Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mortality and causes of death in children with sickle cell disease in the Netherlands, before the introduction of neonatal screening

This study analyzed the mortality and causes of death in sickle cell disease patients in the Netherlands, to provide a baseline for monitoring the effect of the recently introduced neonatal screening programme and to indicate areas of improvement in the care for these patients. All children (<18 years) diagnosed with sickle cell disease in a tertiary hospital from 1985 to 2007 were included. Vital status was determined up to March 2008. A total of 298 children were included: 189 (63%) patients had HbSS, 17 (6%) HbSβ0 thalassaemia, 72 (24%) HbSC and 20 (7%) HbSβ+ thalassaemia. Twelve patients (4%) died during a total follow‐up of 3896 patient years. All known deaths were sickle cell disease‐related. Meningitis/sepsis (n = 4; 33%), stroke (n = 3; 25%) and death during a visit to the country of origin (n = 3; 25%) were the most common causes of death. The overall mortality rate was 0·27 deaths/100 patient years [95% confidence interval (CI): 0·15–0·43]. The estimated survival at the age of 18 years was 97·3% (95% CI: 95–99%). This report confirms that the burden of mortality in sickle cell disease is increasingly shifting to adults. It is recommended that compliance to antibiotic prophylaxis, thorough counselling and support for patients travelling abroad and specialized peri‐operative care should receive continuous attention.
Struggle for iron : a key attribute for combating Multi Drug Resistance in human pathogen Candida albicans

Continuous deployment of antifungals in treating infections caused by dimorphic opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans has led to the emergence of drug resistance resulting in cross-resistance to many unrelated drugs, a phenomenon termed as Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR). Although there is reasonable understanding of major factors which contribute to MDR mechanisms, it appears unavoidable to consider novel MDR mechanisms. The ability of pathogenic fungi, including opportunists like Candida albicans, to sense and become accustomed to changes in the host environment is essential for their survival and confers the basis of their success as dreadful pathogen. Recent findings suggest that in addition to the classical MDR mechanisms, existence of other novel mechanisms controlling MDR cannot be nullified. Improved knowledge of such mechanisms could facilitate the development of novel therapies to combat these intransigent infections. One such significant environmental factor that C. albicans must respond to is iron limitation since they encounter diverse such anatomical sites during the establishment of infection within the host. Considering the importance of C. albicans being the fourth most common cause of hospital acquired infectious disease, this review focuses on gaining insights of new regulatory mechanism controlling MDR in C. albicans as a response towards iron deprivation.
Daily Melatonin Administration at Middle Age Suppresses Male Rate Visceral Fat, Plasma Leptin, and Plasma Insulin to Youthful Levels.

Human and rat pineal melatonin secretion decline with aging, wheras visceral fat and plasma insulin levels increase. Melatonin modulates fat metabolism in some mammalian species, so these aging-associated melatonin, fat and insulin changes could be functionally related. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of daily melatonin supplemntation to male Sprague Dawley rats, starting at middle age (10 months) and continuing into old age (22 months). Melatonin was added to the drinking water (92%) of which was consumed at night) at a dose (4μ g/ml) previously reported to attenuate the aging-associated decrease in survival rate in male rats, as well as a 10-fold lower doase. The higher dosage produced nocturnal plasma melatonin levels in middle-aged rats which were 15-fold higher than in young (4 months) rats; nocturnal plasma melatonin levels in middle-aged rats receiving the lower dosage were not significantly different from young or middle-aged controls. Relative (% of body wt) retroperitoneal and epididyma.
TCS:: a DSL for the specification of textual concrete syntaxes in model engineering

Domain modeling promotes the description of various facets of information systems by a coordinated set of domain-specific languages (DSL). Some of them have visual/graphical and other may have textual concrete syntaxes. Model Driven Engineering (MDE) helps defining the concepts and relations of the domain by the way of metamodel elements. For visual languages, it is necessary to establish links between these concepts and relations on one side and visual symbols on the other side. Similarly, with textual languages it is necessary to establish links between metamodel elements and syntactic structures of the textual DSL. To successfully apply MDE in a wide range of domains we need tools for fast implementation of the expected growing number of DSLs. Regarding the textual syntax of DSLs, we believe that most current proposals for bridging the world of models (MDE) and the world of grammars (Grammarware) are not completely adapted to this need. We propose a generative solution based on a DSL called TCS (Textual Concrete Syntax). Specifications expressed in TCS are used to automatically generate tools for model-to-text and text-to-model transformations. The proposed approach is illustrated by a case study in the definition of a telephony language.
Collection and detailed transcription of a speech database for development of language learning technologies

