Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does chorionicity or zygosity predict adverse perinatal outcomes in twins?

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate chorionicity and zygosity as risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes in twins. STUDY DESIGN A population-based, retrospective cohort study was conducted of all twin deliveries in Nova Scotia, Canada, from 1988 to 1997. Chorionicity was established by histologic examination. Zygosity was determined by chorionicity, sex, and infant blood group. Three groups were established: monochorionic/monozygotic twins, dichorionic/dizygotic twins, and dichorionic/majority monozygotic twins. RESULTS Outcomes from 1008 twin pregnancies were analyzed. Monochorionic/monozygotic twins had lower mean birth weights compared with dichorionic/dizygotic twins. Rates of perinatal mortality of at least 1 twin were significantly higher among monochorionic/monozygotic twins relative to dichorionic/dizygotic twins (relative risk, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.5). Dichorionic/majority monozygotic twins had similar perinatal outcomes compared with dichorionic/dizygotic twins. CONCLUSION Monochorionicity increases the risk of adverse perinatal outcome, whereas the effect of zygosity is less clear. Because chorionicity can be determined by prenatal ultrasound scanning, this information should be considered in the prenatal care of twin pregnancies.
Closed-Form Position and Orientation Estimation for a Three-Axis Electromagnetic Tracking System

Electromagnetic tracking systems are a practical and cost-effective alternative to vision-based systems for virtual reality applications, providing a large working range without suffering from the line-of-sight problem. We present closed-form formulas for the optimal least-squares position and orientation estimates of an electromagnetic tracking system. A generic system consisting of three-axis sensor and generator coils—the coils need not be orthogonal—is considered, and a least-squares objective function for tracking is formulated. The optimal solution is then derived in closed form. Experimental validation via numerical simulations and hardware experiments confirm that our least-squares tracking algorithm can run in real time, and that tracking performance is more robust to measurement errors than existing methods.
Contradicting habitat type-extinction risk relationships between living and fossil amphibians

Trait analysis has become a crucial tool for assessing the extinction risk of species. While some extinction risk-trait relationships have been often identical between different living taxa, a temporal comparison of fossil taxa with related current taxa was rarely considered. However, we argue that it is important to know if extinction risk-trait relations are constant or changing over time. Herein we investigated the influence of habitat type on the persistence length of amphibian species. Living amphibians are regarded as the most threatened group of terrestrial vertebrates and thus of high interest to conservationists. Species from different habitat types show differences in extinction risk, i.e. species depending on flowing waters being more threatened than those breeding in stagnant sites. After assessing the quality of the available amphibian fossil data, we show that today's habitat type-extinction risk relationship is reversed compared to fossil amphibians, former taxa persisting longer when living in rivers and streams, thus suggesting a change of effect direction of this trait. Neither differences between amphibian orders nor environmentally caused preservation effects could explain this pattern. We argue this change to be most likely a result of anthropogenic influence, which turned a once favourable strategy into a disadvantage.
Integration of Biosynthesis and Long-Distance Transport Establish Organ-Specific Glucosinolate Profiles in Vegetative Arabidopsis[W]

Plants produce a variety of specialized compounds that are used to defend themselves against enemies. Using Arabidopsis thaliana, we provide insight into how transport of glucosinolates occurs between above- and belowground tissues. Understanding tissue-specific distribution of defense compounds in Arabidopsis may enable the manipulation of defenses in related rape and cabbage crops. Although it is essential for plant survival to synthesize and transport defense compounds, little is known about the coordination of these processes. Here, we investigate the above- and belowground source-sink relationship of the defense compounds glucosinolates in vegetative Arabidopsis thaliana. In vivo feeding experiments demonstrate that the glucosinolate transporters1 and 2 (GTR1 and GTR2), which are essential for accumulation of glucosinolates in seeds, are likely to also be involved in bidirectional distribution of glucosinolates between the roots and rosettes, indicating phloem and xylem as their transport pathways. Grafting of wild-type, biosynthetic, and transport mutants show that both the rosette and roots are able to synthesize aliphatic and indole glucosinolates. While rosettes constitute the major source and storage site for short-chained aliphatic glucosinolates, long-chained aliphatic glucosinolates are synthesized both in roots and rosettes with roots as the major storage site. Our grafting experiments thus indicate that in vegetative Arabidopsis, GTR1 and GTR2 are involved in bidirectional long-distance transport of aliphatic but not indole glucosinolates. Our data further suggest that the distinct rosette and root glucosinolate profiles in Arabidopsis are shaped by long-distance transport and spatially separated biosynthesis, suggesting that integration of these processes is critical for plant fitness in complex natural environments.
The Impact of Unacceptable Wait Time on Health Care Patients' Attitudes and Actions

