Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SADI-S WITH RIGHT GASTRIC ARTERY LIGATION: TECHNICAL SYSTEMATIZATION AND EARLY RESULTS

ABSTRACT Background: Bariatric surgery is performed all over the world with close to 500.000 procedures per year. The most performed techniques are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. Despite this data, the most effective procedure, biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch, represents only no more than 1.5% of the procedures. Technical complexity, morbidity, mortality, and severe nutritional adverse effects related to the procedure are the main fears that prevent most universal acceptance. Aim: To explain the technical aspects and the benefits of the SADI-S with right gastric artery ligation as an effective simplification from the original duodenal switch. Methods: Were included all patients undergoing this procedure from the November 2014 to May 2016, describing and analysing aspects of this technique, the systematization and early complications associated with the procedure. Results: A series of 67 patients were operated; 46 were women (68.7%); mean age of the group was 44 years old (33-56); and an average BMI of 53.5 kg/m2 (50-63.5). Surgical time was 115 min (80-180). A total of five patients (7.5%) had any complication and two (2.9%) had to be reoperated. There were two patients with leak, one at the duodenal stump and other at the esophagogastric angle. There was no mortality. Patients stayed at the hospital a median of 2.5 days (1-25). Conclusions: SADI-S with right gastric artery ligation is a safe procedure with few preliminary complications. The technical variations introduced to the classical duodenal switch are reproducible and may allow this procedure to be more popular. All the complications in this series were not related to the ligation of the right gastric artery.
A Multi-Scenario Forecast of Urban Change: A Study on Urban Growth in the Algarve

This discussion paper resulted in an article in Landscape and Urban Planning (2012). Volume 104, issue 2, pages 201-211. The Algarve region in Portugal is often considered as one of the most appealing regions for tourism in the country. Its attractive location and moderate climate have since the mid-1960s brought increasing economic prosperity. As a result of the development of mass tourism, available land-use resources were widely exploited to create an integrated tourist industry. This region has shown an increasing loss of ecosystems resulting from the expansion of urban areas. This has also been accompanied by a significant abandonment of rural areas and hinterlands, leading to loss of agriculture and other rural activities. Clearly, urban growth needs considerable attention in the context of sustainable development, as often peri-urban areas with fragile ecosystems are becoming increasingly vulnerable. This paper aims to develop and apply key tools to quantify the changes of land use and how this affects the regional spatial scope by using multi-temporal inventorying an d accounting of land-use change matrices. Using Cellular Automata and a combined interpretation of CORINE Land Cover Data, it converges into a qualitative to quantitative interpretation of land use change by means of Multi-Criteria Evaluation. Finally, our analysis to identify the scenario with the best fit, based on the evolution of the actual 2006 land cover, enabled us to build a future urban growth model for 2020 which was quantitatively assessed. The outcome suggests a picture of continuing growth for the region of the Algarve within the framework of current policies and regressive spatial trends.
Potential hepatotoxicity of geniposide, the major iridoid glycoside in dried ripe fruits of Gardenia jasminoides (Zhi-zi)

The safety of geniposide, mainly focusing on its hepatotoxicity in rats, was determined by liver enzymes in serum and histopathology ultrastructural preparation. The lethal dose, 50% (LD50) of per oral geniposide was 1431.1 mg kg−1. The acute toxicity study indicated geniposide at dose of 574 mg kg−1 or more could cause hepatic toxicity in rats and the hepatotoxicity often appeared at 24–48 h after the oral administration. The hepatotoxicity was associated with oxidative stress with decrease of total superoxide dismutase activity and increase of malondialdehyde concentration in rats’ livers. Subchronic toxicity study showed geniposide did not cause hepatotoxicity at the doses of 24.3 and 72.9 mg kg−1 orally for 90 days in rats. Thus, acute hepatotoxicity of geniposide at high doses was likely to be linked to oxidative stress, while geniposide at normal dose of 24.3 mg kg−1 or less did not cause hepatotoxicity even in the repeated dosing study.
Treatment Steps, Surgery, and Hospitalization Rates During the First Year of Follow-up in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases from the 2011 ECCO-Epicom Inception Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ECCO-EpiCom study investigates the differences in the incidence and therapeutic management of inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] between Eastern and Western Europe. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences in the disease phenotype, medical therapy, surgery, and hospitalization rates in the ECCO-EpiCom 2011 inception cohort during the first year after diagnosis. METHODS Nine Western, five Eastern European centres and one Australian centre with 258 Crohn's disease [CD], 380 ulcerative colitis [UC] and 71 IBD unclassified [IBDU] patients [female/male: 326/383; mean age at diagnosis: 40.9 years, SD: 17.3 years] participated. Patients' data were registered and entered in the web-based ECCO-EpiCom database [www.epicom-ecco.eu]. RESULTS In CD, 36 [19%] Western Europe/Australian and 6 [9%] Eastern European patients received biological therapy [p = 0.04], but the immunosuppressive [IS] use was equal and high in these regions [Eastern Europe vs Western Europe/Australia: 53% vs 45%; p = 0.27]. Surgery was performed in 17 [24%] CD patients in Eastern Europe and 13 [7%] in Western Europe/Australia [p < 0.001, pLogRank = 0.001]. Of CD patients from Eastern Europe, 24 [34%] were hospitalized, and 39 [21%] from Western Europe/Australia, [p = 0.02, pLogRank = 0.01]. In UC, exposure to biologicals and colectomy rates were low and hospitalization rates did not differ between these regions during the 1-year follow-up period [16% vs 16%; p = 0.93]. CONCLUSIONS During the first year after diagnosis, surgery and hospitalization rates were significantly higher in CD patients in Eastern Europe compared with Western Europe/Australia, whereas significantly more CD patients were treated with biologicals in the Western Europe/Australian centres.
Multiple oscillators regulate circadian gene expression in Neurospora

