Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cutaneous, Net Clinical, and Health Economic Benefits of Advanced Pneumatic Compression Devices in Patients With Lymphedema.

IMPORTANCE The prevalence and clinical burden of lymphedema is known to be increasing. Nevertheless, evidence-based comparative effectiveness data regarding lymphedema therapeutic interventions have been poor. OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of an advanced pneumatic compression device (APCD) on cutaneous and other clinical outcomes and health economic costs in a representative privately insured population of lymphedema patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective analysis of a deidentified private insurance database from 2007 through 2013, and multivariate regression analysis comparing outcomes for the 12 months before and after APCD purchase, adjusting for baseline patient characteristics. Patients with lymphedema who received an APCD who were commercially insured and Medicare managed care enrollees from a large, national US managed care health insurer. The study population was evaluated as cancer-related and non-cancer-related lymphedema cohorts. INTERVENTION Receipt of an APCD. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Rates of cellulitis, use of lymphedema-related manual therapy, outpatient hospital visits, and inpatient hospitalizations. Lymphedema-related direct costs were measured for home health care, hospital outpatient care, office visits, emergency department use, and inpatient care. RESULTS The study sample included 718 patients (374 in the cancer cohort and 344 in the noncancer cohort). In both cohorts, use of an APCD was associated with similar reductions in adjusted rates of cellulitis episodes (from 21.1% to 4.5% in the cancer cohort and 28.8% to 7.3% in the noncancer cohort; P < .001 for both), lymphedema-related manual therapy (from 35.6% to 24.9%in the cancer cohort and 32.3% to 21.2% in the noncancer cohort; P < .001 for both), and outpatient visits (from 58.6% to 41.4% in the cancer cohort and 52.6% to 31.4% in the noncancer cohort; P < .001 for both). Among the cancer cohort, total lymphedema-related costs per patient, excluding medical equipment costs, were reduced by 37% (from $2597 to $1642, P = .002). The corresponding decline in costs for the noncancer cohort was 36% (from $2937 to $1883, P = .007). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The study found an association between significant reductions in episodes of cellulitis (cancer vs noncancer cohorts) and outpatient care and costs of APCD acquisition within a 1-year time frame in patients with both cancer-related and non-cancer-related lymphedema.
NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN MBEERE SOUTH DISTRICT , KENYA

Information on nutritional status of children under five years is an indicator of the nutritional situation in society. Identification of core factors influencing nutrition of this population supports plans to alleviate child malnutrition and its consequences. This study sought to determine the nutritional status of children under five years and associated factors in Mbeere South District in Kenya. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a structured questionnaire. A total of 144 households was randomly sampled and the nutritional status of one child from each household assessed using anthropometric measurements. Up to 39% of the children were stunted; 7.1% were wasted; and 18.1% underweight. The prevalence of stunting and wasting was significantly higher in boys than in girls (χ =6.765, P =.034) and (χ= 13.053, P = .036), respectively. The individual dietary diversity score showed that the most consumed food group was cereals. Eggs and meat were the least consumed foods. Low diversity scores were recorded for 41.9% of the children (<4 food groups), 35.7% had medium scores (4-5 food groups); while 22.5% had high scores (68 food groups). There was significant association between household size and nutritional status (P =0.047). The findings indicate that malnutrition and dietary diversity are major challenges to good nutrition. Future interventions should focus on improving food access and availability for enhanced diet diversification for the rising population.
Montera: A Framework for Efficient Execution of Monte Carlo Codes on Grid Infrastructures

he objective of this work is to improve the performance of Monte Carlo codes on Grid production infrastructures. To do so, the codes and the grid sites are characterized with simple parameters to model their behaviors. Then, a new performance model for grid infrastructures is proposed, and an algorithm that employs this information is described. This algorithm dynamically calculates the number and size of tasks to execute on each site to maximize the performance and reduce makespan. Finally, a newly developed framework called Montera is presented. Montera deals with the execution of Monte Carlo codes in an unattended way, isolating the complexity of the problem from the final user. By employing two fusion Monte Carlo codes as example cases, along with the described characterizations and scheduling algorithm, a performance improvement up to 650 % over current best results is obtained on a real production infrastructure, together with enhanced stability and robustness.
Intelligent MBWIMA/UMTS protocol using cascade fuzzy logic control for UTRA TDD mode

