Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The co-occurrence of alcoholism with other psychiatric disorders in the general population and its impact on treatment.

It is apparent from previous studies in clinical populations that there is a high comorbidity rate between alcoholism and other psychiatric diagnoses. However, this may simply be an expression of Berkson's bias (i.e., an increased tendency for persons with multiple diagnoses to seek and receive treatment and thus fall into study populations drawn from treatment sources). In this article, we use data from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area survey to examine the comorbidity between alcohol abuse and dependence, other substances of abuse and nonsubstance psychiatric disorders in a sample of approximately 20,000 persons drawn from the general population. We also examine the effect of comorbidity on psychiatric treatment. Every one of the psychiatric diagnoses we examined was more likely to occur in alcoholics than in nonalcoholics. Associations were particularly strong with antisocial personality disorder, other substance use and mania. The association between alcoholism and depressive disorders was positive but not very strong. The presence of other illnesses increased the likelihood of utilization of treatment services by alcoholics but did not increase the likelihood that drinking problems would be communicated to a doctor. The findings confirm prior studies of comorbidity in clinical samples and suggest the need for increased vigilance toward alcoholism by physicians.
Structure and regulon of Campylobacter jejuni ferric uptake regulator Fur define apo-Fur regulation

The full regulatory potential of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) family of proteins remains undefined despite over 20 years of study. We report herein an integrated approach that combines both genome-wide technologies and structural studies to define the role of Fur in Campylobacter jejuni (Cj). CjFur ChIP-chip assays identified 95 genomic loci bound by CjFur associated with functions as diverse as iron acquisition, flagellar biogenesis, and non-iron ion transport. Comparative analysis with transcriptomic data revealed that CjFur regulation extends beyond solely repression and also includes both gene activation and iron-independent regulation. Computational analysis revealed the presence of an elongated holo-Fur repression motif along with a divergent holo-Fur activation motif. This diversity of CjFur DNA-binding elements is supported by the crystal structure of CjFur, which revealed a unique conformation of its DNA-binding domain and the absence of metal in the regulatory site. Strikingly, our results indicate that the apo-CjFur structure retains the canonical V-shaped dimer reminiscent of previously characterized holo-Fur proteins enabling DNA interaction. This conformation stems from a structurally unique hinge domain that is poised to further contribute to CjFur’s regulatory functions by modulating the orientation of the DNA-binding domain upon binding of iron. The unique features of the CjFur crystal structure rationalize the binding sequence diversity that was uncovered during ChIP-chip analysis and defines apo-Fur regulation.
Interference management for mixed services through power control and service-based power setting

The efficient handling of radio resources is a crucial topic for the success of cellular systems. Since interference is the main capacity limiting factor, radio resource management techniques able to reduce/control interference can be of great utility to improve system capacity and QoS. We evaluate power control and service-based power setting (SBPS) as means to improve the capacity of single and multi-service cellular networks. A complete system level simulator is used to assess the performance gains of these two techniques, considering a voice service, using the EFR and MR59-FR voice codecs, and a WWW data service in a GSM/EDGE network. The capacity gains of applying power control to these services is characterized for single service scenarios. Mixed-service simulations are performed for different mixes of EFR and WWW users and mixes of EFR and MR59-FR users in order to assess the performance of SBPS, either alone or combined with power control. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the results presented for the evaluated scenarios.
O‐GlcNAcase is essential for embryonic development and maintenance of genomic stability

Dysregulation of O‐GlcNAc modification catalyzed by O‐GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O‐GlcNAcase (OGA) contributes to the etiology of chronic diseases of aging, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Here we found that natural aging in wild‐type mice was marked by a decrease in OGA and OGT protein levels and an increase in O‐GlcNAcylation in various tissues. Genetic disruption of OGA resulted in constitutively elevated O‐GlcNAcylation in embryos and led to neonatal lethality with developmental delay. Importantly, we observed that serum‐stimulated cell cycle entry induced increased O‐GlcNAcylation and decreased its level after release from G2/M arrest, indicating that O‐GlcNAc cycling by OGT and OGA is required for precise cell cycle control. Constitutively, elevated O‐GlcNAcylation by OGA disruption impaired cell proliferation and resulted in mitotic defects with downregulation of mitotic regulators. OGA loss led to mitotic defects including cytokinesis failure and binucleation, increased lagging chromosomes, and micronuclei formation. These findings suggest an important role for O‐GlcNAc cycling by OGA in embryonic development and the regulation of the maintenance of genomic stability linked to the aging process.
IDUA mutational profiling of a cohort of 102 European patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I: identification and characterization of 35 novel α‐L‐iduronidase (IDUA) alleles