Abstract A great deal of time is spent by patients waiting for health care services in doctors' offices. The literature points to a negative impact of wait time on patients' perceptions of health care services, and on patients' subsequent behavior. A survey of 200 patients suggests wait time affects perceptions of quality, satisfaction and likeability, as well as likelihood of recommendations and repeat visits. In addition, response to unacceptable wait time was found to be significantly related to income. These findings indicate a cultural shift in patients' perceptions of wait time, and underline the need for providers to retain patients' loyalty through more timely service.
Simultaneous Assignment of Locomotives and Cars to Passenger Trains

The problem of assigning locomotives and cars to trains is a complex task for most railways. In this paper, we propose a multicommodity network flow-based model for assigning locomotives and cars to trains in the context of passenger transportation. The model has a convenient structure that facilitates the introduction of maintenance constraints, car switching penalties, and substitution possibilities. The large integer programming formulation is solved by a branch-and-bound method that relaxes some of the integrality constraints. At each node of the tree, a mixed-integer problem is solved by a Benders decomposition approach in which the LP relaxations of multicommodity network flow problems are optimized either by the simplex algorithm or by Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. Some computational refinements, such as the generation of Pareto-optimal cuts, are proposed to improve the performance of the algorithm. Computational experiments performed on two sets of data from a railroad show that the approach can be used to produce optimal solutions to complex problems.
Status of Sanitation in the Rural Areas of a Health Unit District , Tamil Nadu , India

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Cheyyar taluk of Tamil Nadu which comprised of three blocks. Stratified random sampling technique was followed to draw samples from all villages in the three blocks. From each stratum, 20% of the villages were selected. In each village, 10% of the households were again selected at random, with individual household being the sampling unit.
Medical Treatment of Epilepsies in Childhood A Long‐Term Survey of 801 Patients

Incidence of epilepsy during childhood is probably far higher than previously supposed. It might be said that the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of the disease can hardly be overemphasized. The authors have reviewed their therapeutic results in 801 epileptic children, all of whom were followed‐up for a long period. Complete or nearly complete control of seizures was obtained in about 55% of patients, while a smaller proportion (12%) of the patients demonstrated intractable resistance to medication.
Influence of Independent Towers and Transmission Lines on Lightning Return Stroke Current and Associated Fields

The influence of elevated objects, when they are hit by lightning, on the measured lightning currents and associated fields is studied. For the present study, an electromagnetic model of return strokes with the help of NEC-4 is employed. Cases of strokes to ground, to independent towers, and to a transmission line are compared and the validity of comparison is discussed. The influence of the independent tower of 70 m in height, which simulates Berger's tower, on the peaks of currents is negligible even for the fast-rising current, which corresponds to a subsequent return-stroke current. The shape of the lightning current at the top of a transmission line is less influenced than that at the top of an independent tower of the same height. Elevated objects significantly decrease the amplitude of vertical electric fields in a close range. If the ground conductivity is infinite, the peak amplitude of electromagnetic field at a distant range will be significantly increased by the presence of an elevated object. In actual cases of finitely conducting ground, however, the increase of the peak field is limited due to the propagation effect.
Simultaneous determination of retinol and alpha-tocopherol in serum or plasma by liquid chromatography.

Submitters: George L. Catignani, Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27650 John G. Bieri, Nutritional Biochemistry Section, Laboratory of Nutrition and Endocrinology, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20014 Evaluators: William J. Driskell and Mark M. Bashor, NutriLional Biochemistry Branch, Clinical Chemistry Division, Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333 Charles P. Turley and Marge A. Brewster, Metabolic Lab. , Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Little Rock, AR 72201
Evaluation of the national pharmacy preceptor education program.

OBJECTIVE The process evaluation findings and key issues from a trial of the effectiveness and national applicability of a national online educational curriculum for pharmacist preceptors are presented. DESIGN A multi-method triangulated research design was used to elicit qualitative and quantitative data preceptors. The data collection method involved an anonymous questionnaire with both quantitative components and open-ended qualitative responses. SETTING An online education program for preceptors of Australian pharmacy students in rural areas. PARTICIPANTS Rural pharmacists in the three states were invited to trial the package and participate in the associated research/evaluation project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Australian Pharmacy Preceptor Education (APPE) program is an important and valuable educational tool for the professional development of pharmacists. It contained pertinent information and appropriate activities, and the delivery strategy was well accepted. The evaluation findings support a national implementation. RESULTS Program strengths include the ease of access, self-directed learning and the interactive nature emphasising the benefit of sharing ideas and feedback. Potential program limitations include technical delays and unclear instructions for undertaking the program. CONCLUSION The online APPE program is a flexible delivery strategy which has the potential to dramatically improve the skills and knowledge of pharmacists acting as preceptors and, thereby, impact on the learning provided in rural hospitals and community pharmacies for undergraduate students and new graduates alike.
Longitudinal Changes in AbsoluteVO2peak, Physical Activity Level, Body Mass Index, and Overweightedness among Adolescents in Vocational and Non-Vocational Studies

