Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE TOS2 STUDY: AN INTERNATIONAL MULTI-CENTRE AUDIT ASSESSING THE STANDARD OF NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION

Having previously demonstrated that in-patients referred to neurology at two UK hospitals were not fully examined prior to referral, we designed an audit with 80% power to detect a 10% increase in tendon hammer or ophthalmoscope use following an educational intervention. In-patients referred to neurology over a 4 month period in the UK, Jordan, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates were asked whether they recalled examination with a Tendon hammer, Ophthalmoscope and Stethoscope since admission. Results were disseminated to local medical teams and data were collected for a further 4 months. Pre and post-intervention data were available for 11 centres with 407 and 391 patients in each arm. 264 patients (64.86%) recalled examination with a tendon hammer pre-intervention, which significantly improved to 298 (76.21%) (p<0.001). 119 (29.24%) recollected ophthalmoscopy pre-intervention, which significantly improved to 149 (38.11%) (p=0.009). 321 (78.87%) recalled examination with a stethoscope pre-intervention, which significantly improved to 330 (84.4%) (p=0.045). Most patients were not fully examined prior to neurology referral, yet a simple assessment score and educational intervention can improve the standard of neurological examination. This is the largest and – to our knowledge – only study to assess the standard of neurological examination internationally. This has implications for national neurological educators.
A Parallel Repetition Theorem for Entangled Two-Player One-Round Games under Product Distributions

We show a parallel repetition theorem for the entangled value ω*(G) of any two-player one-round game G where the questions (x, y) ∈ X × Y to Alice and Bob are drawn from a product distribution on X × Y. We show that for the k-fold product G<sup>k</sup> of the game G (which represents the game G played in parallel k times independently) ω*(G<sup>k</sup>) = (1 - (1 - ω*(G))<sup>3</sup>)<sup>Ω(k/Iog(|A|·|B|)</sup> where A and B represent the sets from which the answers of Alice and Bob are drawn. The arguments we use are information theoretic and are broadly on similar lines as that of Raz [1] and Holenstein [2] for classical games. The additional quantum ingredients we need, to deal with entangled games, are inspired by the work of Jain, Radhakrishnan, and Sen [3], where quantum information theoretic arguments were used to achieve message compression in quantum communication protocols.
Cardio Vascular Diabetology Open Access Original Investigation Impact of Body Mass Index on the Relationship of Epicardial Adipose Tissue to Metabolic Syndrome and Coronary Artery Disease in an Asian Population

