Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction by four different methods using 99mTc tetrofosmin gated SPECT in patients with small hearts: correlation with gated blood pool

AimTo compare the currently available gated SPECT software programs, quantitative gated SPECT (QGS), Emory Cardiac Toolbox (ECTb), Left Ventricular Global Thickening Fraction (LVGTF), and the recently developed Layer of Maximum Count (LMC) method with equilibrium Gated Blood Pool (GBP) scintigraphy in calculating the ejection fraction in patients with small hearts. MethodsTwenty patients with small hearts (end diastolic volume <85 ml) were collected for the study. Gated myocardial perfusion SPECT and planar GBP were performed for all patients. The four methods QGS, ECTb, and LVGTF and LMC were used for volumes estimation and ejection fraction calculation. ResultsANOVA analysis revealed significant differences among the methods in ejection fraction estimation (P<0.0001). The mean ejection fraction by GBP was significantly overestimated by QGS and ECTb and LVGTF (P<0.0001, P<0.0001 and P=0.006, respectively). The mean ejection fraction by GBP was not significantly different from that by the LMC method (P=0.213). Ejection fraction measurements by QGS and ECTb yielded moderate correlation with GBP values (r=0.588, P=0.006; and r=0.564, P=0.010, respectively). The ejection fraction by the LMC method was marginally correlated but LVGTF showed a non-significant correlation with GBP (r=0.438, P=0.053; and r=0.155, P=0.515, respectively). Agreement analysis for ejection fraction estimation by QGS and ECTb demonstrated a non-significant correlation between the difference and the mean. The LMC method showed a non-significant trend to decrease the difference with GBP as the mean increased. However, the LVGTF method significantly increased the difference as the mean increased. ConclusionThe currently available gated SPECT methods have moderate to poor correlations in addition to wide agreement limits with gated blood pool studies in patients with small hearts. Improvement of these methods to achieve better results in such patients is recommended. The newly developed LMC method yielded better results in the group with small hearts but with low interchangeability with GBP studies.
The use of person-organization fit in employment decision making: an assessment of its criterion-related validity.

Because measures of person-organization (P-O) fit are accountable to the same psychometric and legal standards used for other employment tests when they are used for personnel decision making, the authors assessed the criterion-related validity of P-O fit as a predictor of job performance and turnover. Meta-analyses resulted in estimated true criterion-related validities of . 15 (k = 36, N = 5,377) for P-O fit as a predictor of job performance and . 24 (k = 8, N = 2,476) as a predictor of turnover, compared with a stronger effect of . 31 (k = 109, N = 108,328) for the more commonly studied relation between P-O fit and work attitudes. In contrast to the relations between P-O fit and work attitudes, the lower 95% credibility values for the job performance and turnover relations included zero. In addition, P-O fit's relations with job performance and turnover were partially mediated by work attitudes. Potential concerns pertaining to the use of P-O fit in employment decision making are discussed in light of these results.
Design parameters for efficient stirring of reverberation chambers

We have investigated the design parameters for stirrers in reverberation chambers. The efficiency of a stirrer is defined as the lowest possible frequency for which the stirrer gives a certain number of uncorrelated samples. Rotating stirrers generates cylindrical volumes when rotated about its axis. The impact of a change of the stirrer diameter is cubic compared with a change of the stirrer height. Another principle for stirring is to translate the stirrer along a fixed direction in space. The efficiency of translated stirrers is proportional to the stepping increment and to the square root of the area of the projection of the stirrer on a plane orthogonal to the direction of translation.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants in Dutch hospitals: their role, extent of substitution and facilitators and barriers experienced in the reallocation of tasks.

