Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic efficacy of artemether‐lumefantrine and artesunate‐mefloquine for treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Luang Namtha Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic

The efficacy of the six‐dose regimen of artemether‐lumefantrine was compared with the combination of artesunate and mefloquine in a randomised, comparative trial in Luang Namtha Province, Northern Laos. Of 1033 screened patients, 201 were positive for Plasmodium falciparum; 108 patients of all age groups (2–66 years) with acute, uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria were enrolled in the study, 100 of whom were followed‐up for 42 days. Fifty‐three patients received artemether‐lumefantrine and 55 received artesunante‐mefloquine. Both drug combinations induced rapid clearance of parasites and malaria symptoms; there was no significant difference in the initial therapeutic response parameters. Both regimes were well tolerated. After 42 days, cure rates were 93.6% (95% CI = 82.5–98.7%; 44 of 47 patients) for artemether‐lumefantrine and 100% (95% CI = 93.3–100.0%; 53 of 53 patients) for artesunate‐mefloquine. The results show the excellent efficacy and tolerability of both artemether‐lumefantrine and artesunate‐mefloquine in Northern Laos.
Supplemental Material for ” Face 2 Face : Real-time Face Capture and Reenactment of RGB Videos ”

In this document, we provide supplementary information to the method by Thies et al. [4]. More specifically, we include additional detail about our optimization framework (see Section 1 and 2), and we show further comparisons against other methods (see Section 3). We also evaluate the reconstruction error in a self-reenactment scenario. In Section 4, a list of used mathematical symbols is given. The used video sources are listed in Table 1.
Soft‐tissue perineurioma in a 20‐year‐old patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1): report of a case and review of the literature

Background: Perineurioma is a rare benign soft‐tissue tumor composed of cells showing differentiation toward the perineurial cells of the nerve sheath. Although mutations in the neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) gene have been documented in this tumor, there is no known association between perineuriomas and type 1 or 2 NF.
Hyperuricemia and Gout: New Concepts in Diagnosis and Management

Abstract Gout is a chronic, progressive condition for which hyperuricemia is the primary risk factor. The initial episodes of gout may be brief, only lasting for 3 to 5 days, and patients may experience pain–free intercritical periods that last from months to years. However, as the disease progresses, acute gout flares become more frequent and prolonged (typically lasting ≥ 5–10 days). Chronic gouty arthritis develops, with shorter pain–free intervals; tophi become visible and interarticular joint damage occurs. Patients with advanced gout experience chronic pain and a decreased quality of life. Gout prevalence has increased significantly over time. Despite the increase in the number of gout cases, the disease is often mismanaged, especially in primary care. Hyperuricemia is inadequately controlled as a result of suboptimal dosing with urate–lowering drugs, intolerance to therapy, or poor patient compliance. This review article provides a comprehensive discussion of gout pathophysiology, risk factors, and approaches to treatment that encourage the clinician to appreciate hyperuricemia as a multifaceted disorder and manage the condition optimally.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Accuracy Results Vary between Assessment at Home and Assessment at the Clinical Research Center

Background: Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) accuracy is of critical importance both in delivering therapeutic value and as a component of a closed-loop system. This study aims at assessing the differences between accuracy assessments of CGMS at home and at the clinical research center (CRC). Methods: Twelve patients with type 1 diabetes used the Dexcom® SEVEN® PLUS (DexCom, Inc.) CGMS for 7 days. Patients performed ≥6 finger pricks [self-measurement of blood glucose (SMBG)] per day while at home. Reference blood glucose measurements were taken during a 24 h CRC admission (YSI 2300 STAT Plus™). Continuous glucose monitoring system data were compared with YSI and SMBG values. Outcome measures included mean absolute relative difference (MARD) and Clarke error grid analysis (CEGA). Results: During CRC admission, the MARD of CGMS vs YSI glucose values was 19.2% (n = 509)—significantly higher than 16.8% at home (n = 611) (p = .004). In the hypoglycemic range, MARD was 23.9% at CRC (n = 26)—not significantly different from 41.6% at home (n = 39) (p = .269). In the hyperglycemic range, CRC MARD at 20.3% (n = 115) was significantly higher than home MARD at 11.2% (n = 118) (p = .001). Clarke error grid analysis showed no significant difference in distribution of data pairs (overall p = .317). Conclusions: This study illustrates the importance of the setting used when assessing CGMS accuracy. Continuous glucose monitoring system accuracy at home appeared better than at the CRC. This is probably due to the higher sampling rate of reference measurements, feasible only in the CRC. Testing CGMS accuracy in the CRC provides valuable information over and above home testing.
Analysis of the distribution of time that patients spend in emergency departments

