Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of the Choice of Data Source in Record Linkage Studies Estimating Mortality in Venous Thromboembolism

Linked electronic healthcare databases are increasingly being used in observational research. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the choice of data source in estimating mortality following VTE, with a secondary aim to investigate the influence of the denominator definition. We used the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) to identify patients aged 18+ with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Multiple cohorts were identified in order to assess how mortality rates differed with a range of data sources. For each of the cohorts, incidence rates per 1,000 person years (/1000py) and relative rates (RRs) of all-cause mortality were calculated. The lowest mortality rate was found when only primary care data were used for both the exposure (VTE) and the outcome (death) (108.4/1000py). The highest mortality rate was found for patients diagnosed in secondary care (237.2/1000py). When linked primary and secondary care data were included for eligible patients and for the overlapping period of data collection, a mortality rate of 173.2/1000py was found. Sensitivity analyses varying the denominator definition provided a range of results (140.6–164.3/1000py). The relative rates of mortality by gender and age were comparable across all cohorts. Depending on the choice of data source, the population studied may be different. This may have substantial impact on the main findings, in particular on incidence rates of mortality following VTE.
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the immature athlete: long-term results of intra-articular reconstruction.

From 1986-1992, a total of 21 ACL reconstructions were completed in 20 skeletally immature athletes with an average age of 13.7 years (range: 11.8-15.6 years). Fifteen patients underwent operative reconstruction with hamstring tendons with wide open physes and 6 patients with bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB). All grafts were anatomically placed through transphyseal bone tunnels in the femur and tibia. Nineteen of 20 patients (20 of 21 reconstructions) returned for follow-up at an average of 34 months (range: 17-89 months). All patients had reached skeletal maturity at follow-up. No patient had limb-length discrepancy >1 cm postoperatively. No change in tibiofemoral alignment was noted (average 4.5 versus 4.25, P=.69). Modified Lysholm score was 93/95, and 19 of 20 athletes returned to preinjury level sports activity. Ligament laxity side-to-side difference was <3 mm in 16 patients, 3-6 mm in 2 patients, and >6 mm in 2 patients. One patient developed recurrent symptomatic laxity and was lost to follow-up. Two late graft ruptures (1 hamstring and 1 BPTB graft) occurred after major reinjury during sports. In this group of patients, ACL reconstruction through bone tunnels successfully eliminated instability although the failure rate, including late graft ruptures, was higher than that usually reported for adults. No limb length or angular deformity developed as a result of the transphyseal tunnels.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Protein Kinase Inhibitor Pyrrol Derivate

In our previous studies we showed antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities of protein kinases inhibitor pyrrol derivate 1-(4-Cl-benzyl)-3-Cl-4-(CF3-fenylamino)-1H-pyrrol-2,5-dione (MI-1) on rat colon cancer model. Therefore anti-inflammatory effect of MI-1 on rat acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis (UC) model was aimed to be discovered. The anti-inflammatory effects of MI-1 (2.7 mg/kg daily) compared to reference drug Prednisolone (0.7 mg/kg daily) after 14-day usage were evaluated on macro- and light microscopy levels and expressed in 21-grade scale. Redox status of bowel mucosa was also estimated. It was shown that in UC group the grade of total injury (GTI) was equal to 9.6 (GTIcontrol = 0). Increase of malonic dialdehyde (MDA) by 89% and protein carbonyl groups (PCG) by 60% and decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 40% were also observed. Prednisolone decreased GTI to 3 and leveled SOD activity, but MDA and PCG remained higher than control ones by 52% and 42%, respectively. MI-1 restored colon mucosa integrity and decreased mucosa inflammation down to GTI = 0.5 and leveled PCG and SOD. Thus, MI-1 possessed anti-inflammatory properties, which were more expressed that Prednisolone ones, as well as normalized mucosa redox balance, and so has a prospect for correction of inflammatory processes.
Evaluation of The Effects of Cutting Parameters On The Surface Roughness During The Turning of Hadfield Steel With Response Surface Methodology

Hadfield steel (X120Mn12) is widely used in the engineering applications due to its excellent wear resistance. In this study, the effects of the cutting parameters on the surface roughness were investigated in relation to the lathe process carried out on Hadfield steel. The experiments were conducted at a cutting speed of 80, 110, 140 m/min, feed rate of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 mm/rev and depth of cut 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mm, using coated carbide tools. Regarding the evaluation of the machinability of Hadfield steel, a model was formed utilizing the response surface method (RSM). For the determination of the effects of the cutting parameters on the surface roughness, the central composite design (CCD) and variance analysis (ANOVA) were used. By means of the model formed as a result of the experimental study, it was demonstrated that among the cutting parameters, the feed rate is the most effective parameter on the surface roughness, with a contribution ratio of 90.28%. It was determined that the surface roughness increases with increasing feed rate. With respect to the effect on the surface roughness, the feed rate was followed by the cutting speed with a contribution ratio of 3.1% and the cutting depth with a contribution ratio of 1.7%.
TGF-beta effects on epithelial ion transport and barrier: reduced Cl- secretion blocked by a p38 MAPK inhibitor.

