Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expanded space mapping design framework exploiting preassigned parameters

We present a novel design framework for microwave circuits. We expand the original space mapping technique by allowing preassigned parameters (which are not used in optimization) to change in some components of the coarse model. We refer to those components as "relevant" components and we present a method based on sensitivity analysis to identify them. As a result, the coarse model can be calibrated to align with the fine model. Our algorithm establishes a mapping from some of the optimizable parameters to the preassigned parameters of the relevant components. This mapping is updated iteratively until we reach the optimal solution. We illustrate our approach through a microstrip design example.
Osteogenic Sarcoma of the Maxilla: Case Report

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common primary malignant bone neoplasms, which predominantly occurs in the long bones and rarely in the maxillofacial area. We present a rare case of maxillary OS early diagnosed in a 17-year-old girl through clinical, radiological and histological examination. The treatment involved surgical resection of the tumor followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The patient was much younger than the average age of presentation of a jaw tumor, which typically presents in the third to fourth decades of life. Although there is a consensus in the literature that OS of the jaws is less aggressive and less prone to metastasis than OS of the long bones, that was not true in this case, where in spite of early diagnosis and treatment the patient died due to brain metastasis.
Absence of Coronary Artery Calcium Identifies Asymptomatic Diabetic Individuals at Low Near-Term But Not Long-Term Risk of Mortality: A 15-Year Follow-Up Study of 9715 Patients

Background—Data regarding coronary artery calcification (CAC) prognosis in diabetic individuals are limited to 5-years follow-up. We investigated the long-term risk stratification of CAC among diabetic compared with nondiabetic individuals. Methods and Results—Nine thousand seven hundred and fifteen asymptomatic individuals undergoing CAC scoring were followed for a median (interquartile range) of 14.7 (13.9–15.6) years. The incidence density rate and hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to calculate all-cause mortality. Incremental prognostic utility of CAC was evaluated using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve and net reclassification improvement. Diabetics (54.7±10.8 years; 59.4% male) comprised 8.3% of the cohort (n=810), of which 188 (23.2%) died. For CAC=0, the rate of mortality was similar between diabetic and nondiabetic individuals for the first 5 years (P>0.05), with a nonlinear increased risk of mortality for diabetics after 5 years (P<0.05). The adjusted risk of death for those in the highest (CAC>400) versus the lowest (CAC=0) category of CAC increased by a hazards of 4.64 (95% confidence interval =3.74–5.76) and 3.41 (95% confidence interval =2.22–5.22) for nondiabetic and diabetic individuals, respectively. The presence of CAC improved discrimination (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve range: 0.73–0.74; P<0.01) and reclassification (category-free net reclassification improvement range: 0.53–0.50; P<0.001) beyond conventional risk factors in nondiabetic and diabetic individuals, respectively. Conclusions—CAC=0 is associated with a favorable 5-year prognosis for asymptomatic diabetic and nondiabetic individuals. After 5 years, the risk of mortality increases significantly for diabetic individuals even in the presence of a baseline CAC=0.
Natural history and survival of inoperable breast cancer treated with radiotherapy and radiotherapy followed by radical mastectomy

This retrospective study evaluates the time and site of relapse as well as the median survival of 454 consecutive patients with T3‐T4 Nx Mo breast cancer treated with radiation therapy from 1968 to 1972. Radiotherapy was delivered with kilovoltage to the first 221 patients and with cobalt to 233 patients, respectively. A group of 133 selected patients was subjected to radical mastectomy 6–8 weeks after completion of the irradiation. The incidence of first relapse was 45% within the first 18 months from starting radiotherapy. The incidence of relapse was higher in presence than in absence of regional adenopathy, with no statistical difference between T3 and T4. Inflammatory carcinoma showed the highest percent of relapse during the first 12 months (48%). The relapse rate appeared independent from type of irradiation. The site of first relapse occurred more often (68%) in areas distant from irradiation fields. Sterilization of both primary tumor and regional nodes was obtained only in 10% of patients. The median survival for the whole series was 2.5 years, with no significant difference between roentgen therapy (3 years) and cobalt (2.5 years). Unfavorable survival was directly related to the presence of regional adenopathies (2.3 years), especially in the supraclavicular fossa (1.4 years) and of inflammatory carcinoma (1.2 years). Patients treated with radiotherapy followed by surgery showed a median survival of 3.9 years compared to 2.1 years for those given only irradiation. The importance of sequentially combining chemotherapy with radiotherapy is discussed.
The Causes of Post-Operative Meningitis: The Comparison Of Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Pathogens.

