Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What's in Placebos: Who Knows? Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND No regulations govern placebo composition. The composition of placebos can influence trial outcomes and merits reporting. PURPOSE To assess how often investigators specify the composition of placebos in randomized, placebo-controlled trials. DATA SOURCES 4 English-language general and internal medicine journals with high impact factors. STUDY SELECTION 3 reviewers screened titles and abstracts of the journals to identify randomized, placebo-controlled trials published from January 2008 to December 2009. DATA EXTRACTION Reviewers independently abstracted data from the introduction and methods sections of identified articles, recording treatment type (pill, injection, or other) and whether placebo composition was stated. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS Most studies did not disclose the composition of the study placebo. Disclosure was less common for pills than for injections and other treatments (8.2% vs. 26.7%; P = 0.002). LIMITATION Journals with high impact factors may not be representative. CONCLUSION Placebos were seldom described in randomized, controlled trials of pills or capsules. Because the nature of the placebo can influence trial outcomes, placebo formulation should be disclosed in reports of placebo-controlled trials.
CODON OPTIMIZATION INCREASES HUMAN KALLISTATIN EXPRESSION IN Escherichia coli

A unique serpin, kallistatin, displays vasodilatory, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. Difficulty and low efficacy of obtaining recombinant kallistatin limit the wide investigation of its biological and pathological function. The present study employed a codon optimization algorithm to redesign the kallistatin gene and achieved a high yield of recombinant kallistatin protein. The kallistatin codons were redesigned for a more suitable Escherichia coli host without altering amino acids. Base composition and GC% content were compared between synthetic optimized kallistatin (opti-kallistatin) and wild-type kallistatin (wt-kallistatin). Both opti-kallistatin and wt-kallistatin were purified using Ni-NTA His-binding resins through fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The identity and purity of kallistatin were confirmed by Coomassie blue staining, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Western blot analysis. The output of opti-kallistatin protein was ∼2-fold increase (2.09 ± 0.23 mg/L) compared to wt-kallistatin (1.05 ± 0.2 mg/L). These results suggest that more common codon optimization in the E. coli host significantly increases the yield of heterologous human protein yields. This approach will remarkably facilitate the further investigation of kallistatin in vitro and in vivo.
Usefulness of Aggressive Behaviour Risk Assessment Tool for prospectively identifying violent patients in medical and surgical units.

AIM The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the Aggressive Behaviour Risk Assessment Tool for prospectively identifying violent patients in medical-surgical units. BACKGROUND Although patient violence against nurses is a serious occupational hazard, there is a lack of simple screening tools with acceptable sensitivity and specificity for identifying potentially violent patients in medical-surgical units. METHODS A prospective cohort study involving patients admitted to six medical-surgical units at an acute care hospital was conducted from August 2009 to December 2009. Primary nurses completed the 17-item checklist within 24 hours of admission. A second identical checklist was completed by another nurse to assess the inter-rater reliability. Following a violent event or just prior to discharge, the violent event outcome section was completed to collect information about violent event, if any. A multivariate logistic regression model with backward elimination was used to select a set of parsimonious items that best predict violent behaviours. RESULTS Fifty-six patients out of 2063 (2·7%) had one or more violent events. A parsimonious set of ten items were selected for the tool. Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis of Aggressive Behaviour Risk Assessment Tool showed that the area under the curve was 0·82 (95% Confidence Interval, 0·75-0·90). The sensitivity and specificity at the cut-off score of 1 were 70·9% and 89·3%, respectively. The Cohen's Kappa for inter-rater reliability was 0·647. CONCLUSION The Aggressive Risk Assessment Tool is a simple, easy-to-use assessment tool with acceptable inter-rater reliability, sensitivity and specificity that may be useful for prospectively identifying violent patients in medical-surgical units.
The dual coding of colour: 'Surface colour' and 'illumination colour' as constituents of the representational format of perceptual primitives