The NHS Plan stated: “By 2004 no one should be waiting more than four hours in Accident and Emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. ”1 This target was changed to allow for certain clinical exceptions, and since January 2005, 98% of patients must spend less than four hours there.2 We analysed the distribution of time spent by patients in emergency departments in England. We invited major emergency departments (those providing 24 hour cover and most core services) in England to submit data for each new patient attending during April 2004. We determined the distribution of total time in each department for patients who were admitted to hospital and for those discharged from the department. To assess the generalisability of these findings, we used performance data from the Department of Health to compare trusts in which at least one department had submitted data or in which no department had.3 We received data from 83 …
A Panel Data Analysis of Capital Structure Determinants : Empirical Results from Turkish Capital Market

The determinants of capital structure have been a widely discussed subject in the finance literature. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether firm-specific capital structure determinants in the emerging market of Turkey support the capital structure theories which were developed to explain the company structure in developed economies. Specifically, we try to answer the following questions: Firstly, are determinants of capital structure correlated with the leverage that has been declared in the developed economies setting correlated in Turkey as emerging market as well? And secondly are the modern capital structure theories (e.g. trade-off and pecking-order hypothesis) valid in explaining capital structure of the Turkish companies? In this paper, we apply econometric techniques and panel data analyses. We empirically examine the capital structure of 242 companies of different sectors that are traded in Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE). In the period of 2000-2009 depending on the findings of the panel data analysis, we can conclude that Turkish companies do not have debt ratio targets. We suggest that Turkish companies follow a hierarchical company structure. More specifically, we claim that trade-off theory is less successful than the pecking order hypothesis in explaining the capital structure of the Turkish companies. Therefore, Turkish companies are following pecking-order hypothesis in their debt behaviors.
PET/CT in the management of haematological malignancies

Positron emission tomography (PET)/computerised tomography (CT) has proved useful in a number of haematological malignancies, particularly in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). It is recommended in the staging of HL and aggressive NHL, it has been shown to be prognostically important early during treatment, and it has been incorporated in the response criteria. However, treatment modification based on early scans is still experimental, and routine use in follow up cannot be recommended. The use of PET/CT in other lymphoma types and other haematological malignancies is still under evaluation.
Synchronous reluctance motors with and without permanent magnets for high performance low cost electrical drives

A synchronous reluctance motor (SynRelM) and a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PM-assisted SynRelM) at a rated power level between 15 and 40 kW have been designed with the help of finite element analysis (FEA). Their performances levels are compared to an off-the-shelf inverter-fed variable speed squirrel cage induction motor (SCIM) and a surface mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SMPMSM), respectively. In the comparison the resulting average torque over the operating speed range and the torque ripple are investigated. Two prototypes have been fabricated and experimental measurements have been carried out to validate simulation data. It was identified that SynRelMs, especially assisted with permanent magnets (PMs), could compete with induction motors - and even PM synchronous motors (PMSMs) under certain operating conditions.
Measurement of speech effort during fluency-inducing conditions in adults who do and do not stutter.

PURPOSE To investigate the effects of 4 fluency-inducing (FI) conditions on self-rated speech effort and other variables in adults who stutter and in normally fluent controls. METHOD Twelve adults with persistent stuttering and 12 adults who had never stuttered each completed 4 ABA-format experiments. During A phases, participants read aloud normally. During each B phase, they read aloud in 1 of 4 FI conditions: auditory masking, chorus reading, whispering, and rhythmic speech. Dependent variables included self-judged speech effort and observer-judged stuttering frequency, speech rate, and speech naturalness. RESULTS For the persons who stuttered, FI conditions reduced stuttering and speech effort, but only for chorus reading were these improvements obtained without diminishing speech naturalness or speaking rate. By contrast, speech effort increased during all FI conditions for adults who did not stutter. CONCLUSIONS Self-rated speech effort differentiated the effects of 4 FI conditions on speech performance for adults who stuttered, with chorus reading best approximating normally fluent speech. More generally, self-ratings of speech effort appeared to constitute an independent, reliable, and validly interpretable dimension of fluency that may be useful in the measurement and treatment of stuttering.
Role of total leukocyte count in diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency. Diagnosis may be difficult with little help from radiological and laboratory investigations. Total leukocyte count is one of the helpful investigations, being evaluated in this study. METHODS The patients presenting with right lower quadrant abdominal pain whom were diagnosed as having acute appendicitis and later underwent appendicectomy were included in the study. The preoperative leukocyte count was compared with histo-pathology findings of removed appendix. Sensitivity and specificity of TLC was calculated by standard formulas. RESULTS The sensitivity and specificity of TLC as calculated in this study is 76.5% and 73.7% respectively while positive predictive value is 92.5%. CONCLUSION TLC although not a diagnostic criteria for acute appendicitis but still is helpful investigation in decision making.
LINKING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA PROGENITORS AND THEIR RESULTING EXPLOSIONS

