Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Costs associated with blood transfusions in Sweden – the societal cost of autologous, allogeneic and perioperative RBC transfusion

summary. Anaemia is characterised by an insufficient number of red blood cells (RBCs) and might occur for different reasons, e.g. surgical procedures are often with associated blood loss. Patients who suffer from anaemia have the option of treatment with blood transfusion or medical treatment. In this study, the societal cost, for the case of Sweden, of RBC transfusion using three different techniques, i.e. allogeneic, autologous and intraoperative transfusion, was estimated. The analysis was based on information from interviews with hospital staff at large Swedish hospitals and from published data. The average cost for a 2 units transfusion was found to be Swedish kronor (SEK) 6330 (€702) for filtered allogeneic RBCs and SEK5394 (€598) for autologous RBCs for surgery patients. Transfusion reactions accounted for almost 35 per cent of the costs of allogeneic RBC transfusions. The administration cost was found to be much higher for autologous transfusions compared with allogeneic transfusions. The cost of intraoperative erythrocyte salvage was calculated to be SEK2567 (€285) per transfusion (>4 units).
PFA and complemented subspaces of ℓ∞/c0

The Banach space $\ell_\infty/c_0$ is isomorphic to the linear space of continuous functions on $\mathbb N^*$ with the supremum norm, $C(\mathbb N^*)$. Similarly, the canonical representation of the $\ell_\infty$ sum of $\ell_\infty/c_0$ is the Banach space of continuous functions on the closure of any non-compact cozero subset of $\mathbb N^*$. It is important to determine if there is a continuous linear lifting of this Banach space to a complemented subset of $C(\mathbb N^*)$. We show that PFA implies there is no such lifting.
Chandra Observations of Cygnus A: Magnetic Field Strengths in the Hot Spots of a Radio Galaxy

We report X-ray observations of the powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This Letter focuses on the radio hot spots, all four of which are detected in X-rays with a very similar morphology to their radio structure. X-ray spectra have been obtained for the two brighter hot spots (A and D). Both are well described by a power law with photon index Γ = 1.8 ± 0.2 absorbed by the Galactic column in the direction of Cygnus A. Thermal X-ray models require too high gas densities and may be ruled out. The images and spectra strongly support synchrotron self-Compton models of the X-ray emission, as proposed by Harris, Carilli, & Perley on the basis of ROSAT imaging observations. Such models indicate that the magnetic field in each of the brighter hot spots is 1.5 × 10-4 G, with an uncertainty of a few tens of percent. This value is close to the equipartition field strengths assuming no protons are present. The possibility that the X-rays are synchrotron radiation is briefly discussed but not favored. We speculate that production of the γ ~ 107 electrons necessary for X-ray synchrotron radiation from hot spots is inhibited when the external gas density is high, as is the case when the radio galaxy is within a cooling flow.
Muscarinic receptors in cell lines from ovarian carcinoma: negative correlation with survival of patients.

OBJECTIVES Tumor cells are similar in many respects to embryonic cells, indicating that embryonic genes are reactivated during malignant growth. In previous studies, we observed muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which are expressed in embryonic cells during morphogenesis and are also found in human melanomas and melanoma cell lines. We determined the presence of muscarinic receptors in a collection of ovarian tumor cell lines for which clinical data were available. METHODS Muscarinic receptor status of 39 cell lines derived from 34 patients was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS Twenty-three cell lines were receptor positive, and 16, receptor negative. Kaplan-Meier analysis of receptor status of the tumor cell lines and survival time of patients from which the cell lines were established showed that expression of muscarinic receptors was associated with a reduced probability (P = 0.025) of survival: This is within the range of other established prognostic factors reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS A large percentage of ovarian tumor cell lines express muscarinic receptors. Muscarinic receptor expression is an embryonic trait and is correlated with reduced survival of patients. The results from this study provide further evidence of the involvement of muscarinic receptors in the progression of malignant carcinomas.
Proton-minibeam radiation therapy: a proof of concept.

