Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neutrophils to lymphocyte ratio as a screening tool for swine influenza

Background & objectives: During an outbreak of influenza like illness throat swab culture and virus isolation are done to identify causal virus, and it may cause a significant delay in diagnosis and isolation. There is a need to determine a sensitive laboratory parameter which could play a major role in identifying H1N1 infection among patients presenting with influenza like symptoms. We undertook this study to determine a laboratory parameter to identify swine influenza infection amoung patients presenting with influenza like symptoms while awaiting throat swab culture and virus isolation reports. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients presenting to A.P TB and Chest Hospital, Hyderabad, with swine influenza symptoms during September-October 2009. They were divided into swine flu positive (SW+) and swine flu negative (SW-) groups, based on their throat swab culture reports and laboratory data. Neutrophils to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio was calculated for every patient and also mean N/L ratio for two groups. Mean WBC count was also noted for both groups. Results: There were 55 patients in each group. The WBC count in SW+ group varied from 3000 to 10600 cells/mm3 (mean 5714), while in SW- group it varied from 4500 to 14300 cells/mm3 (10252). The N/L ratio was less than two for 92.7 per cent of patients in SW+ group and for 3.63 per cent patients in SW- group. N/L ratio < 2 as an indicator for swine flu had a sensitivity of 92.7 per cent and specificity of 96.36 per cent. It has a positive predictive value of 96.22 per cent and a negative predictive value of 92.8 per cent. Interpretation & conclusions: N/L < 2 along with a decrease in WBC count can be used as a screening tool in patients presenting with influenza like symptoms, while awaiting throat swab culture reports for confirmation.
Summary Statistics of Implied Probability Density Functions

The statistics that summarise the probability distributions implied from option prices can be used to assess market expectations about future uncertainty, asymmetry and the probability of extreme movements in asset prices. This paper considers implied pdfs with a constant horizon of three months for S&P 500, FTSE 100, eurodollar and short-sterling. A time series analysis of the summary statistics provides some stylised facts about the behaviour of different elements of market expectations, their historical distribution and the relationships between them. The distributions of these measures provide information on past revisions to market expectations including the relative likelihood of upward rather than downward revisions and the extent to which these revisions were large. The similarity and relative stability of alternative measures for each element of market expectations is assessed to select a subset of summary statistics that can sufficiently reflect the information contained in the implied pdfs. Relationships between implied pdf summary statistics and movements in underlying assets are considered. Cross asset and cross country comparisons between the summary statistics series are also useful in revealing relations and/or associations between market participants' expectations about equity price and interest rate movements. Finally the information content of the implied pdfs for future macroeconomic and financial variables is assessed.
Statistical Characterization of Adjacent Satellite Interference for Earth Stations on Mobile Platforms Operating at Ku and Ka Bands

This letter analytically derives the statistical distribution of the carrier-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (CNIR) due to adjacent satellite interference for Earth stations on mobile platforms operating in Ku and Ka frequency bands. At these bands, the adjacent satellite interference problem, which is especially pronounced for mobile terminals, is further aggravated by propagation effects, predominantly rain attenuation. The statistical characterization of the resulting CNIR is of paramount importance in the design of new broadband systems based on digital video broadcasting via satellite 2 extension (DVB-S2x). The statistical derivations are validated by using a CNIR time-series synthesizer developed based on the theory of stochastic differential equations.
The Influence of a Visually-Rich Surrounding Environment in Visuospatial Cognitive Performance: A Study with Adolescents

ABSTRACT Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by a complex maturation process of various cognitive abilities. Cognitive control, which includes response inhibition and working memory, is one of them. A typical study on response inhibition to visual stimuli presents distractors and targets on the same display (e.g., the computer screen). However, in most daily activities, the potential for distraction exists in the individuals’ surrounding environment. This study proposes an alternative experimental paradigm to investigate whether a high- vs. a low-load visual surrounding environment influences adolescents’ visuospatial performance. Sixty-four adolescents (aged 13–17 years) participated in two experimental sessions (one in a high-load and the other in a low-load visual surrounding environment) in which they responded to four visuospatial cognitive tasks (attention and memory). Overall, the results revealed lower performance when the tasks were performed in the high-load environment (e.g., fewer hits and correct responses, and more false alarms and errors). These results suggest that more attention should be devoted to the potential effect of the external environment in adolescents’ everyday activities. We discuss various areas to which these data might be of relevance and make suggestions for future directions of the proposed procedure.
Detailed anatomy of accessory obturator nerve blockade.