AIMS This paper is a report of a study exploring the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, the extent of substitution and the barriers and facilitators experienced by them as a consequence of substitution in public hospitals. BACKGROUND Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are emerging worldwide. However, despite the large amount of evidence showing the added value of these professionals, little evidence is available concerning the role, extent of substitution and facilitators and barriers experienced by them as a consequence of substitution. METHODS Interviews were conducted and a questionnaire was completed by 43 nurse practitioners and 13 physician assistants employed in public hospitals in the south of the Netherlands in 2007. Results. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants performed a broad spectrum of tasks, but differed significantly in the time spent and the kind of tasks performed. Nurse practitioners spent 25% (10·4 hours; SD = 5·5) and physician assistants 40% (18·7 hours; SD = 7.6) of their time on medical procedures. They both also performed new tasks or tasks for which there previously was insufficient capacity. Many of them experienced policy/organizational, legal, financial or facility problems in the reallocation of tasks. CONCLUSION Nurse practitioners and physician assistants have wide ranging but different responsibilities in public hospitals. By performing medical procedures and new tasks or tasks for which there was not enough capacity, they function as substitutes and supplements for doctors. However, barriers are affecting the extent of substitution. The challenge ahead is to remove the barriers experienced by nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Comparative Simulation Study of the Different Sources of Statistical Variability in Contemporary Floating-Gate Nonvolatile Memory

For the first time, a comprehensive comparative study of the impact of different sources of statistical variability in nonvolatile memory (NVM) has been carried out using the 3-D numerical simulation of large statistical ensembles and approaches based on the impedance-field method. Results of the threshold voltage variability in a template 32-nm floating-gate NVM subject to random discrete dopants (RDD), line edge roughness, oxide thickness fluctuations, polysilicon granularity, and interface trapped charge (ITC) are presented. The relative impact of each source of statistical variability has been highlighted, with RDD being identified as the dominant source and ITC as the next most dominant source. Based on the simulation of statistical samples of 1000 microscopically different devices, the shape and spread of the statistical distribution associated with each individual and combined sources of variability have been found to significantly be different from a normal distribution, particularly within the tails that may have significant implications for design and yield. Finally, an ensemble of 59 000 devices is used to characterize the combined impact of all sources of variability.
Impact of antioxidants, zinc, and copper on cognition in the elderly

Participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study were randomly assigned to receive daily antioxidants (vitamin C, 500 mg; vitamin E, 400 IU; beta carotene, 15 mg), zinc and copper (zinc, 80 mg; cupric oxide, 2 mg), antioxidants plus zinc and copper, or placebo. A cognitive battery was administered to 2,166 elderly persons after a median of 6.9 years of treatment. Treatment groups did not differ on any of the six cognitive tests (p > 0.05 for all). These results do not support a beneficial or harmful effect of antioxidants or zinc and copper on cognition in older adults.
The receptor for IgE on blood platelets

Highly purified blood platelets from man and rat could be induced into cytotoxic effectors against schistosome larvae by an IgE‐dependent mechanism. Such a process implied the existence of a receptor for the Fc part of IgE on the surface of these blood elements. Normal platelets, incubated in the serum of infected individuals as well as in the IgE‐rich serum from asthmatic patients, showed similar capabilities. Flow cytofluorometric analysis evidenced that the platelets bearing IgE receptors represented a subpopulation (20%), the percentage of which was significantly increased (up to 50%) in rats or patients with high levels of circulating IgE. Radiolabeled IgE, whose binding was specifically inhibited by an excess of unlabeled IgE or by anti‐Fcϵ receptor antibody, allowed the demonstration that the receptor for this isotype on the platelet surface was saturable. The binding of increasing amounts of IgE followed a bimodal curve, with less than 1000 sites per platelet showing an affinity coefficient of 3.3 × 107 M−1 at low concentrations, and a Ka of 7.8 × 105 M−1 for higher concentrations. Beyond their interest in the demonstration of cytotoxic properties of thrombocytes, these observations place emphasis on the potential role of the platelets in immediate‐type allergic reactions by their direct interaction with IgE antibody molecules, through a specific receptor.
Allomorphy in the plural morpheme of Old English disyllabic neuter a-stem nouns: Analogy and token frequency

