Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cost-Effectiveness of the Management of Acute Sinusitis

Background Sinusitis is a common medical disease with a tremendous economic impact on health care. Our objective was to determine the most cost-effective strategy for the management of acute sinusitis from the societal and payers’ perspectives. Methods A Markov disease simulation model was used for comparing four treatment strategies: (1) no antibiotic (Abx), (2) empiric Abx, (3) CT-based Abx, and (4) clinical guideline-based Abx. Results Empiric Abx treatment was the most cost-effective from the societal perspective. Clinical guideline-based treatment was the most cost-effective strategy from the payers’ perspective ($38,515/quality-adjusted life year). Cost and effectiveness of Abx, time lost from work, and prevalence of acute bacterial sinusitis are influential variables. Conclusion Empiric Abx treatment is a cost-effective strategy from the short-term societal perspective. However, Abx resistance will lead to increased costs and reduced efficacy of this strategy in the long-term. Clinical guidelines provide a low-cost method of targeting therapy.
Sequential Protein Association with Nascent 60S Ribosomal Particles

ABSTRACT Ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes depends on the coordinated action of ribosomal and nonribosomal proteins that guide the assembly of preribosomal particles. These intermediate particles follow a maturation pathway in which important changes in their protein composition occur. The mechanisms involved in the coordinated assembly of the ribosomal particles are poorly understood. We show here that the association of preribosomal factors with pre-60S complexes depends on the presence of earlier factors, a phenomenon essential for ribosome biogenesis. The analysis of the composition of purified preribosomal complexes blocked in maturation at specific steps allowed us to propose a model of sequential protein association with, and dissociation from, early pre-60S complexes for several preribosomal factors such as Mak11, Ssf1, Rlp24, Nog1, and Nog2. The presence of either Ssf1 or Nog2 in complexes that contain the 27SB pre-rRNA defines novel, distinct pre-60S particles that contain the same pre-rRNA intermediates and that differ only by the presence or absence of specific proteins. Physical and functional interactions between Rlp24 and Nog1 revealed that the assembly steps are, at least in part, mediated by direct protein-protein interactions.
teashirt is required for head-versus-tail regeneration polarity in planarians

Regeneration requires that the identities of new cells are properly specified to replace missing tissues. The Wnt signaling pathway serves a central role in specifying posterior cell fates during planarian regeneration. We identified a gene encoding a homolog of the Teashirt family of zinc-finger proteins in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea to be a target of Wnt signaling in intact animals and at posterior-facing wounds. Inhibition of Smed-teashirt (teashirt) by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in the regeneration of heads in place of tails, a phenotype previously observed with RNAi of the Wnt pathway genes β-catenin-1, wnt1, Dvl-1/2 or wntless. teashirt was required for β-catenin-1-dependent activation of posterior genes during regeneration. These findings identify teashirt as a transcriptional target of Wnt signaling required for Wnt-mediated specification of posterior blastemas. Summary: The zinc finger protein teashirt is a transcriptional target of Wnt signaling and is required for Wnt-mediated specification of cell fate during regeneration in planarians.
Breastfeeding in Women With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To identify predictive factors for initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding with a focus on mothers with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This is a prospective observation survey, using a case-control design, comparing the outcomes of 108 mothers with type 1 diabetes with 104 mothers without diabetes that were matched for parity and gestational age. Mother and infant outcomes were collected from medical records and through telephone interviews 2 and 6 months after delivery. Predictive factors were calculated by logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Mothers with diabetes were less likely to partly or exclusively breastfeed their children at 2 months (OR 0.42 [95% CI 0.18–0.96], P = 0.041) and 6 months (0.50 [0.27–0.90], P = 0.022) than mothers without diabetes. On multivariable analysis, type 1 diabetes did not remain an independent predictive factor. Instead, higher education level and breastfeeding at discharge from hospital were predictive factors for breastfeeding at 2 months postpartum. These variables as well as delivery >37 weeks and early breastfeeding predicted breastfeeding 6 months postpartum. CONCLUSIONS Factors associated with maternal diabetes, such as problems with establishing breastfeeding in the early postpartum period, affects the likelihood of long-term breastfeeding.
Advanced Query Evaluation Techniques for Preserving Privacy and Efficiency of Mobile Objects

This paper presents a novel approach to overcome the difficulty and complexity in addressing the issues of location updating in terms of monitoring accuracy, efficiency, and privacy. Various distressing privacy violations caused by sharing sensitive location information with potentially malicious services have highlighted the importance of location privacy research aiming to protect users’ privacy while interacting with Location Based Services. This paper presents a taxonomy of different approaches proposed to enable location privacy in LBS. Location privacy may be obtained at the cost of query performance and query accuracy. The challenge addressed is how to obtain the best possible performance, subjected to given requirements for location privacy and query accuracy. Our proposed framework uses the spacetwist and SCUBA techniques to obtain the privacy and efficiency for continuously moving objects. This approach is flexible, needs no trusted middleware, and requires only well-known incremental NN query processing on the server. This framework offers very good performance and high privacy, at low communication cost thereby providing higher efficiency.
Reconfigurable origami-inspired acoustic waveguides