PURPOSE This Monte Carlo simulation work aims at studying a new radiotherapy approach called proton-minibeam radiation therapy (pMBRT). The main objective of this proof of concept was the evaluation of the possible gain in tissue sparing, thanks to the spatial fractionation of the dose, which could be used to deposit higher and potentially curative doses in clinical cases where tissue tolerances are a limit for conventional methods. METHODS Monte Carlo simulations (GATE v.6) have been used as a method to calculate the ratio of the peak-to-valley doses (PVDR) for arrays of proton minibeams of 0.7 mm width and several center-to-center distances, at different depths in a water phantom. The beam penumbras were also evaluated as an important parameter for tissue sparing, for example, in the treatment of non-cancer diseases like epilepsy. Two proton energies were considered in this study: a clinically relevant energy (105 MeV) and a very high energy (1 GeV), to benefit from a reduced lateral scattering. For the latter case, an interlaced geometry was also evaluated. RESULTS Higher or similar PVDR than the ones obtained in x-rays minibeam radiation therapy were achieved in several pMBRT configurations. In addition, for the two energies studied, the beam penumbras are smaller than in the case of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. CONCLUSIONS The high PVDR obtained for some configurations and the small penumbras in comparison with existing radiosurgery techniques, suggest a potential gain in healthy tissue sparing in this new technique. Biological studies are warranted to assess the effects of pMBRT on both normal and tumoral tissues.
More Broken Bones: A 4‐Year Double Cohort Study of Young Girls With and Without Distal Forearm Fractures

Predictors of childhood fractures have not been investigated previously. This study was undertaken to determine whether a previous history of forearm fracture, low bone mineral density (BMD; both areal bone mineral density [aBMD, g/cm2] and volumetric bone mineral apparent density [BMAD, g/cm3]), or anthropometry, influence fracture risk in young girls. At baseline, two cohorts of girls, aged 3–15 years, were evaluated: 100 had recently broken a forearm (group 1) and 100 were fracture free (group 2). Four years later we restudied 170 of these girls (82 from group l and 88 from group 2). We now report the relationships of previous fracture history, baseline BMD (measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry), baseline weight, and height to risk of new fracture. More new fractures occurred in group l (37 fractures in 24 girls) than in group 2 (8 fractures in 7 girls; p = 0.0007). The independent predictors for occurrence of a new fracture at any skeletal site in a multivariate model adjusting for age, weight, total body aBMD, and fracture history were previous fracture (hazard ratio [HR], 3.28; 95% CI, 1.41‐7.64); age (HR per l‐year increase, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84‐0.99); total body aBMD (HR per l SD decrease, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.31‐2.81); and body weight (HR per l SD increase, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.06‐2.08). Girls with two risk factors together had substantially greater fracture risk: previous fracture and low spinal BMAD (HR, 9.4; 95% CI, 2.8‐32.0), previous fracture and high body weight (HR, 10.2; 95% CI, 2.8‐37.6), or previous fracture and low total body aBMD (HR, 13.0; 95% CI, 3.9‐43.1). We conclude that previous forearm fracture, low total body aBMD, low spinal BMAD, and high body weight each increase risk of new fractures within 4 years in young girls. Interventions to reduce the risk of fractures, particularly forearm fractures, in girls warrant further study.
Musculoskeletal infections in intravenous drug addicts: report of 34 cases with analysis of microbiological aspects and pathogenic mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE To analyse characteristics of musculoskeletal infections in Spanish intravenous (i.v.) drug addicts. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 34 medical records was carried out and the aetiologic agent was confirmed in all cases. RESULTS The mean age was 26 years and the sex ratio was 25M/9F. Twenty-four patients were HIV-positive and 10 HIV-negative. There were no differences between the 2 subgroups. Septic arthritis, seen in 27 cases (79%), was the most common type of infection. Axial involvement was present in 23 cases (67%). The organisms isolated included Staphylococcus aureus (25 cases), Candida albicans (3 cases), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (2 cases), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pyogenes in one case each. Candida albicans affected the sternocostal joints. Laboratory data showed non-specific findings. The outcome was mostly good and only one patient died. CONCLUSION Human immunodeficiency virus does not affect characteristics of musculoskeletal infections in i.v. drug addicts. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequently isolated pathogen in this population.
Histogram Equalization: A Strong Technique for Image Enhancement

