Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Double‐blind Crossover Study of Acarbose in Type 1 Diabetic Patients

The addition of acarbose to insulin treatment was evaluated in 14 Type 1 (insulin‐dependent) diabetic patients assessed conventionally (blood glucose profile and HbA1c measurement) and with an artificial B‐cell. Their metabolic control was poor, fasting blood glucose 10.7 ± 0.3 (±SE) mmol I−1, mean daily blood glucose 9.7 ± 0.3 mmol I−1, and HbA1c 9.6 ± 0.2% (normal range 5.0–6.1%). They were of normal body weight (body mass index 22.5 ± 0.3 kg m−2), and were C‐peptide deficient (fasting 0.08 ± 0.02 nmol I−1). In addition to their usual insulin therapy (46.9 ± 3.5 U day−1 in three pre‐meal injections), they received 100 mg acarbose or placebo three times a day for 6 weeks in a randomized double‐blind crossover design. On the last day of either acarbose or placebo treatment, the usual insulin therapy was discontinued and an artificial B‐cell was used for insulin delivery, programmed for euglycaemia. Placebo or acarbose was continued before meals. Acarbose reduced mean daily blood glucose concentrations (8.5 ± 0.3 vs 9.7 ± 0.3 mmol I−1, p = 0.002) and HbA1c levels (8.3 ± 0.1 vs 9.6 ± 0.2%, p < 0.001). A significant reduction in insulin requirement after meals was found with the artificial B‐cell, 25.1 ± 2.5 (first treatment acarbose) and 24.1 ± 2.9 U (first treatment placebo) with acarbose and 40.0 ± 2.5 and 35.6 ± 2.9 U with placebo (p < 0.001). These results suggest that acarbose could usefully be administered to Type 1 diabetic patients to ameliorate glucose control and reduce insulin requirement.
A Miniaturized CSRR Loaded Wide-Beamwidth Circularly Polarized Implantable Antenna for Subcutaneous Real-Time Glucose Monitoring

A single-fed miniaturized wide-beamwidth circularly polarized implantable antenna, operating in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band (2.40–2.48 GHz), is designed and experimentally verified for subcutaneous real-time glucose monitoring applications. The proposed antenna features a very good miniaturization with the dimensions of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathbf 8.5 \times 8.5 \times 1.27 \; \text{mm}^{3}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> by employing four C-shaped slots and a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR). Meanwhile, by adjusting the slits of CSRR, circular polarization is realized. The simulation results in a three-layer phantom demonstrate that the impedance bandwidth is 12.2% (2.32–2.62 GHz) with a peak gain of −17 dBi, and the 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth is 2.4% (2.42–2.48 GHz) with a wide beamwidth of around 140°. An <italic>in</italic> <italic>vitro</italic> test was carried out in a pork slab, and the measured impedance bandwidth is 13% (2.31–2.63 GHz) with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\boldsymbol S_{11} < - 10 \; \text{dB}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, confirming the simulated results. The specific absorption rate distribution has been evaluated for the consideration of health safety, and the calculated link margin shows that the reliable communication can be guaranteed within 10 m in free space.
Direction Finding by Time-Modulated Array With Harmonic Characteristic Analysis