Researchers use reconfigurable origami-inspired metamaterials to guide and redirect the propagation of sound. We combine numerical simulations and experiments to design a new class of reconfigurable waveguides based on three-dimensional origami-inspired metamaterials. Our strategy builds on the fact that the rigid plates and hinges forming these structures define networks of tubes that can be easily reconfigured. As such, they provide an ideal platform to actively control and redirect the propagation of sound. We design reconfigurable systems that, depending on the externally applied deformation, can act as networks of waveguides oriented along one, two, or three preferential directions. Moreover, we demonstrate that the capability of the structure to guide and radiate acoustic energy along predefined directions can be easily switched on and off, as the networks of tubes are reversibly formed and disrupted. The proposed designs expand the ability of existing acoustic metamaterials and exploit complex waveguiding to enhance control over propagation and radiation of acoustic energy, opening avenues for the design of a new class of tunable acoustic functional systems.
Analysis of sanding parameters on surface properties and coating performance of red oak wood

ABSTRACT Sanding is the most common machining process used to prepare wood surfaces prior to coating. Hence, to improve surface quality and coating performance during this process, an optimal set of machining parameters should be established according to wood species and its final use. The effects of grit size and feed speed on surface properties and coating performance of red oak wood were studied. Surface quality was assessed by surface roughness, scanning electron micrographs, and wetting analyses. Coating performance was evaluated using pull-off adhesion tests on coated surfaces before and after an accelerated weathering. The results showed that smoother surfaces are obtained as the grit size number of the abrasive increased. On the other hand, minor differences were observed on cell damages and surface roughness as feed speed changed. Also, there was little difference among treatments concerning wetting behavior and surface energy. Pull-off strength was more affected by changes in grit size than feed speed. A P100-grit size program with a feed speed of 7 m/min resulted in a suitable roughness which provided good adhesion and high pull-off strength after aging test.
Acute lower respiratory tract illnesses in Cali, Colombia: a two-year ambulatory study.

A surveillance system for acute lower respiratory tract illnesses was implemented February 1977 in five neighborhood health clinics. Of the 1,229 patients with an illness identified during the 25 months from Feb 1, 1977 to Feb 28, 1979, there were 38 with croup, 451 with tracheobronchitis, 339 with bronchiolitis, and 401 with pneumonia. Forty-two percent of the illnesses occurred in children less than 1 year of age and 66% occurred in children less than 2 years of age. A viral infection was diagnosed in 20% of the patients by viral cultures and/or fourfold rises in complement fixation antibody titers in acute and convalescent sera. A viral agent was identified in 29% of patients with croup, 20% with tracheobronchitis, 22% with bronchiolitis, and 17% with pneumonia. Four viral agents, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses, and influenza viruses accounted for 94% of the cases associated with a viral infection. RSV was associated with 9% of the cases, adenovirus with 6.8%, parainfluenza with 2.1%, and influenza with 1.3%. These four viral agents had slightly different clinical patterns. The majority of RSV infections were diagnosed in children less than 2 years of age with bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Yearly outbreaks of RSV were noted during periods corresponding to RSV peaks in northern temperate climates. Adenoviral infections occurred most frequently in children between 1 and 5 years of age with tracheobronchitis or pneumonia in association with high fever. Parainfluenza viral infections were usually associated with tracheobronchitis and pneumonia. Influenza infections usually occurred in older children with pneumonia associated with high fever, headache, and myalgias. Bacteremias were identified in four patients with lower respiratory tract infections. Twenty percent of children with moderate or severe malnutrition and an acute respiratory illness were bacteremic. Three of the four children with moderate or severe malnutrition, pneumonia, and fever greater than 38.9°C had a positive blood culture. There were 17 children seen who required hospitalization and three subsequent deaths in this group.
Mechanical properties of individual trabeculae in a physiological environment

Reliable mechanical properties of trabecuale are needed at the tissue-level for prediction of mechanical behavior of the overall trabecular structure using Finite element analysis (FEA). The aim of this study was to develop a set-up to test trabeculae in tension in a close to physiological environment, and to determine reliable tissue-level properties. Ten bovine trabeculae were tested until failure. Tissue-stress can only be indirectly determined, since it is based on a defined cross-sectional area. Different geometrical assumptions for the cross-section were compared. The mean tissue Youngs modulus, based on the assumption of an elliptical cross-sectional area, was 9.9 ± 3.4GPa, the mean tissue ultimate tissue strain 9.8 ± 3.9%. Back-calculation of the tissue Youngs modulus by means of FEA illustrated a significant reduction to 8.2 ± 2.4GPa (p < 0.001). However, with simple geometric assumptions, it is possible to estimate a reasonable upper and lower boundary for the tissue Young's modulus. Full-field strain measurements were done to detect localization of strain. It was shown that local strain peaks occur already early after yielding, with a local strain at fracture of 19.7 ± 6.6%. These findings clearly show that individual trabeculae can withstand much higher tissue strains as previously reported.
Impact of Serum Triglyceride and High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels on Early-Phase Insulin Secretion in Normoglycemic and Prediabetic Subjects

