Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring and Assessing Job Quality: The OECD Job Quality Framework

This paper presents the OECD Framework for Measuring and Assessing Job Quality developed jointly by the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate and the Statistics Directorate of the OECD as part of a broader EU-supported project1 and describes its links to the broader well-being agenda pursued by the OECD. The approach to job quality taken is explicitly multi-dimensional and defined in terms of earnings quality, labour market security and quality of working environment. The paper then discusses measurement choices and indicators selected for each of the three dimensions of job quality, highlighting the main limitations on the data front. Finally, the paper documents job quality across OECD and non OECD countries as well as across socio-economic groups for which data are available. Ce document presente le nouveau cadre de mesure et d’evaluation de la qualite de l’emploi, developpe conjointement par la Direction de l’Emploi, du Travail et des Affaires Sociales et la Direction des Statistiques de l’OCDE. Ce travail s’inscrit dans un projet plus large sur la qualite de l’emploi, finance par l’Union Europeenne. La qualite de l’emploi y est decrite en relation avec l’agenda plus global de l’OCDE sur le bien-etre. L’approche choisie pour definir la qualite de l’emploi est explicitement multidimensionnelle et retient la qualite des revenus du travail, la securite sur le marche du travail et la qualite de l’environnement professionnel comme les trois dimensions fondamentales. Le papier discute ensuite les choix methodologiques et les indicateurs proposes dans le cadre de mesure, en en soulignant les possibles limites. Enfin, le papier presente un portrait statistique de la qualite de l’emploi, entre pays (OCDE et non OCDE) mais aussi par groupes sociodemographiques.
Response surface methodology and process optimization of sustained release pellets using Taguchi orthogonal array design and central composite design

Furosemide is a powerful diuretic and antihypertensive drug which has low bioavailability due to hepatic first pass metabolism and has a short half-life of 2 hours. To overcome the above drawback, the present study was carried out to formulate and evaluate sustained release (SR) pellets of furosemide for oral administration prepared by extrusion/spheronization. Drug Coat L-100 was used within the pellet core along with microcrystalline cellulose as the diluent and concentration of selected binder was optimized to be 1.2%. The formulation was prepared with drug to polymer ratio 1:3. It was optimized using Design of Experiments by employing a 32 central composite design that was used to systematically optimize the process parameters combined with response surface methodology. Dissolution studies were carried out with USP apparatus Type I (basket type) in both simulated gastric and intestinal pH. The statistical technique, i.e., the two-tailed paired t test and one-way ANOVA of in vitro data has proposed that there was very significant (P≤0.05) difference in dissolution profile of furosemide SR pellets when compared with pure drug and commercial product. Validation of the process optimization study indicated an extremely high degree of prognostic ability. The study effectively undertook the development of optimized process parameters of pelletization of furosemide pellets with tremendous SR characteristics.
Treatment of Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation With or Without Fusion in Workers’ Compensation Subjects

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study. Objective. To determine outcomes after reoperation discectomy with or without fusion surgery for recurrent lumbar disc herniation (RLDH) in the workers’ compensation (WC) population. Summary of Background Data. RLDH is estimated to occur in 7% to 24% of patients after discectomy. There are two main surgical options after reherniation: a revision discectomy (RD), or an RD combined with fusion (RDF). Methods. A total of 10,592 patients received lost-work compensation from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for a lumbar disc herniation between 2005 and 2012. Patients with lumbar spine comorbidities, a smoking history, or multilevel surgery were excluded. One hundred two patients had RD alone for RLDH and 196 had RDF procedures. The primary outcome was whether subjects returned to work (RTW). Results. A total of 298 WC patients met our study criteria, including 230 (77.2%) men and 68 (22.8%) women with an average age of 39.4 years (range 19–66). The RDF group had lower rates of RTW than the RD group (27.0% vs 40.2%; P = 0.03). Multivariate regression analysis showed that reoperation with discectomy and fusion (P = 0.04; odds ratio [OR] = 0.56), psychiatric illness (P < 0.01; OR = 0.19), and opioid analgesic use within 1 month of reoperation (P < 0.01; OR = 0.44) were independent negative predictors of RTW. RDF patients were supplied with opioids for 252.3 days longer (P < 0.01) and incurred $34,914 (31.8%) higher medical costs (P < 0.01) than the RD alone group. Conclusion. We analyzed outcomes after operative management of RLDH in the WC population. WC patients receiving RDF had lower RTW rates, higher costs, and a longer duration of postoperative opioid use than those receiving RD alone. This information allows for informed patient management decisions and suggests that fusion should be reserved for patients with clear indications for its use. We are unable to conclude what treatment method is best, but rather we provide a baseline for future studies. Level of Evidence: 3
ROLE OF THE THYMUS IN THE RADIATION CHIMERA

