Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long term complications in single and dual chamber pacing are influenced by surgical experience and patient morbidity

Objective: To determine how short and long term complication rates after pacemaker implantation are influenced by patient morbidity, operator experience, and choice of pacing system. Design: Retrospective analysis of 1884 patients who received VVI (n = 610), VDD (n = 371), or DDD devices (n = 903) between 1990 and 2001. Follow up period was 64 (34) months. The influence of age, sex, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, reduced left ventricular (LV) function, right ventricular (RV) dilatation, atrial fibrillation, device type, and operator experience on operation time and complication rate were analysed. Results: Operation time was prolonged in patients with coronary artery disease, inferior myocardial infarction, reduced LV function, and RV dilatation. Implantation of DDD pacemakers prolonged operation time, particularly among operators with a low or medium level of experience. The overall complication rate was 4.5%. Sixty seven per cent of these complications occurred within the first three months. Complication rate was increased by age, reduced LV function, and RV dilatation. Implantation of DDD systems led to a higher complication rate (6.3%) than implantation of VVI (2.6%) or VDD pacemakers (3.2%). These differences were present only among operators with a low or medium level of experience. Conclusions: Operation time and complication rate increased with age, impaired LV function, and RV dilatation. Complication rates were higher with DDD than with VVI or VDD implantation and were excessive among inexperienced but not experienced operators.
Choroidal thickness in diabetic patients of Indian ethnicity

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) change in various grades of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in comparison to age-matched healthy subjects. Methods: This prospective observational study included 227 eyes of 125 subjects with diabetes (study group: 58 females) and 197 eyes of 110 age-matched healthy subjects (control group: 66 females). Collected data included age, gender, duration of diabetes, glycemic control, comprehensive ocular examination, fundus photography, and CT measurement on spectral domain ocular coherence tomography using enhanced depth imaging. Results: Mean age in the study group was 57.0 ± 9.37 years (43–73 years). The mean age was 41.48 ± 5.43 years in the control group. Subjects with diabetes with (252.8 ± 55.6 microns) and without (261.71 ± 51.8 microns) retinopathy had significantly thinner choroids when compared to the control group (281.7 ± 47.7 microns; P = 0.032). Seventy-four of 227 eyes did not have any evidence of DR, 89 eyes had features of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and 33 eyes had treatment naïve proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Thirty-one PDR eyes had received previous laser photocoagulation. Subjects with diabetes without retinopathy had a greater subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) than subjects with diabetes with retinopathy (P < 0.001). Eyes with PDR (243.9 ± 56.2 microns) had thinner SFCT than those with NPDR (238.98 ± 111.23 microns). There was no difference in the SFCT between treated (laser photocoagulation done; 251.784 ± 103.72 microns) and treatment naïve PDR (258.405 ± 89.47 microns, P = 0.23). Conclusions: Control eyes had greater SFCT compared to subjects with diabetes, with and without retinopathy. The thinning progressed with increasing severity of DR. Choroidal thinning may contribute to DR pathogenesis.
Short-term results of a randomized controlled trial comparing primary suture with primary glued mesh augmentation to prevent incisional hernia.

BACKGROUND Incisional hernia is one of the most frequent postoperative complications after abdominal surgery. Patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm and patients with a body mass index of 27 or higher have an increased risk to develop incisional hernia. Primary mesh augmentation is a method in which the abdominal wall is strengthened to reduce incisional hernia incidence. This study focused on the short-term results of the PRImary Mesh Closure of Abdominal Midline Wounds trial, a multicenter double blind randomized controlled trial. METHODS Between 2009 and 2012 patients were included if they were operated via midline laparotomy, and had an abdominal aortic aneurysm or a body mass index of 27 or higher. Patients were randomly assigned to either receive primary suture, onlay mesh augmentation (OMA), or sublay mesh augmentation. RESULTS Outcomes represent results after 1-month follow-up. A total of 480 patients were randomized. During analysis, significantly (P = 0.002) more seromas were detected after OMA (n = 34, 18.1%) compared with primary suture (n = 5, 4.7%) and sublay mesh augmentation (n = 13, 7%). No differences were discovered in any of the other outcomes such as surgical site infection, hematoma, reintervention, or readmission. Multivariable analysis revealed an increase in seroma formation after OMA with an odds ratio of 4.3 (P = 0.004) compared with primary suture and an odds ratio of 2.9 (P = 0.003) compared with sublay mesh augmentation. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of these short-term results, primary mesh augmentation can be considered a safe procedure with only an increase in seroma formation after OMA, but without an increased risk of surgical site infection.
Does a research article's country of origin affect perception of its quality and relevance? A national trial of US public health researchers