Growth factors affect a variety of epithelial functions. We examined the ability of TGF-beta to modulate epithelial ion transport and permeability. Filter-grown monolayers of human colonic epithelia, T84 and HT-29 cells, were treated with TGF-beta (0.1-100 ng/ml, 15 min-72 h) or infected with an adenoviral vector encoding TGF-beta (Ad-TGF beta) for 144 h. Ion transport (i.e., short-circuit current, I(sc)) and transepithelial resistance (TER) were assessed in Ussing chambers. Neither recombinant TGF-beta nor Ad-TGF beta infection affected baseline I(sc); however, exposure to > or = 1 ng/ml TGF-beta led to a significant (30-50%) reduction in the I(sc) responses to forskolin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and cholera toxin (agents that evoke Cl(-) secretion via cAMP mobilization) and to the cell-permeant dibutyryl cAMP. Pharmacological analysis of signaling pathways revealed that the inhibition of cAMP-driven epithelial Cl(-) secretion by TGF-beta was blocked by pretreatment with SB-203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, but not by inhibitors of JNK, ERK1/2 MAPK, or phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase. TGF-beta enhanced the barrier function of the treated monolayers by up to threefold as assessed by TER; however, this event was temporally displaced from the altered I(sc) response, being statistically significant only at 72 h posttreatment. Thus, in addition to TGF-beta promotion of epithelial barrier function, we show that this growth factor also reduces responsiveness to cAMP-dependent secretagogues in a chronic manner and speculate that this serves as a braking mechanism to limit secretory enteropathies.
Enhancing memory performance with rTMS in healthy subjects and individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: the role of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

A debated question in the literature is the degree of anatomical and functional lateralization of the executive control processes sub-served by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during recognition memory retrieval. We investigated if transient inhibition and excitation of the left and right DLPFC at retrieval by means of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modulate recognition memory performance in 100 healthy controls (HCs) and in eight patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Recognition memory tasks of faces, buildings, and words were used in different experiments. rTMS-inhibition of the right DLPFC enhanced recognition memory in both HCs and MCIs. rTMS-excitation of the same region in HCs deteriorated memory performance. Inhibition of the right DLPFC could modulate the excitability of a network of brain regions, in the ipsilateral as well as in the contralateral hemisphere, enhancing function in HCs or restoring an adaptive equilibrium in MCI.
General Applications of Ultrasound in Rheumatology: Why We Need It in Our Daily Practice

AbstractUltrasound (US) is a noninvasive imaging technique that continues to gain interest among rheumatologists because of its undoubted utility for the assessment of a wide range of abnormalities in rheumatic diseases. It also has a great potential to be used at the time of consultation as an extension of the clinical examination.Current data demonstrate that the standard clinical approach could result in an insensitive assessment of some the different aspects of the various rheumatic diseases for which US has become a feasible and effective imaging modality that allows early detection of anatomical changes, careful guidance for the aspiration and/or local treatment, and short- and long-term therapy monitoring at the joint, tendon, enthesis, nail, and skin levels. The spectrum of pathological conditions for which US plays a crucial role continues to increase over time and includes rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, osteoarthritis, crystal-related arthropathies, connective tissue disorders, and vasculitis.It is expected that the inclusion of more longitudinal studies with a larger number of patients and more rigorous methodological approach will undoubtedly provide a better understanding of the significance of the abnormal US findings detected in order to provide the proper diagnostic and/or therapeutic approaches. In this article, we analyze the current potential applications of US in rheumatology and discuss the evidence supporting its use in the daily rheumatologic practice.
Accurate and Efficient Stereo Processing by Semi-Global Matching and Mutual Information

This paper considers the objectives of accurate stereo matching, especially at object boundaries, robustness against recording or illumination changes and efficiency of the calculation. These objectives lead to the proposed SemiGlobal Matching method that performs pixelwise matching based on Mutual Information and the approximation of a global smoothness constraint. Occlusions are detected and disparities determined with sub-pixel accuracy. Additionally, an extension for multi-baseline stereo images is presented. There are two novel contributions. Firstly, a hierarchical calculation of Mutual Information based matching is shown, which is almost as fast as intensity based matching. Secondly, an approximation of a global cost calculation is proposed that can be performed in a time that is linear to the number of pixels and disparities. The implementation requires just 1 second on typical images.
Secondary Currency Acceptance: Experimental Evidence with a Dual Currency Search Model

