Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health informatics governance: researching deferred IS/IT mechanisms

The British National Health Service (NHS) is learning how to use IT and information systems (IS) for the benefit of patients and for clinical processes. Rather than adopt IT governance practices from the private sector, it is seeking to develop its own best practices because of the unique socialist principles of the organization and its history. It values are deeply rooted in socialism. The overall aim of the research proposed in this paper is to inform health informatics governance in its early stages of development in the NHS through researching deferred IT/IS methods, tools and techniques. Deferment is defined as enabling contextual, situated and semantic information design by action developers (so-called users). Deferment is proposed as relevant in the NHS because of the national and distributed structure of the organization. A deferred IT/IS infrastructure will be capable of catering for contextual and situated information needs of domain experts - clinicians.
Effective Arabic Dialect Classification Using Diverse Phonotactic Models

We study the effectiveness of recently developed language recognition techniques based on speech recognition models for the discrimination of Arabic dialects. Speciﬁcally, we investigate dialect-speciﬁc and cross-dialectal phonotactic models, us-ing both languagemodels and support vector machines(SVMs). Techniques are evaluated both alone and in combination with a cepstral system with joint factor analysis (JFA), using a four-dialect data set employing30-secondtelephone speechsamples. We ﬁnd goodcomplementarityfrom different features andmod-eling paradigms, and achieve 2% average equal error rate for pairwise classiﬁcation.
Glycemic Monitoring in Diabetics with Sickle Cell Plus β-Thalassemia Hemoglobinopathy

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of diabetes management in a patient with a hemoglobinopathy that caused her clinician to seek a different measure of glycemic control, fructosamine, rather than glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). CASE SUMMARY: A 53-year-old African American woman presented with a past medical history of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, seizure disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and sickle cell disease plus β-thalassemia. She reported fasting blood glucose values ranging broadly from 50 to 320 mg/dL, yet her HbA1c result remained steady in a low range of >6%. A measure of fructosamine returned elevated at 340 μmol/L (reference range 200–300%). DISCUSSION: We believe that this patient's hemoglobinopathy resulted in falsely low levels of HbA1c, and we substantiate this interpretation with the patient's self-monitored blood glucose values from home that appeared higher and inconsistent with the HbA1c results. Although few reports on using the measure of fructosamine appear in the literature, this patient's high fructosamine result supports fructosamine as the more appropriate measure of glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS: Serum fructosamine levels may be considered as an appropriate laboratory measurement when monitoring long-term glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sickle cell disease.
The effect of entrainment through atmospheric boundary layer growth on observed and modeled surface ozone in the Colorado Front Range

Ozone concentrations at the Earth's surface are controlled by meteorological and chemical processes and are a function of advection, entrainment, deposition, and net chemical production/loss. The relative contributions of these processes vary in time and space. Understanding the relative importance of these processes controlling surface ozone concentrations is an essential component for designing effective regulatory strategies. Here we focus on the diurnal cycle of entrainment through atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) growth in the Colorado Front Range. Aircraft soundings and surface observations collected in July/August 2014 during the DISCOVER‐AQ/FRAPPÉ (Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality/Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment) campaigns and equivalent data simulated by a regional chemical transport model are analyzed. Entrainment through ABL growth is most important in the early morning, fumigating the surface at a rate of ~5 ppbv/h. The fumigation effect weakens near noon and changes sign to become a small dilution effect in the afternoon on the order of −1 ppbv/h. The chemical transport model WRF‐Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting Model with chemistry) underestimates ozone at all altitudes during this study on the order of 10–15 ppbv. The entrainment through ABL growth is overestimated by the model in the order of 0.6–0.8 ppbv/h. This results from differences in boundary layer growth in the morning and ozone concentration jump across the ABL top in the afternoon. This implicates stronger modeled fumigation in the morning and weaker modeled dilution after 11:00 LT.
Why Do Only a Minority of Men Report Severe Levels of Eating Disorder Symptomatology, When so Many Report Substantial Body Dissatisfaction? Examination of Exacerbating Factors

In recent years research employing female samples has indicated that although body dissatisfaction may be necessary for the onset of an eating disorder, it is not sufficient. This study examined body surveillance and difficulties in interpersonal domains (attachment anxiety and social anxiety) as potential moderators of the body dissatisfaction-eating disorder symptomatology relationship amongst Italian college men (N = 359). As expected, all examined variables were found to intensify this relationship such that body dissatisfaction was strongly related to men’s eating disorder symptomatology when each moderator was at its highest level (i.e., 1 SD above the mean). Practical implications are discussed.
Laser Doppler perfusion imaging of the radial forearm flap: A clinical study

Laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) allows non-invasive assessment of blood flow in a predefined area of skin rather than at one single point. We have used LDPI to study the pattern of skin blood flow in the radial forearm flap before and after the flap has been raised. The data were collected from a consecutive series of 11 patients with cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx in whom the radial forearm flap had been used during the reconstructive procedure. Reperfusion leads to an immediate hyperaemic response both in the flap and the surrounding skin. This hyperaemia remains for at least the first 30 minutes after reperfusion. The perfusion of the radial side of the forearm skin distal to the flap is significantly lower than that on the ulnar side after the skin island has been raised and the distal artery divided. We suggest that LDPI is useful for monitoring the perfusion of free skin flaps.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Low Ejection Fraction

Background—Patients with low ejection fraction (EF) are at a higher risk for postoperative complications and mortality. Our objective was to assess the effect of low EF on clinical outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods and Results—We analyzed 55,515 patients from New York State database who underwent CABG between 1997 and 1999. Patients were stratified into 1 of the 4 EF groups: Group I (EF≤20%), Group II (EF 21% to 30%), Group III (EF 31% to 40%), and Group IV (EF>40%). History of previous myocardial infarction, renal failure, and congestive heart failure were higher in patients with low EF (all P<0.001). Group I experienced a higher incidence of postoperative respiratory failure (10.1% versus 2.9%), renal failure (2.5% versus 0.6%), and sepsis (2.5% versus 0.6%) compared with Group IV. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in Group I (6.5% versus 1.4%; P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed hepatic failure [odds ratio (OR), 11.2], renal failure (OR, 4.1), previous myocardial infarction (OR, 3.4), reoperation (OR, 3.4), emergent procedures (OR, 3.2), female gender (OR, 1.7), congestive heart failure (OR, 1.6), and age (OR, 1.04) as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in the low EF group. The discharges to home rate were significantly lower in Group I versus Group IV (73.1% and 87.7%, respectively; P<0.001). Conclusions—Patients with low EF are sicker at baseline and have >4 times higher mortality than patients with high EF. However, outcomes are improving over time and are superior to historical data. Therefore, CABG remains a viable option in selected patients with low EF.
13-year follow-up of the German angioplasty bypass surgery investigation.

AIMS The German Angioplasty Bypass Surgery Investigation was designed to compare symptomatic efficacy and safety of percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA) with coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with symptomatic multi-vessel disease. This follow-up study was performed to determine the long-term outcome of patients following these interventions. METHODS AND RESULTS From 1986 to 1991, 359 patients with angina CCS class II-IV, age below 75 years, and coronary multi-vessel disease requiring revascularization of at least two major coronary vessels were recruited at eight German centres and randomized to PTCA or CABG. From 337 patients undergoing the planned procedure, 324 patients could be followed-up (96%). Baseline parameters were identical in both groups, 2.2+/-0.6 vessels were treated in CABG patients, whereas 1.9+/-0.5 vessels were treated in PTCA patients. Thirty-seven per cent of surgical patients received internal mammary artery grafts, while no stents were used in patients undergoing PTCA. At the end of the 13-year follow-up period, the degree of angina, the degree of dyspnea, and the utilization of nitrates were comparable in both groups. With a total number of 76 deaths, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a comparable distribution in both groups. Although time to first re-intervention was significantly shorter in the PTCA group, P<0.001, frequencies of re-intervention (CABG, n=94; PTCA, n=136) and crossover rates (CABG to PTCA, n=49; PTCA to CABG, n=51) were comparable in both groups. CONCLUSION The results of our 13-year follow-up suggest that in patients with symptomatic multi-vessel disease, both PTCA and CABG are associated with a comparable long-term survival and symptomatic efficacy. How far these results may be altered by developments such as drug-eluting stents or off-pump surgery remains to be determined.
Torque Ripple Reduction in BLDC Torque Motor With Nonideal Back EMF