Mutational analysis of the IDUA gene was performed in a cohort of 102 European patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I. A total of 54 distinct mutant IDUA alleles were identified, 34 of which were novel including 12 missense mutations, 2 nonsense mutations, 12 splicing mutations, 5 micro‐deletions, 1 micro‐duplication 1 translational initiation site mutation, and 1 ‘no‐stop’ change (p.X654RextX62). Evidence for the pathological significance of all novel mutations identified was sought by means of a range of methodological approaches, including the assessment of evolutionary conservation, RT‐PCR/in vitro splicing analysis, MutPred analysis and visual inspection of the 3D‐model of the IDUA protein. Taken together, these data not only demonstrate the remarkable mutational heterogeneity characterizing type 1 mucopolysaccharidosis but also illustrate our increasing ability to make deductions pertaining to the genotype‐phenotype relationship in disorders manifesting a high degree of allelic heterogeneity. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assay to Quantify Plasma Busulfan

Background: Busulfan is an anti-leukemic, DNA alkylating agent that is used in conditioning regimens for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Because of the large intraindividual and interindividual variations seen in busulfan pharmacokinetics, therapeutic drug monitoring is necessary. Currently at the authors' institution, plasma busulfan in adults is measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at a reference laboratory, whereas pediatric specimens are sent to a different reference laboratory also for GC-MS analysis. As the result turnaround time is not optimal and this practice is of significant cost, a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay to quantify plasma busulfan was developed. Methods: Protein precipitation with D8-busulfan (deuterated internal standard) in acetonitrile was carried out on 50 µL of heparinized plasma. Gradient elution with ammonium acetate, formic acid, water, and methanol at 0.6 mL/min had a 4-minute run time. Multiple reaction monitoring was employed using Q1/Q3 transitions of 264/151 and 264/55 for busulfan and 272/159 and 272/62 for D8-busulfan. Results: Sample preparation took ∼30 minutes for 6 patient samples. Six calibrators were used (0–2000 ng/mL) with 3 quality controls (means of 12, 356, and 1535 ng/mL). The limits of detection and quantitation were 1 and 6 ng/mL, respectively. Extraction recovery was ∼77% and ion suppression ∼5%. Within-run and between-run precision studies yielded <15% coefficient of variation at the limit of quantitation and <6% coefficient of variation through the rest of the linear range. Method comparisons between this assay and 2 GC-MS assays revealed mean biases of 7% and 1%. Conclusions: An accurate, rapid, and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay for quantification of plasma busulfan was developed. This assay reduces current specimen volume requirements, reduces result turnaround time for patients and clinicians, and additionally saves institutional funds.
FADE: Forwarding Assessment Based Detection of Collaborative Grey Hole Attacks in WMNs

Data security, which is concerned with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, is still challenging the application of wireless mesh networks (WMNs). In this paper, we focus on a special type of denial-of-service attack, called selective forwarding or grey hole attack. When this attack is launched at the gateways of a WMN where data tend to aggregate, it could lead to severe damages due to loss of sensitive data. Most existing proposals that focus on detecting stand-alone attackers via channel overhearing are ineffective against collusive attackers. In this paper, we propose a forwarding assessment based detection (FADE) scheme to mitigate collaborative grey hole attacks. Specifically, FADE detects sophisticated attacks by means of forwarding assessments aided by two-hop acknowledgement monitoring. Moreover, FADE can coexist with contemporary link security techniques. We analyze the optimal detection threshold that minimizes the sum of false positive rate and false negative rate of FADE, considering the network dynamics due to degraded channel quality or medium access collisions. Extensive simulation results are presented to demonstrate the adaptability of FADE to network dynamics and its effectiveness in detecting collaborative grey hole attacks.
Genomic Prediction for Quantitative Traits Is Improved by Mapping Variants to Gene Ontology Categories in Drosophila melanogaster

