Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disease Severity, Quality of Life, and Psychiatric Morbidity in Patients With Psoriasis With Reference to Sociodemographic, Lifestyle, and Clinical Variables: A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Study From Lahore, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic disease with a genetic background that involves skin, nails, and joints. The incidence of psoriasis varies from 2.0% to 4.0% depending on the geographical location, ethnic background, and environmental conditions. Recent research has proved that psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease with extensive systemic implications. Objectives of the study were to explore the severity of psoriasis, dermatology-related quality of life, and psychiatric health of the patients with reference to sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. METHOD Consecutive patients with psoriasis (ICD-10 criteria) from skin outpatient clinics of 3 tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan, between November 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, were assessed in this prospective cross-sectional study. The final sample includes 87 patients who were evaluated for severity of psoriasis (Psoriasis Area Severity Index [PASI]), dermatology-related quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]), and psychiatric morbidity (12-item General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-12]) and were assessed on 23 sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables. RESULTS Of the 23 variables, the PASI was significantly associated with education and habit of drinking alcohol (P < .05), the DLQI was significantly associated with disturbed eating (P < .05), and the GHQ-12 score was significantly associated with hair disease (P < .05), current income (P < .05), and disturbed eating and sleeping (P < .01). The PASI, DLQI, and GHQ-12 were not usually affected by sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, except for some variables such as education of the patient, alcohol intake, eating and sleeping disturbance, and income status. A statistically significant correlation (P < .01) was found between all 3 scores (ie, PASI, DLQI, and GHQ-12). The correlation coefficients of the PASI with the DLQI and GHQ-12 are 0.345 and 0.460, respectively, and that of the DLQI with the GHQ-12 is 0.635. A moderating effect of the DLQI score was found on the relationship between the PASI and GHQ-12 scores. CONCLUSIONS Psoriasis has an immense impact on the life of patients and common comorbidities in psoriasis including coronary heart disease, depression, cerebrovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Screening for these comorbidities in psoriasis patients is essential. Impaired quality of life negatively affects the psyche of patients and initiates coping mechanisms, which may lead to depression and anxiety, social dysfunction, and loss of confidence, and the psychosocial burden of the disease may become more than the physical burden. The dermatologist usually manages physical disease and fails to address the social, emotional, and psychological aspects. Quality of life improves if these psychological aspects are also properly dealt with.
HLA alloimmunization is associated with RBC antibodies in multiply transfused patients with sickle cell disease

Alloimmunization to minor red blood cell (RBC) antigens occurs commonly in sickle cell disease (SCD). Patients with alloimmunization demonstrate increased risk for new alloantibody formation with subsequent transfusion. Alloimmunization to human leukocyte antigens (HLA) can occur with RBC transfusion and may result in graft rejection during stem cell or organ transplantation. The prevalence and risk factors for HLA alloimmunization in multiply transfused pediatric SCD patients are unknown.
A 0.9 V 150 MHz 10 mW 4 mm/sup 2/ 2-D discrete cosine transform core processor with variable-threshold-voltage scheme

This two-dimensional 8/spl times/8 discrete cosine transform (DCT) core processor for portable multimedia equipment with HDTV-resolution in a 0.3 /spl mu/m CMOS triple-well double-metal technology operates at 150 MHz from a 0.9 V power supply and consumes 10 mW, only 2% power dissipation of a previous 3.3 V DCT. Circuit techniques for dynamically varying threshold voltage reduce active power dissipation with negligible overhead in speed, standby power and chip area.
Determinación de la frecuencia de malformaciones en columna vertebral, opérculo y aleta en danio rerio hamilton, 1822, como posibles biomarcadores en la valoración de daño teratogénico

