Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of platelet concentrates irradiated with UVB light: effect of UV dose and dose rate on glycocalicin release and correlation with other markers of the platelet storage lesion

Summary. The amount of membrane‐associated glycoprotein Ib in platelet concentrates (PCs) irradiated with a high dose of UVB light has been shown to be significantly reduced after 48 h storage. We recently corroborated this finding when we noted an increase in the supernatant levels of glycocalicin (GC, a major segment of glycoprotein Ib) in UVB‐treated PCs during storage. The aim of the present study was to determine whether GC release was related to both the UV dose and the rate of dose delivery. Plateletpheresis concentrates obtained from five donors were pooled and split into five equal parts. Four of these were treated with 7500 and 15000 mJ/cm2 UVB using two prototype UV sources with differing rates of dose delivery; namely, Baxter (BAT) and British Aerospace (BAC) cabinets, with the latter having the slower rate of delivery. On days 1 and 5 of storage, GC levels in the supernatants of PCs were determined by ELISA. Moreover, the following parameters were also assessed: platelet and WBC count; hypotonic shock response (HSR) and platelet aggregation response to ADP, ADP +collagen, ADP + arachidonic acid and ristocetin; pH; supernatant levels of lactate, glucose, von Willebrand factor (vWf) and β‐thrornboglobulin (βTG). The results revealed an association of GC release with UVB dose using both UV sources, although this was more apparent in the BAC system, in which glycocalicin release at day 5 of storage was as follows (μg/ml, mean ± SD): 4·8±0·3 and 9·5±3·6 at 7500 and 15000 mJ/cm2 respectively. Moreover, at 15000 mJ/cm2, PCs treated in the BAC system exhibited significantly higher levels of GC than those treated in the BAT system: 9·5±3·6 and 4·8± 3·6 respectively at day 5 of storage (P= 0·05). This differential GC increase in the BAC was coupled with a decrease in HSR and a significant increase in lactate and βTG levels compared with the BAT system. In contrast to the GC results, vWf supernatant levels in PCs treated with UVB were decreased relative to non‐treated PCs of the same origin. Moreover, GC release correlated significantly with various standard tests of platelet function indicating its importance as a quality indicator for the investigation of the platelet storage lesion. Our results show that UVB not only increases GC release in a dose/rate‐dependent manner but that it may also affect the quality of irradiated PCs and their shelf life.
The Effect of Land Title on Child Labor Supply: Empirical Evidence from Brazil

This paper assesses the effect of property-titling on child labor. Our main contribution is to investigate the potential impact of property rights on child labor supply by analyzing household response regarding the child labor force to exogenous changes in property ownership status. The causal role of legal ownership is isolated by comparing the effect of land titling using data from a unique study in two geographically close and demographically similar communities in Osasco, a town of 654,000 people in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area. Survey data were collected from households in both communities before and after the granting of land titles, with neither type knowing ex-ante whether it would receive land titles. The econometric estimates, applying the Difference-in-Difference (DD) methodology and propensity score matching, suggest that land-titling decreases child labor.
Burden of Multidrug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Among New Cases in Al-Madinah Al-Monawarah, Saudi Arabia

Background: The pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility to first line drugs and multidrug resistance in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, a seasonally overcrowded are during Hajj and Omrah, is not well studied. Objective: This study aimed to investigate anti-tuberculosis drug resistance and its distribution among new cases in Al-Madinah Al-Monawarah. Methods: Study subjects included 622 patients with first time confirmed TB referred to the central tuberculosis laboratory in Al-Madinah between January 2012 and December 2014. Results: Out of the 622 isolates, 99 (15.9%) were Mycobacteria Other Than Tuberculosis (MOTTS) and 25 (4.0%), three of which (12%) were children under five years of age, revealed multidrug resistance (MDR). Monoresistance to isoniazid (H) was (1.8%), to rifampin (R) was (1.4%), to streptomycin (S) was (1.9%) to ethambutol (E) was (1.1%) and to pyrazinamide (Z) was (2.1%). Conclusion: Being among the new cases, multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is supposed to be caused by strains which are originally multidrug resistant. Neither nationality nor gender was found to be associated with MDR TB. Since 12% of MDR cases were among children, a probability of primary infection with MDR strains is to be considered. Moreover, mass gathering during Hajj and Omrah seasons does not seem to increase the burden of MDR in the region. However, further investigation is needed to molecularly characterize MDR isolates and their phylogenetics and geographical origin.
Repetition: Medicine for a Short-Run Remission

This paper estimates the treatment effect of grade repetition on subsequent schooling performances in France. We correct for potential selection issues associated with grade retention, using a multi-stage econometric model. We find that early grade repetition (Grade 1 or 2) leads to an increase in test scores in the very short-run (in grade 3) but this positive effect is only transitory, as it becomes negative 3 or 4 years after the retention (in grade 6).
Aplasia Cutis Congenita in a Defined Population from Northwest Spain

