Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of the NHS Health Checks programme: baseline assessment of risk factor recording in an urban culturally diverse setting.

BACKGROUND National Health Service (NHS) Health Checks, a population-wide prevention programme introduced during 2009, aims to measure and manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among all persons aged 40-74 years in England. The potential workload implications of the programme for general practice are considerable, particularly in deprived culturally diverse settings. OBJECTIVE To examine the baseline levels of CVD risk factor recording in general practices located in Ealing, North West London. METHODS Cross-sectional study using data extracted from electronic medical records in 14 general practices between December 2008 and January 2009. The completeness of blood pressure, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol recording was examined by practice and patient characteristics. RESULTS Recording of blood pressure [85.6% (practice interquartile range = 10.1)] and smoking status [95.8% (2.6)] was very high in practices. Recording of BMI [72.8% (23.4)] and cholesterol [55.6% (25.3)] was considerably lower. There were large differences in recording between practices (range for cholesterol: 33.6-78.0%), though these were largely explained by patient characteristics. In regression analysis, hypertensive patients [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 36.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21.0-62.9], women [AOR = 2.88 (95% CI 2.64-3.15)] and older patients [AOR = 2.75 (95% CI 2.28-3.32) for 65-74 against 35-44 years of age] had better recording of blood pressure as well as BMI and cholesterol. Recording of blood pressure [AOR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.09-1.75)] and cholesterol [AOR = 1.47 (95% CI 1.30-1.66)] was significantly higher among South Asian patients. CONCLUSIONS The workload implications of the NHS Health Checks programme for general practices in England are substantial. There are considerable variations in risk factor recording between practices and between age, gender and ethnic groups.
Predicting Diet Quality of Donkeys via Fecal-NIRS Calibrations

Abstract Successful applications of fecal-near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (fecal-NIRS) techniques have been reported for ruminant animals. Information on the ability of fecal-NIRS to characterize diet quality in equines is lacking. The objective of these studies was to determine the potential of fecal-NIRS to predict diet quality of free-grazing equines. Two independent in vivo feeding trials, one in Texas (United States) and one in Kenya, were conducted to generate paired samples of diet chemistry:fecal spectrum (D:F). Using 20 female donkeys (Equus asinus), 14 (10 US, 4 Kenya) in vivo pen feeding trials were conducted to generate 140 (100 US, 40 Kenya) D:F paired samples. Over 25 species of forage and crop residues ranging from 3.3% to 21.4% crude protein (CP) were used to blend unique diets. Three CP predictive equations based on paired samples from US alone, Kenya alone, US + Kenya combined, and one predictive equation for digestible organic matter (DOM) from US alone were developed. The standard errors of calibration (SEC) and R2 values were 0.77 and 0.97, 0.97 and 0.95, and 0.88 and 0.90, respectively, for the US, US + Kenya, and Kenya CP equations. The US DOM equation resulted in an SEC of 2.58 with a corresponding R2 of 0.60. Validation of the US CP equation using an independent dataset resulted in standard error of prediction (SEP) and R2 of 1.79 and 0.82, respectively, indicating acceptable predictive ability. The validation results (SEP = 15.56) for the US DOM equation were not satisfactory. We calibrated and validated fecal-NIRS equations to predict the DOM and CP contents of diets for donkeys. Crude protein content of diets was predicted with acceptable levels of accuracy, but prediction of diet digestibility was less successful. The degree of accuracy obtained for CP equations indicated that fecal-NIRS can be considered as a tool for routine nutritional management of donkeys.
Dietary Supplement Use by Community-living Population in Japan: Data from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences Longitudinal Study of Aging (NILS-LSA)

BACKGROUND There are few studies about dietary supplement use and nutrient intake from these products in Japan. The purpose of this study was to clarify (1) the prevalence of dietary supplement use, (2) the characteristics of dietary supplement users, (3) nutrient intake from dietary supplements, and (4) the existence of dietary supplement users who took excessive nutrients from these products. METHODS To collect the information on dietary supplement use in the previous year and nutrient intake from these products, we conducted a self-administered dietary supplement frequency questionnaire. The subjects were 2,259 people aged 40-82 years. Dietary supplements were grouped into 8 major categories. A dietary supplement database was developed to estimate nutrient intake from these products. Excess users were defined as people who consumed more nutrient than the tolerable upper intake level of the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese. RESULTS In the previous year, 55 % of males and 61 % of females consumed dietary supplements. Dietary supplement use was especially prevalent in females, subjects who felt unhealthy, and subjects who were more careful of maintaining an appropriate weight, though the association was affected by the frequency of dietary supplement use. The most common dietary supplements were drink type in males and vitamins in females. Some nutrient values obtained from dietary supplements were higher than those from food. Excess users were found for intake of vitamin A, B6, K, niacin, iron, and magnesium. CONCLUSIONS It is important to clarify dietary supplement use and to estimate nutrient intake from these products.
Blood homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 levels in psoriasis patients