Burnet (1962) postulated: ( I ) that the thymus may be the site where differentiation of lymphocytes into clones with definable immunological function occurs, and (2) that forbidden clones reactive against self might be eliminated there. If the latter were the case, it would be expected that thymectomized mice, recovering from lethal doses of X-rays under the therapeutic influence of intravenously injected hemopoietic cells, would be more likely, than intact mice, to show effects attributable to such forbidden clones. Like graft-versus-host reactions in radiation chimeras, this should lead to a “secondary syndrome” with dysplasia or aplasia of the lymphatic system. We (Barnes et al . , 1962) have already shown that CBA/ H mice may manifest a n aplasia of the lymphatic tissue when the restorative hemopoietic inoculum consists of syngeneic cells from either: ( 1 ) fetal liver or ( 2 ) adult bone marrow in suboptimal amounts or ( 3 ) adult bone marrow repeatedly passaged within lethally X-rayed mice. The present experiments were set up to see if thymectomized CBA/H mice were more prone than intact mice to this form of secondary syndrome. This is most readily scored in living animals as a secondary loss of weight, which is associated clinically with a decline in their general well-being and histologically, with dysplasia of the lymphatic tissues. While the work was in progress, Miller, Doak. and Cross (1963) reported comparable experiments, which indicated that their thymectomized CBA mice under these circumstances, like neonatally thymectomized mice, failed to dcvelop an adequate structure and function of the lymphatic tissues.
Erythropoietin concentrations in amniotic fluid and umbilical venous blood from Rh-immunized pregnancies

We set out to investigate prospectively the levels of erythropoietin in amniotic fluid and umbilical venous blood, and to attempt to relate these to fetal haemoglobin and lactate concentrations and to pCO2 and PO2 in Rh immunised patients studied before the onset of labor. Fetal blood was obtained by cordocentesis, and amniotic fluid by amniocentesis from a consecutive series of 36 Rh immunized patients at the time of fetal blood sampling. There was a close correlation (tau = 0.357, P = 0.0001) between the concentrations of erythropoietin in umbilical venous blood and those in amniotic fluid. Erythropoietin in umbilical venous blood correlated inversely with hemoglobin (tau = 0.453, P = 0.0001), and directly with lactate concentrations (tau = 0.450, P = 0.0005). When all other variables were considered, multiple regression analysis demonstrated hemoglobin concentration to be the only variable to be related to the level of erythropoietin in umbilical venous blood taken before transfusion. When the same analysis was performed on the same variables, adding erythropoietin concentration in amniotic fluid as the dependent variable, only erythropoietin in umbilical venous blood was found to be related to the level of erythropoietin in amniotic fluid. We conclude that the erythropoietin concentration in umbilical venous blood from Rh-immunized patients before the onset of labor, is related to fetal anemia. We also conclude that erythropoietin concentration in amniotic fluid is related to that in fetal blood, thereby indicating that the fetus is an important source of amniotic fluid erythropoietin in non laboring patients.
The prevalence and preventive measures of the respiratory illness among Malaysian pilgrims in 2013 hajj season

Abstract Background. Respiratory illness continues to exert a burden on hajj pilgrims in Makkah. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of respiratory illness and its associated factors among Malaysian hajj pilgrims in 2013 and to describe its preventive measures. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Makkah and Malaysia during the 2013 hajj season. A self-administered proforma on social demographics, previous experience of hajj or umrah, smoking habits, co-morbid illness and practices of preventive measures against respiratory illness were obtained. Results. A total of 468 proforma were analysed. The prevalence of the respiratory illness was 93.4% with a subset of 78.2% fulfilled the criteria for influenza-like illness (ILI). Most of them (77.8%) had a respiratory illness of <2 weeks duration. Approximately 61.8% were administered antibiotics but only 2.1% of them had been hospitalized. Most of them acquired the infection after a brief stay at Arafat (81.2%). Vaccination coverages for influenza virus and pneumococcal disease were quite high, 65.2% and 59.4%, respectively. For other preventive measures practices, only 31.8% of them practiced good hand hygiene, ∼82.9% of pilgrims used surgical face masks, N95 face masks, dry towels, wet towels or veils as their face masks. Nearly one-half of the respondents (44.4%) took vitamins as their food supplement. Malaysian hajj pilgrims with previous experience of hajj (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.10–0.56) or umrah (OR 0.19; 95% CI 0.07–0.52) and those who have practiced good hand hygiene (OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.16–0.79) were found to be significantly associated with lower risk of having respiratory illness. Otherwise, pilgrims who had contact with those with respiratory illness (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.12–6.09) was associated with higher risk. Conclusions. The prevalence of respiratory illness remains high among Malaysian hajj pilgrims despite having some practices of preventive measures. All preventive measures which include hand hygiene, wearing face masks and influenza vaccination must be practiced together as bundle of care to reduce respiratory illness effectively.
Contemporary Resource Policy and Decoupling Trends—Lessons Learnt from Integrated Model-Based Assessments

