Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychologic Assessment of a Population-based Sample of Gulf War Veterans

Objective:The objective of this project was to compare neuropsychologic performance and quality of life in a population-based sample of deployed Gulf War (GW) veterans with and without multisymptom complaints. Background/Methods:The study participants were obtained from the 30,000 member population-based National Health Survey of GW-era veterans conducted in 1995. Cases (N=25) were deployed to the year 1990 and 1991 GW and met Center for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for multisymptom GW illness (GWI). Controls (N=16) were deployed to the 1990 and 1991 GW but did not meet Center for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for GWI. Results:There were no significant differences in composite scores on the traditional and computerized neuropsychologic battery (automated neuropsychologic assessment metrics) between GW cases and controls using bivariate techniques. Multiple linear regression analyses controlling for demographic and clinical variables revealed composite automated neuropsychologic assessment metrics scores were associated with age (b=−7.8; P=0.084), and education (b=22.9; P=0.0012), but not GW case or control status (b=−63.9; P=0.22). Compared with controls, GW cases had significantly more impairment on the Personality Assessment Inventory and the short form-36. Conclusions:Compared with GW controls, GW cases meeting criteria for GWI had preserved cognition function but had significant psychiatric symptoms and lower quality of life.
Culture and behaviour in the English National Health Service: overview of lessons from a large multimethod study

Background Problems of quality and safety persist in health systems worldwide. We conducted a large research programme to examine culture and behaviour in the English National Health Service (NHS). Methods Mixed-methods study involving collection and triangulation of data from multiple sources, including interviews, surveys, ethnographic case studies, board minutes and publicly available datasets. We narratively synthesised data across the studies to produce a holistic picture and in this paper present a high-level summary. Results We found an almost universal desire to provide the best quality of care. We identified many ‘bright spots’ of excellent caring and practice and high-quality innovation across the NHS, but also considerable inconsistency. Consistent achievement of high-quality care was challenged by unclear goals, overlapping priorities that distracted attention, and compliance-oriented bureaucratised management. The institutional and regulatory environment was populated by multiple external bodies serving different but overlapping functions. Some organisations found it difficult to obtain valid insights into the quality of the care they provided. Poor organisational and information systems sometimes left staff struggling to deliver care effectively and disempowered them from initiating improvement. Good staff support and management were also highly variable, though they were fundamental to culture and were directly related to patient experience, safety and quality of care. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of clear, challenging goals for high-quality care. Organisations need to put the patient at the centre of all they do, get smart intelligence, focus on improving organisational systems, and nurture caring cultures by ensuring that staff feel valued, respected, engaged and supported.
The endocrine control of reproduction in Nereidae: a new multi-hormonal model with implications for their functional role in a changing environment

Nereidae are vital to the functioning of estuarine ecosystems and are major components in the diets of over-wintering birds and commercial fish. They use environmental cues to synchronize reproduction. Photoperiod is the proximate cue, initiating vitellogenesis in a temperature-compensated process. The prevailing paradigm in Nereidae is of a single ‘juvenile’ hormone controlling growth and reproduction. However, a new multi-hormone model is presented here that integrates the environmental and endocrine control of reproduction. This is supported by evidence from in vitro bioassays. The juvenile hormone is shown to be heat stable and cross reactive between species. In addition, a second neuro-hormone, identified here as a gonadotrophic hormone, is shown to be present in mature females and is found to promote oocyte growth. Furthermore, dopamine and melatonin appear to switch off the juvenile hormone while serotonin and oxytocin promote oocyte growth. Global warming is likely to uncouple the phase relationship between temperature and photoperiod, with significant consequences for Nereidae that use photoperiod to cue reproduction during the winter in northern latitudes. Genotypic adaptation of the photoperiodic response may be possible, but significant impacts on fecundity, spawning success and recruitment are likely in response to short-term extreme events. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may also impact on putative steroid hormone pathways in Nereidae with similar consequences. These impacts may have significant implications for the functional role of Nereidae and highlight the importance of comparative endocrinology studies in these and other invertebrates.
Oral Perceptions of Fat and Taste Stimuli Are Modulated by Affect and Mood Induction