En el presente trabajo se propone a la frecuencia de malformaciones en columna vertebral, operculo y aleta del danio rerio como biomarcadores en la valoracion del efecto teratogenico inducido por contaminantes ambientales, asi mismo se proponen otras estructuras que se presenten de manera natural.
Side Effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: The Experience of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are of choice for acute pain management in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) but they are not without side effects. The primary aim of this study was to investigate user’s experience of side effects of oral NSAIDs among patients with MSDs. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 296 patients with MSDs from physiotherapy out-patient clinics of five selected hospitals. A structured and close ended questionnaire was administered to investigate the side effects experienced by respondents. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentages) and Chi-square were used to compare the mean percentage difference in the knowledge of NSAIDs and their side effects. Only 15% of the respondents were able to recognize the listed side effects. A significant number of the respondents (58.7%) were not informed of the side effects of the NSAIDs at the time of prescription (Ӽ2 = 8.82, p = 0.003). About 33.4% and 31% of respondents identified dizziness and abdominal pain respectively as side effects. Sixty two (22.3%) respondents had experienced dizziness while 15.9% experienced abdominal pains. Diclofenac was the most frequently prescribed NSAID (153 [51.7%]). Only 2.0% and 2.7% of respondents were aware of phonophoresis and iontophoresis respectively as alternative means of administering NSAIDs where applicable. The Chi-square test revealed that the number of respondents that preferred alternative means of administration (where applicable) was significantly higher than those who preferred the oral routes (x2 = 74.5, p = 0.001). We concluded that this sample of Nigerian patients was not informed of the side effects of NSAIDs by the prescribers. Dizziness and abdominal pains were the most experienced side effects. The role of alternative methods to administer NSAIDs need to be made available to patients where applicable to increase their health care choices.
Video Representation Learning and Latent Concept Mining for Large-scale Multi-label Video Classification

We report on CMU Informedia Lab's system used in Google's YouTube 8 Million Video Understanding Challenge. In this multi-label video classification task, our pipeline achieved 84.675% and 84.662% GAP on our evaluation split and the official test set. We attribute the good performance to three components: 1) Refined video representation learning with residual links and hypercolumns 2) Latent concept mining which captures interactions among concepts. 3) Learning with temporal segments and weighted multi-model ensemble. We conduct experiments to validate and analyze the contribution of our models. We also share some unsuccessful trials leveraging conventional approaches such as recurrent neural networks for video representation learning for this large-scale video dataset. All the codes to reproduce our results are publicly available at this https URL.
Finanças pessoais: um estudo com alunos do curso de Ciências Contábeis de uma IES privada de Santa Maria – RS

Este artigo tem como objetivo verificar o comportamento dos alunos do Curso Ciencias Contabeis de uma Instituicao de Ensino Superior privada de Santa Maria – RS, no que diz respeito as suas financas pessoais. Metodologicamente, adotou-se uma pesquisa quantitativa, do tipo descritiva com dados obtidos por meio da aplicacao de um questionario em uma amostra de 178 alunos. Os resultados apontaram que a maioria dos alunos pesquisados demonstrou ter consciencia dos rendimentos ganhos, bem como saber lidar com suas financas pessoais. Salienta-se ainda que, geralmente, costumam pagar as suas compras a vista, utilizando o dinheiro como forma de pagamento.
The effect of external pneumatic compression on regional fibrinolysis in a prospective randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION External pneumatic compression devices (EPC) prevent deep venous thrombosis (DVT) by reducing lower extremity venous stasis. Early studies suggested they also enhance fibrinolytic activity; however, in a recent study, EPC had no effect on systemic fibrinolysis in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The hypothesis of this study was that EPCs enhance regional fibrinolysis in these subjects. METHODS Forty-five patients (44 male, one female; mean age, 67 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery (35 bowel procedures, 10 aortic reconstructions) were prospectively randomized to one of three groups for DVT prophylaxis: subcutaneous heparin injections (HEP), thigh-length sequential EPC devices (EPC), or both (HEP+EPC). Prophylaxis was begun immediately before surgical incision and continued until postoperative day 5 or patient discharge. Venous blood samples were collected from the common femoral vein for measurement of regional fibrinolysis after induction of anesthesia but before initiation of prophylaxis, and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 5. A baseline sample was collected the day before surgery. Fibrinolysis was quantified with measurement of the activities of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA; the activator of fibrinolysis) and its inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) with amidolytic technique. RESULTS tPA activity in all groups was normal at baseline; baseline PAI-1 activity was elevated. Within each prophylaxis group, no significant changes occurred in either tPA or PAI-1 activities after induction of anesthesia or after surgery compared with before surgery (P >.05, analysis of variance with repeated measures). No changes occurred between postoperative samples and after anesthesia within each group. No significant enhancement of fibrinolysis, manifested as either increased tPA activity or decreased PAI-1 activity, occurred in either EPC group compared with the HEP group at any time point (P >.05, analysis of variance with repeated measures). No differences were noted when surgery was performed for malignant disease versus nonmalignant disease. CONCLUSION In this study, enhanced regional fibrinolysis in the lower extremities could not be detected with the use of EPCs, as measured with tPA and PAI-1 activity in common femoral venous blood samples. EPC devices do not appear to prevent DVT with fibrinolytic enhancement; effective and safe prophylaxis is provided only when the devices are used in a manner that reduces lower extremity venous stasis.
Identification of the increased expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, cathepsin S, UPIX‐1, and other genes in dystrophin‐deficient mouse muscles by suppression subtractive hybridization

