Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of frailty in middle-aged and older community-dwelling Europeans living in 10 countries.

BACKGROUND Frailty is an indicator of health status in old age. Its frequency has been described mainly for North America; comparable data from other countries are lacking. Here we report on the prevalence of frailty in 10 European countries included in a population-based survey. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis of 18,227 randomly selected community-dwelling individuals 50 years of age and older, enrolled in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2004. Complete data for assessing a frailty phenotype (exhaustion, shrinking, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity) were available for 16,584 participants. Prevalences of frailty and prefrailty were estimated for individuals 50-64 years and 65 years of age and older from each country. The latter group was analyzed further after excluding disabled individuals. We estimated country effects in this subset using multivariate logistic regression models, controlling first for age, gender, and then demographics and education. RESULTS The proportion of frailty (three to five criteria) or prefrailty (one to two criteria) was higher in southern than in northern Europe. International differences in the prevalences of frailty and prefrailty for 65 years and older group persisted after excluding the disabled. Demographic characteristics did not account for international differences; however, education was associated with frailty. Controlling for education, age and gender diminished the effects of residing in Italy and Spain. CONCLUSIONS A higher prevalence of frailty in southern countries is consistent with previous findings of a north-south gradient for other health indicators in SHARE. Our data suggest that socioeconomic factors like education contribute to these differences in frailty and prefrailty.
A project manager’s role in building teams

In this thesis the role of the project manager in team development is studied. The aim of this research is to identify different leadership styles among project managers and to find out if there is a connection between these leadership styles and the development phases of a team. In other words: can a project manager influence the development of a team by his or her leadership style? Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and participatory observations. After analysing this data in ATLAS.ti, a first conclusion was drawn about the relationship between leadership styles and team development phases.
Evaluation of the Interleukin-23 Receptor Gene Coding Variant R381Q in Pediatric and Adult Crohn Disease

Background: Pediatric-onset Crohn disease (CD) may differ in genotype or phenotype from adult-onset CD. Genome-wide screening recently identified a protective mutation (R381Q) in the interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor gene located on chromosome 1. The aims of our study were to evaluate whether this mutation is associated with CD in our population and to find whether it may have an impact on age of onset or a specific location phenotype in a pediatric- and adult-onset CD population. Patients and Methods: A total of 438 individuals (143 with pediatric-onset CD [age <18 years], 139 with adult-onset CD, and 157 control subjects) evaluated for age at onset and disease location were genotyped for the R381Q mutation in the IL-23 receptor gene by pyrosequencing. Results: Mutant allele incidences were 5.7% in the normal cohort and only 2.28% in the CD cohort (P = 0.01). Carriers were found to constitute 8.9% of the normal cohort and only 4.6% of the CD cohort (P = 0.029). Homozygotes were found in only the control cohort. The mean age of onset for all of the patients with the mutation (including both age groups) was 17.8 ± 6.1 years versus 21.3 ± 12.4 years for patients without the mutation (P =0.08). The mutation was not associated with differences in sex, site of disease, or ethnicity. We did not find evidence of allelic interaction with CARD15. Conclusions: We confirmed the findings that the IL-23 receptor gene coding variant allele R381Q appears to decrease susceptibility to CD in an Israeli Jewish population. We found a trend toward earlier age of onset, but no interactions with CARD15 or modifying effect on disease location.
Internal strain analysis of CdTe thin films deposited by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

Thin film CdTe was deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering. Magnetron sputtering offers significant advantages for the deposition of thin film photovoltaic including low deposition temperatures and excellent coating uniformity. However the films are susceptible to stress due to the relatively high deposition energy. In this study, deposition temperature and argon gas flows have been used to minimize stress in the deposited films. TEM imaging was used to investigate the crystalline structure of the deposited films and XRD was used to measure strain. XRD analysis showed that stress can be minimized by depositing the CdTe thin film at temperatures of approximately 200°C using relatively high argon gas flows of 60 sccm. Moreover, this increase in substrate temperature has the further advantage of promoting larger grain sizes up to 500nm in the deposited films.
Regression of Replication Forks Stalled by Leading-strand Template Damage

