Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time of highest tuberculosis death risk and associated factors: an observation of 12 years in Northern Thailand

Purpose: Northern Thailand is a tuberculosis (TB) endemic area with a high TB death rate. We aimed to establish the time of highest death risk during TB treatment, and to identify the risk factors taking place during that period of high risk. Patients and methods: We explored the TB surveillance data of the Chiang Rai province, Northern Thailand, retrospectively for 12 years. A total of 19,174 TB patients (including 5,009 deaths) were investigated from 1997 to 2008, and the proportion of deaths in each month of TB treatment was compared. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the characteristics of patients who died in the first month of TB treatment. A total of 5,626 TB patients from 2005 to 2008 were included in this regression analysis. Result: The numbers of deaths in the first month of TB treatment were 38%, 39%, and 46% in the years 1997–2000, 2001–2004, and 2005–2008, respectively. The first month of TB treatment is the time of the maximum number of deaths. Moreover, advancing age, HIV infection, and being a Thai citizen were significant factors contributing to these earlier deaths in the course of TB treatment. Conclusion: Our findings have pointed to the specific time period and patients at higher risk for TB death. These findings would be useful for prioritizing interventions in order to diminish TB-related deaths globally. Studies based on these findings are necessary for the introduction of newer intervention strategies.
WARNINGS: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS and SUICIDALITY AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS

---------------------------INDICATIONS AND USAGE---------------------------ABILIFY is an atypical antipsychotic indicated as oral formulations for the: Treatment of schizophrenia (1.1) • Adults: Efficacy was established in four 4-6 week trials and one maintenance trial in patients with schizophrenia (14.1) • Adolescents (ages 13-17): Efficacy was established in one 6-week trial in patients with schizophrenia (14.1) Acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder as monotherapy and as an adjunct to lithium or valproate (1.2) • Adults: Efficacy was established in four 3-week monotherapy trials and one 6-week adjunctive trial in patients with manic or mixed episodes (14.2) • Pediatric Patients (ages 10-17): Efficacy was established in one 4-week monotherapy trial in patients with manic or mixed episodes (14.2) Maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder, both as monotherapy and as an adjunct to lithium or valproate (1.2) • Adults: Efficacy was established in one maintenance monotherapy trial and in one maintenance adjunctive trial (14.2) Adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) (1.3) • Adults: Efficacy was established in two 6-week trials in patients with MDD who had an inadequate response to antidepressant therapy during the current episode (14.3) Treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder (1.4) • Pediatric Patients (ages 6-17 years): Efficacy was established in two 8-week trials in patients with autistic disorder (14.4)
Control of wireless networks with rechargeable batteries [transactions papers]

We consider the problem of cross-layer resource allocation for wireless networks operating with rechargeable batteries under general arrival, channel state and recharge processes. The objective is to maximize total system utility, defined as a function of the long-term rate achieved per link, while satisfying energy and power constraints. A policy with decoupled admission control and power allocation decisions is proposed that achieves asymptotic optimality for sufficiently large battery capacity to maximum transmission power ratio (explicit bounds are provided). We present first a downlink resource allocation scenario; the analysis is then extended to multihop networks. The policy is evaluated via simulations and is seen to perform very well even in the non-asymptotic regime. This policy is particularly suitable for sensor networks, which typically satisfy the asymptotic conditions required by our methodology.
Starbursting nuclear CO disks of early-type spiral galaxies

We have initiated the first CO interferometer survey of early-type spiral galaxies (S0-Sab). We observed five early-type spiral galaxies with HII nuclei (indicating circumnuclear starburst activities). These observations indicate gas masses for the central kiloparsec of ~$1{-}5\%$ of the dynamical masses. Such low gas mass fractions suggest that large-scale gravitational instability in the gas is unlikely to be the driving cause for the starburst activities. We estimated Toomre Q values and found that these galaxies have $Q>1$ (mostly >3) within the central kiloparsec, indicating that the gas disks are globally gravitationally stable. From the brightness temperatures of the CO emission we estimated the area filling factor of the gas disks within the central kiloparsec to be about 0.05. This small value indicates the existence of lumpy structure, i.e. molecular clouds, in the globally-gravitationally stable disks. The typical surface density of the molecular clouds is as high as ~$3000\,{M_{\odot}}\,{\rm \, pc}^{-2}$. In the light of these new observations, we reconsider the nature of the Toomre Q criterion, and conclude that the Toomre Q parameter from CO observations indicates neither star formation nor molecular cloud formation. This argument should be valid not only for the circumnuclear disks but also for any region in galactic disks. We tentatively explore an alternative model as an initiating mechanism of star formation. Cloud-cloud collisions might account for the active star formation.
Combined observational and modeling based study of the aerosol indirect effect

