Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental attitudes regarding behavior guidance of dental patients with autism.

PURPOSES The purposes of this study were to evaluate: (1) parents' ability to predict dental treatment cooperation by their autistic child; (2) behavior guidance techniques (BGTs) used during treatment; and (3) parental attitudes regarding basic and advanced BGTs. METHODS Data were collected from 85 parent/autistic child pairs and their dentists using surveys and treatment records. RESULTS Parents most accurately predicted if their child would permit an examination in the dental chair (> or = 88%) and would cooperate for radiographs (> or = 84%). BGTs utilized most often (> 50%) were positive verbal reinforcement (PVR), tell-show-do (TSD), mouthprops, and rewards. In general, basic BGTs were more acceptable (> 81%) than advanced BGTs (>54%). The most acceptable techniques (>90%) in order were: PVR, TSD, distraction, rewards, general anesthesia, hand-holding by parent, and mouth-props. When parents evaluated only BGTs used for their child, all BGTs, including a stabilization device, were highly acceptable (> 91%), except for staff restraint (74%). CONCLUSIONS Parents were accurate in predicting cooperation for some procedures. The most acceptable and efficacious BGTs in order were: PVR, TSD, distraction, rewards, and hand-holding by parent. Parental perceptions of BGTs were influenced by whether or not they had been used for their child.
Treatment Consistency Across Levels of Baseline Renal Function With Rivaroxaban or Warfarin: A ROCKET AF (Rivaroxaban Once-Daily, Oral, Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation) Analysis.

Patients with impaired renal function have higher rates of bleeding and thromboembolism.1 Our group recently described the impact of worsening renal function on patients in the ROCKET AF study (Rivaroxaban Once-Daily, Oral, Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation) (ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00403767). 2 In the process of publishing these findings, questions arose from reviewers regarding the influence of baseline creatinine clearance (CrCl) on trial outcomes in ROCKET AF.3 Bohula et al4 demonstrated higher relative rates of thromboembolism in those with CrCl >95 mL/min treated with edoxaban in the ENGAGE TIMI-AF 48 trial (Effective Anticoagulation with Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation -Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 48). We present the findings of an analysis using data from ROCKET AF3 to evaluate the consistency of treatment effect of rivaroxaban versus warfarin across the full range of baseline CrCl included in the trial. ROCKET AF included 14 264 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients were randomly assigned to 20 mg rivaroxaban once daily (15 mg once daily in patients with a CrCl of 30–49 mL/min) or dose-adjusted warfarin (target international normalized ratio 2.5, range 2.0–3.0). Further description of the ROCKET AF results and design has been published previously.3,5 All patients provided written informed consent, and approval by appropriate ethics committees was obtained at all sites. We included 14 221 patients with CrCl data who received the study drug. We examined the primary efficacy end point of stroke or systemic embolism (SE); the principal safety end point of major or nonmajor clinically relevant bleeding; the secondary efficacy outcomes of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, …
Technical Advance: Novel ex vivo culture method for human monocytes uses shear flow to prevent total loss of transendothelial diapedesis function

Monocyte recruitment to inflammatory sites and their transendothelial migration into tissues are critical to homeostasis and pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. However, even short‐term suspension culture of primary human monocytes leads to phenotypic changes. In this study, we characterize the functional effects of ex vivo monocyte culture on the steps involved in monocyte transendothelial migration. Our data demonstrate that monocyte diapedesis is impaired by as little as 4 h culture, and the locomotion step is subsequently compromised. After 16 h in culture, monocyte diapedesis is irreversibly reduced by ∼90%. However, maintenance of monocytes under conditions mimicking physiological flow (5–7.5 dyn/cm2) is sufficient to reduce diapedesis impairment significantly. Thus, through the application of shear during ex vivo culture of monocytes, our study establishes a novel protocol, allowing functional analyses of monocytes not currently possible under static culture conditions. These data further suggest that monocyte‐based therapeutic applications may be measurably improved by alteration of ex vivo conditions before their use in patients.
Alternatives for Sugar Replacement in Food Technology: Formulating and Processing Key Aspects

