Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evolving role of autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation following high-dose therapy for malignancies.

Over the last decade, transplantation of circulating autologous hematopoietic stem cells to facilitate the recovery of bone marrow (BM) function following administration of marrow ablative anti-cancer therapy has been used with increasing frequency. During that time, a number of indications for peripheral stem cell transplantation (PSCT) emerged
Out-of-hospital auricular acupressure in elder patients with hip fracture: a randomized double-blinded trial.

OBJECTIVES Auricular acupressure is known to decrease the level of anxiety in patients during ambulance transport. The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, sham control study was to determine whether auricular acupressure can decrease not only the level of anxiety but also the level of pain in a group of elder patients with acute hip fracture. METHODS With the assistance of the Vienna Red Cross, 38 patients with acute hip fracture were enrolled into this study. Patients were randomized into two study groups: the true intervention group and the sham control group. Subjects in the true intervention group (n = 18) received bilateral auricular acupressure at three auricular acupressure points for hip pain. Patients in the sham group (n = 20) received bilateral auricular acupressure at sham points. Baseline demographic information, anxiety level, pain level, blood pressure, and heart rate were obtained before the administration of the appropriate acupressure intervention. The level of anxiety, level of pain, hemodynamic profiles, and level of satisfaction were reassessed once the patients arrived at the hospital. RESULTS Patients in the true intervention groups had less pain (F = 28, p = 0.0001) and anxiety (F = 4.3, p = 0.018) and lower heart rate (F = 18, p = 0.0001) on arrival at the hospital than did patients in the sham control group. As a result, the patients in the true intervention group reported higher satisfaction in the care they received during the ride to the hospital. CONCLUSIONS The authors encourage physicians, health care providers, and emergency rescuers to learn this easy, noninvasive, and inexpensive technique for its effects in decreasing anxiety and pain during emergency transportation.
Professional quality of life: A cross-sectional survey among Chinese clinical nurses.

The Professional Quality of Life Scale was adapted to create a Chinese version to investigate the professional quality of life of Chinese nurses and possible risk factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 752 nurses sampled from four general hospitals in Shanghai, China. An expert panel, cognitive review, and pretest were used to ensure cultural adaptability. Psychometric tests included reliability and validity. One-way and multivariate analysis of variance were conducted for statistical analysis. Content validity indexes of all items were over 0.90. Five items were excluded because their item-total correlations and factor loading of exploratory factor analysis were less than 0.3. The 25-item scale revealed acceptable reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis supported its structure. There was variation in the scores between different departments, religions, working positions, nursing experiences, forms of employment, and average working hours (all P < 0.05). This study extended the application of the original scale in Chinese nursing culture. Attention should be paid to risk factors and differences between East and West.
Older adults’ health and late-life drinking patterns: A 20-year perspective

Objectives: This study focused on the associations between older adults’ health-related problems and their late-life alcohol consumption and drinking problems. Methods: A sample of 719 late-middle-aged community residents (55–65 years old at baseline) participated in a survey of health and alcohol consumption and this survey was followed 10 years and 20 years later. Results: Health-related problems increased and alcohol consumption and drinking problems declined over the 20-year interval. Medical conditions, depressive symptoms, medication use, and acute health events were associated with a higher likelihood of abstinence; acute health events were also associated with less alcohol consumption. In contrast, reliance on alcohol to reduce pain was linked to more alcohol consumption. Moreover, an individual's overall health burden and reliance on alcohol to reduce pain were associated with more drinking problems. Reliance on alcohol to reduce pain potentiated the association between health burden, alcohol consumption and drinking problems. Conclusion: Older adults who have more health problems and rely on alcohol to manage pain are at elevated risk for drinking problems. Health care providers should target high-risk older adults, such as those who drink to reduce pain, for screening and brief interventions to help them identify new ways to cope with pain and curtail their drinking.
Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP 5b) as a marker of osteoclast activity in the early phase after cementless total hip replacement

Background After total hip replacement, increased bone metabolism is seen. A local periprosthetic osteopenia can be measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), but it is still unkown whether biochemical markers can be used to monitor the local remodeling at an earlier stage. Patients and methods In this prospective study we compared the biochemical markers tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP 5b), bone ALP, osteocalcin and CrossLaps with periprosthetic DXA in 17 consecutive patients after uncemented total hip replacement. Results We found a highly significant early increase in TRAP 5b after 2 weeks and 6 weeks, which was followed by a densitometrically detectable decrease in bone mineral density after 26 weeks, especially in periprosthetic section Gruen zone 7. Bone ALP and osteocalcin levels as markers of osteoblast activity, and also Cross-Laps as a further marker of osteoclast activity, did not appear to allow any significant prediction of local bone remodeling. Discussion Our findings show that TRAP 5b is a sensitive parameter for monitoring of osteoclast activity after cementless total hip replacement, and may predict local osteopenia.
New constructions for provably-secure time-bound hierarchical key assignment schemes

