Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Characteristics and Satisfaction with Healthcare Following Transplantation

Background To live with an organ transplant is to live with aspects of acute and chronic illness, including fear, uncertainty, change, and frequent contact with the healthcare system. Previous research highlighted the problem that patients who live with a chronic condition such as transplantation are very dissatisfi ed with their healthcare. The two goals of the present study were: (1) to identify the level of satisfaction with healthcare experienced by patients with type 1 diabetes who had received either a single kidney or a pancreas and kidney transplant; and (2) to identify sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial characteristics related to satisfaction with healthcare in this population. Methods Forty-seven patients with type 1 diabetes recruited at Notre-Dame Hospital who had received either a kidney (n = 22) or a pancreas-kidney (n = 25) transplant completed a mail survey. A cluster analysis was performed in order to determine the levels and profi les of satisfaction of the patients. Results Descriptive analyses indicated that patients seemed to have a fairly good overall level of satisfaction with healthcare. Cluster analysis yield two profi les of satisfaction among the patients: a profi le of high satisfaction and a profi le of moderate satisfaction. High satisfaction with healthcare was associated with better psychosocial adjustment and less psychological distress. Conclusions Satisfaction with healthcare following transplantation by patients with type 1 diabetes seems to be associated with psychosocial adjustment and psychological status. Even if these results need to be verifi ed with a larger sample, they might encourage healthcare practitioners to pay special attention to patients whose satisfaction with healthcare is low because this attitude seems to be part of patients' global psychosocial status.
Information dimension, information overload and decision quality

The impact of information load (both under and overload) on decision quality is an important topic, yet results of empirical research are inconsistent. These mixed results may be due to the fact that information load itself is a function of information dimension. A meta-analysis of 31 experiments reported in 18 empirical bankruptcy prediction studies was conducted to test the effect of two information dimensions: information diversity and information repetitiveness. Results indicated that both information dimensions have an adverse impact on decision quality: provision of either diverse or repeated information can be detrimental to prediction accuracy. The findings have implications for information suppliers and researchers who are interested in improving the quality of human decision making.
Exceptional Outgroup Stereotypes and White Racial Inequality Attitudes toward Asian Americans

Stereotypes of outgroups help create social identificational boundaries for ingroups. When the ingroup is dominant, members employ individualist sentiments to justify their status. In this study, we build on advances in social psychological research that account for multiple outgroup stereotypes. We argue the Asian American model minority stereotype is analogous to the “cold but competent” position of perceptions toward Asians in Fiske’s stereotype content model. Asian Americans are perceived to be exceptional to other minority groups, and we hypothesize that perceived competence is associated with individualist sentiments directed at Blacks and Latinos. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Freshmen, we find support for our hypotheses but find that perceived coldness has no relationship to individualist sentiments. We discuss the implications and directions for further research.
Mid‐pregnancy maternal plasma levels of interleukin 2, 6, and 12, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, interferon‐gamma, and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and spontaneous preterm delivery

Background. Few studies have investigated the relationship between inflammation and spontaneous preterm delivery (sPTD) in women before preterm labour. The authors examine whether mid‐pregnancy plasma cytokine levels are associated with sPTD, and whether associations vary by maternal age, body mass index, prior preterm delivery, or gravidity. Methods. This case‐control study was nested within the Danish National Birth Cohort, a cohort of women with 101,042 pregnancies from 1997 to 2002. Included in this study are 61 women delivering at 24–29 weeks, 278 delivering at 30–33 weeks, 334 delivering at 34–36 weeks, and 1,125 delivering at ≥37 weeks. Maternal plasma interleukin (IL)‐2, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interferon (IFN)‐γ, and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) at 25 weeks’ gestation were measured using multiplex flow cytometry. Results. For IL‐2, TNF‐α, and GM‐CSF, the proportion of women with levels >75th or >90th percentile did not differ by gestational age at delivery. IFN‐γ >90th percentile was associated with an increased risk of delivering at 30–33 weeks (crude odds ratio (cOR): 1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–2.30), while IFN‐γ >75th percentile and IL‐6 >75th percentile were associated with an increased risk of delivering at 34–36 weeks (cOR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.01–1.73); estimates changed little after adjusting for confounders. There was no effect‐measure modification by maternal factors. Conclusion. Elevated mid‐pregnancy plasma IL‐2, TNF‐α, and GM‐CSF did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of sPTD, while elevated IFN‐γ and IL‐6 levels were weakly associated with moderate and late sPTD. The value of using mid‐pregnancy cytokines in predicting spontaneous preterm delivery appears limited.
When pregnancy fails: coping strategies, support networks and experiences with health care of ethnic women and their partners

