Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIV Case Manager Preparedness for Practice in Ryan White CARE Act Funded Settings

While current research on the factors affecting the HIV epidemic within the general population has considered the role of HIV case managers, much remains to be known about case management effectiveness and how it might be enhanced. This article presents the data from a statewide survey of case management professionals in Florida. The study focused on case managers' preparation for practice and barriers to successful practice. The study results reflect a very broad educational preparation in multiple disciplines with highly varied means of case manager training and orientation at entry to practice. Further, the results highlighted the existence of multiple barriers that challenge the ability of case managers to cope with the demands of case management practice in sites serving people living with HIV/AIDS who are socially and economically challenged. The article concludes with recommendations for changes in the system that would enhance the preparation of case management professionals for entry to practice.
Individual Heterogeneity in Vital Parameters and Demographic Stochasticity

Most population models assume that individuals have equal opportunities for survival and reproduction, although many natural populations consist of individuals with different vital parameters that remain different over time. Individual heterogeneity in vital parameters, which may depend on age or stage, can alter many population characteristics compared with a homogeneous population, affecting both deterministic and stochastic properties of the population process. Demographic variance is an important parameter influenced by heterogeneity. However, whether heterogeneity leads to increased or decreased demographic variance has been an unresolved question, except for special cases. Here, we present a general stochastic matrix model for a heterogeneous population that allows us to examine effects of heterogeneity on population dynamics, even when the degree of heterogeneity depends on age. Using this model, we found that the demographic variance may increase, decrease, or remain unaltered compared with a homogeneous comparison model, depending on the vital parameter values and on how these are distributed among individuals at each time step. Furthermore, if the reproductive value is the same for all individuals, heterogeneity has no effect on the demographic variance. Thus, we provide a general theoretical framework for analyzing how individual heterogeneity caused by different biological mechanisms affects fluctuations of especially small populations.
The characterization of a pressure sensor constructed from a knitted spacer structure

Background and Objectives: This study investigates a novel type of textile pressure sensor fabricated in a single production step. The work characterizes two designs of electronic textile pressure sensor creating new knowledge into the operation of these types of textile sensors. Interest in electronic flexible film and electronic textile pressure sensing has grown in recent years given their potential in medical applications, principally in developing monitoring solutions for wheelchair users and hospital patients to help prevent the formation of pressure ulcers. Materials and Methods: Two designs of textile pressure sensor were produced using computerized flat-bed knitting. One design was produced in a single step, where the conductive tracks were incorporated into the top and bottom surfaces of a knitted spacer structure (knitted spacer pressure sensor). The other sensor was comprised of separate knitted layers. The response of the sensors was tested by changing the applied pressure in two ways: By altering the applied force or changing the area of the applied force. Sensor hysteresis and how the sensor thickness affected its response were also examined. Results: The two sensor designs behaved differently under the tested conditions. The knitted spacer pressure sensor was pressure sensitive up to 25 kPa and showed no hysteretic effects over the pressure range of interest. Conclusions: This study presents a fully textile pressure sensor that was produced with a single production step and demonstrates its functionality over the pressure range of interest for monitoring wheelchair users.
Relationship between color M-mode echocardiography flow propagation and cardiac iron load on MRI in patients with thalassemia major.

PURPOSE Myocardial iron overload remains an important problem and results in cardiac dysfunction in patients with thalassemia major (TM). The ratio of color M-mode flow propagation velocity to early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E/Vp) in echocardiography is a marker of increased left ventricular filling pressure, which is independent of preload, afterload, and heart rate. We examined the relationship between E/Vp and iron loading in patients with TM using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one TM patients and 21 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Transmitral flow, pulmonary vein velocities, and Vp were obtained by two blinded echocardiographers. Left ventricular isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) was measured in the apical long axis by echocardiography. All patients also underwent MRI for cardiac T2* evaluation of iron overload. An increased E/Vp was defined as > 1.5. RESULTS The E/Vp ratio was increased in TM patients compared with control subjects (1.7±0.4 and 1.2±0.2, P < 0.01, respectively). There was no correlation between E/Vp and cardiac T2* value. E/Vp was significantly correlated with IVRT (r=0.51, P = 0.02). In addition, the cardiac T2* value was comparable in patients with an E/Vp > 1.5 and E/Vp ≤1.5 (21.1±9.8 ms vs. 22.3±8.0 ms, P = 0.80, respectively). CONCLUSION E/Vp may be a marker of diastolic abnormality that is independent from myocardial iron load in TM patients with preserved left ventricular function.
Pre‐delivery fibrinogen predicts adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes in patients with placental abruption

Placental abruption is a severe obstetric complication of pregnancy that can cause disseminated intravascular coagulation and progress to massive post‐partum hemorrhage. Coagulation disorder due to extreme consumption of fibrinogen is considered the main pathogenesis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with placental abruption. The present study sought to determine if the pre‐delivery fibrinogen level could predict adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes in patients with placental abruption.
Construction of early and midlife work trajectories in women and their association with birth weight.

