Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Male Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis Have a Higher Risk of Sleep Apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a renal replacement therapy. One concern is whether patients on PD have a higher risk of sleep apnea (SA) due to intra-abdominal pressure increase and worsened ultrafiltration capacity. Despite this concern, to date, whether the risk of SA differs between PD, hemodialysis (HD), and groups without uremia is still uncertain. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. This database enrolled almost all patients on dialysis in the country. A total of 7,645 incident patients on PD and 38,225 incident patients on HD were enrolled. In addition, 38,225 patients without uremia were selected as the comparison cohort. Individuals were monitored for the occurrence of SA until 2013. RESULTS The results showed that patients on PD, regardless of sex, all had a higher risk of SA than non-dialysis groups. In contrast, the risk of SA in patients on HD was not significantly different from that of patients without uremia. We also compared the risk of SA between patients on PD and HD directly. The results showed that male patients on PD had a significantly higher risk of SA risk than male patients on HD. However, the risk of SA did not differ between female patients on PD and HD. CONCLUSIONS Patients on PD should receive regular SA assessments and that an increased awareness and a higher index of suspicion for SA should be maintained in these patients, especially male patients.
Patients’ satisfaction with the care provided by nurse practitioners in primary care settings of a remote region of Canada: A cross-sectional study

Objective: A cross-sectional correlational design was used to describe patients’ satisfaction with primary healthcare nurse practitioners and identify factors associated with their satisfaction regarding the services received in a remote region of Quebec, Canada.Methods: Patients who received care from eight primary healthcare nurse practitioners were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. STROBE checklist was adhered.Results: A total of 574 patients were recruited (participation rate: 76.6%). Patients were very satisfied with the healthcare services received, relationship with the practitioner, information received, duration of the consultation, and the overall consultation (89.6%-93.3%). The only variable associated with a higher likelihood of being very satisfied with the overall consultation was a longer duration of the consultation (adjusted OR: 1.029; CI: 1.005-1.054; p = .018). Conclusions: The high level of patients’ satisfaction and trust with healthcare nurse practitioners is a potential contributing factor to past and future success of their integration in primary healthcare services.
Elderly patients with COPD require more health care than elderly heart failure patients do in a hospital-based home care setting

Background Elderly patients with advanced stages of COPD or chronic heart failure (CHF) often require hospitalization due to exacerbations. We hypothesized that telemonitoring supported by hospital-based home care (HBHC) would detect exacerbations early, thus, reducing the number of hospitalization. We also speculated that patients with advanced COPD or CHF would present differences regarding exacerbation frequency and the need of HBHC. Methods The Health Diary system, based on digital pen technology, was employed. Patients aged ≥65 years with ≥2 hospitalizations the previous year were included. Exacerbations were categorized and treated as either COPD or CHF exacerbation by an experienced physician. All HBHC contacts (home visits or telephone consultations) were registered. Results Ninety-four patients with advanced diseases were enrolled (36 COPD and 58 CHF subjects) of which 53 subjects (19 COPD and 34 CHF subjects) completed the 1-year study period. Death was the major reason for not finalizing the study. Compared to the 1-year prior inclusion, the intervention significantly reduced hospitalization. Although COPD subjects were younger with less comorbidity, exacerbations and HBHC contacts were significantly greater in this group. Conclusions COPD subjects exhibit exacerbations more frequently, mainly due to disease characteristics, thus, demanding much more HBHC.
A NEW APPROACH FOR TEACHING 'ENERGY' CONCEPT: THE COMMON KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION MODEL

Energy concept in science curriculum is one of important interdisciplinary topics so it is hard to learn, much research has been conducted to define students’ understanding. Therefore, a model like The Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) enhancing the environment with alternative assessment and socioscientific situations should be used to facilitate students’ understanding. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the teaching sequence based on CKCM on the students’ conceptual change process. The research was conducted as an experimental study and carried out with the 42 students at 7th grade in Trabzon. For collecting data, in the study many data collection tools were used: The achievement test, The word association test and The concept map. The result of this study shows that the students in experiment group seem to be more successful than the students in control group. Although CKCM is useful way to teach a concept or a subject, the lessons’ time in the science curriculum isn’t enough to use this model, especially, if students have learning difficulties. And also, students must be willing to learn and explore the knowledge if teacher want to use this model in her/his lessons.
The Impact of EMG Biofeedback on Evacuation Difficulty Level and Pain Grade During Defecation in Chronically Constipated Elderly Female Patients Due to Dyssynergic Defecation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of biofeedback therapy on evacuation difficulty level and the pain grade during defecation of elderly female patients with dyssynergic defecation. With this aim, after one month of initial assessment, 16 chronically constipated female patients with dyssynergic defecation were randomized to either a electromyographic biofeedback group (n = 8) or to a conventional treatment group (n = 8). The results showed a significant decrease in the evacuation difficulty level and pain grade during defecation following behavioral treatment through biofeedback. At the same time, the treatment produced significant improvements in the weekly stool frequency and a decrease in the mean electromyographic (EMG) activity (µV) of the external anal sphincter during straining to defecate. Clinical gains were maintained during the follow-up carried out six months later.
An improved approach to Bayesian computer model calibration and prediction