Abstract: Aplasia cutis congenita is a rare condition characterized by congenital absence of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. It may occur as an isolated defect or associated with other anomalies. This study sought to determine the frequency of this condition over a 10‐year‐period at the single hospital for a well‐defined population. A literature review of potential mechanisms implicated in the development of this condition was also conducted. A retrospective review of all case records of patients diagnosed with aplasia cutis congenita between January 1994 and December 2003 at Hospital Xeral‐Calde, in the Lugo region of northwest Spain was undertaken. During the period of study four patients were diagnosed with this condition. Three of them were of the gypsy race. These three had aplasia cutis congenita associated with epidermolysis bullosa and deformed nails. The incidence of aplasia cutis congenita in our region was 2.8 cases per 10,000 newborns. It was found that the incidence of this disorder in northwest Spain was similar to that described in the literature. Careful study due to the frequent association of aplasia cutis congenita with other congenital anomalies and a complete obstetric and family history of all affected individuals are required to identify possible specific teratogens, intrauterine infections, chromosomal abnormalities, or history of this condition among relatives.
Lack of effect of doxycycline on disease activity and joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A double blind, placebo controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of doxycycline on disease activity and joint destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A 36 week double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial was conducted. Patients (n = 66) received 50 mg doxycycline or placebo twice a day during 12, 24, or 36 weeks. Patient assessments were performed before the treatment was administered, at 6, 12, 24 and 36 weeks of treatment, and finally at 4 weeks after cessation of treatment. Patient assessments, swollen and tender joint counts, duration of morning stiffness, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and Modified Disease Activity Score were used as measures of disease activity. Effects on joint destruction were assessed by urinary excretion of the pyridinolines hydroxylysylpyridinoline and lysylpyridinoline and by scoring radiographic damage of hands and feet before and after treatment. RESULTS The changes of clinical or laboratory disease activity measures, pyridinoline excretion, or progression of radiographic joint damage during doxycycline or placebo treatment did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION The results indicate that 50 mg doxycycline twice a day provided no therapeutic benefit for patients with RA.
Modeling for Fluid Transients in Liquid-Circular Angular Accelerometer

Liquid-circular angular accelerometer is generally designed with the circular tube, the fluid mass, and the porous transducer. With the consideration of the fluid compressibility, a novel theoretical model of the fluidic system of this sensor is developed based on the theory of fluid transients for the first time. Simulation and experiments are conducted to prove the validity of the proposed model and the model manifests satisfactory performance to calculate the natural frequency, the resonances, the bandwidth, and the low-frequency gain of the fluidic system. Moreover, the influences of several structure parameters are analyzed by using the proposed model. The wave speed in the fluid mass affects the bandwidth of the fluidic system grossly, while the radius of the circular tube has effects on both the gain and the bandwidth. Besides, the liquid resistance of the transducer and the cross-sectional area of the circular tube are found to exert analogous influences on the frequency response of the fluidic system.
Ser217Leu polymorphism of the HPC2/ELAC2 gene associated with prostatic cancer risk in Japanese men

The HPC2/ELAC2 gene may be associated with hereditary/familial prostate cancer (PCa). Two common missense variants (Ser217Leu and Ala541Thr) have been reported in the gene. We performed mutational, allelotyping and expression analyses and a molecular epidemiological study to clarify the relations between this gene and prostatic diseases, including PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Japanese men. We screened for mutations in 109 patients with PCa including 11 patients from 1 hereditary and 9 familial PCa. Loss of heterozygosity and expression were analyzed. An epidemiological study was done in sporadic PCa (n=98) and BPH (n=143) using 1 novel (Ser627Leu) and 2 previously described polymorphisms of the HPC2/ELAC2 gene. Somatic or germline mutations were not confirmed in any cases of PCa. Loss of heterozygosity at 2 microsatellites, D17S1289 and D17S520, was detected in 1 of 38 and 1 of 35 cases, respectively. Expression analysis revealed decreased or absent mRNA expression in 6 of 38 tumors. Epidemiologic analysis showed that a Leu allele at codon 217 was significantly more frequent in patients with PCa than in controls (10.2% vs. 3.5%, odds ratio = 3.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–7.90). At codon 541, all patients with PCa or BPH and all control subjects had the Ala/Ala genotype. At codon 627, the incidence of the Leu variant was slightly, but not significantly, higher in patients with BPH than in controls (7.0% vs. 2.8%, odds ratio = 2.59, 95% confidence interval, 0.94–7.13, not statistically significant). We concluded that germline/somatic mutations of HPC2/ELAC2 are uncommon in PCa. Similarly, allelic imbalances at the gene locus and changes in expression are rare. Although no difference in allele frequency at Ser217Leu between patients with PCa and controls has been reported in a Western population, this polymorphism is a potential indicator of PCa risk in Japanese men and it should be examined in other ethnic groups. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Removal of sulfate and heavy metals by sulfate-reducing bacteria in an expanded granular sludge bed reactor

