Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Patient Education for Low Back Pain in Primary Care: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Study Design. A pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care. Objective. The aim of this study was to estimate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a cognitive-based education program on patients with subacute or chronic low back pain (LBP) in primary care, compared to usual treatment, provided by general practitioners (GP) and physiotherapists (PT). Summary of Background Data. Patient education has been reported to have a favorable effect on patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. In this study, an “Explain Pain” model was adapted to fit into an ordinary clinical setting in Norwegian primary care. Methods. Sixteen GPs and 20 PTs participated in the study and a total of 216 patients were recruited. The GPs and PTs were randomly assigned to provide either a cognitive patient education or usual treatment. All patients in both groups were provided with four consultations of 30 min with their provider during the study. In the intervention group the patients were educated according to a specific manual written for the purpose of this study. Results. Eighty-one percent responded at 4-week, and 68% at the 12-month follow-up. There was a substantial improvement in function, pain, and sick leave in both groups. After 4 weeks the intervention group scored 0.51 RMDQ points lower than the control group (Beta –0.506 [95% CI –1.76–0.75]). After 12 months the intervention group scored 0.66 RMDQ points higher than the control group (Beta 0.66 [95% CI −0.56–1.88]). There was no significant difference in QALYs in the two treatment groups; the estimated difference was 0.005 (−0.016–0.027) in favor of the intervention. Conclusion. This study showed no clinical or health economic benefits as a result of adding a cognitive education program to usual treatment for patients with subacute and chronic LBP. Potential weaknesses such as a long recruiting period and potentially low compliance with the cognitive intervention warrant a careful interpretation of the results. Level of Evidence: 3
Means-tested Income Support, Portfolio Choice and Decumulation in Retirement

We investigate the impact of means tested public income transfers on post-retirement decumulation and portfolio choice using theoretical simulations and panel data on Australian Age Pensioners. Means tested public pension payments in Australia have broad coverage and give insight into the incentive responsiveness of well-off, as well as poorer households. Via numerical solutions to a discrete time, finite horizon dynamic programming problem, we simulate the optimal consumption and portfolio allocation strategies for a retired household subject to assets and income tests. Relative to benchmark, means tested households should optimally decumulate faster early in retirement, and choose more risky portfolios. Panel data tests on inferred wealth for pensioner households show evidence of more rapid spending early in retirement. However they also show that better-off households continue to accumulate, even when facing a steeper implicit tax rate on wealth than applies to poorer households. Wealthier households also hold riskier portfolios. Results from tests for Lorenz dominance of the panel wealth distribution show no decrease in wealth inequality over the five years of the study.
Pulp Stone, Haemodialysis, End-stage Renal Disease, Carotid Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the presence of pulp calcification and carotid artery calcification on the dental panoramic radiographs in End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients who were on haemodialysis. METHODS A total of 112 End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients on who were haemodialysis participated in this study. The periapical and the panoramic radiographs for all the patients were evaluated for the presence or absence of the narrowing of the dental pulps and for pulp stones in the pulp chambers and the pulp canals. The panoramic radiographs were also evaluated to determine the carotid calcification. RESULTS Carotid calcifications were detected in none of the patients. 84 (74.99%) patients had dental pulp narrowing, and 38 (33.92%) patients had pulp stones. There was no statistical correlation between pulp narrowing and Carotid Artery Calcification (CAC) in the haemodialysis patient group. There was also no statistical correlation between pulp stones and CAC in the haemodialysis patients. CONCLUSION However, the incidental finding of CAC on a panoramic radiograph can provide life-saving information for the vascular disease patients, but in the present study, no significant relationship was found between the presence of the pulpal calcification and CAC in the ESRD patients who were on haemodialysis. Therefore, the presence of pulp calcification does not seem to serve as a diagnostic marker for carotid atherosclerosis.
Computerized Detection of Lung Nodules with an Enhanced False Positive Reduction Scheme