In order to improve the speed precision and stabilization of the gimbal servo system of double gimbal magnetically suspended control moment gyro, a comprehensive analysis of the reason of electromagnetic torque ripples of brushless direct current motor with nonideal back electromotive force (EMF) drives in the conduction and commutation regions is presented. A novel automatic control method of torque is proposed. With this method, the current control rule is designed, and the duty cycle of pulse width modulation (PWM) is regulated in real time by measuring the wave function of back EMF. In order to eliminate the diode freewheeling of the inactive phase, the PWM_ON_PWM scheme is used. Simulation and experiment results are given to show that, compared with the conventional current control method, the proposed method can reduce the torque ripple effectively and improve the speed precision and stabilization as well.
Towards a unified view of intuitive interaction: definitions, models and tools across the world

Two previously independent approaches to investigating intuitive interaction in Australia and Germany are described and compared. Both definitions are based on the literature and so agree very closely, grounded in the non-conscious use of prior knowledge for intuitive interaction. Models have been devised by both groups: a continuum of intuitive interaction and a continuum of prior knowledge. Although there are points of difference in the models it is found that these are minimal and that the models are complementary. Tools like design methodologies, design principles, questionnaires, and an online database have been devised by the two groups that can contribute to helping designers in making user interfaces more intuitive to use.
The Role of Urothelial Cancer-Associated 1 in Gynecological Cancers

Gynecological cancers (GC) represent some of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in women worldwide. Long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory RNAs increasingly being recognized for their role in tumor progression and metastasis in various cancers. Urothelial cancer-associated 1 (UCA1) is a lncRNA, first found deregulated in bladder cancer, and many studies have exposed its oncogenic effects in more tumors since. However, the role of UCA1 in gynecological malignancies is still unclear. This review aims to analyze and define the role of UCA1 in GC, in order to identify its potential use as a diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic biomarker of GC. By employing the search terms “UCA1”, “breast cancer”, “endometrial cancer”, “ovarian cancer”, “cervical cancer”, “vaginal cancer”, and “vulvar cancer” in the PubMed database for the literature review, we identified a total of sixty-three relevant research articles published between 2014 and 2024. Although there were some opposing results, UCA1 was predominantly found to be upregulated in most of the breast, endometrial, ovarian, cervical, and vulvar cancer cells, tissue samples, and mouse xenograft models. UCA1 overexpression mainly accounts for enhanced tumor proliferation and increased drug resistance, while also being associated with some clinicopathological features, such as a high histological grade or poor prognosis. Nonetheless, no reviews were identified about the involvement of UCA1 in vaginal carcinogenesis. Therefore, further clinical trials are required to explore the role of UCA1 in these malignancies and, additionally, examine its possible application as a target for upcoming treatments, or as a novel biomarker for GC diagnosis and prognosis.
Vesicles generated during storage of red cells are rich in the lipid raft marker stomatin

BACKGROUND: The release of vesicles by red blood cells (RBCs) occurs in vivo and in vitro under various conditions. Vesiculation also takes place during RBC storage and results in the accumulation of vesicles in RBC units. The membrane protein composition of the storage‐associated vesicles has not been studied in detail. The characterization of the vesicular membrane might hint at the underlying mechanism of the storage‐associated changes in general and the vesiculation process in particular.
Why is the Linear Canonical Transform so little known

The linear canonical transform (LCT), is the name of a parameterized continuum of transforms which include, as particular cases, the most widely used linear transforms and operators in engineering and physics such as the Fourier transform, fractional Fourier transform (FRFT), Fresnel transform (FRST), time scaling, chirping, and others. Therefore the LCT provides a unified framework for studying the behavior of many practical transforms and system responses in optics and engineering in general. From the system‐engineering point of view the LCT provides a powerful tool for design and analysis of the characteristics of optical systems. Despite this fact only few authors take advantage of the powerful and general LCT theory for analysis and design of optical systems. In this paper we review some important properties about the continuous LCT and we present some new results regarding the discretization and computation of the LCT.
Multiple Dose Pharmacokinetics of Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate in Healthy Volunteers

