Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An exploration of the relationship between adherence with dietary sodium restrictions and health beliefs regarding these restrictions in Irish patients receiving haemodialysis for end-stage renal disease.

AIMS To measure adherence levels with dietary restrictions in Irish patients with end-stage renal disease receiving haemodialysis and to explore the relationships between adherence with dietary sodium restrictions and health beliefs in relation to following these restrictions in this group. BACKGROUND Non-adherence to medical regimes is an important healthcare issue and an ever-present problem, particularly in patients with a chronic illness. The literature revealed a lack of studies measuring adherence with the sodium component of the renal dietary restrictions and associated factors; despite the fact that adherence with sodium restrictions is essential to the optimal management of end-stage renal disease. Furthermore, despite increased emphasis on 'the patients' view' in healthcare no study to date has contextualised health beliefs and adherence in end-stage renal disease from an Irish perspective. DESIGN A quantitative, descriptive, correlational design was employed using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework. METHODS A convenience sample (n = 79) was recruited from the haemodialysis units of a large hospital. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive and correlational statistics. RESULTS Non-adherence with dietary restrictions was a problem among a proportion of the sample. Greater adherence levels with dietary sodium restrictions were associated with greater 'perceived benefits' and fewer 'perceived barriers. ' CONCLUSION For the Irish patient, beliefs in relation to following a low sodium diet significantly affected adherence levels with this diet. This is an important finding as delineating key beliefs, particularly key barriers, facilitates an increased understanding of non-adherence for nurses. RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE These findings have implications for the care of patients with end-stage renal disease in that they can provide guidance in terms of developing interventions designed to improve adherence.
Effects of Dual Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and Neutral Endopeptidase 24-11 Chronic Inhibition by Mixanpril on Insulin Sensitivity in Lean and Obese Zucker Rats

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of chronic (8-day) oral treatment with the dual angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and neutral endopeptidase 24–11 (NEP) inhibitor mixanpril (25 mg/kg twice a day), compared with the ACE inhibitor captopril (25 mg/kg twice a day), on whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal in young (10-week) and old (19-week) obese Zucker rats (ZOs). Moreover, the effects of chronic mixanpril administration on femoral blood flow at rest and during an insulin infusion were assessed. In the young ZOs, mixanpril decreased the glucose response during an IV glucose tolerance test more effectively than did captopril (−49 and −30%, respectively, p < 0.05). Incremental glucose area under the curve in mixanpril-treated ZOs was then no longer different from that observed in vehicle-treated lean rats (1,592 ± 175 and 1, 470 ± 104 mg/dl × min, respectively). The beneficial effects resulting from mixanpril or captopril administration were observed in ZOs but not in lean littermates. In the old ZOs, mixanpril induced higher glucose infusion rates to maintain euglycemia than did captopril during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp test (+92 and +35%, respectively, p < 0.001). However, the glucose infusion rates in mixanpril-treated ZOs remained much lower than that observed in vehicle-treated lean rats (9.4 ± 0.7 mg/kg/min vs 28.6 ± 1.0 mg/kg/min, p < 0.001). Mixanpril did not affect resting femoral vascular bed hemodynamics but restored the femoral blood flow response to insulin infusion. In conclusion, in ZOs, chronic dual ACE/NEP inhibition improves whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal more effectively than does ACE inhibition alone. This beneficial effect seems to be restricted to conditions of insulin resistance and not directly linked to the improvement in the femoral blood flow response to insulin.
A preliminary study on the enhancement of the osteointegration of a novel synthetic hydroxyapatite scaffold in vivo.

