Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of small bowel transit time following colectomy and ileal reservoir construction

A study was carried out to evaluate the breath hydrogen test as a method of estimating small bowel transit in patients with an ileal pouch and to determine whether gut transit time influenced functional outcome. Twelve patients with an ileal reservoir and ten control subjects ingested a test meal of 400 ml chicken soup, 20 g lactulose and 50 ml dilute barium solution. Concurrent breath hydrogen testing and radiological screening was carried out until the head of the test meal reached the ileal pouch or caecum. At the time that the test meal arrived in the pouch, faecal anaerobic bacterial counts were obtained. Pouch compliance, functional capacity and anal sphincter pressures were also measured. While there was an excellent correlation between radiological and breath hydrogen measures of orocaecal transit time in controls (P < 0.001), no such relationship was found for oropouch transit. Four of the 12 patients with a pouch produced no hydrogen after test meal ingestion, while in two other such patients breath hydrogen peaks occurred when the head of the meal was in the jejunum. The magnitude of the breath hydrogen rise in patients with an ileal pouch correlated well with faecal anaerobic bacterial counts (P < 0.01). The median (95 per cent confidence interval) radiological small bowel transit time was more rapid in patients with a pouch than in control subjects: 28 (23–33) versus 72 (46–86) min (P < 0.01). Increased 24‐h frequency of defaecation was associated with more rapid small bowel transit after ileal reservoir construction (P < 0.01) but correlated with neither pouch capacity nor compliance. These data show that small bowel transit time may be a determinant of ileal pouch function but that breath hydrogen estimation of gut transit time in patients with an ileal reservoir is unreliable.
Surgical Management of Cholesteatoma Growing Medially into the Petrous part of the Temporal Bone

In this article we describe the surgical management of petrous bone cholesteatoma, a rare form of an epidermoid cyst growing medially into the petrous part of the temporal bone. In our series of 5 patients, high resolution Computerized Tomography (CT) played an essential role in the diagnosis of this pathological entity. CT was also important in planning for the surgical access to this intricate part of the temporal bone. In all cases we performed a subtotal petrosectomy with skeletonization of the facial nerve bony canal to preserve the facial nerve function. We were able to remove totally the medially growing cholesteatoma with low morbidity.
Assessing five evolving microbial enzyme models against field measurements from a semiarid savannah—What are the mechanisms of soil respiration pulses?

Soil microbial respiration pulses in response to episodic rainfall pulses (the “Birch effect”) are poorly understood. We developed and assessed five evolving microbial enzyme models against field measurements from a semiarid savannah characterized by pulsed precipitation to understand the mechanisms to generate the Birch pulses. The five models evolve from an existing four‐carbon (C) pool model to models with additional C pools and explicit representations of soil moisture controls on C degradation and microbial uptake rates. Assessing the models using techniques of model selection and model averaging suggests that models with additional C pools for accumulation of degraded C in the dry zone of the soil pore space result in a higher probability of reproducing the observed Birch pulses. Degraded C accumulated in dry soil pores during dry periods becomes immediately accessible to microbes in response to rainstorms, providing a major mechanism to generate respiration pulses. Explicitly representing the transition of degraded C and enzymes between dry and wet soil pores in response to soil moisture changes and soil moisture controls on C degradation and microbial uptake rates improve the models' efficiency and robustness in simulating the Birch effect. Assuming that enzymes in the dry soil pores facilitate degradation of complex C during dry periods (though at a lower rate) results in a greater accumulation of degraded C and thus further improves the models' performance. However, the actual mechanism inducing the greater accumulation of labile C needs further experimental studies.
Life stressors and 5-HTTLPR interaction in relation to midpregnancy depressive symptoms among African–American women

