Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continuing medical education and burnout among Danish GPs.

BACKGROUND There has been minimal research into continuing medical education (CME) and its association with burnout among GPs. AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the association between participating in CME and experiencing burnout in a sample of Danish GPs. DESIGN OF STUDY Cross-sectional questionnaire study. SETTING All 458 active GPs in 2004, in the County of Aarhus, Denmark were invited to participate. METHOD Data on CME activities were obtained for all GPs and linked to burnout which was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory--Human Services Survey. The relationship between CME activity and burnout was calculated as prevalence ratios (PR) in a generalised linear model. RESULTS In total, 379 (83.5%) GPs returned the questionnaire. The prevalence of burnout was about 25%, and almost 3% suffered from 'high burnout'. A total of 344 (92.0%) GPs were members of a CME group or a supervision group. Not being a member of either a CME group or a supervision group was statistically significantly associated with doubled likelihood of burnout (PR = 2.2). Among GPs not making use of a practice facilitator, a seven-fold higher likelihood of high burnout was found. CONCLUSION GPs who were not members of a CME group and did not take part in outreach visits had a higher likelihood of suffering from burnout and high burnout than those who were members of a CME group or received outreach visits. Therefore, not being a member of a CME group could indicate that the GP is more likely to suffer from burnout. Although the present study does not unequivocally establish causality, it would be interesting to see whether staying active in CME may also prevent burnout among GPs.
Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is a target gene of β-catenin in human colorectal tumors

The majority of colorectal cancers (CRCs) are characterized by a dysregulated canonical Wnt-signaling pathway leading to the stabilization and subsequent cellular increase and accumulation of β-catenin. After translocation into the nucleus, it acts as a transcription factor resulting in the expression of β-catenin target genes. These resemble most of the hallmarks of cancer except eternal life. The central mediator of this hallmark is hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase). The hTERT gene is regulated, besides others, by the transcription factor c-Myc and, thus, indirectly via β-catenin as c-Myc is a β-catenin target gene. Interestingly, the expression patterns of hTERT and β-catenin, but not c-Myc are overlapping, probably because c-Myc is not only regulated by β-catenin, but also by many other transcription factors and pathways. Therefore, we argued that hTERT might be a direct target gene of β-catenin. In this study, we show evidence that β-catenin directly regulates the expression of the hTERT gene.
Rspo2/Int7 regulates invasiveness and tumorigenic properties of mammary epithelial cells

Rspo2 was identified as a novel common integration site (CIS) for the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) in viral induced mouse mammary tumors. Here we show that Rspo2 modulates Wnt signaling in mouse mammary epithelial cells. Co‐expression of both genes resulted in an intermediate growth phenotype on plastic and had minor effects on the growth‐promoting properties of Wnt1 in soft agar. However, individual Rspo2 and Wnt1 HC11 transfectants as well as the double transfectant were tumorigenic in athymic nude mice, with tumors from each line having distinctive histological characteristics. Rspo2 and Rspo2/Wnt1 tumors contained many spindle cells, consistent with an epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT) phenotype. When Rspo2 and Rspo2/Wnt1 tumor cells were transferred into naïve mice, they exhibited greater metastatic activity than cells derived from Wnt1 tumors. For comparison, C57MG/Wnt1/Rspo2 co‐transfectants exhibited invasive properties in three‐dimensional (3D) Matrigel cultures that were not seen with cells transfected only with Wnt1 or Rspo2. Use of Dickkopf‐1, a specific antagonist of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, or short hairpin RNA targeting β‐catenin expression demonstrated that the invasive activity was not mediated by β‐catenin. Our results indicate that Rspo2 and Wnt1 have mutually distinct effects on mammary epithelial cell growth and these effects are context‐dependent. While Rspo2 and Wnt1 act synergistically in the β‐catenin pathway, other mechanisms are responsible for the invasive properties of stable double transfectants observed in 3D Matrigel cultures. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 1960–1971, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Efficient Realization of BCD Multipliers Using FPGAs

