Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are we ready for universal school-based asthma screening?: An outcomes evaluation.

BACKGROUND Asthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood and a common reason for school absenteeism and use of school health services. Unrecognized but symptomatic childhood asthma may be adding to this school burden. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based asthma screening in identifying children at high risk for unrecognized asthma and facilitating new asthma diagnoses. METHODS A controlled trial of school-based asthma screening using mailed parent surveys and medical record review to estimate outcomes of interest, specifically numbers of new asthma diagnoses. RESULTS Most parents (80%, N = 5116) responded to the asthma screening survey. About 1 in 5 (19.4%, n = 994) parents reported that their children had previously been diagnosed with asthma or reactive airway disease. Letters recommending further evaluation for symptoms suggestive of possible asthma were sent to the parents of 388 children (7.6% of respondents) without known asthma. About half of parents returned postcards stating their intended reaction to the referral recommendation including 52 parents (13.4% of those referred) who thought no further action was necessary. Parent-initiated physician visits occurred in 45 (11.6%) of the 388 referred children. Overall, there were 57 (0.9%, 57/6401) new physician diagnoses of asthma among the screened children in the 6 months following screening: 16 in the referred group and 41 in the group not referred, including 20 in the group whose parents said they had known that their child had asthma, but had no medical record documentation of an asthma diagnosis. The incident asthma diagnosis rate was 1.2% (34/2906; P =.25) in a comparable control group that did not participate in screening. CONCLUSIONS School-based asthma screening did not increase the incident rate of asthma diagnoses in this community. Parents participated in the screening process, but the percentage of referred children with follow-up medical visits was low.
Evolutionary history of trypanosomes from South American caiman (Caiman yacare) and African crocodiles inferred by phylogenetic analyses using SSU rDNA and gGAPDH genes

SUMMARY In this study, using a combined data set of SSU rDNA and gGAPDH gene sequences, we provide phylogenetic evidence that supports clustering of crocodilian trypanosomes from the Brazilian Caiman yacare (Alligatoridae) and Trypanosoma grayi, a species that circulates between African crocodiles (Crocodilydae) and tsetse flies. In a survey of trypanosomes in Caiman yacare from the Brazilian Pantanal, the prevalence of trypanosome infection was 35% as determined by microhaematocrit and haemoculture, and 9 cultures were obtained. The morphology of trypomastigotes from caiman blood and tissue imprints was compared with those described for other crocodilian trypanosomes. Differences in morphology and growth behaviour of caiman trypanosomes were corroborated by molecular polymorphism that revealed 2 genotypes. Eight isolates were ascribed to genotype Cay01 and 1 to genotype Cay02. Phylogenetic inferences based on concatenated SSU rDNA and gGAPDH sequences showed that caiman isolates are closely related to T. grayi, constituting a well-supported monophyletic assemblage (clade T. grayi). Divergence time estimates based on clade composition, and biogeographical and geological events were used to discuss the relationships between the evolutionary histories of crocodilian trypanosomes and their hosts.
CORRELATING SENSORY EFFECTS WITH IRRITATION

ABSTRACT The goal of this preliminary study was to examine data collected in the course of the development and conduct of the behind-the-knee (BTK) test for correlations between the objective scores of erythema and the sensory effects reported by the panelists. In addition, the intensity of physical characteristics of femcare products and prototypes was evaluated using the descriptive analysis panel (DAP) and results were compared to the BTK results to determine if certain physical characteristics of the products correlated to different sensations experienced by the BTK panelists. Test materials were commercially available or developmental catemenial products. In the BTK test, samples were applied daily to the area behind the knee and held in place for 6 hours per day for 5 consecutive days by an elastic knee band of the appropriate size. Irritation was graded 30–60 minutes after removal of each application. The DAP uses individuals trained to recognize and grade certain physical characteristics of products, including degree of plastic feel, scratchiness, glide, and cottony feel. In the BTK studies, the ability to differentiate between the test samples via reported sensory effects correlated with the ability to differentiate via objective scores for irritation in seven of 15 comparisons. A correlation between the magnitude of the irritation score, independent of the specific test sample, and reports of adverse sensory effects was observed in 13 of 15 comparisons. Two comparisons conducted in the BTK were also evaluated using the DAP. For one comparison, there was a clear difference in the product physical characteristics in the DAP that was consistent with mean erythema scores and reported sensory effects in the BTK. For the other comparison, there was no clear difference between the two products by either the DAP or the BTK.
Amplitude Ratio of Ulnar Sensory Nerve Action Potentials in Segmental Conduction Study: Reference Values in Healthy Subjects and Diagnostic Usefulness in Patients with Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow

Kwon H-K, Lee HJ, Hwang M, Lee S-H: Amplitude ratio of ulnar sensory nerve action potentials in segmental conduction study: reference values in healthy subjects and diagnostic usefulness in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2008;87:642–646. Objective:To determine normal values for the amplitude ratio of sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) from an ulnar sensory segmental nerve conduction study, and to the evaluate usefulness in the diagnosis of mild-degree ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE). Design:Segmental sensory conduction study of the ulnar nerve was performed in 71 healthy subjects. Peak latency and baseline to peak amplitudes were measured. The amplitude ratio of below-elbow to wrist (BE/W) stimulations and above-elbow (AE) to below-elbow stimulations (BE) were calculated. Normal cutoff values were obtained by subtracting 2 SD from the mean value, and these values were applied to 22 symptomatic UNE cases. The amplitude ratio was also obtained in six subjects with C8 radiculopathy. Results:The amplitude ratios of BE/W and AE/BE were 0.61 ± 0.08 and 0.82 ± 0.08, respectively. The cutoff value of BE/W was 0.45, and that of AE/BE was 0.65. The amplitude ratio of BE/W showed a weak correlation to the length of the forearm segment (r = −0.25, P < 0.05). Five of the 22 UNE patients revealed only reduced amplitude ratios of SNAP across the lesion, whereas all the patients with C8 radiculopathy showed normal amplitude ratios of ulnar SNAP. Conclusions:The amplitude ratio of ulnar SNAPs may be useful in the diagnosis of mild ulnar neuropathy with only sensory symptoms and normal segmental motor conduction.
Integral Experiments on Critical Irradiation of 237Np and 241Am Foils at Kyoto University Critical Assembly

Abstract At the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA), critical irradiation experiments on 237Np and 241Am foils are carried out in the neutron hard spectrum core. For nuclear transmutation of minor actinides, special attention is paid to determining 237Np and 241Am fission reaction rates and to 237Np capture reaction rates in the KUCA hard spectrum core. In the back-to-back (BTB) fission chamber, two nuclide foils (test: 237Np or 241Am; reference: 235U) are set closely to each other to measure the aforementioned fission reaction rates. Interestingly, the experimental 237Np and 241Am fission and capture reaction rates are attained by critical irradiation at low W reactor power for 1 h in the core and are successfully deduced through signals from the BTB fission chamber (fission) and the gamma-ray detection (capture) after the irradiation, respectively, together with MCNP calculations.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus conventional ultrasound in the diagnosis of polypoid lesion of gallbladder: a multi-center study of dynamic microvascularization.

OBJECTIVE To assess the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of polypoid lesions of gallbladder (PLGs). METHODS CEUS was performed to 116 patients (mean age, 49.6 years; range, 21-80 years) with PLGs from 8 university hospitals. 9 cases of biliary sludge were proven by surgery and the remaining 107 cases were confirmed by histopathological examination. The confidence level, diagnostic performance, inter-observer agreement of two independent readers with different experience was assessed. The readers were blind to the imaging and clinical results of the patients. RESULTS There were significant differences between benign and malignant PLGs in patient age, gender, lesion size, echogenicity, stalk, time-to-peak, vascularity on CEUS, enhancement pattern, and wall destruction. The confidence levels increased significantly and the interobserver agreement increased from 0.425 to 0.601 after CEUS. The sensitivity increased from 22.2 to 77.8% after CEUS in the staff radiologist, and from 22.2 to 66.7% in the resident radiologist. The correctly characterized lesions were 64.7% before versus 87.1% after CEUS (P=0.125) for the staff radiologist, and 57.8% versus 70.7% for the resident radiologist (P=0.007). No significance was found in the subgroup of lesions≤1.0 cm before and after CEUS for the two radiologists. CONCLUSIONS CEUS using convex multifrequency probes could detect the dynamic microvascularization of PLGs greater than 1.0 cm and facilitate the differentiation between benign and malignant tumors.
Knowledge sharing factors and innovation capability

In practicing knowledge management in organization has a potential in developing and nurture innovation culture and competitive advantages in manufacturing industry. The innovation culture required people in organization to collaborate and work together in exchange and share their knowledge, ideas and experience. Apparently, knowledge sharing is a pivotal process of enhance innovation through exchange their ideas, opinions and discuss among employees to come out with new ideas. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge sharing factors such as technology, rewards, leadership, trust and organization in innovative capability. Survey was conducted in twenty three selected manufacturing companies in Selangor. Descriptive and correlational study was conducted and result showed that reward system, trust and organizational learning were significant in the developing innovation capability in manufacturing. Technology and leadership did not support for this study. The findings were contrast with the previous study as highlights the importance of technology usage was mainly contributed in innovation capability. The results of this study would give a notion that technology, reward system, leadership/management support, trust, and organizational learning may have an influence on innovation capability. Besides that, this study is significantly useful for manufacturing company especially the exporter companies. Companies that involve import export business worldwide particularly require continuous innovation to remain competitive in the market. However, before any innovation made, they should recognize the factors that can help them to do innovation. Therefore, knowledge sharing is a vital factor that can increase innovation in organization.
An Adaptive Nonlinear Predictor with Orthogonal Escalator Structure for Short-Term Load Forecasting