Addressing climate change and natural resource depletion has been key to the international and national sustainability agenda for almost 30 years. Despite existing efforts, global CO2 emissions and raw material use levels continue to grow. This seems to suggest the need for more systemic approaches in environmental policy. Our paper contributes modelling results to assess the potential of efficiency improvements to achieve absolute decoupling of global raw material use and environmental impacts from economic growth. We apply the global, dynamic MRIO model GINFORS to simulate potential effects of raw material efficiency improvements in production against a climate mitigation scenario baseline. Our simulation experiments indicate that (rather radical) progress in the raw material efficiency of production technologies in concert with extensive climate mitigation efforts could enable an absolute decoupling of resource use and CO2 emissions from GDP growth at a global level and for some countries. The absolute raw material extraction levels achieved, however, still exceed the material use reduction targets suggested by sustainability scientists. Our findings highlight that achieving such targets without addressing rebound effects is implausible. Hence, we call upon policy makers to integrate rebound mitigation strategies and move beyond exclusively improving efficiency to tackling structural and behavioural changes.
Deletion of Lytic Transglycosylases Increases Beta-Lactam Resistance in Shewanella oneidensis

Production of chromosome-encoded β-lactamases confers resistance to β-lactams in many Gram-negative bacteria. Some inducible β-lactamases, especially the class C β-lactamase AmpC in Enterobacteriaceae, share a common regulatory mechanism, the ampR-ampC paradigm. Induction of ampC is intimately linked to peptidoglycan recycling, and the LysR-type transcriptional regulator AmpR plays a central role in the process. However, our previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of class D β-lactamase gene blaA in Shewanella oneidensis is distinct from the established paradigm since an AmpR homolog is absent and major peptidoglycan recycling enzymes play opposite roles in β-lactamase expression. Given that lytic transglycosylases (LTs), a class of peptidoglycan hydrolases cleaving the β-1,4 glycosidic linkage in glycan strands of peptidoglycan, can disturb peptidoglycan recycling, and thus may affect induction of blaA. In this study, we investigated impacts of such enzymes on susceptibility to β-lactams. Deletion of three LTs (SltY, MltB and MltB2) increased β-lactam resistance, while four other LTs (MltD, MltD2, MltF, and Slt2) seemed dispensable to β-lactam resistance. The double LT mutants ΔmltBΔmltB2 and ΔsltYΔmltB2 had β-lactam resistance stronger than any of the single mutants. Deletion of ampG (encoding permease AmpG) and mrcA (encoding penicillin binding protein 1a, PBP1a) from both double LT mutants further increased the resistance to β-lactams. Notably, all increased β-lactam resistance phenotypes were in accordance with enhanced blaA expression. Although significant, the increase in β-lactamase activity after inactivating LTs is much lower than that produced by PBP1a inactivation. Our data implicate that LTs play important roles in blaA expression in S. oneidensis.
A Controlled Laboratory and Clinical Evaluation of a Three-dimensional Endoscope for Endonasal Sinus and Skull Base Surgery

Background One criticism of current video systems for endoscopic surgery is that two-dimensional (2D) images lack depth perception and may impair surgical dissection. To objectively measure the efficacy of 3D endoscopy, we designed a training model with specific tasks to show potential differences between 2D and 3D endoscopy. Its clinical value was then evaluated during endoscopic sinus and skull base surgical cases. Methods Fifteen subjects were grouped according to endoscopic experience: novices and nonnovices. A training model was constructed to include five tasks: incision manipulation; ring transfer; nerve hook; distance estimation, visual only; and distance estimation, visual and tactile. Each participant was assessed with both a standard 2D endoscope and a 3D endoscope. The clinical value of a 3D endoscope (Visionsense, Ltd., Petach Tikva, Israel) was then examined in four endoscopic sinus cases and four skull base cases. Results Of the subjects, six (40%) were novices. Overall, the errors committed during any one task were not significantly different between systems. Novices trended toward more success during the nerve hook task using the 3D system. With size cueing versus visualization alone, distance estimation was significantly more accurate. Novices tended to prefer the 3D system and experienced surgeons disliked the initial learning curve. Advantages were particularly noticed during skull base surgery; subjectively improved depth perception was beneficial during vascular dissection. Conclusion Three-dimensional endoscopy may improve depth perception and performance for novices. The 3D endoscope is a safe and feasible tool for endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery; it is promising for improving microneurosurgical dissection precision transnasally.
Serum antibodies to carbonic anhydrase I and II in patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and Sjögren's syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and Sjögren's syndrome show immune responses against a 60-kilodalton protein isolated from human pancreas extracts. Monoclonal antibody SP3-1, raised against the 60-kilodalton protein, reacts with ductal cells in several exocrine organs and cross-reacts with human carbonic anhydrase II. The present study evaluated serum from patients with these diseases for antibodies to human carbonic anhydrase I and II. METHODS An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify serum antibody against carbonic anhydrase I and II. RESULTS Serum antibodies against carbonic anhydrase I and II were detected in 7 and 11 of 33 patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis, respectively, and in 8 and 13 of 21 patients with Sjögren's syndrome, respectively. The positive prevalence rates of patients with antibodies of carbonic anhydrase II were significantly different among patients with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and Sjögren's syndrome compared with normal patients (1 of 21). There were no significant differences in the prevalence rates of patients with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (3 of 20), gallstone-related chronic pancreatitis (0 of 7), and primary biliary cirrhosis (1 of 11). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that carbonic anhydrase II is one candidate target antigen recognized during the autoimmune pathophysiology observed in idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and Sjögren's syndrome.
Dietary Fat, Fiber, Vegetable, and Micronutrients Are Associated With Overall Survival in Postmenopausal Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

