Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Internet and Computer User Profile: a questionnaire for determining intervention targets in occupational therapy at mental health vocational centers

Abstract Purpose: In this study, the assessment tool “Internet and Computer User Profile” questionnaire (ICUP) is presented and validated. It was developed in order to gather information for setting intervention goals to meet current demands. Methods: Sixty-eight subjects aged 23–68 participated in the study. The study group (n = 28) was sampled from two vocational centers. The control group consisted of 40 participants from the general population that were sampled by convenience sampling based on the demographics of the study group. Subjects from both groups answered the ICUP questionnaire. Subjects of the study group answered the General Self- Efficacy (GSE) questionnaire and performed the Assessment of Computer Task Performance (ACTP) test in order to examine the convergent validity of the ICUP. Twenty subjects from both groups retook the ICUP questionnaire in order to obtain test-retest results. Differences between groups were tested using multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests. Pearson and Spearman's tests were used for calculating correlations. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and k equivalent were used to assess internal consistency. Results: The results indicate that the questionnaire is valid and reliable. They emphasize that the layout of the ICUP items facilitates in making a comprehensive examination of the client's perception regarding his participation in computer and internet activities. Implications for Rehabiliation The assessment tool “Internet and Computer User Profile” (ICUP) questionnaire is a novel assessment tool that evaluates operative use and individual perception of computer activities. The questionnaire is valid and reliable for use with participants of vocational centers dealing with mental illness. It is essential to facilitate access to computers for people with mental illnesses, seeing that they express similar interest in computers and internet as people from the general population of the same age. Early intervention will be particularly effective for young adults dealing with mental illness, since the digital gap between them and young people in general is relatively small.
Guideline for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes without persistent ECG ST segment elevation

3. Patients with a suspected acute coronary syndrome should be observed, with repeat 12 lead ECG recording, during symptoms if the opportunity arises. Blood samples for cardiac troponin (troponin T or I) should be taken a minimum of 12 hours after the onset of symptoms. New ischaemic changes on the ECG or elevation of troponin confirm the diagnosis (see table 1 and recommendation 5). A 4. If at least 12 hours after the onset of symptoms of a suspected acute coronary syndrome: + the symptoms have not recurred; + the cardiac troponin is normal; + the ECG remains normal (or unchanged compared with a recording from before the current presentation); + and the cardiac enzymes are not raised; the patient can be mobilised and discharged. Risk assessment with stress testing should be performed unless contraindicated, preferably before discharge from hospital. ✓A
M-QAM-OFDM system performance in the presence of a nonlinear amplifier and phase noise

The orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation format has been proposed in Europe as the standard for broadcasting both audio and television digital signals and for wide-band wireless communication systems (e.g., HIPERLAN II). The performance of the OFDM scheme is severely affected by the nonlinearity of the high-power amplifier at the transmitter end and by the phase noise of the oscillators. In this paper, we investigate the joint effects induced on the OFDM signal by the amplifier nonlinearity and by the phase noise. An accurate statistical description of each contribution to the signal distortion is provided. Theoretical results show perfect agreement with those obtained by simulation and they can be used to derive the OFDM system performance, without the need to run extensive simulations.
Quantification of arterial flow using digital subtraction angiography.

PURPOSE In this paper, a method for the estimation of arterial hemodynamic flow from x-ray video densitometry data is proposed and validated using an in vitro setup. METHODS The method is based on the acquisition of three-dimensional rotational angiography and digital subtraction angiography sequences. A modest contrast injection rate (between 1 and 4 ml/s) leads to a contrast density that is modulated by the cardiac cycle, which can be measured in the x-ray signal. An optical flow based approach is used to estimate the blood flow velocities from the cyclic phases in the x-ray signal. RESULTS The authors have validated this method in vitro, and present three clinical cases. The in vitro experiments compared the x-ray video densitometry results with the gold standard delivered by a flow meter. Linear correlation analysis and regression fitting showed that the ideal slope of 1 and intercept of 0 were contained within the 95 percentile confidence interval. The results show that a frame rate higher than 50 Hz allows measuring flows in the range of 2 ml/s to 6 ml/s within an accuracy of 5%. CONCLUSIONS The in vitro and clinical results indicate that it is feasible to estimate blood flow in routine interventional procedures. The availability of an x-ray based method for quantitative flow estimation is particularly clinically useful for intra-cranial applications, where other methods, such as ultrasound Doppler, are not available.
Trophic ecology of sea urchins in coral-rocky reef systems, Ecuador