Computed tomography (CT) scan of lungs produces high volume of data, which is difficult to assess manually. Hence, computer-aided detection (CAD) of pulmonary nodules has become a major area of interest in biomedical imaging. Reducing the number of false positives (FPs) is considered a high priority for enhancement of any CAD system. Here we report a novel hybrid learning scheme for reducing the number of FPs in a computerized lung nodule detection system. This novel scheme consists of two main stages, namely fuzzy c-means clustering and iterative linear discriminant analysis. The main advantage of the proposed iterative linear discriminant analysis is its case adaptive nature designed to maintain a good level of sensitivity. We compare the results obtained from this hybrid scheme with a rule-based FP reduction approach and show the superiority of our novel scheme.
Optimal and Load Balanced Mapping of Parallel Priority Queues in Hypercubes

We efficiently map a priority queue on the hypercube architecture in a load balanced manner, with no additional communication overhead, and present optimal parallel algorithms for performing insert and deletemin operations. Two implementations for such operations are proposed on the single port hypercube model. In a b-bandwidth, n-item priority queue in which every node contains b items in sorted order, the first implementation achieves optimal speed up of O(min{log n, b log n/log b+log log n}) for inserting b presorted items or deleting b smallest items, where b=O(n/sup 1/c/) with c>1. In particular, single insertion and deletion operations are cost optimal and require O(log n/p+log p) time using O(log n/log log n) processors. The second implementation is more scalable since it uses a larger number of processors, and attains a "nearly" optimal speedup on the single hypercube. Namely, the insertion of log n presorted items or the deletion of the log n smallest items is accomplished in O(log log n/sup 2/) time using O(log/sup 2/ n/log log n) processors. Finally, on the slightly more powerful pipelined hypercube model, the second implementation performs log n operations in O(log log n) time using O(log/sup 2/ n/log log n) processors, thus achieving an optimal speed up. To the best of our knowledge, our algorithms are the first implementations of b-bandwidth distributed priority queues, which are load balanced and yet guarantee optimal speed ups.
Index compression is good, especially for random access

Index compression techniques are known to substantially decrease the storage requirements of a text retrieval system. As a side-effect, they may increase its retrieval performance by reducing disk I/O overhead. Despite this advantage, developers sometimes choose to store index data in uncompressed form, in order to not obstruct random access into each index term's postings list. In this paper, we show that index compression does not harm random access performance. In fact, we demonstrate that, in some cases, random access into a term's postings list may be realized more efficiently if the list is stored in compressed form instead of uncompressed. This is regardless of whether the index is stored on disk or in main memory, since both types of storage - hard drives and RAM - do not support efficient random access in the first place.
The complexity of the matrix eigenproblem

The eigenproblem for an n-by-n matrix A is the problem of the approximation (within a relative error bound 2-‘) of all the eigenvalues of the matrix A and computing the associated eigenspaces of all these eigenvalues. We show that the arithmetic complexity of this problem is bounded by O(n3 + (nlog’n)log b). If the characteristic and minimum polynomials of the matrix A coincide with each other (which is the ca8e for generic matrices of all classes of general and special matrices that we consider), then the latter deterministic cost bound can be replaced by the randomized bound O(K.a(2n) + n* + (n log’n) log b) where Ka(2n) denotes the cost of the computation of the 2n 1 vectors A’v, i = 1,. ,2n 1, maximized over all n-dimensional vectors v; Ka(2n) = O(M(n)logn), for M(n) = o(n2.3’6) denoting the arithmetic complexity of n x n matrix multiplication. This bound on the complexity of the eigenproblem is optimal up to a logarithmic factor and implies much faster solution of the eigenprohlem for the important special classes of matrices. In particular, we prove the bound O(n’ log n + (n log’ n) log b) on the randomized arithmetic complexity of the eigenproblem for generic matrices of the classes of n x n Toeplitz, Hank& Toeplitzlike, Hank&like and Toeplits-likeplus-Hank&like matrices. Then again, this bound is optimal (up to a logarithmic factor) for each of the latter classes of input matrices. We also prove similar nearly optimal upper bounds for the generic Caucby-like, Vandermonde-like and sparse matrices. All our complexity estimates for the eigenproblem improve the known ones by order of magnitude.
Terrestrial locomotion does not constrain venous return in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis

SUMMARY The effects of treadmill exercise on components of the cardiovascular (heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, venous return) and respiratory (minute ventilation, tidal volume, breathing frequency, rate of oxygen consumption, rate of carbon dioxide production) systems and on intra-abdominal pressure were measured in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, at 30°C. Alligators show speed-dependent increases in tidal volume and minute ventilation, demonstrating that the inhibition of ventilation during locomotion that is present in some varanid and iguanid lizards was not present in alligators. Exercise significantly increases intra-abdominal pressure; however, concomitant elevations in central venous pressure acted to increase the transmural pressure of the post caval vein and thus increased venous return. Therefore, despite elevated intra-abdominal pressure, venous return was not limited during exercise in alligators, as was the case in Varanus exanthematicus and Iguana iguana. Respiratory cycle variations in intra-abdominal pressure, central venous pressure and venous return indicate that, at high tidal volumes, inspiration causes a net reduction in venous return during active ventilation and thus may act to limit venous return during exercise. These results suggest that, while tonically elevated intra-abdominal pressure induced by exercise does not inhibit venous return, phasic fluctuations during each breath cycle may contribute to venous flow limitation during exercise.
Tristability of thin orthotropic shells with uniform initial curvature

Composite shells show a rich multistable behaviour of interest for the design of shape-changing (morphing) structures. Previous studies have investigated how the initial shape determines the shell stability properties. For uniform initial curvatures and orthotropic material behaviour, not more than two stable equilibria have been reported. In this paper, we prove that untwisted, uniformly curved, thin orthotropic shells can have up to three stable equilibrium configurations. Cases of tristability are first documented using a numerical stability analysis of an extensible shallow shell model. Including mid-plane extension shows that the shells must be sufficiently curved in relation to their thickness to be multistable. Thus, an inextensible model allows us to perform an analytical stability analysis. Focusing on untwisted initial configurations, we illustrate with simple analytical results how the material parameters of the shell control the dependence of its multistable behaviour on the initial curvatures. In particular, we show that when the bending stiffness matrix approaches a degeneracy condition, the shell exhibits three stable equilibria for a wide range of initial curvatures.
The impact of diet and nutrition in the prevention and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. There is growing evidence for a chemopreventive role of nutrition in the development of HCC in at risk populations. Bibliographical searches were performed in PubMed for the terms ‘nutrition and hepatocellular carcinoma’, ‘nutrition and liver cancer’, ‘nutrition and hepatic cancer’, ‘diet and hepatocellular carcinoma’, ‘diet and liver cancer’. High dietary sugar intake should be discouraged in at risk populations. Coffee, polyphenols, vanadium, dietary fibre, fruits and vegetables show encouraging results in terms of chemoprevention. Red meat intake may be associated with increased risk of HCC. The evidence for fatty acids is inconclusive, but they might exert anti-cancer effects. Inconclusive results are available on vitamins, selenium probiotics and prebiotics. There is increasing evidence that diet may play an important role in the development of HCC, and may also have a chemopreventive role in at risk populations.
The IL-1-Like Cytokine IL-33 Is Constitutively Expressed in the Nucleus of Endothelial Cells and Epithelial Cells In Vivo: A Novel ‘Alarmin’?