ions, as has repeatedly been emphasised in the literature. Stumpf (1917, p. 8), for instance, insisted that a specification of colour attributes is based on the "ability and the conditions for an isolating abstraction"; and Burnham, Hanes & Bartleson (1963, p. 5), in a report on behalf of the Inter-Society Color Council, regarded these "visually abstractable dimensions" as representing "an abstraction from a total visual experience" and emphasised that they "represent a cultural development upon which there is reasonably general agreement. " Concepts of basic colour attributes, such as hue, saturation and brightness, are theoretical terms that have been developed and abstracted
Asymmetric fiber microlenses for efficient coupling to elliptical laser beams

It is demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate asymmetric hyperbolic microlenses directly on the ends of single-mode optical fiber to enhance the fiber's coupling to elliptical laser beams. The lenses, with controlled eccentricity ratios, are made by micromachining the end of the fiber with a pulsed CO/sub 2/ laser, as the fiber is directed by computer control about the focussed laser beam. Coupling efficiencies of 84% (-0.74 dB) have been realized with single transverse mode lasers at a wavelength of 0.98 mu m having an approximately 3 to 1 beam ellipticity. With multitransverse-mode lasers at 1.48 mu m having similar ellipticities, the asymmetric lenses demonstrate a 2-dB increase in coupling efficiency over symmetric hyperbolic microlenses. The authors have coupled about 120 mW from such a 360 mW laser, used to pump erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, into single-mode fiber. <<ETX>>
Optimal placement of freight electric vehicles charging stations and their impact on the power distribution network

Article history: Received August 28 2018 Received in Revised Format February 7 2019 Accepted March 15 2019 Available online March 15 2019 In this paper, an optimization model for the Charging Station Location Problem of Electric Vehicles for Freight Transportation CSLP-EVFT is presented. This model aims to determine an optimal location strategy of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations EVCSs and the routing plan of a fleet of electric vehicles under battery driving range limitation, in conjunction with the impact on the power distribution system. Freight transportation is modeled under the mobility patterns followed by the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem CVRP for contracted fleet, and Shortest Path SP problem for subcontracted fleet. A linear formulation of the power flow is used in order to consider the impact on the electric grid. Several costs are examined, i.e., EVs routing, installation and energy consumption of EVCSs, and energy losses. Although uncertainties related to temporal variation of some aspects (number of customers and their demands, fleet size, power network nodes and routes) are not addressed, the proposed model represents a useful approach to evaluate multiple scenarios or to be introduced within stochastic optimization. Instead, the mathematical model is studied under the variation of EVs travel range that accounts for the advance of battery technology and sensitivity analysis. Additionally, the problem is reduced to a mixed integer non-linear mathematical model, which is linearized by using multivariable Taylor’s series. © 2019 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
Postherpetic Neuralgia Presenting as Delusional Parasitosis: A Case Series

Delusional parasitosis (DP) or Ekbom's disease is a rare psychiatric condition where the sufferers have a firm-fixed belief of insects crawling over their skin. The condition may be primary monosymptomatic hypochrondrical delusion or secondary to an underlying psychiatric or organic condition. We present two cases of elderly men presenting with classical symptomatology of DP, which is found to be secondary to postherpetic neuralgia following an acute episode of shingles or herpes zoster infection. One patient responded to a combination of antipsychotic, olanzapine, and pregabalin, used for neuropathic pain, and the other patient responded completely with medications used for neuropathic pain only without any antipsychotic use.
Follower-Maturity and Preference for Leader-Behavior Style

This paper reports research designed to investigate the relationship between the maturity of followers and their preference for leader-behavior style. Ss were 108 student-clinicians who were participating in practicum training in a hearing and speech clinic under the direction of clinical supervisors. Inexperienced student clinicians preferred a leader-behavior style that emphasized consideration, while the more experienced preferred their leaders to initiate more structure.
Effect of frequency of milking and feed delivery on the behavioural patterns and productivity of lactating dairy cows

This project was financially supported by a Dairy Farmers of Ontario (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) research grant and an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA; Guelph, Ontario, Canada)/University of Guelph Production Systems research grant. Additional project support was received from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and the Ontario Research Fund (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
Prehypertension in Pregnancy and Risks of Small for Gestational Age Infant and Stillbirth

It is not fully known whether maternal prehypertension is associated with increased risk of adverse fetal outcomes, and it is debated whether increases in blood pressure during pregnancy influence adverse fetal outcomes. We performed a population-based cohort study in nonhypertensive women with term (≥37 weeks) singleton births (n=157 446). Using normotensive (diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <80 mm Hg) women as reference, we calculated adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals between prehypertension (DBP 80–89 mm Hg) at 36 gestational weeks (late pregnancy) and risks of a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth or stillbirth. We further estimated whether an increase in DBP from early to late pregnancy affected these risks. We found that 11% of the study population had prehypertension in late pregnancy. Prehypertension was associated with increased risks of both SGA birth and stillbirth; adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.69 (1.51–1.90) and 1.70 (1.16–2.49), respectively. Risks of SGA birth in term pregnancy increased by 2.0% (95% confidence intervals 1.5–2.8) per each mm Hg rise in DBP from early to late pregnancy, whereas risk of stillbirth was not affected by rise in DBP during pregnancy. We conclude that prehypertension in late pregnancy is associated with increased risks of SGA birth and stillbirth. Risk of SGA birth was also affected by rise in DBT during pregnancy. Our findings provide new insight to the relationship between maternal blood pressure and fetal well-being and suggest that impaired maternal perfusion of the placenta contribute to SGA birth and stillbirth.
Occupational Therapy Guidelines for Client-Centred Practice: Impact Study Findings

The Guidelines Impact Study investigated use and usefulness of the guidelines for client-centred practice produced in the 1980's by the Department of National Health and Welfare and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. This paper outlines the study, summarizes findings, and discusses implications for revising and updating the Guidelines. Qualitative interview data from key informants across Canada were incorporated into a quantitative survey of a 5% sample of CAOT members. Data reveal variable use of the Guidelines, with greatest use in acute care and rehabilitation services; and mixed interpretations of the Model of Occupational Performance, particularly ‘environment’ and ‘spiritual component’. Recommendations include: clarification of the purpose and audience of revised Guidelines; national consultation during updating to include diverse forms of practice; and rethinking the Model of Occupational Performance as a dynamic model. Updated Guidelines should include both generic concepts and specific applications for different types of occupational therapy practice.
Efficacy of the LED Red Light Therapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders: Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome (TMD) is a common disease among dental patients. It occurs as a consequence of malfunction of the tempromandibular and/or surrounding facial muscles. LED red light therapy is not been well established, and it is important to find out the role of this technique in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Aim of the Study To evaluate the efficacy of the LED red light in the treatment of the tempromandibular dysfunction syndrome. Material and Methods Fifty students of the College of Dentistry/University of Baghdad with myofacial pain associated with Tempromandibular Disorder volunteered to participate in this study and be evaluated during both treatment and follow-up periods. They were 40 (80%) females and 10 (20%) males. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A treated by TenDlite® Medical Device model 204 with a LED's of wavelength 660 nm (red light) and Group B given placebo (no treatment at all) by just putting the TenDlite device near the tender points without battery and turning ON the device. Results The changes in the pain value and number of the tender muscles in both groups were highly significant, only placebo group less but with no significant differences. Conclusions This study showed that red LED therapy could be useful in improving patient's symptoms regarding pain, clicking, and number of tender muscles. In addition, this study showed the importance of the psychological part of treatment of those patients. This trial is registered with TCTR20190406002.
Inferior vena caval filter insertion prior to bariatric surgery: a systematic review of the literature