Predicting individual quantitative trait phenotypes from high-resolution genomic polymorphism data is important for personalized medicine in humans, plant and animal breeding, and adaptive evolution. However, this is difficult for populations of unrelated individuals when the number of causal variants is low relative to the total number of polymorphisms and causal variants individually have small effects on the traits. We hypothesized that mapping molecular polymorphisms to genomic features such as genes and their gene ontology categories could increase the accuracy of genomic prediction models. We developed a genomic feature best linear unbiased prediction (GFBLUP) model that implements this strategy and applied it to three quantitative traits (startle response, starvation resistance, and chill coma recovery) in the unrelated, sequenced inbred lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel. Our results indicate that subsetting markers based on genomic features increases the predictive ability relative to the standard genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) model. Both models use all markers, but GFBLUP allows differential weighting of the individual genetic marker relationships, whereas GBLUP weighs the genetic marker relationships equally. Simulation studies show that it is possible to further increase the accuracy of genomic prediction for complex traits using this model, provided the genomic features are enriched for causal variants. Our GFBLUP model using prior information on genomic features enriched for causal variants can increase the accuracy of genomic predictions in populations of unrelated individuals and provides a formal statistical framework for leveraging and evaluating information across multiple experimental studies to provide novel insights into the genetic architecture of complex traits.
Design and Characterization of the EBG Waveguide-Based Interconnects

An alternative signal guiding structure, which can be integrated within the printed circuit substrates, is investigated in this paper. The structure is realized by forming a rectangular waveguide in a 2-D electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) substrate. In this manner, a bandpass interconnect is provided that proves to be a promising technology for the high-speed/high-frequency system design. A systematic approach to the design and optimization of this interconnect is presented here followed by investigation of various bend geometries. The studied structures exhibit very low levels of loss and leakage when inspected at tens of gigahertz frequency range. Moreover, the near-end and the far-end crosstalks are monitored in multiple interconnects proving the high efficiency of this alternative routing structure in dense layouts. Nonetheless, the crosstalk performance is degraded as the coplanar microstrip-to-waveguide transitions are added. These transitions are essentially tapered microstrip lines that are connected to other circuitries. Continuous via fences are inserted in the transition sections of multiple structures demonstrating significant improvement in the crosstalk performance.
The evolving role of community nurses for people with learning disabilities: changes over an 11-year period.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To provide an overview of the changes in the caseload and working practices of community nurses for people with learning disabilities (CNLDs) over an 11-year period within one region of the UK. BACKGROUND Recent reviews of government policy within the UK and internationally have highlighted the need to promote inclusion and health facilitation for people with learning disabilities (intellectual disabilities). The CNLDs have been highlighted as having an integral role in achieving these objectives. However, little is known about the current role of community nurses and how this has evolved over the past decade. DESIGNS AND METHODS A survey design was used in which the total population of CNLDs within one region of the UK were asked to complete a postal questionnaire. RESULTS Forty community nurses in Northern Ireland completed questionnaires. This provided information about 1559 people with learning disabilities on their current caseloads. Results showed less involvement with children, more focus on adults with physical and mental health needs and nurses often appeared to have a monitoring rather than an active clinical role. Data also identified an increasing caseload size and a pattern of referral largely from within learning disability services. CONCLUSIONS The role of CNLDs has altered in Northern Ireland over the past 11 years with some evidence of a reorientation towards a more health-oriented focus. Further consideration needs to be given to how well this will meet the changing needs of people with learning disabilities and their families in light of the increasing emphasis on the provision of inclusive services. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Community nurses need to review their current role, caseload management and links to primary and acute care if the policy objectives of inclusive services and health facilitation are to be achieved. It will also be necessary to revise their education preparation in light of the changing role of CNLDs.
Complex decisions : deconstructing best a grounded theory study of infant feeding decisions in the first six weeks post-birth

Breastfeeding is promoted globally as the optimum method of infant feeding. Despite this, breastfeeding initiation and duration rates differ significantly between and within countries, as well as social and cultural groups. While Australian breastfeeding initiation rates appear high, breastfeeding rates decline quite significantly in the first six weeks. In an effort to implement strategies to increase breastfeeding rates, many research efforts have aimed at identifying factors that predict breastfeeding initiation and duration and/or breastfeeding attrition. These studies have predominantly used quantitative methodologies, and although a number of factors associated with the infant feeding decision have been identified, the mechanisms by which they affect the decision remain unknown. In contrast to quantitative studies, a much smaller amount of qualitative research has explored aspects of the infant feeding experience and has found the experience of breastfeeding to be complex. Rather than simply being an individual act, infant feeding decisions are constructed and practiced within the social milieu in which women live. The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the experiences of women making infant feeding decisions in the first six weeks post-birth. A constructionist grounded theory methodology was used to collect and analyse data. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with thirty-seven women. The women were theoretically sampled in accordance with the principles of grounded theory. In addition to the empirical study, literature focusing on breastfeeding, aspects of the postnatal period and mothering, was used to inform, strengthen and help explain the findings emerging from the empirical data. Four main categories emerged from the data that described what women deemed important to their infant feeding decisions. These categories were 'it's really best to breastfeed', 'it's the unknown', 'its not the only thing going on', and 'everybody's best is different'. The Basic Social Process, which was also the core category, was labelled 'deconstructing best'.
Liquidity, Profitability and the Dividends Payout Policy