A time-bound hierarchical key assignment scheme is a method to assign time-dependent encryption keys to a set of classes in a partially ordered hierarchy, in such a way that each class can derive the keys of all classes lower down in the hierarchy, according to temporal constraints. In this paper we propose new constructions for time-bound hierarchical key assignment schemes which are provably secure with respect to key indistinguishability. Our constructions exhibit a tradeoff among the amount of private information held by each class, the amount of public data, the complexity of key derivation, and the computational assumption on which their security is based.
Simulation of perovskite solar cells with inorganic hole transporting materials

Device modeling organolead halide perovskite solar cells with planar architecture based on inorganic hole transporting materials (HTMs) were performed. A thorough understanding of the role of the inorganic HTMs and the effect of band offset between HTM/absorber layers is indispensable for further improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we investigated the effect of band offset between inorganic HTM/absorber layers. The solar cell simulation program adopted in this work is named wxAMPS, an updated version of the AMPS tool (Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structure).
Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolates from Commercial Layer Hens with Salpingitis

Problem statement: Escherichia coli isolates are the most common bacterial agents of salpingitis in commercial layer hens. The objectives of this study were to determine the phylogenetic groups/subgroups and antibiotic resistance of E. coli isolates from salpingitis cases in commercial layer hens farms in southeast of Iran. Approach: One hundred twenty one E. coli isolates from oviducts of layer hens with salpingitis were examined to determine their O-serogroup, phylogenetic group/subgroup and antibiotic resistance pattern. Results: O-serogroup determination test showed that 47 (38.84%) isolates were typeable and belonged to eleven different O serogroups including: O1, O2, O6, O8, O15, O20, O25, O36, O78, O86 and O111 and 71 (58.67%) isolates were O-nontypeable. Three most prevalent serogroup were O78, O2 and O1 respectively. PCR assays showed that the isolates fall into four phylogenetic groups A (41.32%), D (33.88%), B2 (14.87%) and B1 (9.91%). Ninety nine (81.81%) isolates fell into six phylogenetic subgroups including: A0 (17.35%), A1 (23.96%), B22 (5.78%), B23 (9.09%), D1 (13.22%) and D2 (20.66%). All of the E. coli isolates from O78 serogroup belonged to A phylo-group whereas the O2 isolates mostly fell into D group. The maximum antibiotic resistance was against tetracycline (100%) and minimum resistance was against linco-spectin (37.19%). Twenty four isolates (19.83%) were resistant to all of the examined antibiotics. Twenty three different patterns of multiple drug resistance were observed, out of which N-Te-Sxt-Fm- Nfx-C and N-Te-Sxt-Gm-Fm-Nfx-C-Ls was the two most frequent patterns respectively. The resistant isolates were found in all of the phylogenetic groups and or sub groups. Conclusion: There are similarities between salpingitis derived E. coli strains and other avian pathogenic E. coli isolates in phylogroups, O-serogroups and antibio-resistance patterns.
Porous Allograft Bone Scaffolds: Doping with Strontium

Strontium (Sr) can promote the process of bone formation. To improve bioactivity, porous allograft bone scaffolds (ABS) were doped with Sr and the mechanical strength and bioactivity of the scaffolds were evaluated. Sr-doped ABS were prepared using the ion exchange method. The density and distribution of Sr in bone scaffolds were investigated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Controlled release of strontium ions was measured and mechanical strength was evaluated by a compressive strength test. The bioactivity of Sr-doped ABS was investigated by a simulated body fluid (SBF) assay, cytotoxicity testing, and an in vivo implantation experiment. The Sr molar concentration [Sr/(Sr+Ca)] in ABS surpassed 5% and Sr was distributed nearly evenly. XPS analyses suggest that Sr combined with oxygen and carbonate radicals. Released Sr ions were detected in the immersion solution at higher concentration than calcium ions until day 30. The compressive strength of the Sr-doped ABS did not change significantly. The bioactivity of Sr-doped material, as measured by the in vitro SBF immersion method, was superior to that of the Sr-free freeze-dried bone and the Sr-doped material did not show cytotoxicity compared with Sr-free culture medium. The rate of bone mineral deposition for Sr-doped ABS was faster than that of the control at 4 weeks (3.28±0.23 µm/day vs. 2.60±0.20 µm/day; p<0.05). Sr can be evenly doped into porous ABS at relevant concentrations to create highly active bone substitutes.
LaBB-CAT: an Annotation Store