Synthetic hydroxyapatite, a bioactive calcium phosphate, is clinically used as a bone replacement bioceramic because of its similarity in composition to bone mineral, biocompatibility, and osteoconductive nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioactivity of a novel synthetic porous hydroxyapatite (PHA) in vivo in rabbit and to investigate the enhancement of its bioactivity and osteointegration. In the investigation reported here, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been used to enhance the bioactivity of PHA. Cylindrical PHA implants with or without IGF-I were implanted bilaterally in rabbit femurs. Fluorochrome bone markers were administered at 7-day intervals. The implants with the attached bone were retrieved at postmortem, 1 and 3 weeks after implantation, for histological and histomorphometric analysis. Undecalcified sections stained with toluidine blue showed new bone formation. Mineralization of the new bone formed in the interface, surrounding trabecular bone, and within the pores of the implants was studied. Lamellar bone mineral apposition rate (MAR) was assessed and compared among treatment groups, sham, PHA alone, and PHA with IGF-I (500 ng/implant), by fluorochrome label incorporation using UVL microscopy. We report for the first time, that the supplementation of PHA implants with IGF-I significantly increased new bone formation and MAR (6.58 +/- 0.08 microm/day) compared with implantation of PHA alone (4.08 +/- 0.05 microm/day) or sham operation (3.11 +/- 0.12 microm/day). These results suggest that synthetic PHA might provide a delivery system for bioactive agents to accelerate bone healing in orthopedic procedures.
Shortening of muscle fibres during stretch of the active cat medial gastrocnemius muscle: the role of tendon compliance.

1. The length of muscle fibres in the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle of the anaesthetized cat was measured using ultrasound techniques. During the course of ‘isometric’ contractions, the muscle fibres shortened by stretching the compliant tendons, until the muscle fibres could no longer produce enough force to stretch the tendons further. At optimal muscle length (Lo) the maximal shortening of muscle fibres was 28%. 2. At muscle lengths much longer than Lo, ‘isometric’ contractions produced a slow shortening of the muscle fibres as the tendons were stretched and this resulted in a slow rise in tension. This phenomenon, usually referred to as ‘creep’, is due to low power at long muscle fibre length. This study shows that the series compliance present in the tendons is the major contributor to ‘creep’ in the cat MG muscle. As the tendons stretched during the course of the contraction, the average sarcomere length became shorter providing greater filament overlap and increasing power. 3. Slow to medium speed stretches applied shortly after the onset of contraction, as occurs in cat MG during walking and trotting, were entirely taken up in the tendons and the muscle fibres actually shortened throughout the imposed muscle stretch. 4. When early stretches were applied at muscle lengths longer than Lo, stretch of the muscle resulted in a peak force that was less than if the stretch had not been applied. This was the reverse of the situation for stretches at lengths less than Lo. When stretch was applied after attaining peak force, the force was greatly enhanced and the muscle fibres were also stretched. 5. Using the same techniques in a freely walking cat, the muscle fibres shortened by 1.0 +/‐ 0.3 mm during the stance phase of the step‐cycle when the muscle was being stretched, in 198 consecutive step‐cycles. 6. The tendons act as a mechanical buffer to protect muscle fibres from damage during eccentric contractions. 7. Since stretches of the MG muscle are not faithfully imposed on the muscle fibres, studies of muscle spindle function during locomotion need to take into consideration these effects of tendon compliance. The dominant view, when the foot lands on the ground during normal locomotion, is that muscle spindles are stretched along with the muscle resulting in reflex enhancement of contractile force. This study shows that the muscle fibres do not stretch under these circumstances, except at high speeds of locomotion when the stretch rate is also high.
Influence of Parameters on the Simulation of HTS Bulks Magnetized by Pulsed Field Magnetization

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) bulks can be magnetized to become powerful trapped field magnets (TFMs), which are promising for high-performance electrical applications. To magnetize such TFMs, pulsed field magnetization (PFM) is supposed to substitute field cooling (FC) to provide in situ magnetization. However, the heat generation during PFM, which reduces the trapped field, has always been an issue; thus, numerical simulation of the process is important to provide optimal magnetization strategies. In this paper, HTS bulks magnetized by PFM are simulated with an axisymmetric electromagnetic-thermal coupled model based on the H-formulation. Influences of important yet difficult-to-characterize parameters of HTS bulks, including n values in the E-J power law and B0 in the Kim model, are investigated to show the influences of parameters on the modeling of HTS by PFM.
A hybrid global/local optimization technique for robust training of microwave neural network models