Sea urchins are important grazers and influence reef development in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Diadema mexicanum and Eucidaris thouarsii are the most important sea urchins on the Ecuadorian coastal reefs. This study provided a trophic scenario for these two species of echinoids in the coral-rocky reef bottoms of the Ecuadorian coast, using stable isotopes. We evaluated the relative proportion of algal resources assimilated, and trophic niche of the two sea urchins in the most southern coral-rocky reefs of the ETP in two sites with different disturbance level. Bayesian models were used to estimate the contribution of algal sources, niche breadth, and trophic overlap between the two species. The sea urchins behaved as opportunistic feeders, although they showed differential resource assimilation. Eucidaris thouarsii is the dominant species in disturbed environments; likewise, their niche amplitude was broader than that of D. mexicanum when conditions were not optimal. However, there was no niche overlap between the species. The Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) indicated that both sea urchins shared limiting resources in the disturbed area, mainly Dictyota spp. (contributions of up to 85% for D. mexicanum and up to 75% for E. thouarsii). The Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R (SIBER) analysis results indicated less interspecific competition in the undisturbed site. Our results suggested a trophic niche partitioning between sympatric sea urchin species in coastal areas of the ETP, but the limitation of resources could lead to trophic overlap and stronger habitat degradation.
The effects of smoking cessation and a programme intervention on birth and other perinatal outcomes among rural pregnant smokers

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perinatal outcomes of rural pregnant smokers enrolled in the Smoke Free Baby & Me trial. Methods: Data on smoking status and other pre-natal variables were collected during pregnancy. Outcomes were retrieved from a review of hospital records of 161 singleton births (79 from the control group, 82 from the intervention group). Results: The results show that, after adjusting for gender and gestational age, the more self-reported cigarettes at the first pre-natal visit, the less the infant birth weight (p = 0.033), the less maternal weight gain (p = 0.042) and the shorter the labour length (p = 0.041). Infants of women with positive urinary cotinine at the first pre-natal visit in the intervention group had higher 1 minute Apgar scores than those with negative cotinine (p = 0.022). Smokers also had a preponderance of male infants (64% vs 36%), while non-smokers had more females (59% vs 41%) (p = 0.006). Conclusions: Smoking during pregnancy affects perinatal outcomes. Assuming a foetal origin of chronic disease morbidity, implementing smoking cessation during pregnancy would not only improve maternal and foetal health, but also might contribute to an improvement in the incidence of adult chronic disease morbidity.
Injury Trends and Prevention in Rugby Union Football

Rugby union football has long been one of the most popular sports in the world. Its popularity and number of participants continue to increase in the United States. Until 1995, rugby union primarily was an amateur sport. Worldwide there are now flourishing professional leagues in many countries, and after a long absence, rugby union will be returning to the Olympic games in 2016. In the United States, rugby participation continues to increase, particularly at the collegiate and high school levels. With the increase in rugby professional athletes and the reported increase in aggressive play, there have been changes to the injury patterns in the sport. There is still significant need for further epidemiologic data as there is evidence that injury prevention programs and rule changes have been successful in decreasing the number of catastrophic injuries in rugby union.
Flowgraphs and Flow Algebras

An algebra G offlowgraphs or nets is presented It is shown to be a free algebra of a simple equatmnal system F, which is called the laws of flow This holds both for the algebra of fimte nets, and for the algebra of fimte or mfimte nets m which certain mfimte nets may be described by recursmn equatmns To demonstrate this fact, some results concerning categories of continuous algebras, which are explicit or lmphctt m the work of the ADJ group, are presented m a self-contained form. It follows that the algebra of processes (presented m a compamon paper [10]), which satisfies the laws of flow F, is a statable semanUcs for flowgraphs There are, however, many other mterpretatmns of nets, some of wMch wdl be studied m subsequent papers. This paper concludes wtth some simple examples of mfimte nets and informally discusses their possible interpretation
Older people living with HIV in Uganda: understanding their experience and needs

Older adults ageing with HIV in Africa have been largely neglected, despite the distinctive healthcare needs of this population. This article examines the medical care experiences of older Ugandans living with HIV. Data were collected from 40 HIV-positive adults, aged 50 years or older, attending two clinics in Uganda. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 adults and four focus groups were conducted with a total of 24 adults. Observations of clinic interactions were also recorded. Mean age of the participants was 65 years (range 50 to 80 years), and 50% were females. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. Although most issues raised were not qualitatively different for older individuals versus younger ones, from the analysis, nine major themes emerged, revealing healthcare needs distinctive to older people living with HIV: 1) stigma (43%); 2) difficulty disclosing (8%); 3) delayed diagnosis and care-seeking (55%); 4) access to care (80%); 5) quality of patient–provider relationship (75%); 6) adherence support (25%); 7) serodiscordance (20%); 8) continuity of care (14%); and, 9) end-of-life issues (13%) and other issues (20%). Most participants attributed a double burden of stigma — from HIV and old age — as a major factor affecting access to healthcare for HIV. Most of the participants expressed anxiety about securing healthcare in the future and concern about the lack of social services. Many participants had problems with transportation and food that compromised their adherence to antiretroviral therapy. HIV-prevention, treatment and care programmes should seek to meet the special needs of older people through focused and innovative approaches. Further research with larger samples is needed to explore the impact of these healthcare needs on the quality of life of older people living with HIV.
Prognostic and predictive biomarkers for targeted therapy in NSCLC: for whom the bell tolls?