Background: Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) is a solid form of fentanyl that delivers the drug through the oral mucosa. The clinical utility of multiple doses of OTFC in the treatment of “breakthrough” cancer pain is under evaluation. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the pharmacokinetics of OTFC do not change with multiple dosing. Methods: Twelve healthy adult volunteers received intravenous fentanyl (15 &mgr;g/kg) or OTFC (three consecutive doses of 800 &mgr;g) on separate study sessions. Arterial blood samples were collected for determination of fentanyl plasma concentration by radioimmunoassay. The descriptive pharmacokinetic parameters (maximum concentration, minimum concentration, and time to maximum concentration) were identified from the raw data and subjected to a nonparametric analysis of variance. Population pharmacokinetic models for all subjects and separate models for each subject were developed to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters of fentanyl after multiple OTFC doses. Results: The shapes of the profiles of plasma concentration versus time for each dose of OTFC were grossly similar. No change was noted for maximum concentration or time to maximum concentration over the three doses, while minimum concentration did show a significantly increasing trend. Terminal half-lives for intravenous fentanyl and OTFC were similar. A two-compartment population pharmacokinetic model adequately represented the central tendency of the data from all subjects. Individual subject data were best described by either two- or three-compartment pharmacokinetic models. These models demonstrated rapid and substantial absorption of OTFC that did not change systematically with time and multiple dosing. Conclusions: The pharmacokinetics of OTFC were similar among subjects and did not change with multiple dosing. Multiple OTFC dosing regimens within the dosage schedule examined in this study can thus be formulated without concern about nonlinear accumulation.
Osteoporosis Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Colorectal Neoplasms Regardless of Sex: Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Vitamin D may have anticancer effects against colorectal cancer (CRC). Bone mineral density (BMD) reflects the long-term vitamin D status. This study investigated the association between osteoporosis and colorectal neoplasms (CRN). The data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service sample cohort, which included 60,386 osteoporosis patients and 8224 controls who underwent BMD in 2002–2019. The logistic regression models included age, sex, income level, and comorbidity. Sensitivity tests were performed using the data from the National Health Screening Program. In total, 7706 (11.2%) patients were diagnosed with CRN, and the proportion was significantly higher in osteoporosis patients than in controls (11.7% vs. 8.1%). In the multivariate analysis, osteoporosis was associated with an increased risk of CRN (odds ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval = 1.75–2.09, p < 0.0001), which was significant for both colorectal adenomas and CRC (OR = 1.88 and 1.83, respectively). A subgroup analysis by sex revealed a significant association between osteoporosis and CRN in both women and men (OR = 2.06 and 1.66, respectively). The sensitivity tests revealed results similar to those of the original dataset. In conclusion, osteoporosis is significantly associated with CRN risk in both sexes. In high-risk patients with low BMD, appropriate screening for CRN and vitamin D supplementation are required, regardless of sex.
Combination Treatment for Nicotine Dependence: State of the Science

Both nicotine replacement and sustained-release buproprion double the odds of achieving short- and moderate-term abstinence from nicotine. However, questions remain about the efficacy of combining pharmacotherapies. Our purposes were to review the evidence for (1) combined pharmacotherapy and (2) multimodal treatment combining pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatment and to recommend combinations of treatments to reduce nicotine dependence. Combining first-line pharmacotherapies with each other or with investigational drugs shows little benefit. In contrast, trials combining specific behavioral treatments with first-line pharmacotherapies show enhanced smoking cessation rates, but benefits are not seen in all populations. We recommend future directions for research, including better specification of behavioral components and further examination of the length and timing of treatment.
Biological Activity of Mammalian Transcriptional Repressors

Abstract Research on the regulation of transcription in mammals has focused in recent years mainly on the mechanism of transcriptional activation. However, transcriptional repression mediated by repressor proteins is a common regulatory mechanism in mammals and might play an important role in many biological processes. To understand the molecular mechanism of transcriptional repression, the activity of eight mammalian repressors or repressor domains was investigated using a set of model promoters in combination with two different transcriptional detection methods. The repressors studied were: REST, the thyroid hormone receptors α and β, the zinc finger protein NK10 containing a krüppelassociated box (KRAB), repressor domains derived from the proteins Egr-1, Oct2A and Dr1 and the repressor/activator protein YY1. Here we show that the repressor domains of REST, Egr-1, the thyroid hormone receptors α and β and NK10 were transferable to a heterologous DNAbinding domain and repressed transcription from proximal and distal positions. Moreover, these repressor domains also blocked the activity of a strong viral enhancer in a remote position. Thus, these domains are general transcriptional repressor domains. The krüppelassociated box was the most powerful repressor domain tested. In contrast, the repressor domains derived from Oct2A and Dr1 were inactive when fused to a heterologous DNAbinding domain. The repressor domain of YY1 exhibited transcriptional repression activity only in one of the transcriptional assay systems. The recruitment of histone deacetylases to the proximity of the basal transcriptional apparatus was recently discussed as a mechanism for some mammalian transcriptional repressor proteins. Here we show here that histone deacetylase 2, targeted to the reporter gene via DNAprotein interaction, functions as a transcriptional repressor protein regardless of the location of its binding site within the transcription unit.