Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volvulus of the Colon: Incidence and Mortality

Between 1960 and 1980, 137 patients with colonic volvulus (52% cecal, 3% transverse colon, 2% splenic flexure, and 43% sigmoid) were seen at the Mayo Clinic. Among the 59 patients with sigmoid volvulus, four (7%) had colonic infarction. Total mortality with sigmoid volvulus was seven per cent. There were 71 patients with cecal volvulus. Colonoscopic decompression was accomplished in two of these patients; in 15 (21%), gangrenous colon developed and mortality was 33%. Total mortality for cecal volvulus patients was 17%. Mortality for all forms of volvulus in patients with viable colons was 11%. Mortality for all patients with volvulus was 14%.
Training needs assessment at work: A dynamic process

In today's fast-paced world of change, many of the performance bottlenecks found within organizations are caused by a lack of worker knowledge and skills. Because organizations lack the resources to address all their training needs, analyzing performance needs has become increasingly important. This article focuses on the dynamics of training needs analysis. Thefirst section of the article describes the role of training needs analysis within an organization. The second section describes three elements that interact to influence the needs analysis process and results. The three elements are organization characteristics, decision-maker characteristics, and analyst characteristics. The interaction of these elements influences the process used to identify the needs, the solutions that are identified, and the final product.
Theory of mind and social impairment in children with conduct disorder

Children with conduct disorder show problems in social interaction. In a quite separate diagnostic group—individuals with autism—social impairments have recently attracted a great deal of research, with the suggestion that children with autism lack a ‘theory of mind’. This hypothesis has been successful in explaining many of the social difficulties these individuals manifest, both in laboratory tests and in everyday life. The present study investigated whether the social impairments in conduct disorder might have a similar root. Standard false belief tasks and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), with additional items specially designed to assess understanding of other minds in everyday life, were used with eight normally developing children and 18 children with conduct disorder. The VABS documented extensive and widespread social impairment in this clinical group. There was also evidence of impairment in social insight, not dissimilar to that found in able individuals with autism. Children with conduct disorder were markedly different from children with autism, however, in terms of type of maladaptive activity. They showed more antisocial behaviour and very little bizarre (e.g. stereotyped, self-stimulatory) behaviour. Implications for cognitive theories of social information processing in conduct disorder are discussed.
Illuminating Choices for Library Prep: A Comparison of Library Preparation Methods for Whole Genome Sequencing of Cryptococcus neoformans Using Illumina HiSeq

The industry of next-generation sequencing is constantly evolving, with novel library preparation methods and new sequencing machines being released by the major sequencing technology companies annually. The Illumina TruSeq v2 library preparation method was the most widely used kit and the market leader; however, it has now been discontinued, and in 2013 was replaced by the TruSeq Nano and TruSeq PCR-free methods, leaving a gap in knowledge regarding which is the most appropriate library preparation method to use. Here, we used isolates from the pathogenic fungi Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and sequenced them using the existing TruSeq DNA v2 kit (Illumina), along with two new kits: the TruSeq Nano DNA kit (Illumina) and the NEBNext Ultra DNA kit (New England Biolabs) to provide a comparison. Compared to the original TruSeq DNA v2 kit, both newer kits gave equivalent or better sequencing data, with increased coverage. When comparing the two newer kits, we found little difference in cost and workflow, with the NEBNext Ultra both slightly cheaper and faster than the TruSeq Nano. However, the quality of data generated using the TruSeq Nano DNA kit was superior due to higher coverage at regions of low GC content, and more SNPs identified. Researchers should therefore evaluate their resources and the type of application (and hence data quality) being considered when ultimately deciding on which library prep method to use.
Correlates of employee lateness : Some theoretical considerations

Using hypothesis-driven meta-analytic procedures on 30 samples containing 118 correlations, researchers examined competing models of the relationship between lateness and assorted work-related variables. Consistent with a progression withdrawal model, the mean corrected lateness-absence correlation, . 40, was found to be higher than the lateness-turnover correlation, . 27. Hypotheses regarding the relationships between lateness and attitudes, performance, and demographics were generally supported. Methodological issues, including the need for longitudinal designs in the field and the inclusion of other moderators such as organizational and personality variables, were discussed.
Security for building automation with hardware-based node authentication

Providing reasonable security is a fundamental requirement in building and home automation. The authenticity of devices must be protected to prevent cloned or corrupted devices from joining a private network. State-of-the-art systems already provide secured communication links either by a security layer in the interface protocol stack (e.g. the Security Manager Protocol in Bluetooth Low Energy) or by using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol on top of the interface protocol. These solutions have in common that they only protect the communication links. Thus the system is still vulnerable to active and passive physical attacks that aim to clone the device or to extract the used keys. We show an approach with off-the-shelf security trust anchors that allows securing a device against such attacks. The proposed solution allows product authentication with low-cost ready-to-use components which can be easily integrated in an architecture similar to existing proposals. We demonstrate the feasibility of the approach by presenting a prototype implementation and discuss performance and security implications. The results indicate that the proposed architecture provides reasonable security at acceptable costs and can serve as template for many applications in the Internet of Things (IoT) context.
GENDER AND RACE EFFECTS ON OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE, SEGREGATION, AND EARNINGS

