Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arteriovenous fistula survival and needling technique: long-term results from a randomized buttonhole trial.

BACKGROUND We previously have shown that buttonhole needling is associated with a reduction in hematoma and postulated that buttonhole needling may increase long-term survival of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF). The purpose of this study was to evaluate AVF survival and complications in buttonhole versus standard needling. STUDY DESIGN Long-term follow up of a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomly assigned to standard or buttonhole needling and followed up until the AVF was abandoned or the study end date. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 140 long-term hemodialysis patients in Calgary, Alberta. INTERVENTION Buttonhole needling with median time of exposure to the intervention of 13.2 (IQR, 7.8-19.4) months. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Patients were prospectively followed up for study outcomes. Median follow-up times were 17.2 (IQR, 11.9-37.8) and 19.2 (IQR, 12.5-41.0) months for standard and buttonhole needling, respectively (P=0.2). The primary outcome was median access survival in months. Other outcomes included assisted and unassisted patency rates, rates of surgical and radiologic interventions, and time to abandonment (months) of buttonhole. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar. The primary outcome, median access survival, was similar in both groups: 16.0 (IQR, 10.6-29.3) and 18.4 (IQR, 10.9-32.7) months for standard and buttonhole needling, respectively (P=0.2). There were 7 (10.1%) and 6 (8.6%) thromboses with standard and buttonhole needling, respectively (P=0.6). Median fistulogram rates were similar between techniques (P=0.2 with intention-to-treat analysis). Most patients (46 of 70) abandoned buttonhole needling by a median of 11.3 (IQR, 4.8-18.2) months. Median time to first infection for buttonhole needling was 11.1 (IQR, 4.9-30.0) months. There were no infections in standard needling of AVFs. LIMITATIONS Findings are limited to patients needled by multiple hemodialysis nurses and not applicable to self-needlers. CONCLUSIONS AVFs with buttonhole needling did not have improved survival. The lack of survival benefit and higher risk of infection should be noted when promoting buttonhole needling.
Quantifying population structure on short timescales

Quantifying the contribution of the various processes that influence population genetic structure is important, but difficult. One of the reasons is that no single measure appropriately quantifies all aspects of genetic structure. An increasing number of studies is analysing population structure using the statistic D, which measures genetic differentiation, next to GST, which quantifies the standardized variance in allele frequencies among populations. Few studies have evaluated which statistic is most appropriate in particular situations. In this study, we evaluated which index is more suitable in quantifying postglacial divergence between three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations from Western Europe. Population structure on this short timescale (10 000 generations) is probably shaped by colonization history, followed by migration and drift. Using microsatellite markers and anticipating that D and GST might have different capacities to reveal these processes, we evaluated population structure at two levels: (i) between lowland and upland populations, aiming to infer historical processes; and (ii) among upland populations, aiming to quantify contemporary processes. In the first case, only D revealed clear clusters of populations, putatively indicative of population ancestry. In the second case, only GST was indicative for the balance between migration and drift. Simulations of colonization and subsequent divergence in a hierarchical stepping stone model confirmed this discrepancy, which becomes particularly strong for markers with moderate to high mutation rates. We conclude that on short timescales, and across strong clines in population size and connectivity, D is useful to infer colonization history, whereas GST is sensitive to more recent demographic events.
The role of service quality and ticket pricing on satisfaction and behavioural intention within professional football

This paper aims to assess service quality in professional football and to examine the effects of service quality and ticket pricing on satisfaction and behavioural intention. Data were collected among football fans and the results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the psychometric properties of the service quality model. A structural equation model (SEM) revealed that the service quality construct impacts both satisfaction and behavioural intention. Also, behavioural intention is influenced by ticket pricing and satisfaction. Managerial implications of these results are discussed and guidelines for future research are suggested.
“It’s important, but…”: Perceived Barriers and Situational Dependencies to Social Contact Preferences of Nursing Home Residents

Background and Objectives U.S. Nursing homes (NH) are shifting toward a person-centered philosophy of care, where staff understand each residents preferences, goals and values, and seek to honor them throughout the care delivery process. Social interactions are a major component of life and while low rates of social interactions are typically found among NH residents, little research has examined resident preferences for specific types of social interactions. The purpose of this study is to explore, from the perspective of the NH resident, barriers to social contact preferences and situations when social preferences change. Research Design and Methods Two interviews were conducted with 255 NH residents 3 months apart, recruited from 32 NHs using 13 social-contact items from the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory-NH. Results Content analysis of 1,461 spontaneous comments identified perceived barriers to preference fulfillment along with reasons why residents would change their mind about the importance of a preference (situational dependencies). Nearly 50% of social preferences for choosing a roommate, having regular contact with friends, giving gifts, and volunteering were associated with barriers. Social preferences were likely to change based upon the quality of the social interaction and the resident's level of interest. Discussion and Implications Knowledge of barriers regarding social preferences can inform care efforts vital to advancing the delivery of person-centered care. In addition, understanding the reasons why NH resident preferences change based upon context can help providers with staff training leading to individualized care and develop meaningful social programs that are in line with resident preferences.
Identifying Informational vs. Conversational Questions on Community Question Answering Archives

