Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic syndrome and dementia risk in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Background/Aims: The metabolic syndrome (MeSy) may be related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our aims were to investigate the association of the MeSy with incident dementia in a multiethnic elderly cohort in the United States. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional and prospective analyses in 2,476 men and women aged 65 years and older and with data available on the MeSy and dementia diagnosis in Northern New York City. MeSy was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Program III and the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance criteria. Dementia was diagnosed using standard criteria. Results: No association was found between MeSy and prevalent dementia. After 4.4 years of follow-up, 236 individuals of the 1,833 without prevalent dementia developed dementia. MeSy was not associated with incident dementia. Of the components of the MeSy, diabetes and hyperinsulinemia were associated with an increased risk of incident AD [hazard ratio 1.4 (95% CI 1.0–2.1), and hazard ratio 1.4 (95% CI 0.9–2.7), respectively] and dementia associated with stroke [hazard ratio 1.9 (95% CI 1.1–3.1), and hazard ratio 2.3 (95% CI 1.1–4.7), respectively]. Conclusions: The MeSy was not associated with an increased dementia risk in a multiethnic elderly cohort, but diabetes and hyperinsulinemia were. In the elderly, examining diabetes and hyperinsulinemia separately may be preferable to using the MeSy as a risk factor.
ACR – NASCI – SPR PRACTICE PARAMETER FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF QUANTIFICATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY ( CT ) AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING ( MRI )

Quantification Cardiac CT MRI The American College of Radiology, with more than 30,000 members, is the principal organization of radiologists, radiation oncologists, and clinical medical physicists in the United States. The College is a nonprofit professional society whose primary purposes are to advance the science of radiology, improve radiologic services to the patient, study the socioeconomic aspects of the practice of radiology, and encourage continuing education for radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and persons practicing in allied professional fields.
Usefulness of CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index for influenza A H1N1v pneumonia.

UNLABELLED Usefulness of CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index for influenza A H1N1v pneumonia. A. Estella. BACKGROUND Different prognostic scales have been documented to assess the severity and indications for hospitalization and ICU admissions of community acquired pneumonia. During the past two years Influenza A H1N1v infections have been commonly attended to in emergency departments. The aim of the study was to analyse the usefulness of the application of the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and CURB-65 prognostic scales in patients with primary viral pneumonia caused by influenza A H1N1v. METHODS A retrospective study was performed at a community hospital with a 17 bed-intensive care unit. Patients admitted in hospital with influenza A H1N1v pneumonia over a two year period were analysed. CURB 65 and PSI scales were applied in the emergency department and outcome and destination of admission were analysed. RESULTS 24 patients were registered, 19 required ICU admission and 5 patients were admitted in medical wards. Most of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (78.9%) required mechanical ventilation. Mortality was 21.1%. Most patients admitted to the ICU had CURB 65 scale of 1 (60%), 13.3% obtained 0 and 26.7% 2. PSI scale resulted class I in a 20%, class II 40%, 26.7% class IV and 13.3% class V. The scales CURB 65 and PSI showed no differences in scores according to the destination of admission and mortality. CONCLUSIONS Use of CURB-65 and PSI in the emergency department may underestimate the risk of patients with Influenza A H1N1v pneumonia. Based in our results, the ability of these scales to predict ICU admissions for Influenza A H1N1v pneumonia is questioned.
eHealth Literacy 2.0: Problems and Opportunities With an Evolving Concept

As the use of eHealth grows and diversifies globally, the concept of eHealth literacy – a foundational skill set that underpins the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health – becomes more important than ever to understand and advance. EHealth literacy draws our collective attention to the knowledge and complex skill set that is often taken for granted when people interact with technology to address information, focusing our attention on learning and usability issues from the clinical through to population health level. Just as the field of eHealth is dynamic and evolving, so too is the context where eHealth literacy is applied and understood. The original Lily Model of eHealth literacy and scale used to assess it were developed at a time when the first generation of web tools gained prominence before the rise of social media. The rapid shifts in the informational landscape created by Web 2.0 tools and environments suggests it might be time to revisit the concept of eHealth Literacy and consider what a second release might look like.
Seasonal and spatial comparisons of phytoplankton growth and mortality rates due to microzooplankton grazing in the north rn South China

