. Most of the injuries (88.6%) occurred at home. Eighty-three patients had inhalation injury out of which 57 (68.7%) deaths were recorded. The overall mortality rate in the cohort was 39.5% with an LA50 of burn size of 45%. The TBSA was also found to be a determinant of outcome. Majority of childhood burns are from preventable causes with attendant dismal mortality figures. Effective burn prevention strategies and improved quality of care remain pivotal in reducing childhood burn morbidity and mortality in the developing countries.
Weekly self-monitoring and treatment adjustment benefit patients with partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma: an analysis of the SMASHING study

BACKGROUND
Internet-based self-management has shown to improve asthma control and asthma related quality of life, but the improvements were only marginally clinically relevant for the group as a whole. We hypothesized that self-management guided by weekly monitoring of asthma control tailors pharmacological therapy to individual needs and improves asthma control for patients with partly controlled or uncontrolled asthma.


METHODS
In a 1-year randomised controlled trial involving 200 adults (18-50 years) with mild to moderate persistent asthma we evaluated the adherence with weekly monitoring and effect on asthma control and pharmacological treatment of a self-management algorithm based on the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). Participants were assigned either to the Internet group (n = 101) that monitored asthma control weekly with the ACQ on the Internet and adjusted treatment using a self-management algorithm supervised by an asthma nurse specialist or to the usual care group (UC) (n = 99). We analysed 3 subgroups: patients with well controlled (ACQ <or= 0.75), partly controlled (0.75>ACQ <or= 1.5) or uncontrolled (ACQ>1.5) asthma at baseline.


RESULTS
Overall monitoring adherence was 67% (95% CI, 60% to 74%). Improvements in ACQ score after 12 months were -0.14 (p = 0.23), -0.52 (p < 0.001) and -0.82 (p < 0.001) in the Internet group compared to usual care for patients with well, partly and uncontrolled asthma at baseline, respectively. Daily inhaled corticosteroid dose significantly increased in the Internet group compared to usual care in the first 3 months in patients with uncontrolled asthma (+278 microg, p = 0.001), but not in patients with well or partly controlled asthma. After one year there were no differences in daily inhaled corticosteroid use or long-acting beta2-agonists between the Internet group and usual care.


CONCLUSIONS
Weekly self-monitoring and subsequent treatment adjustment leads to improved asthma control in patients with partly and uncontrolled asthma at baseline and tailors asthma medication to individual patients' needs.
In search of causality: a systematic review of the relationship between the built environment and physical activity among adults

BACKGROUND
Empirical evidence suggests that an association between the built environment and physical activity exists. This evidence is mostly derived from cross-sectional studies that do not account for other causal explanations such as neighborhood self-selection. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs can be used to isolate the effect of the built environment on physical activity, but in their absence, statistical techniques that adjust for neighborhood self-selection can be used with cross-sectional data. Previous reviews examining the built environment-physical activity relationship have not differentiated among findings based on study design. To deal with self-selection, we synthesized evidence regarding the relationship between objective measures of the built environment and physical activity by including in our review: 1) cross-sectional studies that adjust for neighborhood self-selection and 2) quasi-experiments.


METHOD
In September 2010, we searched for English-language studies on built environments and physical activity from all available years in health, leisure, transportation, social sciences, and geographical databases. Twenty cross-sectional and 13 quasi-experimental studies published between 1996 and 2010 were included in the review.


RESULTS
Most associations between the built environment and physical activity were in the expected direction or null. Land use mix, connectivity and population density and overall neighborhood design were however, important determinants of physical activity. The built environment was more likely to be associated with transportation walking compared with other types of physical activity including recreational walking. Three studies found an attenuation in associations between built environment characteristics and physical activity after accounting for neighborhood self-selection.


CONCLUSION
More quasi-experiments that examine a broader range of environmental attributes in relation to context-specific physical activity and that measure changes in the built environment, neighborhood preferences and their effect on physical activity are needed.
Becoming Undone: Darwinian Reflections on Life, Politics, and Art

Acknowledgments vii Introduction Part 1. Life: Human and Inhuman Becomings 1. The Inhuman in the Humanities: Darwin and the Ends of Man 2. Deleuze, Bergson, and the Concept of Life 3. Bergson, Deleuze, and Difference Part 2. Disturbing Differences: A New Kind of Feminism 4. Feminism, Materialism, and Freedom 5. The Future of Feminist Theory: Dreams for New Knowledges 6. Differences Disturbing Identity: Deleuze and Feminism 7. Irigaray and the Ontology of Sexual Difference Part 3. Animals, Sex, and Art 8. Darwin and the Split between Natural and Sexual Selection 9. Sexual Differences as Sexual Selection: Irigarayan Reflections on Darwin 10. Art and the Animal 11. Living Art and the Art of Life: Women's Painting from the Western Desert Notes Bibliography Index
[Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of BARD 1 gene and susceptibility of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of BARD1 gene and susceptibility of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women in Xinjiang.