Allomorphy in the plural morpheme of Old English disyllabic neuter a-stem nouns: Analogy and token frequency Many instances of plural number marking in Old English disyllabic neuter a-stem nouns appear uncertain. This is due partly to a want of additional empirical evidence regarding what appears to have been a tension between a high vowel deletion process, by which some disyllabic neuters containing a long root vowel failed to attach the nominative/accusative plural number marker -u, and several analogical extension processes which resulted in irregular attachments of the plural markers -u, -ø, and others. This apparent unpredictability, however, is also due to a lack of agreement about how best to subclassify many disyllabic a-neuters. Various scholars have addressed the problem of the allomorphy at issue here, but their grouping criteria have differed and no one scheme has proven truly satisfactory (cf. Brunner - Sievers 1965; Dahl 1938; Campbell 1959; Wełna 1996). Consequently, determining which disyllabic a-neuters attached the u-plural allomorph regularly and which attached it by analogy as well as which of these neuters suffixed the ø-allomorph regularly and which did so analogically is trouble-some. In an attempt to augment our understanding of allomorphy in the plural morpheme of the Old English disyllabic neuter a-stems, this paper analyzes more than 300 plurals culled from both Early and Late Old English texts, and it proposes, unlike previous treatments, that token frequency was crucial to the analogical processes which so often determined plural marker selection in these nouns.
Postsynaptic production of nitric oxide implicated in long‐term depression at the mature amphibian (Bufo marinus) neuromuscular junction

We report here evidence for endogenous NO signalling in long‐term (> 1 h) synaptic depression at the neuromuscular junction induced by 20 min of 1 Hz nerve stimulation. Synaptic depression was characterized by a 46% reduction in the end‐plate potential (EPP) amplitude and a 21% decrease in miniature EPP (MEPP) frequency, but no change to MEPP amplitude, indicating a reduction in evoked quantal release. Both the membrane‐impermeant NO scavenger cPTIO and the NOS inhibitor+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and muscle contraction were blocked with dantrolene. These data suggest that the depression depends on transmission, but not muscle contraction. The calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporin A and FK506, as well as ODQ, an inhibitor of NO‐sensitive soluble guanylyl cyclase, Rp‐8‐pCPT‐cGMPS, an inhibitor of cGMP‐dependent protein kinase, and the calmodulin antagonist phenoxybenzamine also blocked depression. We propose that low frequency synaptic transmission leads to production of NO at the synapse and depression of transmitter release via a cGMP‐dependent mechanism. The NO could be generated either directly from the muscle, or possibly from the Schwann cell in response to an unidentified muscle‐derived messenger. We showed that the long‐lasting depression of transmitter release was due to sustained activity of the NO signalling pathway, and suggest dephosphorylation of NOS by calcineurin as the basis for continued NO production.
PENGARUH KEPEMIMPINAN TRANSFORMASIONAL KEPALA SEKOLAH, MOTIVASI KERJA GURU, DAN BUDAYA SEKOLAH TERHADAP PRESTASI BELAJAR