A novel direction-finding method by the time-modulated array (TMA) is proposed through analyzing the harmonic characteristic of received signal, which requires only two antenna elements and a single RF channel. The signal processing of the proposed method is concise, and its calculation amount concentrates on a two-point discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Numeric simulations are provided to examine the performance of the proposed method, and a simple S band two-element TMA is constructed and tested to verify its effectiveness.
Racial/ethnic variations in perineal length and association with perineal lacerations: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Objective: To examine the association between race/ethnicity, perineal length and the risk of perineal laceration. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of a diverse group of women with singleton gestations in the third trimester of pregnancy. Perineal length was measured and mean values calculated for several racial/ethnic groups. Chi-squared analyses were used to examine rates of severe perineal laceration (third or fourth degree laceration) by race/ethnicity among women considered to have a short perineal length. Further, subgroup analyses were performed comparing nulliparas to multiparas. Results: Among 344 study participants, there was no statistically significant difference in mean perineal length by race/ethnicity (White 4.0 ± 1.1 cm, African-American 3.7 ± 1.0 cm, Latina 4.1 ± 1.1 cm, Asian 3.8 ± 1.0 cm, and other/unknown 4.0 ± 0.9 cm). Considering parity, more multiparous Asian and African-American women had a short perineal length (20.7 and 23.5%, respectively, p = 0.05). Finally, the rate of severe perineal lacerations in our cohort was 2.6% overall, but was 8.2% among Asian women (p = 0.04). Conclusions: We did not find a relationship between short perineal length and risk of severe perineal laceration with vaginal delivery, or a difference in mean perineal length by maternal race/ethnicity. However, we did find that women of different racial/ethnic groups have varying rates of severe perineal laceration, with Asian women comprising the highest proportion.
Analysis of an Unconfined Aquifer Subject to Asynchronous Dual‐Tide Propagation

Most published solutions for aquifer responses to ocean tides focus on the one‐sided attenuation of the signal as it propagates inland. However, island aquifers experience periodic forcing from the entire coast, which can lead to integrated effects of different tidal signals, especially on narrow high‐permeability islands. In general, studies disregard a potential time lag as the tidal wave sweeps around the island. We present a one‐dimensional analytical solution to the ground water flow equation subject to asynchronous and asymmetric oscillating head conditions on opposite boundaries and test it on data from an unconfined volcanic aquifer in Maui. The solution considers sediment‐damping effects at the coastline. The response of Maui Aquifers indicate that water table elevations near the center of the aquifer are influenced by a combination of tides from opposite coasts. A better match between the observed ground water head and the theoretical response can be obtained with the proposed dual‐tide solution than with single‐sided solutions. Hydraulic diffusivity was estimated to be 2.3 × 107 m2/d. This translates into a hydraulic conductivity of 500 m/d, assuming a specific yield of 0.04 and an aquifer thickness of 1.8 km. A numerical experiment confirmed the hydraulic diffusivity value and showed that the y‐intercepts of the modal attenuation and phase differences estimated by regression can approximate damping factors caused by low‐permeability units at the boundary.
Disposition of tacrolimus (FK 506) in rabbits. Role of red blood cell binding in hepatic clearance.

