Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consequences of nursing procedures measurement on job satisfaction

Background: Job satisfaction among nurses has consequences on the quality of nursing care and accompanying organizational commitments. Nursing procedure measurement (NPM) is one of the essential parts of the performance-oriented system. This research was performed in order to determining the job satisfaction rate in selected wards of Baqiyatallah (a. s.) Hospital prior and following the NPM. Materials and Methods: An interventional research technique designed with an evaluation study approach in which job satisfaction was measured before and after NPM within 2 months in selected wards with census sampling procedure. The questionnaire contained two major parts; demographic data and questions regarding job satisfaction, salary, and fringe benefits. Data analyzed with SPSS version 13. Results: Statistical evaluation did not reveal significant difference between demographic data and satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction of nurses (before and after nursing procedures measurement). Following NPM, the rate of salary and benefits dissatisfaction decreased up to 5% and the rate of satisfaction increased about 1.5%, however the statistical tests did not reveal a significant difference. Subsequent to NPM, the rate of job value increased (P = 0.019), whereas the rate of job comfort decreased (P = 0.033) significantly. Conclusions: Measuring procedures do not affect the job satisfaction of ward staff or their salary and benefits. Therefore, it is suggested that the satisfaction measurement compute following nurses’ salary and therefore benefits adjusted based on NPM. This is our suggested approach.
Error assessment of a wavelength tunable frequency domain system for noninvasive tissue spectroscopy.

A system is described and evaluated for noninvasive measurement of the scattering and absorption coefficients of tissue in the 600 to 850-nm range. An arc lamp/monochromator combination provides a tunable source which is intensity modulated at 135 MHz by a Pockel’s cell and coupled by fiber optics to the tissue surface. Diffusely reflected light is collected by optical fiber bundles at distances of 1 and 2 cm from the source and the intensity ratio and phase difference between these two signals are measured. These data are analyzed by means of a diffusion model of light to provide estimates of the scattering and absorption coefficients. The accuracy of these estimates is assessed by calculation of the influence of instrumental noise, tissue optical properties, and modulation frequency. Because the analysis is based on the assumption of a semi-infinite tissue geometry, systematic errors caused by idealized finite volumes (slabs, cylinders, and spheres) are also considered. The biomedical utility of the system is illustrated by noninvasive measurement of the uptake of an intravenously injected dye in rabbit leg muscle.
Electroporation driven delivery of both an IL-12 expressing plasmid and cisplatin synergizes to inhibit B16 melanoma tumor growth through an NK cell mediated tumor killing mechanism

Combined therapy using chemotherapeutic drugs and immunotherapeutics offers some promise for treating patients with cancer. In this study, we evaluated whether cisplatin delivered by intratumoral (IT)-electroporation (EP) might enhance antitumor activity against established B16 melanoma and whether further addition of intramuscular (IM)-EP of IL-12 cDNA to IT-EP of cisplatin might augment antitumor therapeutic activity, with a focus on the underlining antitumor mechanism(s). When tumor (7 mm)-bearing animals were treated locally with cisplatin by IT-EP, they showed tumor growth inhibition significantly more than those without IT-EP. Moreover, IL-12 cDNA delivered by IM-EP was also able to inhibit tumor growth significantly more than control vector delivery. This tumor growth inhibition was mediated by NK cells, but not CD4+ T or CD8+ T cells, as determined by immune cell subset depletion and IFN-γ induction. Moreover, concurrent therapy using IT-EP of cisplatin plus IM-EP of IL-12 cDNA displayed antitumor therapeutic synergy. This therapeutic synergy appeared to be mediated by increased sensitivity of cisplatin-treated tumors to NK cell-mediated tumor killing. Taken together, these data support that cisplatin delivery by IT-EP plus IL-12 gene delivery by IM-EP are more effective at inducing antitumor therapeutic responses through increased sensitivity of cisplatin-treated tumors to NK cell-mediated tumor killing. This combined approach might have some implication for treating melanoma in patients.
Analysis of Power-Line Communication Channels in Ships