Experiencing a miscarriage can be a traumatic event for a woman and her partner. The couple's perceptions of the miscarriage may be influenced by many factors. These include their contact with health care professionals, family, friends, previous experiences, and possibly even their partner's expectations. This paper examines the experience of a miscarriage, reporting results from six women and their partners, all of whom were from ethnic backgrounds. A qualitative approach, employing an in‐depth interview technique was utilized to obtain the data. The paper focuses on the coping strategies, social support and satisfaction with health care among the women and their partners. Factors such as treatment by medical personnel and family and friends were identified as either helping or hindering the experience. Coping with pregnancy loss depends on individual women and their partners, as each couple has different ways of dealing with it. However, a good support network and positive contacts with health care professionals also impact on how well the women and their partners are able to cope with the loss. This needs to be recognized when providing care to women who have experienced a miscarriage so that sensitive health care can be achieved.
Isoproterenol-induced Cardiotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley Rats: Correlation of Reversible and Irreversible Myocardial Injury with Release of Cardiac Troponin T and Roles of iNOS in Myocardial Injury

The present study was undertaken to characterize myocardial lesions in the rat induced by low doses of isoproterenol (Iso) and to correlate lesion severity with release of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and changes in myocyte iNOS expression. Two types of cardiac injury patterns were observed. A Type I response, noted 3 or 6 hours postdosing with 8, 16, 32, or 64 μg/kg Iso, included potential reversible myocardial alterations associated with slight increases in serum cTnT (< 0.3 ng/mL) and a slight reduction in myocyte cTnT immunoreactivity. The second type of response noted 3, 6, 12, 24 or 48 hours postdosing with 125, 250, or 500 μg/kg Iso consisted of irreversible myocyte alterations, together with significant increases in serum cTnT (3–14 ng/mL) and a marked reduction of cTnT immunoreactivity. By 48 hours the hearts of rats dosed with 125–500 μg/kg Iso had developed interstitial fibrosis, and serum cTnT had declined to near control levels (0.06–0.18 ng/mL). Increases in iNOS immunoreactivity correlated with the lesion severity. These findings suggest that low doses of Iso exert complex effects on the myocardium and that the generation of NO through increased expression of iNOS could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of myocyte injury.
MORPHOLOGY OF THE APICAL ROOT CANAL SYSTEM IN KOREAN MANDIBULAR FIRST MOLAR

본 연구는 한국인의 하악 제1 대구치 60개를 대상으로 생리적 근단공의 크기와 형태, 근심 치근의 치근단 3mm에서 isthmus의 발생 빈도와 형태, 그리고 원심 치근의 치근단 3mm의 근관 형태를 입체현미경하에서 60배로 조사한 결과 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 1. 근심 치근은 두 개의 근단공을 가지는 비율이 높았으며(51.67%), 원심 치근은 하나의 근단공을 가지는 비율이 높았다(71.66%). 2. 부근단공의 빈도는 근심 치근의 1개의 근단공을 가지는 경우가 가장 높았다(26.07%) 3. 생리적 근단공의 크기는 근심 치근에서 하나의 근단공을 가지는 경우 0.329mm, 근심 협측 근단공은 0.266mm, 근심 설측 근단공은 0.246mm였으며, 원심 치근에서 하나의 근단공을 가지는 경우 0.375mm, 원심 협측 근단공은 0.291mm, 원심 설측 근단공은 0.237mm로 나타났다. 4. 근단공의 형태는 oval 형태 (69.93%)가 가장 많았다. 5. 근심 치근의 치근단 3mm에서 isthmus의 발생빈도는 55%였으며, partial isthmus는 31.66%, complete isth-mus는 23.34%로 나타났다. 6. 원심 치근의 치근단 3mm의 근관 형태는 oval형태(50.64%)가 가장 많았다. 이상의 연구 결과 하악 제1대구치의 성공적인 근관 치료를 위해서는 생리적 근단공의 실제 크기와 형태 및 isthmus의 존재에 대한사전 지식이 필요할 것이다. 【The aim of this study was to investigate the shapes and diameters of the physiological foramen and anatomy of the root canal at 3mm from apex in mandibular first molars. Sixty mandibular first molars were randomly selected. The apical anatomy of 60 mandibular first molars was investigated by means of a stereo microscope (60x magnification). The results were as follows; 1. There was a high percentage of two physiological foramina in mesial (61.67%) and one foramen in distal(71.66%) roots of mandibular first molars. 2. There was a high frequency of accessory foramina in mesial roots with one foramen (26.07%). 3. The diameters of physiological foramen was as follows: - 0.329mm in single mesial foramen - 0.266mm in mesiobuccal foramen and 0.246mm in mesiolingual foramen - 0.375mm in single distal foramen - 0.291mm in distobuccal foramen and 0.237mm in distolingual foramen 4. The most common physiological foramen shape was oval (69.93%). 5. The incidence of isthmus in mesial root at 3mm from apex was 55%. The 3mm-sections contained a complete isthmus 31.66% and a partial isthmus 23.34%. 6. 3mm from the apex, the most common canal shape was oval (50.64%). Knowledge of the apical anatomy of mandibular first molar would be necessary for success of surgical and nonsurgical endodontic treatment. 】
The Normal and Pathologic Anatomy of the Sella Turcica as Revealed at Necropsy1