article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons At-tribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: In a previous study, we demonstrated that the thickness of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), measured by echocardiography, was increased in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Several studies on obese patients, however, failed to demonstrate any relationship between EAT and CAD. We hypothesized that body mass index (BMI) affected the link between EAT and MS and CAD. Methods: We consecutively enrolled 643 patients (302 males, 341 females; 59 ± 11 years), who underwent echocardiography and coronary angiography. The EAT thickness was measured on the free wall of the right ventricle at the end of diastole. All patients were divided into two groups: high BMI group, ≥27 kg/m 2 (n = 165), and non-high BMI group, < 27 kg/m 2 (n = 478). Results: The median and mean EAT thickness of 643 patients were 3.0 mm and 3.1 ± 2.4 mm, respectively. In the non-high BMI group, the median EAT thickness was significantly increased in patients with MS compared to those without MS (3.5 vs. 1.9 mm, p < 0.001). In the high BMI group, however, there was no significant difference in the median EAT thickness between patients with and without MS (3.0 vs. 2.5 mm, p = 0.813). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis predicting MS revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the non-high BMI group was significantly larger than that of the high BMI group (0.659 vs. 0.506, p = 0.007). When compared to patients without CAD, patients with CAD in both the non-high and high BMI groups had a significantly higher median EAT thickness (3.5 vs. 1.5 mm, p < 0.001 and 4.0 vs. 2.5 mm, p = 0.001, respectively). However, an ROC curve analysis predicting CAD revealed that the AUC of the non-high BMI group tended to be larger than that of the high BMI group (0.735 vs. 0.657, p = 0.055). Conclusions: While EAT thickness was significantly increased in patients with MS and CAD, the power of EAT thickness to predict MS and CAD was stronger in patients with BMI < 27 kg/m 2. These findings showed that the measurement of EAT thickness by echocardiography might be especially useful in an Asian population with a non-high BMI, …
ONE LIVER, THREE RECIPIENTS: SEGMENT IV FROM SPLIT-LIVER PROCEDURES AS A SOURCE OF HEPATOCYTES FOR CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Hepatocyte transplantation is emerging as a possible treatment for patients with acute liver failure and liver-based metabolic disorders. With the limited availability of donor tissue, it is important to find new sources of liver tissue for isolation of high-quality hepatocytes. Segment IV with or without the caudate lobe was removed during three split-liver procedures. Hepatocytes were isolated from the tissues using a collagenase perfusion technique under strict sterile conditions. The mean number of hepatocytes that were isolated was 5.14×108 cells with a mean cell viability of 89%. Two of the hepatocyte preparations were used for cell transplantation in a 1-day-old boy with an antenatal diagnosis of a severe urea cycle defect caused by ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. The six recipients of split-liver grafts demonstrated no complications related to the removal of segment IV. Segment IV with or without the caudate lobe obtained from split-liver procedures is potentially a good source of high-quality hepatocytes for cell transplantation.
Clinical correlates of functional performance in community-dwelling Chinese older persons with mild cognitive impairment

ABSTRACT Background: Increasing evidence suggests that functional impairment can be detected in older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study explores the functional profiles and the clinical correlates of a population-based sample of Chinese older persons with MCI in Hong Kong. Methods: A random sample of 765 Chinese elderly subjects without dementia was recruited, of which 389 were elderly normal controls (Clinical Dementia Rating = 0), and 376 had questionable dementia (CDR = 0.5). The latter were categorized into an MCI group (n = 291) and a very mild dementia (VMD) group (n = 85). Their functional performances were measured and compared with the normal controls (NC). Multiple regression analyses investigated the associations between functional scores (Disability Assessment in Dementia) and clinical correlates (cognitive test scores, neuropsychiatric symptoms and motor signs) in the NC subjects and cognitively impaired subjects. Results: Subjects with MCI had intermediate functional performance between the NC and those with VMD. Regression analyses revealed that lower scores of cognitive tests (delayed recall and categorical verbal fluency tests), apathy, aberrant motor symptoms and parkinsonism features were associated with lower functional scores in clinically non-demented subjects. Functional scores had no correlation with age, education and medical illness burden. Conclusion: Neuropsychiatric symptoms and parkinsonism features were associated with functional impairment in the clinically non-demented elderly in the community. Assessment of these should be incorporated in the evaluation of older persons for early cognitive impairment.
Estimating the temporal and spatial extent of gene flow among sympatric lizard populations (genus Sceloporus) in the southern Mexican highlands

Interspecific gene flow is pervasive throughout the tree of life. Although detecting gene flow between populations has been facilitated by new analytical approaches, determining the timing and geography of hybridization has remained difficult, particularly for historical gene flow. A geographically explicit phylogenetic approach is needed to determine the ancestral population overlap. In this study, we performed population genetic analyses, species delimitation, simulations, and a recently developed approach of species tree diffusion to infer the phylogeographic history, timing and geographic extent of gene flow in lizards of the Sceloporus spinosus group. The two species in this group, S. spinosus and S. horridus, are distributed in eastern and western portions of Mexico, respectively, but populations of these species are sympatric in the southern Mexican highlands. We generated data consisting of three mitochondrial genes and eight nuclear loci for 148 and 68 individuals, respectively. We delimited six lineages in this group, but found strong evidence of mito-nuclear discordance in sympatric populations of S. spinosus and S. horridus owing to mitochondrial introgression. We used coalescent simulations to differentiate ancestral gene flow from secondary contact, but found mixed support for these two models. Bayesian phylogeography indicated more than 60% range overlap between ancestral S. spinosus and S. horridus populations since the time of their divergence. Isolation-migration analyses, however, revealed near-zero levels of gene flow between these ancestral populations. Interpreting results from both simulations and empirical data indicate that despite a long history of sympatry among these two species, gene flow in this group has only recently occurred.
Donor Troponin and Survival After Cardiac Transplantation: An Analysis of the United Network of Organ Sharing Registry.