We describe the methodologies for collecting and anno- tating a Latin-American Spanish speech database. The database includes recordings by native and nonnative speakers. The nonnative recordings are annotated with ratings of pronunciation quality and detailed phonetic transcriptions. We use the annotated database to inves-tigate rater reliability, the e(cid:11)ect of each phone on overall perceived nonnativeness, and the frequency of speci(cid:12)c pronunciation errors.
Tracking the impact of research on policy and practice: investigating the feasibility of using citations in clinical guidelines for research evaluation

Objectives To investigate the feasibility of using research papers cited in clinical guidelines as a way to track the impact of particular funding streams or sources. Setting In recent years, medical research funders have made efforts to enhance the understanding of the impact of their funded research and to provide evidence of the ‘value’ of investments in particular areas of research. One of the most challenging areas of research evaluation is around impact on policy and practice. In the UK, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provide clinical guidelines, which bring together current high-quality evidence on the diagnosis and treatment of clinical problems. Research referenced in these guidelines is an indication of its potential to have real impact on health policy and practice. Design This study is based on analysis of the authorship and funding attribution of research cited in two NICE clinical guidelines: dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results Analysis identified that around a third of papers cited in the two NICE guidelines had at least one author based in the UK. In both cases, about half of these UK attributed papers contained acknowledgements which allowed the source of funding for the research to be identified. The research cited in these guidelines was found to have been supported by a diverse set of funders from different sectors. The study also investigated the contribution of research groups based in universities, industry and the public sector. Conclusions The study found that there is great potential for guidelines to be used as sources of information on the quality of the research used in their development and that it is possible to track the source of the funding of the research. The challenge is in harnessing the relevant information to track this in an efficient way.
Opioid Detoxification and Naltrexone Induction Strategies: Recommendations for Clinical Practice

Background: Opioid dependence is a significant public health problem associated with high risk for relapse if treatment is not ongoing. While maintenance on opioid agonists (i.e., methadone, buprenorphine) often produces favorable outcomes, detoxification followed by treatment with the μ-opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone may offer a potentially useful alternative to agonist maintenance for some patients. Method: Treatment approaches for making this transition are described here based on a literature review and solicitation of opinions from several expert clinicians and scientists regarding patient selection, level of care, and detoxification strategies. Conclusion: Among the current detoxification regimens, the available clinical and scientific data suggest that the best approach may be using an initial 2–4 mg dose of buprenorphine combined with clonidine, other ancillary medications, and progressively increasing doses of oral naltrexone over 3–5 days up to the target dose of naltrexone. However, more research is needed to empirically validate the best approach for making this transition.
Antitumor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) in mice.

One of the ways to increase drug delivery into cells and tissues is by a local application of short, intense electric pulses, i.e., electropermeabilization. This approach is used in electrochemotherapy to potentiate antitumor effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs. To determine whether electropermeabilization can potentiate antitumor effectiveness of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP), electrochemotherapy with CDDP was tested in vitro and in vivo on s.c. SA-1, EAT, and melanoma B16 tumors in mice. Electric pulses were applied to the tumors by percutaneously placed electrodes after i.v. injection of CDDP. Severalfold potentiation of CDDP antitumor effectiveness with electric pulses was obtained, inducing partial or complete responses in tumor growth. Electrochemotherapy was CDDP dose dependent, as well as dependent upon the amplitude of electric pulses. Also important was the sequencing and the interval of CDDP administration, relative to application of electric pulses. Specifically, a good antitumor effect without side effects was obtained with eight electric pulses (electric pulse amplitude, 1040 V; repetition frequency, 1 Hz; pulse width, 100 microseconds; electrode distance, 8 mm; 1300 V/cm) applied 3 min after i.v. injection of 4 mg/kg CDDP. With a higher CDDP dose (8 mg/kg), some long-term complete responses were obtained (14%) on melanoma B16 tumors. Thus, electrochemotherapy with CDDP offers an approach to making chemotherapy with CDDP more effective.
Bas-Relief Modeling from Normal Images with Intuitive Styles

Traditional 3D model-based bas-relief modeling methods are often limited to model-dependent and monotonic relief styles. This paper presents a novel method for digital bas-relief modeling with intuitive style control. Given a composite normal image, the problem discussed in this paper involves generating a discontinuity-free depth field with high compression of depth data while preserving or even enhancing fine details. In our framework, several layers of normal images are composed into a single normal image. The original normal image on each layer is usually generated from 3D models or through other techniques as described in this paper. The bas-relief style is controlled by choosing a parameter and setting a targeted height for them. Bas-relief modeling and stylization are achieved simultaneously by solving a sparse linear system. Different from previous work, our method can be used to freely design bas-reliefs in normal image space instead of in object space, which makes it possible to use any popular image editing tools for bas-relief modeling. Experiments with a wide range of 3D models and scenes show that our method can effectively generate digital bas-reliefs.
On the Eigenstructure of DFT Matrices [DSP Education]