In this paper, voice, data and video are integrated for transmission using cascade fuzzy logic control (CFLC)-based movable boundary wireless multiple access in the UMTS (MBWIMA/UMTS) protocol. An intelligent multiple access control (MAC) protocol based on CFLC, consisting of a fuzzy V/sub max/ control and a fuzzy data rate control for UTRA TDD mode is presented. The performance of the CFLC-based MBWIMA/UMTS protocol with data rate control is optimized by using the CFLC to generate the proper maximum number of voice/video slots and the suitable data rate. Voice activity detector, single cell environment is also considered in this paper.
Strategy of Development on Core Competencies in Improving Competitiveness of Cocoa in Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province

The purpose of this study was to design model and development strategy of core competencies cocoa. Research activities initiated by revealing the root causes for the development of competitiveness cocoa, identify and establish the criteria or the priority factors that determine the competitiveness of cocoa, and finally to design a model of the pattern of development of core competencies in improving the competitiveness of commodity cocoa in Mamuju district, West Sulawesi. The respondents of this study consisted of government, businesses, universities, NGOs, and the private sector. The method of analysis using descriptive statistics and AHP. The results showed that there are three leading sectors namely plantation, manufacturing, and trading and services. Three leading commodities and their respective weights are cocoa (0.4385), palm oil (0.1820) and paddy rice (0.1550). Then, development of Cocoa must involve stakeholders (governments, universities, NGOs, associations and private) through programs and activities that are coordinated and integrated.
Difficulties with emotion regulation in multiple sclerosis: Links to executive function, mood, and quality of life

Introduction: Little is known about the influence of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the regulation of emotion. The current study tested whether people with MS report more emotion regulation difficulties than healthy controls. The relationship between emotion regulation and other important variables (mood, quality of life, and executive function) was explored. Mediation models were used to further understand the links between emotion regulation, depressed mood, and executive function in MS. Method: A total of 31 people with MS and 31 controls completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scales and measures of executive function (fluency and a go/no-go task), mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales), and a multidimensional assessment of quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life, brief version). Results: People with MS reported experiencing more difficulties in emotion regulation than controls. Mediation analyses indicated that depression mediated the emotion regulation difficulties in MS, while executive dysfunction did not. Difficulties in emotion regulation predicted poorer psychological and social quality of life in MS, independent of problems with executive function. Conclusions: People with MS experience difficulties in emotion regulation, which predict poorer quality of life. These results indicate that emotional control skills should be investigated in further detail when considering interventions to enhance well-being in MS.
Cost-Utility Analysis of Group Living in Dementia Care

Abstract A cost-utility analysis (CUA) was applied to group living for dementia patients. A Markov-model of an expected life-length of 8 years was used. Forty-six patients in group living were compared to 39 patients living at home by inclusion and 23 institutionalized patients. When the cost per gained quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) was calculated, the group living alternative was the most favorable for the patients, giving a cost per paired QALY of US dollars > 0. In the extensive sensitivity analysis the main result was consistent but methodological problems were indicated.
Growth behaviors of ultrathin ZnSe nanowires by Au-catalyzed molecular-beam epitaxy

Ultrathin ZnSe nanowires grown by Au-catalyzed molecular-beam epitaxy show an interesting growth behavior of diameter dependence of growth rates. The smaller the nanowire diameter, the faster is its growth rate. This growth behavior is totally different from that of the nanowires with diameters greater than 60nm and cannot be interpreted by the classical theories of the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. For the Au-catalyzed nanowire growth at low temperatures, we found that the surface and interface incorporation and diffusion of the source atoms at the nanowire tips controlled the growth of ultrathin ZnSe nanowires.
Do Competency Frameworks Influence Business Performance? An Empirical Study of the Nigerian Banking Sector

The competency-based management system has grown to become one of the most influential HRM tools of the 21st century. However, there remains limited empirical data addressing the relationship between the adoption of a competency framework and organizational performance. The study reported upon in this paper is based within the Nigerian banking sector. A qualitative methodological approach was adopted, employing interviews with employees of the top ten high street banks in Nigeria. The result of the field data was subsequently analyzed using NVivo in order to achieve the aim of the research. The findings revealed that competency-based management frameworks are being used and that indeed they are a key management tool within the selected Nigerian banks. Importantly, the findings clearly suggest the adopted competency frameworks are having a positive impact on the banks’ performance.
Socio-Demographic Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life in Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS)