Objective In earlier analyses of nonHispanic White women we found a stronger relation between abuse history and midpregnancy elevated depressive symptoms in women with the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) S/S genotype. Here, we focus on African–American women (N=698). Our inquiry is motivated by racial differences in depression diagnosis/treatment, stressors, and frequency of major 5-HTTLPR alleles (S, LA, LG). Materials and methods Stressful life events (lifetime) and depressive symptoms (current) were ascertained at 15–27 weeks gestation. A Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Score of more than or equal to 18 was considered ‘elevated’. Life events were scored together and separated into six subconstructs. 5-HTTLPR genotypes were grouped as follows: (i) L and S alleles, (ii) S-LG equivalence (‘triallelic to biallelic’), and (iii) LA/LA, all others, S/S (‘high/intermediate/low’). Odds ratios (OR) for ‘elevated’ depressive symptoms-life events (total and subconstructs) relations were calculated for each genotype grouping. Results The prevalence of ‘elevated’ depressive symptoms did not vary by genotype. The relation between stressful life events and ‘elevated’ depressive symptoms was stronger in S/S compared with LA/LA genotype (interaction P=0.11). Of the six subconstructs, only abuse showed a statistically significant gene–environment interaction. The OR for the abuse-‘elevated’ depressive symptoms association was greater for S/S vs. LA/LA genotype (interaction P=0.03) and in the ‘triallelic to biallelic’ grouping (interaction P=0.04). In the ‘high/intermediate/low’ grouping, ‘low’ (S/S) had a higher OR (5.5) than both ‘intermediate’ and ‘high’ (ORs⩽2.3) (interaction P=0.10). Conclusions These results show the importance of examining racial groups, specific stressful events, and different 5-HTTLPR genotype groupings when exploring gene–environment interactions in depression.
Knowledge of emergency management of avulsed teeth: a survey of dentists in Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVES There is a high frequency of dental trauma cases in China, where tooth avulsion is one of the most serious scenarios. The knowledge of how to take care of an avulsion is of great importance to the outcome of such an injury. This knowledge among dentists in Beijing, China has never been tested before. The purpose of this study was to evaluate professional experience and knowledge of emergency management of dentists working in urban and suburban areas of Beijing, China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A two-part questionnaire was distributed to 175 urban and 99 suburban dentists in Beijing. The first part contained personal and professional information of the participating dentists. The second part evaluated dentists' knowledge about the emergency management of avulsed teeth. Data were entered into a SPSS database and analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test for each question. RESULTS All dentists had a college or above degree. Almost five times as many urban dentists compared to suburban dentists presented with a Master or PhD degree. The knowledge levels of the participants presenting with correct answer in the respective knowledge areas were; storage medium (15.8%) intra-canal medication (45.0%), type of splint (45.1%) and splinting period (10.2%). Significantly more urban dentists (50.6%) compared to suburban dentists (34.8%) (P = 0.016), used calcium hydroxide paste as an intracanal medicament, and significantly more urban dentists (51.3%) than suburban dentists (34.1%) chosed a flexible splint (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION The results revealed an uneven pattern of knowledge between urban and suburban dentists regarding the emergency management of avulsed teeth. The study highlighted Chinese dentists' need for continuing education in order to improve current knowledge in emergency management of avulsed teeth.
Effects of thromboxane synthase inhibition on in vivo release of inflammatory mediators in chronic ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a thromboxane inhibitor on the production of eicosanoids by the colonic mucosa of patients with chronic ulcerative colitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fourteen patients with active left-sided ulcerative colitis were divided into in two treatment groups. Seven patients received oral ridogrel (300 mg twice daily) and seven 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA; 1 g twice daily) for 4 weeks. Intracolonic eicosanoid and elastase release were measured using a colonic double-lumen perfusion technique. An isotonic solution was infused 50 cm from the anal verge at the rate of 5 ml/min, and recovered by siphonage 30 cm distally. Effluents were assayed for thromboxane B2 (TXB2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and for polymorphonuclear elastase by immunoactivation. Clinical and colonoscopic criteria were used to determine activity before and after treatment. RESULTS Four of the seven patients in the ridogrel group and five of the seven in the 5-ASA group showed clinical and colonoscopic improvement. Intraluminal elastase release decreased in every responding patient in the 5-ASA group (P < 0.05) and in three out of seven responders in the ridogrel group. Basal eicosanoid release was similar in both groups. In the responders, 5-ASA significantly reduced the release of the three eicosanoids (P < 0.05). Ridogrel reduced the release of TXB2 to 31% of basal levels (P < 0.01) but the release of PGE2 and LTB4 was not affected. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that ridogrel is an oral active selective inhibitor of thromboxane synthetase, which modifies the pattern of colonic eicosanoid generation in patients with chronic ulcerative colitis. Oral ridogrel may be a useful treatment for patients with non-severe ulcerative colitis, although specific indications require further studies.
The Impact of Entrepreneurs' Characteristics on Small Business Success at Medical Instruments Supplies Organizations in Jordan