Tacrolimus is a macrolide immunosuppressive drug undergoing clinical trials for organ transplantation. Whole animal studies were undertaken to assess the rabbit as an animal model for tacrolimus pharmacokinetics. The disposition of tacrolimus in rabbits following 0.5 mg/kg iv and 2.0 mg/kg po doses is similar to man. The apparent plasma clearance 1.67 liters/hr/kg is more than 5-fold higher than blood clearance 0.31 liters/hr/kg. The steady-state volume of distribution is 30.7 liters/kg for plasma and 6.3 liters/kg for whole blood. The bioavailability after oral administration calculated from plasma and whole blood is low with a mean value of 9.7%. The in vitro studies and fitting using a nonlinear red blood cell (RBC)-plasma binding/diffusion model showed slow diffusion of drug from RBC to plasma (t1/2 = 7 min, CLD = 0.085 ml/min). In perfused liver studies, the extraction ratio of tacrolimus from blood with hematocrit of 0.1 is low (0.20). However, extraction of drug from plasma is moderate (0.42), and plasma concentrations are elevated by an average of 28% because of redistribution of tacrolimus from RBC. This creates a lower apparent plasma clearance (DO/AUC) for equilibrated (30 min at 37 degrees C) samples (15.4 ml/min) compared with samples centrifuged within 5 min (22.1 ml/min). RBC efflux was accounted for using a comprehensive perfusion/diffusion model. The intrinsic metabolic clearance averaged 29.2 ml/min. Simulations showed that the apparent plasma clearance of tacrolimus is closely correlated with RBC binding capacity (whole blood:plasma ratio). Higher ratios caused greater apparent plasma clearance (lower concentration of tacrolimus in reservoir plasma) because strong binding of drug by erythrocytes prevents tacrolimus from diffusion into plasma. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Clinical features, treatments and prognosis of the initial cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 virus infection in Shanghai China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE As of 13 December 2009, more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, which have resulted in at least 10 582 deaths. As of 7 December 2009, 4328 severe cases were reported in Mainland China, resulting in 326 deaths. This study's objective was to determine the clinical features, treatments and prognosis of the initial cases of Pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 virus infection in Shanghai, China, and how its clinical features related to patient gender. METHODS A total of 224 confirmed 2009 influenza A/H1N1-infected patients treated and discharged by Shanghai Public Health Clinical center between 24 May and 20 July 2009 were included in the study. Patients' personal information, signs and symptoms, laboratory and imagery data, disease course, hospitalization period and seroconversion duration for viral nucleic acid after antiviral treatment were analyzed. RESULTS Among the 224 patients, 118 were male and 106 were female, yielding a sex ratio of 1.1:1. Approximately 52% of the patients came from Australia, and 63.8% were between 18 and 40 years old. Clinical manifestations included fever, cough and congestion of the throat, and lab findings were characterized by elevated C-reaction protein (CRP) and neutrophils. Female patients had significantly lower serum Prealbumin (PA) levels than male patients (P < 0.05). The patients' serum CRF levels significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05), while the levels of CD3, CD4 and CD8 significantly increased after treatment (P < 0.01). Approximately 29.9% of the patients had abnormal signs on chest computer tomography scan, and 21.9% had obvious signs indicating pneumonia. However, blood cultures were negative in these patients. The average disease course was 3.9 +/- 1.4 days, the average hospitalization period was 5.0 +/- 1.7 days, and the seroconversion duration for viral nucleic acid after antiviral treatment was 3.8 +/- 1.3 days. CONCLUSION Initial cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 were characterized by fever, cough and throat congestion, with elevated CRP and neutrophils being the most significant lab findings. The pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 strain was able to affect multiple organs, including the hepatic synthesis of PA and immune functioning. The novel 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 virus was mild clinically, with a short disease course and good prognosis.
Occupational Hazards for Pregnant or Lactating Women in the Orthopaedic Operating Room

Pregnant or lactating staff working in the orthopaedic operating room may be at risk of occupational exposure to several hazards, including blood-borne pathogens, anesthetic gases, methylmethacrylate, physical stress, and radiation. Because the use of proper personal protective equipment is mandatory, the risk of contamination with blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV is low. Moreover, effective postexposure prophylactic regimens are available for hepatitis B and HIV. In the 1960s, concerns were raised about occupational exposure to harmful chemicals in the operating room such as anesthetic gases and methylmethacrylate. Guidelines on safe levels of exposure to these chemicals and the use of personal protective equipment have helped to minimize the risks to pregnant or lactating staff. Short periods of moderate physical activity are beneficial for pregnant women, but prolonged strenuous activity can lead to increased pregnancy complications. The risk of prenatal radiation exposure during orthopaedic procedures is of concern, as well. However, proper lead protection and contamination control can minimize the risk of occupational exposure to radiation.
Non-linear relationship between an index of social deprivation, psychiatric admission prevalence and the incidence of psychosis