The lack of dystrophin results in muscular dystrophy characterized by degeneration, inflammation, and partial regeneration of skeletal muscles. The fate of these muscles may be determined by the extent of adaptation to the defect and the efficiency of regeneration that is affected by inflammatory cells. We have used suppression subtractive hybridization and quantitative Northern blot analysis to identify differentially expressed genes. Increased expression of murine monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (JE/MCP‐1), cathepsin S, UPIX‐1, nmb, cathepsin B, and lysozyme M mRNAs were identified in 2‐month‐old mdx mouse leg muscles. UPIX‐1 is a novel gene. Although it was not expressed in control muscles, it was expressed in control brain, heart, and spleen. JE/MCP‐1 and cathepsin S proteins in mdx muscles, as well as JE/MCP‐1 protein in the serum of mdx mice were also detected. JE/MCP‐1 may be responsible for attraction of inflammatory cells, and cathepsin S, a potent elastolytic protease, may contribute to the remodeling of the extracellular matrix that is required for the migration of these cells to the injured muscles. J. Cell. Biochem. 79:164–172, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Endovascular aortic coarctation stenting in adolescents and adults: Angiographic and hemodynamic outcomes

Objectives: To assess the procedural, clinical, angiographic, and hemodynamic outcomes, including ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at 1 year in adolescent and adult patients undergoing primary stenting for treatment of aortic coarctation. Background: Stenting is widely used for treatment of aortic coarctation. Data regarding efficacy of this treatment for control of hypertension at 1 year is scant, with only one reported series of planned angiographic follow up. The impact of newer type stents for this procedure is also unknown. Methods: Thirty‐seven patients undergoing stenting for aortic coarctation, over a 3‐year period in a tertiary centre were studied as part of an observational protocol. Results: Peak gradient across the coarctation fell from 28.3 ± 15.1 to 3.7 ± 4.1 post procedure and was 11.9 ± 8.9 mmHg (P < 0.05 compared to baseline) at 1 year. There was one major complication (2.7%), with no deaths. Small aneurysms were seen in three patients (13%) on follow up angiography at 1 year. Right arm systolic blood pressures fell from 155 ± 19 to 132 ± 22 (P < 0.05) at 6 weeks and was 132 ± 16 mmHg (P < 0.05 compared to baseline) at 1 year. Ambulatory average systolic blood pressures fell from 142 ± 14 to 133 ± 15 at 6 weeks (P < 0.05) and to 125 ± 12 mmHg (P < 0.05 compared to baseline) at 1 year. No significant differences were seen in procedural outcomes between patients receiving Palmaz™ and CPNumed™ stents. Conclusion: Primary stenting of aortic coarctation in adolescents and adults results in excellent clinical and angiographic outcomes and sustained hemodynamic benefits at 1 year as evidenced by significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and gradients. Close follow up is required to monitor aneurysm formation. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Biofilm Formation In Vitro and Virulence In Vivo of Mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae

ABSTRACT One of the early stages of Klebsiella pneumoniae airway infections may involve biofilm formation. Bacterial biofilm formation is frequently investigated using in vitro techniques that facilitate identification and analysis of individual genes. We investigated the correlation between K. pneumoniae biofilm formation in vitro and ability to cause infection in vivo following construction of a bank of mini-Tn5 mutants.
Radioactivity Measurements of the Jos Tin Mine Tailing inNorthern Nigeria

The activity concentrations of 226Ra and232Th in Jos Tin mine tailings and its environment were measured using Hyper-pure Germanium detector (HPGe). Preset counting time of 30,000s was used for each sample to avoid statistical errors. Results showed the activities varied from one site to another. The activities of 226Ra and232Th are much higher than the recommended average limit given by UNSCEAR in the mining sites and even at 500 m away from the mining site. At 1 Km away from the mining site the activity measured is within the limit for normal background. The ratio of activity of Thorium to Radium is greater by factor of 5 in all the samples in the mining site and 500 m away which should be about unity. The mean absorbed doses (1828.66, 252.08 and 171.07 nGyh-1) for Site1, Site2 and 500m from mining site respectively in air are equally high compared with (51 nGyh-1). Also, the estimated effective dose equivalents are much higher than the recommended limit except for 1 Km from the mining site. There is need to improve waste management practices in this industries in order not to expose those living and working in this environment to health hazards associated with these radionuclides
Ideological Purity vs. Hybridization Trade-Off: When Do Islamic Banks Hire Managers from Conventional Banking?

Organizations that compete in institutional environments in which oppositional logics compete for dominance face a risk-return trade-off between maintaining ideological purity versus pragmatism by borrowing template elements from the rival ideology. Deviating from ideological purity might improve a firm’s competitive strength, however, at the same time, it might also undermine its very identity and legitimacy. Although such decisions are of strategic importance, research about why, how, and where these trade-offs are made is still limited. We develop the argument that organizations will be more likely to deviate from ideological purity when the potential return of borrowing from the oppositional template exceeds the perceived risk of doing so. The more organizations aspire to be ideologically pure, the more they are constrained by the moral codes that define the category, and, therefore, the higher the risk associated with deviating from purity. However, given the potential benefits of pragmatism, pure or.
THE FINDS FROM THE PREHISTORIC SITE OF AYIOS NIKOLAOS MYLON, SOUTHERN EUBOEA, GREECE1

In this paper we present the unpublished finds from the survey of Ayios Nikolaos Mylon. The site is located on one of the foothills of Mount Ochi, on a strategic defensive position overlooking the Bay of Karystos. The site, although unexcavated, is important for establishing the chronological sequence of events in southern Euboean prehistory, as it is the only locality in the area that has produced evidence for habitation which can be dated to the Middle Bronze Age. In the paper we analyse the material and offer some tentative interpretations not only of the archaeological evidence but also of the place of Ayios Nikolaos Mylon in the wider prehistoric world of the Aegean. Τα ευρήματα από την προϊστορική θέση Άγιος Νικόλαος Μύλων, Νότια Εύβοια, Ελλάδα Στο παρόν άρθρο παρουσιάζουμε τα αδημοσίευτα ευρήματα από την επιφανειακή έρευνα στον Άγιο Νικόλαο Μύλων. Η θέση βρίσκεται στους πρόποδες του όρους Όχη, σε στρατηγικά αμυντική τοποθεσία πάνω από τον κόλπο της Καρύστου. Η θέση αυτή, αν και δεν έχει ανασκαφεί, είναι πολύ σημαντική καθώς παρέχει στοιχεία για την χρονολογική σειρά των γεγονότων στη νοτιοευβοϊκή προϊστορία, αφού είναι η μοναδική θέση με κατοίκηση κατά την Μέση Εποχή του Χαλκού. Στο άρθρο αναλύουμε τα αρχαιολογικά ευρήματα και εξάγουμε κάποια προκαταρκτικά συμπεράσματα τόσο για το υλικό, όσο και για την σημασία του Αγίου Νικολάου Μύλων στον ευρύτερο προϊστορικό κόσμο του Αιγαίου.
Data analytics for forecasting cell congestion on LTE networks