This study is aimed to investigate the impact of the entrepreneurs’ characteristics on small business success at Medical Instruments Supplies Organizations in Jordan. The population is small business of Medical Instruments Supplies Organizations in Jordan-Amman. The study surveyed the owners and managers working at these organizations which consist of 66 organizations. Data collected by developed questionnaire. Statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA test, correlation, multiple regressions employed to test the hypotheses. The result shows that there is an impact of the entrepreneurs’ characteristics on the small business success, which indicate the small business success related to the entrepreneurs’ characteristics. The study recommends carrying out similar studies on other industries in Jordan and other countries.
Potential and limitations of inferring ecosystem photosynthetic capacity from leaf functional traits

Abstract The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the potential and limitations of using plant functional trait observations from global databases versus in situ data to improve our understanding of vegetation impacts on ecosystem functional properties (EFPs). Using ecosystem photosynthetic capacity as an example, we first provide an objective approach to derive robust EFP estimates from gross primary productivity (GPP) obtained from eddy covariance flux measurements. Second, we investigate the impact of synchronizing EFPs and plant functional traits in time and space to evaluate their relationships, and the extent to which we can benefit from global plant trait databases to explain the variability of ecosystem photosynthetic capacity. Finally, we identify a set of plant functional traits controlling ecosystem photosynthetic capacity at selected sites. Suitable estimates of the ecosystem photosynthetic capacity can be derived from light response curve of GPP responding to radiation (photosynthetically active radiation or absorbed photosynthetically active radiation). Although the effect of climate is minimized in these calculations, the estimates indicate substantial interannual variation of the photosynthetic capacity, even after removing site‐years with confounding factors like disturbance such as fire events. The relationships between foliar nitrogen concentration and ecosystem photosynthetic capacity are tighter when both of the measurements are synchronized in space and time. When using multiple plant traits simultaneously as predictors for ecosystem photosynthetic capacity variation, the combination of leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio with leaf phosphorus content explains the variance of ecosystem photosynthetic capacity best (adjusted R 2 = 0.55). Overall, this study provides an objective approach to identify links between leaf level traits and canopy level processes and highlights the relevance of the dynamic nature of ecosystems. Synchronizing measurements of eddy covariance fluxes and plant traits in time and space is shown to be highly relevant to better understand the importance of intra‐ and interspecific trait variation on ecosystem functioning.
Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Individuals With and Without Diabetes Mellitus in the Framingham Heart Study