The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) not only enables fast implementation of the discrete convolution operation, which is critical for the efficient processing of analog signals through digital means, but it also represents a rich and beautiful analytical structure that is interesting on its own. A typical senior-level digital signal processing (DSP) course involves a fairly detailed treatment of DFT and a list of related topics, such as circular shift, correlation, convolution operations, and the connection of circular operations with the linear operations. Despite having detailed expositions on DFT, most DSP textbooks (including advanced ones) lack discussions on the eigenstructure of the DFT matrix. Here, we present a self-contained exposition on such.
The Structured Ancestral Selection Graph and the Many-Demes Limit

We show that the unstructured ancestral selection graph applies to part of the history of a sample from a population structured by restricted migration among subpopulations, or demes. The result holds in the limit as the number of demes tends to infinity with proportionately weak selection, and we have also made the assumptions of island-type migration and that demes are equivalent in size. After an instantaneous sample-size adjustment, this structured ancestral selection graph converges to an unstructured ancestral selection graph with a mutation parameter that depends inversely on the migration rate. In contrast, the selection parameter for the population is independent of the migration rate and is identical to the selection parameter in an unstructured population. We show analytically that estimators of the migration rate, based on pairwise sequence differences, derived under the assumption of neutrality should perform equally well in the presence of weak selection. We also modify an algorithm for simulating genealogies conditional on the frequencies of two selected alleles in a sample. This permits efficient simulation of stronger selection than was previously possible. Using this new algorithm, we simulate gene genealogies under the many-demes ancestral selection graph and identify some situations in which migration has a strong effect on the time to the most recent common ancestor of the sample. We find that a similar effect also increases the sensitivity of the genealogy to selection.
Protective effect of glycoprotein isolated from Ulmus davidiana Nakai on carbon tetrachloride‐induced mouse liver injury

This study was carried out to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of glycoprotein isolated from the stems of Ulmus davidiana Nakai (UDN), which has been used as an anti‐inflammatory agent in folk medicine. We evaluated lipid peroxidation in glucose/glucose oxidase (G/GO)‐induced BNL CL.2 cells and measured thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO), antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), activity of cytotoxic‐related signals (hepatic cytochrome c, nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) and activator protein‐1 (AP‐1)) and levels of plasma lipids (triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC)) in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 1.0 mL kg−1)‐induced A/J mouse. The results in G/GO‐induced BNL CL.2 cells showed that UDN glycoprotein had a dose‐dependent inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation. The results in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 1.0 mL kg−1)‐induced A/J mouse indicated that treatment with UDN glycoprotein (40 mg kg−1) lowered LDH activity and TBARS formation, and increased NO production and antioxidant enzymes activity, compared with control. Also, our finding from CCl4‐treated mice after pretreatment with UDN glycoprotein demonstrated that the activity of cytotoxic‐related signals decreased but the levels of plasma lipids increased, compared with CCl4 treatment alone. Here, we speculate that UDN glycoprotein has a protective character to CCl4‐induced mouse liver injury.
When Do Students “Learn-to-Comprehend” Scientific Sources?: Evaluation of a Critical Skill in Undergraduates Progressing through a Science Major†

In response to the publication of Vision and Change, the biology department at Elmhurst College revised our curriculum to better prepare students for a career in science with the addition of various writing assignments in every course. One commonality among all of the assignments is the ability to comprehend and critically evaluate scientific literature to determine relevancy and possible future research. Several previous reports have analyzed specific methodologies to improve student comprehension of scientific writing and critical thinking skills, yet none of these examined student growth over an undergraduate career. In this study, we hypothesized upper-level students would be better able to comprehend and critically analyze scientific literature than introductory biology majors. Biology students enrolled in an introductory (200-level), mid- (300-level), or late-career (400-level) course were tasked with reading and responding to questions regarding a common scientific article and rating their comfort and confidence in reading published literature. As predicted, upper-level (mid- and late-career) students showed increases in comprehension and critical analysis relative to their first-year peers. Interestingly, we observed that upper-level students read articles differently than introductory students, leading to significant gains in understanding and confidence. However, the observed gains were modest overall, indicating that further pedagogical change is necessary to improve student skills and confidence in reading scientific articles while fulfilling the Vision and Change recommendations.
Gender Differentiation In Internet Usage: A Case Study Of Great Zimbabwe University Students (Zimbabwe)

