Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association Between Diabetes Control and Visits to a Multidisciplinary Pediatric Diabetes Clinic

Objective. To determine if there is a relationship between diabetes outcome as measured by HbA1C and the number of multidisciplinary clinic visits per year in children and youth with diabetes. Research Design and Methods. The number of clinic visits per year, the mean HbA1C (by DCA 2000, Miles, Tarrytown, NY), type of insurance, parental marital status, parental age, maximal parental grade level achieved, family income, self-identified race, and scores on adherence and knowledge tests were compared for 1995 in 360 patients with a mean age of 11.6 ± 4.8 years (1–2 visits, 85 patients; 3–4 visits, 275 patients), for 1996 in 412 patients with a mean age of 11.6 ± 4.7 years (1–2 visits, 115 patients; 3–4 visits, 297 patients), and for 1997 in 442 patients with a mean age of 11.8 ± 4.9 years (1–2 visits, 126 patients; 3–4 visits, 332 patients). Results. There was a significant difference in the mean HbA1C levels between subjects with 1 to 2 visits versus 3 to 4 visits during the 3 years of this study. In 1995, the mean HbA1C was 9.0 ± 2.0% for subjects with 1 to 2 visits and 8.3 ± 1.6% for subjects with 3 to 4 visits. In 1996, the mean HbA1C was 9.3 ± 2.0% for subjects with 1 to 2 visits and 8.4 ± 1.6% in those with 3 to 4 visits, whereas in 1997, the mean HbA1C was 9.1 ± 1.9% with 1 to 2 visits and 8.3 ± 1.5% with 3 to 4 visits. There was a significant difference in the number of visits by the age of the subject. The mean age of patients with 1 to 2 visits was 13.6 ± 4.5 years; it was 10.8 ± 4.6 years with 3 to 4 visits. However, for age groups <13 years versus ≥13 years, there was still a difference between HbA1C levels for subjects with 1 to 2 visits compared with 3 to 4 visits (8.9 ± 1.7% versus 8.1 ± 1.3%, respectively). The only patient/family characteristic that had an association with number of visits was the marital status of the parents. Children from single-parent households had fewer visits. There was no association between health insurance status and number of visits and there was no difference between the number of visits and the mean scores on tests of adherence or knowledge. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of visits was a significant predictor of HbA1C even after controlling for age, duration of diabetes, and scores on adherence and knowledge tests. Conclusions. The finding that subjects with more frequent visits to a multidisciplinary diabetes clinic had lower HbA1C levels during the 3 years of this study suggests that strategies should be developed to promote adherence with quarterly visits, particularly targeted to children from single-parent households and to teens.
Modeling utilitarian-hedonic dual mediation (UHDM) in the purchase and use of games

Purpose – It is assumed that consumers consume games to experience hedonic and utilitarian value. However, there is no conceptual model or empirical evidence that supports this hypothesis in the game context or clarifies whether these consumption values have dual mediated or individual effects. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to model the relationship between hedonic and utilitarian consumption and game purchase and usage.Design/methodology/approach – This research question is answered through two studies. In Study One, qualitative interviews with 18 gamers were implemented to explore the relationship between hedonic and utilitarian consumption and, game purchase and usage behaviour. In Study Two, we surveyed 493 consumers and conducted confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling across four game types to model this relationship.Findings – The paper concludes that hedonic rather than utilitarian consumption positively impacts purchase and usage. Support was also found for the.
Accuracy analysis of GPS positioning near the forest environment

Nacrtak GPS has become an essential tool for georeferencing. In some cases, GPS is used for unfavorable conditions although it was developed for open field studies. This paper analyzes the achievable accuracy and performance of GPS near the forest. Three surveying marks have been established with the distance seperation five meter in length. TwoGPS campaigns were conducted for the selected marks in the forest. The same campaign was repeated once again after the forest was cut off. The experiments demonstrate the degradation of the GPS accuracy due to the forest. As a result, the largest horizontal accuracy errors were found to be in the forest. Horizontal accuracy errors were the smallest in the area without obstacles. Large vertical accuracy errors were produced in the forest; however vertical accuracy errors were also relatively small after the forest was cut off. The standard deviations improved by about 50–70% for both baselines and height differences when the forest was cut off. In conclusion, tree canopies greatly affected both horizontal and vertical accuracy.
Continuing presence of rinderpest virus as a threat in East Africa, 1983-1985