Background. Indicators of population socio-economic disadvantage expressed as weighted deprivation indices show strong relationships with mental health and underpin national funding of psychiatric services. A new index of social deprivation, the Mental Illness Needs Index, has been devised specifically to predict need for psychiatric services. Its validity has not been established outside the area in which it was developed. Methods. We explored the relationship between the Mental Illness Needs Index and two alternative indicators of need for mental health services: the prevalence of psychiatric admission for electoral wards in Nottingham (calculated from Hospital Episode Statistics for the years 1992 and 1993) and ward-based incidence rates for psychosis (ICD-10 F1X-F33). Relationships were explored graphically using local regression models, and estimated using Generalized Linear and Additive Models, and Poisson regression. Results. Social deprivation was strongly related to admission prevalence and psychosis incidence (Spearman's rho 0·63 and 0·44 respectively). Neither admission prevalence, nor the incidence of psychosis were linearly related to social deprivation. Areas with above average social deprivation had both more new cases of psychoses and a higher proportion of the population admitted than expected from a linear function. Conclusions. Application of a linear function to funding gradients may underfund high and low need areas and overfund median need areas. Improving the precision of estimates of the relationship between social deprivation and need for services is crucial to more equitable resource allocation.
Intraductal Infusion of Taurocholate Followed by Distal Common Bile Duct Ligation Leads to a Severe Necrotic Model of Pancreatitis in Mice

Objective The most common etiology of acute pancreatitis results from the impaction of gallstones or sludge in the distal common bile duct (CBD). The result is pancreatic duct obstruction, diversion of bile into the pancreas, or cholestasis. In the current study, we examined whether combining both aspects, that is, infusion of the bile acid taurocholate (TC) followed by bile duct ligation (BDL), could yield a more severe form of pancreatitis that mimics biliary pancreatitis. Methods In mice, after laparotomy, the CBD was infused with either normal saline (NS) or TC. Subsequently, the CBD was ligated at the ampulla. Results Mice receiving TC infusion followed by BDL (TC + BDL) had higher mortality compared with animals receiving intraductal NS with BDL (NS + BDL). The TC + BDL arm developed more severe and diffuse pancreatic necrosis. In addition, serum amylase, IL-6, and bilirubin were significantly higher. However, pancreatic edema as well as lung and liver injury were unchanged between TC + BDL and NS + BDL. Conclusions In summary, the combination of bile infusion into the pancreas followed by BDL causes a more severe, necrotizing pancreatitis. We believe that this novel model of pancreatitis is useful because it can be used in transgenic mice and recapitulates several aspects of biliary pancreatitis.
Prospective randomized trial of chemoembolization versus intra‐arterial injection of 131I‐labeled–iodized oil in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Intra‐arterial injection of radioactive Lipiodol has shown promising results in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal obstruction. The aim of this prospective, randomized trial was to compare the efficacy and tolerance of 131I‐labeled Lipiodol and chemoembolization for the treatment of patients with HCC. From September 1990 to September 1993, 142 patients (135 men, 7 women; age: 65 ± 6.6 years) were randomly assigned to treatment groups and given either intra‐arterial injections of 131I‐labeled Lipiodol (60 mCi; 2.2 GBq) (n = 73) or chemoembolization (70 mg cisplatin) (n = 69). Subsequent injections were given at 2, 5, 8, 12, and 18 months. Tumor response was assessed on the basis of tumor size and serum α‐fetoprotein levels. Patient tolerance was assessed clinically and angiographically. Survival rate was the main end‐point. A total of 129 patients (65 in the 131I‐labeled Lipiodol group and 64 in the chemoembolization group) were available for analysis; 13 were excluded, mainly because of portal vein thrombosis. The two groups were comparable. Actuarial survival curves were not significantly different between the two groups. Overall survival rates at 6 months, 1, 2, 3, and 4 years were 69%, 38%, 22%, 14%, and 10%, and 66%, 42%, 22%, 3%, and 0% in the 131I‐labeled Lipiodol and chemoembolization groups, respectively. Reduction in tumor size was similar for the two groups, with complete response in 1 and 0 patients and partial response in 15 and 16 patients in the 131I‐labeled Lipiodol and chemoembolization groups, respectively. Tolerance was significantly better in the 131I‐ labeled Lipiodol group both clinically (3 severe side effects vs. 29 in the chemoembolization group; P < .001) and angiographically (1 arterial thrombosis vs. 10 in the chemoembolization group; P < .01). In terms of patient survival and tumor response, radioactive 131I‐labeled Lipiodol and chemoembolization were equally effective in the treatment of HCC, but tolerance to 131I‐labeled Lipiodol was significantly better.
Fault-tolerant cooperative control of multiple UAVs for forest fire detection and tracking mission