The physical, chemical, thermal, rheological, and sensory characteristics of spreads with noncarbohydrate nutritive sweeteners (such as polyols), produced on ball mill, could be predicted. Spreads with 70 and 100% maltitol, as a sweetener, produced on different temperatures (30, 35, 40°C) and mixer speed rotations (60, 80, 100 r/min), give the spreads with very good or excellent sensory characteristics, characteristic spreadability without sandiness (gritty texture), good melting behavior, and pleasant taste. Both process parameters are very important and have the dual effect on spread quality. The best spread quality, considering all characteristics, has the spread with 100% maltitol, produced on the highest process parameters (40°C, 100 r/min).
International standards for HCI and usability

Over the last 15 years, a comprehensive range of international standards has been developed to define the general principles of user-centred design and good practice in user interface design. Most of the standards specify general principles rather than the precise details of the interface. The paper briefly describes how standards are created and reviews the definitions of usability. HCI and usability standards are described in the categories: usability definitions, use in context, software interface and interaction, hardware interface, documentation, the development process and capability of the organization. The applicability of the standards is discussed.
Commitment to sustainability: A content analysis of website for university organisations

This research aim on investigating the commitments of organisations towards sustainability. For this research context, ‘commitment’ refers to the extent of information provided by universities in their website which demonstrated initiatives towards achieving the sustainability goal. The objective of this study was to identify sustainability initiatives highlighted within university websites using Australia as a case study. Thirty-nine (39) websites were reviewed and web content analysis was performed to publicly available data including any relevant accessible PDF documents attached to the universities website. Specific websites information was reviewed to detect sustainability themes in the broad university management and operations (i.e., in general policies, corporate mission statements, research activities, positions available and strategies). The commitment of Australian universities was significant and well established with a set of twenty (20) related themes were identified. The findings have some limitations because the established themes only emerged from the websites’ content without human validation which possibly weakens the correlations between website information and organisations actual practice. This possibility is recognised and for this reason, further assessment may be advantageous to provide verification of the findings. Therefore, further studies using other techniques are suggested such as interviews or observations for validation of data and reinforce the entire conclusions. An interesting aspect of this study is the validity of reviewing organisational websites for gauging actual practice and a number of researchers supporting this approached as indicated in methodology section of this paper.
Beneficial effects of a three-month structured exercise training program on cardiopulmonary functional capacity in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

CONTEXT Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease closely related to several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. An impaired cardiopulmonary functional capacity was previously demonstrated in PCOS women. No data regarding the effects of a structured exercise training (ET) program on cardiopulmonary functional capacity in PCOS women are available. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate the effects of a 3-month ET program on cardiopulmonary functional capacity in young PCOS women. DESIGN AND SETTING A prospective baseline-randomized clinical study was conducted at the University "Federico II" of Naples, School of Medicine (Italy). PATIENTS Ninety young overweight PCOS women were enrolled. MEAN OUTCOME MEASURES Ninety young PCOS women were randomly subdivided into two groups, each composed of 45 subjects. The PCOS-T (trained) group underwent a 3-month structured ET program, whereas the PCOS-UnT (untrained) group did not. Hormonal and metabolic profiles and cardiopulmonary and exercise parameters were evaluated. RESULTS After 3-month ET, PCOS-T showed a significant improvement in peak oxygen consumption (+35.4%; P<0.001) and in maximal workload (+37.2%; P<0.001). In PCOS-T we also observed a significant reduction in body mass index (-4.5%; P<0.001) and in C-reactive protein (-10%; P<0.001), and a significant (P<0.001) improvement in insulin sensitivity indexes. After 3 months, no changes were observed in PCOS-UnT. CONCLUSIONS A 3-month structured ET program improves cardiopulmonary functional capacity in young PCOS women.
A 3.6‐mW 6‐GHz current‐reuse VCO‐buffer with improved load drivability in 65‐nm CMOS