THE roentgenologic interpretation and significance of changes, in and about the sella turcica are so dependent on an accurate knowledge of the normal and pathologic anatomy of this structure that this study was undertaken in an effort to demonstrate in a series of 110 cases the normal and pathologic changes found postmortem. As the roentgen image of the sella is dependent on the configuration of the sphenoid bone, dorsum sellae, and clinoid processes, observation was limited to the variations found in these structures. The sella and surrounding processes were removed in toto and the soft tissues dissected from the bone. Variations in Size The dimensions of the sella turcica in normal, specimens were measured in the antero-posterior, vertical, and transverse directions. The various averages for these dimensions are given in Figure 1, under their respective headings. The antero-posterior measurements were taken from the most dorsal point of the tuberculum sellae in the sagittal plane to the anterior edge of t.
Anemia and iron deficiency in pregnant women in Zaria, Nigeria

Introduction: Anemia is common in pregnancy and iron deficiency is a major cause of anemia in pregnant women in Africa. This is due to increased demands of the fetus, growing uterus, placenta, and poor nutritional habits. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anemia and the role of iron deficiency in causation of anemia in pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of the Ahmadu Bello University teaching hospital (ABUTH) in Zaria, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Ninety (90) consenting pregnant women were entered for this study with an equal number of controls. A structured questionnaire was administered to participants. Full blood count, serum ferritin, urine and stool microscopy for parasites were carried out. Results: The mean hematocrit in the pregnant and non-pregnant subjects was 35% (SD ± 3.8; 95 CI = 34.2-35.8) and 39% L/L (SD ± 3.2; 95% CI = 37.3-38.7) with P < 0.001. In the pregnant subjects 11(12.2%) had anemia while none of the controls was anemic. Mean serum ferritin among the pregnant and non-pregnant subjects was 26.0 μg/L (SD ± 35.2; 95% CI = 18.6-33.4) and 70.3 μg/L (SD ± 106.1; 95% CI 48.1-92.5), respectively, with P-value of <0.001. Even though iron deficiency was observed in 68/90 (75.6%) of pregnant women, it was latent in 61/68(89.7%) of the women while it was frank in 7/68 (10.3%). In the non-pregnant subjects, 23/90 (25.6%) had iron deficiency despite a normal hematocrit. Of the 11/90 (12.2%) of pregnant subjects that had anemia 7/11(63.6%) had frank iron deficiency anemia while 4/11 (36.4) had anemia due to other causes. 2/90 (2.2%) of the pregnant subjects had ova of hookworm in their stool samples and both had iron deficiency anemia. Conclusion: Iron deficiency underlies many cases of anemia in pregnancy, thus justifying the use of iron supplementation in pregnancy as is currently practiced. Latent iron deficiency among non-pregnant controls suggests that iron supplementation may benefit non-pregnant women within the reproductive age group could help to improve their iron stores before the contemplation of pregnancy, thereby, reducing the prevalence of pregnancy related anemia in this environment.
Invasive breast cancer trials