Background: Stalled replication forks are foci for genomic instability. Results: Both RecG and RuvAB can regress stalled forks; however, RuvAB completely unwinds the nascent DNA, whereas RuvC cleaves the Holliday junctions formed by RecG. Conclusion: RecG and RuvAB activities are distinct. Significance: Replication fork regression is a major step in processing stalled forks. The orderly progression of replication forks formed at the origin of replication in Escherichia coli is challenged by encounters with template damage, slow moving RNA polymerases, and frozen DNA-protein complexes that stall the fork. These stalled forks are foci for genomic instability and must be reactivated. Many models of replication fork reactivation invoke nascent strand regression as an intermediate in the processing of the stalled fork. We have investigated the replication fork regression activity of RecG and RuvAB, two proteins commonly thought to be involved in the process, using a reconstituted DNA replication system where the replisome is stalled by collision with leading-strand template damage. We find that both RecG and RuvAB can regress the stalled fork in the presence of the replisome and SSB; however, RuvAB generates a completely unwound product consisting of the paired nascent leading and lagging strands, whereas RuvC cleaves the Holliday junction generated by RecG-catalyzed fork regression. We also find that RecG stimulates RuvAB-catalyzed regression, presumably because it is more efficient at generating the initial Holliday junction from the stalled fork.
An Improved Rank Correlation Effect Size Statistic for Single-Case Designs: Baseline Corrected Tau

Measuring treatment effects when an individual’s pretreatment performance is improving poses a challenge for single-case experimental designs. It may be difficult to determine whether improvement is due to the treatment or due to the preexisting baseline trend. Tau-U is a popular single-case effect size statistic that purports to control for baseline trend. However, despite its strengths, Tau-U has substantial limitations: Its values are inflated and not bound between −1 and +1, it cannot be visually graphed, and its relatively weak method of trend control leads to unacceptable levels of Type I error wherein ineffective treatments appear effective. An improved effect size statistic based on rank correlation and robust regression, Baseline Corrected Tau, is proposed and field-tested with both published and simulated single-case time series. A web-based calculator for Baseline Corrected Tau is also introduced for use by single-case investigators.
Impact of age on cerebrovascular dilation versus reactivity to hypercapnia

This study quantified the effect of age on cerebrovascular reactivity and cerebrovascular conductance while accounting for differences in grey matter volume in younger (YA: n = 12; 24 ± 4 years, six females) and older adults (OA: n = 10; 66 ± 7 years; five females). Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV; transcranial Doppler) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), MCA cross-sectional area (CSA), intracranial volumes (magnetic resonance imaging), and mean arterial pressure (MAP; Finometer), were measured under normocapnic and hypercapnic (6% carbon dioxide) conditions. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was quantified from CBFV and MCA CSA and normalized to grey matter volume. Grey matter volume was 719 ± 98 mL in YA and 622 ± 50 mL in OA (P = 0.009). Cerebrovascular reactivity (%ΔCBF/ΔPETCO2) was not different between YA and OA. In contrast, cerebrovascular conductance (CBF/MAP) in response to hypercapnia was reduced in OA (P = 0.02). Of note, MAP increased more with hypercapnia in OA compared with YA. Therefore, the central hemodynamic response to hypercapnia compensated for a diminished dilatory response downstream from the MCA so that the CBF response to hypercapnia per unit of brain mass was not affected by age. This impairment was not detected by traditional measures of cerebrovascular reactivity.
A reuse-oriented approach for structuring and configuring distributed applications

The paper takes a reuse-oriented perspective to designing configurable distributed applications. An application domain is defined as a family of systems with some features in common and others that differentiate them. During domain modelling, reusable specifications and architectures are developed, which capture the similarities and variations of the family of systems that compose the application domain. Target systems are generated by tailoring the reuseable specifications and architectures, given the requirements of the target system. The paper describes how the domain modelling approach to developing reusable software may be applied to the development of configurable distributed applications. It also describes criteria for distributed subsystem structuring and for distributed subsystem configuration. An example is provided of applying this approach.
The role of public health improvements in health advances: The twentieth-century United States

Mortality rates in the United States fell more rapidly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries than in any other period in American history. This decline coincided with an epidemiological transition and the disappearance of a mortality “penalty” associated with living in urban areas. There is little empirical evidence and much unresolved debate about what caused these improvements, however. In this article, we report the causal influence of clean water technologies— filtration and chlorination—on mortality in major cities during the early twentieth century. Plausibly exogenous variation in the timing and location of technology adoption was used to identify these effects, and the validity of this identifying assumption is examined in detail. We found that clean water was responsible for nearly half the total mortality reduction in major cities, three quarters of the infant mortality reduction, and nearly two thirds of the child mortality reduction. Rough calculations suggest that the social rate of return to these technologies was greater than 23 to 1, with a cost per person-year saved by clean water of about $500 in 2003 dollars. Implications for developing countries are briefly considered.
Ciprofloxacin-Induced Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis Mimicking Bullous Drug Eruption Confirmed by a Positive Patch Test

We report the case of an 80-year-old woman presenting with ciprofloxacin-induced acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) confirmed by a positive patch test. Cutaneous morphology, course and histological findings were consistent with a definite diagnosis according to the AGEP validation score of the EuroSCAR study group. We point to the rarity of quinolone-induced AGEP and discuss immunological mechanisms, the value of in vivo and in vitro tests as well as the main differential diagnosis. Furthermore, we highlight in this particular case the challenging differentiation from bullous drug eruption.
The relationship between emotion awareness and somatic complaints in children and adolescents: Investigating the mediating role of anxiety and depression