BACKGROUND Despite a limited supply of organs, only 1 in 3 potential donor hearts is accepted for transplantation. Elevated donor troponin levels have generally been considered a contraindication to heart transplantation; however, the data supporting this practice are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS We identified 10 943 adult (≥18 years) heart transplant recipients in the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) database with preserved donor left ventricular ejection fraction (≥50%) and where peak donor troponin I values were available. When analyzed as a continuous variable, there was no association between peak donor troponin levels and recipient mortality up to 1 year follow-up in unadjusted (hazards ratio, 0.999; 95% confidence interval, 0.997-1.002; P=0.856) and adjusted Cox models (hazards ratio, 1.000; 95% confidence interval, 0.997-1.002; P=0.950). Next, we divided the entire cohort into 3 groups based on donor troponin I values: <1 ng/mL (n=7812), 1 to 10 ng/mL (n=2770), and >10 ng/mL (n=361). Using unadjusted and adjusted Cox models and Kaplan-Meier analysis, there was no significant difference in recipient mortality at 30 days, 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years between the 3 groups. Similarly, cardiac allograft vasculopathy up to 5 years and primary graft failure up to 30 days of follow-up post transplant did not differ between the 3 donor troponin groups. The median length of hospital stay post transplant was also similar across groups. CONCLUSIONS Elevated donor troponin I levels in the setting of preserved left ventricular ejection fraction were not associated with intermediate-term mortality, cardiac allograft vasculopathy, or primary graft failure rates in hearts accepted for transplantation. This finding could help expand the donor pool.
The protective effects of community involvement for HIV risk behavior: a conceptual framework.

This paper presents a conceptual framework of the protective effects of community involvement in HIV/AIDS-related groups and organizations for HIV sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men. The framework delineates hypotheses for future research, and provides a guide for prevention programs based on the active and direct involvement of participants, particularly communities of color. The framework (1) argues that community involvement moderates the association between three socio-structural risk factors (i.e. poverty, homophobia and racism) and sexual risk behavior; (2) posits that community involvement in HIV/AIDS reduces sexual risk behavior via its effects on four mediating factors (i.e. peer norms, self-efficacy, positive self-identity and alienation); (3) proposes five socio-cultural barriers to and facilitators of community involvement in HIV/AIDS (i.e. motives for participation, poverty, acculturation, stigma and perceived opportunities); and (4) addresses burnout as one potential negative consequence of community involvement in HIV/AIDS-related organizations and groups. The conceptual framework advances the understanding of HIV sexual risk behavior by integrating both its socio-structural risk and protective factors. It contributes to health education by specifying how interventions based on collective action (e.g. community involvement) for social change may be effective in generating healthy behaviors at individual and community levels.
Engaging Students in Active Learning: Use of a Blog and Audience Response System

Librarians provide instruction to medical students as part of a core course in the medical school curriculum. Instruction was provided, in part, through didactic sessions covering professional-level medical information resources, PubMed search skills, psychosocial information, and evidence-based medicine. Librarians redesigned instructional sessions with the goals of increasing student engagement and minimizing the lecture format, maximizing the number of students receiving feedback on their search and evaluation skills, and permitting students to see a variety of possible responses as well as engage in peer- and self-evaluation. Librarians integrated the use of a blog and an audience response system (ARS) into the instruction to help accomplish these goals.
Mid-Infrared Properties of X-Ray Sources in the Extended Groth Strip