The indirect effect of aerosols via liquid clouds is investigated by comparing aerosol and cloud characteristics from the Global Climate Model CAM-Oslo to those observed by the MODIS instrument onboard the TERRA and AQUA satellites http://modis.gsfc. nasa.gov). The comparison is carried out for 15 selected regions ranging from remote and clean to densely populated and polluted. For each region, the regression coefficient and correlation coefficient for the following parameters are calculated: Aerosol Optical Depth vs. Liquid Cloud Optical Thickness, Aerosol Optical Depth vs. Liquid Cloud Droplet Effective Radius and Aerosol Optical Depth vs. Cloud Liquid Water Path. Modeled and observed correlation coefficients and regression coefficients are then compared for a 3-year period starting in January 2001. Additionally, global maps for a number of aerosol and cloud parameters crucial for the understanding of the aerosol indirect effect are compared for the same period of time. Significant differences are found between MODIS and CAM-Oslo both in the regional and global comparison. However, both the model and the observations show a positive correlation between Aerosol Optical Depth and Cloud Optical Depth in practically all regions and for all seasons, in agreement with the current understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions. The correlation between Aerosol Optical Depth and Liquid Cloud Droplet Effective Radius is variable both in the model and the observations. However, the model reports the expected negative correlation more often than the MODIS data. Aerosol Optical Depth is overall positively correlated to Cloud Liquid Water Path both in the model and the observations, with a few regional exceptions.
Globalização, europeização e especificidade educativa portuguesa: A estruturação global de uma inovação nacional

Neste trabalho exploram-se algumas relacoes entre os processos de globalizacao e a elaboracao de politicas educativas nacionais. Procura-se compreender o modo como o processo de integracao europeia constituiu um contexto relevante para a formulacao de uma medida de politica educativa – a criacao do subsistema de Escolas Profissionais em Portugal em 1989. Esta inovacao expressa ainda uma agenda politica nacional para a educacao atravessada por dilemas e, como procura mostrar-se, indubitavelmente inscrita nas condicoes, desafios e solucoes que marcavam a realidade educativa portuguesa.
Effect of Preparation Program on Anxiety Level of Children Undergoing Endoscopy

Like adults, children often experience anxiety associated with medical procedures. Aim: to assess the effect of psychological preparation program on anxiety of children undergoing endoscopy. Method:- A true experimental research design (pre-test post-test control design) was used for this study. The study was conducted in Pediatric endoscopy unit at Assiut university children hospital, Egypt. A total of 70 children were enrolled in this study divided into two groups (study and control groups with 35 children in each group). Three tools were used to collect data in this study: Tool I: A structured questionnaire. Tool II: state trait anxiety inventory (STAI). Tool III: The psychological preparation program consisted of demonstration of materials that would be encountered during the procedure. Results: the anxiety state mean score had reduced in the study group compared to that in the control group after implementation of the program and after implementation of the program compared to that before its implementation in the study group (32.80 ± 4.64 Vs. 45.17 ± 6.75 and 48.09 ± 6.97 Vs. 32.80 ± 4.64, respectively) p- value 0.000. for both.
Midnight salivary cortisol versus urinary free and midnight serum cortisol as screening tests for Cushing's syndrome.

The diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (CS) is often a challenge. Recently, the determination of late night salivary cortisol levels has been reported to be a sensitive and convenient screening test for CS. However, no studies have included a comparison with other screening tests in a setting more closely resembling clinical practice, i.e. few patients with CS to be distinguished from patients with pseudo-Cushing states (PC), including the large population of obese patients. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of midnight salivary cortisol (MSC) measurement with that of midnight serum cortisol (MNC) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) in differentiating 41 patients with CS from 33 with PC, 199 with simple obesity, and 27 healthy normal weight volunteers. Three patients with CS had MSC levels lower than the cut-off point derived from receiver operator characteristic analysis (9.7 nmol/liter), yielding a sensitivity for this parameter of 92.7%. In the whole study population, no statistically significant differences in terms of sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and predictive values were observed among tests. In particular, the overall diagnostic accuracy for MSC (93%; 95% confidence interval, 90.1-95.9%) was similar to those of UFC (95.3%; 94.1-96.5%) and MNC (95.7%; 93.4-98%; both P = NS). The diagnostic performance of MSC was superimposable to that of MNC also within the area of overlap in UFC values (< or =569 nmol/24 h) between CS and PC. In conclusion, MSC measurement can be recommended as a first-line test for CS in both low risk (simple obesity) and high-risk (i.e. PC) patients. Given its convenience, this procedure can be added to tests traditionally used for this purpose, such as UFC and MNC.
Carpal tunnel release: a randomized comparison of three surgical methods