The objective of this study was to examine if emotion awareness in children and adolescents (age 7–18 years old) is directly related to somatic complaints, and if this relationship holds when considering symptoms of anxiety and depression as mediating factors. A number of questionnaires measuring emotion awareness, symptoms of anxiety and depression and somatic complaints were administered to Dutch schoolchildren (N = 617). A path model was constructed, with the use of structural equation modelling. The results showed that two aspects of emotion awareness (bodily awareness and differentiating between emotions) contributed to the prediction of somatic complaints. However, this was no longer the case when controlling for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Thus, in this study, no direct relation was found between emotion awareness and somatic complaints. Instead, the relation was perfectly mediated by symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results suggest that focusing only on the relation between emotion awareness and somatic complaints is an oversimplified perspective that falls short as a starting point to find therapeutic solutions for children who suffer from somatic complaints.
Psychiatrist Attitudes toward Self-Treatment of Their Own Depression

Background: Self-treatment and treatments of friends or relatives is a controversial issue, tolerated by some and discouraged by others, including professionals. The author studied the attitudes toward self-treatment of depression among psychiatrists in Michigan. Method: A questionnaire asking whether the psychiatrist would or did self-treat for depression was mailed to 830 members of the Michigan Psychiatric Society. Results: The response rate was 68.3% (567 psychiatrists). Almost 43% of responders would consider self-medication or would self-medicate if afflicted with mild/moderate depression. Seven percent would self-medicate or consider self-medication for severe depression or if suicidal ideation became a component of one’s depression. In the past, 15.7% responders treated themselves for depression. Conclusion: These results suggest that a considerable number of psychiatrists would treat themselves for depression, possibly because of fear of stigma or fear of a permanent record, or other reasons.
Procalcitonin fails to predict bacteremia in SIRS patients: a cohort study

Procalcitonin (PCT) has previously been proposed as useful marker to rule out bloodstream‐infection (BSI). The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of different PCT cut‐offs for prediction of BSI in patients with community (CA)‐ and hospital‐acquired (HA)‐BSI.
(E)-1-Methyl-2-styrylpyridinium iodide

In the title compound, C14H14N+·I−, the cation exists in an E configuration with respect to the ethenyl bond and is slightly twisted, the interplanar angle between the pyridinium and phenyl rings of the cation being 4.8 (2)°. In the crystal packing, the cations are stacked in an antiparallel fashion along the a axis by a π–π interaction involving both pyridinium and phenyl rings; the centroid–centroid distance is 3.542 (3) Å. Each iodide ion is sandwiched between two cations. The cations and iodide anions are linked together by weak C—H⋯I interactions, giving rise to ladder-like ribbons along the a axis.
Further evidence of a possible association between house dogs and multiple sclerosis

The present study was undertaken because of the recent report of an association between familial multiple sclerosis (MS) and prior ownership of a small pet. Forty‐five patients with sporadic MS were retrospectively compared with 45 closely matched controls and were found to have owned a significantly greater number of indoor dogs prior to the onset of MS. Importantly, the MS patients had also had more exposure to neurologically ill dogs in the five years before the onset of symptoms. These new data further support the hypothesis that house dogs may serve as an animal vector in MS.
A Systematic Approach for Variable Selection With Random Forests: Achieving Stable Variable Importance Values

Random Forests variable importance measures are often used to rank variables by their relevance to a classification problem and subsequently reduce the number of model inputs in high-dimensional data sets, thus increasing computational efficiency. However, as a result of the way that training data and predictor variables are randomly selected for use in constructing each tree and splitting each node, it is also well known that if too few trees are generated, variable importance rankings tend to differ between model runs. In this letter, we characterize the effect of the number of trees (ntree) and class separability on the stability of variable importance rankings and develop a systematic approach to define the number of model runs and/or trees required to achieve stability in variable importance measures. Results demonstrate that both a large ntree for a single model run, or averaged values across multiple model runs with fewer trees, are sufficient for achieving stable mean importance values. While the latter is far more computationally efficient, both the methods tend to lead to the same ranking of variables. Moreover, the optimal number of model runs differs depending on the separability of classes. Recommendations are made to users regarding how to determine the number of model runs and/or trees that are required to achieve stable variable importance rankings.
Dynamic Reconfiguration of Event Driven Architecture Using Reflection and Higher-Order Functions

