Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL FACULDADE DE ENGENHARIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM ENGENHARIA ELÉTRICA - PPGEE SINCRONISMO PARA SISTEMAS DE TRANSMISSÃO DIGITAL MULTIPORTADORA BASEADO EM REDES NEURAIS ARTIFICIAIS

The reposition of a lost osseous structure is challenging in oral rehabilitations involving osseointegrated implants. Tissue engineering techniques aiming reposition of lost calcified tissues has evolved in the last years as an alternative to the autologous bone graft, without the need of a donor site. Among the required techniques and biomaterials, the hyaluronic acid (HA) presents itself as promising alternative for tissue engineering. HA is present in the extracellular matrix of all living tissues, and also allows modifications in its structure, serving as a carrier for several compounds utilized in bone repair. Depending on its molecular weight, studies show that different cytotoxic effects might be observed. Thus, the present study evaluated, in vitro, the cytotoxicity of high and low molecular weight HA on NIH-3T3 cells, following the ISO 10993-12 test standards for cytotoxicity analysis. A MTT test was conducted with the following groups: (G1) cells + high molecular weight hyaluronic acid; (G2) cells + low molecular weight hyaluronic acid; (G3) cells + high molecular weight hyaluronic acid + hydroxyapatite; (G4) cells + low molecular weight hyaluronic acid + hydroxyapatite; (G5) cells (positive control); (G6) cells+ hypochlorite (negative control). The results show that most groups presented higher cellular viability when compared to the negative control and lower than the positive control group (p<0.05). Group G1 presented no statistical difference when compared to the positive control (G5) (p<0.05), indicating that high molecular weight HA might be applicable as a cell carrier for tissue engineering. Key-words: Cytotoxicity. Hyaluronic Acid. Tissue Engineering, Scaffold LISTA DE TABELAS E ILUSTRAÇÕES Tabela 1. Montagem dos grupos analisados com seus respectivos volumes de cada componente por poço. 20 Imagem 1. Disposição dos grupos na placa de 96 poços. 21 Tabela 2. Viabilidade celular de cada grupo, expressa em porcentagem.24 Imagem 2. Porcentagem de viabilidade cellular de cada grupo e seu desvio padrão. 25 LISTA DE ABREVIATURAS, SIGLAS E SÍMBOLOS AH (HA) Ácido Hialurônico (Hyaluronic Acid) HMWHA Ácido hialurônico de alto peso molecular (High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid) LMWHA Ácido hialurônico de baixo peso molecular (Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid) HP Hidroxiapatita kDa Quilo daltons MDa Milhões de daltons DMEM Meio de Eagle modificado por Dulbecco SFB Soro fetal bovino DPBS Fosfato de Dulbecco tamponado salino MTT Metil tetrazolium 3-(4,5-dimetil-2-tiazolil)-2,5-difenil-2iltetrazólico β-TCP Beta tricálcio fosfato mg Miligramas ml Mililitro μl Microlitros ANOVA Análise de variância múltipla DMSO Dimetil sulfóxido
Statistics for Lawyers

Descriptive Statistics. - Introduction to descriptive statistics. - How to Count. - Elements of Probability. - Some Probability Distributions. - Statistical Inference for Two Proportions. - Comparing Multiple Proportions. - Comparing Means. - Combining Evidence Across Independent Strata. - Sampling Issues. - Epidemiology. - Survival Analysis. - Nonparametric Methods. - Regression Models. - More Complex Regression Models. - Appendix I: Calculations and Comments on the Cases. - Appendix II: Tables. - Glossary of Symbols. - List of Cases. - Bibliography. - Subject Index.
Altered Thyroid Function and Structure in Children and Adolescents Who Are Overweight and Obese: Reversal After Weight Loss.