Background— Individuals with diabetes mellitus are at 2- to 3-fold increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) relative to those without diabetes. Our objective was to examine CVD risk factor level changes among individuals with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus from 1970 to 2005 in the Framingham Heart Study. Methods and Results— We included 4195 participants (3990 with no diabetes and 205 with diabetes) 50 years of age and 3495 participants (3178 with no diabetes and 317 with diabetes) 60 years of age. Contemporaneous CVD risk factor levels were measured; linear regression models were used to assess the interaction between diabetes status and calendar year on CVD risk factor levels. Among 50-year-olds without diabetes mellitus, there was an increase in body mass index of 0.39 kg/m2 per 10 years, whereas for those with diabetes, there was an increase of 2.52 kg/m2 (P value for the diabetes-by-calendar year interaction [P for interaction] <0.001). For low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the mean decrease was −7.43 mg/dL per decade (nondiabetes) and −15.5 mg/dL for diabetes (P for interaction=0.002). For systolic blood pressure, the mean decrease was −3.35 mm Hg per decade (nondiabetes) and −3.50 mm Hg for diabetes (P for interaction=0.97). The direction of the trends for those with diabetes relative to those without diabetes was similar for 60-year-olds. Conclusions— Compared with individuals without diabetes mellitus, individuals with diabetes experienced a greater increase in body mass index, a greater decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and a similar magnitude of decline in systolic blood pressure. Individuals with diabetes mellitus have not experienced the necessary declines in CVD risk factors to overcome their increased risk of CVD. Further efforts are needed to aggressively control CVD risk factors among individuals with diabetes mellitus.
Near-infrared reflectance analysis for predicting beef longissimus tenderness.

Near-infrared reflectance spectra (1,100 to 2,498 nm) were collected on beef longissimus thoracis steaks for the purpose of establishing the feasibility of predicting meat tenderness by spectroscopy. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis (up to 20 factors) and multiple linear regression (MLR) were used to predict cooked longissimus Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force values from spectra of steaks from 119 beef carcasses. Modeling used the combination of log(1/R) and its second derivative. Overall, absorption was higher for extremely tough steaks than for tender steaks. This was particularly true at wavelengths between 1,100 and 1,350 nm. For PLS regression, optimal model conditions (R2 = .67; SEC = 1.2 kg) occurred with six PLS factors. When the PLS model was tested against the validation subset, similar performance was obtained (R2 = .63; SEP = 1.3 kg) and bias was small (<.3 kg). Among the 39 samples in the validation data set, 48.7, 87.7, and 97.4% of the samples were predicted within 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 kg, respectively, of the observed Warner-Bratzler shear force value. The optimal PLS model was able to predict whether a steak would have a Warner-Bratzler shear force value < 6 kg with 75% accuracy. The R2 of MLR model was . 67, and 89% of samples were correctly classified (< 6 vs > 6 kg) for Warner-Bratzler shear force. These data indicate that NIR is capable of predicting Warner-Bratzler shear force values of longissimus steaks. Refinement of this technique may allow nondestructive measurement of beef longissimus at the processing plant level.
Relationship between stress and academic achievement of senior secondary school students

The study investigated the relationship between stress and academic achievement of senior secondary school students. A total of 120 senior secondary school students randomly selected from six senior secondary schools of North-western Delhi participated in the study. Three null hypotheses were tested using data generated from research instruments. The instrument included Stress Inventory designed and standardized by Dr. Suman Nangia (1990). Academic achievement was taken from the students’ previous examinations. Data generated from these instruments were correlated using Pearson product moment correlation method. Results showed a positive correlation between stress and academic achievement. Significant difference exists in the academic achievement of students having high, moderate and less stress. Students with high and moderate stress performed better than the students having less stress. Further it was also found that stress and academic achievement are not mediated by gender.
Placental transfer and renal elimination of cimetidine in maternal and fetal sheep.