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis on the application of power-line communication (PLC) on a cruise ship. The authors have developed an accurate model of the power grid of a ship when it is used as a PLC channel. The model is developed based on a theoretical approach and validated by a thorough measurement campaign. The accuracy of the model is addressed by a comparison between simulation results and measured data, and its use gives an insight into the performance of the power network to be used as PLC channel.
Activity of LY333328 in Experimental Meningitis Caused by a Streptococcus pneumoniae Strain Susceptible to Penicillin

ABSTRACT In a rabbit model of Streptococcus pneumoniaemeningitis single doses of 10 and 2.5 mg of the glycopeptide LY333328 per kg of body weight reduced bacterial titers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) almost as rapidly as ceftriaxone at 10 mg/kg/h (changes in log CFU, −0.29 ± 0.21 and −0.26 ± 0.22 versus −0.34 ± 0.15/ml/h). A dose of 1 mg/kg was bacteriostatic (change in log CFU, 0.01 ± 0.11/ml/h). In two animals receiving LY333328 at a dose of 40 mg/kg the bacterial titers were reduced by 0.54 and 0.51 log CFU/ml/h. The penetration of CSF by LY333328 was 1 to 5%. The concentrations of lipoteichoic and teichoic acids in CSF and neuronal damage were similar in ceftriaxone- and LY333328-treated animals.
CD133 immunomagnetic separation: effectiveness of the method for CD133(+) isolation from umbilical cord blood.

BACKGROUND AIMS Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a rich source of stem cells, the characterization and isolation of which requires specific stem cell markers and reliable and reproducible protocols. METHODS We assessed CD133 isolation in 39 UCB samples, using a commercial immunomagnetic cell-sorting protocol, and, because of its non-reproducibility, we applied optimized protocols in an effort to improve it. These included extra-labeling of the selected CD133(+) subpopulation and indirect labeling using anti-phycoerythrin (PE) microbeads, goat anti-mouse IgG microbeads or a combination of both. The CD34 isolation was used as a control. RESULTS The mononuclear cell fraction expressed 0.53±0.06% CD133. The corresponding value for CD34 was 1.64±0.15%. Following the manufacturer's instructions, the CD34 isolation resulted in a population expressing 93±1.25% CD34 while, after the corresponding process, CD133(+) expression ranged from 10% to 85% (median 60%). The optimized isolation protocols did not result in improved CD133(+) yield. The variation in the purity of the CD133 population cannot be attributed to the different clones of CD133 used, because they do not cross-block, while other factors such as glycosylation, which could possibly interfere, do not apply in normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). CONCLUSIONS CD34 isolation by the immunomagnetic method results in highly pure CD34(+) population, while the efficient and reproducible yield of a pure CD133(+) population is not feasible. Therefore quantification of the positive cells should follow each isolation procedure in order to confirm the number of CD133(+) cells.
Intravital imaging reveals distinct responses of depleting dynamic tumor-associated macrophage and dendritic cell subpopulations