This paper presents a methodology for forecasting the average downlink throughput for an LTE cell by using real measurement data collected by multiple LTE probes. The approach uses data analytics techniques, namely forecasting algorithms to anticipate cell congestion events which can then be used by Self-Organizing Network (SON) strategies for triggering network re-configurations, such as shifting coverage and capacity to areas where they are most needed, before subscribers have been impacted by dropped calls or reduced data speeds. The presented implementation results show the prediction of network behaviour is possible with a high level of accuracy, effectively allowing SON strategies to be enforced in time.
Individual‐based analysis of hair corticosterone reveals factors influencing chronic stress in the American pika

Abstract Glucocorticoids are often measured in wildlife to assess physiological responses to environmental or ecological stress. Hair, blood, saliva, or fecal samples are generally used depending on the timescale of the stress response being investigated and species‐specific considerations. Here, we report the first use of hair samples to measure long‐term corticosterone levels in the climate‐sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps). We validated an immunoassay‐based measurement of corticosterone extracted from hair samples and compared corticosterone estimates obtained from plasma, hair, and fecal samples of nine pikas. To demonstrate an ecological application of this technique, we characterized physiological stress in 49 pikas sampled and released at eight sites along two elevational transects. Microclimate variation was measured at each site using both ambient and subsurface temperature sensors. We used an information theoretic approach to compare support for linear, mixed‐effects models relating corticosterone estimates to microclimate, body size, and sex. Corticosterone was measured accurately in pika hair samples after correcting for the influence of sample mass on corticosterone extraction efficiency. Hair‐ and plasma‐based estimates of corticosterone were weakly correlated. The best‐supported model suggested that corticosterone was lower in larger, male pikas, and at locations with higher ambient temperatures in summer. Our results are consistent with a general negative relationship between body mass and glucocorticoid concentration observed across mammalian species, attributed to the higher mass‐specific metabolic rates of smaller bodied animals. The higher corticosterone levels in female pikas likely reflected the physiological demands of reproduction, as observed in a wide array of mammalian species. Additionally, we establish the first direct physiological evidence for thermal stress in the American pika through nonlethal sampling of corticosterone. Interestingly, our data suggest evidence for cold stress likely induced during the summer molting period. This technique should provide a useful tool to researchers wishing to assess chronic stress in climate‐sensitive mammals.
Neuroprotective role of (Val8)GLP-1-Glu-PAL in an in vitro model of Parkinson's disease

The growth factor glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is neuroprotective in several animal models of neurodegeneration. Here, we analyzed the neuroprotective effects of a novel protease-resistant GLP-1 analogue, (Val 8 )GLP-1-Glu-PAL, which has advantages over older analogues, such as improvement of hippocampal neurogenesis, glucose homeostasis, and insulin secretion. We established an in vitro model of Parkinson′s disease using the mitochondrial stressor rotenone in primary cultured mouse neurons pretreated with (Val 8 )GLP-1-Glu-PAL. (Val 8 )GLP-1-Glu-PAL alone did not affect neuronal viability, but prevented the rotenone-induced reduction in cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, (Val 8 )GLP-1-Glu-PAL pretreatment prevented rotenone-induced proapoptotic changes manifesting as downregulation of procaspase-3 and Bcl-2 and upregulation of cleaved caspase-3. These results demonstrate that the novel agent (Val 8 )GLP-1-Glu-PAL shows promise as a drug treatment for Parkinson′s disease.
CREATION AND UTILIZATION OF NOVEL GENETIC METHODS FOR STUDYING AND IMPROVING MANAGEMENT OF CHINOOK SALMON POPULATIONS

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ CREATION AND UTILIZATION OF NOVEL GENETIC METHODS FOR STUDYING AND IMPROVING MANAGEMENT OF CHINOOK SALMON POPULATIONS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in OCEAN SCIENCES by Anthony J. Clemento December 2013 The Dissertation of Anthony J. Clemento is approved: Dr. John Carlos Garza, Chair Dr. Jonathan Zehr Dr. Grant Pogson Dr. Eric Anderson Dean Tyrus Miller Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies