Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Precautions in the use of 110mAg as a tracer of silver metabolism in ecotoxicology: Preferential bioconcentration of 109Cd by trout gills after 110mAg exposure

An often overlooked problem in the use of radiotracers is the possibility of isotopic contamination. Commercially available silver 110mAg was used to study silver uptake and depuration in rainbow trout and European eel. Quality control by means of comparative γ and β counting brought our attention to a contamination of the 110mAg stock with 109Cd, which could be seen only because the 109Cd was markedly bioconcentrated by trout gills. The contamination could not be detected in eel gills or in other tissues of both species. The difference between trout and eel gill structure and function is the probable explanation for the marked difference in 109Cd accumulation. This contamination was identified as 109Cd by γ spectroscopy and its origin by transmutation of natural silver as a result of neutron activation is described. Failure to recognize this contamination problem would have resulted in serious misinterpretation of the data set. Guidance for avoiding this problem is given.
Floor and Upside Investing in Retirement with Real Instruments

I investigate optimal asset allocation, gradual SPIA purchase decisions, and consumption decisions in retirement using various combinations of stocks, nominal bonds, real bonds, nominal SPIAs, and real SPIAs. I use a utility function that is intended to be representative of a retired individual's need for an income floor and desire for upside potential. I find a small advantage for the addition of real bonds to a stocks/nominal bonds portfolio. I find real SPIAs offer a performance advantage over nominal SPIAs at all but advanced ages. Real SPIAs are also easier to use than nominal SPIAs. The addition of real bonds to a portfolio that includes SPIAs offers little advantage.
Comparison of the effects of water and traditional delivery on birthing women and newborns.

OBJECTIVE The objective our study was to compare the respective effects of water and traditional delivery on birthing women and newborns. PATIENTS AND METHODS 120 primiparas with singlet pregnancy, head-down foetus position, and term delivery were randomly divided into two groups. Sixty birthing women were included in traditional delivery group, while other sixty women underwent water delivery. The duration of labour and the volume of blood lost within 24 hours were compared between both groups. Furthermore, perineum condition, degree of delivery pain, and Apgar scores (1st and 5th minute) were also compared. RESULTS The total duration of labour and the volume of lost blood were comparable between both delivery methods. The perineum integrity and episiotomy rates were significantly (p < 0.05 for both comparisons) better in water delivery group (respectively, 25.00% vs. 8.33% and 1.67% vs. 20% in traditional delivery group). Furthermore, the degree of delivery pain was also more favourable in water delivery group. The Apgar scores were comparable between both delivery methods. CONCLUSIONS Water delivery can reduce delivery pain without increasing the risk to birthing women and newborns.
σ‐algebras for quasirandom hypergraphs

We examine the correspondence between the various notions of quasirandomness for k‐uniform hypergraphs and σ‐algebras related to measurable hypergraphs. This gives a uniform formulation of most of the notions of quasirandomness for dense hypergraphs which have been studied, with each notion of quasirandomness corresponding to a σ‐algebra defined by a collection of subsets of [1,k] .
Analysis of Household Demand for Meat, in Southwest, Nigeria

This study investigated household demand for meat in some selected states in the Southwest Nigeria. The systematic sampling technique was used to select two hundred and forty household in the study area and data were collected through well structured questionnaire. Analysis was done using Descriptive Statistics and Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) Model. The findings showed that beef (43.7%) was mostly preferred in the study area, income levels of respondents and taste influenced the type of meat preferred. The budget share of beef decreased with an increase in the price of chicken and vice versa, but increased with an increase in its price, the budget share of chevon , chicken and mutton increased with an increase in their own prices respectively. The budget share of pork increased with an increase in the price of mutton but it decreased with an increase in its own price. Also one percent change in prices of beef,chevon and chicken would result in -0.827, -0.527 and -0.721 reduction in the quantity demanded respectively. Mutton and pork were confirmed to be luxury goods while chicken, beef and chevon were normal goods for households in southwest, Nigeria. Price intervention programmes should be introduced in order to stabilize the fluctuation in meat prices
Uncertainty and the Price for Crude Oil Reserves

Following the research strategy put in practice in the project behind Stein et al. (2008), Policymaking in Latin America: How Politics Shapes Policies, this project will be a collective and interactive process among various country teams and the coordinators. We will build a number of country studies structured around a common set of questions. The objective of this paper is to put together some theoretical axes as well as a number of guiding questions to serve as background to the country studies, but the overall comparative framework will be jointly developed throughout the project with feedback from and cross-fertilization among the country studies.
Fracture Prevention by Prophylactic Femoroplasty of the Proximal Femur—Metallic Compared With Cemented Augmentation

Objectives: To compare 2 different femoral neck augmentation techniques at improving the mechanical strength of the femoral neck. Methods: Twenty pairs of human cadaveric femora were randomly divided into 2 groups. In 1 group, the femora were augmented with a steel spiral; the other group with the cemented technique. The untreated contralateral side served as an intraindividual control. Fracture strength was evaluated using an established biomechanical testing scenario mimicking a fall on the greater trochanter (Hayes fall). Results: The peak load to failure was significantly higher in the steel spiral group (P = 0.0024) and in the cemented group (P = 0.001) compared with the intraindividual controls. The peak load to failure showed a median of 3167 N (1825–5230 N) in the spiral group and 2485 N (1066–4395 N) in the spiral control group. The peak load to failure in the cemented group was 3698 N (SD ± 1249 N) compared with 2763 N (SD ± 1335 N) in the cement control group. Furthermore, fracture displacement was clearly reduced in the steel spiral group. Conclusions: Femoral augmentations using steel spirals or cement-based femoroplasty are technically feasible procedures. Our results demonstrate that a prophylactic reinforced proximal femur has higher strength when compared with the untreated contralateral limb. Prophylactic augmentation has potential to become an auxiliary treatment option to protect the osteoporotic proximal femur against fracture.
Accentuated Ovariectomy‐Induced Bone Loss and Altered Osteogenesis in Heterozygous N‐Cadherin Null Mice

Ovariectomy‐induced bone loss is accentuated in mice with germline Cdh2 haploinsufficiency, the result of a decreased osteoblastogenesis in the face of normal osteoclast number. Reduced N‐cadherin abundance in these mice decreases cell—cell adhesion and alters signaling pathways important for osteoblast commitment and differentiation, thus providing in vivo evidence that N‐cadherin—mediated cell—cell interactions are involved in homeostatic responses to increased bone remodeling.
The effect of for-profit laboratories on the accountability, integration, and cost of Canadian health care services

Canadian public health care systems pay for-profit corporations to provide essential medical laboratory services. This practice is a useful window on the effects of using for-profit corporations to provide publicly funded services. Because private corporations are substantially protected by law from the public disclosure of "confidential business information," increased for-profit delivery has led to decreased transparency, thus impeding informed debate on how laboratory services are delivered. Using for-profit laboratories increases the cost of diagnostic testing and hinders the integration of health care services more generally. Two useful steps toward ending the for-profit provision of laboratory services would be to stop fee-for-service funding and to integrate all laboratory work within public administrative structures.
Population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modelling of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis following treatment with GnRH analogues.

AIMS To develop a population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis describing the changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone concentrations following treatment with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist triptorelin and the GnRH receptor blocker degarelix. METHODS Fifty-eight healthy subjects received single subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of 3.75 mg of triptorelin and 170 prostate cancer patients received multiple subcutaneous doses of degarelix of between 120 and 320 mg. All subjects were pooled for the population PK/PD data analysis. A systematic population PK/PD model-building framework using stochastic differential equations was applied to the data to identify nonlinear dynamic dependencies and to deconvolve the functional feedback interactions of the HPG axis. RESULTS In our final PK/PD model of the HPG axis, the half-life of LH was estimated to be 1.3 h and that of testosterone 7.69 h, which corresponds well with literature values. The estimated potency of LH with respect to testosterone secretion was 5.18 IU l(-1), with a maximal stimulation of 77.5 times basal testosterone production. The estimated maximal triptorelin stimulation of the basal LH pool release was 1330 times above basal concentrations, with a potency of 0.047 ng ml(-1). The LH pool release was decreased by a maximum of 94.2% by degarelix with an estimated potency of 1.49 ng ml(-1). CONCLUSIONS Our model of the HPG axis was able to account for the different dynamic responses observed after administration of both GnRH agonists and GnRH receptor blockers, suggesting that the model adequately characterizes the underlying physiology of the endocrine system.
Impact of ocean acidification on metabolism and energetics during early life stages of the intertidal porcelain crab Petrolisthes cinctipes