Questions on community question answering websites usually reflect one of two intents: learning information or starting a conversation. In this paper, we revisit this fundamental classification task of informational versus conversational questions, which was originally introduced and studied in 2009. We use a substantially larger dataset of archived questions from Yahoo Answers, which includes the question»s title, description, answers, and votes. We replicate the original experiments over this dataset, point out the common and different from the original results, and present a broad set of characteristics that distinguish the two question types. We also develop new classifiers that make use of additional data types, advanced machine learning, and a large dataset of unlabeled data, which achieve enhanced performance.
Serum tumor markers, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor, in patients with non- small cell lung cancer before and after intervention.

OBJECTIVE To explore changes in the serum tumor makers, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level and their relations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) before and after intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty patients with NSCLC and 40 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination in our hospital provided the observation and control groups. HIF-1α and VEGF levels in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) in the observation group before and after intervention and in control group on the day of physical examination, along with serum carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) levels in the observation group with a fully automatic biochemical analyzer. Clinical effects and improvement of life quality in the observation group were also evaluated. RESULTS The total effective rate and improvement of life quality after treatment in observation group were 30.0% and 32.5%, respectively. Serum HIF-1α and VEGF levels in the control group were lower than that in observation group (p<0.01), but remarkably elevated after intervention (p<0.01). In addition, serum CEA, NSE and SCC levels were apparently lowered by treatment (p<0.01). Serum HIF-1α demonstrated a positive relation with VEGF level (p<0.01) and was inversely related with CEA, NSE and SCC levels (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Significant correlations exist between marked increase of serum HIF-1α and VEGF levels and decrease of indexes related to hematological tumor markers in NSCLC patients after intervention.
The analysis and use of financial statements

1. Framework for Financial Statement Analysis.2. Accounting Income and Assets: The Accrual Concept.3. Analysis of Cash Flows.4. Foundations of Ratio and Financial Analysis.5. Empirical Research: Implications for Financial Statement Analysis.6. Analysis of Inventories.7. Analysis of Long-Lived Assets: Part I-The Capitalization Decision.8. Analysis of Long-Lived Assets: Part II-Analysis of Depreciation and Impairment.9. Analysis of Income Taxes.10. Analysis of Financing Liabilities.11. Leases and Off-Balance-Sheet Debt.12. Pensions and Other Employee Benefits.13. Analysis of Intercorporate Investments.14. Analysis of Business Combinations.15. Analysis of Multinational Operations.16. Derivatives and Hedging Activities.17. Analysis of Financial Statements: A Synthesis.18. Accounting- and Finance-Based Measures of Risk.19. Valuation and Forecasting.Present Value Tables.Bibliography. Index.
Indoor air pollution and self-reported diseases - a case study of NCT of Delhi.

UNLABELLED People in modern societies often spend 80-90% of their time in indoor environments. It is, therefore, imperative to analyze indoor air quality (IAQ) and its determinants and to consider the contribution of IAQ to possible health outcomes at the household level. Based on empirical data collected from 5949 households from 35 wards of Delhi, it can be summarized that higher proportions of residents live in degraded indoor environmental conditions. The highest risks to health were attached to use of traditional fuels (64%), lack of a kitchen (59%), exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) (55%), and poor ventilation (55%). Acute respiratory infections (43%) were identified as one of the most prevalent health problems confronted by residents and are strongly associated with use of traditional fuels (adjusted OR 2.7, 95% CI 2.3-3.1). Asthma shows a significant relationship with the use of traditional fuels (adjusted OR 3.8, 95% CI 3.4-4.3), exposure to ETS (adjusted OR 2.5, 95% CI 2.2-2.7), and poor ventilation (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13-1.41). Lung cancer (adjusted OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.38-1.71) and cardiovascular diseases (adjusted OR 2.25, 95% CI 2.01-2.53) also show a strong relationship with ETS exposure. More research is needed. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The present study can help to create new insights in understanding the gravity of indoor air quality problems in Delhi and can therefore provide interesting material to social scientists, public health officers, planners, and decision makers. The information can be utilized to help formulate comprehensive policies and planning with a humanistic approach for proper urban indoor environments that will be applicable at all administrative levels, viz. local, national, and international, and will also provide an important background for additional research in this area.
Age-dependent electrical and morphological remodeling of the Drosophila heart caused by hERG/seizure mutations