This article examines the interlinked impacts of gender and race on occupational prestige, segregation, and earnings. Included are occupations about which Bose and Rossi reported prestige ranks and about which the 1980 census reported earnings and relevant gender/race breakdowns. White men are used as the comparison group. Contrasted to them are the gender/race groups of white women, Black men, Black women, Asian-American men, Asian-American women, Hispanic men, and Hispanic women. Race has a more powerful impact than gender on the prestige level a worker is likely to enjoy, but gender does affect prestige within particular racial groups. For segregation and earnings, the strongest effects are those of gender, although there are clear race effects too. Segregation examined in terms of the prestige of occupations in which different groups find themselves shows race and gender effects. Many researchers have pointed to the need for considering both gender and race in examining the American occupational structure. Our findings strongly support that call.
Temporal requirements of thyroid hormones for seasonal changes in LH secretion.

The transition between breeding and anestrous seasons in ewes is driven by an endogenous rhythm in responsiveness to estradiol negative feedback. One stage of this rhythm, the transition to anestrus, requires the presence of thyroid hormone during a window of responsiveness that opens in the late breeding season. The primary goal of this study was to assess when ewes lose responsiveness to thyroid hormone (i.e. when the window closes). In addition, we investigated whether thyroid hormone influences aspects of seasonality other than the transition to anestrus. Ovariectomized ewes maintained in a simulated natural photoperiod were implanted with estradiol, thyroidectomized, and treated with T(4) for 100 d beginning at progressively later dates during the anestrous season. Onset of neuroendocrine anestrus (decrease in LH), latency to anestrus, and time of onset of the subsequent neuroendocrine breeding season (rise in LH) were determined. Ewes gradually lost responsiveness to T(4) during the latter half of the anestrous season, as judged by increasing latency to the decrease in LH and, eventually, failure to exhibit a decrease in LH. Progressively later T(4) replacements also caused progressive delays in the subsequent breeding season. In contrast, the annual PRL cycle was not significantly affected by thyroidectomy or T(4) replacement. These findings indicate that 1) responsiveness to T(4) is lost gradually during the mid to late anestrous season; 2) thyroid hormones can influence the timing of the breeding season and thus may be required for the maintenance or entrainment of the endogenous reproductive rhythm; 3) thyroid hormones are not required for all seasonal neuroendocrine cycles.
Quantitation of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Increases in Prefrontal Cortex during a Working Memory Task: A Steady-State Arterial Spin-Tagging Study

Steady-state arterial spin-tagging MRI approaches were used to quantitate regional cerebral blood flow increases in prefrontal cortex during a working memory ("two-back") task in six normal subjects. Statistically significant increases in cerebral blood flow in prefrontal cortex were observed in all six subjects: the average increase in cerebral blood flow in activated prefrontal cortex regions was 22 +/- 5 cc/100 g/min (23 +/- 7%). The results demonstrate that spin-tagging approaches can be used to follow focal activation in prefrontal cortex during cognitive tasks.
Multi-path routing with end-to-end statistical QoS Provisioning in Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks

Since the radio access of secondary users is typically confined to ensure sufficient operation for primary users in underlay cognitive radio networks (CRNs), the inevitably induced latency and interference pose new challenges on existing routing schemes for Quality-of-Service (QoS) provisioning. Due to stringent accessing and interference constraints, secondary users appeal to exploit multi-path routing based on multi-hop relaying protocol to support QoS requirements. Via our model, we derive the end-to-end delay statistics including medium access and retransmission delay, where we successfully relate path diversity to end-to-end reliability and optimize the delivery delay by adjusting transmission power. We analyze the performance of the duplication-based and coding-aided multi-path routing schemes, where opportunistic transmission is employed to improve the delivery delay due to channel awareness, and encoding packets on multiple paths further achieves throughput efficiency. This paper firstly presents insights and performance analysis to facilitate multi-path routing with QoS provisioning in underlay CRN.
Plasma concentrations of efavirenz are associated with body weight in HIV-positive individuals.