High-density microarrays were used to profile circadian gene expression in Neurospora crassa cultures grown in constant darkness. We identified 145 clock-controlled genes (ccgs). The ccgs peaked in mRNA accumulation at all phases of the day, with the majority peaking in the late night to early morning. The predicted or known functions of the ccgs demonstrate that the clock contributes to a wide range of cellular processes, including cell signaling, development, metabolism, and stress responses. Although the period of rhythm of most of the ccgs was found to depend on the well characterized frequency (FRQ)-based oscillator, three ccgs appeared to have a rhythm that was significantly short in the long period (29-h) frq7 mutant strain. These ccgs accumulate mRNA rhythmically with a circadian period in a frq-null strain, confirming the existence of a second oscillator in N. crassa.
A New Optimization Engine for the LSF Vector Quantization

The speech signal line spectral frequencies (LSF) vector quantization is one of the most important issues in speech coding systems, while the codebook design is the key problem, which impacts the synthesis speech quality severely. A new optimization mechanism named vector space scale-stretching (VSSS) was presented in this paper. By introducing nearest neighbor partition (NNP) control factor based on the scale-stretching technique, the codebook centroid track was optimized in a comparatively low dimension space. The new optimization mechanism reduced the search space of evolutionary computation and made the evolutionary operation more maneuverable. The experiments show that the VSSS is effective, and the new codebook design algorithms are robust.
Primary sources of PM 2.5 organic aerosol in an industrial Mediterranean city, Marseille

Marseille, the most important port of the Mediterranean Sea, represents a challenging case study for source apportionment exercises, combining an active photochemistry and multiple emission sources, including fugitive emissions from industrial sources and shipping. This paper presents a Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) approach based on organic markers and metals to apportion the primary sources of organic aerosol in Marseille, with a special focus on industrial emissions. Overall, the CMB model accounts for the major primary anthropogenic sources including motor vehicles, biomass burning and the aggregate emissions from three industrial processes (heavy fuel oil combustion/shipping, coke production and steel manufacturing) as well as some primary biogenic emissions. This source apportionment exercise is well corroborated by 14 C measurements. Primary OC estimated by the CMB accounts on average for 22% of total OC and is dominated by the vehicular emissions that contribute on average for 17% of OC mass concentration (vehicular PM contributes for 17% of PM 2.5 ). Even though industrial emissions contribute only 2.3% of the total OC (7% of PM 2.5 ), they are associated with ultrafine particles ( Dp <80 nm) and high concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals such as Pb, Ni and V. On one hand, given that industrial emissions governed key primary markers, their omission would lead to substantial uncertainties in the CMB analysis performed in areas heavily impacted by such sources, hindering accurate estimation of non-industrial primary sources and secondary sources. On the other hand, being associated with bursts of submicron particles and carcinogenic and mutagenic components such as PAH, these emissions are most likely related with acute ill-health outcomes and should be regulated despite their small contributions to OC. Another important result is the fact that 78% of OC mass cannot be attributed to the major primary sources and, thus, remains un-apportioned. We have consequently critically investigated the uncertainties underlying our CMB apportionments. While we have provided some evidence for photochemical decay of hopanes, this decay does not appear to significantly alter the CMB estimates of the total primary OC. Sampling artifacts and unaccounted primary sources also appear to marginally influence the amount of un-apportioned OC. Therefore, this significant amount of un-apportioned OC is mostly attributed to secondary organic carbon that appears to be the major component of OC during the whole period of study.
Dependence of the fracture and fatigue performance of polyolefins and related blends and composites on microstructural and molecular characteristics