Generally for improving contrast in digital images, HE is the method that commonly used but in result it gives unnatural artifacts like intensity saturation, over-enhancement and noise amplification. To overcome these problems there was a need to partition the image histogram, at first image histogram was partitioned into two parts and then different transformation functions were applied on each partition. After that image histogram was partitioned into many partitions and same process was applied with some additional features. DHE is the multi histogram method and CLAHE is the extension of AHE. These methods are compared to HE and found that both methods give better result than HE but DHE method also gives better result than CLAHE.
A Data Envelopment Analysis of the Operational Efficiency of Bank Branches

We performed a multiperiod data envelopment analysis (DEA) study of the efficiencies of selected branches of a large US bank (which we will call Big Bank) over six consecutive quarters (second quarter of 1992 to the third quarter of 1993). We developed a number of innovative application tools, including budgeting and target-setting modules, within a DEA framework that we subsequently customized for Big Bank. Within the performance-evaluation framework, we developed the ability to identify different potential groupings of branches that supported the multiple user views of the system. We also developed procedures to evaluate trends over time and differences in performance across user-defined aggregations of branches. We paid attention to the interface with the end users and, in particular, developed presentation tools to make the outcomes of the analysis available to managers at different levels of the bank.
Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer and Malignant Mesothelioma of the Pleura: Selected Current Issues

Abstract Asbestos-related diseases persist, because millions of workers have had prior exposure and many industrializing countries continue to use asbestos. Globally, an estimated 107,000 people die annually from lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and asbestosis due to occupational asbestos exposure. Malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer are caused by all major types of asbestos. Asbestos causes more lung cancer deaths than malignant mesothelioma of the pleura; most cases of the latter are due to asbestos exposure. The cancer risk increases with cumulative asbestos exposure, with increased risk even at low levels of exposure to asbestos. Based on empirical studies, an estimated cumulative occupational exposure to asbestos of 1 fiber/mL-year substantially raises malignant mesothelioma risk. No safe threshold for asbestos exposure has been established for lung cancer and mesothelioma. The validity of fiber-type risk assessments depends critically on the quality of exposure assessments, which vary considerably, leading to a high degree of uncertainty. Asbestos exposure without asbestosis and smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. The joint effect of asbestos and smoking is supra-additive, which may depend in part on the presence of asbestosis. Asbestos workers who cease smoking experience a dramatic drop in lung cancer risk, which approaches that of nonsmokers after 30 years. Studies to date show that longer, thinner fibers have a stronger association with lung cancer than shorter, less thin fibers, but the latter nonetheless also show an association with lung cancer and mesothelioma. Low-dose chest computed tomographic scanning offers an unprecedented opportunity to detect early-stage lung cancers in asbestos-exposed workers.
Multiferroic magnetoelectric fluorides: why are there so many magnetic ferroelectrics?

We review work on multiferroic magnetic fluorides with an aim to correct the popular opinion that magnetic ferroelectrics are rare in nature. After a qualitative summary describing the main families of magnetic fluorides that are piezoelectric and probably ferroelectric, we discuss in detail the most popular recent groups, namely the K3Fe5F15 and Pb5Cr3F19 families.
Plasma homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels in patients with laryngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVE To determine plasma levels of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 in patients with laryngeal cancer and a control group. DESIGN Analysis of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels in 25 consecutive untreated patients with laryngeal carcinoma and 80 healthy control participants. The study and control groups were subdivided into smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers, as well as drinkers and nondrinkers. INTERVENTION The AxSYM system was used to measure total homocysteine levels, and the ARCHITECT system (both Abbott-Diagnostics Division) was used to measure folate and vitamin B12 levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels. RESULTS The mean (SD) level of total homocysteine in patients with laryngeal carcinoma was 2.84 (1.62) mg/L vs 0.99 (0.24) mg/L in the control group (P <.001). The mean (SD) folate plasma level was 4.3 (2.2) ng/mL vs 7.9 (2.4) ng/mL (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS Metabolic alterations in homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels, especially hypofolatemia, could be associated with laryngeal cancer. Lengthier follow-up studies and larger groups of patients will help determine the real role of these metabolic alterations.
19 QCM as Cell-Based Biosensor