We conducted a comprehensive investigation on the microzooplankton herbivory effect on phytoplankton in the northern South China Sea (SCS) using the seawater dilution technique at surface and deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layers on two cruises (July–August of 2009 and January of 2010). We compared vertical (surface vs. DCM), spatial (onshore vs. offshore), and seasonal (summer vs. winter) differences of phytoplankton growth ( μ0) and microzooplankton grazing rates ( m). During summer, bothμ0 and m were significantly higher at the surface than at the DCM layer, which was below the mixed layer. During winter, surfaceμ0 was significantly higher than at the DCM, while m was not significantly different between the two layers, both of which were within the mixed layer. Surface μ0 was, on average, significantly higher in summer than in winter, while average surface m was not different between the two seasons. There were no cross-shelf gradients of μ0 in summer or winter surface waters. In surface waters, μ0 was not correlated with ambient nitrate concentrations, and the effect of nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton growth was not pronounced. There was a decreasing trend of m from shelf to basin surface waters in summer, but not in winter. Microzooplankton grazing effect on phytoplankton ( m/μ0) was relatively small in the summer basin waters, indicating a decoupling of microzooplankton grazing and phytoplankton growth at this time.On average, microzooplankton grazed 73 % and 65 % of the daily primary production in summer and winter, respectively.
TLRR (lrrc67) interacts with PP1 and is associated with a cytoskeletal complex in the testis

Background information. Spermatozoa are formed via a complex series of cellular transformations, including acrosome and flagellum formation, nuclear condensation and elongation and removal of residual cytoplasm. Nuclear elongation is accompanied by the formation of a unique cytoskeletal structure, the manchette. We have previously identified a leucine‐rich repeat protein that we have named TLRR (testis leucine‐rich repeat), associated with the manchette that contains a PP1 (protein phosphatase‐1)‐binding site. Leucine‐rich repeat proteins often mediate protein–protein interactions; therefore, we hypothesize that TLRR acts as a scaffold to link signalling molecules, including PP1, to the manchette near potential substrate proteins important for spermatogenesis.
Fiberoptic examination of swallowing in the breastfeeding infant

Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is the only instrumental exam that can be used to assess swallowing in a breastfeeding infant. There is minimal data on its efficacy and safety in this patient population. Analyze the common indications for, findings of, and safety of FEES exam in breastfeeding infants.
Fundamental Study of a Miniaturized Disk-Type Electrostatic Aerosol Precipitator for a Personal Nanoparticle Sizer

We have developed a low-cost, miniaturized disk-type electrostatic aerosol precipitator for a personal nanoparticle sizer, often needed in applications requiring spatially distributed measurement or personal exposure monitoring. The performance of prototype mini-disk precipitator was evaluated in this study. Measurement of particle transmission through the precipitator for both neutral and singly charged particles shows that the compact size of the disk precipitator does not lead to serious particle loss resulting from particle diffusion and/or electrical image force. The transmission of singly charged particles of 10 nm is 64% at an aerosol flowrate of 0.3 lpm. The device consists of two precipitation chambers, separated by a metal disk. The design further allows the device to be configured to precipitate charged particles by establishing electrical fields in one or both precipitation chambers. Both operations work well to precipitate particles by electrical mobility. The operation of dual-chamber precipitation, with electrical field established on both sides of the middle disk, is preferred since it lowers the maximum requirement of applied voltage to precipitate particles with a specific electrical mobility for a given flowrate. Semi-empirical models were also developed to describe the dependence of the particle penetration curves on particle electrical mobility.
Botryosphaeriaceae species affecting table grape vineyards in Chile and cultivar susceptibility