A new current‐reuse voltage‐controlled oscillator (VCO)‐buffer with enhanced load drivability is proposed. It incorporates a PMOS‐based source follower stacked atop a NMOS‐based LC VCO to share the bias current, while preventing the voltage stress at any oscillation node from exceeding the 1.2‐V technology voltage limit. Also, ac‐coupling networks are avoided between the VCO and buffer, improving the Q of the LC tank while minimizing parasitics. With internal buffering, the VCO can directly drive up a 50‐Ω load for testing, or to withstand a large capacitive load in on‐chip local oscillator distribution, particularly suitable for multi‐band MIMO WLAN radios. The fabricated VCO‐buffer in 65‐nm CMOS measures 13.8% tuning range from 5.64 to 6.4 GHz, consumes 3.6 mW at 1.2 V and exhibits −108.84 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1‐MHz offset. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Square-root Unscented Information Filter for State Estimation and Sensor Fusion

This paper presents a new recursive Bayesian estimation method, which is the square-root unscented information filter (SRUIF). The unscented information filter (UIF) has been introduced recently for nonlinear system estimation and sensor fusion. In the UIF framework, a number of sigma points are sampled from the probability distribution of the prior state by the unscented transform and then propagated through the nonlinear dynamic function and measurement function. The new state is estimated from the propagated sigma points. In this way, the UIF can achieve higher estimation accuracies and faster convergence rates than the extended information filter (EIF). As the extension of the original UIF, we propose to use the square-root of the covariance in the SRUIF instead of the full covariance in the UIF for estimation. The new SRUIF has better numerical properties than the original UIF, e.g., improved numerical accuracy, double order precision and preservation of symmetry.
Are older nuclear reactors less safe? Evidence from incident data in the French fleet

This paper studies the impact of age and reactor technology on safety in the French nuclear fleet between 1997 and 2015. We use a novel dataset encompassing over 19,000 nuclear safety events declared by plant managers to the French regulatory agency. A major problem for evaluating the effects of age and technology is that declarations of safety events are influenced by the plant managers' level of transparency. We deal with this problem by restricting the analysis to the occurrences of particular types of events, such as automatic shut-downs. These events, due to their technical specifics, exhibit perfect detection and declaration rates. We obtain the following results. First, technology has a strong impact on reactor safety. Second, age has a significant and technology-specific effect on reactor safety. For instance, while in 1997 one additional year of age led to a 15% increase in the expected number of automatic shut-downs among the 900 MW reactors, this number was reduced to only 6% in 2014. In comparison, the 1450 MW reactors undergo a significantly larger number of automatic shut-downs, but age has a smaller effect on their rate of occurrence. Finally, we find that local transparency, defined as both detection abilities, reporting behaviours and declaration guidelines, plays a significant role in the explanation of the observed variations of declarations of events.
Better off dead: suicidal thoughts in cancer patients.

PURPOSE Cancer is associated with an increased risk of suicide and attempted suicide. However, we do not know how many cancer patients have thoughts that they would be better off dead or thoughts of hurting themselves. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of such thoughts in cancer outpatients and which patients are most likely to have them. PATIENTS AND METHODS A survey of consecutive patients who attended the outpatient clinics of a regional cancer center in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which included Item 9 that asks patients if they have had thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting themselves in some way in the previous 2 weeks. Those who reported having had such thoughts for at least several days in this period were labeled as positive responders. Patients also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a pain scale. The participating patients' cancer diagnoses and treatments were obtained from the cancer center clinical database. RESULTS Data were available on 2,924 patients; 7.8% (229 of 2,924; 95% CI, 6.9% to 8.9%) were positive responders. Clinically significant emotional distress, substantial pain, and--to a lesser extent--older age, were associated with a positive response. There was strong evidence of interactions between these effects, and emotional distress played the most important role. CONCLUSION A substantial number of cancer outpatients report thoughts that they would be better off dead or thoughts of hurting themselves. Management of emotional distress and pain should be a central aspect of cancer care.
Large cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease arising synchronously in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: importance of immunocytochemistry.