METHODS
A case-control study was designed to explore the genotypes of Pro24Ser (C/T), Arg378Ser (G/C) and Val507Met (G/A) of BARD1 gene, detected by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay, in 144 early-onset breast cancer cases of Uygur women (≤ 40 years) and 136 cancer-free controls matched by age and ethnicity. The association between SNPs of BARD1 gene and risk of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women was analyzed by unconditional logistic regression model.


RESULTS
Early age at menarche, late age at first pregnancy, and positive family history of cancer may be important risk factors of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women in Xinjiang. The frequencies of genotypes of Pro24Ser (C/T), Arg378Ser (G/C) and Val507Met (G/A) of BARD1 gene showed significant differences between the cancer cases and cancer-free controls (P < 0.05). Compared with wild-type genotype Pro24Ser CC, it showed a lower incidence of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women with variant genotypes of Pro24Ser TT (OR = 0.117, 95%CI = 0.058 - 0.236), and dominance-genotype CT+TT (OR = 0.279, 95%CI = 0.157 - 0.494), or Arg378Ser CC (OR = 0.348, 95%CI = 0.145 - 0.834) and Val507Met AA(OR = 0.359, 95%CI = 0.167 - 0.774). Furthermore, SNPS in three polymorphisms would have synergistic effects on the risk of breast cancer. In addition, the SNP-SNP interactions of dominance-genotypes (CT+TT, GC+CC and GA+AA) showed a 52.1% lower incidence of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women (OR = 0.479, 95%CI = 0.230 - 0.995). Stratified analysis indicated that the protective effect of carrying T variant genotype (CT/TT) in Pro24Ser and carrying C variant genotype (GC/CC) in Arg378Ser were more evident in subjects with early age at menarche and negative family history of cancer. With an older menarche age, the protective effect was weaker.


CONCLUSIONS
SNPs of Pro24Ser(C/T), Arg378Ser (G/C) and Val507Met (G/A) of BARD1 gene are associated with significantly decreased risk of early-onset breast cancer in Uygur women in Xinjiang. Early age at menarche and negative family history of cancer can enhance the protective effect of mutant allele.
Prefrontal Cortical Kappa-Opioid Receptor Modulation of Local Neurotransmission and Conditioned Place Aversion

Kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) are important for motivation and other medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-dependent behaviors. Although KORs are present in the mPFC, their role in regulating transmission in this brain region and their contribution to KOR-mediated aversion are not known. Using in vivo microdialysis in rats and mice, we demonstrate that intra-mPFC administration of the selective KOR agonist U69,593 decreased local dopamine (DA) overflow, while reverse dialysis of the KOR antagonist nor-Binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) enhanced mPFC DA overflow. Extracellular amino-acid levels were also affected by KORs, as U69,593 reduced glutamate and GABA levels driven by the glutamate reuptake blocker, l-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate. Whole-cell recordings from mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons revealed that U69,593 decreased the frequency, but not amplitude, of glutamatergic mini EPSPs. To determine whether KOR regulation of mPFC DA overflow was mediated by KOR on DA terminals, we utilized a Cre recombinase-driven mouse line lacking KOR in DA neurons. In these mice, basal DA release or uptake was unaltered relative to controls, but attenuation of mPFC DA overflow by local U69,593 was not observed, indicating KOR acts directly on mPFC DA terminals to locally inhibit DA levels. Conditioning procedures were then used to determine whether mPFC KOR signaling was necessary for KOR-mediated aversion. U69,593-mediated conditioned place aversion was blocked by intra-mPFC nor-BNI microinjection. These findings demonstrate that mPFC KORs negatively regulate DA and amino-acid neurotransmission, and are necessary for KOR-mediated aversion.
Arc and Path Consistency Revisited

ARC AND PATH CONSISTENCY REVISITED' Roger Mohr and Thomas C. Henderson 2 CRIN BP 239 54506 Vandoeuvre (France)
Spectral-Driven Isometry-Invariant Matching of 3D Shapes