Morales, B.A. Latorre, E. Piontelli, and X. Besoain. 2012. Botryosphaeriaceae species affecting table grape vineyards in Chile and cultivar susceptibility. Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(3): 445-458. Several Botryosphaeriaceae species have been identified as the causes of cankers and dieback of Vitis vinifera in several grape-growing regions around the world. This research was conducted to further study the species of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with table grapes in Chile, to estimate the prevalence and severity of the disease as a function of vineyard age, to study the susceptibility of table grape cultivars to infection by Botryosphaeriaceae species, and to evaluate the effect of tissue age on the infection caused by Botryosphaeriaceae species. Symptoms were characterized by the presence of the partial or total death of the grapevine cordons and distorted leaves. Brown V-shaped or U-shaped cankers and black spots were observed in cross-sections, while brown vascular streaks were observed in longitudinal sections of the cordons and trunks. Pathogenic isolates of Diplodia seriata , D. mutila and Spencermartinsia viticola were consistently obtained from wood cankers and/or vascular streaking; D. seriata was the most common (83.3%) Botryosphaeriaceae species. In 11- to 20-year-old vineyards, the disease incidence varied between 22.0 and 69.0%, and the severity varied between 6.0 and 21.3%. The table grape cultivars ‘Thompson Seedless’, ‘Redglobe’ and ‘Flame Seedless’ were equally susceptible to infection by . The age of the inoculated tissue had no significant effect on the development of the vascular necrosis. This is the first report of D. mutila and S. viticola infections of grapevines in Chile.
Combined Analysis of Transient Delay Characteristics and Delay Autocorrelation Function in the G e o X / G /1 Queue

We perform a discrete-time analysis of customer delay in a buffer with batch arrivals. The delay of the kth customer that enters the FIFO buffer is characterized under the assumption that the numbers of arrivals per slot are independent and identically distributed. By using supplementary variables and generating functions, z-transforms of the transient delays are calculated. Numerical inversion of these transforms lead to results for the moments of the delay of the kth customer. For computational reasons k cannot be too large. Therefore, these numerical inversion results are complemented by explicit analytic expressions for the asymptotics for large k. We further show how the results allow us to characterize jitter-related variables, such as the autocorrelation of the delay in steady state.
Understanding Total Quality Management in Context: Qualitative Research on Managers' Awareness of TQM Aspects in the Greek Service Industry

This study addresses managers’ awareness and familiarity with Total Quality Management (TQM). Eighteen (18) semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers working in a variety of service organizations in Greece. The major argument of the study is that although the acronym TQM and some of its concepts and practices are known by a range of public and private sector managers, actual awareness of its “soft” side is often superficial, and managers have a relatively poor understanding of it. TQM is neither resisted nor directly absorbed by them, but they tend to see it from the technical point of view, being aware only of the importance of its “hard” aspects. Key Words: Managers, Total Quality Management, Soft and Hard Side of TQM, Greek Service Organizations, and In Depth Interviews
The VIMOS VLT Deep Survey: star formation rate density of Lyα emitters from a sample of 217 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts 2 ≤ z ≤ 6.6

Aims. The aim of this work is to study the contribution of the Lyα emitters to the star formation rate density (SFRD) of the Universe in the interval 2 1.5 × 10 ―18 erg/s/cm 2 are 33 galaxies/arcmin 2 and ∼4 x 10 ―2 Mpc ―3 , respectively. We find that the observed luminosity function (LF) of LAEs does not evolve from z = 2 to z = 6. This implies that, after correction for the redshift-dependent IGM absorption, the intrinsic luminosity function must have evolved significantly over 3 Gyr. The SFRD from LAE contributes around 20% of the SFRD at z = 2-3, while the LAE appear to be the dominant source of star formation producing ionizing photons in the early universe z ∼> 5-6, equivalent to Lyman Break galaxies.
Effects of chronic Cd exposure via the diet or water on internal organ‐specific distribution and subsequent gill Cd uptake kinetics in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