©Copyright 2017 by Turkish Society of Dermatology and Venereology Turkderm-Turkish Archives of Dermatology and Venereology published by Galenos Yayınevi. Address for Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Meltem Uslu MD, Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Aydın, Turkey Phone. : +90 505 681 59 64 E-mail: meltemozdogan@msn.com ORCID-ID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8322-0812 Received/Geliş Tarihi: 13.03. 2017 Accepted/Kabul Tarihi: 15.06. 2017 Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, *Department of Biochemistry, Aydın, Turkey **Adnan Menderes University Veterinary Faculty, Department of Pharmacology Toxicology, Aydın, Turkey ***Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Aydın, Turkey Öz Background and Design: Homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, is known to be related with autoimmunity-inflammation, cardiovascular disease and DNA methylation. In this case-control study, we aimed to determine plasma homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 levels in patients with psoriasis. Materials and Methods: Smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption habits were recorded in adult patients with plaque-type psoriasis and ageand sex-matched controls. Height and weight measurements were performed and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores were calculated. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to determine homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Results: There was no significant difference between psoriasis patients (n=43) and controls (n=47) in body mass index and alcohol and coffee consumption. Smoking rate was significantly high in psoriasis patients. The median PASI score was 10.0 (8.3-12.8). Plasma homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, total cholesterol, triglyseride, ESR and CRP values were not significantly different between patients and the controls. HDL level was low in psoriasis patients (p=0.001). Plasma homocysteine level was higher in males than in females. There was no relationship of homocysteine levels with patient’s age, PASI scores, ESR, CRP values and lipids. Homocysteine levels were inversely related with folic acid and vitamin B12 (p=0.000, r=-0.436, p=0.047, r=-0.204, respectively). We did not find any relationship between homocysteine and vitamin B6 levels. Conclusion: There was no increase in plasma homocysteine levels in psoriasis patients we followed up. Homocysteine level increases in inflammatory disorders and this increase is accepted as a cardiovascular disease marker. Homocysteine homeostasis may be balanced in our patients because of the genetic background and/or nutritional habits in this population
Effect of the Wire Width and Magnetic Field on the Intrinsic Detection Efficiency of Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

We present thorough measurements of the intrinsic detection efficiency in the wavelength range from 350 to 2500 nm for meander-type TaN and NbN superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with different widths of the nanowire. The width varied from 70 nm to 130 nm. The open-beam configuration allowed us to accurately normalize measured spectra and to extract the intrinsic detection efficiency. For detectors from both materials the intrinsic detection efficiency at short wavelengths amounts at 100% and gradually decreases at wavelengths larger than the specific cut-off wavelengths, which decreases with the width of the nanowire. Furthermore, we show that applying weak magnetic fields perpendicular to the meander plane decreases the smallest detectable photon flux.
Increased Alcohol Consumption, Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use, and Illicit Drug Use Are Associated With Energy Drink Consumption Among College Students

Objectives:This longitudinal study examined the prevalence and correlates of energy drink use among college students, and investigated its possible prospective associations with subsequent drug use, including nonmedical prescription drug use. Methods:Participants were 1060 undergraduates from a large, public university who completed 3 annual interviews, beginning in their first year of college. Use of energy drinks, other caffeinated products, tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit and prescription drugs were assessed, as well as demographic and personality characteristics. Results:Annual weighted prevalence of energy drink use was 22.6%wt and 36.5%wt in the second and third year of college, respectively. Compared with energy drink nonusers, energy drink users had heavier alcohol consumption patterns, and were more likely to have used other drugs, both concurrently and in the preceding assessment. Regression analyses revealed that Year 2 energy drink use was significantly associated with Year 3 nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and prescription analgesics, but not with other Year 3 drug use, holding constant demographics, prior drug use, and other factors. Conclusions:A substantial and rapidly growing proportion of college students use energy drinks. Energy drink users tend to have greater involvement in alcohol and other drug use and higher levels of sensation seeking, relative to nonusers of energy drinks. Prospectively, energy drink use has a unique relationship with nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and analgesics. More research is needed regarding the health risks associated with energy drink use in young adults, including their possible role in the development of substance use problems.
Elastic Data Compression with Improved Performance and Space Efficiency for Flash-Based Storage Systems