Understanding the cellular-molecular substrates of heart disease is key to the development of cardiac specific therapies and to the prevention of off-target effects by non-cardiac targeted drugs. One of the primary targets for therapeutic intervention has been the human ether a go-go (hERG) K+ channel that, together with the KCNQ channel, controls the rate and efficiency of repolarization in human myocardial cells. Neither of these channels plays a major role in adult mouse heart function; however, we show here that the hERG homolog seizure (sei), along with KCNQ, both contribute significantly to adult heart function as they do in humans. In Drosophila, mutations in or cardiac knockdown of sei channels cause arrhythmias that become progressively more severe with age. Intracellular recordings of semi-intact heart preparations revealed that these perturbations also cause electrical remodeling that is reminiscent of the early afterdepolarizations seen in human myocardial cells defective in these channels. In contrast to KCNQ, however, mutations in sei also cause extensive structural remodeling of the myofibrillar organization, which suggests that hERG channel function has a novel link to sarcomeric and myofibrillar integrity. We conclude that deficiency of ion channels with similar electrical functions in cardiomyocytes can lead to different types or extents of electrical and/or structural remodeling impacting cardiac output.
A second envelope glycoprotein mediates neutralization of a pestivirus, hog cholera virus

Several monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against hog cholera virus (HCV) reacted with the HCV structural glycoprotein gp44/48 and neutralized the virus. The presence of HCV gp44/48 on the viral surface was directly demonstrated by immunogold electron microscopy. Eight anti-HCV gp44/48 MAbs were tested by immunoperoxidase assay against a panel of pestivirus strains. Each MAb showed a distinct pattern of reactivity with HCV strains. It is suggested that the MAbs are well suited for epidemiological investigations of HCV outbreaks.
Shared genetic determinant of axial length, anterior chamber depth, and angle opening distance: the Guangzhou Twin Eye Study.

PURPOSE To estimate the extent to which common genetic and environmental effects contribute to covariances among axial length, anterior chamber depth, and angle-opening distance. METHODS The study participants were recruited from the Guangzhou Twin Registry. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and custom software were used to quantify the angle opening distance (AOD) at the location 500 microm anterior to the scleral spur. Anterior chamber depth (ACD) and axial length (AL) were measured using laser interferometry. Cross-trait, cross-twin correlations for monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins and the Cholesky model were used to quantify shared genetic and environmental effects for AL, ACD, and AOD after adjusting for age and sex. RESULTS A group of 459 pairs of twins (304 MZ and 155 DZ) aged 8 to 16 years were available for analysis. The phenotypic correlations among AL, ACD, and AOD ranged from 0.39 to 0.64. Cross-twin, cross-trait correlations for these three phenotypes for MZ twins were consistently greater than the corresponding correlations for DZ twins. The results of the Cholesky model-fitting analyses can be summarized as follows: first, of 70% of additive genetic factors for AOD, 23% and 13% were those shared with ACD and AL, respectively, whereas the remaining 34% were those unique to AOD. Second, of 89% of additive genetic factors for ACD, 25% were those shared with AL, whereas 64% were those unique to ACD. Third, random environmental influences on covariances among AL, ACD, and AOD were very small. CONCLUSIONS Analyses of Chinese children twin data suggest that shared genes are responsible for the significant phenotypic correlations found for AL ACD, and AOD.
KTP laser versus transurethral resection: early results of a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Many technologies have been mooted as equal to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) without gaining widespread acceptance because of the lack of randomized trials. The Greenlight laser system (Laserscope, San Jose, Ca.), an 80 W system for photovaporization of the prostate (PVP), was compared with TURP in such a trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS A series of 120 patients was randomized to undergo TURP or PVP after evaluation, which was repeated at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Irrigation use, length of catherization (LOC), length of hospital stay (LOS), postvoiding residual volume, sexual function, blood loss, cost, and operative time also were assessed. RESULTS To date, 76 patients are evaluable. Both groups showed a significant (P < 0.5) increase in maximum flow rate from baseline. In the TURP group, flow increased from 8.7 to 17.9 mL/sec (149%) and in the PVP group from 8.5 to 20.6 mL/sec (167%). The International Prostate Symptom Score decreased from 25.4 to 12.4(50.23%) in the TURP group and from 25.7 to 12.0 (49.83%) in the PVP group. Postvoiding residual volumes also showed significant decreases. Similar trends were seen in relation to bother and quality of life scores. There was no difference in sexual function as measured by a questionnaire. The LOC was significantly less in the PVP group (P < 0.001), the mean being 12.2 hours (range 0-24 hours) versus 44.5 hours for TURP (range 6-192 hours). A similar situation was seen in relation to LOS (P < 0.0001), with the mean of the PVP group being 1.08 days (range 1-2 days) and the mean for the TURP group being 3.4 days (range 3-9 days). Adverse events were less frequent in the PVP group, and the costs were 22% less. CONCLUSIONS This trial demonstrates that PVP is effective compared with TURP, producing equivalent improvements in flow rates and IPSS with markedly reduced LOS, LOC, and adverse events. Long-term follow- up is being undertaken to assess the durability of these results.
Effects of avatar's blinking animation on person impressions