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengungkap: (1) pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasional kepala sekolah (KS) dengan prestasi belajar siswa; (2) pengaruh budaya sekolah dengan prestasi belajar siswa; (3) pengaruh motivasi kerja guru dengan prestasi belajar siswa. Merupakan penelitian survey dengan populasi 512 sekolah dasar dengan sampel 95 sekolah. Analisis data menggunakan teknik analisis jalur. Hasil penelitian: (1) terdapat pengaruh langsung kepemimpinan transformasional KS dengan prestasi belajar siswa; (2) terdapat pengaruh tidak langsung antara kepemimpinan transformasional KS dengan prestasi belajar siswa melalui motivasi kerja guru; (3) terdapat pengaruh langsung antara budaya sekolah dengan prestasi belajar siswa; (4) terdapat pengaruh tidak langsung antara budaya sekolah dengan prestasi belajar siswa melalui motivasi kerja guru; (5) terdapat pengaruh langsung antara motivasi kerja guru dengan prestasi belajar siswa. Secara keseluruhan sumbangan kepemimpinan transformasional KS, budaya sekolah, motivasi kerja guru terhadap prestasi belajar siswa sebesar 18,91%.
The Epidemiology of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Because AMD adversely affects activities of daily living, rendering it more difficult to read, write, and drive, many affected individuals lose their independence in their retirement years. Age-related macular degeneration is estimated to affect more than 8 million individuals in the United States; the advanced form of the disease affects more than 1.75 million individuals. The population over age 85 years is expected to increase by 107% by the year 2020, so the prevalence of this disease will continue to rise dramatically. The only proven treatment available for the dry or nonexudative forms of this disease, which make up about 85% of the cases, is an antioxidant/mineral supplement that can slow the progression of the disease by 25% over 5 years. For the remaining 15% of cases, laser treatment and photodynamic therapy are the only therapies that have been demonstrated by randomized clinical trials to be beneficial for certain subgroups of these patients. Preventive measures are needed to reduce the burden of this disease. Smoking is the most consistently identified modifiable risk factor. Obesity, sunlight exposure, and factors including antioxidants and dietary fat intake may also affect AMD incidence and progression.Nonmodifiable risk factors include increasing age, gender, and family history of the disease. Although much progress has been made over the past decade, finding the causes and mechanisms of this condition remains a challenge.
Neural units in the superior cervical ganglion of the guinea‐pig.

The size and arrangement of the set of neurones innervated by individual preganglionic axons (the neural unit) has been investigated in the superior cervical ganglion of the guinea‐pig. 1. Based on the ratio of preganglionic neurones to ganglion cells, and the average number of axons contacting each ganglion cell, we estimated that individual preganglionic axons innervate on the order of 50‐200 superior cervical ganglion cells. 2. Of 562 pairs of ganglion cells examined with intracellular recording, forty‐seven (8.4%) were innervated by one or more common axons. 3. Pairs of ganglion cells innervated by the same axon were not necessarily near each other. Although nearby cells were more likely to share innervation than neurones far apart, cells sharing innervation were often found several hundred micrometers apart, and were occasionally separated by the largest dimension of the ganglion (about 1‐2 mm). 4. The incidence of cell pairs that shared innervation from more than one axon was greater than expected from the frequency of pairs sharing at least one axon. 5. Extracellular recordings from small fascicles of the cervical sympathetic trunk showed that preganglionic axons from different segmental levels intermingle extensively en route to the superior cervical ganglion. 6. Taken together, these findings support the view that sets of ganglion cells are innervated in common not because of any special topographic relationship within the ganglion, but because they share one or more properties that make them especially attractive to particular preganglionic axons.
Intrinsic Motivation as a Mediator of Relationships Between Symptoms and Functioning Among Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders in a Diverse Urban Community

This study investigated intrinsic motivation as a mediator of the relationship between clinical symptoms and functioning. The mediation model was tested with a sample of 166 adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders attending psychosocial rehabilitation programs in a diverse urban community. Ethnic minority status was examined as a moderator of the mediation model. Motivation was measured using items reflecting intrapsychic drive. Symptoms were assessed with the expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and functioning with the Role Functioning Scale. Motivation was a significant mediator of the relationship between functioning and all symptom scores; fully mediating the relationship between functioning and negative, disorganized, and global symptoms, and partially mediating the relationship between positive symptoms and functioning. Motivation scores between ethnic minority and nonminority individuals differed significantly (p < 0.05), but no moderation effect was indicated. The strong mediation effect schizophrenia of motivation on the symptoms-functioning relationship supports future work to translate findings into effective recovery-oriented services.
IL-23 Plasma level measurement in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients compared to healthy subjects