CONTEXT Obesity is associated with hypothyroidism and goiter. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to verify whether thyroid structure and function would improve after weight loss. DESIGN AND PATIENTS We evaluated 96 children who were overweight/obese who showed an altered parenchymal pattern at thyroid ultrasound without circulating antithyroid antibodies. At phase 1, body mass index (BMI), SD score (SDS), body composition, free T4 (fT4), TSH, high-sensitivity C reactive protein (CRPhs), white blood cells, metabolic profile, and a thyroid ultrasound were assessed. Thyroid volume was expressed as SDS on the basis of the references values for age. Alterations in echogenicity and homogeneity were graded from 0 to 5 (thyroid score). The same parameters were re-examined after a weight loss program (phase 2). RESULTS After a mean period of treatment of 0.8 ± 0.3 years, there was a significant decrease of BMI SDS, percentage fat mass, CRPhs, TSH, and thyroid volume SDS (all P < 0.0001), whereas fT4 remained unchanged. The thyroid score significantly improved (z = -9088; P < 0.0001) [i.e., it decreased in 82 individuals, was tied in 12, and worsened only in two subjects; the score completely normalized in 48 (50%) individuals]. BMI SDS reduction was a unique predictor of the decrease of TSH, thyroid volume, and structure, whereas CRPhs reduction was an independent predictor only for the TSH change. Moreover, CRPhs variations mediated the association between BMI SDS and TSH. CONCLUSION The alterations of thyroid function and structure in children with obesity are reversible after weight loss.
Generalized psychological distress among HIV-infected patients enrolled in antiretroviral treatment in Dilla University Hospital, Gedeo zone, Ethiopia.

Background Psychological disorders like depression and anxiety are potentially dangerous conditions. In the context of HIV/AIDS, this can influence health-seeking behavior or uptake of diagnosis and treatment for HIV/AIDS, add to the burden of disease for HIV patients, create difficulty in adherence to treatment, and increase the risk of mortality and morbidity. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of generalized psychological distress among HIV-infected subjects on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Design An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 500 patients initiating ART at Dilla Referral Hospital. Generalized psychological distress was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A cutoff score ≥19 was used to identify possible cases of patients with generalized psychological distress. Multivariable logistic regression analysis using SPSS Version 20 was performed to identify factors associated with psychological distress. Results The prevalence of generalized psychological distress among the population of this study was 11.2% (HADS≥19). Factors independently associated with generalized psychological distress were moderate stress (OR=6.87, 95% CI 2.27-20.81), low social support (OR=10.17, 95% CI 2.85-36.29), number of negative life events of six and above (OR=3.99, 95% CI 1.77-8.99), not disclosing HIV status (OR=5.24, 95% CI 1.33-20.62), and CD4 cell count of <200 cells/mm3 (OR=1.98, 95% CI 0.45-0.83) and 200-499 cells/mm3 (OR=3.53, 95% CI 1.62-7.73). Conclusions This study provides prevalence of psychological distress lower than the prevalence of common mental disorders in Ethiopia and comparable to some other studies in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings are important in terms of their relevance to identifying high-risk groups for generalized psychological distress and preventing distress through integrating mental health services with HIV/AIDS care and support program.
Positive Impacts of Electronic hand-off systems designs on Nurses' communication effectiveness.

AIM Different designs of electronic hand-off systems might have different levels of effectiveness; this study validated the effectiveness of systems with an Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (ISBAR) design to one without such a design. BACKGROUND Adverse consequences in hospital commonly occur when there are breakdowns in the transmission of information between team members. To ensure information accuracy and consistency, some Taiwan hospitals implemented electronic hand-off systems. However, the effectiveness of such systems was not investigated. METHODS A quasi-experiment was conducted to the nurses of two Taiwan case hospitals, one with ISBAR and the other with non-ISBAR design systems and 200 questionnaires were used to collect data. RESULTS The respondent rate was 72%. Using system with ISBAR design, nurses can enhance their communication effectiveness and further increase their individual benefits at hand-off. Using a non-ISBAR hand-off system, communication effectiveness depends solely on the nurses' individual cognitive and expressive ability. CONCLUSION System with ISBAR design can ensure effective information transmission among nurses for care continuity and prevention of adverse events. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Ensuring the design of electronic systems is adequate, nursing managers can save nurses' time and effort while using the system to perform their regular work effectively and gain competitive advantage.
Safe and Sustained Expression of Human Iduronidase After Intrathecal Administration of Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 9 in Infant Rhesus Monkeys.