Data compression has become a commodity feature for space efficiency and reliability in flash-based storage systems by reducing write traffic and space capacity demand. However, it introduces noticeable processing overheads on the critical I/O path, which degrades the system performance significantly. Existing data compression schemes for flash-based storage systems use fixed compression algorithms for all the incoming write data, failing to recognize and exploit the significant diversity in compressibility and access patterns of data and missing an opportunity to improve the system performance, the space efficiency or both. To achieve a reasonable trade-off between these two important design objectives, in this paper we introduce an Elastic Data Compression scheme, called EDC, which exploits the data compressibility and access intensity characteristics by judiciously matching data of different compressibility with different compression algorithms while leveraging the access idleness. Specifically, for compressible data blocks EDC exploits the compression diversity of the workload, and employs algorithms of higher compression rate in periods of lower system utilization and algorithms of lower compression rate in periods of higher system utilization. For non-compressible (or very lowly compressible) data blocks, it will write them through to the flash storage directly without any compression. The experiments conducted on our lightweight prototype implementation of the EDC system show that EDC saves storage space by up to 38.7%, with an average of 33.7%. In addition, it significantly outperforms the fixed compression schemes in the I/O performance measure by up to 61.4%, with an average of 36.7%.
Current Status of Air Quality Models for Particulate Matter

ABSTRACT The current status of the mathematical modeling of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is reviewed in this paper. Simulating PM requires treating various processes, including the formation of condensable species, the gas/ particle partitioning of condensable compounds, and in some cases, the evolution of the particle size distribution. The algorithms available to simulate these processes are reviewed and discussed. Eleven 3-dimensional (3-D) Eulerian air quality models for PM are reviewed in terms of their formulation and past applications. Results of past performance evaluations of 3-D Eulerian PM models are presented. Currently, 24-hr average PM2.5 concentrations appear to be predicted within 50% for urban-scale domains. However, there are compensating errors among individual particulate species. The lowest errors tend to be associated with SO4 2-, while NO3 -, black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) typically show larger errors due to uncertainties in emissions inventories and the prediction of the secondary OC fraction. Further improvements and performance evaluations are recommended.
Critique of the Gotha Programme

The great significance of Marx's explanation is, that here too, he consistently applies materialist dialectics, the theory of development, and regards communism as something which develops out of capitalism. Instead of scholastically invented, 'concocted' definitions and fruitless disputes over words (What is socialism? What is communism? ), Marx gives analysis of what might be called the stages of the economic maturity of communism.
Unwanted pregnancy and traditional self-induced abortion methods known among women aged 15 to 49.

OBJECTIVE To determine the traditional methods known and used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and the fertility characteristics of married women. METHODS The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey at Afyonkarahisar Zübeyde Hanim Child and Maternity Hospital's outpatient clinic between December 27, 2010 and January 7, 2011, and comprised married women aged 17 to 49 who presented for an examination. Questions related to socio-demographic and fertility characteristics as well as known and used traditional abortion methods were included in the questionnaire which was administered through face-to-face interviews. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The median age of the 600 women in the study was 29.5 (range: 17-49) years. Overall, 134 (22.3%) women had experienced an unwanted pregnancy. In 53 (39.6%) cases, the unwanted pregnancy had occurred between the ages of 30 and 39, and 116(86.6%) women had married when they were between 15 and 24 (p< 0.008) years old. Pregnancy had been concluded normally in 78(58.2%)women with an unwanted pregnancy and 34(35.8%)preferred the withdrawal method for contraception. Traditional abortion methods were known to 413(68.8%)women, but only 8(1.3%) had used any of them. The harms of using a traditional abortion method were known to 464(77.3%)women. CONCLUSIONS Very few women used traditional abortion methods to terminate pregnancy. Knowing the characteristics of women and their need for family planning should be the first priority for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
Acromegaly in sleep apnoea patients: a large observational study of 755 patients

Acromegaly is a rare, chronic and progressive disease characterised by excess secretion of growth hormone with raised insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels and usually caused by a pituitary adenoma [1, 2]. Its prevalence is estimated at 40–480 cases per million, depending on the study [1, 3]. The diagnosis of acromegaly, frequently made late because of the insidious nature of the disease, is generally based on symptoms of excess growth hormone, such as acral enlargement, soft-tissue swelling, arthralgia, jaw prognathism, hyperhidrosis, osteoarthritis and frontal bossing, or symptoms of a pituitary adenoma, such as headaches, visual defects or pituitary insufficiency. Owing to prolonged untreated progression of the condition, patients often exhibit established systemic complications at diagnosis, such as diabetes mellitus (19–56%) [2], hypertension (30–40%) and respiratory/cardiac failure (60%) [4, 5], which are the main determinants of prognosis and premature mortality [1]. The majority of new diagnoses of acromegaly are detected by primary care physicians, or specialists other than endocrinologists. The therapeutic options for acromegaly include endoscopic surgery, medical therapies (long-acting somatostatin analogues; dopamine agonists; growth hormone receptor antagonists) and pituitary radiotherapy [6, 7]. 45–80% of acromegaly patients have sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) [4, 5], compared to 5% in the general population. Because of swelling of the uvula, macroglossia and maxillofacial modifications, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the prevailing form of SAS [8]. The combination of OSA and acromegaly increases the risk of systemic comorbidities and mortality [9]. The high prevalence of acromegaly-related comorbidities and its often late diagnosis [10], when valid treatment options exist, make screening for acromegaly in at-risk populations necessary. The OSA population might constitute a target group for the earlier detection of acromegaly, thereby preventing the late complications of the disease. Moreover, early treatment of acromegaly may favour the resolution of associated SAS. We prospectively assessed the prevalence of undiagnosed acromegaly in new patients suspected of suffering from OSA. Among patients with confirmed obstructive sleep apnoea the prevalence of acromegaly was 0.35% http://ow.ly/eyrq302v4AI
Sequencing of leucocidin R from Staphylococcus aureus P83 suggests that staphylococcal leucocidins and gamma-hemolysin are members of a single, two-component family of toxins

