Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does the quality and outcomes framework reduce psychiatric admissions in people with serious mental illness? A regression analysis

Background The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) incentivises general practices in England to provide proactive care for people with serious mental illness (SMI) including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychoses. Better proactive primary care may reduce the risk of psychiatric admissions to hospital, but this has never been tested empirically. Methods The QOF data set included 8234 general practices in England from 2006/2007 to 2010/2011. Rates of hospital admissions with primary diagnoses of SMI or bipolar disorder were estimated from national routine hospital data and aggregated to practice level. Poisson regression was used to analyse associations. Results Practices with higher achievement on the annual review for SMI patients (MH9), or that performed better on either of the two lithium indicators for bipolar patients (MH4 or MH5), had more psychiatric admissions. An additional 1% in achievement rates for MH9 was associated with an average increase in the annual practice admission rate of 0.19% (95% CI 0.10% to 0.28%) or 0.007 patients (95% CI 0.003 to 0.01). Conclusions The positive association was contrary to expectation, but there are several possible explanations: better quality primary care may identify unmet need for secondary care; higher QOF achievement may not prevent the need for secondary care; individuals may receive their QOF checks postdischarge rather than prior to admission; individuals with more severe SMI may be more likely to be registered with practices with better QOF performance; and QOF may be a poor measure of the quality of care for people with SMI.
Control of a Class of Industrial Processes With Time Delay Based on a Modified Uncertainty and Disturbance Estimator

The control algorithm based on the uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE) is considered as an efficient control strategy that has attracted much attention recently. However, it cannot be directly applied to the widely existing industrial processes with time delay. To extend its applicability, the UDE control algorithm is modified so that it can be applied to stable, integrating, and unstable processes with time delay. The stability condition of the modified UDE (MUDE) is established. It is shown that the design of tracking and regulation can be separated. The tradeoff between the performance and robustness is achieved by parameter tuning. Compared with the recent strategies evolving from the Smith predictor, simulation, and laboratory experimental results are presented to show that the MUDE-based control gives significant improvement in (1) robustness; (2) control for unstable systems; (3) eliminating steady-state error; and (4) structure simplicity, which makes it easy to configure in industrial distributed control systems. Finally, the promising prospect of the proposed strategy in industry is exemplified via a field test in an in-service 1000-MW power plant.
CD 8 Lymphocytes Do Not Mediate Protection against Acute Superinfection 20 Days after Vaccination with a Live Attenuated Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

Richard Stebbings,* Neil Berry, Herman Waldmann, Pru Bird, Geoff Hale, Jim Stott, David North, Robin Hull, Joanna Hall, Jenny Lines, Stuart Brown, Nikki D’Arcy,† Leanne Davis, William Elsley, Cherry Edwards, Deborah Ferguson, Jane Allen,‡ and Neil Almond Division of Immunology, Division of Retrovirology, and Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, United Kingdom, and Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and Oxford Therapeutic Antibody Centre, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
Laryngotracheal Separation for Intractable Aspiration

Intractable aspiration may be a life-threatening problem for patients with altered laryngeal function secondary to neurologic disorders or abnormal laryngeal anatomy. Multiple surgical procedures have been devised to deal with this problem. An effective technique involves the creation of a tracheostoma and closure of the larynx at the first or second tracheal ring. Laryngotracheal separation is relatively easy to perform and potentially reversible. Experience with this technique in six patients who required laryngeal separation for intractable aspiration is described. The procedure was successful in preventing aspiration and recurrent pneumonia associated with neurologic dysfunction, unresectable neoplasm, and conservation laryngeal surgery. One patient of one has had a successful reconstruction.
Detection of myocardial scar from the VCG using a supervised learning approach

This paper addresses the possibility of detecting presence of scar tissue in the myocardium through the investigation of vectorcardiogram (VCG) characteristics. Scarred myocardium is the result of myocardial infarction (MI) due to ischemia and creates a substrate for the manifestation of fatal arrhythmias. Our efforts are focused on the development of a classification scheme for the early screening of patients for the presence of scar. More specifically, a supervised learning model based on the extracted VCG features is proposed and validated through comprehensive testing analysis. The achieved accuracy of 82.36% (sensitivity 84.31%, specificity 77.36%) indicates the potential of the proposed screening mechanism for detecting the presence/absence of scar tissue.
Determinants of Capillary Refill Time in Healthy Neonates.