Background Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a multi-dimensional concept that is affected by different variables. A large body of evidence shows that socio-demographic factors have a significant influence on HRQOL. When considering differences in cultural contexts and social values of various countries and the lack of evidence regarding socio-demographic determinants of HRQOL among the Iranian general population, it is important to verify the main socio-demographic determinants of HRQOL in an urban Iranian population. Objectives This study aimed to explore socio-demographic factors associated with HRQOL and to ascertain the determinants of poor HRQOL in participants of the Tehran lipid and glucose study (TLGS). Methods The participants included 3491 adults, aged ≥ 20 years, who had participated in the TLGS. To obtain socio-demographic and HRQOL information, participants were interviewed by trained interviewers. Mean HRQOL scores were compared using the student’s t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). To determine significant determinants of poor HRQOL, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Results Mean ages of males and females were 47.7 ± 15.6 and 47.8 ± 14.2 years, respectively and 58.6% of participants were male. Males had significantly higher scores compared to females in both the physical and mental domains of HRQOL (P < 0.001). In males, significant determinants of poor physical HRQOL were older age, being married, being unemployed yet having other sources of income, having literacy levels below high school diploma, and having chronic diseases (P < 0.05). In females, however older age and being housewives were significant determinants of poor physical HRQOL (P < 0.05). In addition, significant determinants of poor mental HRQOL were younger age and being single or divorced/widowed in males and younger age and being illiterate as well as having literacy levels below high school diploma in females (P < 0.05). Conclusions Current findings highlight the importance of socio-demographic determinants of HRQOL in both genders, specifically in the physical domain, and demonstrate their roles to be more prominent in males. These findings highlight gender-specific associations between socio-demographic factors and various aspects of HRQOL among the TLGS population, which could be applied in future research focusing on non-communicable diseases and planning health promotion programs.
Serological Estimates of the Seasonal Dynamics of Erwinia tracheiphila in Acalymma vittata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Serological assays were used to estimate the proportion of Acalymma vittata (F.) that harbored Erwinia tracheiphila (E. F. Smith) Holland, the causal agent of bacterial wilt in cucurbits. These proportions were related to the proportion of A. vittata that transmitted disease in single beetle caged bioassays. The serological assays classified beetles as harboring the bacteria when the titer was above '10 5 cells per beetle. From 7.1 to 10.7% of the A. vittata captured as they emerged from soil that had been in cucurbits the previous year tested positive for the presence of E. tracheiphila. Also, from 0 to 8.3% of beetles captured on squash traps during this time of beetle emergence tested positive. This provides strong serological evidence for A. vittata serving as the primary overwintering reservoir for E. tracheiphila. During the growing season, the proportion of beetles testing positive with serological assays varied and ranged up to '53, 78, and 39% in 1995, 1996, and 1997, respectively. These serological proportions were 3.6—5.1 times higher than the proportion of beetles that trans- mitted disease in single beetle caged bioassays, and explained 44—49% of the variation in the proportion of beetles that were able to transmit disease in the caged bioassays. We suggest the proportion of A. vittata that harbored at least some E. tracheiphila cells may be . 5 times higher than the proportion of beetles that can, alone, transmit disease in a short time. We discuss these data as supporting the hypothesis of beetle aggregation behavior as an important component of bacterial wilt epidemiology.
Revisiting a Model of Ontogenetic Growth: Estimating Model Parameters from Theory and Data

The ontogenetic growth model (OGM) of West et al. provides a general description of how metabolic energy is allocated between production of new biomass and maintenance of existing biomass during ontogeny. Here, we reexamine the OGM, make some minor modifications and corrections, and further evaluate its ability to account for empirical variation on rates of metabolism and biomass in vertebrates both during ontogeny and across species of varying adult body size. We show that the updated version of the model is internally consistent and is consistent with other predictions of metabolic scaling theory and empirical data. The OGM predicts not only the near universal sigmoidal form of growth curves but also the \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $$M^{1/ 4}$$ \end{document} scaling of the characteristic times of ontogenetic stages in addition to the curvilinear decline in growth efficiency described by Brody. Additionally, the OGM relates the \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $$M^{3/ 4}$$ \end{document} scaling across adults of different species to the scaling of metabolic rate across ontogeny within species. In providing a simple, quantitative description of how energy is allocated to growth, the OGM calls attention to unexplained variation, unanswered questions, and opportunities for future research.
Possible relationship between tympanosclerosis and atherosclerosis