AIM In this study, we aim to determine the microbiological etiology in critically ill neurosurgical patients with nosocomial meningitis (NM) and show the impact of Gram-negative rods and differences of patient's characteristics, clinical and prognostic measures between Gram-negative and Gram-positive meningitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this prospective, one center study we reviewed all adult patients hospitalized during a 12-year period and identified pathogens isolated from post-neurosurgical cases of NM. Demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics were noted from the medical records. RESULTS Of the 134 bacterial NM patients, 78 were male and 56 were female, with a mean age of 46±15.9 and median age of 50 (18-80) years. 141 strains isolated; 82 (58.2%) were Gram negative, 59 (41.8%) were Gram positive. Most common isolated microorganism was Acinetobacter baumannii (%34.8). In comparison of mortality data shows that the patients who have meningitis with Gram-negative pathogens have higher mortality than with Gram positives (p=0.034). The duration between surgery and meningitis was shorter in Gram negative meningitis cases compared to others (p=0.045) but the duration between the diagnosis and death was shorter in Gram-positive meningitis cases compared to Gram negatives (p= 0.017). CSF protein and lactate level were higher and glucose level was lower in cases of NM with Gram negatives (p value were respectively, 0.022, 0.039 and 0.049). CONCLUSION As conclusions; in NM, Gram-negative pathogens were seen more frequently; A.baumanni was the predominant pathogen; and NM caused by Gram negatives had worse clinical and laboratory characteristic and prognostic outcome than Gram positives.
[Quality of life in patients with eating disorders].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of life of ambulatory patients with eating disorders in relation to the severity of their symptomatology and in comparison with other psychiatric disorders and general population values. METHODS Cross-sectional descriptive study of the quality of life of 180 patients recruited at an eating disorders unit. In order to study different aspects of their Health Related Quality of Life, the SF-36, the EAT and the HAD questionnaires were used. The results of the SF-36 were compared to population values of the same gender and age, and to other studies of psychiatric disorders where the SF-36 questionnaire was used. RESULTS Patients with eating disorders presented worse quality of life than the general population of the same gender and age, and similar to patients with other psychiatric diagnoses, as schizophrenia, depression or panic disorder. No significant differences were found between patients with diagnoses of restrictive anorexia, purgative anorexia and bulimia. Mental health, rol emotional and vitality were the most affected areas of the SF-36. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the severity of these disorders, which have a special incidence in young active women. This fact is becoming an important public health problem and raises the need of specialised assistance.
Effects of the interrelationship between zinc oxide and copper sulfate on growth performance of early-weaned pigs.