“ONZE Miner”, an open -source tool for storing and automatically annotating Transcriber transcripts, has been redeveloped to use “annotation graphs” as its data model. The annotation graph framework provides the new software, “LaBB - CAT”, greater flexibility for automatic and manual annotation of corpus data at various independent levels of granularity, and allows more sophisticated annotation structures, opening up new possibilities for corpus mining and conversion between tool formats.
Cell contact interaction between adipose‐derived stromal cells and allo‐activated T lymphocytes

Mesenchymal stromal cells regulate immune cell function via the secretion of soluble factors. Cell membrane interactions between these cell types may play an additional role. Here, we demonstrate that subpopulations of allo‐activated T cells are capable of binding to human adipose‐derived stromal cells (ASC). The bound T‐cell population contained CD8+ T cells and was enriched for CD4−CD8− T cells, whereas the proportion of CD4+ T cells was decreased compared with the non‐bound T‐cell population. Bound CD4+ T cells had high proliferative activity and increased CD25 and FoxP3 expression. However, they also expressed CD127, excluding regulatory T‐cell function. In CD8+ T cells, IL‐2 sensitivity, as determined by the analysis of phosphorylated STAT5, was lower in the presence of ASC and even lower in bound cells. In contrast, IL‐2‐induced phosphorylated STAT5 levels were higher in bound CD4+ T cells than in non‐bound CD4+ T cells. Additionally, pro‐proliferative TGF‐β signalling via endoglin and SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation was detected in bound CD4+ T cells. Even after prolonged co‐culture with ASC, the activated phenotype of bound CD4+ T cells persisted. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the binding of lymphocytes to ASC represents an immunomodulatory mechanism in which CD8+ T cells are inhibited in their responsiveness to pro‐inflammatory stimuli and reactive CD4+ T cells are depleted from the immune response.
A Power-Efficient Timing Synchronization Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Timing synchronization is essential to wireless sensor networks. TDMA-based MAC protocols depend on the accurate synchronization to conduct transmissions. Synchronized with each other, sensor nodes are able to determine when they should be turned on/off to achieve power management which is especially important in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a power-efficient timing synchronization protocol (PETSP) which aims to fulfill the synchronization job with the minimum energy consumption. In PETSP, all sensor nodes synchronize their timing to a designated target node. This mechanism speeds up the synchronization process. When the clock oscillation difference to the target node is collected, it is possible for a sensor node to self-correct its timing. This self-correction avoids exchanging synchronization messages all the time. Based on this observation, our PETSP achieves power conservation by enlarging the synchronization period. Simulation results show that our PETSP achieves synchronization fast. It also decreases 47% and 75% the power consumption and average maximum clock drift as compared to the IEEE 802.11, respectively. We have also implemented the proposed timing synchronization mechanism on MICA Mote sensor boards. The experiments verify that the protocol achieve timing synchronization in a real system.
Enduring vulnerabilities, relationship attributions, and couple conflict: an integrative model of the occurrence and frequency of intimate partner violence.

We tested an integrative model of individual and dyadic variables contributing to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Based on the vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model, we hypothesized that three "enduring vulnerabilities" (i.e., antisocial behavior, hostility, and depressive symptoms) would be associated with a "maladaptive process" (i.e., negative relationship attributions) that would lead to difficulties in couple conflict resolution, thus leading to IPV. Among a community sample of 167 heterosexual couples who were expecting their first child, we used an actor-partner interdependence model to account for the dyadic nature of conflict and IPV, as well as a hurdle count model to improve upon prior methods for modeling IPV data. Study results provided general support for the integrative model, demonstrating the importance of considering couple conflict in the prediction of IPV and showing the relative importance of multiple predictor variables. Gender symmetry was observed for the prediction of IPV occurrence, with gender differences emerging in the prediction of IPV frequency. Relatively speaking, the prediction of IPV frequency appeared to be a function of enduring vulnerabilities among men, but a function of couple conflict among women. Results also revealed important cross-gender effects in the prediction of IPV, reflecting the inherently dyadic nature of IPV, particularly in the case of "common couple violence. " Future research using longitudinal designs is necessary to verify the conclusions suggested by the current results.
Targeted guanine oxidation by a dinuclear copper(II) complex at single stranded/double stranded DNA junctions.

