Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional versus General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture (REGAIN): protocol for a pragmatic, international multicentre trial

Introduction Hip fractures occur 1.6 million times each year worldwide, with substantial associated mortality and losses of independence. At present, anaesthesia care for hip fracture surgery varies widely within and between countries, with general anaesthesia and spinal anaesthesia representing the 2 most common approaches. Limited randomised evidence exists regarding potential short-term or long-term differences in outcomes between patients receiving spinal or general anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery. Methods The REGAIN trial (Regional vs General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture) is an international, multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial. 1600 previously ambulatory patients aged 50 and older will be randomly allocated to receive either general or spinal anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery. The primary outcome is a composite of death or new inability to walk 10 feet or across a room at 60 days after randomisation, which will be assessed via telephone interview by staff who are blinded to treatment assignment. Secondary outcomes will be assessed by in-person assessment and medical record review for in-hospital end points (delirium; major inpatient medical complications and mortality; acute postoperative pain; patient satisfaction; length of stay) and by telephone interview for 60-day, 180-day and 365-day end points (mortality; disability-free survival; chronic pain; return to the prefracture residence; need for new assistive devices for ambulation; cognitive impairment). Ethics and dissemination The REGAIN trial has been approved by the ethics boards of all participating sites. Recruitment began in February 2016 and will continue until the end of 2019. Dissemination plans include presentations at scientific conferences, scientific publications, stakeholder engagement efforts and presentation to the public via lay media outlets. Trial registration number NCT02507505, Pre-results.
Pollen-mediated gene flow and differential male reproductive success in a tropical pioneer tree, Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol. (Moraceae): a paternity analysis

We used a likelihood-based paternity analysis to examine pollen-mediated gene flow within and among populations of Cecropia obtusifolia, a dioecious, wind-pollinated, tropical pioneer tree. We used allozyme data collected from leaf samples of adult trees and seeds from known mothers in an 8.64 ha study plot located in pristine forest in the Los Tuxtlas range in southern Mexico. Trees within the study plot have a patchy distribution. Four populations (including the reference population) were in natural forest areas, and these were paired with four ‘acahual’ populations (populations growing on human-disturbed sites). The paired sites were located from 1 to 43 km from the reference population, with a ninth (acahual) population 100 km away. We addressed the following questions: (1) Do males from the reference population contribute differentially to reproduction within the stand? ; (2) How do intermate distance and patch affiliation affect pollination within the reference population? ; (3) What are the relative male reproductive contributions from within and outside the study population? Male reproductive contributions were significantly uneven within the reference population (P<0.001). We demonstrated modest isolation by distance and an effect of patch affiliation for mating pairs within the reference population (P≤0.001), independent of the male-specific differences. The addition of the eight outpopulations to the model showed that 37% of the offspring in the reference population were probably fathered by males from the other populations. We observed a strong isolation by distance effect for these populations, but long-distance pollen flow is enough to have a strong homogenizing effect on the regional gene pool. None of the acahual populations appears to have contributed pollen. Paternity analysis yields a more detailed view of the effects of pollen-mediated gene flow than had emerged from previous FST analyses.
Leptin and Its Clinical Implications in Chronic Renal Failure

Leptin, the recently identified ob gene product, regulates food intake and energy expenditure in animal models. Leptin reaches the brain by a saturable transport mechanism and, via direct effects on the hypothalamus, decreases appetite and increases metabolism. Several recent studies have demonstrated markedly elevated serum leptin levels in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and it has been speculated that hyperleptinemia may contribute to uremic anorexia and malnutrition. Several factors may influence serum leptin levels in uremia and apart from decreased glomerular filtration rate also body fat mass and plasma insulin levels are important factors that determine serum leptin levels. The possible influence of chronic inflammation on serum leptin levels in CRF need further studies. Patients treated by peritoneal dialysis seem to have higher leptin levels compared to patients treated by hemodialysis. This could be the effect of a marked increase in body fat mass as a consequence of the continuous carbohydrate load. Leptin receptors have by now been identified in several peripheal organs which suggests that leptin besides having central effects also has a pleiotropic action. Indeed, recent findings indicate that besides regulating appetite leptin may play a role in sympathico-activation, insulin metabolism, renal sodium handing and hematopoiesis.
Government of India Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

The details about the project has been given in the tender document which can be obtained from the Room No.509A, the Office of Programmer, Statistics Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Nirman Bhawan, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi 110108 on payment of Rs.10,000/per tender document till 31st May, 2010, Monday through Friday between 10.00 a.m. to 4 p.m. or can be downloaded from the website http://www.mohfw. nic.in . The last date for the receipt of bids is 9 June, 2010 up to 1700 hrs.
Fluorometry of the crystalline lens for correcting blue-on-yellow perimetry results.

