Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moving Forward with Complementary Feeding: Indicators and Research Priorities

For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within narrow age ranges, which add to the complexity of developing recommendations and measuring responses. Finally, the lack of clear international recommendations for some aspects of complementary feeding has prevented the development of universal indicators to define optimal feeding. Without appropriate measurement tools, the design and evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding practices cannot move forward. The present paper is the first systematic attempt at filling this gap. It puts forth a framework for the development of indicators of complementary feeding practices and proposes a series of possible indicators to measure some of the most critical aspects of infant and young child feeding. The emphasis is on simple indicators for use in large surveys or in program contexts. Indicators for the following aspects of complementary feeding of 6-23-month-old children are discussed: (1) breastfeeding; (2) energy from complementary foods; (3) nutrient density of complementary foods; and (4) safe preparation and storage of complementary foods. Finally, possible approaches to validate the proposed indicators are discussed and research priorities are highlighted.
A dynamic analysis of the interplay between asynchronous and synchronous communication in online learning: The impact of motivation

With the increased affordances of synchronous communication tools, more opportunities for online learning to resemble face-to-face settings have recently become available. However, synchronous communication does not afford as much time for reflection as asynchronous communication. Therefore, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication in e-learning would seem desirable to optimally support learner engagement and the quality of student learning. It is still an open question though, how to best design online learning with a blend of synchronous and asynchronous communication opportunities over time. Few studies have investigated the relationship between learners' actual use of synchronous and asynchronous communication over time. Therefore, this study addressed that relationship in an online course (N = 110), taking into account student motivation, and employing a dynamic inter-temporal perspective. In line with our assumptions, we found some support for the expected association between autonomous motivation and engagement in asynchronous and synchronous communication, be it restricted primarily to the first course period. Also, positive relations between engagement in synchronous and asynchronous communication were found, with the strongest influence from using asynchronous to synchronous communication. This study adds to the knowledge base needed to develop guidelines on how synchronous communication can be combined with asynchronous learning.
A test survey of measles in a rural community in India.

the criterion for antigenic quality being its optimum (=working) dilution. To compare the antigens, the consumption of Toxoplasma mass (economy) and protein nitrogen (purity) were calculated. TwE antigens are more economical than FT antigens (see Fig. 4). The most frequent optimum dilution of FT antigens was 1: 8, while with TwE antigens it was 1: 32 (in two instances 1: 16). One gram of wet Toxoplasma sediment yielded approximately 80 ml of antigen by the FT method or approximately 640 ml of equally good TwE antigen. A total of 90 blood donor sera were examinedby the complement fixation test using both types of antigen and by the Sabin-Feldman test. A group of healthy individuals, i.e., who had mainly low antibody titres, was considered more suitable for assaying the sensitivity of the antigen as when high antibody titres are present there may be good correspondence in positivity even with an antigen of inferior quality. Complete correspondence in positivity and negativity between the two antigens was found. The TwE antigen gave titres one dilution step higher with two-thirds of the sera. All sera positive by CFT were also positive by SFT (Fig. 5 and 6). An interesting and simple method of preparing Toxoplasma antigen for CFT by carbonate extraction was described by Pettersen (1968). However, the optimum dilutions with this antigen are in the range of 1: 4-1: 8. We prepared two batches of Pettersen's antigen and obtained results analogous with the original results. REFERENCES
Combined analysis of global and compartmental brain volume changes in early multiple sclerosis in clinical practice

Background: The extent and clinical significance of brain volume changes in different phases of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still under discussion. Objective: To determine the rate of global and compartmental brain volume changes in patients with a clinically-isolated syndrome (CIS) compared to patients with definite MS, by long-term follow-up and as a predictor of conversion to MS in a routine clinical setting. Methods: We investigated 120 patients (63 CIS and 57 MS) at baseline and after a mean follow-up period of 43 months, including detailed clinical examination and 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our imaging analyses comprised the normalized brain volume (NBV), cortical grey matter (cGMV) and white matter (WMV) volumes using SIENA/X, the percentage of brain volume change (PBVC) using SIENA and the change in the volume of the thalami (TV) and basal ganglia (BGV). We also determined the amount and change of T2-lesion load (T2-LL). Results: At baseline, all the brain volume metrics, except cGMV, were significantly lower; and the T2-LL was significantly higher, in patients with MS rather than CIS. During the follow-up, only the PBVC was higher in MS (p = 0.008) and this difference was driven by converters from CIS to MS. Quartiles of PBVC did not allow us to predict conversion to MS, but were associated with the degree of disability. Conclusions: PBVC is the most sensitive marker of progressing atrophy and a higher PBVC was generally associated with more active disease; however, it did not serve to predict the course of MS on an individual basis, in this study.
Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis adhesion to nanohydroxyapatite in the presence of model proteins

