Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hyperlipidemia in liver transplant recipients: prevalence and risk factors.

Hyperlipidemia is common in transplant patients. Although a causal relationship to the use of cyclosporine is accepted, additional risk factors are as yet unidentified. Eighty-five liver transplant recipients treated with standard triple immunosuppression with a survival of at least 6 months were evaluated. Pretransplantation and posttransplantation variables were analyzed as predictive factors of posttransplantation hyperlipidemia. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were considered elevated if they were > 250 mg/dL and > 150 mg/dL, respectively. Before and after transplantation, hyperlipidemia occurred in 8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3% to 16%) and 66% (95% CI, 55% to 76%), respectively. After transplantation, 47% (95% CI, 36% to 58%) of the patients had isolated high triglyceride levels, 12% (95% CI, 6% to 21%) had both elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and 7% (95% CI, 3% to 15%) had isolated elevated cholesterol levels. Hypertriglyceridemia occurred early after transplantation (67% by first month) and persisted nearly unchanged throughout the first year. In contrast, cholesterol levels increased with time (5%, 13%, and 27% at 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively). In univariate analysis, factors predictive of hypercholesterolemia included female sex, pretransplantation cholestatic liver disease, pretransplantation cholesterol levels > 141 mg/dL, and > 3 methylprednisolone "boluses. " In multivariate analysis, only a pretransplantation cholesterol level of > 141 mg/dL (odds ratio [OR], 5.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 21) was an independent risk factor. Risk factors associated with hypertriglyceridemia included pretransplantation hepatocellular liver disease (OR, 6.8; 95% CI, 1.2 to 40) and posttransplantation renal dysfunction (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.9 to 15.4). Hyperlipidemia is a frequent finding in liver transplant recipients, and hypertriglyceridemia is the most common abnormality. Hypertriglyceridemia can be predicted on the basis of pretransplant hepatocellular disease and posttransplant renal dysfunction. Pretransplant serum cholesterol level is an independent risk factor for posttransplant hypercholesterolemia.
Component Separation with Porcine Acellular Dermal Reinforcement is Superior to Traditional Bridged Mesh Repairs in the Open Repair of Significant Midline Ventral Hernia Defects

The optimal technique for complex ventral hernia repair (VHR) remains controversial. Component separation (CS) reinforced with porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) has shown favorable results compared with series of conventional bridged VHR, but few comparative studies exist. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing 40 randomly selected patients who underwent CS/PADM reinforcement against an identical number of patients who underwent conventional open VHR with mesh at our institution. Patient characteristics, operative findings, outcomes, complications, reoperations, and recurrences were obtained by chart review. Fisher's exact/t test compared outcomes between the two cohorts. Statistical significance was set as P < 0.05. Mean follow-up was 33.1 months. Patient groups did not differ significantly in race (P = 1.00), age (P = 0.82), body mass index (P = 0.14), or comorbid conditions (smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, steroid use; P values 0.60, 0.29, 0.08, and 0.56, respectively). Defect size was greater in the CS/PADM group (mean, 372.5 vs 283.7 cm2, P = 0.01) as was the percentage Ventral Hernia Working Group Grade III/IV hernias (65.0 vs 30.0%, P = 0.03). Recurrences were lower in the CS/PADM group (13.2 vs 37.5%, P = 0.02). Mesh infection was lower in the CS/PADM group (0 vs 23% in the bridged group, P = 0.002), all of which occurred with synthetic mesh. Indications for reoperation (recurrence or complications requiring reoperation) were also lower in the CS/PADM group (17.5 vs 52.5%, P = 0.002). Superior results are achieved with CS/PADM reinforcement over traditional bridged VHR. This is evidenced by lower recurrence rates and overall complications requiring reoperation, particularly mesh infection. This is despite the greater use of CS in larger defects and contaminated hernias (VHWG Grade III and IV). CS/PADM reinforcement should be strongly considered for the repair of significant midline ventral hernia defects.
Robust exponential stability of a class of uncertain switched fuzzy systems

