Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors and outcomes for the development of malignancy in lung and heart-lung transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND Many factors may limit survival from lung and heartlung transplantation, including malignancy. OBJECTIVE To investigate factors associated with the development of malignancy following transplantation and its effect on survival by retrospectively reviewing a population of lung transplant recipients. METHODS Data from 342 consecutive lung transplant patients were collected. Results were analyzed by fitting variables into a multivariate logistic regression model predicting the development of post-transplant malignancies. Covariates were selected based on crude associations that reached a level of significance at P ≤ 0.10. Length of survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS Fifty-eight subjects developed post-transplant malignancies, which were the cause of death of 14 patients. Twenty-one patients had a pretransplant malignancy, of whom six developed a malignancy posttransplant--of these, two were fatal recurrences. No risk factors were significantly associated with all forms of post-transplant malignancy. When adjusted for age at transplantation and donor smoking history, Epstein-Barr virus seropositivity at the time of transplant was significantly associated with a reduced risk of a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (OR 0.17; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.59). The median survival time in individuals without a post-transplant malignancy was significantly shorter than in those with a post-transplant malignancy (P = 0.018 Wilcoxon [Breslow]). This may be secondary to the length of time required to develop malignancy and the fact that not all malignancies that developed were fatal. The median time to develop malignancy was greater than two years. In addition, the 14 patients who died as a result of their malignancy had a significantly shorter survival time than the 44 who died because of nonmalignant causes (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Malignancy was not associated with an overall decrease in survival time when compared with those who did not develop a malignancy. Risk factors specific for the development of malignancies remain difficult to specify.
On the Role of Vertical Texture Cues in Height Perception

When people judge height from the top looking down they tend to overestimate vertical distance. Initial findings suggest that this perceptual bias may be in part due to the experienced fear of falling. However, previous studies did not control for potentially relevant optical invariants, especially vertical texture gradient cues, that may inform such perceptual judgments. In this study, we examined to what degree texture gradient cues may account for the perceptual bias in height perception. To this end, in 2 different conditions in which vertical texture gradient cues were either present or absent, participants provided distance and size judgments from an elevated position (5.68 m) and from the ground. Results revealed a systematic overestimation of vertical extent and object size when judged from a height. Yet, the absence or presence of texture gradient cues did not differentially influence these judgments. Finally, although fear levels were reported to be larger at the elevated position than on the ground, fear levels did not correlate with the perceptual bias, thereby demanding further research into the mechanisms underlying the perceptual bias in height perception.
Non‐polar lipids accumulate during storage of transfusion products and do not contribute to the onset of transfusion‐related acute lung injury

The accumulation of non‐polar lipids arachidonic acid, 5‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), 12‐HETE and 15‐HETE during storage of transfusion products may play a role in the onset of transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI), a syndrome of respiratory distress after transfusion.
Microwave Imaging Sensor Using Compact Metamaterial UWB Antenna with a High Correlation Factor

The design of a compact metamaterial ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna with a goal towards application in microwave imaging systems for detecting unwanted cells in human tissue, such as in cases of breast cancer, heart failure and brain stroke detection is proposed. This proposed UWB antenna is made of four metamaterial unit cells, where each cell is an integration of a modified split ring resonator (SRR), capacitive loaded strip (CLS) and wire, to attain a design layout that simultaneously exhibits both a negative magnetic permeability and a negative electrical permittivity. This design results in an astonishing negative refractive index that enables amplification of the radiated power of this reported antenna, and therefore, high antenna performance. A low-cost FR4 substrate material is used to design and print this reported antenna, and has the following characteristics: thickness of 1.6 mm, relative permeability of one, relative permittivity of 4.60 and loss tangent of 0.02. The overall antenna size is 19.36 mm × 27.72 mm × 1.6 mm where the electrical dimension is 0.20 λ × 0.28 λ × 0.016 λ at the 3.05 GHz lower frequency band. Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) measurements have illustrated that this antenna exhibits an impedance bandwidth from 3.05 GHz to more than 15 GHz for VSWR < 2 with an average gain of 4.38 dBi throughout the operating frequency band. The simulations (both HFSS and computer simulation technology (CST)) and the measurements are in high agreement. A high correlation factor and the capability of detecting tumour simulants confirm that this reported UWB antenna can be used as an imaging sensor.
Role of mRNA Stability in Growth Phase Regulation of Gene Expression in the Group A Streptococcus