We conducted four experiments to examine the effects of adding zinc oxide (ZnO) and(or) copper sulfate (CuSO4) to diets for weanling pigs. In Exp. 1 and 2, weanling pigs (initially 5.3 kg and 19 +/- 2 d of age) were fed diets containing 250 ppm of added Cu (CuSO4) and either 110 or 3,110 ppm of added. Zn (ZnO). No differences (P > .10) were observed in either experiment for ADG, ADFI, or feed efficiency (G:F). In Exp. 3,240 pigs (initially 4.45 kg and 15 +/- 2 d of age) were used to determine the interactive effects of added dietary ZnO and(or) CuSO4. Dietary treatments were in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement; Zn (165 or 3,000 ppm) and Cu (16.5 or 250 ppm) were the main effects. Pigs were fed a high nutrient dense diet from d 0 to 14 after weaning and a less complex diet from d 14 to 28 after weaning, both containing the same mineral fortifications. From d 0 to 14, pigs fed 3,000 ppm Zn, with or without 250 ppm Cu, had improved ADG (P < .01) compared with pigs fed the control (16.5 ppm Cu and 165 ppm Zn) or diets with only added Cu. From d 14 to 28, pigs fed the diet containing 3,000 ppm added Zn, without 250 ppm Cu, had greater ADG than pigs fed the other diets (Zn x Cu interaction, P < .01). In Exp. 4, 264 pigs (initially 4.17 kg and 12 +/- 3 d of age) were fed a high nutrient dense diet supplemented with 3,000 ppm of Zn (ZnO) from d 0 to 14 after weaning. On d 14, pigs were switched to the diets containing experimental mineral levels identical to those of Exp. 3. From d 14 to 28 after weaning, added Zn improved ADG but not when the diet contained 250 ppm Cu (Zn x Cu interaction, P < .05). Feeding 3,000 ppm of Zn from ZnO is a viable means of improving nursery pig performance, but additive responses to growth-promotant levels of CuSO4 (250 ppm Cu) were not observed.
Assessment of dental fear and anxiety among adolescent females in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

‡This study assessed the current prevalence of dental anxiety and fear in a population of Saudi female adolescents. A sample size of 1424 students was used, of which 91% were Saudis and the rest other Arab nationalities. To assess anxiety and fear, a questionnaire was used. The questionnaires, incorporating the dental fear survey (DFS) and the dental anxiety scale (DAS), were distributed to adolescents in three public schools in Riyadh city. Overall, dental anxiety and fear were found to be considerably higher in the study group. High anxiety was found in 29% and high fear in 25% of the study subjects, respectively. The highest anxiety and fear levels were found in adolescents who had had an extraction at their last visit. Higher fear and anxiety levels were found in adolescents who had recently been to the dentist, while lower fear and anxiety levels were associated with adolescents who had never been to the dentist. The lowest fear and anxiety levels were related to oral prophylaxis. One may conclude that anxiety and fear are high among the subjects with previous traumatic dental exposure.
The transforming activity of Wnt effectors correlates with their ability to induce the accumulation of mammary progenitor cells

Ectopic activation of the Wnt signaling pathway is highly oncogenic for many human tissues. Here, we show that ectopic Wnt signaling increases the effective stem cell activity in mouse mammary glands in vivo. Furthermore, Wnt effectors induce the accumulation of mouse mammary epithelial progenitors (assayed by Hoechst dye exclusion, a surrogate stem cell marker, side population cells) both in vivo and in vitro. The longevity of stem cells makes them good candidate tumor precursors, and we propose that Wnt-induced progenitor amplification is likely to be key to tumor initiation. In support of this notion, mammary glands from a tumor-resistant strain of mice (carrying a null mutation in syndecan-1) contain fewer side population cells. When this strain is crossed to mice that overexpress effectors of the β-catenin/T cell factor Wnt pathway, the amplification of progenitors is reduced, together with all subsequent events of tumor development. We propose that the growth dynamic of the stem cell fraction is a major determinant of tumor susceptibility.
Sequential organ failure assessment score as the determinant of outcome for patients with severe sepsis.