This paper focuses on the problem of the exponential stability for a class of uncertain switched fuzzy (SF) delay systems. A switching control strategy is presented for a class of uncertain SF delay systems. A switched fuzzy delay system, which differs from existing ones, can often describe more precisely the fuzzy, continuous dynamics and discrete dynamics as well as their coupling and interactions in complex engineering systems. Firstly, a class of uncertain switched fuzzy delay systems is given, and in this class model the switched parallel distributed compensation controller is introduced. Next, using the scheme of average dwell time, the multiple Lyapunov function method is adopted to establish the stability results for this class of SF systems. Moreover, sufficient conditions for exponential stability are presented and stabilizing switching law is designed. A bound on the average dwell time guaranteeing exponentially stability of SF delay systems can be explicitly calculated via the solutions of some linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, two simulations of various comparisons for the elaborated examples demonstrate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Dosage Recommendation of Phenytoin for Patients with Epilepsy with Different CYP2C9/CYP2C19 Polymorphisms

To search for the optimal dosage of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy based on the metabolic activities of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms, a total of 169 patients receiving phenytoin treatment for more than 1 month were recruited. Phenytoin concentration, serum albumin, liver function tests, and renal function tests were measured. CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis, and NONMEM models were built to evaluate factors that would affect phenytoin metabolism. Patients were divided into 5 groups according to genotyping results (G1 to G5). Compared with extensive metabolizers in both CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 (G1), the Vmax (mg/kg/d) was 8.29% and 36.96% lower in CYP2C19 poor metabolizers (G3) and CYP2C9 poor metabolizers (G4), respectively. For the patient who was identified as a poor metabolizer in both CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 (G5), the Vmax was 45.75% lower than that of G1. In respect to Km (mg/L), it was 15.09% higher in G3 and 27.36% higher in G4 compared with that in G1. The Km of G5 was 91.71% higher than that of G1. The results revealed that the CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms have dramatic effects on the population pharmacokinetic parameters of phenytoin, especially for CYP2C9. Based on the Vm and Km values obtained in this study, the recommended dose ranges for G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5 patients would be 5.5–7, 5–7, 5–6, 3–4, and 2–3 mg/kg/d, respectively.
GABA and Glycine as Inhibitory Neurotransmitters in the Vestibuloocular Reflex a

Considerable knowledge has accumulated regarding the morphological, physiological, and functional organization of the vestibular system. The basic three-neurone chain, comprising primary and secondary vestibular neurones and motoneurones in the extraocular motor nuclei, is a necessary component of the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR). It is clear, however, that other neurones in the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi and the cerebellum, as well as vestibular commissural connections, have an important role in its normal operation. Inhibition mediated by second-order vestibular neurones is a fundamentally important aspect of the reciprocal excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to extraocular motoneurones in the VOR. Although inhibition at the level of the motoneurones undoubtedly is important in providing a rapid, effective relaxation of antagonistic extraocular muscles, it appears not to be involved in determining, at least directly, the response properties (e.g., head velocity, eye position sensitivities) and discharge patterns (i.e., burst, burst/tonic) of these neurones. Rather, inhibitory mechanisms at all levels in the vestibuloocular circuitry may be important in shaping the excitatory networks that ultimately control the dynamic properties of the VOR. Even at the level of the extraocular motoneurones, however, inhibition is important to the extent that the reciprocal excitatory and inhibitory inputs overlap with respect to firing threshold, thus creating a larger dynamic response than otherwise would be present with either input alone. The types of ncurotransmitters [i.e., y-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine] utilized by inhibitory inputs and the postsynaptic receptors with which they are associated furthermore may translate into differences in the postsynaptic effects of interacting excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Consequently, the identification of the inhibitory neurotransmitters utilized in various circuits in the vestibuloocular system and the various types of receptors with which they are associated is of fundamental importance to further defining the role of such interactions in normal eye movements and the extent to which they are involved in eye movement deficits.
The Paradox of Dueling Identities: The Case of Local Senior Executives in MNC Subsidiaries