In this paper, a novel BCD multiplier approach is proposed. The main highlight of the proposed architecture is the generation of the partial products and parallel binary operations based on 2-digit columns. 1 × 1-digit multipliers used for the partial product generation are implemented directly by 4-bit binary multipliers without any code conversion. The binary results of the 1 × 1-digit multiplications are organized according to their two-digit positions to generate the 2-digit column-based partial products. A binary-decimal compressor structure is developed and used for partial product reduction. These reduced partial products are added in optimized 6-LUT BCD adders. The parallel binary operations and the improved BCD addition result in improved performance and reduced resource usage. The proposed approach was implemented on Xilinx Virtex-5 and Virtex-6 FPGAs with emphasis on the critical path delay reduction. Pipelined BCD multipliers were implemented for 4 × 4, 8 × 8, and 16 × 16-digit multipliers. Our realizations achieve an increase in speed by up to 22% and a reduction of LUT count by up to 14% over previously reported results.
Inner Kinetochore of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida glabrata

ABSTRACT The human pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata is the second most common Candida pathogen after Candida albicans, causing both bloodstream and mucosal infections. The centromere (CEN) DNA of C. glabrata (CgCEN), although structurally very similar to that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is not functional in S. cerevisiae. To further examine the structure of the C. glabrata inner kinetochore, we isolated several C. glabrata homologs of S. cerevisiae inner kinetochore protein genes, namely, genes for components of the CBF3 complex (Ndc10p, Cep3p, and Ctf13p) and genes for the proteins Mif2p and Cse4p. The amino acid sequence identities of these proteins were 32 to 49% relative to S. cerevisiae. CgNDC10, CgCEP3, and CgCTF13 are required for growth in C. glabrata and are specifically found at CgCEN, as demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments. Cross-complementation experiments revealed that the isolated genes, with the exception of CgCSE4, are species specific and cannot functionally substitute for the corresponding genes in S. cerevisiae deletion strains. Likewise, the S. cerevisiae CBF3 genes NDC10, CEP3, and CTF13 cannot functionally replace their homologs in C. glabrata CBF3 deletion strains. Two-hybrid analysis revealed several interactions between these proteins, all of which were previously reported for the inner kinetochore proteins of S. cerevisiae. Our findings indicate that although many of the inner kinetochore components have evolved considerably between the two closely related species, the organization of the C. glabrata inner kinetochore is similar to that in S. cerevisiae.
Perception of the Role of Fintech on Formal Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Study on Construction Workers)

The development of FinTech in Indonesia has had many good impacts, not only for the company but also for the employees within it. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in limited outdoor mobility. This study aimed to understand the effectiveness of FinTech for formal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative descriptive study was a case study of 40 employees at a construction company in Surabaya. The results of the study showed that FinTech plays an important role for formal workers in companies, including efficiency and facilitating financial services, facilitating funding and transactions, improving the standard of living of employees, as well as planning future investments for the formal workers themselves. Keywords: financial technologist, covid19 pandemic, formal workers
New phenotypic typing scheme for group B streptococci.

AIMS: To develop a new typing system for group B streptococci based on 35S-methionine-labelled protein profiles of bacterial proteins. METHODS: 377 clinical isolates of group B streptococci were examined by incorporation of 35S-methionine into bacterial proteins under strict anaerobic conditions. After sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, autoradiography was performed. The patterns produced were visually analysed and categorised into clusters of organisms based on the pattern of band production between 32-46 kilodaltons. RESULTS: 294 of the typed strains classified into seven different groups designated a-g. 32 strains failed to incorporate 35S-methionine sufficiently to be grouped and 11 strains did not fall into one of the seven identified groups. Typability, reproducibility, and discrimination of the system was evident. CONCLUSIONS: This typing system may help to distinguish between colonising and invasive strains of the organism.
Functional Optical Imaging of Intrinsic Signals in Cerebral Cortex