The placental transfer and renal elimination of cimetidine were studied at steady state in near-term pregnant sheep. In seven nonanesthetized sheep, maternal dosage produced mean steady-state plasma concentrations of 776 +/- 217 ng/ml in the mother and 32 +/- 15 ng/ml in the fetus. Total cimetidine clearance was 41.63 +/- 9.10 liters/hr in the mother, whereas renal cimetidine clearance was 29.96 +/- 15.74 liters/hr in the mother and 1.53 +/- 0.48 liters/hr in the fetus. The mean ratio of cimetidine/creatinine renal clearance was similar in fetus and adult and was considerably greater than unity (7.5 and 7.1, respectively), suggesting active tubular secretion of equal efficiency in both. Fetal dosage in six of the nonanesthetized preparations reversed the maternal-fetal plasma cimetidine concentration gradient (fetal plasma = 16,895 +/- 5,507 ng/ml; maternal plasma = 513 +/- 184 ng/ml). At these very high fetal plasma concentrations, the mean fetal cimetidine/creatinine clearance ratio (2.1) was significantly lower, consistent with the saturation of an active renal tubular secretory process. In four anesthetized sheep, both maternal and fetal renal cimetidine clearances (9.83 +/- 5.39 and 0.32 +/- 0.14 liters/hr, respectively) were 70 to 80% lower than in nonanesthetized sheep. Umbilical venous and arterial cimetidine concentrations were similar (42 +/- 11 and 43 +/- 11 ng/ml, P greater than .05) but substantially less than the maternal plasma concentration (1535 +/- 500 ng/ml). Thus, the principal gradient occurs across the placenta rather than across the fetus. This suggests that, although the fetal kidney can extract cimetidine efficiently, low fetal drug concentrations are primarily due to the placenta and not to fetal drug elimination.
Assessing Machine Translation Quality with Error Analysis

Translation quality can be evaluated with regard to different aspects, such as accuracy (fidelity), fluency and fitness for purpose. In using a machine translation system for information purposes, accuracy of semantic content is the key aspect of quality. Automated quality metrics developed in the machine translation field have been criticized for conflating fluency of form with accuracy of content and for failing to provide any information on the types of errors in the translations. Our research aims to discover criteria for assessing translation quality specifically in terms of accuracy of semantic content in translation. This paper demonstrates how an error analysis with a view to identifying different error types in machine translations can serve as a starting point for such criteria. The error classification described focuses on mismatches of semantic components (individual concepts and relations between them) in the source and target texts. We present error analysis results, which show differing patterns both between human translators and machine translation systems on the one hand and two different kinds of translation systems on the other.
A freeze‐fracture study of the enteropathy associated with dermatitis herpetiformis: a comparative investigation with coeliac disease

Jejunal biopsies from patients with either dermatitis herpetiformis or coeliac disease were freeze‐fractured and compared with normal jejunal biopsies. The intestinal mucosa of the normal biopsies showed a normal structure, with well‐developed and tightly packed microvilli; in dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease degenerative changes of the intestrial mucosa occurred. These changes appeared to be segmented in dermatitis herpetiformis and diffuse in coeliac disease. Emphasis is placed on changes in the tight junctional net at the base of the microvilli, which could represent cellular damage related to increased intestinal permeability to macromolecules in these diseases. An interpretative hypothesis for these observations is presented.
Pheromone release rate determines whether sexual communication of Oriental fruit moth is disrupted competitively vs. non‐competitively

Communicational disruption mechanisms for Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were determined using a suite of mathematical tools and graphical operations that enable differentiation between competitive attraction and non‐competitive mechanisms of disruption. Research was conducted in 20 field cages, each covering 12 mature apple trees. Commercial monitoring lures releasing Oriental fruit moth pheromone at a rate of 0.04 μg h−1 and distributed at densities of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 17 per cage were used to evaluate the effect of low‐releasing dispensers on the disruption of sexual communication. Graphical analyses revealed that near‐female‐equivalent pheromone dispensers disrupted Oriental fruit moth competitively. Commercial mating disruption dispensers releasing Oriental fruit moth pheromone at 60 μg h−1 and deployed at 0, 4, 6, 10, 15, 20, and 30 per cage were used to evaluate the effect of high‐releasing dispensers on the disruption of sexual communication. Oriental fruit moth disruption shifted to a non‐competitive mechanism for high‐releasing dispensers. This is the first time such a shift in disruption mechanism has been demonstrated against a background of otherwise identical experimental conditions. Near‐female‐equivalent pheromone dispensers were also used to quantify the additive effect of an attract‐and‐remove control strategy compared with competitive mating disruption. We report a five‐fold reduction in Oriental fruit moth captures under attract‐and‐remove compared to mating disruption using near‐female‐equivalent dispensers. Surprisingly, release of female Oriental fruit moths into these large‐cage disruption studies had no measurable impact on male trapping.