Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early consultation with a rheumatologist for RA: does it reduce subsequent use of orthopaedic surgery?

OBJECTIVE Optimal care in RA includes early use of DMARDs to prevent joint damage and hopefully decrease the need for costly surgical interventions. Our objective was to determine whether a reduced rate of orthopaedic surgery was evident for persons with RA who saw a rheumatologist early in the disease course. METHODS We studied persons who had a diagnosis of RA based on billing code data in the province of Quebec in 1995, and for whom the initial date of RA diagnosis by a non-rheumatologist could be established before the confirmatory diagnosis by the rheumatologist. We followed these patients until 2007. Patients were classified as early consulters or late consulters depending on whether they were seen by a rheumatologist within or beyond 3 months of being diagnosed with RA by their referring physician. The outcome, orthopaedic surgery, was defined using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) procedure codes ICD9 and ICD10. Multivariate Cox regression with time-dependent covariates estimated the effect of early consultation on the time to orthopaedic surgery. RESULTS Our cohort consisted of 1051 persons; mean age at diagnosis was 55.7 years, 68.2% were female and 50.7% were early consulters. Among all patients, 20.5% (215) had an orthopaedic surgery during the observation interval. Early consulters were less likely to undergo orthopaedic surgery during the 12-year follow-up period (adjusted hazard ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.44, 0.82). CONCLUSION Persons with RA who consult a rheumatologist later in the disease course have a worse outcome in terms of eventual requirement for orthopaedic surgery.
Trends in Inter-State Inequalities of Income in India

An attempt is made in this paper to examine the tendency towards convergence of income levels among the states of India over the period 1961-93. We fmd convergence ofper capita income levels only during the first sub-period, that is, 1961-71. For the remaining two sub-periods, 1972-82 and 1983-93 we find evidence for per capita income levels to be diverging, although not significantly. We suggest that convergence during the period 1961-71 is primarily due to the impressive growth in the agricultural sector as a result of the green revolution. The slowing down of the industrial growth during the 1970s and the emergence of a city based pattern of industrial development which was concentrated only in a few regions seems to be the reason for the divergence seen during this sub-period. While there was a considerable step-up in India's GDP growth over the 1980s, however, the poor states were not able to catch up with their rich counterparts and the income levels continued to show divergence as in the earlier period. India's development strategy up until 1991 characterized by planning and state-led industrialization failed to reduce regional disparities in any meaningful manner. Four decades of planned economic development could not provide the necessary growth impetus for the poor and lagging states. With the launching of economic reforms in 1991 it may be reasonable to expect some states to surge ahead rapidly and that states, such as Kamataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal may gain more from reforms in the initial stages rather than Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh or Bihar. Nirupam Bajpai is a Research Associate at the Harvard Institute for International Development. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University ofLucknow in 1988. Jeffrey D. Sachs is the Director of the Harvard Institute for International Development and the Galen L. Stone Professor ofInternational Trade at Harvard University. Sachs serves as an economic advisor to several governments in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Asia. He has also been a consultant to the IMF, the World Bank, the GEeD, and the UNDP. Trends in Inter-State Inequalities of Income in India
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD IN THE AIR GENERATED BY A HORIZONTAL ELECTRIC DIPOLE LOCATED IN THE SPHERICAL ELECTRICALLY EARTH COATED WITH A DIELECTRIC LAYER

In this paper, the region of interest consists of the spherical dielectric earth, coated with a dielectric layer under the air. First, we will derive the formulas for the electromagnetic field in the earth of a vertical electric dipole located in the air and those of a vertical magnetic dipole, respectively. Then, the formulas for the components of the field in the air generated by a horizontal electric dipole are obtained by using the reciprocity theorem. Finally, the computations will be carried out.
Equalization-Based Digital Background Calibration Technique for Pipelined ADCs

In this paper, we present a digital background calibration technique for pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). In this scheme, the capacitor mismatch, residue gain error, and amplifier nonlinearity are measured and then corrected in digital domain. It is based on the error estimation with nonprecision calibration signals in foreground mode, and an adaptive linear prediction structure is used to convert the foreground scheme to the background one. The proposed foreground technique utilizes the LMS algorithm to estimate the error coefficients without needing high-accuracy calibration signals. Several simulation results in the context of a 12-b 100-MS/s pipelined ADC are provided to verify the usefulness of the proposed calibration technique. Circuit-level simulation results show that the ADC achieves 28-dB signal-to-noise and distortion ratio and 41-dB spurious-free dynamic range improvement, respectively, compared with the noncalibrated ADC.
Integration of acoustic and visual speech signals using neural networks