Background Increased triglycerides (TGs) and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are established as diabetic risks for nondiabetic subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among TG, HDL-C, TG/HDL-C ratio, and early-phase insulin secretion in normoglycemic and prediabetic subjects. Methods We evaluated 663 Japanese subjects who underwent the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. On the basis of these results, the subjects were divided into four groups: those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT; n=341), isolated impaired fasting glucose (i-IFG; n=211), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (i-IGT; n=71), and combined IFG and IGT (IFG+IGT; n=40). Insulin secretion was estimated by the insulinogenic index (IGI) (Δinsulin/Δglucose [30 to 0 minutes]) and disposition index (DI) (IGI/homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance). Results In prediabetic subjects (i-IFG, i-IGT, and IFG+IGT), linear regression analyses revealed that IGI and DI were positively correlated with HDL-C levels. Moreover, in subjects with i-IGT and (IFG+IGT), but not with i-IFG, the indices of insulin secretion were negatively correlated with the log-transformed TG and TG/HDL-C ratio. In both the subjects with i-IGT, multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that DI was positively correlated with HDL-C and negatively with log-transformed TG and TG/HDL-C ratio. On the other hand, in subjects with NGT, there was no association between insulin secretion and lipid profiles. Conclusion These results revealed that serum TG and HDL-C levels have different impacts on early-phase insulin secretion on the basis of their glucose tolerance status.
The Limiting Power of Autocorrelation Tests in Regression Models with Linear Restrictions

It is well known that the Durbin-Watson and several other tests for first-order autocorrelation have limiting power of either zero or one in a linear regression model without an intercept, and tend to a constant lying strictly between these values when an intercept term is present. This paper considers the limiting power of these tests in models with restricted coefficients. Surprisingly, it is found that with linear restrictions on the coefficients, the limiting power can still drop to zero even with the inclusion of an intercept in the regression. It is also show n that for regressions with valid restrictions , these test statistics have algebraic forms equivalent to the corresponding statistics in the unrestricted model.
Operational Actual Wetland Evapotranspiration Estimation for South Florida Using MODIS Imagery

Evapotranspiration is a reliable indicator of wetland health. Wetlands are an important and valuable ecosystem on the South Florida landscape. Accurate wetland Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) data can be used to evaluate the performance of South Florida’s Everglades restoration programs. However, reliable AET measurements rely on scattered point measurements restricting applications over a larger area. The objective of this study was to validate the ability of the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) approach and the Simple Method (also called the Abtew Method) to provide large area AET estimates for wetland recovery efforts. The study used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor spectral data and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) solar radiation data to derive weekly AET values for South Florida. The SSEB-Simple Method approach provided acceptable results with good agreement with observed values during the critical dry season period, when cloud cover was low (rave (n = 59) = 0.700, pave < 0.0005), but requires further refinement to be viable for yearly estimates because of poor performance during wet season months, mainly because of cloud contamination. The approach can be useful for short-term wetland recovery assessment projects that occur during the dry season and/or long term projects that compare site AET rates from dry season to dry season.
Probabilistic Models in Information Retrieval

In this paper, an introduction and survey over probabilistic information retrieval (IR) is given. First, the basic concepts of this approach are described: the probability-ranking principle shows that optimum retrieval quality can be achieved under certain assumptions; a conceptual model for IR along with the corresponding event space clarify the interpretation of the probabilistic parameters involved. For the estimation of these parameters, three different learning strategies are distinguished, namely query-related, document-related and description-related learning. As a representative for each of these strategies, a specific model is described. A new approach regards IR as uncertain inference; here, imaging is used as a new technique for estimating the probabilistic parameters, and probabilistic inference networks support more complex forms of inference. Finally, the more general problems of parameter estimations, query expansion and the development of models for advanced document representations are discussed.
Design and Optimization of DGS Based T-Stub Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Applications