Summary. Placement of inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) is considered in many patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Their placement is driven by a high rate of pulmonary embolism (PE), uncertainty as to the effectiveness of pharmacologic prophylaxis, and a lack of alternate methods to prevent pulmonary embolism. We performed a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the evidence supporting placement of IVCFs in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Eleven studies were identified; none were randomized trials. Descriptive analysis suggests that IVCFs reduced PE; however, the strength of this observation is tempered by the lack of use of effective forms of prophylaxis and the failure to account for complications of IVCF placement. We conclude, pending the results of controlled studies, that the use of IVCFs cannot be recommended for routine patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
Preoperative serum vascular endothelial growth factor correlated to three dimensional power Doppler indices in ovarian masses

Objective: To assess the preoperative serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ovarian masses compared to normal controls and to find a correlation between VEGF and Doppler indices in ovarian masses. Methods: The study was conducted from December 2009 to September 2012 in the oncology and ultrasound units in department of obstetrics and gynecology, Ain Shams University on 150 patients with ovarian masses. During preoperative workup, serum Ca-125 levels and serum VEGF levels were obtained. Ultrasonographic examination included two and three dimensional power Doppler ultrasound (3DPD). Laparotomic approaches were undertaken to obtain the final pathologic results. VEGF was measured in one hundred normal cases as controls. Results: Final ovarian pathology revealed seventy three malignant ovarian masses and seventy seven were benign. Serum Ca-125 levels in malignant cases were higher compared to those in benign cases (p
Conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas de higiene y salud sexual en adolescentes del IV “A” año del turno Sabatino, Colegio Público Rubén Darío, Matagalpa 2015

En la adolescencia la higiene es algo muy importante ya que en esta etapa de la vida, se da la presencia de hormonas que regulan la funcion de los organos, lo que conlleva a una serie de cambios biologicos, psicologicos y sociales. Debido a esto se evaluo los conocimientos actitudes y practicas de higiene y salud sexual en los adolescentes del IV ano “A” del turno Sabatino del Colegio Publico Ruben Dario de la ciudad de Matagalpa en el cual se identifico los conocimientos de los estudiantes sobre este tema asi como las actitudes que toman al enfrentarse a ellos. En esta investigacion se aplicaron encuesta con el objetivo de caracterizar demograficamente a los estudiantes e identificar los conocimientos que tienen acerca de la higiene general, se realizo una escala de Likert para medir las actitudes ante la salud sexual. De lo antes expuesto, se logro detectar que la mayoria de los estudiantes conoce los conceptos de higiene y salud sexual, que toda esta informacion la han conseguido en la escuela, la cual comparten con sus amigos y en gran parte estos estudiantes no tienen una vida sexual activa. Estos datos fueron obtenidos a traves de las encuestas aplicadas a la poblacion en estudio. En cuanto a las actitudes que ellos toman a estas tematicas es una actitud positiva, en la que integran las opciones, creencias y sentimientos, y que las consecuencias de tener una actitud negativa, manipuladora e interesada ante la tematica de salud sexual: son los embarazos y enfermedades de transmision sexual a temprana edad. Teniendo en cuenta que al aplicarse la escala de Likert esta apuntaba al item “de acuerdo”. En cuanto a las practicas se valoraron a traves de un grupo focal, con un muestreo aleatorio simple con criterio de elegibilidad, sin tomar en cuenta capacidades fisico y psicosocial de los adolescentes
Amphibian species traits, evolutionary history and environment predict Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection patterns, but not extinction risk