Objective In order to confirm a possible link, as suggested by a recent study, between atherosclerosis and tympanosclerosis, and which could theoretically open new frontiers in the early diagnosis of vascular atherosclerotic diseases starting from a rather simple and rapid examination such as otoscopy, we further investigated this hypothesis in a population affected by atherosclerotic disease of the carotid artery. Material and Methods Fifty patients submitted to carotid endarterectomy were examined. Patients with a history of previous otologic diseases or otosurgical procedures were excluded. The presence of tympanosclerosis was defined if at least 20% of the eardrum was affected by tympanic plaques. The study group was compared to a sex- and age-matched control group randomly chosen from our hospital with a negative history of vascular and otologic diseases. Results Tympanosclerosis was observed in 18/50 patients (36%) in the study group, compared to 6/50 cases in the control group (12%). This difference was statistically significant (p=0.005). In both groups the incidence of this finding was similar for both sexes. Conclusions Our results confirm the reported analogies between tympanosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Although further investigations are needed, promising implications can be predicted for the diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation of this kind of ear patient.
Long‐term hippocampal slices: A model system for investigating synaptic mechanisms and pathologic processes

Organotypic cultures provide a unique strategy with which to examine many aspects of brain physiology and pathology. Long‐term slice cultures from the hippocampus, a region involved in memory encoding and one that exhibits early degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and ischemia, are particularly valuable in this regard due to their expression of synaptic plasticity mechanisms (e.g., long‐term potentiation) and responsiveness to pathological insults (e.g., excitotoxicity). Long‐term slices can be prepared from hippocampi at the second or third postnatal week of development and thus incorporate a number of relatively mature features; further signs of maturation and the preservation of adult‐like characteristics occur over succeeding weeks. The stability of the cultured slice renders it an appropriate model for studying (1) prolonged regulation/stabilization events linked to synaptogenesis and certain forms of plasticity, (2) temporal patterns of cellular atrophy associated with pathogenic conditions such as ischemia and epilepsia, and (3) slow processes associated with aging and agerelated pathologies. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Experimental Model of an Information System to Prevent Recurrence in Patients with Bladder Cancer

This paper is to develop the experimental model of an information system to prevent recurrence in patients with bladder cancer. The subjects of this paper were 130 patients who had visited a hospital which located in Metropolitan area. The pairwise t-test was done to compare the before and after intervention by information systems for measurement of health promoting practice in patients with bladder cancer. As a result, in terms of urinary frequency in the bladder state, subjects' score(69.64±0.57) after application significantly decreased than subjects(98.26±3.16) before application(t=0.86, p=.002). In conclusion, this information system will contribute to reduction of costs, improvement of bladder status, symptoms, operational efficiency, and mostly fundamental recurrence of bladder cancer.
A Highly Linear Temperature Sensor Using GaN-on-SiC Heterojunction Diode for High Power Applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have been commercialized up to 1.7 kV with operating temperatures up to 573 K. The temperature limitations of SiC devices are generally derived from limitations in packaging and a lack of information on safe operating temperature regimes. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop reliable temperature sensing techniques that can better take advantage of the SiC devices in high power applications. In this letter, ten gallium nitride (GaN)-on-SiC heterojunction diodes, aiming at high-power and high-temperature sensing applications, were fabricated using concentric ring geometry. These sensors can be monolithically integrated into GaN-on-SiC RF/Microwave power devices with fast-switching frequency and high-power density. The temperature dependent characteristics of the forward voltage drop at fixed current (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{D}-{T}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of these heterojunction devices and their sensitivities (mV/K) are comprehensively characterized in a temperature range from 300 to 650 K. These devices exhibit a high degree of linearity in their <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{D}-{T}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> characteristics, which indicates the potential to be used as temperature sensors up to 650 K.
Preview Control for Vehicle Lateral Guidance in Highway Automation

Continuous deterministic preview control is applied to the vehicle lateral contol problem. It is shown that the preview control consists of a feedback term and two feedforward terms. If the preview control algorithm is applied on the FSLQ augmented system, the feedback term will be exactly the same as the FSLQ feedback control law. Therefore, the advantages of the FSLQ control law (robustness on measurement noises, including ride quality explicitly in the performance index, etc. see [1]) remain in the preview control law. Frequency-domain analysis and numerical simulation results are presented to show the improvements introduced by utilizing preview control in both the time domain and the frequency domain.