Patients were randomized to mastectomy or breastconserving therapy (BCT) consisting of complete tumour excision, axillary dissection and radiation treatment. Seventy-eight per cent of patients accepted the procedure chosen for them by randomization, leaving (after all other protocol violations and other exclusions are accounted for) two groups: 619 patients for whom treatments had been randomly allocated and 136 who had chosen their treatment. In the BCT arm, treatment consisted of removal of the tumour-bearing part of the breast with enough normal tissue to ensure tumour-free margins at gross examination. All BCT patients were referred to radiotherapy to begin within 2–4 weeks after surgery. The target volume involved the whole breast. Regional lymph nodes were included only in high-risk patients. The dose was 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks plus a boost to the tumour bed. Mastectomy consisted of removal of the entire breast through a transverse incision plus dissection of lowand mid-axilla.
Acoustic time-of-flight for proton range verification in water.

PURPOSE Measurement of the arrival times of thermoacoustic waves induced by pulsed proton dose depositions (protoacoustics) may provide a proton range verification method. The goal of this study is to characterize the required dose and protoacoustic proton range (distance) verification accuracy in a homogeneous water medium at a hospital-based clinical cyclotron. METHODS Gaussian-like proton pulses with 17 μs widths and instantaneous currents of 480 nA (5.6 × 10(7) protons/pulse, 3.4 cGy/pulse at the Bragg peak) were generated by modulating the cyclotron proton source with a function generator. After energy degradation, the 190 MeV proton pulses irradiated a water phantom, and the generated protoacoustic emissions were measured by a hydrophone. The detector position and proton pulse characteristics were varied. The experimental results were compared to simulations. Different arrival time metrics derived from acoustic waveforms were compared, and the accuracy of protoacoustic time-of-flight distance calculations was assessed. RESULTS A 27 mPa noise level was observed in the treatment room during irradiation. At 5 cm from the proton beam, an average maximum pressure of 5.2 mPa/1 × 10(7) protons (6.1 mGy at the Bragg peak) was measured after irradiation with a proton pulse with 10%-90% rise time of 11 μs. Simulation and experiment arrival times agreed well, and the observed 2.4 μs delay between simulation and experiment is attributed to the difference between the hydrophone's acoustic and geometric centers. Based on protoacoustic arrival times, the beam axis position was measured to within (x, y) = (-2.0, 0.5) ± 1 mm. After deconvolution of the exciting proton pulse, the protoacoustic compression peak provided the most consistent measure of the distance to the Bragg peak, with an error distribution with mean = - 4.5 mm and standard deviation = 2.0 mm. CONCLUSIONS Based on water tank measurements at a clinical hospital-based cyclotron, protoacoustics is a potential method for measuring the beam's position (x and y within 2.0 mm) and Bragg peak range (2.0 mm standard deviation), although range verification will require simulation or experimental calibration to remove systematic error. Based on extrapolation, a protoacoustic arrival time reproducibility of 1.5 μs (2.2 mm) is achievable with 2 Gy of total deposited dose. Of the compared methods, deconvolution of the excitation proton pulse is the best technique for extracting protoacoustic arrival times, particularly if there is variation in the proton pulse shape.
Discovery of Metabolomics Biomarkers for Early Detection of Nephrotoxicity

Drug-induced nephrotoxicity is a major concern, since many pharmacological compounds are filtered through the kidneys for excretion into urine. To discover biochemical biomarkers useful for early identification of nephrotoxicity, metabolomic experiments were performed on Sprague-Dawley Crl:CD (SD) rats treated with the nephrotoxins gentamicin, cisplatin, or tobramycin. Using a combination of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), a global, nontargeted metabolomics analysis was performed on urine and kidney samples collected after one, five, and twenty-eight dosing days. Increases in polyamines and amino acids were observed in urine from drug-treated rats after a single dose, and prior to observable histological kidney damage and conventional clinical chemistry indications of nephrotoxicity. Thus, these metabolites are potential biomarkers for the early detection of drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Upon prolonged dosing, nephrotoxin-induced changes included a progressive loss of amino acids in urine, concomitant with a decrease in amino acids and nucleosides in kidney tissue. A nephrotoxicity prediction model, based on the levels of branched-chain amino acids in urine, distinguished nephrotoxin-treated samples from vehicle-control samples, with 100%, 93%, and 70% accuracy at day 28, day 5, and day 1, respectively. Thus, this panel of biomarkers may provide a noninvasive method to detect kidney injury long before the onset of histopathological kidney damage.
Fast neural net simulation with a DSP processor array