OBJECTIVES We derived trajectories of the substantive complexity (SC) of work across mid-adult life in women and determined their association with term birth weight. SC is a concept that encompasses decision latitude, active learning, and ability to use and expand one's abilities at work. METHODS Using occupational data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and O*NET work variables, we used growth mixture modeling (GMM) to construct longitudinal trajectories of work SC from the ages of 18 to 34 years. The association between work trajectories and birth weight of infants born to study participants was modeled using generalized estimating equations, adjusting for education, income, and relevant covariates. RESULTS GMM yielded a 5-class solution for work trajectories in women. Higher work trajectories were associated with higher term birth weight and were robust to the inclusion of both education and income. A work trajectory that showed a sharp rise after age 24 years was associated with marked improvement in birth weight. CONCLUSIONS Longitudinal modeling of work characteristics might improve capacity to integrate occupation into a life-course model that examines antecedents and consequences for maternal and child health.
Cytokeratin immunohistochemistry improves interobserver variability between unskilled pathologists in the evaluation of tumor budding in T1 colorectal cancer

Tumor budding is a major risk factor for T1 colorectal cancer. Quality control of the pathological diagnosis of budding is crucial, irrespective of the pathologist's experience. This study examines the interobserver variability according to pathologists' experience and evaluates the influence of cytokeratin (CK) immunostaining in the assessment of budding. Hematoxylin‐eosin (HE) and CK‐immunostained slides of 40 cases with T1 primary colorectal cancer were examined. Budding grades were individually evaluated by 12 pathologists who we categorized into three groups by their experience (expert, with >10 years of experience (n = 4), senior, with 5–10 years (n = 4), and junior, < 5 years (n = 4)). The results revealed a tendency for the more experienced pathologists to assign higher budding grades compared to the less‐experienced pathologists. In the junior group, the interobserver variability obtained with HE slides was poor, but it was markedly improved in the evaluation using CK‐immunostained slides. The benefit of CK immunostaining was only slight in the expert group. CK immunostaining would be useful when a pathologist is not experienced enough or does not have enough confidence in the assessment of budding.
Exploring the Cultivable Ectocarpus Microbiome

Coastal areas form the major habitat of brown macroalgae, photosynthetic multicellular eukaryotes that have great ecological value and industrial potential. Macroalgal growth, development, and physiology are influenced by the microbial community they accommodate. Studying the algal microbiome should thus increase our fundamental understanding of algal biology and may help to improve culturing efforts. Currently, a freshwater strain of the brown macroalga Ectocarpus subulatus is being developed as a model organism for brown macroalgal physiology and algal microbiome studies. It can grow in high and low salinities depending on which microbes it hosts. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process are still unclear. Cultivation of Ectocarpus-associated bacteria is the first step toward the development of a model system for in vitro functional studies of brown macroalgal–bacterial interactions during abiotic stress. The main aim of the present study is thus to provide an extensive collection of cultivable E. subulatus-associated bacteria. To meet the variety of metabolic demands of Ectocarpus-associated bacteria, several isolation techniques were applied, i.e., direct plating and dilution-to-extinction cultivation techniques, each with chemically defined and undefined bacterial growth media. Algal tissue and algal growth media were directly used as inoculum, or they were pretreated with antibiotics, by filtration, or by digestion of algal cell walls. In total, 388 isolates were identified falling into 33 genera (46 distinct strains), of which Halomonas (Gammaproteobacteria), Bosea (Alphaproteobacteria), and Limnobacter (Betaproteobacteria) were the most abundant. Comparisons with 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding data showed that culturability in this study was remarkably high (∼50%), although several cultivable strains were not detected or only present in extremely low abundance in the libraries. These undetected bacteria could be considered as part of the rare biosphere and they may form the basis for the temporal changes in the Ectocarpus microbiome.
Renal Adaptation to Anemia