BACKGROUND The accessory obturator nerve (AON) often innervates the hip joint and adductor longus. The AON is present in 10-30% of patients, and thus it is clinically important that it is also considered during obturator nerve (ON) blockade. METHODS The study was performed on 12 cadavers (24 body-sides) and the AON beginning from the lumbar plexus was observed. The needle was classically penetrated into the ON to gain access to the AON and upon definition of detailed AON anatomy, morphometric measurements were conducted. In addition, novel maneuvers used in the study were described. RESULTS Throughout the dissections, the AON was detected on three sides (12.5%) and the mean AON- pubic tubercle distance was measured as 4.0 cm. The needle was withdrawn and positioned medially and almost parallel to the skin. It was then advanced through the superior pubic ramus to reach the AON. CONCLUSION Owing to its anatomical structure, the AON can be easily accessed during classical ON blockade using the maneuvers described here. Further clinical studies are needed to investigate if supplementing ON blockade with AON blockade might improve the clinical efficiency and quality of the blockade.
Soft versus firm catheters for intrauterine insemination.

BACKGROUND Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a recommended treatment for unexplained subfertility. The treatment involves the direct delivery of spermatozoa into the uterus using a catheter. Many factors influence the success of IUI treatments including the type of catheter used. OBJECTIVES To compare pregnancy-related outcomes from women undergoing intrauterine insemination cycles performed with either soft or firm catheters in subfertile women. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the following databases (inception to July 2010) with no language restrictions: Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS and OpenSigle. We also searched the conference abstracts in the ISI Web of Knowledge and Google, and conference abstracts and citation lists of relevant publications, reviews and included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA We included only truly randomised controlled studies of women who underwent IUI using either soft or firm catheter types and reporting data on rates of live birth, clinical pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, miscarriage, ease of introduction of the catheter, occurrence of trauma, or woman's discomfort. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors screened the titles and abstracts of 78 potentially eligible studies and excluded 66 of these. We critically appraised the full texts of twelve studies and excluded three studies. Nine publications of six studies were remaining. We extracted data from the six remaining studies and there were no disagreements. We assessed risk of bias and pooled dichotomous data and presented the Peto odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS There was no evidence of a significant effect difference regarding the choice of catheter type for any of the outcomes. Three studies reported live birth rates (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.35) with a translated OR percentages (1.3, 95% CI 0.56 to 3.1) while six studies reported clinical pregnancy rates (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.35 ). Two studies were pooled for the analysis of miscarriages (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.49 to 3.22). Results of other adverse outcomes were reported per cycle and were therefore not pooled. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the evidence available in this review, no specific conclusion can be made regarding the superiority of one catheter class over another. Further adequately powered studies reporting on clinical outcomes (e.g. live birth rate) are required. Additional outcomes such as miscarriage rates and measures of discomfort need to be reported.
SnS2 nanoplatelet@graphene nanocomposites as high-capacity anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Na-ion batteries have been attracting intensive investigations as a possible alternative to Li-ion batteries. Herein, we report the synthesis of SnS2 nanoplatelet@graphene nanocomposites by using a morphology-controlled hydrothermal method. The as-prepared SnS2/graphene nanocomposites present a unique two-dimensional platelet-on-sheet nanoarchitecture, which has been identified by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. When applied as the anode material for Na-ion batteries, the SnS2/graphene nanosheets achieved a high reversible specific sodium-ion storage capacity of 725 mA h g(-1), stable cyclability, and an enhanced high-rate capability. The improved electrochemical performance for reversible sodium-ion storage could be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the SnS2 nanoplatelet/graphene nanosheets as an integrated hybrid nanoarchitecture, in which the graphene nanosheets provide electronic conductivity and cushion for the active SnS2 nanoplatelets during Na-ion insertion and extraction processes.
Assessment of Factors Influencing Achievement of Basic Reading Literacy in Public Primary Schools in Nyeri County, Kenya