Objectives The source of research may influence one's interpretation of it in either negative or positive ways, however, there are no robust experiments to determine how source impacts on one's judgment of the research article. We determine the impact of source on respondents’ assessment of the quality and relevance of selected research abstracts. Design Web-based survey design using four healthcare research abstracts previously published and included in Cochrane Reviews. Setting All Council on the Education of Public Health-accredited Schools and Programmes of Public Health in the USA. Participants 899 core faculty members (full, associate and assistant professors) Intervention Each of the four abstracts appeared with a high-income source half of the time, and low-income source half of the time. Participants each reviewed the same four abstracts, but were randomly allocated to receive two abstracts with high-income source, and two abstracts with low-income source, allowing for within-abstract comparison of quality and relevance Primary outcome measures Within-abstract comparison of participants’ rating scores on two measures—strength of the evidence, and likelihood of referral to a peer (1–10 rating scale). OR was calculated using a generalised ordered logit model adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Results Participants who received high income country source abstracts were equal in all known characteristics to the participants who received the abstracts with low income country sources. For one of the four abstracts (a randomised, controlled trial of a pharmaceutical intervention), likelihood of referral to a peer was greater if the source was a high income country (OR 1.28, 1.02 to 1.62, p<0.05). Conclusions All things being equal, in one of the four abstracts, the respondents were influenced by a high-income source in their rating of research abstracts. More research may be needed to explore how the origin of a research article may lead to stereotype activation and application in research evaluation.
Type A Behavior and Risk of All-Cause Mortality, CAD, and CAD-Related Mortality in a Type 1 Diabetic Population: 22 Years of Follow-up in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study

OBJECTIVE To determine whether type A behavior predicts all-cause mortality and incident coronary artery disease (CAD) in a type 1 diabetic population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Follow-up data (22 years) from the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) study of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes were analyzed for the 506 participants who completed the Bortner Rating Scale (measuring type A behavior) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at baseline (1986–1988). CAD comprised myocardial infarction as determined by hospital records/Q waves on electrocardiogram (ECG), CAD death (determined by a mortality classification committee), angiographic stenosis, ischemic ECG, and angina. RESULTS There were 128 deaths (25.3%) during follow-up. Univariate analysis showed an inverse relationship between Bortner scores and all-cause mortality (P = 0.01), which remained significant after allowing for age, sex, duration, HbA1c, education, smoking, BMI, and physical activity (P = 0.03). However, the addition of BDI scores attenuated the relationship (P = 0.11) with a significant interaction (P = 0.03) such that any protective effect against mortality was limited among individuals with lower BDI scores (bottom three quintiles) (P = 0.07), whereas no effect was seen in those with higher BDI scores (P = 0.97). Bortner scores showed only a borderline association with incident CAD (P = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS Those with higher type A behavior have lower all-cause mortality in our type 1 diabetic population, an effect that interacts with depressive symptomatology such that it is only operative in those with low BDI scores. Further research should focus on understanding this interaction.
The origin, course, and termination of the hippocampothalamic projections in the macaque

The projections from the hippocampal formation to the thalamus were investigated with both anterograde and retrograde tracers. Horseradish peroxidase was injected into medial and midline thalamic sites in six cases, and tritiated amino acids were injected into the hippocampal formation in nine others, five of which had prior transections of the fornix. Only the subicular and entorhinal cortices were found to project to the thalamus. From the subicular cortex, dense bilateral projections were traced through the fornix to the anterior nuclei, while lighter fornical projections terminated in other rostral midline sites, including the nuclei reuniens, centralis latocellularis, and paraventricularis. These projections arose predominantly from the polymorphic cells which are located in the deepest cellular layers of the subiculum and prosubiculum. In addition, the subicular cortex was found to project to the nucleus lateralis dorsalis. The latter projection, which showed evidence of a crude topographic organization, ran either through the fornix or, unlike the other subicular efferents, through the sublenticular limb of the internal capsule to form part of the temporopulvinar bundle of Arnold. The nonfornical projection to the nucleus lateralis dorsalis passed through the medial pulvinar, where there was some additional termination. Few, if any, projections from the entorhinal cortex to the thalamus travelled in the fornix. Rather, the entorhinal efferents were carried in the inferior thalamic peduncle to the magnocellular portion of the nucleus medialis dorsalis, and in the internal capsule and bundle of Arnold to the medial pulvinar and the nucleus lateralis dorsalis.
Developmental changes in conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue of the rabbit.