This paper describes the implementation of a fast neural net simulator on a novel parallel distributed-memory computer. A 60-processor system, named MUSIC (multiprocessor system with intelligent communication), is operational and runs the backpropagation algorithm at a speed of 330 million connection updates per second (continuous weight update) using 32-b floating-point precision. This is equal to 1.4 Gflops sustained performance. The complete system with 3.8 Gflops peak performance consumes less than 800 W of electrical power and fits into a 19-in rack. While reaching the speed of modern supercomputers, MUSIC still can be used as a personal desktop computer at a researcher's own disposal. In neural net simulation, this gives a computing performance to a single user which was unthinkable before. The system's real-time interfaces make it especially useful for embedded applications.
Domestic Violence Continuum, Forensic Assessment and Crisis Intervention

Domestic violence continues to be one of the most pervasive, traumatic, life-threatening, and harmful family problems in society today. A new 5-level classificatory schema or continuum of the duration and severity of woman battering is proposed for assessment and intervention. The continuum is based on 501 in-depth interviews with battered women in emergency shelters, police departments, and a large state women's prison. The underlying goal of identifying different types of battering relationships is to provide social workers and forensic specialists with psychosocial indicators that can be used as a basis for early case-finding, crisis intervention, and preventive intervention. Crisis intervention protocols and other intervention strategies are needed with abused women throughout North America.
Leucine-rich amelogenin peptide (LRAP) as a surface primer for biomimetic remineralization of superficial enamel defects: An in vitro study.

This study was carried out to obtain more information about the assembly of hydroxyapatite bundles formed in the presence of Leucine-Rich Amelogenin Peptide (LRAP) and to evaluate its effect on the remineralization of enamel defects through a biomimetic approach. One or 2 mg/mL LRAP solutions containing 2.5 mM of Ca(+2) and 1.5 mM phosphate were prepared (pH = 7.2) and stored at 37 °C for 24 h. The products of the reaction were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Vickers surface microhardness recovery (SMR%) of acid-etched bovine enamel, with or without LRAP surface treatment, were calculated to evaluate the influence of peptide on the lesion remineralization. Distilled water and 1 or 2 mg/mL LRAP solution (pH = 7.2) were applied on the lesions and the specimens were incubated in mineralization solution (2.5mM Ca(+2) , 1.5mM PO4 (-3) , pH = 7.2) for 24 h. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's multi-comparison tests were used for statistical analysis. The pattern of enamel surface repair was studied using FE-SEM. AFM showed the formation of highly organized hierarchical structures, composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals, similar to the dental enamel microstructure. ANOVA procedure showed significant effect of peptide treatment on the calculated SMR% (p < 0.001). Tukey's test revealed that peptide treated groups had significantly higher values of SMR%. In conclusion, LRAP is able to regulate the formation of HA and enhances the remineralization of acid-etched enamel as a surface treatment agent.
Harmonic competition: a self-organizing multiple criteria optimization

Harmonic competition is a learning strategy based upon winner-take-all or winner-take-quota with respect to a composite of heterogeneous subcosts. This learning is unsupervised and organizes itself. The subcosts may conflict with each other. Thus, the total learning system realizes a self-organizing multiple criteria optimization. The subcosts are combined additively and multiplicatively using adjusting parameters. For such a total cost, a general successive learning algorithm is derived first. Then, specific problems in the Euclidian space are addressed. Vector quantization with various constraints and traveling salesperson problems are selected as test problems. The former is a typical class of problems where the number of neurons is less than that of the data. The latter is an opposite case. Duality exists in these two classes. In both cases, the combination parameters of the subcosts show wide dynamic ranges in the course of learning. It is possible, however, to decide the parameter control from the structure of the total cost. This method finds a preferred solution from the Pareto optimal set of the multiple object optimization. Controlled mutations motivated by genetic algorithms are proved to be effective in finding near-optimal solutions.