Background Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is an IL-1-like cytokine ligand for the IL-1 receptor-related protein ST2, that activates mast cells and Th2 lymphocytes, and induces production of Th2-associated cytokines in vivo. We initially discovered IL-33 as a nuclear factor (NF-HEV) abundantly expressed in high endothelial venules from lymphoid organs, that associates with chromatin and exhibits transcriptional regulatory properties. This suggested that, similarly to IL-1α and chromatin-associated cytokine HMGB1, IL-33 may act as both a cytokine and a nuclear factor. Although the activity of recombinant IL-33 has been well characterized, little is known yet about the expression pattern of endogenous IL-33 in vivo. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we show that IL-33 is constitutively and abundantly expressed in normal human tissues. Using a combination of human tissue microarrays and IL-33 monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, we found that IL-33 is a novel nuclear marker of the endothelium widely expressed along the vascular tree. We observed abundant nuclear expression of IL-33 in endothelial cells from both large and small blood vessels in most normal human tissues, as well as in human tumors. In addition to endothelium, we also found constitutive nuclear expression of IL-33 in fibroblastic reticular cells of lymphoid tissues, and epithelial cells of tissues exposed to the environment, including skin keratinocytes and epithelial cells of the stomach, tonsillar crypts and salivary glands. Conclusions/Significance Together, our results indicate that, unlike inducible cytokines, IL-33 is constitutively expressed in normal human tissues. In addition, they reveal that endothelial cells and epithelial cells constitute major sources of IL-33 in vivo. Based on these findings, we speculate that IL-33 may function, similarly to the prototype ‘alarmin’ HMGB1, as an endogenous ‘danger’ signal to alert the immune system after endothelial or epithelial cell damage during trauma or infection.
Acarbose: safe and effective for lowering postprandial hyperglycaemia and improving cardiovascular outcomes

α-Glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) are a class of oral glucose-lowering drugs used exclusively for treatment or prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus. AGIs act by altering the intestinal absorption of carbohydrates through inhibition of their conversion into simple sugars (monosaccharides) and thus decrease the bioavailability of carbohydrates in the body, significantly lowering blood glucose levels. The three AGIs used in clinical practice are acarbose, voglibose and miglitol. This review will focus on the cardiovascular properties of acarbose. The current available data suggest that AGIs (particularly acarbose) may be safe and effective for the treatment of prediabetes and diabetes.
EWET: Data collection and interface for the genetic analysis of Echinococcus multilocularis based on EmsB microsatellite

Evolution and dispersion history on Earth of organisms can best be studied through biological markers in molecular epidemiological studies. The biological diversity of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis was investigated in different cladistic approaches. First the morphological aspects were explored in connection with its ecology. More recently, molecular aspects were investigated to better understand the nature of the variations observed among isolates. The study of the tandemly repeated multilocus microsatellite EmsB allowed us to attain a high genetic diversity level where other classic markers have failed. Since 2006, EmsB data have been collected on specimens from various endemic foci of the parasite in Europe (in historic and newly endemic areas), Asia (China, Japan and Kyrgyzstan), and North America (Canada and Alaska). Biological data on the isolates and metadata were also recorded (e.g. host, geographical location, EmsB analysis, citation in the literature). In order to make available the data set of 1,166 isolates from classic and aberrant domestic and wild animal hosts (larval lesions and adult worms) and from human origin, an open web access interface, developed in PHP, and connected to a PostgreSQL database, was developed in the EmsB Website for the Echinococcus Typing (EWET) project. It allows researchers to access data collection, perform genetic analyses online (e.g. defining the genetic distance between their own samples and the samples in the database), consult distribution maps of EmsB profiles, and record and share their new EmsB genotyping data. In order to standardize the EmsB analyses performed in the different laboratories throughout the world, a calibrator was developed. The final aim of this project was to gather and arrange available data to permit to better understand the dispersion and transmission patterns of the parasite among definitive and intermediate hosts, in order to organize control strategies on the ground.
Occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in pond water associated with integrated poultry-fish farming in Bangladesh