New regulatory approaches to metal toxicity (e.g., biotic ligand model [BLM]) focus on gill metal binding and tissue‐specific accumulation of waterborne metals; the dietary route of exposure and dietary/waterborne interactions are not considered, nor are the consequences of chronic exposure by either route. Therefore, we studied the effect of the same gill Cd load (∼2.5 μg/g), achieved by a chronic, 30‐d exposure to Cd either via the diet (1,500 mg/kg) or the water (2 μg/L), on tissue‐specific Cd distribution and subsequent uptake of waterborne Cd in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). These two exposure regimes resulted in a branchial Cd load that had been taken up across either apical gill membranes (waterborne Cd) or basolateral gill membranes (through the bloodstream for dietary Cd). The BLM characteristics of the gills (i.e., short‐term Cd uptake kinetics) were altered: affinity (log KCd‐Gill [95% confidence level]) decreased from 7.05 (6.75–8.76) for control to 6.54 (6.32–7.03) for waterborne Cd and 5.92 (5.83–6.51) for dietary Cd, whereas binding capacity (Bmax) increased from 3.12 (2.14–4.09) to 4.80 (3.16–6.43) and 5.50 (2.86–8.17) nmol·g−1 for control, waterborne, and dietary Cd, respectively. Fish exposed to dietary Cd accumulated a much greater overall chronic Cd body burden relative to fish exposed to waterborne Cd or control fish. The carcass accumulated the greatest percentage of total body Cd in control and waterborne‐exposed fish, whereas the intestinal tissue accumulated the greatest percentage in dietary‐exposed fish. Tissue‐specific Cd burdens were highest in the kidney in both dietary and waterborne treatments. We conclude that chronic Cd exposure alters Cd uptake dynamics, and that the route of Cd exposure, whether waterborne or dietary, results in differences of internal Cd accumulation and branchial Cd uptake characteristics. These factors should be considered in future BLM development.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Efficacy and Respiratory Effects of Patient-Controlled Intravenous Remifentanil Analgesia and Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia in Laboring Women

BACKGROUND:Safe and effective alternatives are required in labor when epidural analgesia is not appropriate. We hypothesized that patient-controlled IV remifentanil labor analgesia would not be inferior to patient-controlled epidural labor analgesia. METHODS:This randomized nonblinded controlled noninferiority study in healthy women with a singleton fetus and vertex presentation was performed at 1 site. Women were randomized to receive patient-controlled IV analgesia titrated from 20 mcg up to a maximum bolus dose of 60 mcg with a lockout interval of 1 to 2 minutes, or patient-controlled epidural analgesia 0.1% bupivacaine with 2 mcg/mL fentanyl (initiation bolus 15 mL; maintenance bolus 10 mL, lockout interval 20 minutes, basal infusion 5 mL/h). Crossover was permitted after 30 minutes. The primary study outcome was efficacy (assessed as hourly numerical rating scale [NRS] pain score [11-point NRS] and maternal satisfaction [11-point NRS]); the secondary outcome was safety (maternal apnea). Supplementary oxygen was administered continuously during the respiratory monitoring period. During the first hour of analgesia, the heart rate, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry (SpO2), and end-tidal CO2, as an indication of apnea, were compared. Apnea lasting >40 seconds was managed by light stimulation by the attending anesthesiologist. RESULTS:Forty women were recruited to the following groups: remifentanil n = 19 (1 exclusion), epidural n = 20. Four crossed over: 3 from the remifentanil to epidural group and 1 from the epidural to remifentanil group. Mean (± SD) baseline NRS pain scores were similar, 8.4 ± 1.5 for remifentanil and 8.7 ± 1.2 for epidural analgesia, P = 0.52. Baseline adjusted mean NRS reduction at 30 minutes for remifentanil was −4.5 (± 0.6) vs −7.1(± 0.6) for epidural analgesia, P < 0.0001 for both. Pain score at 30 minutes was 3.7 ± 2.8 for remifentanil and 1.5 ± 2.2 for epidural analgesia, P = 0.009. Remifentanil was inferior to epidural analgesia with respect to the NRS at all time points, because the observed difference in NRS was greater than the expected −1.5 units. Maternal satisfaction was 8.6 ± 1.4 for the remifentanil group and 9.1 ± 1.5 for epidural group, P = 0.26. Mean respiratory rate was lower in the remifentanil group, 18 ± 4 vs 21 ± 4 breaths/min in the epidural group, P = 0.03. Mean SpO2 was lower in the remifentanil group 96.8% ± 1.4 vs 98.4 ± 1.2 for epidural group, P < 0.0001. There were 9 apnea events; all occurred in 5 women receiving remifentanil (5/19 [26.3%], P = 0.046). Apgar scores and neonatal respiratory outcomes were similar. CONCLUSION:IV remifentanil is inferior to epidural analgesia for provision of labor analgesia; however, remifentanil does provide a satisfactory level of labor analgesia. Laboring women receiving remifentanil require suitable monitoring to detect and alert for apnea.
Meat Quality and Sensory Analysis of Broiler Breast Fillets with Woody Breast Muscle Myopathy