A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial was done to compare the results of carpal tunnel release using classic incision, short incision, or endoscopic technique. In total, 90 consecutive cases were included. Follow-up was 24 weeks. We found a significantly shorter sick leave in the endoscopic group. No significant differences in pain, paraesthesiae, range of motion, pillar pain, and grip strength could be found at 24 weeks of follow-up, although intermediate significant differences were seen, especially in grip strength, in favour of endoscopic technique. No major advantage to using a short incision could be found. There were no serious complications in either group. The results indicate that the endoscopic procedure is safe and has the benefit of faster rehabilitation and return to work.
Gut Microbiota-Mediated Drug Interactions between Lovastatin and Antibiotics

Orally administered drugs may be metabolized by intestinal microbial enzymes before absorption into the blood. Accordingly, coadministration of drugs affecting the metabolic activities of gut microbes (e.g., antibiotics) may lead to drug-drug interactions (DDI). In this study, gut microbiota-mediated DDI were investigated by studying the pharmacokinetics of lovastatin in antibiotic-treated rats. Incubation of lovastatin with human and rat fecalase preparations produced four metabolites, M1 (demethylbutyryl metabolite), M4 (hydroxylated metabolite), M8 (the active hydroxy acid metabolite), and M9 (hydroxylated M8), indicating involvement of the gut microbiota in lovastatin metabolism. The plasma concentration-time profiles of M8 were compared after oral administration of lovastatin to control rats or those treated with either ampicillin (100 mg/kg) or an antibiotic mixture consisting of cefadroxil (150 mg/kg), oxytetracycline (300 mg/kg), and erythromycin (300 mg/kg). Pharmacokinetic analyses indicated that systemic exposure to M8 was significantly lower in antibiotic-treated rats compared with controls. In addition, fecal M8 formation decreased by 58.3 and 59.9% in the ampicillin- and antibiotic mixture-treated rats, respectively. These results suggested that antibiotic intake may reduce the biotransformation of orally administered drugs by gut microbiota and that the subsequent impact on microbiota metabolism could result in altered systemic concentrations of either the intact drug and/or its metabolite(s).
Trophic ecology of invasive Argentine ants in their native and introduced ranges

Although the ecological effects of invasions often become obvious soon after introduced species become established, more gradual effects may take years to manifest and can thus require long-term data for quantification. We analyzed an 8-year record of stable isotope data on Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) from southern California to infer how the trophic position of this widespread invasive species changes over time as native ant species are displaced. We couple this longitudinal analysis with a biregional comparison of stable isotope data (δ15N) on ants from Argentina (native range) and California (introduced range) to quantify (i) how the trophic position of L. humile differs between native and introduced populations, and (ii) how relative trophic position as estimated by δ15N values of Argentine ants compare with those of other ants at the same site. Both long-term and biregional comparisons indicate that the Argentine ant's relative trophic position is reduced at sites with a longer history of occupation. Over the course of 8 years, the relative trophic position of L. humile remained high at the leading edge of an invasion front but declined, on average, behind the front as native ants disappeared. Relative to native populations, where L. humile is among the most carnivorous of ants, Argentine ants from California occupied lower trophic positions. These results support the hypothesis that Argentine ants shift their diet after establishment as a result of resource depletion and increasing reliance on plant-based resources, especially honeydew-producing Hemiptera. Our results demonstrate the value of long-term and biregional data in uncovering ecological effects of invasions.
Osteocalcin Cord Plasma Levels: Influence of Perinatal Factors

Plasma levels of osteocalcin and calcium were measured in mixed cord blood samples of 153 newborns (74 males and 79 females; gestational age 36-41 weeks). The newborns were divided into 4 groups according to mode of delivery: 1 ) spontaneous delivery (SD); 2) elective caesarean section before the onset of labour (ECS); 3) elective caesarean section in established labour (ECSL); 4) emergency caesarean section for fetal distress in labour (EMCS). The samples were collected in 20 newborns during February-April; in 44 during May-July; in 60 during August-October and in 29 during November-January. Plasma levels of calcium and osteocalcin were measured also in peripheral blood samples from 30 normal adult volunteers ( 1 5 males and 15 females) and 20 volunteer mothers of the newborns at delivery. Calcium levels were determined by spectrophotometry (Boeringher Mannheim, West Germany); osteocalcin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay (Compagnie ORIS Industrie S.A., France). The data were analysed using Student's f-test and linear regression analysis.
Nuclear localization of SMN and FUS is not altered in fibroblasts from patients with sporadic ALS