The re-emergence of rinderpest virus in East Africa in 1979 caused widespread outbreaks of disease and subclinical infection throughout the region until mid-1983. Subsequent massive emergency vaccination campaigns have been successful in eliminating clinical rinderpest from Tanzania and preventing its spread southwards. Unfortunately the virus is still endemic in north-eastern Uganda and has recently caused epidemic outbreaks with high mortality in cattle in that country. In Kenya, buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) in and around the Masai Mara game reserve have developed antibodies to rinderpest virus as recently as late 1984. Although there have been no outbreaks of clinical disease in Tanzania or Kenya from April 1983 to the end of 1985 this serological evidence plus the increasing incidence of clinical outbreaks in Uganda indicate that rinderpest virus still threatens East Africa. The substantial aid which has been provided to the region for rinderpest control must be maintained.
Oral Sugar Clearance in Individuals with Oral Motor Dysfunctions

Feeding problems due to impaired oral motor functions resulting in prolonged meals are common among persons with brain damage. The aim of the present investigation was to study the oral sugar clearance in 16 individuals with oral motor dysfunction (OMD) and 16 individuals with normal oral functions (control group). Repeated saliva samples were collected on filter paper discs at two locations before and during 30 min after intake of a glucose tablet. The individuals with OMD had significantly higher initial glucose concentrations in saliva and longer glucose elimination time compared to the control group. For some of the subjects with OMD, sugar clearance was extremely slow. The sugar clearance time was positively related to the severity of drooling problems, but not to the degree of dysphagia. The results from this study indicate that individuals with OMD have an increased risk of dental caries.
Dynamics of hemispheric dominance for language assessed by magnetoencephalographic imaging

The goal of the current study was to examine the dynamics of language lateralization using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging, to determine the sensitivity and specificity of MEG imaging, and to determine whether MEG imaging can become a viable alternative to the intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP), the current gold standard for preoperative language lateralization in neurosurgical candidates.
Energy intake of shift workers compared to fixed day workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Shift work is an established risk factor for a number of chronic conditions associated with excess energy intake including obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. This systematic review investigated whether the 24 h energy intake of shift workers differs to that of fixed day workers. Included articles compared energy intake of shift workers (shift included midnight) with fixed day workers. There were 10 367 day workers and 4726 shift workers from 12 studies included in the qualitative analysis and meta-analyses. The standardised mean difference (95% CI) in energy intake between shift and day workers was −0.04 (−0.11, 0.03); I2 = 54%. Qualitative results on macronutrient intakes were conflicting. Reported energy intakes were not different between day workers and shift workers, suggesting that other factors such as circadian misalignment, meal timing, food choice and diurnal variation of energy metabolism at night may be responsible for the increased rates of obesity observed in shift workers. Guidance on health and well-being is required for this at-risk population group.
The effect of different knee angles on knee volume measured with the Perometer® device in uninjured subjects *

The Perometer® is an optoelectronic device used to calculate limb volume. However, knee angle effect on knee volume during a Perometer measurement has not been reported. This could be a potential confounding factor in assessing knee volume in subjects with impaired knee mobility and where volume measurements are taken over time. To address this issue, bilateral knee volume measurements were recorded from 20 uninjured subjects in seven different knee angles from 0–60° flexion. All 40 knees were not measured in all seven angles because of obstruction of the measurement frame when some knees were in 50° and 60° flexion. Thus, the volume data was separated into three subgroups for analysis: 40 knees at knee flexion angles 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40°; 36 knees at 50°; and 16 knees at 60°. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference between the volume measurements in the three subgroups: 0–40° knee flexion [F(4,156) = 35·146, P<0·001], 50° knee flexion (F(5,175) = 56·826, P<0·001] and 60° knee flexion, [F(6,90) = 45·825, P<0·001]. Subsequent paired t‐tests showed statistically significant [P<0·001] differences in knee volume for all angle comparisons except for 0 and 10° (absolute volume difference of 1·2 ml; P = 0·772) and 0 and 20° (absolute volume difference of 10·9 ml; P = 0·036) (Bonferroni adjustment applied). The absolute values of the differences that were shown to be statistically significantly different ranged from 12–47 ml for the 0–40° subgroup; 39–85 ml for the 50° subgroup and 35–107 ml for the 60° subgroup. In conclusion, knee angle affects Perometer knee volume measurements and statistically significant differences occur as knee flexion exceeds 20° with greater differences occurring as the knee is more flexed. Hence, knee angle should be reproduced in re‐testing and in side‐to‐side comparisons when evaluating knee volume with the Perometer.
Measurement properties of tools used to assess depression in adults with and without autism spectrum conditions: A systematic review