This paper describes a new technique for training microwave neural network models. The proposed technique combines quasi-Newton algorithm with a global optimization algorithm called Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The quasi-Newton process for searching optimal solutions is incorporated into PSO to speed up local search, while the PSO performs global search avoid being trapped in local minima of training. The overall algorithm iterates between quasi-Newton and PSO. Neural network training for microwave circuit modeling, such as waveguide and microstrip examples is presented, demonstrating that the proposed algorithm achieves more accurate models than the conventional gradient based technique and the conventional PSOs.
A randomized pilot study of SRL172 (Mycobacterium vaccae) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND SRL172 is a suspension of heat killed Mycobacterium vaccae, that has been found to be a potent immunological adjuvant when used with autologous cells in animal models. This is a phase II study to test the clinical activity, feasibility and safety of combining SRL172 with chemotherapy to treat patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS Patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy with (n=14) or without (n=14) SRL172. The chemotherapy was either platinum-based (MVP, n=10) or anthracycline-based (ACE, n=18). SRL172 was given intradermally on day 0, weeks 4, 8 and then 3-6 monthly. RESULTS The treatment arms were well balanced for disease extent (43% with limited stage in each arm). The toxicity of chemotherapy and overall response at 12-15 weeks (57%) was the same for both treatment regimens. Median survival was 8.6 months and 12.9 for patients treated with chemotherapy alone and with the combination respectively (P=0.10). The survival trend was similar for both disease extent and chemotherapy regimen employed in favour of combination chemotherapy with SRL172. CONCLUSIONS There is a trend to improved median survival in SCLC with the combination of chemotherapy and SRL172 with no increased toxicity and irrespective of drug regimen. A phase III study examining chemotherapy in combination with SRL172 in SCLC is now underway.
Monitoring urban expansion of the Greater Toronto area from 1985 to 2013 using Landsat images

This study aims to detect the urban expansion in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the period of 29 years lasting from 1985 to 2013 using the optical remote sensing data. A time series study is carried out and the change of the urban area and non-urban area is analyzed bi-temporally and multi-temporally by using the post-classification comparison method. Landsat images can been used to examine the land use and land cover changes of GTA in a long time period. The extent and spatial patterns of urban expansion are both analyzed quantitatively in the study, and it is effective to integrate GIS technology into remote sensing applications like this paper.
An Automatic Patient-Adapted ECG Heartbeat Classifier Allowing Expert Assistance

In this paper, we present a patient-adaptable algorithm for ECG heartbeat classification, based on a previously developed automatic classifier and a clustering algorithm. Both classifier and clustering algorithms include features from the RR interval series and morphology descriptors calculated from the wavelet transform. Integrating the decisions of both classifiers, the presented algorithm can work either automatically or with several degrees of assistance. The algorithm was comprehensively evaluated in several ECG databases for comparison purposes. Even in the fully automatic mode, the algorithm slightly improved the performance figures of the original automatic classifier; just with less than two manually annotated heartbeats (MAHB) per recording, the algorithm obtained a mean improvement for all databases of 6.9% in accuracy A, of 6.5% in global sensitivity S and of 8.9% in global positive predictive value P+. An assistance of just 12 MAHB per recording resulted in a mean improvement of 13.1% in A, of 13.9% in S, and of 36.1% in P+. For the assisted mode, the algorithm outperformed other state-of-the-art classifiers with less expert annotation effort. The results presented in this paper represent an improvement in the field of automatic and patient-adaptable heartbeats classification, concluding that the performance of an automatic classifier can be improved with an efficient handling of the expert assistance.
Does the Productivity-Bias Hypothesis Hold in the

