Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early neurobehavioral disorders after cardiac surgery: a comparative analysis of coronary artery bypass graft surgery and valve replacement.

OBJECTIVE To analyze neurobehavioral disorders in the early postoperative period after valve replacement and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING University hospital. PARTICIPANTS Patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass; 42 patients in the valve replacement surgery group and 42 patients in the CABG surgery group, with both groups matched post hoc for age, sex, and preoperative cognitive status. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS All subjects were investigated preoperatively as well as 2 and 7 days postoperatively with a comprehensive neuropsychologic and neuropsychiatric assessment. The groups did not significantly differ with respect to the incidence of postoperative neuropsychiatric disorders. Valve replacement surgery patients exhibited more severe neuropsychologic deficits and showed a slower recovery than patients who underwent CABG surgery. In both groups, postoperative neuropsychologic alterations were most marked in fluency, arithmetic, and memory performance. CONCLUSION These results indicate that patients after valve replacement surgery have a higher risk of postoperative neuropsychologic alterations mainly attributable to temporal lobe dysfunction. This finding corresponds to a specific vulnerability of hippocampal structures to transient hypoxia.
Competing Against the Opposite Sex

Given the tournament-style structure of many aspects of the labor market, one potentially powerful explanation for gender differences in pay and promotion is that men and women respond differently to competitive environments. We examine data from the high-stakes television game show The Weakest Link in order to determine whether men outperform women in competitive settings and whether the performance of men and women is affected by the gender of their opponents. The data show that in head-to-head competition men beat their female opponents over 72% of the time. Controlling for ability using past performance explains at most 27% of this differential. Our results also suggest that men's relative success arises because men perform better when they compete against women than against men, and that the higher the proportion of women among their competitors the better men perform. In contrast, we do not find strong evidence that the performance of women is affected by the gender of their opponents.
Issues in rural palliative care: views from the countryside.

CONTEXT Growing concern exists among health professionals over the dilemma of providing necessary health care for Canada's aging population. Hospice palliative services are an essential need in both urban and rural settings. Rural communities, in particular, are vulnerable to receiving inadequate services due to their geographic isolation. PURPOSE To better understand experiences and issues related to rural palliative care. METHODS Focus groups were held for health professionals, family members and volunteers in 3 rural British Columbia communities. A coding schema was developed and the data were then thematically analyzed using a constant comparison technique. FINDINGS Three themes in rural palliative care were established: nature of palliative health care services, nature of rural relationships, and competencies required for rural palliative care. Findings indicated that the diversity in rural communities requires tailored approaches to palliative care that consider the geographic, cultural and health aspects of residents in order to optimize care. CONCLUSION Tailored approaches to palliative care developed in conjunction with rural communities are needed in order to optimize care.
MINERAL CONTENT IN RELATION TO RADIAL POSITION, ALTITUDE, CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND DENSITY OF PERSIAN IRONWOOD

Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) is native species from Iran and covers 10,54% of the commercial volume. Its wood structure and its chemical composition are affected by growth conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the variation of mineral content (Ni, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd), wood density and chemical properties (cellulose, lignin, ash and extractive) of ironwood in relation to altitude above sea level (100, 500 and 700 meter) and pith distance within stem (near to pith and bark and middle point). In addition was investigate the relationship between mineral content with oven-dried density and chemical properties. Results showed that Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn content (except Pb concentration) increased by increasing of altitude and decreased along radial position within stem from the pith to the bark. Lignin, ash and extractive content increased by increasing altitudes from 100 to 700 meter while cellulose decreased. Radial position had not significant impact on the chemical properties. There are significant relationships between mineral content–chemical properties and between mineral content-wood density (except Cu - density). Forward stepwise regression showed that ash and lignin content had important role on the variation of all of mineral content except on Cd.
The Causes and Economic Consequences of Patent Litigation

A survey of patent litigation in the Taiwan electronics industry between 2010 and 2015 provides insight into the causes and economic consequences of patent litigation. This survey had three key what were the findings of this study? First, companies with patents for new inventions are more likely to file plaintiff-initiated lawsuits and less likely to suffer defendant-related lawsuits. Second, credit ratings can reflect the effects of patent litigation and industry expertise on their rating decisions in cases where companies involved in patent litigation are audited by industry experts. Third, auditors with industry expertise tend not to be as concerned when their clients face patent litigation as those without such expertise.
A Benchmark for Low-power Wireless Networking