This study focuses on how employees cope with dueling social identities when one is of relatively low status compared to the other by studying local senior executives in mulinational corporations’ (MNC’s) subsidiaries who can identify with the local staff and/or headquarters’ management. As hypothesized, perceptions of local staff incompetence are positively related to executives’ turnover intentions. This relationship becomes weaker if they have high-quality communication with, or high levels of trust in, headquarters’ management. Results suggest that employees disidentify with a stigmatized identity group by intending to quit; however, identification with a higher status alternative identity group can mitigate this effect.
Efficacy of Daflon 500 mg in the Treatment of Lymphedema (Secondary to Conventional Therapy of Breast Cancer)

To assess the activity of a purified, micronized, flavonoidic fraction (Dios; Daflon® 500 mg*) on upper limb lymphedema occurring after breast cancer therapy, a monocenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group vs placebo (Plac) trial was carried out. One hundred and four women with lymphedema were included; 94 completed the study (46 Dios, 48 Plac). A subset of 24 patients with more severe lymphedema (10 Dios, 14 Plac) was subjected to a separate analysis. Treatment consisting of Dios or Plac was given two tablets daily over a six-month period. A radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy using technetium-99m was performed at inclusion and at the end of the treatment. The upper limb volume was measured every two months. In the overall population the evolution of parameters was not different between Dios and Plac. In the 24 patients with a more severe lymphedema, the lymphoscintigraphic parameters (m ±sd) were as follows: lymphatic migration speed was significantly improved by Dios in comparison with Plac (Δ Speed cm/minute: 0.84 ±0.6 vs 0.14 ± 0.26, P = 0.005). The half-life of the colloidal compound was significantly improved over time in the Dios group (Δ half-life = 10.3 ±13.07 minute, P = 0.034) but not in the Plac group (Δ half-life = 0.53 ±15.51 minute, P = 0.086). The change over time of colloidal clearance was close to significance in the Dios group (Δ clearance μL/minute: 2.18 ±3.10, P = 0.054) but not in the Plac group (0.11 ±2.26, P = 0.86). No significant difference was found for evolution of lymphedema volume, despite a tendency in favor of Dios. This can be related to wide distribution of volume values and small numbers of patients. (continued on next page) In conclusion, these results suggest a beneficial therapeutic activity of Dios at the usual dose of two tablets/day in patients affected with more severe lymphedema. The clear improvement of the lymphatic speed illustrates its known lymphokinetic activity. Further studies with a higher dosage could confirm the beneficial activity of this drug in secondary lymphedema.
Nutrient Release, Plant Nutrition, and Potassium Leaching from Polymer-Coated Fertilizer

ABSTRACT The increase in food consumption and limitations in food production areas requires improved fertilizer efficiency. Slow- or controlled-release fertilizers are an alternative for synchronizing nutrient availability with the plant demands, reducing losses to the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of polymer-coated KCl compared with conventional KCl. The products were incubated in soil under controlled conditions to evaluate the time required for nutrient release. A greenhouse experiment was performed with corn plants in pots [. ]
Trustworthy services through attestation