This study was aimed at assessing the factors influencing achievement of basic reading literacy outcomes in public primary schools in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study was guided by five research questions generated from literature review. These questions were; to what extent is implementation of teaching and learning of literacy influencing achievement of basic reading literacy in public primary schools in Nyeri County? Which factors in the home environment of the pupils are influencing achievement of basic reading literacy in public primary schools in Nyeri County? To what extent are students’ characteristics influencing achievement of basic reading literacy in public primary schools in Nyeri County? What challenges are influencing achievement of basic reading literacy in public primary schools in Nyeri County? How can reading literacy levels in public primary schools in Nyeri County be improved? The study adopted Cross-sectional survey design. Head teachers, teachers and class six pupils comprised the target population. Multi stage probability sampling technique was used to select the participants. The first stage involved random selection of 39 public primary schools from each of the six constituencies in Nyeri County and the second stage involved random selection of participants within the selected schools. From a representative sample of 39 public primary schools in Nyeri County, a sample of 156 pupils, 78 teachers and 39 head teachers was selected. Questionnaires, checklist, and a reading test were used to collect data. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. Among the study findings was that implementation of teaching and learning of literacy influence achievement of basic reading literacy to a moderate extent. Factors in the pupils’ home environment that influence achievement of basic reading literacy include social economic status, parental educational level, educational resources at home and adequate reading literacy activities at home. Students’ characteristics influence achievement of basic reading literacy to a small extent. Challenges influencing achievement of basic reading literacy include inadequate teaching and learning resources, lack of parental guidance and support and pupils’ lack of motivation. Ways of improving basic reading literacy levels in public primary schools in Nyeri County include increasing the number and variety of teaching and learning resources, establishment and equipment of school libraries and motivating pupils to learn.
The performance of various solder ball under high shear speed test

This study was aimed to realize the influences of microstructure and shear speed on the fracture behavior of solder ball. The shear behavior of Sn-37Pb, Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu, Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu, Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu and Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu-0.06Ni-0.01Ge in solder joint on ball grid array substrate was investigated with differently high shear speed from 10 mm/sec to 1000 mm/sec. The shear speed was found to have strong effect on the fracture feature for all shear tests. In lower shear speed, the mixed failure modes were observed, while the brittle solder/pad interface fracture feature was more pronounced with increasing shear speed. The lead-free solder joints showed a more brittle-look fracture surface than the tin-lead solder joints. The shear strength of joint using Sn-Pb ball was increased with increasing shear speed. The trends of shear strength with applied shear speed for SAC-based solders are uncertain. Conversely, the shear strength of joint using the SAC0307 lead-free ball showed a reverse correlation between the shear speed and shear strength when compared to the Sn-Pb solder joint. The lead-free solder revealed lower shear strength due to the abundant intermetallic compounds formed in the solder ball. The alloy composition added influenced on shear strength under high shear speed condition.
Evaluation of an internet support group for women with primary breast cancer

Women with breast carcinoma commonly experience psychologic distress following their diagnosis. Women who participate in breast cancer support groups have reported significant reduction in their psychologic distress and pain and improvement in the quality of their lives. Web‐based breast cancer social support groups are widely used, but little is known of their effectiveness. Preliminary evidence suggests that women benefit from their participation in web‐based support groups.
Influence of phantom materials on the energy dependence of LiF:Mg,Ti thermoluminescent dosimeters exposed to 20–300 kV narrow x-ray spectra, 137Cs and 60Co photons

LiF:Mg,Ti, are widely used to estimate absorbed-dose received by patients during diagnostic or medical treatment. Conveniently, measurements are usually made in plastic phantoms. However, experimental conditions vary from one group to another and consequently, a lack of consensus data exists for the energy dependence of thermoluminescent (TL) response. This work investigated the energy dependence of TLD-100 TL-response and the effect of irradiating the dosimeters in different phantom materials for a broad range of energy photons in an attempt to understand the parameters that affect the discrepancies reported by various research groups. TLD-100s were exposed to 20–300 kV narrow x-ray spectra, 137Cs and 60Co photons. Measurements were performed in air, PMMA, wt1, polystyrene and TLDS as surrounding material. Total air-kerma values delivered were between 50 and 150 mGy for x-rays and 50 mGy for 137Cs and 60Co beams; each dosimeter was irradiated individually. Relative response, R, defined as the TL-response per air-kerma and relative efficiency, RE, described as the TL-response per absorbed-dose (obtained through Monte Carlo (MC) and analytically) were used to describe the TL-response. Both R and RE are normalized to the responses in a 60Co beam. The results indicate that the use of different phantom materials affects the TL-response and this response varies with energy and material type. MC simulations reproduced qualitatively the experimental data: a) R increases, reaches a maximum at ~25 keV and decreases; b) RE decreases, down to a minimum at ~60 keV, increases to a maximum at ~150 keV and after decreases. Independent of the phantom materials, RE strongly depends on how the absorbed dose is evaluated and the discrepancies between RE evaluated analytically and by MC simulation are around 4% and 18%, dependent on the photon energy. The comparison between our results and that reported in the literature suggests that the discrepancy observed between different research groups appears to be most likely related to supralinearity effect, phantom materials, difference on the energy-spectra and geometry conditions during each experiment rather than parameters such as heating-rate or annealing procedure, which was supported by MC simulation. From the results obtained in this work and the strict analysis performed, we can conclude that for clinical applications of TLD-100, special attention must be taken when published data are used to convert TL calibration curve from 60Co to low-energy photons. Otherwise, this can lead to incorrect results when later used to measure absorbed dose in human tissue.
Hepatocarcinogenesis in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in Japan