OBJECTIVES Traditionally Capillary refilling time (CRT) has been used as a widely accepted method to assess cardiac output and peripheral circulation in neonates. There are only few studies describing normal values and the correct method of recording CRT. The value of CRT is affected by various factors like ambient or skin temperature, age, site of measurement, duration as well as amount of pressure and inter observer variation. However, none of these have been standardized. Hence, we conducted this study to establish the normal value and factors affecting Capillary Refilling Time (CRT) in healthy neonates in Varanasi. DESIGN Prospective observational study done over a period of 2 years. SETTING Maternity wards and Neonatal intensive care unit of Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. PARTICIPANTS Healthy neonates between 35-42 weeks of gestation staying with their mothers and admitted in neonatal intensive care unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS CRT was measured by standard technique four times during first week of life on day 1, 3, 5 and 7. STATISTICS ANALYSIS Student t-test was used for analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS The mean capillary refilling time (CRT) was 2.23 ± 0.37 seconds in healthy neonates during first week of life. We studied each neonate four times in first week of life. Significantly lower values of CRT were noted in low birth weight babies throughout first week in healthy neonates. Babies under phototherapy and radiant warmer had also shorter CRT values. Values were not affected by age, sex and gestation. CONCLUSION The normal value of capillary refilling time (CRT) in healthy neonate is less than three seconds. The major determinants of CRT in healthy neonate are birth weight, radiant warmer and phototherapy. CRT alone in neonatal age is less informative haemodynamic parameter; it should be evaluated along with either blood pressure or oxygen saturation with pulse oxymeter. Further studies are needed to assess the reliability and validity of CRT as a clinical tool to measure perfusion in neonates.
Energy flow and fluctuations in non-equilibrium conformal field theory on star graphs

We consider non-equilibrium quantum steady states in conformal field theory (CFT) on star-graph configurations, with a particular, simple connection condition at the vertex of the graph. These steady states occur after a large time as a result of initially thermalizing the legs of the graph at different temperatures, and carry energy flows. Using purely Virasoro algebraic calculations we evaluate the exact scaled cumulant generating function for these flows. We show that this function satisfies a generalization of the usual non-equilibrium fluctuation relations. This extends results by two of the authors to the case of more than two legs. It also provides an alternative derivation centered on Virasoro algebra operators rather than local fields, hence an alternative regularization scheme, thus confirming the validity and universality of the scaled cumulant generating function. Our derivation shows how the usual Virasoro algebra leads, in large volumes, to a continuous-index Virasoro algebra for which we develop diagrammatic principles, which may be of interest in other non-equilibrium contexts as well. Finally, our results shed light on the Poisson-process interpretation of the long-time energy transfer in CFT.
Dietary Cholecalciferol, but not Dietary Boron, Modulates Insulin Receptor Expression in Rat Skeletal Muscle

Cite this article: Rhee YS, Hunt CD, Idso JP (2014) Dietary Cholecalciferol, but not Dietary Boron, Modulates Insulin Receptor Expression in Rat Skeletal Muscle. J Hum Nutr Food Sci 2(1): 1022. *Corresponding author Yeong Rhee, Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA, Tel: + 701-231-7476; Fax: +701-231-6347; E-mail: Submitted: 03 January 2014 Accepted: 29 January 2014 Published: 30 January 2014 Copyright © 2014 Rhee et al.
EM-based channel estimation for cooperative relay networks

We consider channel estimation in amplify-and forward (AF) wireless relay networks (WRNs) when coherent distributed space-time coding is performed at relays. We perform minimum mean-square-error detection at the destination when partial channel state information is available. For channel estimation, we propose to use a semi-blind method based on the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Using an iterative channel estimation scheme, we show that a considerable improvement can be achieved in signal detection after a few iterations. We discuss the optimality of the proposed estimation scheme and further propose to improve its performance by combining appropriately the channel estimates based on pilot and data symbols.
The incidence of aneuploidy after single pulse electroactivation of mouse oocytes

A brief electric pulse often produces a high rate of activation of recently ovulated oocytes. Some other efficient parthenogenetic stimuli, such as alcohol, however, disrupt the spindle apparatus and increase the incidence of aneuploidy. In this paper, we have determined whether electroactivation per se increases the incidence of chromosomal segregation errors in haploid parthenogenones as evidenced at first cleavage mitosis.
BRL 17421 , a Novel f ,-Lactam Antibiotic , Highly Resistant to , 8-Lactamases , Giving High and Prolonged Serum Levels in Humans