Abstract Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no established biological marker. Recent observation of a reduced number of gems (survival motor neuron protein (SMN)-positive nuclear bodies) in cells from patients with familial ALS and the mouse models suggests an involvement of SMN in ALS pathology. At a molecular level, fused in sarcoma (FUS), one of the familial ALS-linked proteins, has been demonstrated to directly interact with SMN, while impaired nuclear localization of mutated FUS causes defective gem formation. Our objective was to determine whether gems and/or nuclear FUS levels in skin derived fibroblasts from sporadic ALS patients are consistently reduced and thus could constitute a novel and readily available biomarker of the disease. Fibroblasts from 20 patients and 17 age-matched healthy controls were cultured and co-immunostained for SMN and FUS. Results showed that no difference was detected between the two groups in the number of gems and in expression pattern of FUS. The number of gems negatively correlated with the age at biopsy in both ALS and control subjects. In conclusion, the expression pattern of SMN and FUS in fibroblasts cannot serve as a biomarker for sporadic ALS. Donor age-dependent gem reduction is a novel observation that links SMN with cellular senescence.
Biased Forecasting of Postdecisional Affect

Although anticipated postdecisional regret is a significant contributor to people's decision-making processes, the accuracy of people's regret forecasts has yet to be assessed systematically. Here we report two studies to fill this lacuna. In Study 1, we found that subjects who made reasonably high offers overpredicted the regret that they experienced after they unexpectedly failed at a negotiation. In Study 2, we found that subjects overpredicted the rejoicing and marginally underpredicted the regret that they experienced when they received higher marks than they had expected for their course work. Systematic affective misprediction implies that people making decisions should discount the regret and rejoicing that they anticipate will be associated with potential outcomes arising from those decisions.
Sweeping simple polygons with a chain of guards

We consider the problem of locating a continuously-moving target using a group of guards moving inside a simple polygon. Our guards always form a simple polygonal chain within the polygon such that consecutive guards along the chain are mutually visible. We develop algorithms that sweep such a chain of guards through a polygon to locate the target. Our two main results are the following: 1. an algorithm to compute the minimum number r∗ of guards needed to sweep an n-vertex polygon that runs in O(n) time and uses O(n) working space, and 2. a faster algorithm, using O(n log n) time and O(n) space, to compute an integer r such that max(r − 16, 2) ≤ r∗ ≤ r and P can be swept with a chain of r guards. We develop two other techniques to approximate r∗. Using O(n) time and space, we show how to sweep the polygon using at most r∗ +2 guards. We also show that any polygon can be swept by a number of guards equal to two more than the link radius of the polygon. As a key component of our exact algorithm, we introduce the notion of the link diagram of a polygon, which encodes the link distance between all pairs of points on the boundary of the polygon. We prove that the link diagram has size Θ(n) and can be constructed in Θ(n) time. We also show link diagram provides a data structure for optimal two-point link-distance queries, matching an earlier result of Arkin et al. As a key component of our O(n log n)-time approximation algorithm, we introduce the notion of the “link width” of a polygon, which may have independent interest, as it captures important structural properties of simple polygons. Computer Science Dept., Stanford University, 353 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305. Email: alon@cs.stanford. edu. Supported by a Rothschild Fellowship and by NSF research grant CCR-96-23851. Computer Science Dept., Stanford University, 353 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305. Email: guibas@cs.stanford. edu. Partially supported by DARPA grant DAAE07-98-C-L027 and by ARO MURI grant DAAH04-96-1-007. School of Mathematical Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Email: sariel@math.tau. ac.il. Computer Science Dept., Stanford University, 353 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305. Email: dlin@cs.stanford. edu. Supported by DARPA grant DAAE07-98-C-L027 and by ARO MURI grant DAAH04-96-1-007. Dept. Applied Math, University at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3600. Email: jsbm@ams.sunysb. edu. Partially supported by NSF (CCR-9732220), and grants from Hughes Research Labs, ISX Corporation, Seagull Technologies, NASA, and Sun Microsystems. Computer Science Dept., Stanford University, 353 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305. Email: murali@cs.stanford. edu. Supported by DARPA grant DAAE07-98-C-L027.
UNSTEADY HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER BY MHD MIXED CONVECTION FLOW OVER AN IMPULSIVELY STRETCHED VERTICAL SURFACE WITH CHEMICAL REACTION AND SORET AND DUFOUR EFFECTS

This work considers unsteady, laminar, and coupled heat and mass transfer by MHD mixed convective boundary-layer flow of an electrically conducting fluid over an impulsively stretched vertical surface in an unbounded quiescent fluid with aiding external flow in the presence of a transverse magnetic field, homogeneous chemical reaction, and Soret and Dufour effects. The stretching velocity and surface temperature and concentration are assumed to vary linearly with the distance along the surface. The flow is impulsively set into motion and both the temperature and concentration at the surface are also suddenly changed from those of the ambient fluid. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of nonsimilar equations and solved numerically by an efficient implicit, iterative, finite-difference method. A parametric study illustrating the influence of various physical parameters is performed. Numerical results for the steady-state velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles as well as the time histories of the skin-friction coefficient, local Nusselt number, and local Sherwood number are presented graphically and discussed.