Significance Tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells fail to support antitumor immunity, and instead contribute to increased malignancy and poor prognosis in breast cancer. We used intravital microscopy in a model of breast cancer to provide unique insight into cellular composition and real-time dynamics of the stromal microenvironment. We characterized the effects of targeted therapy against CSF-1R, an important myeloid cell mitogen receptor. We demonstrate that by blocking accumulation and compromising survival, anti–CSF-1R treatment depletes a cell population sharing characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages and dendritic cells, which further comprises subgroups with different endocytic and matrix metalloproteinase activities. However, the resulting relatively modest delay in tumor growth and metastasis suggests that other cells, such as neutrophils or fibroblasts, may maintain the tumor trophic microenvironment. Tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells comprise a major part of the stromal microenvironment and support cancer progression by multiple mechanisms. High numbers of tumor myeloid cells correlate with poor prognosis in breast cancer and are coupled with the angiogenic switch and malignant progression. However, the specific roles and regulation of heterogeneous tumor myeloid populations are incompletely understood. CSF-1 is a major myeloid cell mitogen, and signaling through its receptor CSF-1R is also linked to poor outcomes. To characterize myeloid cell function in tumors, we combined confocal intravital microscopy with depletion of CSF-1R–dependent cells using a neutralizing CSF-1R antibody in the mouse mammary tumor virus long-terminal region-driven polyoma middle T antigen breast cancer model. The depleted cells shared markers of tumor-associated macrophages and dendritic cells (M-DCs), matching the phenotype of tumor dendritic cells that take up antigens and interact with T cells. We defined functional subgroups within the M-DC population by imaging endocytic and matrix metalloproteinase activity. Anti–CSF-1R treatment altered stromal dynamics and impaired both survival of M-DCs and accumulation of new M-DCs, but did not deplete Gr-1+ neutrophils or block doxorubicin-induced myeloid cell recruitment, and had a minimal effect on lung myeloid cells. Nevertheless, prolonged treatment led to delayed tumor growth, reduced vascularity, and decreased lung metastasis. Because the myeloid infiltrate in metastatic lungs differed significantly from that in mammary tumors, the reduction in metastasis may result from the impact on primary tumors. The combination of functional analysis by intravital imaging with cellular characterization has refined our understanding of the effects of experimental targeted therapies on the tumor microenvironment.
Need for Recovery as an Early Sign of Depression Risk in a Working Population

Objective: Insights into early indicators of depression in workers are needed to inform indicated depression prevention programs. This study looked at how a high Need for Recovery (NFR) is related to a higher likelihood of a depressive disorder. Second, the added value of considering NFR over traditional work-related risk factors for depression was investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based sample of 2188 Canadian workers measuring Job Strain, NFR, and Depression. Logistic regression of the risk of a depressive disorder was performed with Job Strain and NFR as predictors. Results: An elevated depression risk high was associated with a high NFR [odds ratio (OR) 8.3, confidence interval (CI) 6.8 to 10.2], but not with high job strain (OR 1.0; CI 0.82 to 1.25). Conclusions: NFR may have value for indicated depression prevention.
Does knee malalignment predict the efficacy of realignment therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis?

Realignment therapies, including knee braces, foot orthoses and shoes are prescribed to patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) with the goal of unloading the medial tibiofemoral (TF) compartment. It is uncertain whether realignment therapies have different effects in those with knee malalignment. We studied whether the efficacy of realignment therapy for pain and function in persons with medial TF OA is predicted by the severity of the baseline knee malalignment.
Automated Design of Production Scheduling Heuristics: A Review

Hyper-heuristics have recently emerged as a powerful approach to automate the design of heuristics for a number of different problems. Production scheduling is a particularly popular application area for which a number of different hyper-heuristics have been developed and are shown to be effective, efficient, easy to implement, and reusable in different shop conditions. In particular, they seem to be a promising way to tackle highly dynamic and stochastic scheduling problems, an aspect that is specifically emphasized in this survey. Despite their success and the substantial number of papers in this area, there is currently no systematic discussion of the design choices and critical issues involved in the process of developing such approaches. This paper strives to fill this gap by summarizing the state-of-the-art approaches, suggesting a taxonomy, and providing the interested researchers and practitioners with guidelines for the design of hyper-heuristics in production scheduling. This paper also identifies challenges and open questions and highlights various directions for future work.
Long-Circulating Immunoliposomal Amphotericin B against Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Mice