BRL 17421 is a new semisynthetic /3-lactam antibiotic with an unusual spectrum of antibacterial activity. The compound exhibits exceptional stability to a wide range of bacterial /8-lactamases and is active against the majority of Enterobacteriaceae, including strains highly resistant to many of the penicillins and cephalosporins currently available. Among the clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae tested, the frequency of strains resistant to BRL 17421 was found to be low, and there was a slow rate of emergence of resistance during in vitro studies. BRL 17421 was highly active against Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, including /3-lactamase-producing strains. The compound was markedly less active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacteroides fragilis than against the Enterobacteriaceae. Against the gram-positive bacteria, BRL 17421 showed a very low level of activity. BRL 17421 was found to be 85% bound to human serum, and the antibacterial activity was diminished twoto fourfold in the presence of human serum. Against experimental infections in mice, the activity ofBRL 17421 reflected the properties observed in vitro. Studies in human volunteers showed unusually high and prolonged serum concentrations of the compound after parenteral dosage, with a serum half-life of about 5 h, and approximately 85% of the dose was recovered unchanged in the urine. BRL 17421
The Liberating Potential of Oral Literature in a Globalized Context

Without sounding like a dissenter or an arch pessimist, it is pertinent to assert that indigenous African cultures are today at the brink of extinction due to marginalization and the imposition of European values made possible largely by advanced information technology that is a function of globalization. This erosive tendency, if unchecked, has the potential to obliterate African cultures and ways of life particularly given the rate at which globalizing trends that aim at international integration and interchange of world views, products and ideas, including democratic ideals, are fast enveloping African states, even at traditional levels. Already, African cultures are dubbed primitive, African democracy plastic and unsophisticated, even by Africans themselves. To attempt to reverse this trend and focus attention on the upliftment of the African image and identity, this paper explores the role oral literature can play within the current context of globalization and the attainment of democratic ideals. The paper therefore posits that the neglect of oral literature accounts for the continuous enslavement of the African mentality leading to the excessive reliance on Eurocentric paradigms for the interpretation of reality. It concludes that for Africa and Africans to impact democratically in todays globalized context, Africans should have recourse to the liberating potential of oral literature to strengthen their image and identity which can then be bandied positively in the modern capitalist market economy driven by globalization.
Going against the flow: retention, range limits and invasions in advective environments

Increasing globalization has spread invasive marine organisms, but it is not well under- stood why some species invade more readily than others. It is also poorly understood how species' range limits are set generally, let alone how anthropogenic climate change may disrupt existing species boundaries. We find a quantitative relationship that determines if a coastal species with a benthic adult stage and planktonic larvae can be retained within its range and invade in the direc- tion opposite that of the mean current experienced by the larvae (i.e. upstream). The derivation of the retention criterion extends prior riparian results to the coastal ocean by formulating the criterion as a function of observable oceanic parameters, focusing on species with obligate benthic adults and planktonic larvae, and quantifying the effects of iteroparity and longevity. By placing the solutions in a coastal context, the retention criterion isolates the role of 3 interacting factors that counteract down- stream drift and set or advance the upstream edge of an oceanic species' distribution. First, spawning over several seasons or years enhances retention by increasing the variation in the currents encoun- tered by the larvae. Second, for a given population growth rate, species with a shorter pelagic period are better retained and more able to spread upstream. And third, prodigious larval production improves retention. Long distance downstream dispersal may thus be a byproduct of the many propagules often necessary to ensure local recruitment and persistence of a population in an advective environment.
A Preliminary Study on the Effects of Self-Reported Dietary Caffeine on Pain Experience and Postoperative Analgesia.

BACKGROUND Caffeine reduces the amount of analgesic medications necessary to provide postoperative pain (POP) relief and augments treatments for headaches and dental pain. Despite considerable evidence of its beneficial effects, little is understood about the role of dietary caffeine consumption on baseline pain sensitivity or POP following oral surgery. METHOD Baseline experimental pain testing (quantitative sensory testing [QST]) using four stimulus modalities was conducted on 30 healthy adults (53% females) before surgical extraction of four third molars. Self-reported caffeine ingestion was reported before QST, and on the day of surgery, preoperative and postoperative caffeine plasma concentrations (CPC) were measured by mass spectrometry. POP ratings were obtained at timed intervals. RESULTS In QST, compared to subjects who self-reported no caffeine intake, those who self-reported caffeine ingestion demonstrated a higher pain sensitivity, particularly, on ramp and hold sustained heat at 44°C and 46°C, as well as a lower heat pain threshold and tolerance (p=0.05). Differences approached significance (p=0.06) in POP between subjects with CPC above 300 ng/mL and those with CPC below 300 ng/mL. Specifically, those with >300 ng/mL CPC had a slightly lower POP (mean 2.43, range 0-5) compared to those with <300 ng/mL CPC whose POP ratings were slightly higher (mean 2.89) with a greater variability (range 0-9.5). CONCLUSIONS Self-reported, dietary caffeine intake was associated with higher QST ratings with lower threshold and tolerance particularly on heat pain modalities. External factors (i.e., analgesic dosage) may have played a role in the analgesic effects of caffeine on POP in oral surgery, especially in individuals with CPC exceeding 300 ng/mL who reported lower pain.
Effects of Dumbbell and Elastic Band Training on Physical Function in Older Inner-City African-American Women