BACKGROUND Efavirenz is among the most widely used antiretroviral drugs. Increased efavirenz exposure has been associated with CNS side effects and also with the chance of emergence of resistance upon treatment interruptions. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors associated with efavirenz plasma concentrations in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals. METHODS From July 2009 to March 2010, HIV-infected patients with efavirenz as part of antiretroviral therapy (600 mg at night), undetectable viral load for at least 1 year and CD4 cell count >200 cells/mm(3) were consecutively enrolled at the HIV/AIDS ambulatory care unit in southern Brazil. Plasma samples were taken 18-23 h after efavirenz last dose and analysed by validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS Forty-one subjects were included (21 females). Mean age and weight were 45.4 years and 70.9 kg, respectively. Mean efavirenz plasma concentration was 2.20 ± 2.17 mg/L. Most plasma concentrations (73%) were within the therapeutic window (1-4 mg/L); 17% were below and 10% above the limits. There were no significant associations between efavirenz concentration and age, CD4 cell count, time on antiretroviral treatment and gender. There was significant and inverse correlation between efavirenz concentrations and body weight (P = 0.013) and body mass index (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of well-controlled HIV-positive individuals, patients with lower weight or body mass index had a higher chance of presenting elevated plasma concentrations of efavirenz. Therapeutic drug monitoring to adjust dose might be a helpful tool to decrease efavirenz dose in order to minimize costs and adverse effects.
Some differences make a difference: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotions, and turnover.

Schneider's (1987) attraction-selection-attrition model and Pfeffer's (1983) organization demography model were used to generate individual-level and group-level hypotheses relating interpersonal context to recruitment, promotion, and turnover patterns. Interpersonal context was operationalized as personal dissimilarity and group heterogeneity with respect to age, tenure, education level, curriculum, alma mater, military service, and career experiences. For 93 top management teams in bank holding companies examined over a 4-yr period, turnover rate was predicted by group heterogeneity. For individuals, turnover was predicted by dissimilarity to other group members, but promotion was not. Team heterogeneity was a relatively strong predictor of team turnover rates. Furthermore, reliance on internal recruitment predicted subsequent team homogeneity.
Developmental expression of Bdnf, Ntf4/5, and TrkB in the mouse peripheral taste system

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin‐4 (NT4), and their TrkB receptor regulate taste system development. To determine where and when gustatory neurons come in contact with these important factors, temporospatial expression patterns of Bdnf, Ntf4/5, and TrkB in the peripheral taste system were examined using RT‐PCR. In the lingual epithelium, Ntf4/5 mRNA expression was higher than that of Bdnf at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), and the expression of both factors decreased afterwards. However, Ntf4/5 expression decreased at an earlier age than Bdnf. Bdnf and Ntf4/5 are expressed in equal amounts at E12.5 in geniculate ganglion, but Bdnf expression increased from E14.5 to birth, whereas Ntf4/5 expression decreased. These findings indicate that NT4 functions at early embryonic stages and is derived from different sources than Bdnf. TrkB expression in the geniculate ganglion is robust throughout development and is not a limiting factor for neurotrophin function in this system. Developmental Dynamics 239:2637–2646, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Oct4 Mediates Tumor Initiating Properties in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas through the Regulation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Background Overexpression of Oct4, an important transcription factor of embryonic stem cells (ESC), has been reported in several cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the emerging role of Oct4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) both in vitro and in vivo. Methodology/Principal Finding Tumourigenic activity and molecular mechanisms of Oct4 overexpression or knockdown by lentiviral infection in OSCC was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Initially, we demonstrated that Oct4 expression was increased in OSCC cell lines as compared to a normal oral epithelial cell line SG. Overexpression of Oct4 was demonstrated to enhance cell proliferation, invasiveness, anchorage-independent growth and xenotransplantation tumourigenicity. These findings were coupled with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transformation in OSCCs. In contrast, the silence of Oct4 significantly blocked the xenograft tumorigenesis of OSCC-derived cancer stem cells (OSCC-CSCs) and significantly improved the recipient survival. Clinically, the level of Oct4 expression was higher in recurrent and metastatic OSCC specimens but lower in primary OSCC specimens. Conclusion/Significance Our results suggest that Oct4-mediated tumorigenecity is associated with the regulation of EMT. Oct4 might be a therapeutic target for OSCC.
Differentiation of endothelium

Vascular endothelial cells cover the entire inner surface of blood vessels in the body. They play an important role in tissue homeostasis, fibrinolysis and coagulation, blood‐tissue exchange, vasotomie regulation, the vascularization of normal and neoplastic tissues, and blood cell activation and migration during physiological and pathological processes. It is therefore important to define the basic determinants of the endothelial phenotype and its modulation in response to different signals. Signal recognition, transduction, and processing are likely to be complex events dependent on the status of the target endothelial cell in a given organ or tissue. This status is a consequence of inductive and permissive interactions of a pluripotent cell with soluble and insoluble signaling molecules of the environment during embryonic and postnatal development. This re‐view will focus on the biological mechanisms involved in the differentiation of endothelial cells from the mesoderm and their subsequent functional heteroge‐neity in different organs and tissues under physiological as well as pathological conditions. —Risau, W. Differentiation of endothelium. FASEB J. 9, 926‐933(1995)
Conceptions of traditional cosmological ideas among literate and nonliterate Nigerians

This paper examines the nature of selected traditional cosmological concepts among literate and nonliterate Nigerians. An analysis of the data reveals that the subjects, irrespective of their level of education, class, sex, age, religion, tribe, or locality, hold in varying degrees certain traditional as well as scientific concepts about the natural phenomena. An exposure of some of the subjects to an history/philosophy of science course appears to enhance their preference for a scientific worldview vis a vis a traditional point-of-view. The implications of these findings for traditional societies deserve a closer consideration.
Configural information in facial expression perception.