Introduction: The discovery of molecular biomarkers and the advent of targeted therapies have led to a radical change in the treatment of several tumors, including NSCLC. In the last few years, the number of molecular biomarkers has rapidly increased, and a growing interest has been recently focused on their potential prognostic and predictive value in clinical settings. Areas covered: This review describes all the molecular biomarkers with prognostic and predictive value in NSCLC, including both clinically approved biomarkers, and emerging biomarkers under investigation in clinical trials. Liquid biopsy and applications of circulating biomarkers are also described. Expert opinion: The oncological research is currently focusing on the discovery and validation of molecular biomarkers in order to promote even more personalized treatment strategies. This paradigm of care will expand quickly thanks to the advent of new genotyping technologies, such as next-generation sequencing, making it possible to create a molecular-genomic profile of every patient’s tumor. Liquid biopsy and the use of circulating-biomarkers represent the new challenge of oncological research, with very promising implications in the management of patients.
Kidney biomarkers and differential diagnosis of patients with cirrhosis and acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with cirrhosis and associated with significant mortality. The most common etiologies of AKI in this setting are prerenal azotemia (PRA), acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Accurately distinguishing the etiology of AKI is critical, as treatments differ markedly. However, establishing an accurate differential diagnosis is extremely challenging. Urinary biomarkers of kidney injury distinguish structural from functional causes of AKI and may facilitate more accurate and rapid diagnoses. We conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients with cirrhosis and AKI assessing multiple biomarkers for differential diagnosis of clinically adjudicated AKI. Patients (n = 36) whose creatinine returned to within 25% of their baseline within 48 hours were diagnosed with PRA. In addition, 76 patients with progressive AKI were diagnosed by way of blinded retrospective adjudication. Of these progressors, 39 (53%) patients were diagnosed with ATN, 19 (26%) with PRA, and 16 (22%) with HRS. Median values for neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin‐18 (IL‐18), kidney injury molecule‐1 (KIM‐1), liver‐type fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP), and albumin differed between etiologies and were significantly higher in patients adjudicated with ATN. The fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) was lowest in patients with HRS, 0.10%, but did not differ between those with PRA, 0.27%, or ATN, 0.31%, P = 0.54. The likelihood of being diagnosed with ATN increased step‐wise with the number of biomarkers above optimal diagnostic cutoffs. Conclusion: Urinary biomarkers of kidney injury are elevated in patients with cirrhosis and AKI due to ATN. Incorporating biomarkers into clinical decision making has the potential to more accurately guide treatment by establishing which patients have structural injury underlying their AKI. Further research is required to document biomarkers specific to HRS. (Hepatology 2014;60:622–632)
Who Am I?

I wish to respond to the review of ‘Who Am I? experiences of donor conception’, published in the June edition of your Journal. This slim volume was commissioned and published by the Idreos Education Trust to raise public awareness of the ethical and psychosocial implications for children created through the use of donated sperm. The authors of the three chapters were donor conceived adults. I was then asked to provide a commentary in the form of a foreword and an afterword. In the latter, I gave answers to two questions:
Letting the CAT out of the Bag: Comparing Computer Adaptive Tests and an 11-Item Short Form of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire

Study Design. A post hoc simulation of a computer adaptive administration of the items of a modified version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive administration of back pain-related disability items compared with a fixed 11-item short form. Summary of Background Data. Short form versions of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire have been developed. An alternative to paper-and-pencil short forms is to administer items adaptively so that items are presented based on a person’s responses to previous items. Theoretically, this allows precise estimation of back pain disability with administration of only a few items. Materials and Methods. Data were gathered from 2 previously conducted studies of persons with back pain. An item response theory model was used to calibrate scores based on all items, items of a paper-and-pencil short form, and several computer adaptive tests (CATs). Results. Correlations between each CAT condition and scores based on a 23-item version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire ranged from 0.93 to 0.98. Compared with an 11-item short form, an 11-item CAT produced scores that were significantly more highly correlated with scores based on the 23-item scale. CATs with even fewer items also produced scores that were highly correlated with scores based on all items. For example, scores from a 5-item CAT had a correlation of 0.93 with full scale scores. Seven- and 9-item CATs correlated at 0.95 and 0.97, respectively. A CAT with a standard-error-based stopping rule produced scores that correlated at 0.95 with full scale scores. Conclusion. A CAT-based back pain-related disability measure may be a valuable tool for use in clinical and research contexts. Use of CAT for other common measures in back pain research, such as other functional scales or measures of psychological distress, may offer similar advantages.
Metastability of Active CA3 Networks

The brain is spontaneously active even in the absence of external input. This ongoing background activity impacts neural information processing. We used functional multineuron calcium imaging (fMCI) to analyze the net structure of spontaneous CA3 network activity in hippocampal slice cultures loaded with Oregon Green 488 BAPTA-1 using a spinning disk confocal microscope (10–30 frames/s). Principal component analysis revealed that network states, defined by active cell ensembles, were stable but heterogenous and discrete. These states were stabilized through synaptic activity and maintained against external perturbations. A few discrete states emerged during our observation period of up to 30 min. Networks tended to stay in a single state for tens of seconds and then suddenly jump to a new state. After a state transition, the old state was rarely, if ever, revisited by the network during our observation period. This temporal profile of state transitions could not be simulated by a hidden Markov model, indicating that the state dynamics is nonrandomly organized. Within each state, the pattern of network activity tended to stabilize in a specific configuration. Neither maintenance nor transition of the network states required NMDA receptor activity. These findings suggest that the network states are metastable, rather than multistable, and might be governed by local attractor-like dynamics. The fMCI data analyzed here are available at http://hippocampus.jp/data/
APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G Inhibit HIV-1 DNA Integration by Different Mechanisms

ABSTRACT APOBEC3F (A3F) and APBOBEC3G (A3G) both are host restriction factors that can potently inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. Their antiviral activities are at least partially mediated by cytidine deamination, which causes lethal mutations of the viral genome. We recently showed that A3G blocks viral plus-strand DNA transfer and inhibits provirus establishment in the host genome (J. L. Mbisa, R. Barr, J. A. Thomas, N. Vandegraaff, I. J. Dorweiler, E. S. Svarovskaia, W. L. Brown, L. M. Mansky, R. J. Gorelick, R. S. Harris, A. Engelman, and V. K. Pathak, J. Virol. 81:7099-7110, 2007). Here, we investigated whether A3F similarly interferes with HIV-1 provirus formation. We observed that both A3F and A3G inhibit viral DNA synthesis and integration, but A3F is more potent than A3G in preventing viral DNA integration. We further investigated the mechanisms by which A3F and A3G block viral DNA integration by analyzing their effects on viral cDNA processing using Southern blot analysis. A3G generates a 6-bp extension at the viral U5 end of the 3′ long terminal repeat (3′-LTR), which is a poor substrate for integration; in contrast, A3F inhibits viral DNA integration by reducing the 3′ processing of viral DNA at both the U5 and U3 ends. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a functional C-terminal catalytic domain is more critical for A3G than A3F function in blocking HIV-1 provirus formation. Finally, we showed that A3F has a greater binding affinity for a viral 3′-LTR double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) oligonucleotide template than A3G. Taking these results together, we demonstrated that mechanisms utilized by A3F to prevent HIV-1 viral DNA integration were different from those of A3G, and that their target specificities and/or their affinities for dsDNA may contribute to their distinct mechanisms.
Preliminary Steps in Designing and Implementing a Privilege Verifier for PMI

We have designed and deployed a system that uses X.509 public-key certificates (PKC) and attribute certificates (AC) for access control. This includes an authorization service for on-line environments where clients are identified by X.509 PKCs and their privileges are expressed with X.509 ACs. During a request to a protected resource, a privilege verifier decides if the user satisfies all the requirements to get access to the controlled resource. In this paper we focus on the steps to be performed by the privilege verifier, which is the entity in charge of validating both the PKCs and the ACs involved. The validation of PKCs and of ACs are two separate tasks but they are closely related. In our system we have identified two distinct entities: the privilege verifier whose task is to validate ACs, and the certificate validation server, whose task is to validate the PKCs. The validation of PKC is more complex, and it thus can be implemented and provided as a service by a dedicated authority, named Validation Authority. This paper describes the model, architecture and implementation of this system. It also includes some preliminary measurements and our future plans for the development of the system.