Depression is the most commonly experienced mental health condition in adults with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). However, it is unclear what tools are currently being used to assess depression in ASC, or whether tools need to be adapted for this group. This systematic review therefore aimed to identify tools used to assess depression in adults with and without ASC, and then evaluate these tools for their appropriateness and measurement properties. Medline, PsychINFO and Web of Knowledge were searched for studies of depression in: (a) adults with ASC, without co‐morbid intellectual disability; and (b) adults from the general population without co‐morbid conditions. Articles examining the measurement properties of these tools were then searched for using a methodological filter in PubMed, and the quality of the evidence was evaluated using the COSMIN checklist. Twelve articles were identified which utilized three tools to assess depression in adults with ASC, but only one article which assessed the measurement properties of one of these tools was identified and thus evaluated. Sixty‐four articles were identified which utilized five tools to assess depression in general population adults, and fourteen articles had assessed the measurement properties of these tools. Overall, two tools were found to be robust in their measurement properties in the general population—the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI‐II), and the patient health questionnaire (PHQ‐9). Crucially only one study was identified from the COSMIN search, which showed weak evidence in support of the measurement properties of the BDI‐II in an ASC sample. Implications for effective measurement of depression in ASC are discussed. Autism Res 2018, 11: 738–754. © 2018 The Authors Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Estudo da ação estimulatória de andrógenos sobre o transporte de cálcio e a secreção de insulina em célula beta de pâncreas de rato

In men, testosterone and bioavailable testosterone levels ( free and and albumin-bound) decline with age, with high risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. It has been already shown the classic action of testosterone (genomic effect) on the insulin synthesis and release in rat pancreas. The objective of this survey is to determine: 1) the specific non-classical action of testosterone, nandrolone and other sex steroids on insulin secretion in isolated pancreatic islets from adult male rats; 2) aminoacids influence on this action; 3) testosterone action on amino acid transport; 4) the participation of L-type voltagegated Ca channels and KATP channels in the testosterone and nandrolone action on the Ca uptake; 5) the participation of phospholipase C via in the testosterone action on the Ca uptake. The islets were isolated from the pancreas of 3 male Wistar rats (weighing between 180 and 200g) per experiment by the technique of Lacy and Kostianovsky (Diabetes, 16:35-39, 1967). In the experiments of insulin secretion, samples of 10μL of isolated islets were preincubated for 30 minutes and incubated for 3 minutes in the presence or absence of testosterone (1μM), T-BSA (1μM), nandrolone (1μM), 17β-estradiol (10 nM) or progesterone (1μM) in a Dubnoff metabolic incubator in KRb-HEPES buffer with 3 mM glucose at 37oC, pH 7,4 and constant gasification constante with carbogen (O2:CO2; 95:5; v/v). In experiments with glutamine, lysine, alanine and leucine, the islets were incubated for another 3 minutes with these amino acids. The incubation was stopped in an ice bath. The tubes containing the islets were centrifuged for 2 minutes at 45xG, the supernatant collected and insulin measured by radioimmunoassay. In the experiment of amino acid uptake, isolated islets (10μL)
Radiochemotherapy after transurethral resection for high-risk T1 bladder cancer: an alternative to intravesical therapy or early cystectomy?