The purpose of the study was to find out if there was gender differentiation in Internet usage by students at Great Zimbabwe University. A stratified random sampling method was employed to select respondents (N=129) from the student population across faculties. The descriptive survey research design was used. A 15 – item questionnaire was administered to collect data from the participants. The chi-square was used to analyze collected data. The study revealed that the majority (N = 108) of the participants had access to the Internet. Accessibility to the Internet was found to be gender neutral. Gender differences on patterns of Internet usage were statistically significant on news, sport and pornography sites. There was however, no significant gender differentiation on Internet visits to sites such as research communication, gospel, health, gaming, films and job searching. Further research to establish the reasons for the diverse interest on various sites need to be carried out.
The age incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia can be explained by a one-mutation model

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is associated with the Philadelphia chromosome, which arises by a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 and harbors the BCR-ABL fusion oncogene. It is unknown whether any other mutations are needed for the chronic phase of the disease. The CML incidence increases as a function of age with an exponent of ≈3. A slope of 3 could indicate that there are two mutations, in addition to the Philadelphia translocation, that have not yet been discovered. In this work, we explore an alternative hypothesis: We study a model of cancer initiation requiring only a single mutation. A mutated cell has a net reproductive advantage over normal cells and, therefore, might give rise to clonal expansion. The cancer is detected with a probability that is proportional to the size of the mutated cell clone. This model has three waiting times: (i) the time until a mutated cell is produced, (ii) the time of clonal expansion, and (iii) the time until the clone is detected. Surprisingly, this simple process can give rise to cancer incidence curves with exponents up to 3. Therefore, the CML incidence data are consistent with the hypothesis that the Philadelphia translocation alone is sufficient to cause chronic phase CML.
Working-Class Heroes: Protecting Home, Community, and Nation in a Chicago Neighborhood

Chicago's Southwest Side is one of the last remaining footholds for the city's white working class, a little-studied and little-understood segment of the American population. This book paints a nuanced and complex portrait of the firefighters, police officers, stay-at-home mothers, and office workers living in the stable working-class community known as Beltway. Building on the classic Chicago School of urban studies and incorporating new perspectives from cultural geography and sociology, Maria Kefalas considers the significance of home, community, and nation for Beltway residents.
Urban-rural variation in mortality and hospital admission rates for unintentional injury in Ireland

Objective: To explore urban-rural differences in the mortality and hospital admission rates for unintentional injuries in the Republic of Ireland. Design: Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) in residents of urban and non-city areas (called rural areas) from all causes of unintentional injury were calculated using Central Statistics Office mortality data from 1980–2000. Hospital admission data (Hospital In-Patient Enquiry) from 1993–2000 were used to calculate standardised hospital admission ratios (SARs) in urban and rural residents. Population data were obtained from the 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996 censuses. Results: The rate of unintentional injury mortality was significantly higher in rural residents for all-cause unintentional injury mortality (SMR 103.0, 95% confidence interval 101 to 105), and specifically for deaths related to motor vehicle trauma (MVT), drowning, machinery, and firearms. There were significantly higher SMRs in urban residents for falls and poisoning. The rate of unintentional injury hospital admission was significantly higher in rural residents for all-cause unintentional injury (SAR 104.6, 95% confidence interval 104 to 105) and specifically for injuries from falls, MVT, being struck by or against an object, injuries in pedal cyclists, fire/burn injuries, and machinery injuries. SARs were significantly higher in residents of urban areas for poisoning and injuries in pedestrians. Conclusions: There are urban-rural differences in mortality and admissions for injuries in Ireland. Possible reasons for the higher rural mortality rates are higher case fatality in MVT and rural exposure to hazardous farm machinery, firearms, and open areas of water. This information could assist in targeting prevention programmes under the proposed National Injury Prevention Strategy.
Women Who Are Homeless: Leisure and Affiliation

People who are homeless are thought to be disaffiliated, or lack connections to community or social networks. The present study explored if women who lived in a transitional homeless shelter were disaffiliated, and examined the role leisure might play in maintaining affiliation. Ten women participated in the study. The study showed that leisure assisted the women to be affiliated. Women with mental illness or dual diagnosis were more disaffiliated than the other women in the study. Suggestions for therapeutic recreation practice to assist with preventing women who are homeless from becoming disaffiliated or chronically homeless are presented.