Many neuropathic diseases cause early, irreversible neurologic deterioration, which warrants therapeutic intervention during the first months of life. In the case of mucopolysaccharidosis type I, a recessive lysosomal storage disorder that results from a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-l-iduronidase (IDUA), one of the most promising treatment approaches is to restore enzyme expression through gene therapy. Specifically, administering pantropic adeno-associated virus (AAV) encoding IDUA into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via suboccipital administration has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in large animals. Preclinical safety studies conducted in adult nonhuman primates supported a positive risk-benefit profile of the procedure while highlighting potential subclinical toxicity to primary sensory neurons located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). This study investigated the long-term performance of intrathecal cervical AAV serotype 9 gene transfer of human IDUA administered to 1-month-old rhesus monkeys (N = 4) with half of the animals tolerized to the human transgene at birth via systemic administration of an AAV serotype 8 vector expressing human IDUA from the liver. Sustained expression of the transgene for almost 4 years is reported in all animals. Transduced cells were primarily pyramidal neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, lower motor neurons, and DRG neurons. Both tolerized and non-tolerized animals were robust and maintained transgene expression as measured by immunohistochemical analysis of brain tissue. However, the presence of antibodies in the non-tolerized animals led to a loss of measurable levels of secreted enzyme in the CSF. These results support the safety and efficiency of treating neonatal rhesus monkeys with AAV serotype 9 gene therapy delivered into the CSF.
Policies towards donation after circulatory death liver transplantation: the need for a guideline?

Liver transplantation (LT) using grafts from donation after circulatory death (DCD) is evolving to standard of care in many countries. Various transplant centers have developed a protocol for DCD‐LT. The existence of numerous protocols may cause inconsistencies. Knowledge of these differences may help improve the outcome of DCD‐LT.
Fifteen-year trend in treatment outcomes among patients with pulmonary smear-positive tuberculosis and its determinants in Arsi Zone, Central Ethiopia.

Background Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) strategy is aimed at diagnosing 70% of infectious tuberculosis (TB) and curing 85% of it. Arsi Zone of Ethiopia piloted DOTS strategy in 1992. Since then, the trend in treatment outcomes in general and at district-level in particular has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to analyse the trend in TB treatment outcomes and audit district-level treatment outcomes in the 25 districts of Arsi Zone. Design A retrospective cohort study design was employed to audit pulmonary smear-positive (PTB + ) patients registered between 1997 and 2011. Demographic and related data were collected from the TB unit registers between January and March 2013. The 15-year trend in treatment outcomes among PTB+ patients and district-level treatment outcomes was computed. Results From 14,221 evaluated PTB+ cases, 11,888 (83.6%) were successfully treated. The treatment success rate (TSR) varied from 69.3 to 92.5%, defaulter rate from 2.5 to 21.6%, death rate from 1.6 to 11.1%, and failure rate from 0 to 3.6% across the 25 districts of the zone. The trend in TSR increased from 61 to 91% with the increase of population DOTS coverage from 18 to 70%. There was a declining trend in defaulter rate from 29.9 to 2.1% and death rate from 8.8 to 5.4% over 15 years. Patients aged 25-49 years (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR), 0.23; 95% CI: 0.21-0.26) and ≥50 years (AOR, 0.43; 95% CI: 0.32-0.59), re-treatment cases (AOR, 0.61; 0.41, 0.67), and TB/HIV co-infection cases (AOR, 0.45; 95% CI: 0.31-0.53) were associated with unsuccessful treatment outcomes. Conclusions DOTS expansion and improving population DOTS coverage in Arsi has led to a significant increase in treatment success and decrease in death and defaulter rates. However, there is a major variation in treatment outcomes across the 25 districts of the zone, so district-specific intervention strategy needs to be considered. The low TSR among re-treatment cases might be due to the high rate of MDR-TB among this group, and the issue needs to be further investigated to identify the extent of the problem.
Sociodemographic and socioeconomic patterns of chronic non-communicable disease among the older adult population in Ghana.

