Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conversational topics discussed by individuals with severe traumatic brain injury and their communication partners during sub-acute recovery

Abstract Primary objective: To investigate the nature and patterns of conversational topics discussed by individuals with severe TBI and familiar communication partners at 3 and 6 months post-injury, and to examine changes occurring in conversational topics during sub-acute recovery. Research design: Qualitative content analysis was used to explore the nature of topics and generate conversational themes. Topic analysis provided an understanding of conversational topic management by identifying patterns of topic initiation and maintenance. Methods: Twenty-two people with severe TBI and a familiar communication partner engaged in a 10-minute casual conversation on self-selected topics at 3 and 6 months post-injury. Main outcomes and results: Three main conversational themes were identified: connecting; re-engaging; and impacts of injury. The nature of topics related to these themes changed over time to reflect participants’ sub-acute rehabilitation experiences. Most conversational dyads maintained similar conversational and topic patterns during sub-acute recovery. Conclusions: Qualitative analysis provides a new insight into the conversational topics of individuals with severe TBI. Many participants engaged in appropriate conversations and discussed mutually important topics with familiar communication partners. Findings may inform speech-language pathology intervention in sub-acute recovery to improve conversational discourse abilities of individuals with severe TBI and support their communication partners.
Ovarian cancer survival in Ashkenazi Jewish patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

PURPOSE To compare the clinical characteristics and survival of Ashkenazi Jewish ovarian cancer patients with and without BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. METHODS An unselected series of 118 Ashkenazi Jewish ovarian cancer patients were screened for the three common founder mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. Patient survival and other clinical characteristics of the tumours were compared in patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and those without mutations. RESULTS Twenty-seven individuals with invasive carcinomas were found to have mutations (14 with 185delAG and one with 5382insC in BRCA1 and 12 with 6174delT in BRCA2). No mutations were identified in the 20 patients with borderline tumours. For the invasive carcinomas, there was a survival advantage for BRCA1 and BRCA2 patients compared to patients without mutations, though the differences were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in the histopathological characteristics of the tumours between the patient groups. CONCLUSION These results are similar to those of other studies and suggest that ovarian cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers may have a distinct clinical behaviour.
Quality of life and satisfaction of patients after nonsurgical primary root canal treatment provided by undergraduate students, graduate students and endodontic specialists.

AIM (i) To assess the impact of primary root canal treatment on the perceived quality of life amongst a cohort of Jordanian patients, (ii) to assess this cohort's satisfaction of their primary root canal treatment, and (iii) to evaluate the association of the level of training and experience of clinicians with these two parameters. METHODOLOGY A systematic random sample of 302 subjects was selected from patients who attended undergraduate, graduate and specialty clinics of Jordan University of Science and Technology. Participants were interviewed before and two weeks after completion of root canal treatment. The study instrument included the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (Dugas et al. 2002) and seven semantic differential scales. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and nonparametric analyses. RESULTS More than 90% of subjects reported improvements in the sense of taste, pain, eating, altering food temperature, self-consciousness, waking up during sleep, interruption of meals, difficulty to relax and difficulty to sleep after root canal treatment. There was no significant difference in terms of improvement amongst patients treated by specialists, graduate students or undergraduate students. The overall semantic differential score of intraoperative pain, pleasantness, chewing ability and general satisfaction was about 8. Satisfaction of root canal treatment by specialists was higher in terms of time involved, intraoperative pain, pleasantness and general satisfaction than those treatments by undergraduate students. Patients treated by specialist were least satisfied with the treatment cost compared to those patients treated by graduate or undergraduate students. CONCLUSIONS The impact of root canal treatment on the quality of life was apparent. Satisfaction with root canal treatment approximates 8 on the semantic differential scale with preference for specialists over dental students.
Rapid evolution of Cse4p-rich centromeric DNA sequences in closely related pathogenic yeasts, Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis

The Cse4p-containing centromere regions of Candida albicans have unique and different DNA sequences on each of the eight chromosomes. In a closely related yeast, C. dubliniensis, we have identified the centromeric histone, CdCse4p, and shown that it is localized at the kinetochore. We have identified putative centromeric regions, orthologous to the C. albicans centromeres, in each of the eight C. dubliniensis chromosomes by bioinformatic analysis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by PCR using a specific set of primers confirmed that these regions bind CdCse4p in vivo. As in C. albicans, the CdCse4p-associated core centromeric regions are 3–5 kb in length and show no sequence similarity to one another. Comparative sequence analysis suggests that the Cse4p-rich centromere DNA sequences in these two species have diverged faster than other orthologous intergenic regions and even faster than our best estimated “neutral” mutation rate. However, the location of the centromere and the relative position of Cse4p-rich centromeric chromatin in the orthologous regions with respect to adjacent ORFs are conserved in both species, suggesting that centromere identity is not solely determined by DNA sequence. Unlike known point and regional centromeres of other organisms, centromeres in C. albicans and C. dubliniensis have no common centromere-specific sequence motifs or repeats except some of the chromosome-specific pericentric repeats that are found to be similar in these two species. We propose that centromeres of these two Candida species are of an intermediate type between point and regional centromeres.
Decreased prevalence of celiac disease among Brazilian elderly.

AIM To evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease in a group of Brazilian individuals over 60 years of age and compare it with the previously known prevalence in a pediatric group living in the same geographical area. METHODS The research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Brasilia School of Medicine, Brasilia, Brazil. Blood samples from 946 individuals (295 male and 651 female) aged 60 years or older were collected between May 2010 and July 2011. The study subjects' mean and median ages were 68.1 and 67 years, respectively, ranging from 60 to 92 years. That age distribution closely corresponded to the age distribution of the Brazilian population according to the Brazilian 2010 census. The participants were consecutive and unselected outpatients undergoing blood tests at the University of Brasilia Hospital's Clinical Pathology Laboratory. All sera were tested for immunoglobulin A anti-transglutaminase antibodies (IgA-tTG) by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay, and those that were positive were further tested for immunoglobulin A anti-endomysium antibodies (IgA-EMA). Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping was performed for all individuals who exhibited positive serologic results for IgA-tTG and/or IgA-EMA. RESULTS Out of the 946 studied patients, only one previously diagnosed case of biopsy-proven celiac disease was detected. For the remaining subjects, nine serum samples tested positive for IgA-tTG antibodies; however, none of them tested positive for IgA-EMA antibodies. The HLA genotyping of those nine subjects revealed that one was carrying DQA1*0501 and two were carrying DQB1*0201 alleles. These data showed that, among those 946 elderly individuals, the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) was 0.1% (95%CI: 0.00-0.59). The prevalence of CD for the elderly group was compared with that observed for the group of 2034 children younger than 15 years (age range, 1-14 years; mean age, 8 years) who took part in our previous CD prevalence screening study. All the children came from the same geographical region and shared a similar ethnic and low-income background. As in the elderly group in the current study, the younger group was made up of consecutive outpatients who underwent blood evaluation at the University of Brasilia Hospital's Clinical Laboratory. The prevalence of biopsy-proven CD among those children was 0.54% (95%CI: 0.27-0.57). The comparative analysis between the two groups resulted in the following values: odds ratio = 0.19 (95%CI: 0.01-1.45) Fisher test P = 0.06. CONCLUSION The prevalence of CD among the children of our previous study was 5.4 times higher than that found in the present elderly group.
Impact Ionization Coefficients in 4H-SiC