The validity of the Balassa-Samuelson effect seems to be something of a stylized fact for transition countries. This article addresses the question as to whether the productivity bias hypothesis holds for the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia between 1991 and 2000. In so doing, vec- tor autoregression model-based (VAR) cointegration analysis is employed. The results are rather varied and suggest that the Balassa-Samuelson effect is not of the same importance for each country. Generally, wefind long-term cointegration relationships between productivity growth and relative prices while the link be- tween relative prices and the real exchange rate is found to be much weaker We then determine the extent to which the Balassa- Samuelson effect may influence inflation and real exchange rates during transition.
Cognitive function over time in the Alzheimer's Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT): results of a randomized, controlled trial of naproxen and celecoxib.

BACKGROUND Observational studies have shown reduced risk of Alzheimer dementia in users of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of naproxen sodium and celecoxib on cognitive function in older adults. DESIGN Randomized, double-masked chemoprevention trial. SETTING Six US memory clinics. PARTICIPANTS Men and women aged 70 years and older with a family history of Alzheimer disease; 2117 of 2528 enrolled had follow-up cognitive assessment. INTERVENTIONS Celecoxib (200 mg twice daily), naproxen sodium (220 mg twice daily), or placebo, randomly allocated in a ratio of 1:1:1.5, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Seven tests of cognitive function and a global summary score measured annually. RESULTS Longitudinal analyses showed lower global summary scores over time for naproxen compared with placebo (- 0.05 SDs; P = .02) and lower scores on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination over time for both treatment groups compared with placebo (- 0.33 points for celecoxib [P = .04] and - 0.36 points for naproxen [P = .02]). Restriction of analyses to measures collected from persons without dementia attenuated the treatment group differences. Analyses limited to measures obtained while participants were being issued study drugs produced results similar to the intention-to-treat analyses. CONCLUSIONS Use of naproxen or celecoxib did not improve cognitive function. There was weak evidence for a detrimental effect of naproxen.
Elevated Homocysteine Levels Are Associated With the Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Events in Hypertensive Patients.

BACKGROUND Hyperhomocysteinemia and the metabolic syndrome are established cardiovascular risk factors and are frequently associated with hypertension. The relationship of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) with the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, however, is debated and studies in hypertensive patients are limited. In this study, we have investigated the association of Hcy with the metabolic syndrome and cerebro- cardiovascular events in hypertension. METHODS In 562 essential hypertensive patients who underwent accurate assessment of fasting and postload glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and renal function, we measured plasma levels of Hcy, vitamin B12, folate, and fibrinogen and assessed the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and of coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease (CVD). RESULTS Patients with the metabolic syndrome had significantly higher plasma Hcy levels. After correction for covariates, increasing Hcy levels were associated with an increasing prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and CVD. Plasma Hcy was directly correlated with age, waist circumference, fasting glucose, triglyceride, uric acid, and fibrinogen levels, and homeostatic model assessment index and inversely with creatinine clearance and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, vitamin B12, and folate levels. Logistic regression analysis showed an independent association of Hcy levels with age, male gender, vitamin B12 and folate levels, and the metabolic syndrome. Logistic regression indicated also an independent association of Hcy with cerebro-cardiovascular disease that was independent of the metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Elevated plasma Hcy is associated with the metabolic syndrome in hypertensive patients. Prevalence of events increases with increasing plasma Hcy levels suggesting a contribution of Hcy to cerebro-cardiovascular diseases in these patients.
Menstrual pattern among unmarried women from south India