Piezoelectricity is defined as electric polarization produced by mechanical strain in certain crystals, the polarization being proportional to the strain (Cady, 1946). The Curies first observed piezoelectricity in 1880 as a potential difference generated across two surfaces of a quartz crystal under strain. The converse piezoelectric effect, the deformation of a piezoelectric material by an applied electric field, was predicted by Lippmann (Lippmann, 1881). In 1959 Sauerbrey provided a description and experimental proof of the massfrequency relation for foreign layers deposited on thickness-shear mode crystals that are still widely used today for determination of mass-sensing format is commonly referred to as the QCM. The mass increases when a film is deposited onto the crystal surface and monolayer sensitivity is easily reached (Lu & Lewis, 1972). However, when the film thickness increases, viscoelastic effects come into play. In the late 80’s, it was recognized that the QCM can also be operated in liquids (Konash & Bastiaans, 1980), if proper measures are taken to overcome the consequences of the large damping and viscoelastic effects contribute strongly to the resonance properties (Bruckenstein & Shay, 1985; Ward & Buttery, 1990). Today, microweighing is one of several uses of the QCM (Johannsmann, 2008). Measurements of viscosity and more general, viscoelastic properties, are of much importance as well. The “non-gravimetric” QCM is by no means an alternative to the conventional QCM. Many researchers, who use quartz resonators for purposes other than gravimetry, have continued to call the quartz crystal resonator “QCM”. Actually, the term "balance" makes sense even for non-gravimetric applications if it is understood in the sense of a force balance. At resonance, the force exerted upon the crystal by the sample is balanced by a force originating from the shear gradient inside the crystal. This is the essence of the small-load approximation.
Adaptive Backstepping Control for a Class of Nonlinear Systems With Non-Triangular Structural Uncertainties

In this technical note, a robust adaptive control scheme is proposed based on backstepping techniques for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown parameters. A modeling error may also exist in every state equation or channel and it is bounded by a known function which is allowed to depend on all system states. It is shown that the proposed adaptive control scheme can ensure all signals in the closed-loop system bounded, if the strength of system modeling errors is sufficiently weak. Transient performance is also established. Thus stabilizing systems in classical strict-feedback forms with sufficiently small non-triangular structural perturbations is successfully addressed. In the case that system parameters are known, a non-adaptive robust controller is designed to globally exponentially stabilize such a class of nonlinear systems. Finally simulation studies are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Replicates to High Levels in Naturally Infected African Green Monkeys without Inducing Immunologic or Neurologic Disease

ABSTRACT African green monkeys can maintain long-term persistent infection with simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVagm) without developing AIDS and thus provide an important model for understanding mechanisms of natural host resistance to disease. This study assessed the levels and anatomic distribution of SIVagm in healthy, naturally infected monkeys. Quantitative competitive reverse transcriptase PCR assays developed to measure SIVagm from two African green monkey subspecies demonstrated high levels of SIV RNA in plasma (>6 × 106 RNA copies/ml) in sabaeus and vervet monkeys. Infectious virus was readily recovered from plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells and shown to be highly cytopathic in human cell lines and macrophages. SIVagm DNA levels were highest in the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting that the gut is a major site for SIVagm replication in vivo. Appreciable levels of virus were also found within the brain parenchyma and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), with lower levels detected in peripheral blood cells and lymph nodes. Virus isolates from the CSF and brain parenchyma readily infected macrophages in culture, whereas lymph node isolates were more restricted to growth in human T-cell lines. Comparison of env V2-C4 sequences showed extensive amino acid diversity between SIVagm recovered from the central nervous system and that recovered from lymphoid tissues. Homology between brain and CSF viruses, macrophage tropism, and active replication suggest compartmentalization in the central nervous system without associated neuropathology in naturally infected monkeys. These studies provide evidence that the nonpathogenic nature of SIVagm in the natural host can be attributed neither to more effective host control over viral replication nor to differences in the tissue and cell tropism from those for human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected humans or SIV-infected macaques.
Asymmetry of fetal cerebral hemispheres: in utero ultrasound study