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to utilize an expanded granular sludge bed reactor for removing heavy metals and sulfate from synthetic acid-mine drainage (AMD) using sewage sludge fermentation centrate as the substrate. The reactor was bioaugmented with an enriched consortium of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). The bioreactor performance was studied with different chemical oxygen demand ratios, liquid upflow velocity (Vup), hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent pH. The highest COD, sulfate and heavy metal removal efficiencies were achieved at a ratio of 1.5, Vup of 4.0 m/h, HRT of 15 h and influent pH of 6.0 (68.2%, 92.1% and 100%, respectively). The activity of SRB greatly increases the effluent pH. Even at an influent pH of 3.0, 60.8% of sulfate, 41.3% of COD and 91.2% of heavy metals could be removed, and the effluent quality can meet the national discharge standard of China. The activity tests demonstrate that the sludge fermentation centrate is an excellent carbon source for SRB. This study shows the potential of synchronous treatment of residual sewage sludge and treatment of AMD.
Diagnostic value of the wideband acoustic absorbance test in middle-ear effusion

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of wideband acoustic absorbance testing in otitis media with effusion. Methods: This prospective study compared middle-ear wideband acoustic absorbance rates in three paediatric patient groups: a healthy group of 34 volunteers; 48 patients diagnosed with otitis media with effusion; and 28 patients with chronic effusion but no sign of effusion during myringotomy. The diagnostic value of absorbance testing was analysed with the receiver operating characteristic test. Results: The wideband acoustic absorbance rate was significantly lower in the otitis media with effusion group than in both the otitis media and healthy groups at the 0.375–2 kHz averaged mean absorbance (p < 0.017 and p < 0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the highest diagnostic value for the 0.375–2 kHz averaged mean (area under the curve 0.984), followed by those at 1 and 1.5 kHz (area under the curve: 0.973 and 0.967, respectively). Conclusion: The wideband acoustic absorbance test is more accurate for detecting middle-ear effusion compared with conventional 226-Hz tympanometry. Its practicality and objectivity suggest that the wideband acoustic absorbance test may be a better alternative for diagnosing otitis media with effusion.
Service Learning: A Tool to Develop Employment Competencies for College Students

College students will face a workplace transformed even from the one that existed five years ago. Public and private organizations presently require employees to possess highly developed core competencies. This shift in expectations, exacerbated by high unemployment among recent college graduates, has made accountability a hot issue for higher education. Colleges have begun to integrate experiential approaches into the curriculum to impart work competencies. Internships, the classic form of experiential education, cannot develop all the required skills and knowledge, especially if students do not take part in a reflection activity. Service-learning, a more recent approach to experiential education, is high impact because it links community service to academic goals and facilitates application and testing of academics in a new professional situation. The author discusses how the intrinsic characteristics of service-learning facilitate the acquisition of workplace competencies by exploring its application in two community college paralegal courses.
Expectations of Marriage Among Cohabiting Couples

matic changes in family formation patterns have occurred in Australia during the last few decades. While the vast majority of people still marry, marriage rates have fallen and the proportion who never marry has increased sharply among the younger generations. Of the total population eligible to marry, the proportions who did so each year fell from 6 per cent in 1976 to 3 per cent in 2000 for both men and women. The proportion of the never married population aged 25-29 years increased from 27 per cent to 67 per cent for men, and from 13 per cent to 53 per cent for women. This latter trend partly reflects the fact that people are marrying later in life. During the same period (1976–2000), the median age at first marriage has increased from 24 to 29 years for men and from 21 to 27 years for women (ABS 2001). A marked surge in cohabitation (de facto relationships) has accompanied these trends. For example, the proportions of all couples who were cohabiting rather than married increased from 5 per cent in 1982 to around 12 per cent in 2001 (ABS 1995; de Vaus, Qu and Weston in this edition), with cohabitation now being the common pathway to marriage: 72 per cent of marriages registered in 2001 were preceded by cohabitation (ABS 2002). As cohabitation has become more prevalent and marriage rates fallen, cohabitation is now widely accepted by both the law and the general population (Glezer 1993). In a national survey conducted in 1995, only one-third of all respondents (and 16 per cent of those aged in their 20s) disapproved of a man and woman living together without planning marriage (de Vaus 1997). While cohabitation was largely a stepping stone to marriage for earlier generations, more recent generations of cohabitors are less likely to marry and more likely to separate than cohabitors of earlier generations. Furthermore, more recent generations are more likely than earlier generations to have started a family while cohabiting (Qu and Weston 2001). What do these trends suggest for the future of marriage? While most couples who marry do so after cohabiting, are cohabiting couples in general becoming less committed to the notion of “tying the knot”? While expectations of marriage cannot be interpreted as indicators that marriage will take In the past, living together was often a stepping stone to marriage. As cohabitation has become commonplace, do people who are cohabiting these days expect to marry their partner? What are the marriage intentions of cohabiting men and women? F A M I L Y T R E N D S
Moderating role of external networks and mediating effect of innovation performance on the relationship between technology orientation and firm performance