Blinking is one of the most important cues for forming person impressions. We focus on the eye blinking rate of avatars and investigate its effect on viewer subjective impressions. Two experiments are conducted. The stimulus avatars included humans with generic reality (male and female), cartoon-style humans (male and female), animals, and unidentified life forms that were presented as a 20-second animation with various blink rates: 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 blinks/min. Subjects rated their impressions of the presented stimulus avatars on a seven-point semantic differential scale. The results showed a significant effect of the avatar's blinking on viewer impressions and it was larger with the human-style avatars than the others. The results also lead to several implications and guidelines for the design of avatar representation. Blink animation of 18 blinks/min with a human-style avatar produces the friendliest impression. The higher blink rates, i.e., 36 blinks/min, give inactive impressions while the lower blink rates, i.e., 9 blinks/min, give intelligent impressions. Through these results, guidelines are derived for managing attractiveness of avatar by changing the avatar's blinking rate.
MODIFIED BROADBAND SCHIFFMAN PHASE SHIFTER USING DENTATE MICROSTRIP AND PATTERNED GROUND PLANE

In this letter, a modifled broadband 90 - phase shifter is proposed. By using a dentate microstrip and a patterned ground plane, an extremely tight coupling can be obtained, and consequently a constant phase shift over a wide bandwidth can be achieved. To verify the proposed idea, a topology is implemented, the measured results of a phase difierence of 90 § 5 - in 79.5% bandwidth, better than 10dB return loss across the whole operating band, are also given. The measurement results agree well with the full-wave electromagnetic simulated responses.
Patient experiences with pharmacogenetic testing in a primary care setting.

AIM To investigate patient experiences with pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing. METHODS Patients were offered PGx testing through a study on pharmacist-assisted delivery of PGx testing and invited to complete pre- and post-testing surveys about their experience. RESULTS Of 63 patients tested, 17 completed the baseline survey (27%). Interest in testing was mostly impacted by desire to inform selection of best treatment (n = 13). Seven of 12 patients that completed the follow-up survey indicated that their provider discussed the test result with them. Five patients understood their test result very or somewhat well. All would be likely to have PGx testing again. CONCLUSION Patients perceived PGx testing to be useful, though more effort may be needed to improve patient-provider communication of test results.
Characterization of a continuous supermacroporous monolithic matrix for chromatographic separation of large bioparticles

A continuous supermacroporous monolithic chromatographic matrix has been characterized using a capillary model, experimental breakthrough curves, and pressure drop experiments. The model describes the convective flow and its dispersive mixing effects, mass transfer resistance, pore size distribution, and the adsorption behavior of the monolithic matrix. It is possible to determine an effective pore size distribution by fitting the capillary model to experimental breakthrough curves and pressure drop experiments. The model is able to describe the flow rate dependence of the experimental breakthrough curves. Mass transport resistance was due to: (i) dispersive mixing effects in the convective flow in the pores; and (ii) slow diffusion in the stagnant film covering the surface within each pore, under adsorption conditions. The monolithic matrix can be described by a very narrow pore size distribution, illustrating one of the advantages of the gel. A broader pore size distribution results in increased band broadening. This can be studied easily using the model developed in this investigation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Motives for Entrepreneurship: The Case of Lebanese Family Businesses

Family businesses are the engine that drives socioeconomic development and wealth creation around the world, and entrepreneurship is a key driver of family businesses. The ability to build and keep the business running over generations is a major element of family business continuity and is influential in strategic execution, innovation, and growth. Entrepreneurial family businesses are a primary source of job creation (Shanker & Astrachan, 1996) in market economies where resources are allocated via supply and demand. In Lebanon, family businesses constitute 85% of the private sector, accounting for 1.05 million of 1.24 million jobs (Fahed-Sreih, 2006). The family unit is usually the only intact institution capable of sustaining entrepreneurial activities in Lebanon following civil war.