This paper presents a matching method for 3D shapes, which comprises a new technique for surface sampling and two algorithms for matching 3D shapes based on point-based statistical shape descriptors. Our sampling technique is based on critical points of the eigenfunctions related to the smaller eigenvalues of the Laplace-Beltrami operator. These critical points are invariant to isometries and are used as anchor points of a sampling technique, which extends the farthest point sampling by using statistical criteria for controlling the density and number of reference points. Once a set of reference points has been computed, for each of them we construct a point-based statistical descriptor (PSSD, for short) of the input surface. This descriptor incorporates an approximation of the geodesic shape distribution and other geometric information describing the surface at that point. Then, the dissimilarity between two surfaces is computed by comparing the corresponding sets of PSSDs with bipartite graph matching or measuring the L 1-distance between the reordered feature vectors of a proximity graph. Here, the reordering is given by the Fiedler vector of a Laplacian matrix associated to the proximity graph. Our tests have shown that both approaches are suitable for online retrieval of deformed objects and our sampling strategy improves the retrieval performances of isometry-invariant matching methods. Finally, the approach based on the Fiedler vector is faster than using the bipartite graph matching and it has a similar retrieval effectiveness.
Photonic-Assisted Periodic Triangular-Shaped Pulses Generation With Tunable Repetition Rate

An optical triangular-shaped pulses generator with tunable repetition rate is proposed and analyzed. Using optical carrier suppression modulation and active polarization control, the optical intensity with its expression corresponding to the Fourier expansion of typical triangular-shaped waveform can be generated. It is also found that the pulses repetition rate is only dependent on the driving frequency of local oscillator. Thus, by changing it, continuous tunability of repetition rate is obtained. The mechanism is first analyzed by theory and then verified by simulation. Continuous tunability of the repetition rate (20–40 GBps) is obtained by using one 50/100-GHz optical interleaver. The proposal might be attractive since tuning the repetition rate requires only one frequency-tunable oscillator.
Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: lessons learned from 3,100 hernia repairs over 15 years

Two revolutions in inguinal hernia repair surgery have occurred during the last two decades. The first was the introduction of tension-free hernia repair by Liechtenstein in 1989 and the second was the application of laparoscopic surgery to the treatment of inguinal hernia in the early 1990s. The purposes of this study were to assess the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair and to discuss the technical changes that we faced on the basis of our accumulative experience. Patients who underwent an elective inguinal hernia repair at the Department of Abdominal Surgery at the Institute of Laparoscopic Surgery (ILS), Bordeaux, between June 1990 and May 2005 were enrolled retrospectively in this study. Patient demographic data, operative and postoperative course, and outpatient follow-up were studied. A total of 3,100 hernia repairs were included in the study. The majority of the hernias were repaired by TEP technique; the repair was done by transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair in only 3%. Eleven percent of the hernias were recurrences after conventional repair. Mean operative time was 17 min in unilateral hernia and 24 min in bilateral hernia. There were 36 hernias (1.2%) that required conversion: 12 hernias were converted to open anterior Liechtenstein and 24 to laparoscopic TAPP technique. The incidence of intraoperative complications was low. Most of the patients were discharged at the second day of the surgery. The overall postoperative morbidity rate was 2.2%. The incidence of recurrence rate was 0.35%. The recurrence rate for the first 200 repairs was 2.5%, but it decreased to 0.47% for the subsequent 1,254 hernia repairs According to our experience, in the hands of experienced laparoscopic surgeons, laparoscopic hernia repair seems to be the favored approach for most types of inguinal hernias. TEP is preferred over TAPP as the peritoneum is not violated and there are fewer intra-abdominal complications.
Fontolizumab in moderate to severe Crohn's disease: a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose study.

BACKGROUND
The safety and efficacy of fontolizumab, a humanized anti-interferon gamma antibody, was investigated in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Elevated gut mucosal levels of interferon gamma, a key cytokine involved in the inflammatory process of CD, are associated with disease symptoms.


METHODS
A total of 201 patients with Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) scores between 250 and 450 were randomized to receive an initial intravenous dose of 1.0 or 4.0 mg/kg fontolizumab or placebo, followed by up to 3 subcutaneous doses of 0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg fontolizumab or placebo every 4 weeks. Clinical response at day 29, the primary efficacy endpoint, was defined as a decrease in the CDAI of at least 100 points from baseline levels.