AIM To evaluate the impact of organ dysfunction in severe sepsis and determine the effectiveness of organ dysfunction scores to discriminate outcome after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS Patients with a diagnosis of severe sepsis and at least one organ dysfunction on the first day in the ICU (n=117) were included in the prospective observational study. The presence of organ dysfunction was assessed using a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA). The severity of illness was assessed using a Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II during the first 24 hours after the admission to the ICU. The main outcome was survival status on day 28 after admission to the ICU. RESULTS Most common sites of infection were intra-abdominal and respiratory system (77 and 38 cases, respectively). Median SAPS II score on admission was 47 points (25th-75th quartiles range, 37-57 points). Twenty eight days survival rate was 41%. The best discrimination results were shown for cumulative scores with the highest for the SOFA score on day 3 in the ICU. The ability to discriminate outcome on day 1 was weak for the presence of dysfunction in all organ systems except neurological. The discriminative power of organ dysfunction scores increased during the stay in the ICU. Neurological and cardiovascular dysfunctions were the independent risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSION The SOFA scores showed high accuracy in describing the course of organ dysfunction for the patients with severe sepsis. Evolving organ dysfunction following admission to the ICU strongly affected the outcome. Cumulative SOFA scores were better in discriminating outcome compared to single organ dysfunction scores.
Regulatory function of in vivo anergized CD4+ T cells

It has been suggested that anergic T cells may not be only inert cells but may rather play an active role, for example by regulating immune responses. We have previously reported the existence of “anergic” IL-10-producing CD4+ T cells generated in vivo by continuous antigenic stimulation. Using a gene transfer system where the antigen recognized by such T cells is expressed in skeletal muscle by two different DNA viral vectors, we show that these cells not only remain tolerant toward their cognate antigen but also can suppress the immune response of naïve T cells against the immunogenic adenoviral proteins. Furthermore, they can completely inhibit tissue destruction that takes place as a result of an immune response. The system presented here is unique in that the T cells have been anergized in vivo, their antigen specificity and functional status are known, and the amount, form, and timing of antigen expression can be manipulated. This model will therefore permit us to carefully dissect the mechanisms by which these anergic T cells regulate the priming and/or effector function of naïve T cells.
An assessment of conventional and self-ligating brackets in Class I maxillary constriction patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate two different treatment systems with regard to incisor position, transverse dimension changes in maxillary arch, changes in maxillary molar inclinations, clinical periodontal parameters, and pain intensity in patients with a Class I malocclusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen patients (with a mean age of 14.5 years) underwent orthodontic treatment with the Roth prescribed edgewise bracket systems after expanding the maxillary arch with a quad-helix appliance, and 16 patients (with a mean age of 14.8 years) underwent orthodontic treatment with the Damon 3MX bracket system. Each subject's lateral cephalometric and posteroanterior radiographs and dental casts were obtained at the beginning of the treatment and after debonding. In addition to these, the periodontal index and pain scores were taken. RESULTS Cephalometric data showed that in both treatment systems, overjet value decreased and maxillary and mandibular incisors proclined. Posteroanterior measurements demonstrated a greater increase in the maxillary molar inclination in the Damon group. Significant increase of maxillary intercanine, interpremolar, and intermolar widths was shown in both systems. Periodontal index and pain score changes between different observation periods were the same. CONCLUSIONS The conventional and Damon systems were found similar with regard to the incisor position, transverse dimension changes in maxillary arch, clinical periodontal parameters, and pain intensity. The only significant difference was that the Damon system inclined the maxillary molars more buccally than the conventional group.
Malignant Catarrhal Fever Associated with Ovine Herpesvirus-2 in Free-ranging Mule Deer in Colorado

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) was diagnosed in four free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in January and February of 2003. Diagnosis was based on typical histologic lesions of lymphocytic vasculitis and PCR identification of ovine herpesvirus-2 (OHV-2) viral genetic sequences in formalin-fixed tissues. The animals were from the Uncompahgre Plateau of southwestern Colorado. Deer from these herds occasionally resided in close proximity to domestic sheep (Ovis aries), the reservoir host of OHV-2, in agricultural valleys adjacent to their winter range. These cases indicate that fatal OHV-2 associated MCF can occur in free-ranging mule deer exposed to domestic sheep that overlap their range.
Maintenance treatment of schizophrenia with risperidone or haloperidol: 2-year outcomes.