BACKGROUND Slight morphological asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres has been observed in fetal and newborn brains. In adults, sex differences in hemispheric asymmetry have also been reported. OBJECTIVE To establish whether cerebral hemisphere asymmetry correlates with sex in fetuses. METHODS Left-right cerebral hemisphere asymmetry, and the correlation with sex, were studied in 51 male and 51 female fetuses of 20–22 weeks gestation, using diagnostic ultrasound scanning. RESULTS A total of 102 fetuses were examined. The diameter of the left hemisphere was larger than that of the right, in both female and male fetuses. The mean (SEM) diameter of the left hemisphere was 2.804 (0.174) cm in female fetuses and 2.781 (0.287) cm in male fetuses; the corresponding values for the right hemisphere were 2.627 (0.192) cm and 2.681 (0.267) cm. There was no sex related difference between hemispheric diameters. The interhemispheric difference was significant for both sexes: male fetuses, p = 0.017; female fetuses, p = 0.016. CONCLUSIONS Left-right fetal brain asymmetry, as measured by in utero ultrasound examination, is apparent at 20–22 weeks gestation regardless of sex.
Influence of Culture on e-Government Acceptance in Saudi Arabia

The main purpose of this thesis is to determine the influence of culture on e-government (electronic government) acceptance in a developing nation namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Citizens’ transactional interactions (electronic transactions or etransactions) with the government via the Internet are examined. To this end, the following research question is addressed: ‘How does culture influence the acceptance of e-transactions? ’ Defining and understanding cultural factors influencing e-transactions provides an insight into the actual requirements of citizens. The findings of this study include design and implementation strategies that can serve as guidance for the Saudi government, as well as for the developers and implementers of e-transactions in the KSA. Numerous models and theories were referred to in identifying the research context requirements that enabled the analysis of e-transaction acceptance. A research model that fits the research context was developed to predict and elucidate acceptance. A sample of 671 Saudi citizens was recruited using an online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the relationship between intention to use e-transactions and perceptions of e-transactions, trust, preferences for using e-transactions as a communication method with the government, social influence and cultural values. Preference for using e-transactions as a communication method, perceptions of the compatibility of e-transactions with values and citizens’ needs, communicability of the results of using e-transactions, trust in the Internet as a medium of communication with the government, and conservation values are positive significant determinants of etransaction acceptance. Conversely, trust in government agencies, as well as motivation towards gaining prestige and possessing dominance over people and resources (i.e. power value) exhibit a negative significant effect on acceptance.
Well-thickness dependence of high-temperature characteristics in 1.3-μm AlGaInAs-InP strained-multiple-quantum-well lasers

Well-thickness dependence of temperature characteristics of 1.3-/spl mu/m AlGaInAs-InP strained-multiple-quantum-well lasers was investigated. Higher characteristic temperatures of threshold current density were obtained for thicker wells up to 6 nm. Fabricated ridge-waveguide lasers with 6-nm-thick wells exhibited characteristic temperature of as high as 125 K. Relaxation-oscillation frequency reduced by only 13% between 25/spl deg/C and 85/spl deg/C.
A charge/discharge device for chemical hydrogen storage and generation.

Keywords: fuel cells · homogeneous catalysis · hydrogen · hydrogenation · ruthenium Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-169668doi:10.1002/anie.201104951View record in Web of Science Record created on 2011-10-21, modified on 2017-05-12