PURPOSE For high-risk T1 bladder cancer, the most important issue is how to restrict radical cystectomy to selective patients with a high likelihood of tumor progression and to choose an initial bladder-sparing approach in others without affecting survival. Radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy (RT/RCT) may help to strike a balance between intravesical treatment and early cystectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 1982 and 2004, 141 patients with high-risk T1 bladder cancer (84 patients with T1 grade 3 [T1G3]; others with T1G1/2 and associated carcinoma-in-situ, multifocality, tumor diameter > 5 cm, or multiple recurrences) were treated with RT (n = 28) or platinum-based RCT (n = 113) after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). Six weeks after RT/RCT, response was evaluated by restaging TURBT. Salvage cystectomy was recommended for patients with persistent disease and for tumor progression after initial complete response (CR). Median follow-up was 62 months; 65 patients have been observed for 5 years or more. RESULTS CR was achieved in 121 of 137 patients (88%; four patients without restaging TURBT). Tumor progression for the entire group of 141 patients was 19% and 30% at 5 and 10 years, respectively (for 121 patients with CR, 15% and 29%; for 84 patients with T1G3, 13% and 29%, respectively). Disease-specific survival rates were 82% and 73% at 5 and 10 years (CR, 89% and 79%; T1G3, 80% and 71%, respectively). More than 80% of survivors preserved their bladder; 70.4% were "delighted" or "pleased" with their urinary function. CONCLUSION RT/RCT after TURBT with selective bladder preservation is a reasonable alternative to intravesical treatment or early cystectomy for high-risk T1 bladder cancer.
Nerthus: A Bowel Preparation Quality Video Dataset

Bowel preparation (cleansing) is considered to be a key precondition for successful colonoscopy (endoscopic examination of the bowel). The degree of bowel cleansing directly affects the possibility to detect diseases and may influence decisions on screening and follow-up examination intervals. An accurate assessment of bowel preparation quality is therefore important. Despite the use of reliable and validated bowel preparation scales, the grading may vary from one doctor to another. An objective and automated assessment of bowel cleansing would contribute to reduce such inequalities and optimize use of medical resources. This would also be a valuable feature for automatic endoscopy reporting in the future. In this paper, we present Nerthus, a dataset containing videos from inside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, showing different degrees of bowel cleansing. By providing this dataset, we invite multimedia researchers to contribute in the medical field by making systems automatically evaluate the quality of bowel cleansing for colonoscopy. Such innovations would probably contribute to improve the medical field of GI endoscopy.
Rauscher leukemia as a model for studies of marrow transplantation therapy: Results using syngeneic, allogeneic and hybrid donors

SJL/J mice with leukemia induced in their own cells by Rauscher leukemia virus were treated by marrow transplantation therapy. The results obtained using syngeneic, hybrid and two different allogeneic donors were compared. All types of donor tissue produced some degree of protection; the lowest was yielded by SJL/J cells and the highest by C57BL/10J. The incidence of leukemia recurrence after therapy varied with the donor strain used. The highest and earliest recurrence was seen with SJL/J donors. The use of leukemia‐resistant SJB10F1 hybrids resulted in protracted remissions followed by late relapse, which was possibly related to reemergence of host leukemogenic clones not previously eliminated by the pretransplant marrow ablation treatment. A distinctly different pattern of late deaths was seen with the use of allogeneic donors, suggesting a possible graft‐vs‐leukemia effect. Graft‐vs‐host (GvH) response was not evident following transplantation of either the hybrid or syngeneic marrow, as determined from studies using normal SJL/J mice as recipients. GvH disease was found using both types of allogeneic donors, C57BL/10J and 129/J. However, although both allogeneic donors were of the same histocompatibility type, H‐2b, they differed in the level of fatal GvH response induced when used as donors. This suggests the possibility of an influence of « minor » histocompatibility factors affecting GvH response incidence and animal survival. The similarities between the model and the results of treatment of human leukemia by marrow transplantation therapy are discussed, and the possible future use of the model to study means of achieving lower leukemia recurrence through better marrow ablation, and to study the question of whether there is a graft‐vs‐leukemia effect related to GvH response, is proposed.
Associations between Obesity, Body Fat Distribution, Weight Loss and Weight Cycling on Serum Pesticide Concentrations.