1. BACKGROUNDIn the early nineteenth century, Franz Gall, a German-born physician and neuroanatomist who studied andworked in Vienna, proposed that speciﬁc functions orbehaviors are controlled by particular regions of thecerebral cortex. Although Gall extended this propositionto develop the (incorrect) doctrine of phrenology, it wastheﬁrst account of localization of function in the cerebralcortex. Forty years later Gall’s ideas were extended byPaul Pierre Broca, who in 1861 published an account of apatient who could understand language but could notspeak. Postmortem examination of the patient’s brainshowed a lesion in the posterior area of the frontal lobes,an area that has become known as Broca’s area. Thisintriguing ﬁnding led to the search for more functionallydistinct regions of the cerebral cortex and, in 1870, Fritschand Hitzig reported that electrically stimulating the pre-central gyrus in the dog resulted in movements of thecontralateral limb. Fritsch and Hitzig had found what isnow known as the primary motor cortex. Investigation oflocalized functional regions of the cerebral cortex in-creased at a rapid pace and by the mid-twentieth centuryit was well established that the cerebral cortex could bedivided into discrete regions on the basis of cytoarchitec-tonics (type, density, and layering of cells) and physiolo-gical function. Localization of function in the cerebralcortex is perhaps best demonstrated in the mammalianvisual cortex, where in the primate and presumably thehuman, more than 30 distinct cortical regions associatedwith the analysis of visual information exist.The localization of function in the cerebral cortex hastraditionally relied on techniques such as lesion studies,neuroanatomical tract tracing and single-cell electrophy-siology in animal-based experiments, or on clinical studieswhere behavioral symptoms are correlated with postmor-tem ﬁndings of underlying cortical pathology or wherespeciﬁc regions of the cerebral cortex are electricallystimulated during neurosurgical procedures for disorderssuch as epilepsy. In addition to these techniques, a num-ber of imaging techniques are now available, includingpositron emission tomography (PET), functional magneticresonance imaging (fMRI), and optical imaging of intrinsicsignals (OIIS). In functional imaging of the cerebralcortex, the relationship between regional cerebral bloodﬂow (rCBF) and function is exploited to correlate localizedcortical activity with physiological function.OIIS is a minimally invasive means of determiningpatterns of neural activity over large areas of the cortex(typically on the order of 25mm
Bovine oviductal epithelial cells (boec) and oviducts: I. For embryo culture. Ii. Using sem for studying interactions with spermatozoa

The oviduct (uterine tube) plays a major role in reproduction. It is a dynamic organ which selectively permits a few sperm to undergo capacitation and reach the oocyte which has continued to undergo maturation following ovulation. Then following fertilization the embryo undergoes cleavage before arriving in the uterus. Extensive information has become available from in vitro studies on oocytes as well as spermatozoal interactions with oviductal cells. Bovine oviduct epithelial cell (BOEC) monolayers with simple media provide an environment in which zygotes can be cultured to blastocysts in 6 days with cell numbers essentially equivalent to blastocysts grown totally in the donor animal. These yield normal pregnancy rates upon transfer. The simple protein‐free media currently under test hold promise for elucidating specific requirements of the preimplantation embryo and these defined conditions facilitate many related studies on in vitro fertilization and genetic engineering of embryos.
Ultrasound Shear Wave Viscoelastography: Model-Independent Quantification of the Complex Shear Modulus

Ultrasound shear wave elastography methods are commonly used for estimation of mechanical properties of soft biological tissues in diagnostic medicine. A limitation of most currently used elastography methods is that they yield only the shear storage modulus (Ġ̇̇' ) but not the loss modulus (G" ). Therefore, no information on viscosity or loss tangent (tan δ) is provided. In this paper, an ultrasound shear wave viscoelastography method is developed for model-independent quantification of frequency-dependent viscoelastic complex shear modulus of macroscopically homogeneous tissues. Three in vitro tissue-mimicking phantoms and two ex vivo porcine liver samples were evaluated. Shear waves were remotely induced within the samples using several acoustic radiation force pushes to generate a semicylindrical wave field similar to those generated by most clinically used elastography systems. The complex shear modulus was estimated over a broad frequency range (up to 1000 Hz) through the analytical solution of the developed inverse wave propagation problem using the measured shear wave speed and amplitude decay versus propagation distance. The shear storage and loss moduli obtained for the in vitro phantoms were compared with those from a planar shear wave method and the average differences over the whole frequency range studied were smaller than 7% and 15%, respectively. The reliability of the proposed method highlights its potential for viscoelastic tissue characterization, which may improve noninvasive diagnosis.
Success for All in England