Recently, the poultry industry has encountered an emerging muscle myopathy known as woody breast (WB), which is characterized by hardness throughout the Pectoralis major muscle. Two experiments were performed to assess sensory characteristics and acceptability of WB meat and to determine the effect of broiler age on meat quality factors in varying severities of WB. Fillets were categorized as normal (NORM), moderate (MOD), or severe (SEV) WB. In Experiment 1 (Exp. 1), descriptive (n=9 trained panelists) and consumer (n=74 panelists) sensory analysis was conducted with NORM and SEV fillets at hot and cold serving temperatures (HOTNORM, COLDNORM, HOTSEV, COLDSEV). In Experiment 2 (Exp. 2), a consumer sensory panel (n=70 panelists) evaluated acceptability of normal and WB meat from broilers processed at 45 or 63-d of age. Meat quality factors, including compression force, sarcomere length, MORS energy (MORSE), BMORS energy (BMORSE), cook loss, and peak counts of the shear curves (PC-MORS and PC-BMORS), were measured on broilers processed at 45, 63, and 70-d of age. In Exp. 1, descriptive sensory results showed that COLDSEV fillets had greater (P<0.05) hardness than HOTSEV fillets. Consumer sensory results indicated higher (P<0.05) overall impression and chicken texture scores for NORM fillets than SEV fillets. HOTNORM fillets had higher (P<0.05) chicken texture JAR scores than HOTSEV, while COLDNORM fillets had higher (P<0.05) chicken juiciness JAR scores than COLDSEV. Consumer sensory analysis in Exp. 2 resulted in 3 segmented groups (Group A, B, C) among the panelists based on overall liking of the samples. Panelist responses indicated that Group C had higher (P<0.05) overall liking scores for SEV fillets than NORM fillets. Meat quality analysis from Exp. 2 demonstrated greater (P<0.05) compression force, sarcomere length, and cook loss in SEV fillets than NORM fillets. Both MORSE and BMORSE values increased (P<0.05) with age, and SEV fillets had greater (P<0.05) PC-BMORS than MOD and NORM fillets. Results suggest descriptive attributes and consumer acceptability responses are related to WB. Meat quality is also affected by both WB and age, and compression force and peak counts may serve as an appropriate measurement to distinguish WB from normal fillets.
Training and Gender Differences on a Web-Based Mental Rotation Task

Previous research, has documented that there are gender differences for the mental rotation task, favoring males (Sorby, 1998). We investigated whether training on a web-based mental rotation task would improve speed and accuracy over a four-week period. There were three training groups: a lab-training group, who had four training sessions in the lab, a self-training group, who had two training sessions in the lab and two training sessions on their own, and a no training group, who only had two training sessions in the lab and surfed the Internet for the other two sessions. Each type of training group had five different sections. We expected to find that initially men would have a significantly higher score on the mental rotation task than women and that the four sessions training groups (either lab or self-training) would improve significantly more in the mental rotation task than the two session (no training) group. We also expected to find that the lab-training group would improve significantly more on the mental rotation task than the self-training. Men did have initially higher spatial scores than women, however both groups improved in both speed and accuracy. For females both laboratory and self-training appeared to be effective and four sessions were more useful than two sessions.