Background: Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to females and nearly universal experience in women's lives and is poorly understood. This study has been done to assess menstrual pattern and associated factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 194 girl students aged 18 to 27 years were selected and asked to complete a questionnaire anonymously. Data regarding demographic features, menarche age, menstrual pattern, severity of dysmenorrhea and associated symptoms, and impact of menstrual pain on working ability were obtained. Source for information about menarche and menstruation the participants depend was also elicited. Results: Mean age of the subjects at menarche was 13.36 ± 1.25 years with a range being 10 to 17 years. Mean duration of menstrual flow was 4.77 ± 1.06 days. The most prevalent menstrual symptoms were tiredness (47.9%), backache (38.3%), and anger (34.5%). Prevalence of menstrual irregularity and dysmenorrhea was 11.9 and 78.2%. 6.7% of the participants had severe dysmenorrhea. 76.6% of the dysmenorrheic girls reported that their working ability was affected. 60.4% of the girls were aware of menstruation prior to menarche. Mothers and friends were the main sources of information (47.8%). Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be mentioned that prevalence of dysmenorrhea and menstrual irregularity among young females is high. Working ability is reported to be affected by menstrual pain. It could be possible to improve menstrual discomforts management by including awareness programs.
Lupus Anticoagulant is the Strongest Risk Factor for both Venous and Arterial Thrombosis in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Summary Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) characterize patients at risk for both arterial and venous thrombotic complications. Recently it has been recognized that the presence of plasma proteins such as β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) and prothrombin are essential for the binding of aPL to phospholipids and that these proteins are probably the real target of aPL. The discovery of these new antigens for aPL introduces the possibility of new assays to detect the presence of aPL. However, it is not known whether these assays improve the identification of patients at risk for thrombosis. In this retrospective study we compared the value of the classic assays LAC (lupus anticoagulant) and ACA (anticardiolipin antibodies) to detect aPL associated with thrombotic complications, with new assays which are based on the binding of aPL to the plasma proteins prothrombin and P2GPI. To do so, we have used these assays in a group of 175 SLE patients and correlated the positivity of the different assays with the presence of a history of venous and arterial thrombosis. Control groups were patients without SLE but with LAC and/or ACA and thrombosis (n = 23), patients with thrombosis without LAC and ACA (n = 40) and 42 healthy controls. In the univariate analysis, in which no distinction has been made between high and low antibody levels, we confirmed LAC and ACA to be related to both arterial and venous thrombosis. Anti-β2GPI- and anti-prothrombin-antibodies, both IgG and IgM correlate with venous thrombosis and anti-β2GPI-IgM with arterial thrombosis. Multivariate analysis showed that LAC is the strongest risk factor (OR 9.77; 95% CI 1.74-31.15) for arterial thrombosis. None of the other factors is a significant additional risk factor. For venous thrombosis LAC is the strongest risk factor (OR 6.55; 95% Cl 2.36-18.17), but ACA-IgM above 20 MPL units also appeared to be a significant (p = 0.0159) risk factor (OR 3.90; 95% Cl 1.29-11.80). Furthermore, the presence of anti-β2GPI- and/or anti-prothrombin-antibodies in LAC positive patients (n = 60) does not increase the risk for thrombosis. The results showed that (i) the LAC assay correlates best with a history of both arterial and venous thrombosis and (ii) neither the anti-P2GPI ELISA nor the anti-prothrombin ELISA gives additional information for a thrombotic risk in SLE patients.
Price and lead time differentiation, capacity strategy and market competition

We study a duopoly market in which customers are heterogeneous, and can be segmented as price or time sensitive. Each firm tailors (differentiates) its products/services for the two customer classes solely based on guaranteed lead time and the corresponding price. Our objective is to understand how competition affects price and lead time differentiation of the firms in the presence of different operations strategy (shared versus dedicated capacity), product substitution and asymmetry between the competing firms. Our results suggest that when firms use dedicated resources to serve the two market segments, pure price competition always tends to decrease individual prices as well as price differentiation, irrespective of the market behaviour. Further, the effect of competition is more pronounced when customers are allowed to self-select, thereby introducing substitutability between the two product options. On the other hand, when firms compete in time, in addition to price, the effect of competition on product differentiation depends crucially on the behaviour of the market. Our results further suggest that the firm with a larger market base should always maintain a larger price and lead time differentiation between the two market segments. Similarly, the firm with a capacity cost advantage should also maintain a larger lead time differentiation.