Abstract Motivated by the use of non-legal tender currencies in regions experiencing economic turmoil and by the growing use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, I examine in a controlled, experimental laboratory setting, the acceptance of a secondary currency when a primary currency already circulates in an economy. The underlying model is an indivisible goods / indivisible money, dual currency search model similar to that in Kiyotaki and Wright (1993) and Curtis and Waller (2000). In such models, there are two pure Nash equilibria - total acceptance or total rejection of the secondary currency - and one unstable, mixed equilibrium. This mixed equilibrium is considered an artifact of the indivisibility of money and goods in the model and is often ignored. I find that when a significant friction - in this case the inability to barter - is introduced, the equilibrium tends towards complete acceptance of the secondary currency. Conversely, when barter is readily available to subjects, the equilibrium tends towards total rejection. As predicted by theory, the tendency towards one equilibrium or the other appears to be influenced by the mixed equilibrium and the related basins of attraction.
Electronic properties of carbon nanotubes studied in field-effect transistor geometries

Title of Dissertation: Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes studied in Field-Effect Transistor Geometries Tobias Durkop, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Assistant Professor Michael S. Fuhrer Department of Physics Due to their outstanding properties carbon nanotubes have attracted considerable research effort during the last decade. While they serve as an example of a 1-dimensional electron system allowing one to study fundamental quantum effects nanotubes—especially semiconducting nanotubes—are an interesting candidate for next-generation transistor application with the potential to replace silicon-based devices. I have fabricated nanotubes using chemical vapor deposition techniques with various catalysts and gas mixtures. The nanotubes produced with these techniques vary in length from 100 nm to several hundreds of micrometers. While data taken on shorter metallic and semiconducting devices show Coulomb blockade effects, the main part of this work is concerned with measurements that shed light on the intrinsic properties of semiconducting nanotubes. On devices with lengths of more than 300 μm I have carried out measurements of the intrinsic hole mobility as well as the device-specific field-effect mobility. The mobility measured on these nanotube devices at room temperature exceeds that of any semiconductor known previously. Another important consideration in nanotube transistor applications are hysteresis effects. I present measurements on the time scales involved in some of these hysteresis effects and a possible application of the hysteresis for memory devices. Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes studied in Field-Effect Transistor Geometries by Tobias Durkop Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland at College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2004 Advisory Committee: Assistant Professor Michael S. Fuhrer, Chairman/Advisor Professor Christopher J. Lobb Professor H. Dennis Drew Professor Ellen D. Williams Professor Romel D. Gomez © Copyright by Tobias Durkop 2004
Simultaneous Determination of Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate and Natamycin Content in Iranian Yoghurt Drink (Doogh) and the Associated Risk of Their Intake through Doogh Consumption

Background: Regarding the public health concerns over the use of food preservatives in yoghurt drink “Doogh”, the aim of this study was the determination of sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and natamycin in Doogh. Based on Iranian national standard, none of these preservatives are permitted to be used in Doogh. Methods: A total of 39 Doogh samples were analyzed through RP-HPLC in order to quantify sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and natamaycin simultaneously. Exposure to each preservative is estimated by mean and maximum concentrations as the residue levels. The per capita Doogh consumption was calculated by the published data from official reports for Doogh annual production in Iran. Results: All samples were shown to contain sodium benzoate while natamaycin was detected in 10.25% of the samples and potassium sorbate was not detected in any of them. Sodium benzoate concentration extremely varied among the investigated samples ranged from 0.94 to 9.77 mg/l. Due to the result of the exposure estimation, no serious public health concern would exist regarding the mentioned preservatives. Conclusions: The detection of sodium benzoate in all Doogh samples could indicate the natural production of benzoic acid in yoghurt. Sodium benzoate may be formed through the interaction of the added food grade salt to the Doogh formula which contains benzoic acid. The results of exposure estimation show the lack of health risk within the usage of preservatives in spite of the national regulatory agencies does not permit the preservative use.
Algorithms for Circuits and Circuits for Algorithms: Connecting the Tractable and Intractable

The title of this paper highlights an emerging duality between two basic topics in algorithms and complexity theory. Algorithms for circuits refers to the design of algorithms which can analyze nite logical circuits or Boolean functions as input, checking a simple property about the com- plexity of the underlying function. For instance, an algorithm determining if a given logical circuit C has an input that makes C output true would solve the NP-complete Circuit-SAT problem. Such an algorithm is unlikely to run in polynomial time, but could possibly be more ecient than exhaustively trying all possible inputs to the circuit. Circuits for algorithms refers to the modeling of \complex" uniform algorithms with \simple" Boolean circuit families, or proving that such modeling is impossible. For ex- ample, can every exponential-time algorithm be simulated using Boolean circuit families of only polynomial size? It is widely conjectured that the answer is no, but the present mathematical tools available are still too crude to resolve this kind of separation problem. This paper surveys these two generic subjects and the connections that have been developed between them, focusing on connections between non-trivial circuit-analysis algorithms and proofs of circuit complexity lower bounds.
A Chromosomally Located traHIJKCLMN Operon Encoding a Putative Type IV Secretion System Is Involved in the Virulence of Yersinia ruckeri