ABSTRACT The impressive disease spectrum of Streptococcus pyogenes (the group A streptococcus [GAS]) is believed to be determined by its ability to modify gene expression in response to environmental stimuli. Virulence gene expression is controlled tightly by several different transcriptional regulators in this organism. In addition, expression of most, if not all, GAS genes is determined by a global mechanism dependent on growth phase. To begin an analysis of growth-phase regulation, we compared the transcriptome 2 h into stationary phase to that in late exponential phase of a serotype M3 GAS strain. We identified the arc transcript as more abundant in stationary phase in addition to the sag and sda transcripts that had been previously identified. We found that in stationary phase, the stability of sagA, sda, and arcT transcripts increased dramatically. We found that polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase [encoded by pnpA]) is rate limiting for decay of sagA and sda transcripts in late exponential phase, since the stability of these mRNAs was greater in a pnpA mutant, while stability of control mRNAs was unaffected by this mutation. Complementation restored the wild-type decay rate. Furthermore, in a pnpA mutant, the sagA mRNA appeared to be full length, as determined by Northern hybridization. It seems likely that mRNAs abundant in stationary phase are insensitive to the normal decay enzyme(s) and instead require PNPase for this process. It is possible that PNPase activity is limited in stationary phase, allowing persistence of these important virulence factor transcripts at this phase of growth.
Obstruction-Free Authorization Enforcement: Aligning Security with Business Objectives

Access control is fundamental in protecting information systems but it also poses an obstacle to achieving business objectives. We analyze this tradeoff and its avoidance in the context of systems modeled as workflows restricted by authorization constraints including those specifying Separation of Duty (SoD) and Binding of Duty (BoD). To begin with, we present a novel approach to scoping authorization constraints within workflows with loops and conditional execution. Afterwards, we consider enforcement's effects on business objectives. We identify the notion of obstruction, which generalizes deadlock within a system where access control is enforced, and we formulate the existence of an obstruction-free enforcement mechanism as a decision problem. We present lower and upper bounds for the complexity of this problem and also give an approximation algorithm that performs well when authorizations are equally distributed among users.
A comparison between girls' and boys' experiences of unwanted sexual behaviour in secondary schools

Background This study examines gender differences (and similarities) in the context, meaning and effects of unwanted sexual behaviour in secondary schools. Purpose First, the study's purpose is exploration of variables that discriminate between girls' and boys' experiences of unwanted sexual behaviour. Secondly, the aim is to find empirical grounding for diversity in schools' interventions and policies. Sample Respondents were 2808 adolescents (14 or 15 years of age) in secondary schools, randomly selected in two regions in The Netherlands. Of the 22 schools that participated in the project, 30% were Catholic, 25% Protestant, 11% interdenominational (several religions within one school) and 38% of the schools were public schools. School size varied. The majority of the students' parents were born in The Netherlands (86%), 14% were born in Morocco, Turkey and Surinam. Design and methods Survey questionnaires were to be completed during class time. Non-response rate: 2%. Analysis: discriminant function analysis. Results Girls more often experienced unwanted sexual behaviour by school personnel than boys. Their experiences were more often non-verbal in nature, physical or a combination of different sorts of behaviour. Girls experienced unwanted sexual behaviour as more upsetting than boys and they also experienced more psychosomatic health problems. The typical form of boys' experiences of unwanted sexual behaviour was verbal harassment by peers. The behaviour was less upsetting to boys and they experienced less psychosomatic health problems than girls. Conclusions This study was the first attempt to find out whether girls' and boys' scores on several variables form a different type of unwanted sexual behaviour. Two different types of unwanted sexual behaviour were found. Although the context (locations and the presence of others) was more or less the same for both sexes, the meaning and the effects of unwanted sexual behaviour were clearly different for girls and boys.
In Search of a Cultural Interpretation of Power: The Contribution of Pierre Bourdieu

This article presents the cultural interpretation of power proposed by the French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu. After a brief comment about his intellectual trajectory, in particular the fundamental meaning he attributes to social action, there is an overview of the theory of social practices Bourdieu developed in the course of almost 40 years as one of the leading social scientists of all times. A comment is then introduced about the core concepts of habitus, forms of capital and field. Finally, the last section offers insights about his cultural theory of power and defends its relevance. The case of the Brazilian Landless Movement (MST) is used to illustrate possible analytical routes to test the explanatory utility of his framework. The article suggests that the sociological theory of Bourdieu received a problematic reception in the English speaking world and proposes a reading scheme to understand his theory of social practices.
A new dual-material double-gate (DMDG) nanoscale SOI MOSFET-two-dimensional analytical modeling and simulation