A 2,813-bp HincII-ClaI DNA fragment encodes the two S and F components (LukS-R and LukF-R) of leucocidin R (Luk-R) which are secreted by Staphylococcus aureus P83. The two genes (lukS-R and lukF-R) belong to a single operon. Two peptidic sequences were deduced: LukS-R is a 35,721-Da polypeptide of 315 amino acids, including a signal sequence of 29 residues, and LukF-R is a 36,838-Da polypeptide of 325 amino acids, including a signal sequence of 25 residues. LukS-R and LukF-R were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified from the periplasmic space. Luk-R exerts biological activities on polymorphonuclear cells and on erythrocytes from various animals. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of LukF-R with that of the B component of gamma-hemolysin (HlgB), those of the F and S components of another recently sequenced staphylococcal leucocidin, and those of a few peptides of the F component from Panton-Valentine leucocidin suggests that all four toxins belong to a single, two-component family of toxins.
Patients' expectations of the maintenance of their dignity.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore patients' views regarding the factors that contribute to the maintenance of their dignity while in hospital, together with their perceptions of whether or not these were realised. BACKGROUND It has long been recognised that a consideration of patients' dignity in the hospital setting is of paramount importance and its maintenance can contribute to the 'emotional comfort' that may assist recovery. There have been several attempts to define dignity as a theoretical concept, but few studies of the factors that contribute to its maintenance from the patients' perspective. DESIGN A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was used. METHOD Interviews were conducted with 102 patients in three hospitals in the UK over 18 months. The intention was to interpret what was being said and also the underlying meaning of how patients considered that their dignity was compromised. RESULTS The findings revealed that although many patients were satisfied with the maintenance of their dignity while in hospital, a significant number were not. Six key themes that contribute to the preservation of their dignity were identified -- privacy; confidentiality; communication and the need for information; choice, control and involvement in care; respect and decency and forms of address. Patients provided details of their expectations with respect to these factors. CONCLUSIONS Patients, irrespective of their situation and degree of health have their own expectations in relation to their dignity. These need to be assessed and matched by relevant nursing activities to assist recovery. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nurses have an important role in meeting patients' expectations of how they would like their dignity to be maintained. The identification of the most important factors that contribute to this from patients' perspective will help develop dignified nursing practice.
Transmission Line Modeling: A Circuit Theory Approach

As shown in this paper, the classical transmission line equations for the distributed parameters model can be obtained from standard two-port network matrices avoiding the explicit use of partial differential equations. This is performed through a lemma derived directly from the Cayley--Hamilton theorem. The main advantage of this approach is that the modeling arises naturally in the frequency domain, allowing the consideration of frequency-dependent parameters (as, for instance, the resistance and inductance variations caused by the skin effect), normally not taken into account in time domain models.
Who We are — What We Do

The occupational health nurse is often the only full-time health worker in her place of employment. Compared to nurses in other fields, she is in the greatest danger of professional isolation. The hospital nurse, for example, is in daily contact with other professional workers, nurses, physicians, and technicians. Her co-workers talk her own language; she learns from them and keeps abreast of new developments in her specialty. On the other hand, most of the co-workers of the occupational health nurse are lay people and not professionally concerned with health problems or nursing. Any professional person needs the knowledge, stimulation and critical appraisal of other workers in her field. This need for professional contact is the principal reason for the existence of the American Association of Industrial Nurses. AAIN was founded in 1942 as the national specialty organization for occupational health nurses. It publishes material on occupational health nursing and provides opportunities for education and contact with others in this field. Through its educational programs, publications and guides, AAIN is constantly striving to improve the services and standards of occupational health nursing. It believes that improving the services which occupational health nurses can give is the best way of ensuring greater rewards and economic security to them. This is a basic philosophy of AAIN.