Mid-infrared observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are important for understanding the physical conditions around the central accretion engines. Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of a 300 arcmin2 region in the extended Groth strip are used to select a sample of ~150 AGNs. The Spitzer instruments IRAC and MIPS detect 68%-80% of these sources, which show a wide range of mid-infrared properties. About 40% of the sources have red power-law spectral energy distributions (fν ∝ να, α < 0) in the 3.6-8 μm IRAC bands. In these sources the central engine dominates the emission at both X-ray and IR wavelengths. Another 40% of the sources have blue mid-IR spectral energy distributions (α > 0) with their infrared emission dominated by the host galaxy; the remaining 20% are not well fit by a power law. Published IRAC color criteria for AGNs select most of the red sources, but only some of the blue sources. As with all other known methods, selecting AGNs with mid-IR colors will not produce a sample that is simultaneously complete and reliable. The IRAC SED type does not directly correspond to X-ray spectral type (hard/soft). The mid-IR properties of X-ray-detected Lyman break, radio, submillimeter, and optically faint sources vary widely, and for the most part are not distinct from those of the general X-ray/infrared source population. X-ray sources emit 6%-11% of the integrated mid-IR light, making them significant contributors to the cosmic infrared background.
Eating Sweet Snacks: Gender Differences in Attitudes and Behaviour

This paper reports a study of gender differences in the components of the Theory of Reasoned Action in relation to eating sweet snacks, and the role of these components in predicting sweet-snacking in women and men. Totals of 65 women and 64 men completed questionnaires assessing attitudes and behaviours towards eating sweet snacks. Women were more ambivalent towards eating sweet snacks than men, perceiving eating sweet snacks to be significantly less healthy (t(127) = - 2.43, p < 0.02), and more pleasant (t(127) = 2.52, p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant gender differences in outcome beliefs x evaluations, subjective norms, normative belief x motivation to comply, or in behavioural intention, although some gender differences were found within components. Women scored significantly higher (t(127) = 5.54, p < 0.0005) on restraint items from the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, including those on snacking (t(127) = 5.04; p < 0.0005), but did not differ significantly from men on reported frequency of eating sweet snacks. There were gender differences in the predictive power of components of the Theory of Reasoned Action. Women's intentions to eat sweet snacks were predicted by perceived social pressure and attitudes towards sweet snacks. Men's intentions were only predicted significantly by attitudes. It is concluded that men's sweet-snacking is less influenced by social pressure than is women's.
The STATEMATE semantics of statecharts

We describe the semantics of statecharts as implemented in the STATEMATE system. This was the first executable semantics defined for the language and has been in use for almost a decade. In terms of the controversy around whether changes made in a given step should take effect in the current step or in the next one, this semantics adopts the latter approach.
Incidence of Pin Track Infections in Children's Fractures Treated With Kirschner Wire Fixation

Smooth Kirschner wires (K-wires) are frequently used in pediatric orthopaedics; however, the infection rate associated with these devices is not known. A retrospective study on infection rates in pediatric patients who had fractures treated with percutaneous smooth K-wire fixation was performed. A total of 202 patients with an average age of 9.7 years were included in the study. Upper extremity fractures made up 93% of the cases. The overall infection rate was 7.9%. The classification system of Green was used to describe major and minor infections. There were 16 infections noted; 12 (5.9%) of these were minor, and 4 (2%) were major. Infection rates did not correlate with length of fixation. There was also no correlation of increased infection rates with open fractures or fractures that required open reduction. The infection rates associated with the use of smooth K-wires in pediatric fracture patients is low. The major infection rate is only 2% and does not correlate to length of fixation or type of fracture.
Improving the Steady-State and Transient-State Performances of PMSM Through an Advanced Deadbeat Direct Torque and Flux Control System