This article surveys the influence of microstructural, morphological and molecular variables on the fracture and fatigue behavior of polyolefins, related blends and composites. The effects of major parameters of the structural hierarchy on the fracture mechanics (FM) response were considered and the related model descriptions reviewed. Emphasis was put on how important is to select the right FM approach for the toughness determination. It was pointed out that a clear distinction between crack initiation and growth is the essential prerequisite to differentiate between effects of the initial structure and its alteration due to mechanical loading. Although the microstructural dependence of the fracture and fatigue properties in reinforced, filled and impact modified polyolefins is quite well explored, this information is still missing for the neat polymers. This is due to a strong interlinking among molecular and morphological variables in neat polyolefins. Recommendations were given how to overcome this difficulty.
Advances in Web Based Learning ICWL 2009 : 8th International Conference, Aachen, Germany, August 19-21, 2009. Proceedings

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Web-Based Learning, ICWL 2009, held in Aachen, Germany, in August 2009. The 38 revised full papers and 14 short papers are presented together with three invited papers and were carefully reviewed and selected from 106 submissions. They deal with topics such as technology enhanced learning, web-based learning for oriental languages, mobile learning, social software and Web 2.0 for technology enhanced learning, learning resource deployment, organization and management, design, model and framework of E-learning systems, e-learning metadata and standards, educational gaming and multimedia storytelling for learning, as well as practice and experience sharing and pedagogical Issues
Internal structure analysis of asphalt mixes to improve the simulation of Superpave gyratory compaction to field conditions

The laboratory compaction method influences the design and performance testing of asphalt mixes. For a performance test to yield reliable mechanical properties, it is necessary to ensure that laboratory specimens are fabricated in a manner that adequately simulates field compaction. The simulation is based on the distribution of aggregates and air voids inside the mix, which is referred to in this study as the internal structure. This study evaluated the ability of the Superpave gyratory compactor (SGC) to simulate the internal structure of asphalt pavements, and the influence of different field compaction patterns on the produced internal structure. Computer automated image analysis techniques and X-ray computed tomography were used to capture and quantify the internal structure distribution. Three field test sections were constructed using different compaction patterns. SGC specimens were prepared using different values for the angle of gyration, applied pressure, specimen height, and temperature of base plates and mold in order to determine the best combination of gyratory internal variables that would simulate field compaction. In addition, the study evaluated the sensitivity of the compaction curve characteristics to changes in the SGC variables. The results indicated that the different field compaction patterns used in this study produced similar internal structure in asphalt pavements. However, changing the compaction variables in the SGC (angle, pressure, height, and temperature) influenced the internal structure in laboratory specimens. It was possible to simulate the internal structure of asphalt pavements by changing the angle of gyration and specimen height in the SGC. Increasing the temperature of base plates and mold of the gyratory compactor assisted in developing more random distribution of air voids within a specimen. Graduate Research Assistant, Washington State University Assistant professor, Washington State University 3 Asphalt Materials Engineer, Asphalt Institute 4 Research Scientist, NDE Validation Center, Federal Highway Administration The influence of improving the simulation of SGC specimens to asphalt pavement internal structure on performance testing was evaluated
Cytokines and cell surface receptors as target end points of immunosuppression with cyclosporine A.

Targets of cyclosporine (CsA) were identified from an array of stimulated lymphocyte responses (sLR) comprising 34 stimulation conditions in whole blood from 3 normal human volunteers (NHV) containing clinically relevant CsA concentrations (0-1200 ng/ml) in vitro. In whole blood from 5 additional NHV, selected targets (intracellular interleukin-2 [IL-2], tumor-necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], and interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma]) were measured in phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-ionomycin-stimulated T lymphocytes. Effect:concentration relationships were analyzed with E(max) pharmacodynamic (PD) equations and expressed as the concentration associated with one-half maximal inhibitory effect (EC(50)). CsA demonstrated a rich matrix of inhibitory effects on T cells (CD3(+)), B cells (CD19(+)), dendritic cells (DC) (CD11c(+)), and basophils (CD123(+)) but not on monocytes (CD14(+)) (n = 3). PD analyses suggested that the EC(50) of CsA (1) for IL-2 in CD3(+) cells in NHV (n = 8) was similar to the EC(50) demonstrated by us previously in CD4(+) cells from transplanted patients (n = 13) (EC(50) = 260 ng/ml vs. 249 ng/ml), (2) for each cytokine was different under identical stimulation conditions (TNF-alpha, 324 ng/ml; IFN-gamma, 504 ng/ml), and (3) was relatively constant for a given cytokine under different stimulation conditions (e.g., PMA-ionomycin or the staphylococcal enterotoxin B [SEB] superantigen). In conclusion, inhibition of cytokine targets by CsA is concentration dependent. Further, a given CsA concentration may produce similar inhibitory effects across different stimulation conditions. Measurement of cytokine target expression may, therefore, allow effect-controlled administration of CsA during clinical transplantation.
(ε, δ) contractive condition and common fixed points