The study of dividend policy has captured the attention of finance scholars since the middle of the last century. There is a literature gap as very few studies have been carried out in the UAE and no study investigated the determinants of dividend payout policy in the UAE banking sector. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of liquidity and profitability on the dividend policy in the UAE banking sector, and to examine any kind of variations between Islamic and conventional banks prior and subsequent to the financial crisis. The study analyzes the data of 18 out of the 24 UAE national banks over the period 2005-2012. The dividend payout ratio is analyzed in relation to six liquidity and profitability ratios. The correlation analysis and regression analysis are conducted to analyze the data. The main finding is that the dividend payout ratio has a significant and positive correlation with liquidity but negative and insignificant correlation with profitability. There is a significant variation of the variables in Islamic banks but not significant with the period.
Approaches to diversity in family medicine: "I have always tried to be colour blind".

OBJECTIVE To explore family physicians' perceptions of and experiences with patient diversity, including differences in sex, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and abilities or disabilities. DESIGN Semistructured, in-depth, qualitative interviews. SETTING Halifax metropolitan region, Nova Scotia. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-two family physicians who ranged in age (25 to 65 years) and in years of practice (< 5 to > 20). Participants included both sexes, members of racialized minority groups, and those who self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. METHODS Physicians were recruited through information letters distributed by mail and through professional networks. Interviews and field notes were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using data analysis software. Weekly team discussions enhanced interpretation and analysis. MAIN FINDINGS Family physicians employed 5 main approaches to diversity: maintaining that differences do not matter, accommodating sociocultural differences, seeking to better understand differences, seeking to avoid discrimination, and challenging inequities. Quotes from interviews illustrate these themes. CONCLUSION Most approaches assume that both medicine (as a profession) and physicians are and should be socially and culturally neutral; some acknowledge that the sociocultural background of patients can raise tensions. Most participants in our study seek to treat patients as individuals in order to not stereotype, which hinders recognition of the ways in which sociocultural factors-both patients' and physicians'-influence health and health care. Critical reflexivity demands that physicians understand social relations of power and where they fit within those relations.
Prognostic value of combined assessment of regional left ventricular function and myocardial perfusion by dobutamine and rest gated SPECT in patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction.

UNLABELLED Gated SPECT allows combined assessment of regional myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function. The aim of this study was to address the prognostic value of gated SPECT performed during dobutamine stress testing and during rest on patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolysis. METHODS Eighty-eight consecutive patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction who underwent predischarge (3-7 d after admission) dobutamine (5-40 microg/kg of body weight per minute in 3-min dose increments) and rest gated (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT were followed for a mean of 48 mo (range, 4-64 mo). RESULTS Eighteen cardiac events (8 cardiac deaths and 10 nonfatal myocardial infarctions) occurred. Ischemia at dobutamine SPECT imaging (summed difference score or=>or= 1) was present in 60% of the patients. In patients without ischemia, there was a lower event rate (11%), compared with patients with mild ischemia (18%) and moderate-to-severe ischemia (40%) (P < 0.05). Patients with events showed also a higher summed difference score, compared with patients without events (2.3 +/- 1.6 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.6, P < 0.05). Independent predictors of events were the number of segments with preserved (99m)Tc-sestamibi uptake at rest and the number of akinetic or dyskinetic segments with preserved (99m)Tc-sestamibi uptake and preserved wall thickening (global chi(2) of the model, 13.6; P < 0.01). The assessment of the incremental prognostic value of variables added sequentially showed that the addition of the summed difference score added information to perfusion status at rest (P < 0.05). Combined assessment of regional myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function at rest further improved the model (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The present study indicated that predischarge (99m)Tc-sestamibi gated SPECT gives prognostic information on patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction. Patients with preserved systolic wall thickening should be regarded as a high-risk subgroup, requiring closer follow-up for appropriate treatment.