This study investigated the moderating effect of external networks on the relationship between technology orientation and innovation performance as well as the mediating role of innovation performance in the link between technology orientation and financial performance. Our study tested the research model using hierarchical regression analysis for data collected from 352 organisations in South Korea. The results revealed that external networks appear to have a positive moderating effect on the relationship between technology orientation and innovation performance and that innovation performance mediates the associations between technology orientation and financial performance. The implications and limitations of this study are presented.
Clinical and clinicopathologic findings in dogs with acute respiratory distress syndrome: 19 cases (1985-1993).

OBJECTIVE To describe clinical and clinicopathologic findings from dogs with histologic pulmonary lesions consistent with human adult respiratory distress syndrome and to identify potential factors. DESIGN Retrospective study. ANIMALS 19 dogs with acute respiratory distress. PROCEDURE Medical records of dogs were reviewed. Signalment, physical examination and clinicopathologic findings at admission, and thoracic radiographic and necropsy findings were recorded. RESULTS The most common clinical sign was dyspnea. Respiratory rate ranged from 36 to 140 breaths/min and abnormal breathing patterns were detected. Crackles were auscultated in 7 dogs. Severe diffuse interstitial and alveolar infiltrates were observed on thoracic radiography in 9 dogs shortly after arrival and developed later in 4 dogs. Four dogs were leukopenic and neutropenic. Disseminated intravascular coagulation was diagnosed in 2 dogs, and hypoalbuminemia was found in 8 dogs. Respiratory status deteriorated rapidly in all dogs, and 10 dogs were mechanically ventilated. Death was attributed solely to respiratory failure in 8 dogs. In the other 11 dogs, severe lesions in nonpulmonary organs, sepsis, or both may have contributed to death. The most common associated conditions that may have contributed to acute respiratory failure were microbial pneumonia, sepsis, aspiration pneumonia, and shock, with more than 1 factor found in 11 of 19 dogs. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The index of suspicion for acute respiratory distress syndrome should be high in dogs with bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and acute respiratory distress that rapidly progresses to failure.
Adiponectin protects against incident hypertension independent of body fat distribution: observations from the Dallas Heart Study

Excess adipose tissue has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis and is a key risk factor for blood pressure (BP) elevation. However, circulating levels of adiponectin, a protein produced by adipose tissue and widely implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis, are inversely proportional to adiposity. The relationship between adiponectin and incident hypertension has not been determined in the general US population.
Have Long-Established Patterns of Protectionism Changed During this Crisis? A Sectoral Perspective

During the current sharp global economic downturn much has been made of the scale of government policy responses, whether it be monetary policy (e.g. "quantitative easing"), fiscal policy (e.g. "stimulus packages") or other forms of state intervention (including "bailouts"). Indeed it is often remarked that the reason the contemporary crisis has not descended into another Great Depression is precisely because of the scale of some government intervention. This observation, however, need not be as benign as it seems; after all, governments may find themselves under pressure to act from influential sectoral groups, such as company shareholders, employers, trade unions, and the environmental lobby. Moreover, once a government demonstrates its willingness to engage in far-reaching intervention on behalf of one interest it may find itself confronted for requests from others. Using information from the Global Trade Alert database, the first objective of this chapter is to examine the cross-sectoral pattern of trade-related state intervention that has been imposed since the first crisis-related G20 summit in November 2008. It will be interesting to see if the current pattern differs from that observed before the crisis. A second goal is to begin exploring (no claims are made to conclusive demonstration) the relative importance of competing explanations for the contemporary pattern of crisis-era protectionism. No doubt analysts will chew over these matters for years to come and it is hoped that this paper will provide some of the principal facts that require explanation. Policymakers, officials, the media, and the like may find the very presentation of these facts casts doubts on some prominent rationales for state intervention. A word of caution is in order too. It should be recognized that the pattern of state intervention is almost certainly not the same in every country. Still, interesting crosscountry tendencies may arise. Moreover, any assessment presented here is necessarily an interim one as the global economy has not yet returned to full health and further state intervention cannot be ruled out. Have Long-Established Patterns of Protectionism Changed During this Crisis? A Sectoral Perspective