ABSTRACT Providing inner-city minorities with inexpensive exercise programs may be a means of reducing frailty and maintaining independent lifestyles in this population. To determine the efficacy of such a program, 22 African-American women aged 62–94 years were recruited from a senior center in the Wichita urban community. Sixteen women (age = 74.8 ± 8.8 yr) participated in exercise training (3 days per week for 4 weeks) and 6 women (age = 74.7 ± 4.5 yr) served as controls. Training consisted of chair-based exercises using elastic resistance bands (upper and lower body) and dumbbells (upper body). Elastic band training improved (p < 0.05) lower body strength (30-second chair stand, time for 5 stands) by approximately 20% and the combination of bands and dumbbell training improved upper body strength (30-second dumbbell curl) by 24%. Grip strength improved by 5%. Up-&-Go performance improved by 10% al though balance and mobility exercises were not a fundamental element of the training program. Upper and lower body flexibility did not change. Changes were not observed for any variable in the control group. This study suggests that exercising with equipment that costs only a few dollars per participant improves upper and lower body fitness in older African-American women who live in an urban setting.
Supervision in Neuropsychological Assessment: A Survey of Training, Practices, and Perspectives of Supervisors

Within the psychology supervision literature, most theoretical models and practices pertain to general clinical or counseling psychology. Supervision specific to clinical neuropsychology has garnered little attention. This survey study explores supervision training, practices, and perspectives of neuropsychology supervisors. Practicing neuropsychologists were invited to participate in an online survey via listservs and email lists. Of 451 respondents, 382 provided supervision to students, interns, and/or fellows in settings such as VA medical centers (37%), university medical centers (35%), and private practice (15%). Most supervisors (84%) reported supervision was discussed in graduate school “minimally” or “not at all. ” Although 67% completed informal didactics or received continuing education in supervision, only 27% reported receiving training specific to neuropsychology supervision. Notably, only 39% were satisfied with their training in providing supervision and 77% indicated they would likely participate in training in providing supervision, if available at professional conferences. Results indicate that clinical neuropsychology as a specialty has paid scant attention to developing supervision models and explicit training in supervision skills. We recommend that the specialty develop models of supervision for neuropsychological practice, supervision standards and competencies, training methods in provision of supervision, and benchmark measures for supervision competencies.
The Antioxidative Defense in Asthma

Asthma is a disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. Generation of oxygen free radicals by activated inflammatory cells produces many of the pathophysiologic changes associated with asthma and may contribute to its pathogenesis. However, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and their relation with asthma have not been well defined. This study was performed to examine the activities of major intracellular antioxidants in mild asthmatic patients. Twelve asymptomatic mild asthmatic patients who never used any antiasthma medication and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were selected. The activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured spectrophotometrically. The mean SOD activity of asthmatic patients was found to be significantly lower than that of the controls (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in CAT and GSH-Px activities between patients and controls (p > 0.05). Although the mechanisms underlying the association between asthma and antioxidant system are unclear, according to our findings, decreased antioxidant protection may contribute to the pathogenesis of mild asthma.
Posterior uveal malignant melanoma: temporal stability and ethnic variation in rates in Israel.

In a population-based study of posterior uveal malignant melanoma (755 incidence cases), the authors found a stabilized incidence in Israel from 1961-1996. Overall, Jewish immigrants to Israel had a relative rate (RR) of 2.2 [95% confidence interval [1.5-2.6] as compared to the reference population (Israeli-born Jews with Israel-born parents, i.e. third generation). Whereas individuals born in Eastern Europe or the Americas experienced the highest age adjusted incidence rates per million [for example; from 1972-1996, 8.3 for those from Poland, 8.2 from Romania, 6.4 from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 7.6 from the Americas], the lowest incidence rates were observed among immigrants from Algeria-Morocco-Tunisia (rate of 2.8), Iraq (1.7), Iran (3.2). Jews born in Israel exhibited incidence patterns similar to those individuals from the place of their parent's birth; high rates were observed among individuals born of American- or European-born parents (rate of 7.2), and low rates among offspring of parents who migrated from Africa or Asia (2.6). A low incidence was found among Israeli-born Arabs (2.6 in men, and 2.0 in women). The stable differences in incidence rates, according to populations of Jews, and the persistence of these variations within the descendants of these populations suggest that underlying susceptibility states are related to an individual's origin.