To the Editor: Transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) into a more aggressive hematologic malignancy is a well-described phenomenon known as Richter’s syndrome (RS) and has been reported to result in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin’s disease (HD), or multiple myeloma in 3
The Modified Optimal Hinfinity Control Problem for Descriptor Systems

The $\mathcal{H}_\infty$ control problem is studied for linear constant coefficient descriptor systems. Necessary and sufficient optimality conditions are derived for systems of arbitrary index. These conditions are formulated in terms of deflating subspaces of even matrix pencils containing only the parameters of the original system. It is shown that this approach leads to a more numerically robust and efficient method in computing the optimal value $\gamma$ in contrast to other methods such as the widely used Riccati- and linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based approaches. The results are illustrated by a numerical example.
Efficacy of intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

OBJECTIVE Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease that affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. Optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive myelitis associated with systemic autoimmune disease have been recently defined as NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD). In this study, we report the efficacy of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy for NMOSD. METHODS Four patients diagnosed with NMOSD were enrolled in this study. The expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score was used to evaluate the degree of severity. All of the patients received intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP; 1 g/day for three days), and two patients also received plasmapheresis (PP). All of the patients were administered IVCY treatment. RESULTS Anti-AQP4 antibodies were present in the sera of all patients. All patients exhibited longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM). Only one patient who fulfilled the criteria for a diagnosis of NMO exhibited optic neuritis. Two patients developed relapse under treatment with low-dose prednisolone (PSL) before the administration of IVCY. The patients in this study exhibited a median improvement in the EDSS score following IVCY treatment from 8.0 to 5.75. Adverse effects were observed in only one patient. CONCLUSION This study, despite its retrospective design, demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of IVCY for NMOSD in both the acute and chronic phases of the disease and determined the IVCY dosage for Japanese women with NMOSD. Additionally, this study provided evidence that for NMOSD patients with severe disabilities, IVCY added to IVMP and PP may be a useful therapeutic modality.
Invasive pneumococcal disease among HIV-positive individuals, 2000–2009

Objectives:To examine invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence, the impact of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7s) programme on the distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes and risk factors for IPD among HIV-positive adults. Methods:We analysed adults (aged ≥15 years) reported to the HIV and IPD national datasets in England and Wales (2000–2009). Through data-linkage, changes in IPD incidence and serotype distribution were examined. Risk factors for IPD among HIV-positive adults were assessed using a case–control study. Results:Among 63 109 HIV-positive adults, 951 were co-infected with IPD. The average annual incidence of IPD was 245 episodes per 100 000 HIV-positive adults and 246 of 100 000 among those aged 15–44 years. Incidence was higher among those not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) (281 of 100 000) and those with severe immunosuppression (563 of 100 000). Among 9283 adults aged 15–44 at IPD diagnosis, 2.4% were living with undiagnosed HIV. The proportion of IPD episodes in HIV-positive adults with serotypes covered by PCV7 was 23% in 2009, a 54% proportional reduction compared with pre-PCV7 (2000–2006); the reduction in adults of unknown HIV status was 70%. The proportion of IPD episodes among HIV-positive adults caused by serotypes covered by PCV13 was 61%. Significant risk factors for IPD in multivariate analysis included older aged (≥65 years), a lower nadir CD4 cell count and no previous ART. Conclusion:An HIV test should be offered and recommended to adults aged 15–44 years without other obvious IPD risk factors. Our study provides an evidence base to policy makers regarding the use of the new PCV13 in HIV-positive adults.
The Impact of the New Web 2.0 Technologies in Communication, Development, and Revolutions of Societies