Experimental research in low-power wireless networking lacks a reference benchmark. While other communities such as databases or machine learning have standardized benchmarks, our community still uses ad-hoc setups for its experiments and struggles to provide a fair comparison between communication protocols. Reasons for this include the diversity of network scenarios and the stochastic nature of wireless experiments. Leveraging on the excellent testbeds and tools that have been built to support experimental validation, we make the case for a reference benchmark to promote a fair comparison and reproducibility of results. This abstract describes early design elements and a benchmarking methodology with the goal to gather feedback from the community rather than propose a definite solution.
A retrospective study of persistence, adherence, and health economic outcomes of fixed-dose combination vs loose-dose combination of oral anti-diabetes drugs

Abstract Objective: To compare outcomes between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using fixed-dose combination (FDC) and loose-dose combination (LDC) products. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Supplemental data from January 1, 2009–December 31, 2013. The identified population included patients with T2DM and ≥1 additional oral anti-diabetic prescription (of the same regimen [FDC/LDC] as the index prescription) within 12 months following the fill date. Persistence (no ≥30-day gap) and adherence (medication possession ratio [MPR] ≥0.8) were assessed as primary end-points; secondary end-points included hypoglycemia, healthcare resource utilization, and costs. Results: Of 23,361 patients identified, 12,590 (53.9%) were on FDC therapy and 10,771 (46.1%) were on LDC therapy. FDC patients had a significantly lower rate of non-persistence (67.9% vs 73.4%, p < 0.0001) and a significantly higher rate of adherence to therapy (57.0% vs 50.7%, p < 0.0001) when compared to LDC patients. Average time to non-persistence was significantly longer among FDC vs LDC patients (207.1 vs 186.3 days, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, the odds of non-persistence were 21% lower with FDC vs LDC therapy (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.74–0.85, p < 0.0001), with a 28% higher odds of adherence (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.20–1.36, p < 0.0001). Differences in most secondary outcomes significantly favored FDC therapy, including total predicted monthly all-cause costs ($1008 vs $1053; p = 0.006) and T2DM-related costs ($142 vs $155; p < 0.001). Limitations: Cohort classification was based on prescription claims data. The lack of clinical data limits assessment of potential influencers of FDC vs LDC decisions, residual confounding was possible, and diabetes-related medical costs only captured claims with a primary diagnosis for diabetes. The results may not be generalizable to populations such as Medicaid. Conclusion: Management of T2DM using FDC therapies provides a compliance benefit relative to LDC therapies that may translate to reductions in healthcare utilization and costs.
Inheritance of an idiotype associated with the immune response of inbred mice to phosphorylcholine

Inbred mice immunized with the pneumococcal C carbohydrate produce plaque‐forming cells directed exclusively against the phosphorylcholine determinants of this antigen. The antibody responsible for plaque formation is of restricted heterogeneity with respect to its affinity for phosphorylcholine. Mouse anti‐serum directed against an idiotype shared by certain BALB/c anti‐phosphorylcholine plasmacytoma proteins specifically inhibits the formation of approximately 70% of the plaques induced by the C‐carbohydrate in BALB/c mice. The expression of this idiotype, as revealed by inhibition of plaque formation, occurs in the phosphorylcholine specific immune responses produced by mice of some inbred strains, but not of others, and shows dominant inheritance. By means of a backcross experiment, the inheritance of idiotype was shown to be determined by a gene linked to the chromosome carrying the mouse heavy chain allotype locus. In addition, the backcross data suggested the participation of a second, independently segregating gene in the determination of idiotype. Experiments with congenic mouse strains indicated that this second gene may be H‐2 linked. These observations support the hypothesis, suggested from studies on BALB/c plasmacytoma proteins, that the variable regions of mouse anti‐phosphorylcholine antibodies are specified by germ‐line genes.
A Computer Scientist's Guide to the Regulatory Genome

Recent years have seen a wealth of computational methods applied to problems stemming from molecular biology. In particular, with the completion of many new full genome sequences, great advances have been made in studying the role of non-protein-coding parts of the genome, reshaping our understanding of the role of DNA sequences. Recent breakthroughs in experimental technologies allowing us to inspect the innards of cells on a genomic scale has provided us with unprecedented amounts of data, posing new computational challenges for scientists working to uncover the secrets of life. Due to the binary-like nature of the DNA code and switch-like behavior of many regulatory mechanisms, many of the questions that are currently in focus in biology are surprisingly related to problems that have been of long-term interest to computer scientists. In this review, we present a glimpse into the current state of research in computational methods applied to modeling the regulatory genome. Our aim is to cover current approaches to selected problems from molecular biology that we consider most interesting from the perspective of computer scientists as well as highlight new challenges that will most likely draw the attention of computational biologists in the coming years.
To Study The Association Between Iron Deficiency And Simple Febrile Seizures