We consider the problem of calibrating inexact computer models using experimental data. To compensate for the misspecification of the computer model, a discrepancy function is usually included and modeled via a Gaussian stochastic process (GaSP), leading to better results of prediction. The calibration parameters in the computer model, however, sometimes become unidentifiable in the GaSP model, and the calibrated computer model fits the experimental data poorly as a consequence. In this work, we propose the scaled Gaussian stochastic process (S-GaSP), a novel stochastic process for calibration and prediction. This new approach bridges the gap between two predominant methods, namely the $L_2$ calibration and GaSP calibration. A computationally feasible approach is introduced for this new model under the Bayesian paradigm. The S-GaSP model not only provides a general framework for calibration, but also enables the computer model to predict well regardless of the discrepancy function. Numerical examples are also provided to illustrate the connections and differences between this new model and other previous approaches.
High performance work systems

The high performance work systems (HPWS’s) literature and practice has evolved rapidly since the 1970’s. While no one agrees exactly with any single definition, it is safe to say that most scholars and practitioners would say the purpose of a HPWS is to help an organization achieve some type of optimal “fit” between people, technology, work, and information. Practitioners would demand that high performance work systems contribute to organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and health. Accordingly, they should care about productivity, quality, safety, absenteeism, costs, workplace organization, suggestions, explicit and tacit learning, and attracting retaining, and motivating a firstrate workforce. To most behavioral scientists, HPWS’s are really a unique way of thinking about organizations. More specifically, these HPWS's try to optimize the fit between social and technical subsystems rather than “force fitting” people into the technological system. The research record is rather clear that these systems do indeed produce valued performance outcomes. Today, despite 20 years of reporting successes, only about 15% of all U.S. organizations attempt to use the full HPWS technology (Lawler, 1998). Up to 70% of firms do incorporate some HPWS practices in their approach to work and job design. We have a long way to go. An important part of this course will be to study the diffusion process to better understand why innovations diffuse slowly across and within organizations.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND COCAINE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM RIBEIRÃO PRETO - BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Objective: to determine alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use, abuse, and dependence, and to identify the association between the use of these substances and the academic performance of undergraduate students. Method: a cross-sectional study with 275 undergraduate students from health and humanities courses at a university in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The instruments used were the Questionnaire for Screening the Use of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances and the student’s self-report on their performance considering a scale from zero to 10. For analysis, Fisher’s Exact Test and Pearson’s Chi-square test were used. Results: the pattern of alcohol and cocaine use in the sample studied was similar to the national average; however the prevalence of marijuana abuse was higher than the average. The use of marijuana was associated with the students’ academic performance in this study. Conclusion: the same association between abuse of and dependence on marijuana was not identified in the sample studied.
Characteristics of Haemodialysis Patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital During the First Year of Operation

The Recent upsurge in the global incidence and prevalence of kidney failure especially in the developing countries such as Nigeria has led to the emergence of haemodialysis units in the country. In 2007 a new four- machine haemodialysis unit came into operation at the University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital. This communication is a preliminary analysis of the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of patients treated at the centre in the first year of operation. During the period under study, a total of 76 patients received haemodialysis treatment in the unit. They were 43 males and 33 females,(M/F=1.3:1) with a mean age of 43.01 + 19.14 ( range 10 to 79 ) years. The patients were mostly of the low-income groups constituting 70.2%. Ethnographic distribution reflected the local catchments population of the hospital. The indications for haemodialysis were End stage kidney failure (72.4%), Acute renal failure (14.5%), and acute-on-chronic renal failure(13.1%). Clinical status of the patients at first presentation was generally poor. Forty-two patients (55.3%) presented in advanced uremia with severe haemodynamic instability. Fifteen (patients (19.7%) presented in uraemic encephalopathy while 19(25%) presented in stable azotaemia state. Patients presenting for haemodialysis in this unit derive mostly from the low socio-economic groups. End stage kidney failure was the commonest indication for haemodialysis treatment. Most patients presented for the first time in very unstable clinical state. The findings are consistent with previous studies in other centres in Nigeria.
CzEngClass – Towards a Lexicon of Verb Synonyms with Valency Linked to Semantic Roles