Composite facial expressions were prepared by aligning the top half of one expression (e.g., anger) with the bottom half of another (e.g., happiness). Experiment 1 shows that participants are slower to identify the expression in either half of these composite images relative to a "noncomposite" control condition in which the 2 halves are misaligned. This parallels the composite effect for facial identity (A. W. Young, D. Hellawell, & D. C. Hay, 1987), and like its identity counterpart, the effect is disrupted by inverting the stimuli (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 shows that no composite effect is found when the top and bottom sections contain different models' faces posing the same expression; this serves to exclude many nonconfigural interpretations of the composite effect (e.g., that composites are more "attention-grabbing" than noncomposites). Finally, Experiment 4 demonstrates that the composite effects for identity and expression operate independently of one another.
Gait and Function After Intra-Articular Arthrodesis of the Hip in Adolescents*

Background: Patients who have had a hip arthrodesis have been reported to have pain in the back and the knee due to an altered gait. There is little information about the specific compensatory mechanisms that are adopted when walking. The purpose of this study was to objectively define gait adaptations after an arthrodesis of the hip and to correlate the kinematic findings with pain and other patient outcomes. Methods: Nine patients who had had an arthrodesis of the hip at an average age of thirteen years and five months (range, ten years and nine months to sixteen years and eleven months) were evaluated with gait analysis and muscle strength-testing and completed a questionnaire related to pain and function. The average duration of follow-up was eight years and ten months (range, two years and one month to thirteen years and ten months). The frequency of the postoperative visits varied. Seven patients were adults at the time of the study and were called back specifically for the study. Results: All patients had decreased cadence and step lengths. The kinematic findings included decreased dorsiflexion of the ipsilateral ankle, hyperextension of the ipsilateral knee during the stance phase, and a tendency toward increased genu valgum during gait. In normal gait, there is no genu varum or valgum during the stance phase. The patients had an average (and standard deviation) of 7 ± 4 degrees of genu valgum. Pelvic and lumbar motion in the sagittal plane was excessive in all patients. Strength-testing revealed clinically relevant weakness in the ipsilateral quadriceps in all patients, with a difference of more than 20 percent between the two extremities in six patients. The gastrocnemius-soleus muscle was stronger on the side with the fused hip in six patients. The questionnaire, designed by Harris in 1969 and completed by the patients at the time of the gait analysis, revealed back pain in seven patients. The questionnaire was administered only once. The functional outcome as measured with use of the same questionnaire worsened as the duration of follow-up increased. Conclusions: The gait analysis showed excessive motion in the lumbar spine and the ipsilateral knee in all nine patients. This abnormal motion led to pain as the duration of follow-up increased, and all patients who had been followed for four or more years after the arthrodesis complained of back pain. We hypothesized that excessive motion for an extended duration can lead to back pain. The preferred position of the hip for the arthrodesis was 20 to 25 degrees of flexion, neutral abduction-adduction, and neutral rotation.
Investigating Gaze of Children with ASD in Naturalistic Settings

Background Visual behavior is known to be atypical in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Monitor-based eye-tracking studies have measured several of these atypicalities in individuals with Autism. While atypical behaviors are known to be accentuated during natural interactions, few studies have been made on gaze behavior in natural interactions. In this study we focused on i) whether the findings done in laboratory settings are also visible in a naturalistic interaction; ii) whether new atypical elements appear when studying visual behavior across the whole field of view. Methodology/Principal Findings Ten children with ASD and ten typically developing children participated in a dyadic interaction with an experimenter administering items from the Early Social Communication Scale (ESCS). The children wore a novel head-mounted eye-tracker, measuring gaze direction and presence of faces across the child's field of view. The analysis of gaze episodes to faces revealed that children with ASD looked significantly less and for shorter lapses of time at the experimenter. The analysis of gaze patterns across the child's field of view revealed that children with ASD looked downwards and made more extensive use of their lateral field of view when exploring the environment. Conclusions/Significance The data gathered in naturalistic settings confirm findings previously obtained only in monitor-based studies. Moreover, the study allowed to observe a generalized strategy of lateral gaze in children with ASD when they were looking at the objects in their environment.