PURPOSE Organized conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (O-CALT) is constantly exposed to environmental antigens and plays a central role in the common mucosal immune system. This study was undertaken to investigate whether O-CALT in rabbit lymphoid tissue, as in other lymphoid tissue in other mammals, changes with age. METHODS Fluorescence stereomicroscopy was used to measure the number and size of conjunctival follicles stained with propidium iodide in rabbits ranging in age from 2 days to 57 months. To assess the function of M cells, an antigen-sampling cell type found in the follicle-associated epithelium, transcytosis of fluorescent latex beads was evaluated with confocal microscopy. RESULTS O-CALT was not present in rabbits at birth, but appeared less than 24 hours after eyes opened at approximately day 11. The number of follicles increased with age until adolescence (2-4 months), when the number stabilized through early adulthood (17-20 months). In aged rabbits (47-57 months), there was a dramatic decline in the number of follicles. This disappearance was most pronounced in the superior conjunctiva. Average follicle diameter increased with age, except in the superior conjunctiva of aged rabbits, where the few remaining follicles were generally smaller. The uptake of latex beads showed that M-cell function was similar in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS Age-related changes in rabbit O-CALT are similar to those that have been reported for the human conjunctiva. Preferential uptake of latex beads by follicle-associated epithelium indicates that the presence and function of M cells are not affected by aging. The lower level of O-CALT in young and elderly animals, however, would be expected to decrease their ocular mucosal immune responses.
Morphology captures diet and locomotor types in rodents

To understand the functional meaning of morphological features, we need to relate what we know about morphology and ecology in a meaningful, quantitative framework. Closely related species usually share more phenotypic features than distant ones, but close relatives do not necessarily have the same ecologies. Rodents are the most diverse group of living mammals, with impressive ecomorphological diversification. We used museum collections and ecological literature to gather data on morphology, diet and locomotion for 208 species of rodents from different bioregions to investigate how morphological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness are associated with ecology. After considering differences in body size and shared evolutionary history, we find that unrelated species with similar ecologies can be characterized by a well-defined suite of morphological features. Our results validate the hypothesized ecological relevance of the chosen traits. These cranial, dental and external (e.g. ears) characters predicted diet and locomotion and showed consistent differences among species with different feeding and substrate use strategies. We conclude that when ecological characters do not show strong phylogenetic patterns, we cannot simply assume that close relatives are ecologically similar. Museum specimens are valuable records of species' phenotypes and with the characters proposed here, morphology can reflect functional similarity, an important component of community ecology and macroevolution.
Choosing Tree Genotypes for Phytoremediation of Landfill Leachate Using Phyto-Recurrent Selection

Information about the response of poplar (Populus spp.) genotypes to landfill leachate irrigation is needed, along with efficient methods for choosing genotypes based on leachate composition. Poplar clones were irrigated during three cycles of phyto-recurrent selection to test whether genotypes responded differently to leachate and water, and to test whether the methodology had merit as a tool for plant selection during remediation. Fifteen below- and above-ground traits were evaluated. Twenty-five clones were tested in cycle 1, while the best 12 genotypes were evaluated in cycles 2 and 3. Eight clones were selected and subsequently tested in an in situ landfill study (cycle 4). Results from cycles 1, 2, and 3 are presented here. Overall, clones responded differently to irrigation treatments, with certain genotypes exhibiting better below- and above-ground growth with water than leachate. However, growth was greater with leachate irrigation for some clones. In addition, differences between treatments within clones decreased with days after planting (DAP). There were no treatment differences for number of leaves, height, and root length at the end of cycle 2 (45 DAP) or cycle 3 (30 DAP). These results detail the extensive variation in clonal responses to leachate irrigation, along with the need and efficacy of using phyto-recurrent selection to choose superior genotypes.
Enhanced signature of solar variability in Eurasian winter climate

We demonstrate that open solar flux (Fs, derivable from geomagnetic data) exhibits stronger correlations with atmospheric circulation variations than conventionally‐used measures of solar activity. The circulation anomalies are particularly enhanced over the North Atlantic/Eurasian sector, where there are large changes in the occurrence of blocking and the winter mean surface temperature differs by several degrees between high‐ and low‐solar terciles. The relationship is stronger and simpler for Fs, being more linear between high‐ and low‐solar winters. While the circulation anomalies strongly resemble the North Atlantic Oscillation they also extend deeper into Eurasia, especially in high‐solar conditions. This distinct signature may be useful for the detection and attribution of observed changes and also the identification of dynamical mechanisms.
Patterns of land cover and land use change within the two major metropolitan areas of Ghana

Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world experiencing the highest rates of urbanization and population growth. However, the expansion of cities in sub-Saharan Africa is following a different trajectory than cities in the rest of the world, especially in Europe and North America. Indeed, urbanization on the African subcontinent has not been preceded by economic development and industrialization. The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of the process of urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa by comparing and contrasting two major cities of Ghana, Accra and Kumasi. We combined remote sensing methods and spatial metrics to compare the growth, built-up density, land use composition, and fragmentation of Accra and Kumasi between 2000 and 2010. Results show that Accra and Kumasi grew at an annual rate of 4.5% and 6% respectively. Residential land use constituted the major addition in both cities. Accra, the capital city of Ghana, added the most non-residential built-up land. Moreover, growth in both cities was compact, with new built-up land use occurring adjacent to existing urban land at the beginning of the study period in 2000. Finally, the urban-rural interface located within a 2 km buffer beyond the urban core experienced the greatest amount of fragmentation between 2000 and 2010 for both cities.
Scaling analysis of phase-change memory technology

The scaling capability of chalcogenide-based phase-change memory (PCM) is discussed. Experimental and numerical results are presented, showing that the reset current scales down with the device contact area, reaching values as low as 50 /spl mu/A. The impact of thermal cross-talk between adjacent bits is investigated, showing that thermal disturbs will not limit the scaling of PCM down to the 65 nm technology node. Finally, scaling rules for the PCM technology are provided.
P2P layered video streaming over wireless ad hoc networks

In this paper, we consider multicast video clip streaming in an ad hoc network. Efficient delivery of video is accomplished by means of a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) overlay network. To exploit multipath transport the paper introduces layered video streaming without the need for base layer protection. In an urban environment with higher node densities and lower node speeds, the network performance is shown to be stable and superior compared to single-layer distribution. Detailed analysis confirms the results predicted by summary statistics. Heterogeneous wireless networks are targeted in which ad hoc networks relieve cellular wireless networks.
How Does Your Kindergarten Classroom Affect Your Earnings? Evidence from Project Star

In Project STAR, 11,571 students in Tennessee and their teachers were randomly assigned to classrooms within their schools from kindergarten to third grade. This article evaluates the long-term impacts of STAR by linking the experimental data to administrative records. We first demonstrate that kindergarten test scores are highly correlated with outcomes such as earnings at age 27, college attendance, home ownership, and retirement savings. We then document four sets of experimental impacts. First, students in small classes are significantly more likely to attend college and exhibit improvements on other outcomes. Class size does not have a significant effect on earnings at age 27, but this effect is imprecisely estimated. Second, students who had a more experienced teacher in kindergarten have higher earnings. Third, an analysis of variance reveals significant classroom effects on earnings. Students who were randomly assigned to higher quality classrooms in grades K–3—as measured by classmates' end-of-class test scores—have higher earnings, college attendance rates, and other outcomes. Finally, the effects of class quality fade out on test scores in later grades, but gains in noncognitive measures persist.
An adaptive object model with dynamic role binding

To achieve the goal of realizing object adaptation to environments, a new role-based model Epsilon and a language EpsilonJ is proposed. In Epsilon, an environment is defined as a field of collaboration between roles and an object adapts to the environment assuming one of the roles. Objects can freely enter or leave environments and belong to multiple environments at a time so that dynamic adaptation or evolution of objects is realized. Environments and roles are the first class constructs at runtime as well as at model description time so that separation of concerns is not only materialized as a static structure but also observed as behaviors. Environments encapsulating collaboration are independent reuse components to be deployed separately from objects. In this paper, the Epsilon model and the language are explained with some examples. The effectiveness of the model is illustrated by a case study on the problem of integrated systems. Implementation of the language is also reported.
Genetically Divergent Strains of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus from the Domestic Cat (Felis catus) and the African Lion (Panthera leo) Share Usage of CD134 and CXCR4 as Entry Receptors

ABSTRACT The env open reading frames of African lion (Panthera leo) lentivirus (feline immunodeficiency virus [FIVPle]) subtypes B and E from geographically distinct regions of Africa suggest two distinct ancestries, with FIVPle-E sharing a common ancestor with the domestic cat (Felis catus) lentivirus (FIVFca). Here we demonstrate that FIVPle-E and FIVFca share the use of CD134 (OX40) and CXCR4 as a primary receptor and coreceptor, respectively, and that both lion CD134 and CXCR4 are functional receptors for FIVPle-E. The shared usage of CD134 and CXCR4 by FIVFca and FIVPle-E may have implications for in vivo cell tropism and the pathogenicity of the E subtype among free-ranging lion populations.