In Japan, there has been a gradual increase in cases of non‐viral chronic liver diseases, including non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), occurring with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). First, a national survey investigating the etiology of HCC in Japan was performed. Among HCCs based on non‐viral disease, alcoholic liver disease with HCC accounted for 7.2% of all HCCs, followed by chronic liver disease of unknown etiology with HCC (5.1%) and NAFLD with HCC (2.0%). The clinical characteristics of these three HCC groups were clearly different. In our second analysis, the HCC development rates among liver cirrhosis with NAFLD, alcoholic cirrhosis, and cirrhosis with hepatitis C virus (HCV) were compared. HCC development rates were 11.3%/5 years in NAFLD cirrhosis, 30.5%/5 years in HCV cirrhosis, and 12.5%/5 years in alcoholic cirrhosis, suggesting that the hepatocarcinogenesis in NAFLD and alcoholic liver disease were similar but were lower than that in HCV.
Ursodeoxycholic acid modulates histone acetylation and induces differentiation and senescence

Agents that can modulate colonic environment and control dysregulated signaling are being evaluated for their chemopreventive potential in colon cancer. Ursodeoxycholate (UDCA) has shown chemopreventive potential in preclinical and animal models of colon cancer, but the mechanism behind it remains unknown. Here biological effects of UDCA were examined to understand mechanism behind its chemoprevention in colon cancer. Our data suggests that UDCA can suppress growth in a wide variety of cancer cell lines and can induce low level of apoptosis in colon cancer cells. We also found that UDCA treatment induces alteration in morphology, increased cell size, upregulation of cytokeratin 8, 18 and 19 and E‐cadherin, cytokeratin remodeling and accumulation of lipid droplets, suggesting that UDCA induces differentiation in colon carcinoma cells. Our results also suggest significant differences in UDCA and sodium butyrate induced functional differentiation. We also report for the first time that UDCA can induce senescence in colon cancer cells as assessed by flattened, spread out and vacuolated morphology as well as by senescence marker β‐galactosidase staining. We also found that UDCA inhibits the telomerase activity. Surprisingly, we found that UDCA is not a histone deacytylase inhibitor but instead induces hypoacetylation of histones unlike hyperacetylation induced by sodium butyrate. Our results also suggest that, although UDCA induced senescence is p53, p21 and Rb independent, HDAC6 appears to be important in UDCA induced senescence. In summary, our data shows that UDCA modulates chromatin by inducing histone hypoacetylation and induces differentiation and senescence in colon cancer cells. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modeling the Effects of Green Advertising on Brand Image: Investigating the Moderating Effects of Product Involvement Using Structural Equation

ABSTRACT This experimental study examined consumers’ response to green advertising for high- and low-involvement products by measuring its effect on consumers’ intention to purchase such brands. The present study enhances our understanding of the moderating role of product involvement and extends the structural equation tests of the four causal models. A dataset of 169 respondents is used to examine the role of brand image and brand attitude in the context of green advertisements. Consistent with earlier findings, the suggested model provides a good fit of the data and results indicate that positive attitude toward green advertisements, brand image, and attitude toward the brand enhances the chances of consumers’ purchase intention of such brands. The study also verifies that product involvement moderates the positive relationship between attitude toward green advertisements and brand image such that at higher levels of product involvement, attitude toward green advertisements has a stronger effect on brand image.
Altering poverty dynamics with index insurance: northern Kenya’s HSNP+

Stem the downward spiral of vulnerable households. Because it provides indemnity payments after a shock, insurance should help stem the collapse into extreme poverty of vulnerable but non-poor households following a drought or related crisis. Insurance can help safeguard HSNP resources for the most needy by keeping their ranks from swelling to the point that they overwhelm the program following a crisis, when HSNP transfers are most needed.