An adaptive Hammerstein model with an orthogonal escalator structure as well as a lattice structure for joint processes is developed for short-term load forecasting from one hour to several hours in the future. The method uses a Hammerstein nonlinear time-varying functional relationship between load and temperature. Parameters in both linear and nonlinear parts of the predictor are updated systematically using a scalar orthogonalization procedure. Matrix operations are avoided, thereby allowing better model tracking ability, numerical properties, and performance. Prediction results using actual load-temperature data demonstrate that this algorithm performs better than the commonly used matrix-oriented recursive least-squares algorithm for one-hour-ahead forecasts.
Compartmental Imbalance and Aberrant Immune Function of Blood CD123+ (Plasmacytoid) and CD11c+ (Myeloid) Dendritic Cells in Atopic Dermatitis1

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a pruritic, chronically relapsing skin disease in which Th2 cells play a crucial role in cutaneous and extracutaneous immune reactions. In humans, CD11c+CD123− myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and CD11c−CD123+ plasmacytoid DC (pDC) orchestrate the decision-making process in innate and acquired immunity. Since the number and function of these blood dendritic cell (DC) subsets reportedly reflect the host immune status, we studied the involvement of the DC subsets in the pathogenesis of AD. Patients with AD had an increased DC number and a low mDC:pDC ratio with pDC outnumbering mDC in the peripheral blood compared with normal subjects and psoriasis patients (a Th1 disease model group). The mDC:pDC ratio was correlated with the total serum IgE level, the ratio of IFN-γ-producing blood cells:IL-4-producing blood cells, and the disease severity. In vitro allogeneic stimulation of naive CD4+ cells with atopic DC showed that the ability of pDC for Th1 induction was superior or comparable to that of mDC. In skin lesions, pDC infiltration was in close association with blood vessels expressing peripheral neural addressins. Therefore, compartmental imbalance and aberrant immune function of the blood DC subsets may deviate the Th1/Th2 differentiation and thus induce protracted allergic responses in AD.
Strategies for guideline implementation in primary care focusing on patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Guidelines should reduce inappropriate practice and improve the efficiency of treatment. Not only methodological quality but also acceptance and successful implementation in daily practice are crucial for the benefit on patients. Focusing on cardiovascular diseases (CVD), it is still unclear which implementation strategy can improve physician adherence to the recommendations of guidelines in primary care. METHODS We conducted a systematic review on randomized controlled trials about guideline implementation strategies on CVD. Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, conference proceedings and registers of ongoing studies were searched. RESULTS Eighty-four trials met our predefined inclusion criteria, of them 54 trials compared unimodal strategies and 30 multimodal strategies to usual care. Concerning unimodal strategies, 15 trials investigated provider reminder systems, 3 audit and feedback, 15 provider education, 4 patient education, 5 promotion of self-management and 14 organizational change. The strongest benefit of a unimodal implementation strategy was found due to organizational change (odds ratio 1.96; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.75), followed by patient education, provider education and provider reminder systems. Trials on the efficacy of audit and feedback and patient self-management showed differing results or small advantages in terms of physician adherence. Multimodal interventions showed almost similar effect measures and ranking of strategies. CONCLUSION The use of implementation strategies for the distribution of guidelines on CVD can be convincingly effective on physician adherence, regardless whether based on a unimodal or multimodal design. Three distinct strategies should be well considered in such an attempt: organizational changes in the primary care team, patient education and provider education.
Inflation-hedging properties of regional Chinese real estate market: evidence from 35 cities in China