The use of antibiotics in poultry feed can cause antibiotic resistance in integrated poultry-fish farming pond environment. Therefore, the goal of this study was to monitor the prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria in pond water associated with poultry-fish farming in Bangladesh. The results showed that the prevalence rate of tetracycline (TC) and ampicillin (AMP) resistant bacteria were 0.24 to 2.59% and 0.16 to 1.0%, respectively. The higher prevalence rate of TC and AMP-resistant bacteria was found in site 3 followed by site 4 and 2 compared with control site 1. Site 2, 3 and 4 were adjacent to the integrated poultry farm. On the other hand, higher TC and AMP-resistant bacteria were found in the rainy season than in the winter. The minimum inhibitory concentration result showed quite high level of TC and AMP-resistant bacterial distribution in the pond water. Seven genera of resistant bacteriia were identified in pond water samples by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Among them Acinetobacter sp. was predominant followed by Enterococcus sp. , Pseudomonas sp. , Bacillus, Staphylococcus sp. , Enterobacter sp. and Brevibacillus sp.
Characterization of Francisella tularensis Outer Membrane Proteins

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative coccobacillus that is capable of causing severe, fatal disease in a number of mammalian species, including humans. Little is known about the proteins that are surface exposed on the outer membrane (OM) of F. tularensis, yet identification of such proteins is potentially fundamental to understanding the initial infection process, intracellular survival, virulence, immune evasion and, ultimately, vaccine development. To facilitate the identification of putative F. tularensis outer membrane proteins (OMPs), the genomes of both the type A strain (Schu S4) and type B strain (LVS) were subjected to six bioinformatic analyses for OMP signatures. Compilation of the bioinformatic predictions highlighted 16 putative OMPs, which were cloned and expressed for the generation of polyclonal antisera. Total membranes were extracted from both Schu S4 and LVS by spheroplasting and osmotic lysis, followed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, which separated OMs from cytoplasmic (inner) membrane and other cellular compartments. Validation of OM separation and enrichment was confirmed by probing sucrose gradient fractions with antibodies to putative OMPs and inner membrane proteins. F. tularensis OMs typically migrated in sucrose gradients between densities of 1.17 and 1.20 g/ml, which differed from densities typically observed for other gram-negative bacteria (1.21 to 1.24 g/ml). Finally, the identities of immunogenic proteins were determined by separation on two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis. This is the first report of a direct method for F. tularensis OM isolation that, in combination with computational predictions, offers a more comprehensive approach for the characterization of F. tularensis OMPs.
The effects of thermohaline mixing on low‐metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars

We examine the effects of thermohaline mixing on the composition of the envelopes of low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. We have evolved models of 1, 1.5 and 2Mfrom the pre-main sequence to the end of the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch with thermohaline mixing applied throughout the simulations. In agree- ment with other authors, we find that thermohaline mixing substantially reduces the abundance of 3 He on the upper part of the red giant branch in our lowest mass model. However, the small amount of 3 He that remains is enough to drive thermohaline mixing on the AGB. We find that thermohaline mixing is most efficient inthe early thermal pulses and its efficiency drops from pulse to pulse. Nitrogen i s not substantially af- fected by the process, but we do see substantial changes in 13 C. The 12 C/ 13 C ratio is substantially lowered during the early thermal pulses but the efficacy of the process is seen to diminish rapidly. As the process stops after a few pulses, the 12 C/ 13 C ratio is still able to reach values of 10 3 10 4 , which is inconsistent with the values measured in carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars. We also note a surprising increase in the 7 Li abundance, with log 10 �( 7 Li) reaching values of over 2.5 in the 1.5Mmodel. It is thus possible to get stars which are both C- and Li-rich at the same time. We compare our models to measurements of carbon and lithium in carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars which have not yet reached the giant branch. These models can simultaneously reproduced the observed C and Li abundances of carbon-enhanced metal-poor turn-off stars that are Li-rich, but the observed nitrogen abundances still cannot be matched.