Bacterial infections can have adverse effects on the efficacy, lifetime, and safety of an implanted device. The aim of this study was to investigate the initial adhesion of several strains, namely S. aureus and S. epidermidis, on two distinct types of nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA), sintered at 725 °C and 1000 °C. A comparison was also made with nanohydroxyapatite having adsorbed fetal bovine serum (FBS), human fibronectin (FN) and human serum albumin (HSA). Adhered bacterial cells were examined by scanning electron microscopy and quantified as colony forming units after being released by sonication. The wettability of the sample surface with and without adsorbed protein was assessed by contact-angle measurements. NanoHA sintered at 1000 °C showed lower bacterial adhesion than this heat-treated at 725 °C. Adsorption of FBS onto the nanoHA surface caused a decrease in the adhesion of all strains on both materials. The bacterial adhesion patterns in the presence of FN were different for both nanoHA substrates; the adherence of the bacterial strains, except for the clinical strain of S. epidermidis, was significantly higher on nanoHA 1000 in comparison to nanoHA 1000 without protein and the bacterial adhesion on the FN-coated nanoHA 725 was lower in comparison to the bare nanoHA 725. The effect of HSA on bacterial adhesion was concentration and bacterial strain dependent.
The Fate of Suctioned and Surgically Removed Fat after Reimplantation for Soft‐Tissue Augmentation: A Volumetric and Histologic Study in the Rabbit

The use of autologous fat transplantation has seen renewed popularity with the recent advent of liposuction as a body recontouring technique. However, clinicians are still faced with uncertainty concerning the ultimate volume maintenance of the transplanted fat graft at its recipient site. This study was initiated to examine and evaluate the changes in volume of suctioned versus surgically excised fat grafts over a 9-month period in the New Zealand White rabbit. Fat grafts of equal volume were harvested from the groin using standard suction and surgical techniques and transferred into isolated pockets in the ear. Results demonstrate that both suctioned and surgically removed fat grafts undergo significant volume reduction. However, surgically excised fat maintains its volume (42.2 percent; n = 16) better than suction-assisted fat grafts (31.6 percent; n = 16; p < 0.05). Histologic examination showed that fibrous connective tissue was more prevalent in the suctioned fat grafts than in the surgically removed fat grafts.
QRS‐T Angle: A Review

For proper distribution of preventative resources, a more robust method of cardiac risk stratification should be encouraged in addition to merely reduced ejection fraction. To this end, the QRS‐T angle, an electrocardiogram‐derived measure of the difference in mean vectors of depolarization and repolarization, has been found associated with sudden cardiac death and other mortal and morbid outcomes in multiple observational studies over the past decade. The use of both frontal and spatial QRS‐T angle in the prediction of future cardiac events including sudden cardiac death, all‐cause mortality, and further cardiac morbidity is reviewed here.
Spent Wash as an Alternative Medium for Growth of Rhizobium

The present study was aimed to use spent wash as a substitute for expensive commercial media for Rhizobial cultures. Growth of Rhizobium strains at different concentrations of spent wash was observed and found maximum at 50% spent wash. Bacteria were grown on 50% spent wash which produced remarkable results and competed with standard media like tryptone yeast extract, Rhizobium minimal and yeast extract mannitol media. Media was optimized using 50% spent wash along with two main ingredients used for Rhizobium namely yeast extract (1-7 g/L) and mannitol (1-7 g/L) in terms of OD at different intervals of time namely 24, 48 and 72 h. The maximum growth observed in 5 g/L in yeast extract and 2 g/L in mannitol at 24 h incubation period in all the strains. This study provides the information of nutritive, inexpensive and suitable medium for Rhizobial cultures.
Biceps Tendon and Triceps Tendon Injuries

Injuries to the biceps and triceps tendons around the elbow are rare. They typically follow a history of trauma involving forceful eccentric contraction of the muscle and predictably result in weakness and pain. Biceps tendon rupture is considered the most common acute tendinous injury around the elbow and occurs almost exclusively in men in the fifth and sixth decades of life. Comparatively, triceps tendon ruptures are much less frequent and occur in both men and women of varying ages. Conservative management of both of these injuries is restricted to some partial tears and to patients unfit for surgery. Nonoperative management of complete ruptures results in predictably poor results. Therefore, acute anatomic repair of these injuries is considered optimal. Delayed repair has been described using various grafts for augmentation with results that are good, but less predictable.
Experimental pathogenicity and mortality in ligated ileal loop studies of the newly reported halophilic lactose-positive Vibrio sp