Abstract In this paper, we introduce our ongoing project about synonymy in bilingual context. This project aims at exploring semantic ‘equivalence’ of verb senses of generally different verbal lexemes in a bilingual (Czech-English) setting. Specifically, it focuses on their valency behavior within such equivalence groups. We believe that using bilingual context (translation) as an important factor in the delimitation of classes of synonymous lexical units (verbs, in our case) may help to specify the verb senses, also with regard to the (semantic) roles relation to other verb senses and roles of their arguments more precisely than when using monolingual corpora. In our project, we work “bottom-up”, i.e., from an evidence as recorded in our corpora and not “top-down”, from a predefined set of semantic classes.
Students and Faculty Perspective of a Good Medical Teacher in the Asian Context

Objective: To determine the relative importance of the twelve roles of a teacher in defining a good medical teacher in the Asian context. Material and methods: This is a cross sectional, descriptive study using the questionnaire validated by Harden and Crosby. The 470 subjects comprise 369 preclinical and clinical medical students and 101 faculty members of the International Medical University, Malaysia. They were asked to choose, in order of importance, the three most important roles of a medical teacher from the twelve roles identified by Harden and Crosby. Their responses were rated on a Likert scale of 1-5 points and the data analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 using the Mann Whitney U-test. Results: The teacher as an information provider was rated the first choice by 49.5% of faculty and 68.0% of students. The teacher as a role model was rated the second choice by 39.7% of faculty and 12.2% of students. These two roles together accounted for 82.2% of the preference of faculty and students. The other roles of the teacher as facilitator, assessor, planner and resource developer had low scores. Collectively, these 4 roles had faculty and student scores of only 10.9% and 19.6% respectively. Both the faculty (36.6%) and students (34.1%) rated their clinical teachers highly. Conclusion: In an Asian society, the teacher is still highly valued as an information provider and a role model. Clinical teachers who are knowledgeable and good role models are highly rated by both faculty and students. Universities would be prudent to attract and retain such teachers with incentives.
Environmental study of heavy metals influence on soil and Tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare L.)

The aim of this work was to define the correlation between heavy metal (mercury, lead, cadmium, chrome and nickel) concentration changes (in soil, leaf, stem, root and essential oil in Tansy) and type and distance from source pollution. The concentration was monitored on different locations: 1) Chemical industry panevo (with accident situation); 2) Panevo industrial zone; 3) highway; 4) Ada Ciganlija recreation zone and 5) Topider park. Mercury (Hg) concentration was analyzed as a function of time, starting from accident situation from 1999 to 2008. Hg had maximum concentration of 131 200 mg/kg at a soil depth of 0 - 15 cm. After three, six and nine years, linear accident Hg concentrations in soil decreased from 85 400 via 41 060 to 106.0 mg/kg. Mercury concentration which results in the location where accident occurred showed that 6 years was necessary for concentration to drop below the limits and for revitalization of standard industrial Tansy vegetation. Concentrations of Hg in the Tansy plants from contaminated site were 5, 10, 100 and 200 times greater than in industrial zone, highway, Ada Ciganlija and Topider, respectively. The highest amount of lead (Pb) was in leaves (14.1 mg/kg) and in essential oil (0.7 mg/kg) of Tansy near the highway. However, Pb concentration in soil and plant was decreased with square of highway distance.
Investigation of Biochemical Effects of Barbaloin on Renal Tissue in Cecal Ligation and Puncture-Induced Polymicrobial Sepsis Model in Rats

Sepsis, due to multiorgan failure,[1,2] causes death in intensive care units as high as 20% worldwide[3–5] because mortality rates are extremely high and it is important to investigate the sepsis with appropriate experimental models. The most commonly used model for experimental sepsis is the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model. [6,7] Inflammation plays an important role in the etiology and prognosis of sepsis. With the release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the severity of the inflammatory response increases. [8,9] With cytokines and leukocyte activation, inflammatory responses are exacerbated, and organ damage occurs. The most important role in tissue damage is the releasing of oxidative molecules. [10] Because of the oxidative stress, tissue damage occurs due to the decrease of antioxidant molecules that arise from increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen. [11] An increase in ROS causes lipid and protein peroxidation to enhance malondialdehyde (MDA), the fatty acid peroxidation product. [12,13] Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an indicator of neutrophils concentration in damaged tissues. [14] While the total antioxidant level (TAS) is used as an indicator of total antioxidant activity, total oxidant status (TOS) is a strong marker to determine total oxidant status. Oxidative stress index (OSI) is a value indicating the balance in the current oxidative status. [15,16]
Industrial Wireless Systems: Radio Propagation Measurements