In this paper, we present the unique features exhibited by a modified asymmetrical double-gate (DG) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFET. The proposed structure is similar to that of the asymmetrical DG SOI MOSFET with the exception that the front gate consists of two materials. The resulting modified structure, i.e., a dual-material double-gate (DMDG) SOI MOSFET, exhibits significantly reduced short-channel effects (SCEs) when compared with the DG SOI MOSFET. SCEs in this structure have been studied by developing an analytical model. The model includes the calculation of the surface potential, electric field, threshold voltage, and drain-induced barrier lowering. A model for the drain current, transconductance, drain conductance, and voltage gain is also discussed. It is seen that SCEs in this structure are suppressed because of the perceivable step in the surface-potential profile, which screens the drain potential. We further demonstrate that the proposed DMDG structure provides a simultaneous increase in the transconductance and a decrease in the drain conductance when compared with the DG structure. The results predicted by the model are compared with those obtained by two-dimensional simulation to verify the accuracy of the proposed analytical model.
Ultrasound-Guided Anterior Approach to Sciatic Nerve Block: A Comparison with the Posterior Approach

BACKGROUND: Although the anterior approach to the sciatic nerve block has rarely been performed due to lack of reliable surface anatomical landmarks and technical difficulty, ultrasound guidance may make performance of this approach easier. In this study, we evaluated the clinical use of the ultrasound-guided anterior approach to sciatic nerve block and compared this approach with the posterior approach in adults. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing minor knee surgery were randomly divided into two groups to receive anterior and posterior (subgluteal) approaches to sciatic nerve block, using 1.5% mepivacaine 20 mL with epinephrine combined with femoral and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve blocks. Both approaches to sciatic nerve block were performed using a low-frequency, 5 to 2 MHz, curved array transducer. Measurements included block execution time, depth and size of the nerve, needle depth, onset time of sensory and motor blockade, and duration of the block. RESULTS: The sciatic nerve was located significantly deeper and the needle depth was significantly greater in patients undergoing the anterior approach compared with the subgluteal approach. Both approaches were similar for execution time of sciatic nerve block, but the former took less time than the latter to perform all combinations of blocks. Although sensory block in the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve was achieved less often with the anterior approach compared with subgluteal approach (14.9% and 68.1%, respectively; P < 0.001), there were no differences in success rate, onset time or duration of blockade of the peroneal and tibial nerves between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The anterior approach to sciatic nerve block is performed as easily and successfully as the posterior approach using ultrasound guidance.
Pharmaceutical characterization of solid and dispersed carbon nanotubes as nanoexcipients

Background Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are novel materials with considerable potential in many areas related to nanomedicine. However, a major limitation in the development of CNT-based therapeutic nanomaterials is a lack of reliable and reproducible data describing their chemical and structural composition. Knowledge of properties including purity, structural quality, dispersion state, and concentration are essential before CNTs see widespread use in in vitro and in vivo experiments. In this work, we describe the characterization of several commercially available and two in-house-produced CNT samples and discuss the physicochemical profiles that will support their use in nanomedicine. Methods Eighteen single-walled and multi-walled CNT raw materials were characterized using established analytical techniques. Solid CNT powders were analyzed for purity and structural quality using thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Extinction coefficients for each CNT sample were determined by ultraviolet-visible near infrared absorption spectroscopy. Standard curves for each CNT sample were generated in the 0–5 μg/mL concentration range for dispersions prepared in 1,2-dichlorobenzene. Results Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis results demonstrated that CNT purity and overall quality differed substantially between samples and manufacturer sources, and were not always in agreement with purity levels claimed by suppliers. Absorbance values for individual dispersions were found to have significant variation between individual single-walled CNTs and multi-walled CNTs and sources supplying the same type of CNT. Significant differences (P < 0.01) in extinction coefficients were observed between and within single-walled CNTs (24.9–53.1 mL·cm−1·mg−1) and multi-walled CNTs (49.0–68.3 mL·cm−1·mg−1). The results described here suggest a considerable role for impurities and structural inhomogeneities within individual CNT preparations and the resulting spectroscopic properties of their dispersions. Conclusion Raw CNT materials require thorough analytical workup before they can be used as nanoexcipients. This applies especially to the determination of CNT purity, structure, and concentration. The results presented here clearly demonstrate that extinction coefficients must be determined for individual CNT preparations prior to their use.
Simultaneous event‐related potential and near‐infrared spectroscopic studies of semantic processing