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease with unknown etiology and variable clinical evolution. Interleukin-23 (IL-23), a member of the IL-12 cytokine family is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of the IL-12p40 subunit, and with a novel p19 subunit, its ability to enhance the expansion of T helper type 17 (Th17) cells indicates the responsibility for many of the inflammatory autoimmune responses. Objective: The objective of the project is to measure IL-23 level in plasma of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in comparison with healthy control subjects. Methods: In a case-control study, plasma was collected from healthy subjects as control group (n = 40) and patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) (n = 40). The plasma level of IL-23 was assessed by ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (Ver. 16). Results: Plasma level of IL-23 in MS patients was significantly increased compared to control subjects (p Value < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings revealed the increased IL-23 level in patients’ group. In conclusion, the inhibition of IL-23 might be a novel and promising therapeutic strategy, especially in the therapy of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. IL-23 plays a pivotal role in development of MS and might be a specific marker and therapeutic target for MS.
Levels of serum hyaluronic acid, TNF-alpha and IL-8 in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common cause of liver disease that comprises a wide spectrum of liver damage, ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis. The aim of this study is to investigate serum hyaluronic acid (HA), TNF-alpha, IL-8 levels in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and to assess their potential value as a noninvasive marker for the severity of histopathology. METHODOLOGY Twenty-eight patients with biopsy-proven NASH, 14 patients with cirrhosis and 15 healthy controls were studied. Histopathological findings were graded and staged. HA, IL-8, TNF-levels were determined using by ELISA test RESULTS Serum HA levels in patients with NASH were significantly higher than in the healthy control group (P < 0.05). However, the levels in patients with cirrhosis were markedly higher than in patients with NASH and healthy controls (P < 0.001). Serum TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in patients with NASH and cirrhosis than in healthy controls (P < 0.05). Serum IL-8 levels in patients with NASH (P < 0.001) and cirrhosis (P < 0.05) were significantly higher than in the healthy control group. There was no correlation between serum HA and IL-8, TNF-alpha, ALT and AST levels. Serum HA level in patients with NASH was 187.26 +/- 139.21 and 143.49 +/- 93.14 in stage in stage 2-3 and in stage 0-1, respectively, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, serum HA, IL-8 and TNF-alpha levels increased in patients with NASH. Their relation with the severity of histopathology is not significant. Serum HA levels may be a useful marker to monitor the conversion from fibrosis to cirrhosis. Further studies are needed on this topic.
Acceleration of wound healing with stem cell-derived growth factors.

PURPOSE Recently, it has been revealed that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) accelerate the healing of skin wounds. Although the proliferative capacity of MSCs decreases with age, MSCs secrete many growth factors. The present study examined the effect of mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) on wound healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS The wound-healing process was observed macroscopically and histologically using an excisional wound-splinting mouse model, and the expression level of hyaluronic acid related to the wound healing process was observed to evaluate the wound-healing effects of MSC, MSC-CM, and control (phosphate-buffered saline). RESULTS The MSC and MSC-CM treatments accelerated wound healing versus the control group. At 7 days after administration, epithelialization was accelerated, thick connective tissue had formed in the skin defect area, and the wound area was reduced in the MSC and MSC-CM groups versus the control group. At 14 days, infiltration of inflammatory cells was decreased versus 7 days, and the wounds were closed in the MSC and MSC-CM groups, while a portion of epithelium was observed in the control group. At 7 and 14 days, the MSC and MSC-CM groups expressed significantly higher levels of hyaluronic acid versus the control group (P < .05). The expression level of hyaluronic acid was lower at 14 days than at 7 days in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS Both the MSC and MSC-CM groups accelerated wound healing versus the control group to a similar degree. Accordingly, it is suggested that the MSC-CM contains growth factor derived from stem cells, is able to accelerate wound healing as well as stem cell transplantation, and may become a new therapeutic method for wound healing in the future.