Abstract: Relatively few studies have assessed the relationship between dietary intakes and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. We investigated the influence of diet, including dietary fat (percentage energy), fiber, vegetable, and fruit intakes, and micronutrients (folate, carotenoids, and vitamin C) on overall survival in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Subjects were postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer (N = 516) between 1994 and 1995 with a mean survival time of 80 mo (SD: 18). Subjects completed a food frequency questionnaire for the year prior to diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to measure the relationship between dietary intakes and death due to any cause after breast cancer diagnosis. In the multivariate analysis, we found that the hazard ratio [HR and 95% confidence interval (CI)] of dying in the highest tertile compared to the lowest tertile of total fat, fiber, vegetable, and fruit was 3.12 (95% CI = 1.79–5.44), 0.48 (95% CI = 0.27–0.86), 0.57 (95% CI = 0.35–0.94), and 0.63 (95% CI = 0.38–1.05), respectively (P ≤ 0.05 for trend, except for fruit intake). Other nutrients including folate, vitamin C, and carotenoid intakes were also significantly associated with reduced mortality (P ≤ 0.05 for trend). These results suggest that in postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer, reduced dietary fat and increased fiber, vegetable, fruit, and other nutrient intakes associated with a plant-based, high-fiber diet improves overall survival after breast cancer diagnosis.
Cerebral Protection Devices Reduce Periprocedural Strokes during Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

Purpose: To compare through a systematic review of published literature the stroke outcomes in protected and unprotected carotid artery stenting (CAS). Methods: PubMed and Cochrane electronic databases were queried to identify peer-reviewed publications from 1995 to 2007 meeting our pre-defined criteria for inclusion (English language, human only, at least 20 patients reported) and exclusion (procedures performed for the treatment of total occlusion, dissection, or aneurysmal disease; urgently performed procedures; use of covered stents; access other than transfemoral). Information was collected on a standardized data abstraction form for pooled analysis of total strokes within 30 days of procedure in all patients and in symptomatic and asymptomatic subgroups. A random effects meta-analysis of studies with concurrently reported data on protected and unprotected CAS was performed. Results: Initial database query resulted in 2485 articles, of which 134 were included in the final analyses (12,263 protected CAS patients and 11,198 unprotected CAS patients). Twenty-four studies included data on both protected and unprotected CAS. Using pooled analysis of all 134 reports, the relative risk (RR) for stroke was 0.62 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.72) in favor of protected CAS. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant benefit for protected CAS in both symptomatic (RR 0.67; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.56) and asymptomatic (RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.90) patients (p<0.05). Meta-analysis of the 24 studies reporting data on both protected and unprotected stenting demonstrated a relative risk of 0.59 (95% CI 0.47 to 0.73) for stroke, again favoring protected CAS (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our systematic review indicated that the use of cerebral protection devices decreased the risk of perioperative stroke with CAS. A well designed randomized trial can further confirm our findings and possibly indicate the device with the best outcomes.
Lollipop-induced oral lichenoid reaction in a child.

BACKGROUND Oral lichenoid reactions (OLRs) have been rarely reported in pediatric patients. CASE REPORT This article reports an unusual case of a 15-year-old girl who had white plaques in tongue and buccal mucosa oral which initially were diagnosed as oral lichen planus (OLP). At first, the patient and her family denied systemic or local medication use. Biopsy was performed, and histopathological aspects were suggestive of OLP. Despite the attempt of treatment with topical corticoid, the lesions did not recede. Patient's behavior and medical history were again investigated and revealed that she had been using almost daily in her school an artificially colored and flavored lollipop. One week after removing lollipop use behavior, the oral lesions showed complete resolution and OLR diagnosis was defined. CONCLUSION The present case denotes that OLR should be considered in the differential diagnosis of oral white plates in children and artificially colored sweets can be its causal agent.