Renal adaptation to anemia was studied in dogs that had been bled repeatedly during a week to produce hematocrit values of between 12 and 21%. Total renal blood flow was unaltered despite a significant increase in cardiac output. Total renal oxygen consumption was within normal limits, but the Po2 of cortical tissue was significantly reduced. Glomerular filtration rate and therefore filtered sodium load were reduced. These alterations were interpreted as resulting from preglomerular vasoconstriction together with a decrease in postglomerular vascular resistance, the latter perhaps a consequence chiefly of the diminished blood viscosity. Sodium reabsorption in relation to filtered sodium load was unimpaired in anemic animals; actually the sodium excretion factor was lower than in normal animals. It is concluded that the maintenance of normal renal function in the anemic animal is obtained by a decrease in work load (i.e. reduced glomerular filtration rate) and more efficient oxygen extraction related to increased blood tissue Po2 gradient. Increased titers of erythropoiesis-stimulating substance could be demonstrated in these anemic animals. It is suggested that the low cortical tissue Po2 is responsible for the release of this factor.
An Accurate Method for Frequency Estimation of a Real Sinusoid

It is well known that the positive- and negative-frequency components of a real sinusoid spectrally interact with each other; thus, introducing bias in frequency estimation based on the periodogram maximization. We propose to filter out the negative-frequency component. To that end, a coarse frequency estimation is obtained using the windowing approach, known to reduce the estimation bias, and then used to filter out the negative-frequency component via modulation and discrete Fourier transform bin excision approach. Fine estimation is performed using accurate frequency estimators, developed for complex sinusoids, on the filtered signal. The proposed method is characterized by the O(N log2 N) complexity in terms of additions/multiplications and the O(N) complexity in terms of sine/cosine operations and comparisons. Moreover, it achieves the Cramer-Rao lower bound and is not sensitive to sinusoid frequency and initial phase, thus, outperforming the state-of-the-art methods.
Where We Are Now

I knew Robert Oppenheimer for only a few years when he was director of the Institute for Advanced Studies, but I knew of him as one of the great men of our times for many years before. It is a high honor to receive an award bearing his name, especially an award that has previously been received by Dirac, Dyson, Salam, and Serber. I am very grateful. In considering what to talk about here, I picked up Dirac's little book, The Development of Quantum Theory, which contains the text of the talk he gave on receiving the first Oppenheimer prize. It was fascinating for me to read Dirac's reminiscences of the heroic period at the birth of quantum mechanics, and I wished I had heard his talk. I don't think reminiscences of my own times would be anywhere near so interesting-as Dirac says, there has not been any revolution in physics since the early 1930's even remotely as important as the development of quantum mechanics, a fact of which physicists of my generation are painfully aware. Therefore, rather than reminisce about the mini-revolutions, palace coups, and constitutional crises of my own times,; I would like instead to look at the physics of particles and fields from the perspective of the present moment, and try to describe where I think we are now. To talk about where we are now, it is necessary to have some rough idea of where we wanted to go. Different physicists have different motivations, and I can only speak with certainty about my own. To me, the reason for spending so much effort and money on elementary particle research is not that particles are so interesting in them-
Analysis of p53 mutations and the expression of p53 and p21WAF1/CIP1 protein in 15 cases of sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to detect mutation of the p53 gene, to assess its relationship with p53 or p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression, and to evaluate the correlation between p53 mutation or p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression and clinicopathologic findings in sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid. METHODS Fifteen conventional paraffin-embedded samples of sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid were analyzed. Using the single-strand conformation polymorphism technique, the authors sequenced coding exons 5-8 of the p53 gene. The expression of p53 and p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In 10 of the 15 cases (66.7%), point mutations were detected in the p53 gene. CC to TT double-base changes (tandem mutations), which are known to be induced only by UV, were not detected in any of the mutations. Correlations between p53 mutation and expression were found to be statistically significant (P = 0.007). There was no significant correlation between p53 mutation and clinicopathologic findings or p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression. However, there was a significant inverse correlation between p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression and presence of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS Among human cancers, sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid may be one of those showing most frequent mutation of the p53 gene, which may not be caused by exposure to UV. p21(WAF1/CIP1) downregulation may be associated with lymph node metastasis.
The pattern of responding in the peak-interval procedure with gaps: an individual-trials analysis.