Near‐infrared optical topography (NIROT) signals and event‐related potentials (ERPs) were measured simultaneously during a semantic processing task to evaluate the ability of these techniques to detect hemodynamic and electrophysiologic responses generated by semantic anomalies and to compare these results to earlier independent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and ERP measurements. Candidate brain regions were first identified from activations detected by NIROT during a simple block‐design task (in this case reading sentences vs. passive viewing), and defined regions (corresponding to Broca's and Wernicke's areas) were used for guiding the localization of optodes and electrodes for recording during tasks involving semantic anomalies. In five of six subjects, ERP measurements showed the characteristic N400 wave, whereas event‐related NIROT showed results that agreed with previous fMRI studies. There were transient hemodynamic signals recorded in specific optodes that corresponded to activation in Broca's area, but slightly anterior to the region activated during the simple reading task, and in Wernicke's area, but slightly inferior to that for the simple reading task. A between‐subject correlation of the ERP and NIRS data was also employed to identify areas of activation. The highest correlations were obtained in Broca's area, centered more anterior than for the reading task and in Wernicke's area, slightly inferior to that for the reading task. This study confirms that event‐related studies are feasible using NIROT and produce results similar to those obtained with fMRI. Even though the spatial resolution is lower in NIROT than in fMRI, small differences in the locations of activation centers could be detected with NIROT. This, together with the feasibility of simultaneous ERP recording, makes NIROT attractive as a new approach to studying language function in healthy subjects as well as in those with functional abnormalities. Hum. Brain Mapping 22:112–117, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Routine outcome measurement in public mental health--what do clinicians think?

IN ORDER TO FULLY EVALUATE and manage a service, one should be able to answer all parts of the question ? Who receives what services, from whom, at what cost, and with what effect? 1 While there is good information on the first four elements, mental health services generally do less well in demonstrating the effectiveness of what they do, and it is here that routine outcome measurement (ROM) can make a contribution. Despite the very real progress that has been made in implementing ROM in Australia it is evident from a variety of sources, formal and informal, that not everyone is convinced of its necessity or value.
Within-Firm Pay Inequality

Financial regulators and investors alike have expressed concerns about high pay inequality within firms. This study examines how within-firm pay inequality varies across firms, how it relates to firms’ operating performance and valuations, and whether it is priced by the market. Using a proprietary data set of public and private firms in the UK, we find that pay disparities between top-level jobs – those where managerial skills and responsibility are most important – and bottom-level jobs are increasing in firm size. By contrast, pay differentials between jobs involving either no or only little managerial responsibility are invariant to firm size. Moreover, firms with higher within-firm pay inequality have better operating performance, higher Tobin’s Q, and higher equity returns. Our results support the notion that high pay disparities within firms are a reflection of better managerial talent.
Effects of an Environmental Education Course on Consensus Estimates for Proenvironmental Intentions

An environmental education intervention in a university conservation-related course was designed to decrease students’ errors in consensus estimates for proenvironmental intentions, that is, their errors in guessing their classmates’ proenvironmental intentions. Before and after the course, the authors measured two intentions regarding willingness to contribute money and volunteer work for environmental causes. The false consensus effect, whereby contributors provide significantly higher consensus estimates compared with noncontributors, was displayed both before and after the course. Specifically, students intending to contribute believed most (51%-54%) of their classmates would contribute, and students not intending to contribute believed fewer (28%-35%) of their classmates would contribute. Accuracy in estimating consensus increased significantly after the course. Errors in consensus estimates were significant predictors of behavioral intentions. The study showed that the theoretical and methodological background of environmental education interventions can be enriched by incorporating consensus estimates for proenvironmental intentions in assessment procedures.
The Self-Advertisement Approach to Dating: Male-Female Differences.

A content analysis was performed on profiles or self-advertisements from a magazine for singles to identify categories of exchange used by men and women. Generally, the findings supported the traditional social exchange notion of dating for men but not for women. That is, men's profiles tended to emphasize attractiveness and other expressive qualities of potential respondents in exchange for their own career status and attractiveness. Yet women's profiles indicat. 'Ji a similar pattern, desiring to exchange career and education and expressive qualities for attractiveness and various expressive qualities.