A fault-tolerant cooperative control (FTCC) strategy for cooperative unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used in forest monitoring, fire detection and tracking is investigated in this paper. The proposed algorithm solves the problem of monitoring and detection of forest fires, even when fault occurs to one or more UAVs. During the search stage, the UAVs team moves in a certain formation shape, a distributed sliding mode formation control is designed to keep the desired formation shape during this stage. Once a fire is detected, another distributed reconfigurable controller is designed based on sliding mode control (SMC) to evenly distribute UAVs team around the elliptical fire perimeter in fault-free case. When one or more UAVs cannot continue their mission due to a fault or leaving from formation for refueling/recharging, an FTCC strategy will be deployed to decrease the effects of the changed formation condition and the faulty/absent UAV's tasks will be reassigned to the remaining healthy/operable ones. Therefore, the new formation will be reconfigured and the UAVs still be evenly distributed around the fire spot for best coverage of the fire site. Simulation results are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm using six degree-of-freedom (DOF) quadrotor dynamic models of UAVs.
Managerial Characteristics and Export Performance – Empirical Evidence from Kosovo

Abstract Guided by managerial theory and behavioural economics, as well as the literature on exporting, this study combines the upper echelons perspective with the Melitz model to analyse the export behaviour of firms. Hence, it controls for the influence of managerial characteristics, neglected thus far in the literature on firms’ export choice and volume in transition countries. The empirical analysis is based on a random sample of 500 Kosovan SMEs. The results support the key hypothesis that both subjective and objective managerial characteristics are crucial for export decisions. In line with the strategic choice paradigm and behavioural economics, the findings provide support regarding the influence of the habituation and rational expectations effect, as well as the manager’s education and international exposure concerning export performance. Further, the Kosovan firms are self-selective in their export behaviour in terms of productivity supporting the Melitz model. No evidence, however, is found for the significance of institutional factors, even after performing factor analysis.
Oestradiol is a protective factor for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in healthy men

Visceral fat is a risk factor for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A reduction in sex hormones is associated with increased abdominal fat. Thus, we investigated whether reduced testosterone (T) or oestradiol (E2) levels in men are associated with NAFLD and central obesity. The study involved a survey of 1,882 men between 20 and 60 years of age. We detected hepatic fat infiltration by ultrasound. Early morning serum was analyzed for total testosterone (TT), E2, sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Free testosterone (FT) was calculated using the Vermeulen method. In the studied population, the prevalence of NAFLD, FSH, LH and SHBG increased with age, TT and FT declined with age, and E2 remained stable. However, in the NAFLD group, TT remained stable, FT and E2 declined, and hepatic fat infiltration increased (P < 0.001 for both). Using multivariate analysis, a correlation was found between E2 and NAFLD, with an odds ratio of 0.954 (95% confidence interval: 0.946–0.967). E2 is one of the protective factors against NAFLD in healthy men. T has no significant correlation with NAFLD. Further investigation would be required to assess the clinical consequences of reduced E2 in men with NAFLD, particularly for men whose TT remained stable.
Developing and Validating an Instrument for Measuring Mobile Computing Self-Efficacy

IT-related self-efficacy has been found to have a critical influence on system use. However, traditional measures of computer self-efficacy and Internet-related self-efficacy are perceived to be inapplicable in the context of mobile computing and commerce because they are targeted primarily at either desktop computer or wire-based technology contexts. Based on previous research, this study develops and validates a multidimensional instrument for measuring mobile computing self-efficacy (MCSE). This empirically validated instrument will be useful to researchers in developing and testing the theories of mobile user behavior, and to practitioners in assessing the mobile computing self-efficacy of users and promoting the use of mobile commerce systems.