Results from a series of experiments that use neural networks to process the visual speech signals of a male talker are presented. In these preliminary experiments, the results are limited to static images of vowels. It is demonstrated that these networks are able to extract speech information from the visual images and that this information can be used to improve automatic vowel recognition. The structure of speech and its corresponding acoustic and visual signals are reviewed. The specific data that was used in the experiments along with the network architectures and algorithms are described. The results of integrating the visual and auditory signals for vowel recognition in the presence of acoustic noise are presented. <<ETX>>
Data mining for qualitative dataset Using association rules: A review

In today’s electronic world vast amounts of knowledge is stored within many datasets and databases. the default format of this data means that the knowledge within is not immediately accessible, but rather has to be mined and extracted. This requires some automated tools and they need to be effective and efficient way to extract. Association rule mining is one of the approaches to obtaining knowledge stored with datasets which includes frequent patterns and association rules between the items of a dataset with varying levels of strength. This is also association rule mining’s downside; the number of rules of association that can be found is usually are giant . In order to effectively use the association rules the number of rules needs to be kept manageable, thus it is necessary to have some method to reduce the number of association rules for the classification. However, we do not want to lose knowledge through finding rules for the same. That’s why the idea of non-redundant association rule mining was come. A second issue with association rule mining is determining which ones are interesting. The standard approach has been to use support and confidence.
Teachers Voices: Challenges of Double-Shift Sessioning in Gweru Urban Primary Schools

The purpose of the study was to establish the teachers perceived challenges on double session. The study employed an interpretive research approach. Participants for focus groups and in-depth interviews were selected through purposive sampling to come up with information rich participants. Data were thematically analyzed in line with the qualitative research approach. The study revealed that limited contact time during teaching and learning, difficulty in managing classrooms, poor pupil performance and the neglect of other curriculum subjects are the challenges faced by double-shift sessioning teachers in Gweru Urban. The research recommended that governments support for double-shift sessioning schools, work shopping of teachers to have requisite skills in double-shift sessioning, infant to attend morning sessions only and building of more primary schools so that double-sessioning shift can be slowly phased out.
A Model to Study the Impact of Polymorphism Driven Liver-Stage Immune Evasion by Malaria Parasites, to Help Design Effective Cross-Reactive Vaccines

Malaria parasites engage a multitude of strategies to evade the immune system of the host, including the generation of polymorphic T cell epitope sequences, termed altered peptide ligands (APLs). Herein we use an animal model to study how single amino acid changes in the sequence of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), a major target antigen of pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines, can lead to a reduction of cross reactivity by T cells. For the first time in any APL model, we further compare different inflammatory adjuvants (Montanide, Poly I:C), non-inflammatory adjuvants (nanoparticles), and peptide pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) for their potential capacity to induce broadly cross reactive immune responses. Results show that the capacity to induce a cross reactive response is primarily controlled by the T cell epitope sequence and cannot be modified by the use of different adjuvants. Moreover, we identify how specific amino acid changes lead to a one-way cross reactivity: where variant-x induced responses are re-elicited by variant-x and not variant-y, but variant-y induced responses can be re-elicited by variant-y and variant-x. We discuss the consequences of the existence of this one-way cross reactivity phenomenon for parasite immune evasion in the field, as well as the use of variant epitopes as a potential tool for optimized vaccine design.
Relapse Versus Reinfection: Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection Following Treatment With Fidaxomicin or Vancomycin

Our study sought to compare the strain types of Clostridium difficile causing initial and recurrent episodes of C. difficile infection (CDI) in adult patients with a first episode of CDI or 1 prior episode of CDI within the previous 90 days. Strains originated from patients who had been entered into two phase 3 randomized clinical trials of fidaxomicin versus vancomycin. Isolates of C. difficile from the initial and recurrent episodes within 28 (±2) days of cure of CDI were compared using restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) typing. Paired isolates were available from 90 of 194 (46%) patients with recurrent CDI. Patients with isolates available were significantly younger (P = .008) and more likely to be from Canadian sites (P = .0001), compared with patients without isolates. In 75 of 90 subjects (83.3%), the identical REA type strain was identified at recurrence and the initial episode (putative relapse). Early recurrences (0–14 days after treatment completion) were relapses in 86.7% and a new strain (reinfection) in 13.3%. Later recurrences (15–31 days after treatment) were relapses in 76.7% and reinfections in 23.3%. Mean time (± standard deviation) to recurrence was 12.2 (±6.4) days for relapses and 14.7 (±6.8) days for reinfections (P = .177). The most common BI/NAP1/027 group and the previous US epidemic REA group J/NAP2/001 had a significantly higher combined rate of recurrence with the same strain (relapse), compared with the other REA groups (39 of 42 [93%] vs 36 of 48 [75%], respectively; P = .023). We found a higher than historic rate of recurrent CDI caused by the same isolate as the original episode, a finding that may be related to the relatively short observation period in this study and the high frequency of isolation of epidemic strains, such as groups BI and J, for which relapse rates may be higher than for other REA groups. Caution in generalizing these observations is required, because the patients studied were younger and more likely to be from Canadian sites than were patients with recurrence who did not provide isolates. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00314951 and NCT00468728.
Population and Unemployment: A Dilemma to Resolve