The purpose of the study was to examine differences in physical activity level, physical fitness, body mass index, and overweight among adolescents in vocational and non-vocational studies, at the age of 14, 16, and 19, using a 5-year longitudinal design. Students in sport studies had the highest absoluteVO2peak and higher physical activity levels, than students in vocational subjects and students with a specialization in general studies. However, there were no significant differences between students in vocational subjects and students with a specialization in general studies according to absoluteVO2peak and physical activity levels. Students in vocational subjects were significantly more overweight/obese at 19 years of age, compared with the other students. Our findings support previous research pointing to overweightedness as being more widespread among adolescents in vocational programs than in non-vocational programs. However, differences in the physical activity level and physical fitness do not seem to explain these differences.
Reverse DNA translocation through a solid-state nanopore by magnetic tweezers

Voltage-driven DNA translocation through nanopores has attracted wide interest for many potential applications in molecular biology and biotechnology. However, it is intrinsically difficult to control the DNA motion in standard DNA translocation processes in which a strong electric field is required in drawing DNA into the pore, but it also leads to uncontrollable fast DNA translocation. Here we explore a new type of DNA translocation. We dub it ‘reverse DNA translocation’, in which the DNA is pulled through a nanopore mechanically by a magnetic bead, driven by a magnetic-field gradient. This technique is compatible with simultaneous ionic current measurements and is suitable for multiple nanopores, paving the way for large scale applications. We report the first experiment of reverse DNA translocation through a solid-state nanopore using magnetic tweezers.
The Influence of Demographic and Treatment Variables on the Health Beliefs of Adults with Diabetes

In this study a secondary analysis was performed of data collected previously by two of the authors (SAB, SPD) concerning the health beliefs of patients with diabetes. Demographic data included age, gender, race, and education level. Diabetes-related data included length of time since diagnosis, number of physician visits related to diabetes within the last year, and the type of treatment regimen. These factors were thought to influence the health beliefs of adults with diabetes and therefore affect patient compliance with recommended health behaviors.
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Placental Thickness in Normal Singleton Pregnancies for Estimation of Gestation Age

Background: Use of ultrasonography is the most effective method to estimate the gestational age. Placental thickness can be used as a new parameter to estimate the gestational age of the fetus and to assess the growth pattern of the placenta with advancing gestational age. Methods: This was a prospective cross sectional study consisting 150 normal antenatal women who were assessed clinically at the Department of Obstetrics and Gyaenocology and referred to the Department of Radiology, College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur for ultrasonography. Antenatal women of all gestational ages from 11 weeks to 40 weeks of gestation with normal singleton pregnancies were included in the study. Placental thickness value, in mm, was calculated by averaging the three best measurements for each case. Relationship of placental thickness (in mm), measured at the level of insertion of umbilical cord with advancing gestational age in weeks was studied. Correlation of mean placental thickness with gestational age from 11 weeks to 40 weeks was calculated. Results: It was observed that the placental thickness gradually increased from approximately 11 mm at 11 weeks to 38.33 mm at 40 weeks of gestation. From 11 to 34 weeks of gestation, the placental thickness (in mm) almost matched the gestational age in weeks, thereafter from 35 to 40 weeks; the placental thickness was lower by 1 to 2 mm. Conclusion: The relationship between the placental thickness and gestational age was linear and direct. Placental thickness (in mm) measurement can be an important additional parameter for estimating gestational age along with other parameters especially from 11 to 34 weeks of gestation.
The effect of auricular acupuncture in obese women: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND The aims of this randomized study are to examine the effect of auricular acupuncture on obese women and to explore the relationship between the effect of auricular acupuncture and obesity-related hormone peptides. METHODS Forty-five of 60 obese women aged between 16 and 65 years with body mass index (BMI) >27 kg/m2 and who had not received any other weight control maneuvers within the last 3 months completed this study. The subjects were blinded and randomly divided into groups A and B. Group A (n = 23) received auricular acupuncture, and group B (n = 22) received sham auricular acupuncture using placebo needles, twice each week for 6 weeks. The subjects' body weight (BW), BMI, waist circumference (WC), and obesity-related hormone peptides were measured at the beginning of the study and after 6 weeks of treatment. The data were compared and expressed as percent reductions. RESULTS This study found no statistical difference in percent reduction in BW, BMI, and WC between the group receiving 6 weeks of auricular acupuncture treatment and the control group. After treatment, group A revealed a significant increase in ghrelin level and decrease in leptin level. On the other hand, group B, who received sham auricular acupuncture, showed no significant difference in ghrelin and leptin levels. CONCLUSIONS This study found no statistical difference in percent reduction in BW, BMI, and WC between the two groups. No adverse effects of short-term auricular acupuncture treatment were seen in the study. Auricular acupuncture may have potential benefit on obesity-related hormone peptides.
A Framework for Analyzing Linux System Overheads on HPC Applications ∗