Photomultiplication measurements using 244- and 325-nm excitation have been undertaken on a series of thick 4H-SiC avalanche diodes. With avalanche widths of between 2.7 and 6 mum and the ability to measure multiplication as low as 1.001, a much wider electric field range has been covered than reported to date. The results show that the hole ionization coefficient (beta) can be obtained with a high degree of accuracy down to electric fields as low as ~0.9 MV/cm. The value of electron ionization coefficient (alpha) has been determined from mixed carrier multiplication characteristics, and the beta/alpha ratio is found to increase significantly with decreasing electric fields. Ionization coefficients are parameterized over the electric field range from 0.9 to 5 MV/cm, enabling the multiplication and breakdown characteristics of 4H-SiC to be predicted accurately.
A multi-wall path loss model for indoor UWB propagation

The paper presents a propagation experiment performed in a modern office/laboratory building to investigate the UWB indoor channel behavior over the band 3.6-6 GHz. We accomplished measurements employing a correlative channel sounding technique. PN-sequence modulation is applied to a train of 0.4ns pulses and a pair of direct sequence UWB transmitter and a correlation receiver is used. We collected data under extremely heterogeneous propagation conditions. LOS measurements are carried out along the corridor and in the office environment, while a total of 10 /spl times/ 118 measurements are collected in NLOS scenarios, within office rooms, for a coverage range up to about 18 m. We describe the exploited measurement technique as well as the data processing approach. Finally. a multi-wall path loss model is recommended, instead of the classical single-slope model, to fairly evaluate the power decay with the link distance, separately taking into account the losses due to architectural obstacles intercepted by the direct paths of the propagating signals.
Evaluation of seven noninvasive models in staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Purpose Few studies have evaluated the validity of noninvasive models for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, with controversial results. In this study, we evaluated the ability of seven noninvasive models in staging liver fibrosis in a large cohort of CHB. Methods This is a retrospective study. A total of 1168 severe CHB patients with a clear diagnosis of liver fibrosis were included in this study. Data from routine laboratory tests were collected to establish noninvasive models. The stage of fibrosis was defined by the Metavir scoring system. Fibro-quotient, AST/ALT ratio, AST to PLT ratio index (APRI), cirrhosis discriminant score, age-PLT index (API), fibrosis index based on the four factors (FIB-4), and Lok’s model were adapted as noninvasive models in this study. Results FIB-4 (rs=0.542), API (rs=0.427), and Lok’s model (rs=0.452) showed a higher positive correlation with liver fibrosis in CHB patients than the other models. APRI, FIB-4, and Lok’s model were effective in distinguishing fibrotic stage. APRI, API, FIB-4, and Lok’s model were the most effective models in distinguishing significant (S1, S2) and extensive (S3, S4) fibrosis, with area under receiver-operating characteristic values of 0.721, 0.727, 0.789, and 0.712, respectively. However, only FIB-4 and Lok’s model showed higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value at the cutoff value of 1.433–1.858 and 0.415–0.511, respectively. Conclusion FIB-4 and Lok’s model are the most effective models for distinguishing significant and extensive fibrosis, whereas APRI, FIB-4, and Lok’s model are suitable for staging fibrosis in CHB patients.
HIV prevalence, attitudes and behaviour in clients of a confidential HIV testing and counselling centre in Uganda

Objective.To describe clients, operation and impact of an African public HIV testing and counselling centre. Design and setting.Analysis of samples from clients attending the AIDS Information Centre (AIC) in Kampala, Uganda in early 1991. Subjects.HIV-1-positive and HIV-negative consecutive clients (250 of each), 86 consecutive couples, and 200 consecutive clients who were HIV-negative in 1990 and were attending for their repeat test. Main outcome measures.HIV seroprevalence rates, attitudes, behaviour and behaviour change. Results.HIV-1 prevalence was 28% overall, 24% in men and 35% in women. Reasons for taking the HIV test were a planned marriage or a new relationship (27%; 84% in couples), to plan for the future (35%), distrust of sexual partner (14%) and illness or disease/death (not HIV-specific) of partner (20%). The majority of the reported intentions in response to a positive or a negative HIV test result were positive, demonstrating the ability to cope with this information. Of repeat clients, two (1%) had become HIV-1-positive. The majority of repeat clients reported one sexual partner only (67%) or sexual abstinence (25%). Compared with pre-test information from AIC clients attending for the first time, repeat clients reported casual sexual contacts less often (6 versus 25%) and, of those, the majority used condoms. Conclusions.Our study demonstrates the demand for and the feasibility of confidential HIV testing and counselling services in Uganda, and illustrates the value of these services in achieving behaviour changes. Such services should be considered an additional approach for the reduction of HIV transmission in Africa, especially in areas with high HIV seroprevalence rates.
Response of Creatine Kinase ( CK ) Levels in Diabetics Wistar Rats After Acute Physical Exercise