ABSTRACT We investigated the efficacy of long-circulating immunoliposomal amphotericin B (AmB) against invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mice using three types of liposomal AmB: conventional liposomal AmB (AmBisome), a long-circulating liposomal AmB and prepared by coating the liposome surface with polyethylene glycol (PEG; PEG-L-AmB), long-circulating immunoliposomal AmB (34A-PEG-L-AmB). The survival rates for mice with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis treated with an intravenous dose of 2 mg of AmBisome, PEG-L-AmB, or 34A-PEG-L-AmB per kg of body weight were 16.7, 83.3, and 100%, respectively. Treatment with 34A-PEG-L-AmB produced a marked reduction in the number ofAspergillus fumigatus organisms in the lungs. Pharmacokinetic studies showed the presence of high AmB concentrations in the plasma of mice treated with PEG-L-AmB (40.8 μg/ml) and in the lungs of mice treated with 34A-PEG-L-AmB (42.3 μg/g). We conclude that 34A-PEG-L-AmB, a long-circulating immunoliposomal AmB, is a promising form of AmB against invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
‘Novy Svet Ware’, an Exceptional Cargo of Glazed Wares from a 13th‐Century Shipwreck near Sudak (Crimea, Ukraine)—Morphological Typology and Laboratory Investigations

Excavation of a medieval shipwreck at Novy Svet, Crimea, Ukraine, revealed an exceptional quantity of glazed ceramics with sgraffito decoration which, according to chemical analysis, correspond to a single production provisionally named ‘Novy Svet Ware’. Typological and analytical definitions are given. Its diffusion in the Crimea and extending to Turkey and the Levant, points to a main, as yet unlocated, workshop. The Novy Svet shipwreck suggests the persistence of large‐scale diffusion of ceramics in the late‐13th century, and demonstrates connections with the Black Sea, the Byzantine capital and territories, the Mediterranean and possibly the spice roads. © 2009 The Authors
Hierarchical Motion Planning with Kinodynamic Feasibility Guarantees

Motion planning for mobile vehicles involves the solution of two disparate sub-problems: the satisfaction o f highlevel logical task specifications and the design of low-leve l vehicle control laws. A hierarchical solution of these two sub-problems is efficient, but may not ensure compatibility between the hi ghlevel planner and the dynamic constraints of the vehicle. To guarantee such compatibility, we propose a motion planning framework based on a special interaction between these two levels of planning. In particular, we solve a special shorte st path problem on a graph at the higher level of planning, and we use the lower level planner to determine the costs of the paths inthat graph. The overall approach hinges on two novel ingredients : a graph-search algorithm that operates on sequences of nodes , and a lower-level planner that ensures consistency between the two levels of hierarchy, by providing meaningful costs for the edge transitions of the higher level planner using dynamically feasible, collision-free trajectories.
Dental Anomalies in Chinese Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Background: The prevalence of dental anomalies in children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) has been said to be higher than in the normal children; however, such findings have not been expressed for different racial groups. Aim: To determine the prevalence of anomalies in children with CLP and to ascertain if there were any differences between the prevalence figures for CLP and non-CLP children. Design: This is a retrospective study looking at previously collected clinical records. The sample consisted of 231 pairs of age and gender matched CLP and non-CLP southern Chinese aged between 12 and 16 years. The dental records of the subjects were examined to gather data on anomalies of tooth number, size and shape. Results: It was found that 57.6% of the CLP children had hypodontia, 10.0% hyperdontia, 8.7% taurodontism, 0.8% a double tooth, 1.30% dens evaginatus, and 42.4% had microdontia in the permanent dentition. The CLP subjects had a statistically higher prevalence of hypodontia (p<0.001), supernumerary (p<0.01) and microdontia (p<0.001) than the non-CLP subjects. More CLP children, were found to have one to three types of anomalies, than the non-CLP children (p<0.001). Conclusion: This group of Chinese CLP children demonstrated a higher prevalence of dental anomalies than the non-CLP
Detection of a novel germline mutation in the von Hippel–Lindau tumour‐suppressor gene by fluorescence‐labelled base excision sequence scanning (F‐BESS)