PURPOSE Optical and neural sources of short wavelength sensitivity should be separated in the assessment of the results of blue-on-yellow (B/Y) perimetry. It has been shown previously that lens autofluorescence is related directly to lens yellowing and age. The aim of this study was to find out if B/Y perimetry results can be better corrected by using lens fluorometry than by age. METHODS The authors evaluated one randomly chosen eye of 40 normal subjects and 39 age-matched patients with ocular hypertension and different stages of glaucoma. The authors obtained the mean sensitivity (MS) of the 24-2 B/Y visual fields with a Humphrey perimeter and determined the lens transmission index (LTI) from the ratio between posterior and anterior autofluorescence peaks measured with their fluorometer. A multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the variability of the B/Y MS by age and LTI in normal subjects. RESULTS The authors found a statistically highly significant linear correlation of B/Y MS to LTI in healthy subjects (R = 0.83; P < 0.0001). The 95% prediction interval of the normal subjects was determined. The majority of the MS values of the ocular hypertensives were inside the prediction limits, whereas approximately half of the patients (4 of 9) with early glaucoma and the majority of patients (14 of 15) with moderate and advanced glaucoma were below the prediction interval. The residual standard deviation of the B/Y MS with age alone was larger than that with LTI alone in the model (3.66 dB and 3.22 dB, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The interindividual variation of the lens transmission properties increases with age. The reference level for correcting B/Y perimetry results can be determined more precisely using fluorometry of the lens than with age alone.
Ultrasound guided high intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) ablation for uterine fibroids: Do we need the microbubbles?

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) on ultrasound guided high intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) ablation of uterine fibroids. Methods: Thirty-three patients (37 fibroids) were randomly assigned to two groups: group A (17 patients, 20 fibroids) in which CEUS was used before, during and after HIFU treatment, and group B (16 patients, 17 fibroids) in which CEUS was not administered at all. Follow-up including contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a clinical questionnaire was performed, and technical success, ablation efficacy, volume reduction and complications were assessed. Results: Technical success was 100% in both groups. CEUS revealed residual enhancement in 40% of the patients in group A and the treatment was continued until the completion of ablation. MRI at 1 month after treatment revealed significant difference in the relative fibroid volume reduction rate between the two groups: 16.1% in group A versus 4.8%, in group B (p = 0.01). There was no statistically significant relative volume reduction rate for the results at 3, 6 and 12 months and no significant changes in the quality of life results or the complication rate. Conclusions: CEUS was safe and effective in enhancing US guidance during HIFU ablation of uterine fibroids. Moreover, the use of CEUS during HIFU sonication increased the ablation efficacy, leading to a more relevant fibroid volume reduction at 1 and 3 months. This gap disappeared after 6 months, when there were no differences between the two groups of patients at MRI. However, in our experience, USgHIFU represented a very effective method for the treatment of uterine fibroids, and the use of CEUS during HIFU procedure reduced the treatment time and treatment repetitions for incomplete fibroid ablation.
The Non-Equity Entry Mode Choices of International Hotel Organizations in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Research on the non-equity entry mode choices of service firms is relatively limited. We use transaction cost economics and organizational capability perspectives to examine the determinants of choosing between franchising and management contracts in the hotel industry. In our analysis of four international hotel organizations operating in New Zealand, we found that both asset specificity and imperfect imitability helped in explaining the choice between franchising and management contracts. Behavioral uncertainty and host country management capabilities explained the entry mode choice of some hotel organizations but were not applicable for others that entered New Zealand via international strategic alliances or used strata titles. Finally, environmental uncertainty and the development of New Zealand’s business environment had a limited effect on choosing between franchising and management contracts.
Genotyping of infectious laryngotracheitis virus using allelic variations from multiple genomic regions

ABSTRACT Live attenuated vaccines are extensively used worldwide to control the outbreak of infectious laryngotracheitis. Virulent field strains showing close genetic relationship with the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) vaccines of chicken embryo origin have been detected in the poultry industry. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, a reliable molecular epidemiological method, of multiple genomic regions was performed. The PCR-RFLP is a time-consuming method that requires considerable amount of intact viral genomic DNA to amplify genomic regions greater than 4 kb. In this study, six variable genomic regions were selected and amplified for sequencing. The multi-allelic PCR-sequence genotyping showed better discrimination power than that of previous PCR-sequencing schemes using single or two target regions. The allelic variation patterns yielded 16 strains of ILTV classified into 14 different genotypes. Three Korean field strains, 550/05/Ko, 0010/05/Ko and 40032/08/Ko, were found to have the same genotype as the commercial vaccine strain, Laryngo Vac (Zoetis, Florham Park, NJ, USA). Three other Korean field strains, 40798/10/Ko, 12/07/Ko, and 30678/14/Ko, showed recombined allelic patterns. The multi-allelic PCR-sequencing method was proved to be an efficient and practical procedure to classify the different strains of ILTV. The method could serve as an alternate diagnostic and differentiating tool for the classification of ILTV, and contribute to understanding of the epidemiology of the disease at a global level.
Human identification from brain EEG signals using advanced machine learning method EEG-based biometrics