A dinuclear copper(II) complex [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(H2O)2](ClO4)3 (5) with terminal Cu(II)-H(2)O moieties and a Cu.Cu distance of 4.13 A (X-ray structure) has been synthesized and characterized by EPR spectroscopy (ferromagnetic coupling observed) and cyclic voltammetry. Dizinc(II) and mononuclear copper(II) analogues [Zn(II)2(PD'O-)(H2O)2]3+ (7) and [Cu(II)(mPD'OH)(H2O)]2+ (6), respectively, have also been synthesized and structurally characterized. Reacting 5/MPA/O(2) (MPA = 3-mercaptopropionic acid) with DNA leads to a highly specific oxidation of guanine (G) at a junction between single- and double-stranded DNA. Mass spectrometric analysis of the major products indicates a gain of +18 and +34 amu relative to initial DNA strands. The most efficient reaction requires G at the first and second unpaired positions of each strand extending from the junction. Less reaction is observed for analogous targets in which the G cluster is farther from the junction or contains less than four Gs. Consistent with our previous systems, the multinuclear copper center is required for selective reaction; mononuclear complex 6 is not effective. Hydrogen peroxide as a substitute for MPA/O2 also does not lead to activity. Structural analysis of a [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(G)]3+ complex (8) and dizinc analogue [Zn(II)(2)(PD'O-)(G)](ClO4)3 (9) (G = guanosine) reveals coordination of the G O6 and N7 atoms with the two copper (or zinc) centers and suggests that copper-G coordination likely plays a role in recognition of the DNA target. The Cu2-O2 intermediate responsible for guanine oxidation appears to be different from that responsible for direct-strand scission induced by other multinuclear copper complexes; the likely course of reaction is discussed.
Low-dose endobronchial gene transfer to ameliorate lung graft ischemia-reperfusion injury.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to determine whether low-dose endobronchial transfer to the donor of the gene for human interleukin 10 would decrease ischemia-reperfusion injury in lung transplantation. METHODS Experiments used male Fischer rats. Donor animals underwent right thoracotomy. A catheter was introduced into the left main bronchus, and vector was instilled. Group I (n = 6) received 2 x 10(7) plaque-forming units of adenovirus encoding human interleukin 10, group II (n = 6) received an adenovirus control encoding beta-galactosidase, and group III (n = 6) received saline solution. After instillation the left main bronchus was clamped for 60 minutes. Lungs were removed 24 hours later and stored in low-potassium dextran glucose solution for 18 hours before left lung transplantation. Graft function was assessed at 24 hours immediately before the animals were killed. Ratio of wet to dry weight and tissue myeloperoxidase activity were measured. Transgenic expression of human interleukin 10 was evaluated by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical assay. RESULTS Arterial oxygenation was significantly improved in group I relative to groups II and III (257.6 +/- 59.7 mm Hg vs 114.6 +/- 66.9 mm Hg and 118.6 +/- 91.1 mm Hg, P =.008 and P =.007, respectively). Neutrophil sequestration, as measured by myeloperoxidase activity, was also significantly reduced in group I relative to groups II and III (0.141 +/- 0.025 vs 0.304 +/- 0.130 and 0.367 +/- 0.153 Delta optical density units/[min. mg protein], P =.029 and P =.004, respectively). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical assay demonstrated the expression of human interleukin 10 in transfected lungs only. CONCLUSIONS Low-dose endobronchial transfer to the donor of the gene for human interleukin 10 ameliorated ischemia-reperfusion injury in rodent lung transplantation by improving graft oxygenation and reducing neutrophil sequestration. Only 2 x 10(7) plaque-forming units of adenoviral vector were required for functional transgenic expression. Endobronchial gene transfer to lung grafts may be a useful delivery route even at low doses.
Thinking Fast and Slow: An Approach to Energy-Efficient Human Activity Recognition on Mobile Devices

According to Daniel Kahneman, there are two systems that drive the human decision making process: The intuitive system that performs the fast thinking, and the deliberative system that does more logical and slower thinking. Inspired by this model, we propose a framework for implementing human activity recognition on mobile devices. In this area, the mobile app is usually always-on and the general challenge is how to balance accuracy and energy consumption. However, among existing approaches, those based on cellular IDs consume little power but are less accurate; those based on GPS/WiFi sampling are accurate often at the costs of battery drainage; moreover, previous methods in general do not improve over time. To address these challenges, our framework consists of two modes: In the deliberation mode, the system learns cell ID patterns that are trained by existing GPS/WiFi based methods; in the intuition mode, only the learned cell ID patterns are used for activity recognition, which is both accurate and energy-efficient; system parameters are learned to control the transition from deliberation to intuition, when sufficient confidence is gained, and the transition from intuition to deliberation, when more training is needed. For the scope of this paper, we first elaborate our framework in a subproblem in activity recognition, trip detection, which recognizes significant places and trips between them. For evaluation, we collected real-life traces of six participants over five months. Our experiments demonstrated consistent results across different participants in terms of accuracy and energy efficiency, and, more importantly, its fast improvement on energy efficiency over time due to regularities in human daily activities.