OBJECTIVE Preliminary studies suggest pesticides may be linked to increased cancer risk. Since most pesticides are lipophilic and stored within adipose tissue, serum levels of organochlorines are affected not only by environmental exposures, but also by factors related to lipid turnover and storage. Our objective was to investigate whether serum organochlorines are influenced by weight loss, body fat distribution, and weight cycling. METHODS Ten overweight women were recruited upon entry into a weight loss program and surveyed regarding weight history, childbearing/lactation, and exposure to environmental contaminants. Anthropometric measures and phlebotomy were conducted at baseline and at four weeks (mean weight loss=5.1 kg). Serum was analyzed for 19 common polychlorinated pesticides and metabolites and 10 PCB congeners. RESULTS Organochlorine levels were not significantly affected by weight loss nor associated with body mass index (BMI). Strong positive correlations were noted between levels of DDE/DDT and age (DDE β=0.6986/p=0.0246/DDT β=0.6536/p=0.0404) and between DDE/DDT and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (DDE β=0.4356/p=0.0447/DDT β=0.8108/p=0.0044). Trends were noted for decreased levels of DDT in women who reported more episodes of weight cycling. CONCLUSION Serum organochlorine levels may be affected not only by age, but also factors related to lipid turnover (i.e., episodes of weight cycling and WHR), and warrants further study.
Weighted decomposition of kinematics and dynamics of kinematically redundant manipulators

The kinematics and dynamics of kinematically redundant manipulators are to be decomposed in consistent way with the joint space decomposition induced by the weighted pseudo-inverse operation. The weighted kinematically decoupled joint space decomposition results to a family of decomposed kinematics and dynamics, parametrized by the symmetric positive-definite weight matrix, in the task motion and weighted null motion space. The inertially-decoupled weighted decomposition is shown to be only possible with the inertia as the weight. Also, the feedback motion controller which is consistent with a specific joint space decomposition is developed. The controller realizes the decoupled and linearized reference acceleration tracking controller in the task motion and weighted null motion space.
Population Attributable Fractions for Late Postnatal Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1 in Sub-Saharan Africa

Objectives:Assess population attributable fractions (PAFs) for late postnatal transmission (LPT) of HIV-1 in a cohort of HIV-1-exposed infants. Methods:We used data established from a risk factor analysis of LPT (negative HIV-1 results through the 4-6 week visit, but positive assays thereafter through the 12-month visit) from a perinatal clinical trial conducted in 3 sub-Saharan countries. PAFs were calculated as the proportions of excess LPTs attributed to identified risk factors. Results:For the cohort of 1317 infants, 206 (15.6%) had only low maternal CD4+ counts (<200 cells/mm3), 332 (25.2%) had only high maternal plasma viral loads (VLs) (>50,000 copies/mL), and 81 (6.2%) had both low CD4+ counts and high VLs. Their PAFs were 26.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 12.0% to 36.0%], 37.0% (95% CI: 22.0% to 51.0%), and 16.0% (95% CI: 6.0% to 25.0%), respectively. Conclusions:Our PAF analysis illustrates the public health impact of the substantial proportion of LPTs accounted for by high-risk women with both low CD4+ counts and high VLs. In light of these results, access to and use of antiretroviral therapy by high-risk HIV-1-infected pregnant women is essential. Additional strategies to reduce LPT for those not meeting criteria for antiretroviral therapy should be implemented.
Topics in unobserved components models

Questa tesi riguarda i modelli strutturali per le serie storiche conosciuti come modelli State Space. I modelli strutturali per le serie storiche sono una classe di modelli parametrici che si basano sulle componenti latenti. Il loro compito e di modellare le principali caratteristiche di una serie storica come per esempio il trend, ciclo economico e stagionalita. La tesi e divisa in tre parti : la prima parte (capitolo 2) riguarda i modelli a voltatilita stocastica, la seconda parte (capitolo 3) riguarda i modelli fattoriali e la terza ed ultima parte (capitolo 4) tratta la selezione di modelli in ambito Bayesiano. Una introduzione alla metodologia State Space e presente al capitolo 1.