OBJECTIVE Most controlled studies comparing second-generation and conventional antipsychotics have focused on the acute treatment of schizophrenia. The authors compared symptom outcomes, side effects, and social adjustment in stable schizophrenia outpatients who received 2 years of maintenance treatment with risperidone or haloperidol. METHOD This was a 2-year, randomized, double-blind comparison of 6 mg of risperidone versus haloperidol in 63 patients with stabilized DSM-IV schizophrenia. Study patients also received 15 months of standard behavioral skills training or enhanced training with a case manager who promoted patients' use of their skills in the community. RESULTS The risk of psychotic exacerbations and the risk of leaving the study were similar for both drug treatment groups. However, patients who received both risperidone and the enhanced community-based skills training were more likely to remain in the study than those in the other treatment groups. Patients demonstrated significant improvement in score on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale over time with both medications. There were no between-group differences in cluster scores for thought disturbance, hostile-suspiciousness, and withdrawal-retardation. A significant between-group difference favoring risperidone was found for the anxious-depression cluster. Risperidone resulted in significantly greater reductions in tremor and akathisia and greater improvements in most items on the SCL-90-R. CONCLUSIONS When compared with patients given a low dose of haloperidol, risperidone-treated patients experienced similar improvements in positive and negative symptoms and similar risks of psychotic exacerbations. However, risperidone-treated patients appeared to feel subjectively better, as indicated by less anxiety and depression and fewer extrapyramidal side effects.
The effect of a collaborative game on group work

As enterprises strive to transform themselves in the face of emerging technologies and challenges, there is an increasing reliance on group work and collaboration across disciplinary and organizational boundaries. Often this requires establishing ad-hoc workgroups that come together to address a new problem over a short period of time. In these cases, it is important that group members can work together effectively in a short amount of time. We are interested in understanding how computer-based "icebreaking" video games can help group members work together in real world collaborations. To do this, we identified icebreaking video game requirements based on the literature and ran an experiment with ad-hoc workgroups within an organization to assess the effect of playing an icebreaking video game before one of their collaborative work tasks. We compared groups that participated in the icebreaking video game prior to the work task with those that did not. We found that groups that played the icebreaking video game demonstrated increased collaboration in the subsequent work task.
A Cognitive-Anatomical Approach to Attention in Lexical Access

Recent PET studies have suggested a specific anatomy for feature identification, visual word forms and semantic associations. Our studies seek to explore the time course of access to these systems by use of reaction time and scalp electrical recording. Target detection times suggest that different forms of representation are involved in the detection of letter features, feature conjunctions (letters), and words. Feature search is fastest at the fovea and slows symmetrically with greater foveal eccentricity. It is not influenced by lexicality. Detecting a letter case (conjunction) shows a left to right search which differs between words and consonant strings. Analysis of scalp electrical distribution suggest an occipito-temporal distribution for the analysis of visual features (right sided) and for the visual word form discrimination (left sided). These fit with the PET results, and suggest that the feature related analysis begins within the first 100 millisec and the visual word form discriminates words from strings by about 200 msec. Lexical decision instructions can modify the computations found in both frontal and posterior areas.
A Prospective Study of the Role of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Fitness in Industrial Back Pain Complaints

The authors conducted a prospective study of risk factors for Industrial back pain complaints among 3,020 aircraft manufacturing employees. The study subjects completed a cardiovascular risk questionnaire, and were asked about their smoking status and past medical history, Including previous back problems. Premorbid submaximal treadmill testing to predict maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was completed In 2,434 subjects who were not excluded from testing due to cardiovascular risk screening. During several years of subsequent follow-up, 279 subjects reported back problems. Those who reported smoking at the time of the premorbid examination were significantly more likely to report a subsequent back problem than nonsmokers (P = 0.002). When controlling for sex and age, cardiovascular fitness, as measured through VO2max, was not predictive of future back Injury reports (P = 0.26).