Background In Ghana, the older adult population is projected to increase from 5.3% of the total population in 2015 to 8.9% by 2050. National and local governments will need information about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this population in order to allocate health system resources and respond to the health needs of older adults. Design The 2007/08 Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 in Ghana used face-to-face interviews in a nationally representative sample of persons aged 50-plus years. Individual respondents were asked about their overall health, diagnosis of 10 chronic non-communicable conditions, and common health risk factors. A number of anthropometric and health measurements were also taken in all respondents, including height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and blood pressure (BP). Results This paper includes 4,724 adults aged 50-plus years. The highest prevalence of self-reported chronic conditions was for hypertension [14.2% (95% CI 12.8-15.6)] and osteoarthritis [13.8%, (95% CI 11.7-15.9)]. The figure for hypertension reached 51.1% (95% CI 48.9-53.4) when based on BP measurement. The prevalence of current smokers was 8.1% (95% CI 7.0-9.2), while 2.0 (95% CI 1.5-2.5) were infrequent/frequent heavy drinkers, 67.9% (95% CI 65.2-70.5) consume insufficient fruits and vegetables, and 25.7% (95% CI 23.1-28.3) had a low level of physical activity. Almost 10% (95% CI 8.3-11.1) of adults were obese and 77.6% (95% CI 76.0-79.2) had a high-risk waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Risks from tobacco and alcohol consumption continued into older age, while insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, low physical activity and obesity increased with increasing age. The patterns of risk factors varied by income quintile, with higher prevalence of obesity and low physical activity in wealthier respondents, and higher prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake and smoking in lower-income respondents. The multivariate analysis showed that only urban/rural residence and body mass index (BMI) were common determinates of both self-reported and measured hypertension, while all other determinants have differing patterns. Conclusions The findings show a high burden of chronic diseases in the older Ghanaian population, as well as high rates of modifiable health risk factors. The government could consider targeting these health behaviors in conjunction with work to improve enrolment rates in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Competitive regulation of alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation by hnRNP H and CstF64 determines acetylcholinesterase isoforms.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), encoded by the ACHE gene, hydrolyzes the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to terminate synaptic transmission. Alternative splicing close to the 3' end generates three distinct isoforms of AChET, AChEH and AChER We found that hnRNP H binds to two specific G-runs in exon 5a of human ACHE and activates the distal alternative 3' splice site (ss) between exons 5a and 5b to generate AChET Specific effect of hnRNP H was corroborated by siRNA-mediated knockdown and artificial tethering of hnRNP H. Furthermore, hnRNP H competes for binding of CstF64 to the overlapping binding sites in exon 5a, and suppresses the selection of a cryptic polyadenylation site (PAS), which additionally ensures transcription of the distal 3' ss required for the generation of AChET Expression levels of hnRNP H were positively correlated with the proportions of the AChET isoform in three different cell lines. HnRNP H thus critically generates AChET by enhancing the distal 3' ss and by suppressing the cryptic PAS. Global analysis of CLIP-seq and RNA-seq also revealed that hnRNP H competitively regulates alternative 3' ss and alternative PAS in other genes. We propose that hnRNP H is an essential factor that competitively regulates alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation.
Flipping your classroom: Without flipping out