Remote attestation is a promising mechanism for assurance of distributed systems. It allows users to identify the software running on a remote system before trusting it with an important task. This functionality is arriving at exactly the right time as security-critical systems, such as healthcare and financial services, are increasingly being hosted online. However, attestation has limitations and has been criticized for being impractical. Too much effort is required for too little reward: a large, rapidly-changing list of software must be maintained by users, who then have insufficient information to make a trust decision. As a result attestation is rarely used today. This thesis evaluates attestation in a service-oriented context to determine whether it can be made practical for assurance of servers rather than client machines. There are reasons to expect that it can: servers run fewer programs and the overhead of integrity reporting is more appropriate on a server which may be protecting important assets. However, a literature review and new experiments show that problems remain, many stemming from the large trusted computing base as well as the lack of information linking software identity to expected behaviour. Three novel solutions are proposed. Web service middleware is restructured to minimize the software running at the endpoint, thus lowering the effort for the relying party. A key advantage of the proposed two-tier structure is that strong integrity guarantees can be made without loss of conformance with service standards. Secondly, a program modelling approach is investigated to further automate the attestation and verification process and add more information about system behaviour. Several sets of programs are modelled, including the bootloader, a web service and a menu-based shell. Finally, service behaviour is attested through source code properties established during compilation. This provides a trustworthy and verifiable connection between the identity of the software on a service platform and its expected runtime behaviour. This approach is applicable to any programming language and verification method, and has the advantage of not requiring a runtime monitor. These contributions are evaluated using an example e-voting service to show the level of assurance attestation can provide. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that attestation can be made significantly more practical through the described new techniques. Although some problem remain, with further improvements to operating systems and better software engineering methods, attestation may become a trustworthy and reliable assurance mechanism for web services.
Digital Colposcopy With Dynamic Spectral Imaging for Detection of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia 2+ in Low-Grade Referrals: The IMPROVE-COLPO Study

Objective The aim of the study was to determine, in a wide “real-world” setting, whether digital colposcopy with adjunctive dynamic spectral imaging (DSI) mapping increases the detection of women with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Materials and Methods A multicenter, two-arm, observational, cross-sectional study that recruited women 21 years and older, having colposcopy after a low-grade abnormality screening result. The prospective arm collected outcomes of digital colposcopy with DSI used for identifying biopsy sites at the colposcopists' discretion. The retrospective control arm (number of subjects matched 1:1 per colposcopist) collected outcomes of standard colposcopy. The primary outcome was histopathological detection of women with CIN 2+ by colposcopic biopsy. Results The study included 1,788 women in the retrospective and 1,857 in the prospective arm from 39 US community-based clinics. Subject characteristics were comparable. A total of 71.6% of the women in the retrospective and 71.5% in the prospective arm underwent biopsy. The average number of biopsies increased from 1.032 (retrospective) to 1.256 (prospective). The yield of CIN 2+ patients was 7.21% in the retrospective and 9.48% in the prospective arm, a 2.27% difference (95% confidence interval = 0.47%–4.07%, p = .014) and 31.4% relative increase. The yield of CIN 3+ patients was 2.07% in the retrospective and 3.23% in the prospective arm, a 1.16% (95% confidence interval = 0.12%–2.24%, p = .031) absolute difference and 56.1% relative increase. The false-positive rates for biopsied patients were comparable (64.43% vs 62.04%, p = .139). Conclusions Digital colposcopy with the adjunctive DSI increased CIN 2+ and CIN 3+ detection in low-grade referrals compared with standard colposcopy, with a similar number of women undergoing biopsy.
Testing of different plants to determine influence of physico–chemical properties and contaminants content on municipal sewage sludges phytotoxicity

This study attempts to evaluate the Phytotoxkit™ as a tool for measuring the toxicity of municipal sewage sludges using 10 common plants: mustard, turnip, cress, red clover, cucumber, tomato, radish, sorrel, and spinach. The results were used to determine a germination index (GI) and a median effective concentration (EC) value for each plant. The trace metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminant content and the physical–chemical properties were examined. Most sewage sludges were characterized by an unfavorable electrical conductivity value of about 5.2 mS/cm−1. The most abundant trace metals were zinc (Zn) at 871–1680 mg kg−1, manganese (Mn) at 245–661 mg kg−1, and copper (Cu) at 88.2–161.0 mg kg−1. The lowest values were determined for cobalt (Co) at 2.9–3.8 mg kg−1 and cadmium (Cd) at 0.7–3.7 mg kg−1. The PAH sum was based on 10 individual compounds (USE EPA), and the PAH content ranged from 4.76 to 27.95 mg kg−1, most of the sewage sludges showing a predomination by carcinogenic PAHs. The GI values, based on seed germination and root growth inhibition bioassays, showed increasing plant sensitivity to the tested sewage sludges in the following order: cress > turnip > mustard > sorrel > tomato > sorgo > red clover > radish > cucumber > spinach. The EC50 sewage sludge values lay in the range 31–404 g/kg of soil, and significant relationships were found for most of the plants between EC50 and the magnesium content (Mg2+: α = 0.888–0.924, P = 0.05), calcium content (Ca2+: α = 0.813–0.911, P ≤ 0.05), and pH (α = −0.913–0.948, P = 0.05). In the case of sewage sludge pollutants, significant relationships were found for trace metals such as: strontium (Sr: α = 0.851–0.948, P ≤ 0.05), chromium (Cr: α = 0.858, P ≤ 0.05), and nickel (Ni: α = 0.955, P = 0.05), as well as pyrene (PAHs). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2010.
Valence Topological Charge-Transfer Indices for Reflecting Polarity: Correction for Heteromolecules