The housing markets in China have been gaining considerable interest from investors, but the inflation-hedging characteristics of housing remain ambiguous. Based on Chinese city-level data, this study evaluates different inflation-hedging properties in eastern, middle and western real estate markets using panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) models. Findings suggest middle real estate markets afford the best hedging opportunities for expected inflation, which is robust considering housing market heterogeneity, financial crisis and the 2010 purchase restriction order. Moreover, hedging efficacy of anticipated inflation differs between markets with low and high supply–demand ratio.
Methylxanthine treatment for apnea in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND Recurrent apnea is common in preterm infants, particularly at very early gestational ages. These episodes of loss of effective breathing can lead to hypoxemia and bradycardia which may be severe enough to require resuscitation including use of positive pressure ventilation. Methylxanthines have been used to stimulate breathing and prevent apnea and its consequences. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review is to determine if methylxanthine treatment in preterm infants with recurrent apnea leads to a clinically important reduction in apnea and use of intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV), without clinically important side effects. SEARCH STRATEGY Searches were made of the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, previous reviews including cross references, abstracts of conferences and symposia proceedings, expert informants, journal handsearching mainly in the English language. SELECTION CRITERIA All trials utilizing random or quasi-random patient allocation, in which methylxanthine (theophylline or caffeine) was compared with placebo or no treatment for apnea in preterm infants, were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Methodological quality was assessed independently by the two authors. Data were extracted independently by the two authors. Treatment effects were expressed as relative risk (RR) and risk difference (RD) and their 95% confidence intervals, using a fixed effect model. For significant results, the inverse of the risk difference (1/RD) was used to calculate the number needed to treat (NNT). MAIN RESULTS The results of five trials which enrolled a total of 192 preterm infants with apnea indicate that methylxanthine therapy leads to a reduction in apnea and use of IPPV in the first 2 - 7 days. There are insufficient data to evaluate side effects and no data to examine effects within different gestational age groups. There are no trial data which examine long term effects. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Methylxanthines are effective in reducing the number of apneic attacks and the use of mechanical ventilation in the two to seven days after starting treatment. In view of its lower toxicity, caffeine would be the preferred drug. The effects of methylxanthines on longterm outcome are not known and this should be addressed in any new trials.
Impact of liquidity, leverage, inflation on firm profitability an empirical analysis of food sector of Pakistan

This study focused on investigating the collision of leverage, liquidity and inflation on firm's profitability of the food industries of Pakistan. That is why, three self-sufficient variables its is independent, i.e. leverage, inflation and also liquidity were being taken into consideration to spot the impact on dependent variable, i.e. firm's earning (profitability). The population chosen due to this certain study is usually foodstuff sector involving Pakistan. That research come to the conclusion that there's a solid bad negatively relating to the changing control leverage, liquidity, inflation and also the firm's earning(profitability). Liquidity ratios are insignificant relationship with return on asset and return on equity. Debt ratios are negatively associative with return on assets and return on sales. Profitability ratios are positively associative with return on assets and return on equity. However carefully assessments have to be taken in relation of firm's profitability variations, by keeping in vision the importance of leverage and liquidity of the firms, which in turn would help in proposing financial changes in future.
Inhibition of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling by Chloroquine1

Previously, we demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory drug chloroquine (CQ) inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α transcription. To define further the mechanism of CQ, we studied the effect of this drug on mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways involved in regulation of TNF production. CQ interfered with phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 and the ERK-activating kinases mitogen-activating protein/ERK kinase (MEK)1/2. Both CQ and PD98059, a MEK1 inhibitor, reduced luciferase reporter activity driven by human TNF promoter sequences. However, CQ appeared to mediate these effects by deactivating Raf, the upstream activator of MEK. These findings were supported by functional data demonstrating that CQ and PD98059 interfered with TNF expression in several human and murine cell types while neither inhibitor blocked TNF production in murine RAW264.7 macrophages, a cell line that does not require MEK-ERK signaling for TNF production. Finally, we evaluated whether CQ could sensitize HeLa cells to undergo anti-Fas-mediated apoptosis, an effect observed when ERK activation is interrupted in this cell line. CQ rendered HeLa cells sensitive to anti-Fas treatment in a manner similar to PD98059. Taken together, these data argue that therapeutic concentrations of CQ interfere with ERK activation by a novel mechanism, an effect that could be responsible, at least in part, for the potent anti-inflammatory effects of this drug.
A study on kinematic trajectory calculations with different schemes using wind field of varying temporal frequency

Computation of kinematic trajectories has got immense importance in assessing transport pathways of tracers and evaluating airflow patterns within meteorological systems. In a Lagrangian description of the transport of air pollutants, the kinematic trajectory of an air parcel is estimated using observed wind data or the output of a Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model. In this study, a non-hydrostatic mesoscale model is used to generate the meteorological data for a period, during which an active Western Disturbance (WD) crossed the Indian region. The 'true atmospheric trajectories (forward)' are constructed using model-simulated wind with 12 minutes time interval. The true trajectories are then compared to the trajectories that were constructed using simulated wind data with degraded temporal frequency of 36 min. and 1, 2, 3 and 6 hour. Five schemes including the well-known Petterssen scheme are used to calculate 72-hour forward trajectories. Comparison of the results using different schemes show that in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency, the midpoint method of integration (scheme-4) is comparatively better and the simplified Innocentini's scheme, which accounts for the spatial dependence of the wind field all along the particle path, gives results similar to the Petterssen scheme. Further, it is shown that when wind data are of low temporal frequency, use of smaller time steps will not improve the results.