There is some contention as to who are considered to be the pioneers of flipped learning. Within the secondary school system Bergman and Sams, who used live video recordings and screencast software in 2007, are frequently mentioned [13]; while within the tertiary sector, Mazur’s work on peer instruction is often highlighted [4, 5]. While the phrase ‘flipped learning’ may be relatively new it has been practised by numerous academics and teachers for decades, and is the disciplinary norm in some contexts, for example, it is extensively used in social science classes.
FUNDAMENTAL PERFORMANCE LIMITS OF WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Understanding the fundamental performance limits of wireless sensor networks is critical towards their appropriate deployment strategies. Both the data transmission rate and the lifetime of sensor networks can be constrained, due to interference among the transmissions and the limited energy source of the sensor. In addition to presenting the general results with respect to the maximum sustainable throughput of wireless sensor networks, this chapter focuses on the discussion of the energy-constrained fundamental limits with respect to the network throughput and lifetime. With an adequate definition of operational lifetimes, our asymptotic analysis shows that, with fixed node densities, operational lifetime of sensor networks decreases in the order of 1/n as the number of initially deployed nodes n grows. Even with renewable energy sources on each of the sensors (e.g., solar energy sources), our analysis concludes that the maximum sustainable throughput in energyconstrained sensor networks scales worse than the capacity based on interference among concurrent transmissions as long as the physical network size grows with n in the order greater than log n. In this case, when the number of nodes is sufficiently high, the energy-constrained network capacity
CArbon dioxide surgical field flooding and aortic NO-touch off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting to reduce Neurological injuries after surgical coronary revascularisation (CANON): protocol for a randomised, controlled, investigator and patient blinded single-centre superiority trial with three pa

Introduction Neurological injuries remain a major concern following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) that offsets survival benefit of CABG over percutaneous coronary interventions. Among numerous efforts to combat this issue is the development of off-pump CABG (OPCABG) that obviates the need for extracorporeal circulation and is associated with improved neurological outcomes. The objective of this study is to examine whether the neuroprotective effect of OPCABG can be further pronounced by the use of two state-of-the-art operating techniques. Methods and analysis In this randomised, controlled, investigator and patient blinded single-centre superiority trial with three parallel arms, a total of 360 patients will be recruited. They will be allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to two treatment arms and one control arm. Treatment arms undergoing either aortic no-touch OPCABG or OPCABG with partial clamp applying carbon dioxide surgical field flooding will be compared against control arm undergoing OPCABG with partial clamp. The primary endpoint will be the appearance of new lesions on control brain MRI 3 days after surgery. Secondary endpoints will include the prevalence of new focal neurological deficits in the first 7 days after surgery, the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction at either 1 week or 3 months after surgery and the incidence of delirium in the first 7 days after surgery. Data will be analysed on intention-to-treat principles and a per protocol basis. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted for this study. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed media. Trial registration number NCT03074604; Pre-results. Date and version identifier 10-Mar-2017 Original
Being publicly diagnosed: A grounded theory study of Danish patients with tuberculosis.

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease which affects people worldwide, but there is knowledge lacking about patients' experiences in low-prevalence and high-income countries. Aim To provide a theoretical framework for the process of being diagnosed with tuberculosis in a Danish setting. Method A grounded theory design with field studies and qualitative interviews, following the recommendations from Glaser and Strauss. Result A process of being publicly diagnosed was identified, which developed during the patient's trajectory from being on the way to becoming a patient, becoming a patient with TB, and finally being in medical treatment. Before being diagnosed with TB, patients were weighing between biding their time and deciding to undergo an examination. Social pressure and feelings of social responsibility tended to affect the decision. Having undergone the examination(s), the patients were publicly diagnosed. Being publicly diagnosed meant changing social interactions and fighting to regain control. Conclusion Findings offer new insight and an empirically derived basis for developing interventions aimed at reducing the burden of being diagnosed with tuberculosis and increasing the wellbeing of the patients.