The von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) syndrome is an inherited multi‐tumour disorder characterised by clinical heterogeneity and high penetrance. The VHL gene has been shown to be a tumour‐suppressor gene. A carrier of a germline mutation will be predisposed to a high variety of benign and malign tumours affecting different organ systems. As treatment of VHL malformations in presymptomatic stages will improve significantly the clinical outcome and the patient's quality of life, early and unambiguous detection of a germline mutation is mandatory. Direct sequencing especially of large genes might be laborious and time consuming. Therefore, most laboratories apply single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis as an initial screening technique. Major disadvantages of this approach are the requirement of specialised equipment and a limited detection rate of about 70%. To overcome these problems, we applied the modified technique of fluorescence‐labelled base excision sequence scanning (F‐BESS). A young patient without family history of VHL with two hemangioblastoma of the cerebellum, pancreatic cysts and angiomatosis retinae was presented. Applying F‐BESS, we detected a frameshift in exon 2 as a de novo germline mutation. Direct sequencing revealed an insertion of C at position 631/632. This is a novel VHL mutation, which results in truncation of the VHL protein omitting the Elongin‐binding domain. Applying SSCP on the same DNA, no alteration could be detected. Three further family members were tested negative for the mutation by F‐BESS in accordance with lack of any clinical VHL features. As F‐BESS appears to be a reliable, fast and unexpensive method, we recommend this technique as an initial screening method.
Leading causes of unintentional and intentional injury mortality: United States, 2000-2009.

OBJECTIVES We have described national trends for the 5 leading external causes of injury mortality. METHODS We used negative binomial regression and annual underlying cause-of-death data for US residents for 2000 through 2009. RESULTS Mortality rates for unintentional poisoning, unintentional falls, and suicide increased by 128%, 71%, and 15%, respectively. The unintentional motor vehicle traffic crash mortality rate declined 25%. Suicide ranked first as a cause of injury mortality, followed by motor vehicle traffic crashes, poisoning, falls, and homicide. Females had a lower injury mortality rate than did males. The adjusted fall mortality rate displayed a positive age gradient. Blacks and Hispanics had lower adjusted motor vehicle traffic crash and suicide mortality rates and higher adjusted homicide rates than did Whites, and a lower unadjusted total injury mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS Mortality rates for suicide, poisoning, and falls rose substantially over the past decade. Suicide has surpassed motor vehicle traffic crashes as the leading cause of injury mortality. Comprehensive traffic safety measures have successfully reduced the national motor vehicle traffic crash mortality rate. Similar efforts will be required to diminish the burden of other injury.
Thioester-Containing Protein-4 Regulates the Drosophila Immune Signaling and Function against the Pathogen Photorhabdus

Despite important progress in identifying the molecules that participate in the immune response of Drosophila melanogaster to microbial infections, the involvement of thioester-containing proteins (TEPs) in the antibacterial immunity of the fly is not fully clarified. Previous studies mostly focused on identifying the function of TEP2, TEP3 and TEP6 molecules in the D. melanogaster immune system. Here, we investigated the role of TEP4 in the regulation and function of D. melanogaster host defense against 2 virulent pathogens from the genus Photorhabdus, i.e. the insect pathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens and the emerging human pathogen P. asymbiotica. We demonstrate that Tep4 is strongly upregulated in adult flies following the injection of Photorhabdus bacteria. We also show that Tep4 loss-of-function mutants are resistant to P. luminescens but not to P. asymbiotica infection. In addition, we find that inactivation of Tep4 results in the upregulation of the Toll and Imd immune pathways, and the downregulation of the Jak/Stat and Jnk pathways upon Photorhabdus infection. We document that loss of Tep4 promotes melanization and phenoloxidase activity in the mutant flies infected with Photorhabdus. Together, these findings generate novel insights into the immune role of TEP4 as a regulator and effector of the D. melanogaster antibacterial immune response.
Vertebrate Locomotion‐A Lamprey Perspective a

Abstract: The forebrain, brain stem, and spinal cord contribution to the control of locomotion is reviewed in this chapter. The lamprey is used as an experimental model because it allows a detailed cellular analysis of the neuronal network underlying locomotion. The focus is on cellular mechanisms that are important for the pattern generation, as well as different types of pre‐ and postsynaptic modulation. Neuropeptides target different cellular and synaptic mechanisms and cause long‐lasting changes (>24 h) in network function.