Linux currently plays an important role in high-end computing systems, but recent work has shown that Linux-related processing costs and variablity in network processing times can limit the scalability of HPC applications. Measuring and understanding these overheads is thus key for future use of Linux in large scale HPC systems. Unfortunately, currently available performance monitoring systems introduce large overheads, performance data is generally not available on-line or from the operating system, and the data collected by such systems is generally coarse-grained. In this paper, we present a low-overhead framework for solving one of these problems: making useful operating system performance data available to the application at runtime. Specifically, we have enhanced Linux Trace Toolkit(LTT) to monitor the performance characteristics of individual system calls and to make per-request performance data available to the application. We demonstrate the ability of this framework to monitor individual network and disk requests, and show that the overhead of our per-request performance monitoring framework is minimal. We also present preliminary measurements of Linux system call overhead on a simple HPC.
Laparoscopic vs conventional ileocolectomy for primary Crohn disease.

HYPOTHESIS Laparoscopic ileocolectomy can reduce the length of hospital stay and hospital charges compared with conventional surgery in the treatment of primary Crohn disease. DESIGN Nonrandomized, comparative, retrospective analysis of a prospective database. SETTING University hospital tertiary care center for inflammatory bowel disease. PATIENTS Forty patients, 20 in the laparoscopic group (group A) and 20 in the conventional group (group B). INTERVENTION From July 1, 1996, to June 30, 2001, we collected data on the following demographic clinical end points: age, sex, duration of disease, preoperative medical treatment, previous abdominal surgery, procedure performed, conversions to open surgery, operating time, number of trocars used, size of incision, blood loss, time to resolution of ileus, time to starting solid food diet, duration of hospital stay, hospital charges, morbidity, and mortality. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Surgical results, length of hospital stay, hospital charges, and recurrences. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 34.7 years (range, 20-68 years) in group A vs 40.0 years (range, 18-75 years) in group B. The male-female ratio was 1:2 in group A vs 1:1 in group B. The morbidity was 5% in group B. There was no mortality. Operating time was longer in group A (mean, 145.0 minutes; range, 45-270 minutes) compared with group B (mean, 133.5 minutes; range, 98-177 minutes) (P =.36). Blood loss was significantly higher in group B (mean, 265.5 mL; range, 100-400 mL) compared with group A (77.2 mL; range, 25-350 mL) (P<.001). Also, the size of the incision was significantly longer in group B (mean, 13.5 cm; range, 8-18 cm) compared with group A (mean, 5.5 cm; range, 3-12 cm) (P<.001). Bowel function returned more quickly in the laparoscopic group vs the conventional group in terms of return of bowel movements (1.70 vs 2.63 days) (P<.001) and resumption of a regular diet (1.35 vs 2.73 days) (P<.001). The mean length of stay was significantly shorter in the laparoscopic group (4.25 days) vs the conventional group (8.25 days) (P<.001). The mean hospital charges were US $9614 in group A vs US $17 079 in group B (P<.05). The mean follow-up was 17.2 months in group A (range, 2.3-59.9 months) vs 18.7 months in group B (range, 1.0-37.5 months). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic-assisted ileocolectomy for primary Crohn disease of the terminal ileum and/or cecum is safe and successful in most cases. Laparoscopic surgery for Crohn disease should be considered as the preferred operative approach for primary resections.
Assessment of computer modeling accuracy in floodplain hydraulics

Abstract In this paper, we examine the performance of several popular hydraulic computer models in predicting the magnitude and location of a hydraulic jump. The computer programs considered include the standard HEC-RAS one-dimensional (1-D) models, as well as computational fluid dynamics models. Other computer programs considered include one-, two-, and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) models of both the steady and unsteady flow types. The computational model results are compared with experimental data from two different laboratories. It is shown that a few of these commonly used computer models miss the prediction of the hydraulic jump entirely and produce water surface profiles that are not proper estimates. Although the laboratory tests are one-dimensional steady-state scenarios, the failure of some of the multi-dimensional computer models to predict the likely occurrence of the hydraulic jump, or even provide an indication that the flow conditions are favorable for a jump to occur, indicates that care should be taken both while choosing the model for the application of interest and in interpreting the end results.