This study examined the impact of three clinical psychological variables (non-pathological levels of depression and anxiety, as well as experimentally manipulated mood) on fat and taste perception in healthy subjects. After a baseline orosensory evaluation, ‘sad’, ‘happy’ and ‘neutral’ video clips were presented to induce corresponding moods in eighty participants. Following mood manipulation, subjects rated five different oral stimuli, appearing sweet, umami, sour, bitter, fatty, which were delivered at five different concentrations each. Depression levels were assessed with Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and anxiety levels were assessed via the Spielberger’s STAI-trait and state questionnaire. Overall, subjects were able to track the concentrations of the stimuli correctly, yet depression level affected taste ratings. First, depression scores were positively correlated with sucrose ratings. Second, subjects with depression scores above the sample median rated sucrose and quinine as more intense after mood induction (positive, negative and neutral). Third and most important, the group with enhanced depression scores did not rate low and high fat stimuli differently after positive or negative mood induction, whereas, during baseline or during the non-emotional neutral condition they rated the fat intensity as increasing with concentration. Consistent with others’ prior observations we also found that sweet and bitter stimuli at baseline were rated as more intense by participants with higher anxiety scores and that after positive and negative mood induction, citric acid was rated as stronger tasting compared to baseline. The observation that subjects with mild subclinical depression rated low and high fat stimuli similarly when in positive or negative mood is novel and likely has potential implications for unhealthy eating patterns. This deficit may foster unconscious eating of fatty foods in sub-clinical mildly depressed populations.
National Culture and Union Membership: A Cultural-Cognitive Perspective

National Culture and Union Membership: A Cultural-Cognitive Perspective Moving beyond the normative and regulative perspectives of neo-institutional theory, this study adopted a cultural-cognitive perspective to study the influence of multiple dimensions of national culture on union membership. Cultural frameworks were compared using data from the World Values Survey that were matched to GLOBE and Hofstede national culture scores (n = 43,867 employees, 32 countries). Contrasts between GLOBE and Hofstede scores revealed that GLOBE culture constructs were better predictors and they also enabled an improved understanding of the relationships between national culture and union membership. This resolved the paradoxical lack of a significant relationship between collectivism and union membership in prior research. Specifically, union membership was positively related to institutional collectivism but not to in-group collectivism. Also, that fact that GLOBE Performance Orientation was negatively related to union membership explained why Hofstede’s Masculinity was negatively related to union membership in prior research. Moreover, prior research on union membership tended to use either individual level (i.e., employees) variables, or macro level (i.e., country) variables to explain union membership. Recently developed statistical techniques enabled the analysis of both individual and country level variables in a hierarchical model. Results show that union membership was positively related to sex (female), education, and institutional collectivism, and negatively related to occupation (supervisors and professionals) and performance orientation. There were curvilinear relationships between union membership and age and uncertainty avoidance. Younger and older people were less likely to be union members. Low or high uncertainty avoidance increased union membership. The juxtaposition of the influences of Age and Uncertainty Avoidance on union membership revealed an interesting phenomenon. Opposing curvilinear relationships (concave vs. convex), suggested a complex yet interrelated relationship between age and uncertainty avoidance that is worthy of future research. At different ages people may use uncertainty avoidance differently to evaluate the risks and benefits of union membership.
Skewing of X chromosome inactivation in autoimmunity

Approximately 5% of the population in Western countries is affected by autoimmune diseases (AID), with a significantly higher prevalence in women. Genetic factors are known to be crucial determinants of susceptibility as shown by family and twin studies, although no specific genes predisposing women to autoimmunity have been identified thus far. Several studies indicate that X chromosome abnormalities, such as inactivation patterns, characterize some female-predominant AID. We herein review the most recent evidence on the role of the X chromosome in the breakdown of immune tolerance and discuss its potential implications. Future efforts will help to identify specific X chromosome regions containing candidate genes for disease susceptibility.
The Phenazine 2-Hydroxy-Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid Promotes Extracellular DNA Release and Has Broad Transcriptomic Consequences in Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30–84

Enhanced production of 2-hydroxy-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2-OH-PCA) by the biological control strain Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30–84 derivative 30-84O* was shown previously to promote cell adhesion and alter the three-dimensional structure of surface-attached biofilms compared to the wild type. The current study demonstrates that production of 2-OH-PCA promotes the release of extracellular DNA, which is correlated with the production of structured biofilm matrix. Moreover, the essential role of the extracellular DNA in maintaining the mass and structure of the 30–84 biofilm matrix is demonstrated. To better understand the role of different phenazines in biofilm matrix production and gene expression, transcriptomic analyses were conducted comparing gene expression patterns of populations of wild type, 30-84O* and a derivative of 30–84 producing only PCA (30-84PCA) to a phenazine defective mutant (30-84ZN) when grown in static cultures. RNA-Seq analyses identified a group of 802 genes that were differentially expressed by the phenazine producing derivatives compared to 30-84ZN, including 240 genes shared by the two 2-OH-PCA producing derivatives, the wild type and 30-84O*. A gene cluster encoding a bacteriophage-derived pyocin and its lysis cassette was upregulated in 2-OH-PCA producing derivatives. A holin encoded in this gene cluster was found to contribute to the release of eDNA in 30–84 biofilm matrices, demonstrating that the influence of 2-OH-PCA on eDNA production is due in part to cell autolysis as a result of pyocin production and release. The results expand the current understanding of the functions different phenazines play in the survival of bacteria in biofilm-forming communities.
High In Vitro Infectivity of a Doxycycline-Insensitive Strain of Orientia tsutsugamushi