Design: Case control study, Setting: Pediatric department of a tertiary care teaching hospital, Participants: Cases were children of age group 6 months to 5 years presenting with simple febrile seizures. Controls were children of same age group presenting with short febrile illness without any seizures, Materials and Methods: In this study, cases 101 children with febrile seizures and 101 febrile children without seizures were taken. (Control. All children were aged between 6 months to 5 years. The groups were matched in age and gender. Blood samples were collected from each child for measuring of blood indices such as HB, MCV and MCH. Serum Ferritine, serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), % saturation of transferine are measured and compared, Results: The peak incidence of febrile seizures is between 6months and 1 year of age. The mean age being 18 months with male: female ratio of 1.5: 1. Significantly, a greater proportion of children with febrile seizures have low Serum Ferrine (<50ng/ml); low HB (<=10gm/dl), low MCV (<=75fl) and MCH (28) and low transferrine saturation (<=15) as compared to controls. Although there were low levels of serum iron and increased total iron binding Capacity these variables did not achieve statistical significance. The odds of children to have febrile seizures is 2.7 when compared to controls who are not anemic, Conclusions: In our study Plasma Ferritin level and blood indices are significantly lower in children with febrile seizures suggesting that iron deficient children are more prone to febrile seizures.
Enhancing MISP with Fast Mobile IPv6 Security

The Mobile Broadband Association has developed the MIS and MISAUTH protocols as link-layer fast authentication protocols. A combination of MIS and MISAUTH protocols, called as MISP, provides secure and fast connection for a wireless access network, but it has been reported that MISP creates a weak session key and suffers from a denial-of-service attack. In addition, a transaction with an authentication server that is required for every authentication is considered as a delay factor during handovers. In this paper, we present an improvement of MISP that utilizes the fast handover approach of Fast Mobile IPv6 and minimizes an involvement of the authentication server while eliminating identified security drawbacks of MISP. The formal security analysis is performed to verify the correctness of the proposed scheme. Moreover, the handover performance of the proposed scheme is compared with an existing scheme.
Enhanced cadmium efflux and root‐to‐shoot translocation are conserved in the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii (Crassulaceae family)

Investigation on the molecular mechanisms of cadmium hyperaccumulation has been mostly focused on members of the Brassicaceae family. Here, we show using hyperaccumulating (HP) and nonhyperaccumulating (NHP) populations of Sedum alfredii (Crassulaceae), that Cd hypertolerance correlates with higher Cd efflux rates and less cadmium accumulation in suspension cells and roots. The heavy metal ATPase HMA2, but not HMA4, was highly expressed in suspension cultures and roots from HP plants compared to NHP cells and plants. Reciprocal grafting also showed that Cd translocation is more efficient in HP plants. These results suggest that cadmium efflux is a conserved mechanism among natural cadmium hyperaccumulator species.
Visual Abilities and Misconceptions About Plate Tectonics

Diagrams, drawings, and pictures are prototypical representations of concepts. Students' drawings of their concepts of convergent plate boundaries provided an efficient means of discovering some widely held misconceptions. Over 600 general education students' drawings of continent-continent convergent boundaries reveal two common misconceptions. Approximately one-third drew a continent-continent convergent boundary with concave slabs of continental crust as one might imagine two pieces of firm rubber pushed together on a rigid surface. Almost half drew mountains as one might imagine inverted ice cream cones on a rigid plank. One hundred eighty students were presented a drawing similar to the first misconception and asked to comment on what was incorrect. Forty-nine percent of the students did not recognize the misconception. Students who did not recognize the incorrect representation had lower scores on the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test than the students who did. Misconceptions common to non-majors persist among upper class majors and beginning graduate students. Ten of 21 upper level geology majors and first year graduate students drew continent-continent convergent boundaries representing the same two prototype misconceptions that non-majors drew. Five out of 14 senior geology majors given a drawing representing a common misconception failed to recognize that the drawing was incorrect.
Closed loop control of lactate concentration in mammalian cell culture by Raman spectroscopy leads to improved cell density, viability, and biopharmaceutical protein production