RESULTS
Of 201 patients, 135 (67%) completed the study. Day 29 response rates were similar in all treatment groups (31%-38%). At subsequent timepoints a significantly greater proportion of patients in the 1.0 mg/kg intravenous / 1.0 mg/kg subcutaneous fontolizumab group had clinical response and significantly greater improvement in the CDAI score compared with patients who received placebo. All fontolizumab groups had significant improvement in C-reactive protein levels. The overall frequency of adverse events was similar in all groups (58%-75%); most events were related to exacerbation of CD. There was a low frequency (5.2%) of neutralizing antibodies to fontolizumab.


CONCLUSIONS
Although a strong clinical response to fontolizumab was not observed, significant decreases in C-reactive protein levels suggest a biological effect. Fontolizumab was well tolerated, and further studies to assess its efficacy are warranted.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with multiple myeloma treated with zoledronic acid

Intravenous bisphosphonates—the potent inhibitors of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the management of multiple myeloma (MM). Zoledronic acid (ZA) is a new generation potent intravenous bisphosphonate that has been approved for the treatment and prevention of bone lesions, and/or hypercalcemia associated with MM. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is an emerging serious side effect of the new generation bisphosphonates with a growing number of reports related to this pathological entity. ONJ usually appears following oral surgical and dental procedures but sometimes occur spontaneously. These cases are mostly seen and treated by dentists and oral surgeons. The aim of this study was to discuss the frequency, characteristics, risk factors, management and histopathological features of ZA induced ONJ based on the literature and illustrated with five own cases. Thirty-two patients with MM who received ZA for a median period of 26.5 ± 18.7 months (min: 5 months, max: 76 months) were evaluated. ONJ was detected in five patients and mean drug duration time was 34 months. The frequency was 15% and the patients were usually symptomatic. There was no significant difference in terms of the duration of ZA in patients with and without ONJ. Management of these established cases were performed with medical treatment, minor debridement, sequestrectomy, and combining bone resection with autologous platelet rich plasma. Our data indicate that ZA therapy has a major role in the development of ONJ a fact that should be considered by physicians treating MM patients.
What is the link between synaesthesia and sound symbolism?

Sound symbolism is a property of certain words which have a direct link between their phonological form and their semantic meaning. In certain instances, sound symbolism can allow non-native speakers to understand the meanings of etymologically unfamiliar foreign words, although the mechanisms driving this are not well understood. We examined whether sound symbolism might be mediated by the same types of cross-modal processes that typify synaesthetic experiences. Synaesthesia is an inherited condition in which sensory or cognitive stimuli (e.g., sounds, words) cause additional, unusual cross-modal percepts (e.g., sounds trigger colours, words trigger tastes). Synaesthesia may be an exaggeration of normal cross-modal processing, and if so, there may be a link between synaesthesia and the type of cross-modality inherent in sound symbolism. To test this we predicted that synaesthetes would have superior understanding of unfamiliar (sound symbolic) foreign words. In our study, 19 grapheme-colour synaesthetes and 57 non-synaesthete controls were presented with 400 adjectives from 10 unfamiliar languages and were asked to guess the meaning of each word in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Both groups showed superior understanding compared to chance levels, but synaesthetes significantly outperformed controls. This heightened ability suggests that sound symbolism may rely on the types of cross-modal integration that drive synaesthetes' unusual experiences. It also suggests that synaesthesia endows or co-occurs with heightened multi-modal skills, and that this can arise in domains unrelated to the specific form of synaesthesia.
Relationships between common water bacteria and pathogens in drinking-water

6 Relationships between common water bacteria and pathogens in drinking-water H. Leclerc 6.1 INTRODUCTION To perform a risk analysis for pathogens in drinking-water, it is necessary, on the one hand, to promote epidemiological studies, such as prospective cohort and case–control studies. It is also appropriate, on the other hand, to better understand the ecology of these microorganisms, especially in analysing in detail the interactions between common water bacteria and pathogens in such diverse habitats as free water and biofilms. It appears essential to distinguish two categories of drinking-water sources: surface water and groundwater under the direct influence of surface water
The Mediating Effects of Brand Association , Brand Loyalty , Brand Image and Perceived Quality on Brand Equity

According to Marketing Science Institute (2002), one of the major objectives of marketing research is to assess the strength of brand equity. It is imperative to acknowledge that brand equity is an inseparable part of marketing and essential to the companies to create core-competencies and build strong brand experience that will impact the consumer decision making process (Norjaya Mohd. Yasin & Abdul Rahman Zahari, 2011). The aim of this study is to find out the indirect relationship amongst the brand equity dimensions on brand equity. For the purpose of this study, brand equity dimensions include brand association, brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand image. In this study, a sum of 300 usable questionnaires were gathered. The result indicates a mediating relationship amongst the dimensions of brand equity on brand equity.