We compared the infectivity and growth rates of 12 strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi in a cell culture system. ECV304 cells were infected with O. tsutsugamushi strains for 4 hr, and the culture was maintained for 72 hr. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining was performed at 4, 24, 48, and 72 hr after inoculation (hpi), and IF-positive foci were enumerated. The AFSC-4 strain, which is known to be insensitive to doxycycline, showed higher numbers of IF-positive foci than the other 11 strains at 4, 24, 48, and 72 hpi, which may explain its apparent insensitivity to antibiotics.
Threshold based Adaptive Power-Law Applications in Image Enhancement

paper presents a spatial domain threshold based adaptive power-law applications (TAPLA) in image enhancement technique in which adaptation is carried out with local thresholds. This is an improved version of Adaptive Power-law Transformations (APLT) (14) in which adaptation is carried out with local means. The computational time of APLT is window- size dependent to find local mean while the TAPLA is independent of window-size to find local means, which are used to determine the local threshold values. Window-size independent of computational time is due to use of integral average image as prior process to find local mean. Like APLT, TAPLA can control the enhancement factors such as contrast, brightness and sharpness/smoothness with a proper choice of parameters through a single function. This method can be applied on both the grey scale and color images. In the case of color images, each channel is considered separately. TAPLA outperforms better than APLT in image quality as well as in computational time. Keywordspower-law, Image enhancement, Contrast, Transformations, Image sharpening, Artifact, integral average image.
A Novel Acyl-CoA Oxidase That Can Oxidize Short-chain Acyl-CoA in Plant Peroxisomes*

Short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases are β-oxidation enzymes that are active on short-chain acyl-CoAs and that appear to be present in higher plant peroxisomes and absent in mammalian peroxisomes. Therefore, plant peroxisomes are capable of performing complete β-oxidation of acyl-CoA chains, whereas mammalian peroxisomes can perform β-oxidation of only those acyl-CoA chains that are larger than octanoyl-CoA (C8). In this report, we have shown that a novel acyl-CoA oxidase can oxidize short-chain acyl-CoA in plant peroxisomes. A peroxisomal short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase from Arabidopsis was purified following the expression of the Arabidopsis cDNA in a baculovirus expression system. The purified enzyme was active on butyryl-CoA (C4), hexanoyl-CoA (C6), and octanoyl-CoA (C8). Cell fractionation and immunocytochemical analysis revealed that the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase is localized in peroxisomes. The expression pattern of the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase was similar to that of peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, a marker enzyme of fatty acid β-oxidation, during post-germinative growth. Although the molecular structure and amino acid sequence of the enzyme are similar to those of mammalian mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, the purified enzyme has no activity as acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. These results indicate that the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases function in fatty acid β-oxidation in plant peroxisomes, and that by the cooperative action of long- and short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases, plant peroxisomes are capable of performing the complete β-oxidation of acyl-CoA.
Bacterial translocation during liver transplantation: A randomized trial comparing conventional with venovenous bypass vs. piggyback methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial translocation in liver transplantation (LT), comparing the conventional and the piggyback methods. A total of 32 patients were randomized into the 2 groups. Samples of blood were collected from the radial artery, portal vein (PV) and hepatic vein (HV), in up to 120 minutes postreperfusion. The samples were sent for endotoxin level, as well as samples up to 2 minutes post‐perfusion were sent to culture. Hepatic artery and PV blood flows were measured at postreperfusion collection times. The results analyzed were: endotoxin concentration, its quantity, and hepatic clearance. The statistical treatment consisted of analyzing each group's mean profile. The analysis for endotoxin concentration in the radial artery was the deviation related to presurgery measure, and in the PV the deviation related to preclamping (PC) measure. The overall mean level of endotoxin concentration was 0.99 EU/mL in the artery, 1.30 EU/mL in the PV, and 1.22 EU/mL in the HV. The deviation was significant in the portal (P = 0.0031), but not in the artery samples (P = 0.2092). We detected a significant quantity of endotoxin in the artery and in the portal and the HVs (P < 0.001). There was no difference between the 2 groups and no hepatic clearance of endotoxin was detected either (P = 0.1515). All the cultures were negative. In conclusion, the study detected a significant translocation of endotoxin, but not of bacteria. The study also detected the absence of endotoxin hepatic clearance in both the piggyback and the conventional methods without any difference between them. Liver Transpl 13:488–496, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.
A Comparison of Techniques for Scheduling Fleets of Earth-Observing Satellites