In lase years with all of the attention paid to social networks (SN) and Web 2.0 tools these days, it is important to both explore their uses and evaluate their effectiveness in supporting communication, developing, and revolutions of countries, are rapidly evolving technology and play an important role in every daily life activities in societies. This technology includes wikis(Wikipedia, Seedwiki), blog, micro blogging (Twitter), YouTube, social book marking, podcasts, Second Life (virtual communities), and RSS.This paper will illustrate how Web 2.0 technology has been successfully used as a supplement for communicative practice in societies. Moreover, this paper explores the impact of communication SNs, Web 2.0 technologies, and the Internet in particular, has been widely credited as contributor to the democracy and freedom of countries. Some challenges of SNs and Web 2.0 have been overviewed. In addition to, the role of such technologies has been influenced by the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions in 2011 which have been explained and highlighted in this work.
Widening ethnic disparities in infant mortality in southern Brazil: comparison of 3 birth cohorts.

OBJECTIVES We analyzed trends in mortality among infants born to White and to Black or mixed-race women in 3 population-based cohorts representing all births in 1982, 1993, and 2004 in Pelotas, southern Brazil. METHODS Births were assessed during daily visits to all maternity hospitals. Maternal skin color was classified by the interviewers as White or Black or multi-racial. We used logistic regression to adjust for socioeconomic, demographic, and health services variables. RESULTS The mortality rate among infants born to White mothers declined from 30.4 per 1000 live births in 1982 to 13.9 per 1000 in 2004, compared with 53.8 per 1000 to 30.4 per 1000 among those born to Black and mixed-race mothers. Differences for neonatal mortality were even more marked, with reductions of 47% and 11% for infants born to White and Black or mixed-race women, respectively. Adjusted analyses showed that ethnic group differences in neonatal and infant mortality were partly explained by differences in poverty and prenatal care. CONCLUSIONS Over a 22-year period, improvements in health indicators were greater for infants born to White women than for other infants. The widening racial gap requires special attention from policymakers.
Role of Prostaglandin D Receptor CRTH2 in Sustained Eosinophil Accumulation in the Airways of Mice with Chronic Asthma

The prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)/CRTH2 pathway is important for eosinophil trafficking in vitro; however, genetic deficiency of CRTH2 does not suppress in vivo eosinophilic airway inflammation in acute models of asthma, and the role of CRTH2 in the pathogenesis of asthma is still ambiguous. Therefore, in the present study we explored whether the PGD2/CRTH2 pathway could affect the phenotypes of chronic asthma. Either CRTH2-deficient (CRTH2–/–) or wild-type mice were sensitized and exposed to ovalbumin (OVA) for 3 days (acute model) or 6 weeks (chronic model). While the magnitude of the acute eosinophilic inflammation was equivalent between CRTH2–/– and wild-type mice, the number of inflammatory cells and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after chronic OVA exposure was significantly reduced in CRTH2–/– mice (18.0 ± 2.6 × 104 cells and 2.0 ± 0.5 × 104 cells) compared to wild-type mice (27.9 ± 2.5 × 104 cells and 6.8 ± 1.1 × 104 cells, p < 0.001). On the contrary, no difference was observed between CRTH2–/– and wild-type mice in terms of airway hyperresponsiveness or remodeling (goblet cell hyperplasia) in the chronic model of asthma. In conclusion, CRTH2 that mediates PGD2 activity is essential for sustained eosinophilic inflammation in the airways, and its antagonists could exert an anti-inflammatory effect in chronic asthma.
Laryngomalacia and Its Treatment

Objective: To determine 1) airway outcome of infants with laryngomalacia who do not undergo routine direct laryngoscopy (DL) and bronchoscopy (B), 2) the age at resolution of laryngomalacia, and, 3) outcome of supraglottoplasty as a function of the type of laryngomalacia and the presence of concomitant disease.