Accumulation of lactate in mammalian cell culture often negatively impacts culture performance, impeding production of therapeutic proteins. Many efforts have been made to limit the accumulation of lactate in cell culture. Here, we describe a closed loop control scheme based on online spectroscopic measurements of glucose and lactate concentrations. A Raman spectroscopy probe was used to monitor a fed‐batch mammalian cell culture and predict glucose and lactate concentrations via multivariate calibration using partial least squares regression (PLS). The PLS models had a root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.27 g/L for glucose and 0.20 g/L for lactate. All glucose feeding was controlled by the Raman PLS model predictions. Glucose was automatically fed when lactate levels were beneath a setpoint (either 4.0 or 2.5 g/L) and glucose was below its own setpoint (0.5 g/L). This control scheme was successful in maintaining lactate levels at an arbitrary setpoint throughout the culture, as compared to the eventual accumulate of lactate to 8.0 g/L in the historical process. Automated control of lactate by restricted glucose feeding led to improvements in culture duration, viability, productivity, and robustness. Culture duration was extended from 11 to 13 days, and harvest titer increased 85% over the historical process. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2416–2424. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Impact of organisational change on mental health: a systematic review

Although limited evidence is available, organisational change is often cited as the cause of mental health problems. This paper provides an overview of the current literature regarding the impact of organisational change on mental health. A systematic search in PUBMED, PsychInfo and Web of Knowledge combining MeSH search terms for exposure and outcome. The criterion for inclusion was original data on exposure to organisational change with mental health problems as outcome. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. We found in 11 out of 17 studies, an association between organisational change and elevated risk of mental health problems was observed, with a less provident association in the longitudinal studies. Based on the current research, this review cannot provide sufficient evidence of an association between organisational change and elevated risk of mental health problems. More studies of long-term effects are required including relevant analyses of confounders.
Multiplex PCR for Identification and Differentiation of Campylobacter Species and their Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern in Egyptian Patients

Campylobacter infection is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in human all over the world. In the US, about 2.5 million people are infected each year (Mead et al., 1999). About 1% of the Western Europe population is infected with Campylobacter annually. In 2000 in UK, Campylobacter infection represented 27% of all food-borne diseases and about 82% of people admitted to hospital with food poisoning (Adak et al., 2002). Thus Campylobacter infection causes a large economic burden. Campylobacter jejuni represents 90% of species causing human infections, more than Salmonella spp. , Shigella spp. or E.coli O157H7 ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 4 (2014) pp. 861-875 http://www.ijcmas. com
Calcium antagonists in the treatment of hypertension in patients with ischaemic heart disease

Are lives saved or heart attacks prevented by antihypertensive therapy, as a result of blood pressure reduction alone, or because of other properties of the antihypertensive medications which are independent of blood pressure lowering? Long-acting calcium antagonists seem to be as effective as thiazide diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in preventing all-cause mortality and stroke in patients with hypertension, but are probably inferior to ACE inhibitors in preventing coronary artery disease. In patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease, calcium antagonists are generally as effective as β-blockers in relieving angina and improving exercise time-to-onset of angina or ischaemia. Unstable angina or myocardial infarction require treatment with a β-blocker, with an ACE inhibitor added when necessary for blood pressure control or if there is significant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. If β-blockers are contraindicated and if there is no LV dysfunction, a non-dihydropyridine calcium antagonist can be substituted.
Experimental osteomyelitis: description of a canine model and the role of depot administration of antibiotics in the prevention and treatment of sepsis.

UNLABELLED Osteomyelitis of the proximal portion of the tibia was consistently produced in the dog by the instillation of a suspension of Staphylococcus aureus about an intramedullary foreign body consisting of acrylic bone cement. The clinical, histological, and roentgenographic manifestations of the infectious process were consistent with those of subacute osteomyelitis, such as may be encountered in infections following total joint arthroplasty. The osteomyelitic process persisted in six of the seven tibiae even after removal of the acrylic bone cement. Using this model, gentamicin-impregnated acrylic bone cement (Palacos) prevented the development of osteomyelitis in nine of ten tibiae that were concomitantly exposed to Staphylococcus aureus in concentrations ranging from 1 x 10(3) to 1 x 10(9) organisms. However, Palacos in bulk form was ineffective in the treatment of three of five tibiae in which osteomyelitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus was already established. CLINICAL RELEVANCE A variety of new antimicrobial agents has been introduced, but evaluation of the value of these agents in infections of the musculoskeletal system has relied almost exclusively on clinical trials. Preclinical trials in an animal model could permit earlier detection of promising agents and proper dosage schedules. Newer surgical procedures utilized in the treatment of osteomyelitis, such as local muscle flaps and free vascularized flaps, could also be evaluated to determine how they influence the local blood supply and microbial persistence. In addition, the animal model might aid in the evaluation of newer and non-invasive diagnostic scanning techniques used in the study of infection.