EEG-based human recognition is increasingly becoming a popular modality for biometric authentication. Two important features of EEG signals are liveliness and the robustness against falsification. However, a comprehensive study on human authentication using EEG signal is still remains. On the other hand, low-cost wireless EEG recording devices are now growing in the market places. Although these devices have the potential to many applications, researches have yet to be done to find the feasibility of these devices. In this study, we propose a method for human identification using EEG signals obtained from such low-cost devices. EEG signal is first preprocessed to remove noise and artifacts using Bandpass FIR filter. These signals are then divided into disjoint segments. Three feature extraction methods, namely multiscale shape description (MSD), multiscale wavelet packet statistics (WPS) and multiscale wavelet packet energy statistics (WPES) are then applied. These features are finally used to train a supervised error-correcting output code multiclass model (ECOC) using support vector machine (SVM) classifier, which ultimately can recognize humans from test EEG signals. A preliminary experiment with 9 EEG records from 9 subjects shows the true positive rate of 94.44% of the proposed method.
A new high performance sigma-delta MEMS accelerometer for inertial navigation

MEMS accelerometers have proven high reliability, cost-effectiveness and versatility in recent years for consumer grade applications. Sagem and Colibrys have long been involved in MEMS accelerometers, with the ACSIL sensor that has been around for over 20 years on APIRS Attitude and Heading Reference Systems and more recently the MS90xx product family. MEMS sensors have been expected to reach inertial navigation grade performance for some years, however very few indeed have been up to the task. In this paper, we present the latest capacitive spring mass sigma-delta closed-loop accelerometer design by Sagem and Colibrys. We will present the key concepts for high performance, system architecture and the experimental results obtained on our prototypes. Compared to previous publications, performance has been significantly improved thanks to improvements in MEMS design, packaging and electronic control. The resulting design features compact size despite full digital electronic integration, excellent robustness to shocks and vibrations, and unmatched performance for a MEMS accelerometer. Great emphasis was placed on having an autonomous sensor, requiring only power supplies and a digital communication interface. High performance is thus achieved independently of external high precision components such as voltage references or A/D converter.
The Relationship between Serum Prolactin Level and Sexual Functioning among Male Outpatients with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Risperidone vs. Quetiapine

Examine the relationship between serum prolactin level and sexual functioning among male outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were treated with risperidone or quetiapine. Male outpatients (N = 22, age ≥ 18 years) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who had experienced risperidone-associated sexual dysfunction prior to the study were randomized to 6 weeks of double-blind risperidone continuation (mean dose = 4.3 mg/day, SD = 1.2) or quetiapine switch (mean dose = 300 mg/day, SD = 66.7) treatment. Serum prolactin levels at baseline and at the end of week 6 (final visit) were obtained. The five-item Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) assessed sexual functioning at baseline and at week 6. A mixed linear model analysis of covariance, with baseline ASEX and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores as covariates, was used to examine the relationship between serum prolactin level (at week 6) and sexual functioning (at week 6). The raw (unadjusted) Spearman rank-order correlations (r s ) were also used to assess the linear association between serum prolactin level and sexual functioning. For the risperidone treated group (n = 12), there was a significant positive relationship between serum prolactin level and ASEX total score (r s = 0.689, β = 0.17, p = .04) and three of the five ASEX subitems (ASEX subitem 1, strength of sex drive, β = 0.03, p = .04; ASEX subitem 2, sexual arousal, β = 0.04, p = .04; and ASEX subitem 3, penile erection, β = 0.04, p = .02). There was no significant relationship, for the quetiapine group (n = 10), between serum prolactin level and ASEX total score (p = .55) and any of the ASEX subitems (p's > .20). In this 6-week randomized double-blind trial, higher serum prolactin level was related to greater impairment of sexual functioning in male outpatients who were treated with risperidone, but not with quetiapine.
The Burden of Infections by Parainfluenza Virus in Hospitalized Children in Spain