In this paper, a new advanced deadbeat direct torque and flux control (A-DB-DTFC) system is proposed that improves the steady-state and transient-state performances of the permanent-magnet synchronous motor by adopting two improved deadbeat methods. Whenever the error between the torque and its reference value is low, an improved deadbeat method is adopted by the A-DB-DTFC system, in which the phase and time duration of the voltage vector applied to the motor are adjusted in a manner that the stator flux and torque reach their reference values after just one control cycle. Whenever the torque error is high, another deadbeat method is adopted by the A-DB-DTFC system, where the voltage vector phase is adjusted such that the fastest torque response is achieved. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed A-DB-DTFC system, the steady-state and transient-state performances of the motor are tested in MATLAB software and in practice, where the simulation and experimental results confirm that the proposed control system reduces the torque and stator flux ripples and achieves the fastest dynamic response. The comparative assessment with the recent DB-DTFC method indicates that the proposed A-DB-DTFC system yields lower torque and flux ripples and a faster dynamic response with the advantage of a lower computation complexity.
Noninvasive Measurement of Vulnerability to Drought-Induced Embolism by X-Ray Microtomography1

X-ray computed microtomography provides a high-resolution, noninvasive method to evaluate vulnerability to drought-induced embolism in living, intact plants. Hydraulic failure induced by xylem embolism is one of the primary mechanisms of plant dieback during drought. However, many of the methods used to evaluate the vulnerability of different species to drought-induced embolism are indirect and invasive, increasing the possibility that measurement artifacts may occur. Here, we utilize x-ray computed microtomography (microCT) to directly visualize embolism formation in the xylem of living, intact plants with contrasting wood anatomy (Quercus robur, Populus tremula × Populus alba, and Pinus pinaster). These observations were compared with widely used centrifuge techniques that require destructive sampling. MicroCT imaging provided detailed spatial information regarding the dimensions and functional status of xylem conduits during dehydration. Vulnerability curves based on microCT observations of intact plants closely matched curves based on the centrifuge technique for species with short vessels (P. tremula × P. alba) or tracheids (P. pinaster). For ring porous Q. robur, the centrifuge technique significantly overestimated vulnerability to embolism, indicating that caution should be used when applying this technique to species with long vessels. These findings confirm that microCT can be used to assess the vulnerability to embolism on intact plants by direct visualization.
Antigen-dependent CD28 Signaling Selectively Enhances Survival and Proliferation in Genetically Modified Activated Human Primary T Lymphocytes

Most tumor cells function poorly as antigen-presenting cells in part because they do not express costimulatory molecules. To provide costimulation to T lymphocytes that recognize tumor cells, we constructed a CD28-like receptor specific for GD2, a ganglioside overexpressed on the surface of neuroblastoma, small-cell lung carcinoma, melanoma, and other human tumors. Recognition of GD2 was provided by a single-chain antibody derived from the GD2-specific monoclonal antibody 3G6. We demonstrate that the chimeric receptor 3G6-CD28 provides CD28 signaling upon specific recognition of the GD2 antigen on tumor cells. Human primary T lymphocytes retrovirally transduced with 3G6-CD28 secrete interleukin 2, survive proapoptotic culture conditions, and selectively undergo clonal expansion in the presence of an antiidiotypic antibody specific for 3G6-CD28. Polyclonal CD8+ lymphocytes expressing 3G6-CD28 are selectively expanded when cultured with cells expressing allogeneic major histocompatibility complex class I together with GD2. Primary T cells given such an antigen-dependent survival advantage should be very useful to augment immune responses against tumor cells.
Convergence analysis of domain decomposition algorithms with full overlapping for the advection-diffusion problems

The aim of this paper is to study the convergence properties of a Time Marching Algorithm solving Advection-Diffusion problems on two domains using incompatible discretizations. The basic algorithm is first presented, and theoretical or numerical results illustrate its convergence properties. This study is based on spectral theory, a priori estimates and a Di-Giorgi-Nash maximum principle .