Junior MC, Spagnol AR, Pereira AS, Novais IP, de Castro MR, Anaruma CP, Valgas CP, Luciano E. Response of Creatine Kinase (CK) Levels in Diabetics Wistar Rats After Acute Physical Exercise. JEPonline 2013;16(2):99-111. This study examined the effects of acute exercise on hyperglycemia and kinetic behavior of creatine kinase (CK) in diabetic rats. Wistar rats were distributed into two groups: Exercise Control (C) and Exercise Diabetic (D). Diabetes mellitus was induced by alloxan monohydrate Sigma® (32 mg·kg of body weight). After 7 days, a glucose test was carried out. Animals with values equal to or higher than 200 mg·dL were considered diabetic. After 15 days, both groups were subjected to a single session of 30 min of swimming with a load of 4.5% body weight attached to the dorsal region. Biochemical analyses were performed moments before, immediately after, and at 18 hrs, 24 hrs, 48 hrs, and 96 hrs after aerobic physical exercise through the collection of blood using heparinized capillary. The serum was withdrawn and used for determination of creatine kinase (CK). The CK concentrations were higher at the time immediately after exercise in diabetics (P<0.05). In the control group, there was a tendency of decreased levels of CK after exercise, and at 24 hrs CK levels were lower than at pre exercise. There were significant differences between groups, thus characterizing a higher state of injury in diabetic animals throughout the experiment. Although moderate aerobic exercise caused a reduction of glucose levels in the diabetic rats, there was an increase in the levels of CK that reflects a greater muscular injury.
Effects of duodenal fat, protein or mixed‐nutrient infusions on epigastric sensations during sustained gastric distension in healthy humans

Duodenal fat modulates sensory and motor responses to gastric distension and raises plasma cholecystokinin compared with glucose. The effects of protein (also releasing cholecystokinin), or mixed nutrients (with a balanced macronutrient composition), on gastrointestinal sensations in relation to gastric relaxation and plasma cholecystokinin concentrations are not known. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the effects of duodenal infusion of fat, protein or mixed nutrients during sustained gastric distension (mimicking the intragastric presence of food) on these parameters. In 10 healthy subjects, gastric distension to fullness was maintained for 90 min, while gastric volume, sensations and plasma cholecystokinin were monitored during duodenal infusion of isotonic saline or nutrients (2 kcal min−1). During saline infusion, all parameters remained unchanged for 90 min. Initially, only lipid increased plasma cholecystokinin, gastric volume and scores for sensations. Cholecystokinin and gastric volume responses to protein and mixed nutrients were delayed and not associated with significant changes in sensations. In conclusion, the intensity of gastrointestinal sensations is related to, but not entirely explained by, the magnitude in intragastric volume and plasma cholecystokinin changes. Our results offer new insights into the role of dietary nutrient composition in gastrointestinal sensations, and may have implications for the dietary management of digestive symptoms.
Nest density, clutch size and egg dimensions of the hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix)