Laboratory animals were challenged subcutaneously, intraperitoneally, and intravenously with the halophilic lactose-positive Vibrio. Intraperitoneal inocula of 10(8) organisms proved to be rapidly lethal in mice, rats, and hamsters. The 50% lethal doese in ICR strain mice was estimatd to be 8 X 10(5) live cells, injected intraperitoneally or subcutaneously. Subtaneous inocula in mice resulted in severe local infections, characterized by gross edema, and for those animals surviving longer than 48 h, tissue necrosis. Intravenous, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous injections of 10(8) cells in mice resulted in death within 3 to 6 h. These animals rapidly developed Vibrio bacteremia after injections. V. parahaemolyticus, studied for comparative purposes, produced no morbidity or mortality when injected subcutaneously. Injections of live lactose-positive Vibrio into ligated ileal loops in rats and rabbits consistently proved to be lethal with a high-density bacteremia resulting.
Long-Term Stability of Serum Sodium in Hemodialysis Patients

Background: A direct relationship between dialysate-to-plasma sodium gradient, blood pressure and interdialytic weight gain exists in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to delineate the long-term variability of serum sodium in HD patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of serum sodium and other analytes routinely evaluated in 100 stable chronic HD patients observed for 12 months. Results: Individual levels across the cohort varied from 122 to 145 mM, but 12-month intraindividual coefficients of variation for sodium were low (pre-HD = 1.6%; post-HD = 1.8%) with overall variability similar to that related to laboratory assay variability especially when compared with other analytes (3.1–30.8%). Pre-HD serum sodium had a trend toward hyponatremia (mean 136 ± 0.8 mM). Conclusion: Serum sodium is stable over time in HD patients. Pre-HD serum sodium may be used as a parameter for individualizing dialysate sodium prescription.
Quality of life in cancer patients: use of a revised Hospice Index.

PURPOSE Improving or maintaining the quality of life for persons with cancer is a major goal of end-of-life care; however, to measure quality-of-life outcomes, a valid and reliable measure is needed. The purpose of this project was to report the psychometric properties of the revised Hospice Quality of Life Index (HQLI), including validity and reliability for hospice patients with cancer. DESCRIPTION Data were collected from home care hospice patients with cancer (n = 255) and a group of apparently healthy adults in the community (n = 32). The revised HQLI is a 28-item self-report instrument that includes three subscales: Psychophysiological Well-being, Functional Well-being, and Social/Spiritual Well-being. RESULTS Evidence for validity was provided in three ways. First, factor analysis confirmed the three subscales (Psychophysiological, Functional, and Social/Spiritual Well-being). Second, a weak significant correlation was found between the Easterm Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status Rating scores and HQLI scores (r = .26; P = .00). Third, the HQLI was able to discriminate between hospice patients with cancer and apparently healthy adults (lambda = .34; P = .00). In addition, the mean scores of these two groups were significantly different (t = 6.64; P = .00). However, only a minimal difference in scores was found on the Social/Spiritual Well-being subscale between the cancer and healthy groups. Reliability for the revised HQLI was high for both the total scale (alpha = .88) and the subscales (alpha =.82-.85). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Emphasis has been placed recently on understanding quality of life from the patient's perspective. The development of a valid and reliable tool can guide care givers in providing meaningful quality-of-life care. The HQLI provides patients the opportunity to express beliefs about quality-of-life issues and to maintain direction over a critical aspect of their care. Of note from this study, the significant difference between groups in functional well-being and minimal difference in social/spiritual well-being suggest that patients are able to appraise their functional abilities realistically and still maintain their social network and spiritual beliefs. Indeed, it may be that patients give family relationships and spiritual beliefs greater focus during a terminal illness.
The relative contributions of alpine and subalpine ecosystems to the water balance of a mountainous, headwater catchment