This article reports the third-year findings of a longitudinal evaluation in England of Success for All (SFA), a comprehensive literacy program. Eighteen SFA schools across England and 18 control schools, matched on prior achievement and demographics, were included in this quasi-experimental study. The results of hierarchical linear modeling analysis reveal a statistically significant positive school-level effect for SFA schools compared with control schools on standardized reading measures of word-level and decoding skills, and there were directionally positive but nonsignificant school-level effects on measures of comprehension and fluency. Practical and policy implications of these findings are discussed, particularly as they relate to recent English government policies encouraging schools to implement research-proven approaches.
Reliability of Two Smartphone Applications for Radiographic Measurements of Hallux Valgus Angles

Abstract The objective of the present study was to assess the reliability of 2 smartphone applications compared with the traditional goniometer technique for measurement of radiographic angles in hallux valgus and the time required for analysis with the different methods. The radiographs of 31 patients (52 feet) with a diagnosis of hallux valgus were analyzed. Four observers, 2 with >10 years’ experience in foot and ankle surgery and 2 in‐training surgeons, measured the hallux valgus angle and intermetatarsal angle using a manual goniometer technique and 2 smartphone applications (Hallux Angles and iPinPoint). The interobserver and intermethod reliability were estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and the time required for measurement of the angles among the 3 methods was compared using the Friedman test. A very good or good interobserver reliability was found among the 4 observers measuring the hallux valgus angle and intermetatarsal angle using the goniometer (ICC 0.913 and 0.821, respectively) and iPinPoint (ICC 0.866 and 0.638, respectively). Using the Hallux Angles application, a very good interobserver reliability was found for measurements of the hallux valgus angle (ICC 0.962) and intermetatarsal angle (ICC 0.935) only among the more experienced observers. The time required for the measurements was significantly shorter for the measurements using both smartphone applications compared with the goniometer method. One smartphone application (iPinPoint) was reliable for measurements of the hallux valgus angles by either experienced or nonexperienced observers. The use of these tools might save time in the evaluation of radiographic angles in the hallux valgus. &NA; Level of Clinical Evidence: 3
Prevalence of Cerebral Microhemorrhages in Amateur Boxers as Detected by 3T MR Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The evidence for traumatic brain injury in amateur boxers is controversial. Hypothetically, sudden acceleration of the head due to the impact of the blow during the boxing fight might result in diffuse axonal injury or contusion. We wanted to determine whether cerebral microhemorrhages occur more often in amateur boxers than in nonboxers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 42 male, classical amateur boxers and in 37 healthy, nonboxing male volunteers we performed cranial MR imaging at 3T. The study protocol included a transverse dual spin-echo MR imaging sequence, a 3D sagittal magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition of gradient echo sequence, a coronal T2*-weighted sequence, and an axial time-of-flight MR angiography sequence. MR imaging data were made anonymous before 2 neuroradiologists independently evaluated the images. In addition, the following risk factors were assessed: total numbers of fights and knockouts, weight division, and duration of boxing. We compared the group proportions of microhemorrhages with Fisher test of exact probability. RESULTS: There was a statistically higher prevalence of cerebral microhemorrhages in the group of boxers (3 of 42; 7.1%) than in nonboxing persons (0 of 37; 0%). This difference was not statistically significant, however (P = .2479; Fisher exact test). CONCLUSION: Although we detected more microhemorrhages in amateur boxers than in nonboxing persons, this difference did not prove to be significant.
Modeling Prognostic Factors in Resectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas

Background The accurate prognosis for patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinomas requires the incorporation of more factors than those included in AJCC TNM system. Methods We identified 218 patients diagnosed with stage I and II pancreatic adenocarcinoma at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (1999 to 2009). Tumor and clinical characteristics were retrieved and associations with survival were assessed by univariate Cox analysis. A multivariable model was constructed and a prognostic score was calculated; the prognostic strength of our model was assessed with the concordance index. Results Our cohort had a median age of 67 years and consisted of 49% men; the median follow-up time was 14.3 months and the 5-year survival 3.6%. Age, tumor differentiation and size, alkaline phosphatase, albumin and CA 19–9 were the independent factors of the final multivariable model; patients were thus classified into low (n = 14, median survival = 53.7 months), intermediate (n = 124, median survival = 19.7 months) and high risk groups (n = 80, median survival = 12.3 months). The prognostic classification of our model remained significant after adjusting for adjuvant chemotherapy and the concordance index was 0.73 compared to 0.59 of the TNM system. Conclusion Our prognostic model was accurate in stratifying patients by risk and could be incorporated into clinical decisions.
How Hydrologic Connectivity Regulates Water Quality in River Corridors

Downstream flow in rivers is repeatedly delayed by hydrologic exchange with off‐channel storage zones where biogeochemical processing occurs. We present a dimensionless metric that quantifies river connectivity as the balance between downstream flow and the exchange of water with the bed, banks, and floodplains. The degree of connectivity directly influences downstream water quality — too little connectivity limits the amount of river water exchanged and leads to biogeochemically inactive water storage, while too much connectivity limits the contact time with sediments for reactions to proceed. Using a metric of reaction significance based on river connectivity, we provide evidence that intermediate levels of connectivity, rather than the highest or lowest levels, are the most efficient in removing nitrogen from Northeastern United States’ rivers. Intermediate connectivity balances the frequency, residence time, and contact volume with reactive sediments, which can maximize the reactive processing of dissolved contaminants and the protection of downstream water quality. Our simulations suggest denitrification dominantly occurs in riverbed hyporheic zones of streams and small rivers, whereas vertical turbulent mixing in contact with sediments dominates in mid‐size to large rivers. The metrics of connectivity and reaction significance presented here can facilitate scientifically based prioritizations of river management strategies to protect the values and functions of river corridors.
Ventilator Settings to Avoid Nuisance Alarms During Mouthpiece Ventilation

BACKGROUND: A recent study found that activation of disconnection and low-pressure alarms is common during mouthpiece ventilation and may represent a major limitation to its use. The aim of this bench study was: (1) to investigate the technical aspects that can influence the setting of the ventilator during mouthpiece ventilation and (2) to provide a practical setting strategy to avoid the alarm activation. METHODS: Eight life-support ventilators able to deliver volume controlled ventilation were tested in a bench study using a single-limb non-vented circuit configuration connected to a standard mouthpiece. Disconnection and apnea alarm were turned off or set at the least sensitive setting. The backup frequency was set at the lowest available level. Different tidal volumes (VT) (from 500 to 1,200 mL) were tested with the rectangular and descending flow shape. For each VT, we reported the maximum set inspiratory time (TI) that allowed preventing activation of the low-pressure alarm. The presence of auto-triggering was also surveyed. RESULTS: We found that a correct combination of VT and TI avoided the activation of disconnection and low-pressure alarms in all but 3 ventilators. One ventilator did not allow mouthpiece ventilation independently from the settings used. The inability to turn off the apnea alarm in two other ventilators led to the alarm going off in any tested conditions after 120 s without triggered breaths. Auto-triggering was seldom found and easily worked out, except for in one ventilator. CONCLUSIONS: An appropriate alarm setting and combination of VT and TI would allow the majority of the tested ventilators to be used for mouthpiece ventilation without alarm activation.