The objective of this paper is to explore the determinants of unemployment in Pakistan. A model is developed to quantify the statistical relationship between unemployment- population and gross domestic product. It is hypothesized that population and GDP exert a strong impact on unemployment in the economy of Pakistan. A positive relationship is assumed to hold between unemployment and population. GDP is supposed to have a negative relationship with unemployment A period of 13 years is 5elected covering the 1986-1999 era. A simple regression is run to obtain the results. Highly significant results are obtained. On the basis of our results, it could be argued that population pressure can erode employment opportunities and a high growth rate in GDP can bring about a decline in unemployment rate. In order to minimize the unemployment problem, two measures maybe taken. First, a strict population policy maybe introduced. Second, a high rate of GDP could be targeted to generate employment opportunities in the economy.
Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Disuse Osteoarthritis: An Ultrasound Biomicroscopic Study of Patellar Articular Cartilage in Rats

To investigate the effect of laser acupuncture (LA) on disuse changes in articular cartilage using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), Eighteen rats were randomly divided into the control group (C), the tail-suspended group (T), and the tail-suspended with LA treatment group (L). During 28-day suspension period, group L were treated with LA at acupoints on the left hindlimb while group T had a sham treatment. Ultrasound roughness index (URI), integrated reflection coefficient (IRC), integrated backscatter coefficient (IBC), cartilage thickness, and ultrasonographic score (US) of articular cartilage at patella were measured by using an ultrasound biomicroscopy system (UBS). Compared with the group C, URI significantly (P < 0.01) increased by 60.9% in group T, increased by 38.1% in group L. In addition, unloading induced a significant cartilage thinning (P < 0.05) in group T, whereas cartilage thickness in group L was 140.22 ± 19.61 μm reaching the level of the control group (147.00 ± 23.99 μm). There was no significant difference in IRC, IBC, and US among the three groups. LA therapy could help to retain the quality of articular cartilage which was subjected to unloading. LA would be a simple and safe nonpharmacological countermeasure for unloading-induced osteoarthritis. The UBM system has potential to be a sensitive, specific tool for quantitative assessment of articular cartilage.
On the Importance of the Participation Margin for Market Fluctuations

Conventional analyses of cyclical fluctuations in the labor market ascribe a minor role to the labor force participation margin. In contrast, a flows-based decomposition of the variation in labor market stocks reveals that transitions at the participation margin account for around one-third of the cyclical variation in the unemployment rate. This result is robust to adjustments of data for spurious transitions, and for time aggregation. Inferences from conventional, stocks-based analyses of labor force participation are shown to be subject to a stock-flow fallacy, neglecting the offsetting forces of worker flows that underlie the modest cyclicality of the participation rate. A novel analysis of history dependence in worker flows demonstrates that a large part of the contribution of the participation margin can be traced to cyclical fluctuations in the composition of the unemployed by labor market attachment.
Detection of Venous Thromboembolism by Proteomic Serum Biomarkers

Background Available blood assays for venous thromboembolism (VTE) suffer from diminished specificity. Compared with single marker tests, such as D-dimer, a multi-marker strategy may improve diagnostic ability. We used direct mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of serum from patients with VTE to determine whether protein expression profiles would predict diagnosis. Methods and Results We developed a direct MS and computational approach to the proteomic analysis of serum. Using this new method, we analyzed serum from inpatients undergoing radiographic evaluation for VTE. In a balanced cohort of 76 patients, a neural network-based prediction model was built using a training subset of the cohort to first identify proteomic patterns of VTE. The proteomic patterns were then validated in a separate group of patients within the cohort. The model yielded a sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 89%, which exceeded the specificity of D-dimer assay tested by latex agglutination, ELISA, and immunoturbimetric methods (sensitivity/specificity of 63.2%/60.5%, 97.4%/21.1%, 97.4%/15.8%, respectively). We validated differences in protein expression between patients with and without VTE using more traditional gel-based analysis of the same serum samples. Conclusion Protein expression analysis of serum using direct MS demonstrates potential diagnostic utility for VTE. This pilot study is the first such direct MS study to be applied to a cardiovascular disease. Differences in protein expression were identified and subsequently validated in a separate group of patients. The findings in this initial cohort can be evaluated in other independent cohorts, including patients with inflammatory conditions and chronic (but not acute) VTE, for the diagnosis of VTE.
Concentration: The Neural Underpinnings of How Cognitive Load Shields Against Distraction