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (B. dendrobatidis) has emerged as a major agent of amphibian extinction, requiring conservation intervention for many susceptible species. Identifying susceptible species is challenging, but many aspects of species biology are predicted to influence the evolution of host resistance, tolerance, or avoidance strategies towards disease. In turn, we may expect species exhibiting these distinct strategies to differ in their ability to survive epizootic disease outbreaks. Here, we test for phylogenetic and trait‐based patterns of B. dendrobatidis infection risk and infection intensity among 302 amphibian species by compiling a global data set of B. dendrobatidis infection surveys across 95 sites. We then use best‐fit models that associate traits, taxonomy and environment with B. dendrobatidis infection risk and intensity to predict host disease mitigation strategies (tolerance, resistance, avoidance) for 122 Neotropical amphibian species that experienced epizootic B. dendrobatidis outbreaks, and noted species persistence or extinction from these events. Aspects of amphibian species life history, habitat use and climatic niche were consistently linked to variation in B. dendrobatidis infection patterns across sites around the world. However, predicted B. dendrobatidis infection risk and intensity based on site environment and species traits did not reveal a consistent pattern between the predicted host disease mitigation strategy and extinction outcome. This suggests that either tolerant or resistant species may have no advantage in ameliorating disease during epizootic events, or that other factors drive the persistence of amphibian populations during chytridiomycosis outbreaks. These results suggest that using a trait‐based approach may allow us to identify species with resistance or tolerance to endemic B. dendrobatidis infections, but that this approach may be insufficient to ultimately identify species at risk of extinction from epizootics.
Levosimendan induces NO production through p38 MAPK, ERK and Akt in porcine coronary endothelial cells: role for mitochondrial KATP channel

Background and purpose: Levosimendan acts as a vasodilator through the opening of ATP‐sensitive K+ channels (KATP) channels. Moreover, the coronary vasodilatation caused by levosimendan in anaesthetized pigs has recently been found to be abolished by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester, indicating that nitric oxide (NO) has a role in the vascular effects of levosimendan. However, the intracellular pathway leading to NO production caused by levosimendan has not yet been investigated. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of levosimendan on NO production and to evaluate the intracellular signalling pathway involved.
OF ASAS SELF-SEPARATION IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS

This paper describes the results of two RealTime Simulation experiments (RTS2 and RTS3) on ASAS Self-Separation, conducted on the Research Flight Simulator at NLR in Amsterdam, within the context of the Mediterranean Free Flight (MFF) Program. RTS2 specifically investigated the procedures defined for transitions between Managed Airspace (MAS) and Free Flight Airspace (FFAS). Both Airborne Traffic Situational Awareness (ATSAW) and Airborne Self-Separation Assurance have been addressed in Managed and Free Flight Airspace, respectively. For RTS3 a pilot human factors evaluation was conducted on ASAS SelfSeparation, investigating the effects of weather, military activities and failures. Further, training needs for ASAS Self-Separation have been assessed, as well as the need for a vertical navigation display. Based on the results from these experiments it can be concluded that there are no showstoppers found for ASAS Self-Separation in challenging environments. The Human Machine Interface as well as the Conflict Detection & Resolution algorithms appear well accepted by participating subject pilots. Slight adjustments to the ASAS algorithms and procedures were identified based on the experiment results. Introduction The Mediterranean Free Flight (MFF) Program is a European project led by ENAV in partnership with AENA (Spain), DNA (France), Eurocontrol, HCAA (Greece), MATS (Malta), NATS (UK), NLR (NL) and SCAA-LFV (Sweden). The main objectives of MFF are focused on CNS/ATM technologies, Free Route and ASAS applications. Thanks to the foresight and funding provided by the European Commission, MFF is an effective exercise in international co-operation that developed European consensus on new innovative ATM techniques. It enabled experts from all over Europe to co-operate in overcoming the operational and technical hurdles in defining and evaluating future ATM concepts and led to the development of advanced simulation facilities and techniques. The first hurdle for MFF was to structure its scope and the partners agreed to focus on a series of increasingly innovative and challenging applications. Because of its wide scope, MFF has produced detailed results concerning the feasibility of a large range of applications leading towards user-preferred flight trajectories, redistribution of tasks between controllers and aircrew and making use of the possibilities offered by ADS-B technology.