Earth observing satellite (EOS) scheduling is a complex real-world domain representative of a broad class of over-subscription scheduling problems. Over-subscription problems are those where requests for a facility exceed its capacity. These problems arise in a wide variety of NASA and terrestrial domains and are . XI important class of scheduling problems because such facilities often represent large capital investments. We have run experiments comparing multiple variants of the genetic algorithm, hill climbing, simulated annealing, squeaky wheel optimization and iterated sampling on two variants of a realistically-sized model of the EOS scheduling problem. These are implemented as permutation-based methods; methods that search in the space of priority orderings of observation requests and evaluate each permutation by using it to drive a greedy scheduler. Simulated annealing performs best and random mutation operators outperform our squeaky (more intelligent) operator. Furthermore, taking smaller steps towards the end of the search improves performance.
Strategies for implementing knowledge management: role of human resources management

The successful implementation of new technologies is dependent on many factors including the efficient management of human resources. Furthermore, recent research indicates that intellectual assets and resources can be utilised much more efficiently and effectively if organisations apply knowledge management techniques for leveraging their human resources and enhancing their personnel management. The human resources departments are well positioned to ensure the success of knowledge management programs, which are directed at capturing, using and re‐using employees’ knowledge. Through human resources management a culture that encourages the free flow of knowledge for meeting organisational goals can be created. The strategic role of the human resources department in identifying strategic and knowledge gaps using knowledge mapping is discussed in this paper. In addition, the drivers and implementation strategies for knowledge management programs are proposed.
Implicit modeling of swept surfaces and volumes

Swept surfaces and volumes are generated by moving a geometric model through space. Swept surfaces and volumes are important in many computer-aided design applications including geometric modeling, numerical cutter path generation, and spatial path planning. In this paper we describe a numerical algorithm to generate swept surfaces and volumes using implicit modeling techniques. The algorithm is applicable to any geometric representation for which a distance function can be computed. The algorithm also treats degenerate trajectories such as self-intersection and surface singularity. We show applications of this algorithm to maintainability design and robot path planning. <<ETX>>
IMPORTANCE OF THE PRE-ANALYTICAL PHASE IN BLOOD GLUCOSE ANALYSIS

Abstract Blood glucose levels are characterized by a relatively large intra-individual biological variability due to food intake, physical activity and the body’s homeostatic response. Careful attention to the pre-analytical phase is essential to ensure accurate glucose measurements. Blood samples should be drawn in the morning after an overnight fast. Proper sample processing after blood collection is crucial. When fast separation of the cells is not possible, blood should be collected into a tube containing a glucose preservative. Glucose concentrations may also differ according to the blood sampling site (venous, arterial or capillary blood). Plasma and whole blood glucose values are not interchangeable. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine recommends reporting the glucose concentration in plasma to avoid clinical misinterpretations irrespective of the sample type and method of measurement. Point-of-care testing (POCT) glucose meters are widely used by both health professionals and diabetic patients to monitor blood glucose levels. However, one should take into account that the reliability of POCT glucose measurements depends upon a variety of factors including underlying disease, patient drug regimens and interfering substances as well as instrument analytical performance and user proficiency. It is recommended to perform a laboratory blood glucose analysis if the POCT glucose value is in the critical hypoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic range.
Modelling of time-dependent bonding and debonding in structures externally strengthened with fibre reinforced polymer sheets

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) as externally bonded reinforcements has gained widespread acceptance as an innovative technique for the maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading of existing concrete structures. Significant enhancements in stiffness, strength and seismic performance of the structures can be achieved by this technique. Among extensive research efforts which have been paid worldwide, the author's research group at Ibaraki University in Japan has greatly contributed in this field. Although short-term behaviour of FRP-strengthened structures is intensively reported thus far, their long-term performance has not thoroughly elucidated yet. This paper presents the recent development in the long-term behaviour of concrete structures externally strengthened with FRP, particularly focusing on the FRP-concrete interface subjected to sustain and fatigue loads. Some suitable time-dependent models for creep and fatigue loading are also introduced. This review paper covers also a comparison between available guidelines and recommendations with the experimental results of time-dependent loading.