Dolenec, Z. : Nest density, clutch size and egg dimensions of the hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix). Nat. Croat. , Vol. 15, No. 4. , 231–235, 2006, Zagreb. This study was conducted in Krapina river valley in north-western Croatia during 2004 – 2005. The mean nest density of the hooded crow on the research was 3.73 nest/km2. The mean clutch size was 4.34 and egg size (volume) was 17.63 cm3. Mean egg length (2004 – 2005) was 41.11 mm, breadth 28.97 mm and egg shape index 1.42. The positive correlation between length and breadth was (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between clutch size and the volume of eggs (p>0.05).
Perceived Health: A Test of Incremental Validity in Relation to Smoking Outcome Expectancies, Motivation to Smoke and Desire to Quit Smoking

This study examined the role of perceived health in predicting theoretically‐relevant aspects of smoking behavior among 161 young adult regular smokers (67 females; mean age = 21.9 years (SD = 7.2), cigarettes per day (M) = 12.2 (SD = 5.7)) recruited from the general community. Consistent with prediction, results indicated that relative to anxiety sensitivity, gender, number of cigarettes smoked per day and nicotine dependence, perceived physical health uniquely and significantly predicted expectancies for negative affect reduction and expectancies that smoking would lead to negative personal consequences. Additionally, perceived health incrementally predicted motivation to smoke to reduce negative affect. In contrast to expectation, perceived health was unrelated to motivation to quit smoking. Results are discussed in relation to the role of perceived health as a cognitive vulnerability factor for specific types of smoking patterns.
Batch and sequential forecast models for photovoltaic generation

The worldwide increase in the integration of photovoltaic generation has necessitated improvements in the forecasting approaches. Two models are proposed to cater for PV generation forecasts for few minutes to several hours look-ahead times. A very fast and accurate prediction model based on extreme learning machine is deployed for day-ahead prediction. Moreover, an adaptive and sequential model is introduced for intra-hour and high frequency forecasting in the PV sites with highly intermittent generation and without availability of clouds forecasts. The efficiency of the proposed models are verified on three sites with different generation patterns and sampling resolutions.
The relationship between borderline personality symptomatology and somatic preoccupation among internal medicine outpatients.

OBJECTIVE In this study, we examined the relationship between borderline personality symptomatology and somatic preoccupation among a sample of internal medicine outpatients. METHOD Using a cross-sectional approach and a sample of convenience, we surveyed 116 patients who presented for nonemergent medical care in an outpatient resident clinic between September 2005 and August 2007. Survey measures for borderline personality disorder (BPD) were the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4) (DSM-IV criteria) and the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI), both self-report measures. The study measure for somatic preoccupation was the Bradford Somatic Inventory, also self-report in format. RESULTS In this study sample, both measures of BPD demonstrated significant correlations with the measure of somatic preoccupation (PDQ-4, r = 0.58, p < .001; SHI, r = 0.53, p < .001). CONCLUSION In primary care settings, patients with high levels of somatic preoccupation should be evaluated for borderline personality symptomatology.
Natural history of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria using modern diagnostic assays

Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) is an uncommon, acquired disorder of blood cells caused by mutation of the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A (PIG‐A) gene. The disease often manifests with haemoglobinuria, peripheral blood cytopenias, and venous thrombosis. The natural history of PNH has been documented in retrospective series; but there has only been one study that correlated the more sensitive and specific flow cytometric assays that have become available in the last decade with severe symptoms associated with PNH. In a retrospective analysis of 49 consecutive patients with PNH evaluated at Johns Hopkins, large PNH clones were associated with an increased risk for thrombosis as well as haemoglobinuria, abdominal pain, oesophageal spasm, and impotence. Of the 14 (29%) patients that developed thrombosis, nine died; six of these from complications related to thromboses. According to logistic regression modelling, for a 10% change in PNH clone size, the odds ratio for risk of thrombosis was estimated to be 1·64. No patient with <61% PNH granulocytes developed a thrombosis, whereas 12 of 22 patients (54·5%) with ≥61% PNH granulocytes manifested with thrombosis. These data not only confirm that the size of the PNH clone correlates with the risk for thrombosis, but they also suggest a correlation of PNH clone size to more symptomatic PNH.