Component-based modelling is used as the basis of a number of approaches including Enterprise Architecture and System Architecture Design. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a popular component-based approach but it has been criticised as not being suficiently flexible. A more flexible alternative is Event Driven Architecture (EDA) that can support Complex Event Processing. Dynamic reconfiguration of component behaviour is attractive because it allows an architecture to be extended and modified in situ without being taken off-line, updated and redeployed. This article shows how higher-order functions and reflection can support dynamic reconfiguration and how this approach is integrated with EDA. The approach is defined as patterns expressed in a component modelling language called LEAP and validated through a case study.
Impact of pharmacy deregulation and regulation in European countries

Gesundheit Osterreich Forschungs- und Planungsgesellschaft GmbH (GOG FP), a subsidiary of Gesundheit Osterreich GmbH (GOG) / Austrian Health Institute was commissioned by the Association of Danish Pharmacies (Danmarks Apotekerforening) to survey and analyse community pharmacy systems in selected European countries. The aim of the study was to understand the community pharmacy systems of countries with a deregulated community pharmacy sector (England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) on the one hand and countries with a regulated community pharmacy sector (Austria, Denmark, Finland, and Spain) on the other hand, and to identify possible parallels between these two groups of countries.
Exploratory study on end-of-life issues: Barriers to palliative care and advance directives

Background. In the United States, as in most developed countries, death is rarely unexpected. It usually occurs in older persons with chronic progressive illnesses that often are complicated by infections or exacerbations. Many patients with terminal illnesses choose palliative care to relieve symptoms, improve the quality of their lives, and strive for a peaceful death. Professionals who serve dying patients need to recognize the importance of advance directives as part of a patient’s decision to forgo curative treatment for palliative care. Objectives. SOLACE™ (Supporters of Life-Affirming Care at End of Life) is a coalition of interdisciplinary professionals in the northern Virginia community dedicated to improving end-of-life care. The objectives of the SOLACE survey were to identify and describe: 1) professionals’ perceptions about barriers related to hospice and palliative care, 2) professionals’ opinions about barriers related to dying at home, 3) professionals’ perceptions about barriers related to advance directives, and 4) relationships between professionals and their perceived barriers to advance directives and hospice and palliative care. Methods. From several consultations with hospice experts, a survey questionnaire was developed to solicit responses from professionals on palliative care, dying at home, and advance directives. Measures that assessed obstacles to palliative care were modified from previous studies to yield composite barrier scores. From a sample of a variety of participants at a national conference on palliative care (n = 200), 101 subjects returned questionnaires (51 percent) yielding 100 usable completed forms from attendees who demonstrated an interest in palliative care and, in some cases, a high level of personal or professional experience. Survey results were analyzed on respondents’ perceptions concerning barriers related to advance directives and the delivery of palliative care. Results. Of the 13 obstacle statements, results show that respondents rated the top three barriers as 1) physician reluctance to make referrals (mean = 4.23), 2) physician lack of familiarity with availability and suitability of hospice (mean = 3.93), and 3) association of hospice with death (mean = 3.93). There was a statistically significant difference in scores for respondents from hospitals and respondents from hospices on their assessment of barriers for the association of hospice with death (t = -2.09, p < .05) and the lack of information about the severity of or irreversibility of the patient’s illness (t = -2.78, p < .01).
Spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in mouse, hamster and monkey testicular tissue after cryopreservation and heterotopic grafting to castrated hosts.

Retrieval, extracorporal storage and autotransplantation of testicular tissue could become an important strategy for preserving male gonadal function. The present study used syngeneic and immunodeficient nude mice as hosts, and immature and adult mice, neonatal and adult photoregressed Djungarian hamsters and neonatal marmosets to identify the potential of testicular tissue grafting to maintain the morphological and functional integrity of the testis. Testicular tissue was grafted s.c. either as fresh tissue or after cryopreservation into adult, orchidectomized hosts. The mice that received rodent testis tissue were autopsied 50 days later, and blood samples were collected. Sixty-five per cent of mouse isografts contained morphologically normal testicular tissue and seminiferous tubules with some degree of spermatogenic recovery. Mature spermatozoa were recovered after enzymatic disaggregation. Although the recovery of spermatogenesis was limited in adult mouse and hamster tissue, complete spermatogenesis was observed in grafts from immature rodents. Testicular tissue from neonatal marmosets developed up to the stage of spermatocytes at day 135 after xenografting. Androgen concentrations were comparable in intact control mice and in mice receiving fresh mouse and hamster grafts, slightly lower in mice receiving cryopreserved grafts and adult photoregressed hamster tissue, and low in castrated control mice and in mice receiving marmoset tissue. These results show that isografts and xenografts of immature and adult testicular tissue become functionally active as a s.c. graft in the mouse and that this approach might be useful in combination with cryopreservation as a tool for storage and activation of the male germ line and androgen replacement therapy in patients.