Whether cognitive load—and other aspects of task difficulty—increases or decreases distractibility is subject of much debate in contemporary psychology. One camp argues that cognitive load usurps executive resources, which otherwise could be used for attentional control, and therefore cognitive load increases distraction. The other camp argues that cognitive load demands high levels of concentration (focal-task engagement), which suppresses peripheral processing and therefore decreases distraction. In this article, we employed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol to explore whether higher cognitive load in a visually-presented task suppresses task-irrelevant auditory processing in cortical and subcortical areas. The results show that selectively attending to an auditory stimulus facilitates its neural processing in the auditory cortex, and switching the locus-of-attention to the visual modality decreases the neural response in the auditory cortex. When the cognitive load of the task presented in the visual modality increases, the neural response to the auditory stimulus is further suppressed, along with increased activity in networks related to effortful attention. Taken together, the results suggest that higher cognitive load decreases peripheral processing of task-irrelevant information—which decreases distractibility—as a side effect of the increased activity in a focused-attention network.
Foreign aid towards the year 2000 : experiences and challenges

International Affairs- "Stokke"s paper "Foreign aid:what now? " occupies a third of his book, and is an impressive and substantial review of aid in its own right. " Democratization- "anyone with a serious interest in aid will want to pursue this book at length" Development and Change - " The volume will be of interest to aid policy researchers and practitioners" Development Policy Review - " A good thing about this volume is that the editor and a number of authors have apparently tried to avoid the veiled, unclear jargon that at times plagues the development co-operation literature.This volume is valuable reading for any student or practioner of development co-operation" The Journal of Development Studies- " Researchers on aid issues are sure to find something to interest them in this collection, and teachers may well find one or two papers to add to reading lists for courses on international relations or international finance.
Does ICSI require acrosomal disruption? An ultrastructural study.

BACKGROUND Aggressive immobilization of sperm prior to ICSI significantly improves fertilization rates, but the mechanism of this effect is not yet clear. This study was performed in order to assess the characteristics of mechanically immobilized human sperm by transmission electron microscope (TEM). METHODS Sperm obtained from ejaculated semen samples from three different donors were immobilized in a standard manner for ICSI. They were then injected into the perivitelline space of mouse oocytes in order to be able to locate them by TEM. Intact motile sperm injected subzonally served as controls (n=160). Finally, the 'carrier' oocytes were fixed and processed for TEM. RESULTS A total of 300 sperm were mechanically immobilized and inserted into the perivitelline space of mouse oocytes. Ultrathin sections revealed consistent alterations in the acrosomal region including disruption of the plasma membrane, and disruption, vesiculation or even loss of the acrosome. Thus, all of the sperm assessed had undergone some disorganization of the head, in contrast to a majority of control sperm. CONCLUSIONS Immobilization of sperm for ICSI by compressing and rolling the sperm tails induces a variable disruption and sometimes loss of the acrosome. This could well be a reason for the higher success rates when ICSI is performed using immobilized sperm.
Roux-En Y Gastric Bypass Results in Long-Term Remission of Hepatocyte Apoptosis and Hepatic Histological Features of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis

The long-term effects of bariatric surgery on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), focusing on liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis, are not well-established. We here performed a longitudinal study with paired liver biopsies of nine morbidly obese women (median BMI: 42 [38.7; 45.1] kg/m2) with NASH with a median follow-up of 55 [44; 75] months after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) surgery. LRYGB surgery was associated with significant weight loss (median BMI loss −13.7 [−16.4; −9.5] kg/m2), improved hepatic steatosis in all patients (55.5% with total resolution), and resolution of hepatic inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning in 100 and 88.8% of cases, respectively. Alanine aminotransferase levels dropped to normal values while hepatic activated cleaved caspase-3 levels strongly decreased after a median follow-up of 55 months. Hepatocyte apoptosis, as evaluated by serum caspase-generated keratin-18 fragment, improved within the first year following LRYGB and these improvements persisted for at least 55 months. LRYGB in morbidly obese patients with NASH is thus associated with a long-lasting beneficial impact on hepatic steatohepatitis and hepatocyte death.
Age-related macular degeneration and the aging eye

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an ocular disease that causes damage to the retinal macula, mostly in the elderly. Normal aging processes can lead to structural and blood flow changes that can predispose patients to AMD, although advanced age does not inevitably cause AMD. In this review, we describe changes that occur in the macular structure, such as the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch’s membrane, with advancing age and in AMD. The role of genetics in AMD and age-related changes in ocular blood flow that may play a role in the pathogenesis of AMD are also discussed. Understanding the pathophysiology of AMD development can help guide future research to further comprehend this disease and to develop better treatments to prevent its irreversible central vision loss in the elderly.