Valence topological charge-transfer (CT) indices are applied to the calculation of dipole moments μ. The μ calculated by algebraic and vector semisums of the CT indices are defined. The model is generalized for molecules with heteroatoms and corrected for sp3-heteromolecules. The ability of the indices for the description of the molecular charge distribution is established by comparing them with μ of the valence-isoelectronic series of cyclopentadiene, benzene and styrene. Two CT indices, μvec (vector semisum of vertex-pair μ) and μvecV (valence μvec) are proposed. The μvecV behaviour is intermediate between μvec and μexperiment. The correction is produced in the correct direction. The best results are obtained for the greatest group. Inclusion of the heteroatom in the π-electron system is beneficial for the description of μ, owing to either the role of additional p and/or d orbitals provided by the heteroatom or the role of steric factors in the π-electron conjugation. The steric effect is almost constant along the series and the dominating effect is electronic. Inclusion of the heteroatom enhances μ, which can improve the solubility of the molecule. For heteroatoms in the same group, the ring size and the degree of ring flattering are inversely proportional to their electronegativity.
Interactions between Conditioned Stimuli for Food and Water in the Rat

In two experiments rats were initially trained with one conditioned stimulus (CS) signalling food and another CS signalling water. The main purpose of the experiments was to examine the effects of presenting these stimuli in compound. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the level of conditioned responding to this compound was equal to that of a group for which the compound was composed of elements that had separately signalled the same reinforcer. Moreover, the level of this responding was greater than for a group that had received only compound conditioning. In the second experiment it was found that after the initial training, repeatedly pairing the compound with a single reinforcer resulted in an equivalent loss of conditioned responding to both elements. These findings suggest that the interaction between conditioned stimuli for food and water is facilitatory rather than inhibitory.
Type A-B Behavior and Self-Estimates of the Frequency of Headaches in College Students

Individuals who suffer from migraine headaches have been characterized as tense, hard-driving individuals who have difficulty in coping with stress ( 3 ) . These behaviors are similar to those which Friedman and Rosenman (1) used to describe the behavior of the Type A person. This similarity suggested to us that Type A college students might experience headaches more frequently than Type B students. To test this hypothesis, we asked 177 college students to respond to the Glass ( 2 ) version of the Jenkins Activity Survey for college students and to estimate the frequency with which they experienced tension or migraine headaches on a three-point scale, i.e., often, sometimes, never. The Jenkins Survey was scored using the system developed by Glass and, like Glass, we define Type A as Jenkins' score 8 and Type B as Jenkins' score < 8. Using the data in a contingency table, we found chat the relationship between Type A/B behavior and the frequency of headaches was significant, i.e., x2 = 9.26, p < . 01, with 4 = . 23.
Development of a compact antenna for global earth coverage

This paper is on the development, under an ESA contract, of a new concept of antenna for global earth coverage in the C-band. The main improvements of this antenna with respect to the several types of horns used so far have to do with the dimension and mass which have been notably reduced. The structure known as Von Trentini antenna was selected as the most capable to meet this main objective, being modelled, analyzed and optimized, and the theoretical results were validated with the experimental measurements from several manufactured breadboards, including a final prototype meeting specifications.