Humans and lower animals time as if using a stopwatch that can be "stopped" or "reset" on command. This view is challenged by data from the peak-interval procedure with gaps: Unexpected retention intervals (gaps) delay the response function in a seemingly continuous fashion, from stop to reset. We evaluated whether these results are an artifact of averaging over trials, or whether subjects use discrete alternatives or a continuum of alternatives in individual-trials: A Probability-of-Reset hypothesis proposes that in individual gap trials subjects stochastically use discrete alternatives (stop/reset), such that when averaged over trials, the response distribution in gap trials falls in between "stop" and "reset. " Alternatively, a Resource Allocation hypothesis proposes that during individual gap trials working memory for the pregap duration decays, such that the response function in individual gap trials is shifted rightward in a continuous fashion. Both hypotheses provided very good fits with the observed individual-trial distributions, although the Resource Allocation hypothesis generated reliably better fits. Results provide support for the usefulness of individual-trial analyses in dissociating theoretical alternatives in interval timing tasks.
Endothelial dysfunction in hemodialysis patients with failed renal transplants

Gorgulu N, Yelken B, Caliskan Y, Elitok A, Cimen AO, Yazici H, Oflaz H, Golcuk E, Ekmekci A, Turkmen A, Yildiz A, Sever MS. Endothelial dysfunction in hemodialysis patients with failed renal transplants. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2009. 01160.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Comparison of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Resting Behavior on Two Fabric Types Under Consideration for Insecticide Treatment in a Push-Pull Strategy

ABSTRACT Aedes aegypti (L.), the primary vector of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, breeds and rests predominately inside human dwellings. With no current vaccine available, vector control remains the mainstay for dengue management and novel approaches continue to be needed to reduce virus transmission. This requires a full understanding of Ae. aegypti ecology to design effective strategies. One novel approach is the use of contact irritants at target resting sites inside homes to make the surface unacceptable and cause vectors to escape before biting. The objective of the current study was to observe indoor resting behavior patterns of female Ae. aegypti within experimental huts in response to two fabrics under consideration for insecticide treatment: cotton and polyester. Results indicate that fabric type, coverage ratio of dark to light fabric and placement configuration (vertical vs. horizontal) all influenced the resting pattern of mosquito cohorts. Findings from this study will guide evaluations of a push-pull strategy designed to exploit contact irritant behaviors and drive Ae. aegypti out of homes prefeeding.
Achievable Rates for Pattern Recognition

Biological and machine pattern recognition systems face a common challenge: Given sensory data about an unknown pattern, classify the pattern by searching for the best match within a library of representations stored in memory. In many cases, the number of patterns to be discriminated and the richness of the raw data force recognition systems to internally represent memory and sensory information in a compressed format. However, these representations must preserve enough information to accommodate the variability and complexity of the environment, otherwise recognition will be unreliable. Thus, there is an intrinsic tradeoff between the amount of resources devoted to data representation and the complexity of the environment in which a recognition system may reliably operate. In this paper, we describe a mathematical model for pattern recognition systems subject to resource constraints, and show how the aforementioned resource-complexity tradeoff can be characterized in terms of three rates related to the number of bits available for representing memory and sensory data, and the number of patterns populating a given statistical environment. We prove single-letter information-theoretic bounds governing the achievable rates, and investigate in detail two illustrative cases where the pattern data is either binary or Gaussian.
Infection Control Measures in Private Dental Clinics in Lebanon

Purpose Evaluate infection control knowledge, attitude, and practice in Lebanese private dental clinics. Materials and Methods A survey including 46 questions related to routine safety procedures was sent to 1150 Lebanese dentists between July 1st and 2nd, 2015. The study sample was selected from the database of registered dentists based on a proportional random sampling ensuring equitable representation of the 5 geographic regions of Lebanon. A subset of 29 questions was used to generate an overall score of compliance (excellent, good, fair, and poor). Comparisons according to gender, type, region, and years of practice were performed. Results 417 dentists returned the completed questionnaires. 96% expressed concern about infection transmission, 90.6% were vaccinated against Hepatitis B, and 61.8% asked routinely about patients medical history. Only 43% used protective eyewear. Although most dentists (65%) used autoclaves, dry heat was still used. Significant correlations were found between gender and use of personal protective equipment. Less compliance was shown by clinicians with fewer years of experience. In the overall compliance questionnaire, the mean percentage of correct answers was roughly 54% with <5% of the practitioners scoring “excellent. ” Conclusions. The study found inadequacy of compliance in private Lebanese dental clinics necessitating improved educational training and sustained monitoring by regulatory bodies.
CP-DSS: Decision support system for contractor prequalification

A prototype decision support/expert system for contractor prequalification, CP-DSS, is described. The system firstly evaluates contractors' capabilities according to project specific criteria. It then identifies any risks that may be caused by contractors. Finally, contractors are appraised according to their likely performance, management capability, reputation, resources, progress, competitiveness and activeness and ranked in order of selection priority.