We designed a prospective study to describe the clinical impact of the parainfluenza viruse (PIV) types detected in hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections from September 2008 to August 2010 in Spain. PIV infections were a significant proportion of viral respiratory detections (11.8% of cases). PIV types 3 and 4 were most commonly detected. There were clinical differences between PIV and respiratory syncytial virus infections.
Automatic language identification of telephone speech messages using phoneme recognition and N-gram modeling

The paper compares the performance of four approaches to automatic language identification (LID) of telephone speech messages: Gaussian mixture model classification (GMM), language-independent phoneme recognition followed by language-dependent language modeling (PRLM), parallel PRLM (PRLM-P), and language-dependent parallel phoneme recognition (PPR). These approaches span a wide range of training requirements and levels of recognition complexity. All approaches were tested on the development test subset of the OGI multi-language telephone speech corpus. Generally, system performance was directly related to system complexity, with PRLM-P and PPR performing best. On 45 second test utterances, average two language, closed-set, forced-choice classification performance reached 94.5% correct. The best 10 language, closed-set, forced-choice performance was 79.2% correct. <<ETX>>
The effect of piezoelectric surgery implant osteotomy on radiological and molecular parameters of peri-implant crestal bone loss: a randomized, controlled, split-mouth trial.

AIM To evaluate the effect of piezoelectric surgery (PS) implant osteotomy on biochemical and radiological parameters of crestal bone (CB) loss. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this randomized, controlled, clinical study, 38 osteotomies were prepared with PS and drilling in the posterior maxilla in a split-mouth design. Implants were placed and left for non-submerged healing. Osteotomy time, insertion torque, pain perception, probing depth, and modified gingival and plaque indices were recorded. Peri-implant sulcular fluid (PISF) was collected from four sites of each implant at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. PISF samples were analyzed by ELISA for receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B-ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin. CB loss was assessed on periapical radiographs at the 12th and on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) at the 24th weeks. The influence of time and osteotomy method on biochemical and radiological parameters of CB loss employed statistical method of Brunner-Langer. RESULTS Osteotomy time for PS group was significantly longer than the drill group (P < 0.05). Pain perception that was lower in the PS than in the drill group depended on osteotomy method (P < 0.05). PS group had lower RANKL total amount than the drill group (P < 0.05). Mean CB loss on periapical radiographs at the 12th week for PS and drill groups were 0.11 and 0.18 mm, respectively (P > 0.05). At the 24th week, PS and drill groups showed 0.11 and 0.12 mm CB losses on CBCT, respectively (P > 0.05). However, CB loss values did not depend on osteotomy modality (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION PS may modify and reduce bone-destructive inflammatory response during implant osseointegration. Therefore, on the molecular level, it might be a less traumatic osteotomy modality than drilling although this was not reflected by CB loss values in the present study.
Genomic fingerprinting of shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains: comparison of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and fluorescent amplified-fragment-length polymorphism (FAFLP)

For epidemiological studies of shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections, rapid, reproducible and highly discriminative methods are required. In this study, we examined the performance of the fluorescent amplified-fragment-length polymorphism (FAFLP) technique for epidemiological fingerprinting of STEC isolates and compared it to the acknowledged fingerprinting method pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A total of 88 STEC isolates, including 82 of serotype O157[ratio ]H7 or O157[ratio ]H−, were subjected to fingerprinting by both PFGE and FAFLP. The isolates included sporadic and epidemiologically related strains of both animal and human origin from widespread geographical locations. The FAFLP fingerprint patterns confirmed the clonal nature of STEC O157 strains. Among the 82 O157[ratio ]H7/H− isolates belonging to 49 distinct groups of epidemiological unrelated isolates, 24 FAFLP profiles and 51 PFGE patterns were obtained. Thus, PFGE had a higher discriminatory power than FAFLP and overall correlated better to available epidemiological data. Consequently, the PFGE technique remains the method of choice in epidemiological investigations of STEC infections.
Health literacy and patient knowledge in a Southern US HIV clinic

Pharmaceutical management of HIV infection is complex, and proper adherence to antiretroviral regimens is contingent on active patient involvement in treatment. We examined the relationship between patient understanding of HIV and its treatment and health literacy. Structured interviews were conducted with 157 HIV-infected individuals receiving care at a community-based clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. In all, 48% of patients were reading below a 9th grade level. One-third of patients could not name their HIV medications and this was significantly related to low literacy (P < 0.01). Two-thirds of those reading below the 9th grade level did not know how to take their medications correctly (P < 0.05), and 75% did not know the meaning of a CD4 count or viral load (P < 0.001). Patients with low literacy skills were more likely to state that their physician was their sole source of HIV information (P < 0.005). Physicians may require training to appropriately convey health information to patients of low literacy.