In this paper we obtain common fixed point theorems under the Lipschitz type analogue of a strict contractive condition by using the notion of R weak commutativity of type (Ag). In the setting of our results, we use the property (E.A) introduced by Aamri and Moutawakil [1] and compare these with the results proved by using the notion of noncompatiblity introduced by Pant [4]. Simultaneously, we provide contractive condition which ensure the existence of a common fixed point; however, the mappings are discontinuous at the common fixed point. We, thus, provide one more answer to the problem of Rhoades [10]. Our theorems extend the results of Pant and Pant (Theorem 2.1 Pant [6]), Pant, R.P. [5, Theorem 2]), Pant Vyomesh [8] and Singh and Kumar [11].
A protocol for the development of a critical thinking assessment tool for nurses using a Delphi technique

AIM The aim of this study was to develop an assessment tool to measure the critical thinking ability of nurses. BACKGROUND As an increasing number of complex patients are admitted to hospitals, the importance of nurses recognizing changes in health status and picking up on deterioration is more important. To detect early signs of complication requires critical thinking skills. Registered Nurses are expected to commence their clinical careers with the necessary critical thinking skills to ensure safe nursing practice. Currently, there is no published tool to assess critical thinking skills which is context specific to Australian nurses. DESIGN A modified Delphi study will be used for the project. METHODS This study will develop a series of unfolding case scenarios using national health data with multiple-choice questions to assess critical thinking. Face validity of the scenarios will be determined by an expert reference group of clinical and academic nurses. A Delphi study will determine the answers to scenario questions. Panel members will be expert clinicians and educators from two states in Australia. Rasch analysis of the questionnaire will assess validity and reliability of the tool. Funding for the study and Research Ethics Committee approval were obtained in March and November 2016, respectively. DISCUSSION Patient outcomes and safety are directly linked to nurses' critical thinking skills. This study will develop an assessment tool to provide a standardized method of measuring nurses' critical thinking skills across Australia. This will provide healthcare providers with greater confidence in the critical thinking level of graduate Registered Nurses.
promotersexpression conservation in orthologous yeast ribosomal Molecular dissection of the genetic mechanisms that underlie Material

Material Supplemental http://genome.cshlp. org/content/suppl/2014/10/07/gr.179259. 114.DC1. html P<P Published online October 7, 2014 in advance of the print journal. Manuscript Accepted manuscript is likely to differ from the final, published version. Peer-reviewed and accepted for publication but not copyedited or typeset; accepted License Commons Creative . http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ described at a Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International), as ). After six months, it is available under http://genome.cshlp. org/site/misc/terms.xhtml first six months after the full-issue publication date (see This article is distributed exclusively by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the
Effect of epoxidised soybean oil loading as plasticiser on physical, mechanical and thermal properties of polyvinylchloride

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of epoxidised soybean oil (ESO) as an alternative plasticizer on physical, mechanical and thermal properties of plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PPVC). Samples were prepared using 10, 20, 30 and 40% by weight percent of ESO. The samples were characterized for density, water absorption, tensile, hardness and thermal properties. The addition of ESO as plasticizer in PVC had caused significant effect on the physical and mechanical properties of PPVC. Increasing of ESO loading had resulted in decreased density, tensile strength, tensile modulus but increased in elongation at break and shore hardness. From water absorption study, it was observed that the all the samples reached the plateau absorption at days 8 to 10 with absorption percentages of between 1.8 to 2%. In general the crystallinity of PPVC maintained between 10 to 13% with increase in ESO loading while the melting point ( Tm) is slightly decreased about 3 to 6°C. In this study, ESO which acts as plasticiser were found to result in lower glass transition temperature (Tg). The enhancements of super cooling with higher ESO loading were found to increase the crystallization temperature, promoting crystallisation and act as nucleating agent.
Transformation characteristics of medium carbon V – Ti – N microalloyed steel for non-quenched/tempered oil well tubes

Abstract The phase transformation points of a medium carbon V - Ti - N microalloyed steel were determined, as were the continuous cooling transformation curves of austenite heated at 1100 ° C without deformation and heated at 1200 ° C with two pass deformation. The data have been further used to analyse the real production scheme of N80 grade hot rolled non-quenched/tempered seamless tubes. The results have showed clearly that the commonly used 'in line normalisation' is not always necessary in the non-quenched/tempered production process of N80 grade hot rolled seamless oil well tubes. The above viewpoint has been further demonstrated by the microstructural examination of specimens sampled from industrial production.