ABSTRACT Nucleotide sequence analysis of the region surrounding the pIVET8 insertion site in Yersinia ruckeri 150RiviXII, previously selected by in vivo expression technology (IVET), revealed the presence of eight genes (traHIJKCLMN [hereafter referred to collectively as the tra operon or tra cluster]), which are similar both in sequence and organization to the tra operon cluster found in the virulence-related plasmid pADAP from Serratia entomophila. Interestingly, the tra cluster of Y. ruckeri is chromosomally encoded, and no similar tra cluster has been identified yet in the genomic analysis of human pathogenic yersiniae. A traI insertional mutant was obtained by homologous recombination. Coinfection experiments with the mutant and the parental strain, as well as 50% lethal dose determinations, indicate that this operon is involved in the virulence of this bacterium. All of these results suggest the implication of the tra cluster in a virulence-related type IV secretion/transfer system. Reverse transcriptase PCR studies showed that this cluster is transcribed as an operon from a putative promoter located upstream of traH and that the mutation of traI had a polar effect. A traI::lacZY transcriptional fusion displayed higher expression levels at 18°C, the temperature of occurrence of the disease, and under nutrient-limiting conditions. PCR detection analysis indicated that the tra cluster is present in 15 Y. ruckeri strains from different origins and with different plasmid profiles. The results obtained in the present study support the conclusion, already suggested by different authors, that Y. ruckeri is a very homogeneous species that is quite different from the other members of the genus Yersinia.
Consequences of early parental loss and separation for health and well-being in midlife

We examined the impact of parental death and divorce prior to age 17 on physical and mental wellbeing in a national probability sample of middle-aged adults. The results suggest that, for men, parental divorce was associated with less positive relations with others, less self-acceptance, lower environmental mastery, and greater depression. Parental divorce predicted higher levels of physical health problems for both men and women. This relationship was mediated by income, education, drug use, and family support and was greater for men than women. Parental death predicted more autonomy for men and a higher likelihood of depression for women. The results contribute to understanding the developmental pathways involved in linking early life experiences to adulthood outcomes.
Norm Emergence in Tag-Based Cooperation

In multi-agent systems norms are an important influence that can engender cooperation by constraining actions and binding groups together. A key question is how to establish a suitable set of norms in a decentralised population of self-interested agents, especially where individual agents might not adhere to the rules of the system. In this paper we investigate the problem of norm emergence, and the related issue of group recognition, using tag-based cooperation as the interaction model. We explore characteristics that affect the longevity and adoption of norms in tag-based cooperation, and provide an empirical evaluation of existing techniques for supporting cooperation in the presence of cheaters.
Aspects of Precision Calculations of Nucleon Generalized Form Factors with Domain Wall Fermions on an Asqtad Sea

In order to advance lattice calculations of moments of unpolarized, helicity, and transversity distributions, electromagnetic form factors, and generalize d form factors of the nucleon to a new level of precision, this work investigates several key aspe cts of precision lattice calculations. We calculate the number of configurations required for constan t statistical errors as a function of pion mass, describe the coherent sink method to help achieve these statistics, examine the statistical correlations between separate measurements, study correlations in the behavior of form factors at different momentum transfer, examine volume dependence, and compare mixed action results with those using comparable dynamical domain wall configura tions. We also show selected form factor results and comment on the QCD evolution of our calculations of the flavor non-singlet nucleon angular momentum. MIT-CTP 3991
Are Quasar Jets Dominated by Poynting Flux?

The formation of relativistic astrophysical jets is presumably mediated by magnetic fields threading accretion disks and central, rapidly rotating objects. As it is accelerated by magnetic stresses, the jet's kinetic energy flux grows at the expense of its Poynting flux. However, it is unclear how efficient the conversion from magnetic to kinetic energy is and whether there are any observational signatures of this process. We address this issue in the context of jets in quasars. Using data from all spatial scales, we demonstrate that in these objects the conversion from Poynting flux-dominated to matter-dominated jets is very likely to take place closer to the black hole than in the region where most of the Doppler-boosted radiation observed in blazars is produced. We briefly discuss the possibility that blazar activity could be induced by global MHD instabilities, e.g., via the production of localized velocity gradients that lead to dissipative events such as shocks or magnetic reconnection, in which acceleration of relativistic particles and production of nonthermal flares is taking place.