Climate change is affecting the hydrology of high‐elevation mountain ecosystems, with implications for ecosystem functioning and water availability to downstream populations. We directly and continuously measured precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) from both subalpine forest and alpine tundra portions of a single catchment, as well as discharge fluxes at the catchment outlet, to quantify the water balance of a mountainous, headwater catchment in Colorado, USA. Between 2008 and 2012, the water balance closure averaged 90% annually, and the catchment ET was the largest water output at 66% of precipitation. Alpine ET was greatest during the winter, in part because of sublimation from blowing snow, which contributed from 27% to 48% of the alpine, and 6% to 9% of the catchment water balance, respectively. The subalpine ET peaked in summer. Alpine areas generated the majority of the catchment discharge, despite covering only 31% of the catchment area. Although the average annual alpine runoff efficiency (discharge/precipitation; 40%) was greater than the subalpine runoff efficiency (19%), the subalpine runoff efficiency was more sensitive to changes in precipitation. Inter‐annual analysis of the evaporative and dryness indices revealed persistent moisture limitations at the catchment scale, although the alpine alternated between energy‐limited and water‐limited states in wet and dry years. Each ecosystem generally over‐generated discharge relative to that expected from a Budyko‐type model. The alpine and catchment water yields were relatively unaffected by annual meteorological variability, but this interpretation was dependent on the method used to quantify potential ET. Our results indicate that correctly accounting for dissimilar hydrological cycling above and below alpine treeline is critical to quantify the water balance of high‐elevation mountain catchments over periods of meteorological variability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type I interferon-inducible gene expression in blood is present and reflects disease activity in dermatomyositis and polymyositis.

OBJECTIVE To apply gene expression profiling to the study of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with inflammatory myopathies, in order to provide insight into disease pathogenesis and identify potential biomarkers associated with disease activity. METHODS We used Affymetrix whole-genome microarrays to measure the expression of approximately 38,500 genes in 65 blood and 15 muscle samples from 44 patients with dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), inclusion body myositis (IBM), myasthenia gravis, or genetically determined myopathies and from 12 healthy volunteers. In 9 patients, 2 samples were obtained at different time points, when disease was either active or improving, and these paired blood samples were also compared. Bioinformatics techniques were used to identify genes with significant differential expression among diagnostic categories and in relation to disease activity. We corroborated the microarray data with quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Most patients with active DM or PM, but not patients with IBM, had significant and high up-regulation of the type I interferon-alpha/beta (IFNalpha/beta)-inducible genes in blood. Furthermore, the up-regulation of these genes correlated with disease activity in DM and PM, with down-regulation occurring when disease was controlled with treatment. CONCLUSION DM and PM are diseases characterized by the systemic overexpression of IFNalpha/beta-inducible genes. The magnitude of the overexpression of these genes is higher in DM and correlates with disease activity in both disorders. Although PM and IBM have been modeled as having similar immunologic processes occurring within muscle, there are substantial differences in the expression of IFNalpha/beta-inducible genes in blood in these diseases.
Quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes in Poland - comparison with the general population using the EQ-5D questionnaire.

BACKGROUND Complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) lead to increased mortality and reduced quality of life (QOL). OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Polish patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and in a matched sample from the general population. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data on HRQoL came from two non-interventional studies: a prospective study of patients with T2D and an EQ-5D study of Polish general population norms. The HRQoL analysis was conducted in four separate age groups: 32-44, 45-54, 55-64 and over 65 years old. We analyzed both subjective and objective assessment of HRQoL (EQ VAS and EQ-5D index) and the presence of restrictions within five dimensions of the EQ-5D descriptive part. RESULTS A total of 274 patients with T2D and 214 representatives from the study of population norms were included. EQ VAS was systematically lower in diabetic patients as compared to the general population and decreased with age (68.2 vs 83.9, 62.4 vs 79.2; 54.9 vs 78.1, 50.2 vs 69.8 in consecutive age groups). A similar relationship was observed with the EQ-5D index. The largest mean differences were observed among subjects aged 55-64 years (EQ VAS: 23.2, EQ-5D index: 0.085). In three domains, i.e. self-care, usual activities and anxiety/depression, patients with diabetes who were over 45 years of age reported significantly more problems than respondents from the general population. CONCLUSIONS Both subjective and objective HRQoL in patients with T2D was lower than in respondents similar in age from the general population. Compared with type 2 diabetic populations from other countries, Polish patients are characterized by relatively high HRQoL objective assessment and very low subjective assessment.
An Extended Nonlinear Primal-Dual Interior-Point Algorithm for Reactive-Power Optimization of Large-Scale Power Systems with Discrete Control Variables

This paper presents a new algorithm for reactive-power optimization of large-scale power systems involving both discrete and continuous variables. This algorithm realizes successive discretization of the discrete control variables in the optimization process by incorporating a penalty function into the nonlinear primal-dual interior-point algorithm. The principle of handling these discrete variables by the penalty function, the timing of introducing the penalty function during iterations and the setting of penalty factors are discussed in detail. To solve the high-dimension linear correction equation speedily and efficiently in each iteration, a novel data-structure rearrangement is proposed. Compared with the existing data structures, it can effectively reduce the number of nonzero fill-in elements and does not give rise to difficulty in triangular factorization. The numerical results of test systems that range in size from 14 to 538 buses have shown that the proposed method can give near-optimum solutions, has good convergence, and is suitable for large-scale system applications.