SUMMARY Absorption of elevated atmospheric CO2 is causing surface ocean pH to decline, a process known as ocean acidification (OA). To date, few studies have assessed the physiological impacts of OA on early life-history stages of intertidal organisms, which transition from habitats with fluctuating pH (intertidal zone) to relatively stable (pelagic zone) pH environments. We used the intertidal crab Petrolisthes cinctipes to determine whether metabolic responses to year 2300 predictions for OA vary among early developmental stages and to examine whether the effects were more pronounced in larval stages developing in the open ocean. Oxygen consumption rate, total protein, dry mass, total lipids and C/N were determined in late-stage embryos, zoea I larvae and newly settled juveniles reared in ambient pH (7.93±0.06) or low pH (7.58±0.06). After short-term exposure to low pH, embryos displayed 11% and 6% lower metabolism and dry mass, respectively, which may have an associated bioenergetic cost of delayed development to hatching. However, metabolic responses appeared to vary among broods, suggesting significant parental effects among the offspring of six females, possibly a consequence of maternal state during egg deposition and genetic differences among broods. Larval and juvenile metabolism were not affected by acute exposure to elevated CO2. Larvae contained 7% less nitrogen and C/N was 6% higher in individuals reared at pH 7.58 for 6 days, representing a possible switch from lipid to protein metabolism under low pH; the metabolic switch appears to fully cover the energetic cost of responding to elevated CO2. Juvenile dry mass was unaffected after 33 days exposure to low pH seawater. Increased tolerance to low pH in zoea I larvae and juvenile stages may be a consequence of enhanced acid–base regulatory mechanisms, allowing greater compensation of extracellular pH changes and thus preventing decreases in metabolism after exposure to elevated PCO2. The observed variation in responses of P. cinctipes to decreased pH in the present study suggests the potential for this species to adapt to future declines in near-shore pH.
Small-Dose Recombinant Activated Factor VII (NovoSeven®) in Cardiac Surgery

Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been used at different doses in cardiac surgery patients. We tested the efficacy of small-dose rFVIIa in patients with intractable bleeding after cardiac surgery. The study group comprised 15 cardiac surgery patients with intractable bleeding treated with small-dose (1.2 mg) rFVIIa as a slow IV bolus at the end of complete step-by step transfusion protocol. Fifteen matched patients undergoing the same transfusion protocol in the pre-rFVIIa era represented the control group. Blood loss at the end of the transfusion protocol was a primary outcome. Median, 25th–75th 24-h blood loss percentiles were 1685 (1590–1770) mL versus 3170 (2700–3850) mL in study group and controls, respectively (P = 0.0004). Transfused red blood cells, fresh-frozen plasma, and platelets in the study group and controls were as follows: 7 (4–8) U versus 18 (12–21) U (P = 0.001); 7.5 (6–11) U versus 11 (9–15) U (P = 0.003); 0 (0–4) U versus 9 (6–13) U (P = 0.001). In addition, significant improvements of prothrombin time (P = 0.015), international normalized ratio (P = 0.006), activated partial prothrombin time (P = 0.01), and platelet count (P = 0.003) were detected in the study group versus controls. Finally, patients receiving rFVIIa showed a reduced intensive care unit length of stay (&khgr;2 = 15.9, P = 0.0001) and had infrequent surgical re-exploration (&khgr;2 = 16.2,P < 0.0001). Small-dose rFVIIa showed satisfactory results in cardiac patients with intractable bleeding. Further randomized studies are necessary to confirm our findings.
Giving Preschoolers Choice Increases Sharing Behavior

Young children are remarkably prosocial, but the mechanisms driving their prosociality are not well understood. Here, we propose that the experience of choice is critically tied to the expression of young children’s altruistic behavior. Three- and 4-year-olds were asked to allocate resources to an individual in need by making a costly choice (allocating a resource they could have kept for themselves), a noncostly choice (allocating a resource that would otherwise be thrown away), or no choice (following instructions to allocate the resource). We measured subsequent prosociality by allowing children to then allocate new resources to a new individual. Although the majority of children shared with the first individual, children who were given costly alternatives shared more with the new individual. Results are discussed in terms of a prosocial-construal hypothesis, which suggests that children rationally infer their prosociality through the process of making difficult, autonomous choices.
Predictability of Strabismus Surgery in Children with Developmental Disorders and/or Psychomotor Retardation

Background: Children with developmental disorders and/or psychomotor delay may respond differently to strabismus surgery than children who develop normally, but the literature is conflicting. Methods: We studied 37 patients with spasm, trisomy 21, prematurity, epilepsy, psychomotor retardation, and/or hydrocephalus (study group) and 67 control patients, all between 14 months and 14 years of age. All received a recession of one or both medial rectus muscles (Rc-surgery) or a monocular recession-resection of medial-lateral rectus muscles (RcRs-surgery) for esotropia. Rc-surgery was performed in cases with convergence excess. Spectacles were prescribed prior to surgery for all hyperopia > 2D, all partly accommodative esotropia, and all myopia. Results (effect per mm of surgery): For Rc-surgery, after 2 months follow-up, at 2.5 m fixation distance, the effects (change of angle per millimeter of surgery, mean ± SD) were 2.07 ± 0.82°/mm (study group) and 1.07 ± 0.74°/mm (control group) (P < 0.001). At 30 cm fixation distance, the effects were 2.42 ± 0.79°/mm (study group) and 1.53 ± 1.00°/mm (control group) (P < 0.001). Effects at infinity were similar to those at 2.5 m. Because of this larger effect on near angles, convergence excess decreased after surgery in both study and control groups. For RcRs-surgery, at 2.5 m fixation distance, the effects were 1.78 ± 0.43°/mm (study group) and 1.78 ± 0.42°/mm (control group) (P = 0.741). At 30 cm fixation distance, the effects were 1.82 ± 0.39°/mm (study group) and 1.84 ± 0.58°/mm (control group) (P = 0.918). At fixation distance infinity, results were similar to those at 2.5 m. For both Rc-surgery and RcRs-surgery, reported differences were similar after one year follow-up. Success of surgery: After 2 months of follow-up, esotropia between 0-6° was present, for Rc-surgery in 64% in the study group (with adjusted dosages) and 93% in the control group; and for RcRs-surgery in 66% in the study group and 88% in the control group. Conclusions: Rc-surgery in children with developmental disorders and/or psychomotor delay has a larger effect per mm of surgery than in normal children. RcRs-surgery has a similar effect in delayed and normal children.
Effective Dementia Education and Training for the Health and Social Care Workforce: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Ensuring an informed and effective dementia workforce is of international concern; however, there remains limited understanding of how this can be achieved. This review aimed to identify features of effective dementia educational programs. Critical interpretive synthesis underpinned by Kirkpatrick’s return on investment model was applied. One hundred and fifty-two papers of variable quality were included. Common features of more efficacious educational programs included the need for educational programs to be relevant to participants’ role and experience, involve active face-to-face participation, underpin practice-based learning with theory, be delivered by an experienced facilitator, have a total duration of at least 8 hours with individual sessions of 90 minutes or more, support application of learning in practice, and provide a structured tool or guideline to guide care practice. Further robust research is required to develop the evidence base; however, the findings of this review have relevance for all working in workforce education.
Effects of fenretinide (4-HPR) on dark adaptation.

OBJECTIVES To assess the alterations in dark adaptation induced by low (200 mg/d) doses of fenretinide (4-HPR), to assess whether these effects were cumulative and whether they were reversible, and to attempt to elucidate the mechanism underlying the changes in night vision. DESIGN Case series. SETTING Outpatient eye clinic. PATIENTS Twenty-two women enrolled in a breast cancer chemoprevention trial, and 18 normal control subjects. INTERVENTION Measurements of absolute luminance thresholds during dark adaptation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Parameters of an exponential model of the dark-adaptation function before, during, and after administration of fenretinide. RESULTS The most conspicuous effect of fenretinide on dark adaptation was a significant delay in the timing of the rod-cone break (P<.001). A minimal elevation of the final cone threshold was also observed. These effects were reversible after fenretinide therapy was discontinued and did not seem to be cumulative. An inverse relationship between delay of the rod-cone break and plasma retinol concentration was found. CONCLUSION The dose of fenretinide used in this study produced clearly measurable, but not severe, changes in night vision, which were rarely symptomatic.
Congenital Heart Disease in Down's Syndrome Patients: A Decade of Surgical Experience

Patients with Down's syndrome represent a significant subset of patients with congenital heart disease. Fifty-five patients with Down's syndrome have undergone surgical treatment for congenital heart disease at our institution in the past decade. Twenty-six had atrioventricular canal, 11 had ventricular septal defect, 7 had secundum atrial septal defect, 7 had tetralogy of Fallot, 3 had primum atrial septal defect and 1 patient had double outlet right ventricle. The thirty day mortality following operative intervention was 16.4%. Mortality was highest for tetralogy of Fallot followed by atrioventricular canal and ventricular septal defect. Long term mortality for all lesions was 27.3% over our follow-up period which averaged 33 months. Thirty day mortality compared similarly to previous reports of surgically treated Down's syndrome patients. When compared to our patients without Down's syndrome, the Down's population did not exhibit an increased risk for surgical treatment of congenital heart disease.
Methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR) 677C>T polymorphism and open angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE Increased plasma homocysteine levels have been found in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and glaucoma secondary to pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEXG). A common polymorphism of the methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR 677C>T) leads to moderately elevated plasma homocysteine levels particularly under conditions of impaired folate status. It was the aim of this study to investigate a hypothesized association between this polymorphism and the presence of either POAG or PEXG. METHODS The present retrospective case-control study included a total of 553 participants comprising 204 patients with POAG, 138 patients with PEXG, and 211 control subjects. Genotyping for the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS No significant difference in the genotype distribution of the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism was found between control subjects and patients with POAG or PEXG. The prevalence of the MTHFR 677TT genotype was 6.9% in patients with POAG, 11.6% in patients with PEXG, and 9.5% in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS The present data suggest that the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism itself is not a major genetic risk factor for POAG and PEXG in a central European population.