A compact microstrip patch antenna with wide operational bandwidth is presented.The proposed design consists of rectangular patch antenna in ring shaped with U-slots cut in ground.Antenna is fed by microstrip line.The performance of rectangular patch antenna has been discussed and analyzed by modification of the width and length of patch dimensions as given in the previous work [1]. The design proposed that antenna is having good bandwidth, gain and return loss in frequency band between 3.5-5 GHz.At resonant frequency 2 GHz antenna has bandwidth of 10% and return loss up to -44 dB which are good as compare to reference results. Proposed antenna has been analyzed using IE3D and simulated results are presented in terms of bandwidth, gain and return loss at different frequencies.
Loading Rate Effects on the One-Dimensional Compressibility of Four Partially Saturated Soils

Abstract : The one-dimensional or uniaxial strain response of most soils subjected to high-intensity transient loads differs from the response measured under static conditions. As the time to peak pressure decreases, most soils exhibit a stiffening of the stress-strain response. That stiffening is usually referred to as a loading rate effect. Some researchers have suggested that, as the time to peak pressure approaches the submillisecond range, an increase up to fivefold in the modulus occurs. Other researchers have shown no loading rate effects for a soil under uniaxial strain conditions. An explosive-loaded uniaxial strain test device was modified and used in this study to obtain submillisecond loading times in the laboratory. The results obtained in this device were supplemented with those from an existing state-of-the-art uniaxial strain device to obtain measurements of loading rate effects for rise times to peak pressure ranging from submilliseconds to minutes. Test results at pressures typically on the order of 10,000 psi (69 MPa) at strain rates up to 100 percent/ msec were obtained for four soils--two clean sands, a clayey sand, and a silty clay. These test results showed that a drastic stiffening did not occur in the sumbillisecond range. Instead, a gradual stiffening occurred. The maximum ratio of the measured dynamic-to-static modulus was approximately 2. Based upon these test results, a strain-rate and strain-level dependent modulus stiffening model was developed.
Class 1 Integrons, Selected Virulence Genes, and Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates from the Minjiang River, Fujian Province, China

ABSTRACT Widespread fecal pollution of surface waters in developing countries is a threat to public health and may represent a significant pathway for the global dissemination of antibiotic resistance. The Minjiang River drainage basin in Fujian Province is one of China's most intensive livestock and poultry production areas and is home to several million people. In the study reported here, Escherichia coli isolates (n = 2,788) were sampled (2007 and 2008) from seven surface water locations in the basin and evaluated by PCR for carriage of selected genes encoding virulence factors, primarily for swine disease. A subset of isolates (n = 500) were evaluated by PCR for the distribution and characteristics of class 1 integrons, and a subset of these (n = 200) were evaluated phenotypically for resistance to a range of antibiotics. A total of 666 (24%) E. coli isolates carried at least one of the virulence genes elt, fed A, ast A, fas A, est A, stx 2e, paa, and sep A. Forty-one percent of the isolates harbored class 1 integrons, and these isolates had a significantly higher probability of resistance to tobramycin, cefoperazone, cefazolin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, azitromycin, and rifampin than isolates with no class 1 integron detected. Frequencies of resistance to selected antibiotics were as high as or higher than those in fecal, wastewater, and clinical isolates in published surveys undertaken in China, North America, and Europe. Overall, E. coli in the Minjiang River drainage basin carry attributes with public health significance at very high frequency, and these data provide a powerful rationale for investment in source water protection strategies in this important agricultural and urban setting in China.
Oral calcitriol versus oral alfacalcidol for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving hemodialysis: a randomized, crossover trial.

BACKGROUND Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication in patients with chronic kidney disease and treatment with vitamin D analogues is a mainstay of therapy. Although oral calcitriol and alfacalcidol are used extensively in Canada, there is little published data comparing equal doses of these agents. OBJECTIVES To compare the effect of equal doses of oral calcitriol and alfacalcidol on intact parathyroid hormone concentrations (iPTH) in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism due to chronic kidney disease. Secondary endpoints included serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, calcium and phosphate concentrations, achievement of target iPTH concentrations, and need for phosphate binder dose increases. METHODS Five adult hemodialysis subjects who were naA ve to vitamin D analogues and had iPTH concentrations > or = 20 pmol/L were enrolled in a prospective, randomized 16-week crossover pilot study. Subjects were randomized to either oral calcitriol or oral alfacalcidol 0.75 mcg three times weekly for six weeks. After a four-week washout period, patients were crossed over to the alternate drug for six weeks. RESULTS Oral calcitriol significantly suppressed iPTH after six weeks of therapy (p=0.003), while no significant change in iPTH was observed with oral alfacalcidol. CONCLUSIONS This small randomized crossover study provides preliminary evidence that equal doses of oral alfacalcidol and calcitriol may demonstrate differences in iPTH suppression during the first six weeks in dialysis patients treated for secondary hyperparathyroidism. Further comparative trials are required to confirm this finding and to determine whether important differences in parathyroid hormone suppression exist between oral calcitriol and alfacalcidol beyond the six-week period. Key words: Vitamin D analogues, alfacalcidol, calcitriol, secondary hyperparathyroidism, renal dialysis.