Radio frequency (RF) propagation measurements were conducted at three facilities representing a crosssection of different classes of industrial environments. Selected sites included a multi-acre transmission assembly factory typical of the automotive industry; a small-sized machine shop primarily engaged in met­ alworking located on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg; and a steam generation plant located on the NIST campus in Boulder. A spread spectrum correlation sounder was used to take the measurements at a con­ tinuum of points throughout the facility by fixing the transmitter and moving the receiver at a constant rate throughout each facility. We analyzed the data collected from the RF propagation measurements of each site. Analysis is based on channel impulse response (CIR) measurements collected during the measurement using equipment developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The results of our analy­ sis include a tabulated summary and detailed exploration of various industry accepted channel metrics such as path loss, delay spread, and K factor. Our interpretation of the measurements contributes to an improved understanding of radio frequency propagation in factories and an additional perspective on deploying wire­ less communication devices within factories. The raw measurement data and analysis software are made freely available for public download. _____________________________________________________________________________________ This puication is avilable ree of carge rom : https://rg/10.6028/N IS T.TN . 951 Courtesy of Analynk Wireless | (614) 755-5091 | www.analynk. com
Effect of an Educational Program on Compliance of Patients with Essential Hypertension toward Therapeutic Regimen

Essential Hypertension is a common chronic disease and a serious health care problem in both developed and developing countries. Compliance toward different therapeutic regimen is a key factor in controlling blood pressure. Aim of study was to evaluate effect of an educational program on compliance of patients with essential hypertension toward therapeutic regimen. Subjects and methods: Research design: A quasi experimental research design was utilized in this study. Setting: This research was carried out in the outpatient clinic at Specialized Medical Hospital, Mansoura University. Subjects: A purposive sample of 120 adult patients with essential hypertension from both sex, aged 30-60 years and on antihypertensive treatment were recruited for the current study. Tool of data collection: Data collected through; assessment of patients’ socio-demographic characteristics, Hypertension Knowledge Level Scale, and compliance through Hill Bone Scale. Results; Improved patients' compliance toward therapeutic regimen post implementing program with highly statistically significant difference with P ≤ 0.001, as well; the findings showed that a highly positive correlation between patients' knowledge and their compliance toward therapeutic regimen. Conclusion: The educational program was effective in the management of hypertensive patients through improving their compliance toward therapeutic regimen. Recommendations It is recommended to apply this program as a routine in the study setting and similar ones. In addition to design a training program for outpatient nurses about hypertension and its management.
Seroprevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis among people with epilepsy epileptic patients in three rural districts of Northern Uganda

Taenia solium pork tapeworm is one of the parasites that causes serious public health and socioeconomic problems in developing countries. In Northern Uganda, extreme level of poverty, lack of sanitation infrastructure and communities’ practice of free range pig farming provide suitable condition for survival of T. solium in the area. Additionally, increased cases of epilepsy are of serious concern. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of patients with epilepsy who are positive for metacestodes of T. solium antigens and anticysticercal IgG antibodies in three districts of Northern Uganda. Forty two thousand nine hundred three participants were screened for epileptic seizures. Three hundred random samples were screened for anticysticercal IgG and circulating antigens using indirect antibody and monoclonal antibody ELISAs. Samples positive for anticysticercal IgG were confirmed using western blot. The seroprevalence of anticysticercal IgG and circulating antigens among patients samples using indirect antibody ELISA and monoclonal antibody ELISA was 15% (95% CI = 14.5-15.5 and 9% (95% CI 8.5-9.5) respectively. Thirteen, 13% (95%CI = 12.5-13.5) of patient samples were positive for T. solium specific glycoprotein on immunoblot. There was no significance difference (P = 0.057) in seroprevalence of anticysticrecal IgG and circulating antigens between males and females. This finding indicates that T. solium infections occur among communities in three rural districts of Northern Uganda. There is a potential for proliferation of pork tape worm infections among the communities. Therefore, there is need for Health authorities to strengthen training of health workers and enforcement of public health education in the community on epilepsy associated with neurocysticercosis. Key words: Neurocysticercosis, seroprevalence, westernblot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISAs), rural communities, Northern Uganda.
Biases in the Assessment of Left Ventricular Function by Compressed Sensing Cardiovascular Cine MRI

Cardiovascular cine MRI has been recognized, as an accurate noninvasive method for assessing left ventricular function (1, 2). For cardiovascular cine MRI, CS is a useful technique to reduce scan time, thereby keeping high temporal and spatial resolutions, without high-end hardware (3-6). The CS technique has often been combined with This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Received: February 8, 2019 Revised: March 25, 2019 Accepted: April 16, 2019