Comparing the ejecta velocities at maximum brightness and narrow circumstellar/interstellar Na D absorption line profiles of a sample of 23 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), we determine that the properties of SN Ia progenitor systems and explosions are intimately connected. As demonstrated by Sternberg et al., half of all SNe Ia with detectable Na D absorption at the host-galaxy redshift in high-resolution spectroscopy have Na D line profiles with significant blueshifted absorption relative to the strongest absorption component, which indicates that a large fraction of SN Ia progenitor systems have strong outflows. In this study, we find that SNe Ia with blueshifted circumstellar/interstellar absorption systematically have higher ejecta velocities and redder colors at maximum brightness relative to the rest of the SN Ia population. This result is robust at a 98.9%–99.8% confidence level, providing the first link between the progenitor systems and properties of the explosion. This finding is further evidence that the outflow scenario is the correct interpretation of the blueshifted Na D absorption, adding additional confirmation that some SNe Ia are produced from a single-degenerate progenitor channel. An additional implication is that either SN Ia progenitor systems have highly asymmetric outflows that are also aligned with the SN explosion or SNe Ia come from a variety of progenitor systems where SNe Ia from systems with strong outflows tend to have more kinetic energy per unit mass than those from systems with weak or no outflows.
THE CHANGING SEROEPIDEMIOLOGY OF VARICELLA IN JAPAN: 1977–1981 and 2001–2005

We conducted an anti-varicella-zoster virus antibody seroepidemiologic survey comparing the pre- and postvaccine eras of 1977–1981 and 2001–2005. For each period, 828 samples were measured by enzyme immunoassay test and compared. The differences from 1-year-old to high-school aged children were statistically significant. The introductions of optional varicella immunization and lifestyle changes for children were considered influencing factors.
Accuracy of newer-generation home blood glucose meters in a Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet) inpatient exercise study.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess how the accuracy of the FreeStyle Flash (Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA) meter compares with that of the One Touch Ultra (Lifescan, Milpitas, CA) home glucose meter (HGM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Fifty children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), 10-17 years old, were admitted for two separate 24-h periods to assess the effect of exercise on subsequent nocturnal hypoglycemia. Resulting data were used in a preplanned analysis of the accuracy of the Ultra and FreeStyle HGMs. Glucose levels were measured throughout the day and night and every 15-20 min during a standardized exercise protocol. Reference samples were assayed in a central laboratory using a hexokinase enzymatic method. These reference glucose measurements were paired with HGM values from venous blood obtained within +/- 5 min. RESULTS The median relative absolute difference was 5% for both the Ultra and FreeStyle HGMs, and the percentages of pairs meeting the International Organisation for Standardization criteria were 99% and 98%, respectively. The FreeStyle tended to read slightly higher than the reference method (median difference = +3 mg/dL; P < 0.001), and there was trend in this direction for the Ultra (median difference = +2 mg/dL, P = 0.15). Sensitivities for detection of hypoglycemia (reference < or = 60 and HGM < or = 70 mg/dL) were 96% and 100% for the Ultra and FreeStyle, respectively, and corresponding false-positive rates were both 5%. CONCLUSIONS In a controlled clinical setting using venous blood samples, both the Ultra and FreeStyle meters demonstrated a high degree of accuracy compared with the laboratory reference over a broad range of glucose concentrations in children with T1D.
Strategies for Communication Skills Development

As the scope of computer science continues to expand and move further into inter-disciplinary research, we see communication skills development (CSD) gain prominence in tertiary courses. Employer groups, professional bodies and universities increasingly demand that our graduates emerge being able to think critically, write, and work effectively in teams. But how do we go about creating a sustainable framework for CSD? This paper outlines several strategies departments can use to integrate CSD in a curriculum. Using a case study approach, we report on interviews with employers, students and staff. We identify common themes from these stakeholders, and set out a series of strategies that can be used to address urgent and serious need to integrate CSD into our courses.
Cytopathic effect, plaque formation, and lysis of Ehrlichia chaffeensis grown on continuous cell lines

Ehrlichiae are strict intracellular bacterial pathogens that parasitize leukocytes or other blood cells. Only six agents of the tribe Ehrlichieae, namely, Cowdria ruminantium, Neorickettsia helminthoeca, Ehrlichia risticii, Ehrlichia sennetsu, Ehrlichia canis, and Ehrlichia chaffeensis, have been adapted to growth in continuous cell lines. E. chaffeensis, the agent of human ehrlichiosis, has been cultured only in a cell line of canine origin. We adapted purified cell-free E. chaffeensis for growth in human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblasts (HEL 299), green monkey kidney cells (Vero), and a human cervical epithelioid carcinoma (HeLa) cell line. We observed a cytopathic effect with both Vero cells and HEL cells and plaque formation with cellular lysis when infected Vero cells were cultured in agar. Human fibroblasts are already commonly used for the isolation of viruses, coexiellae, and rickettsiae. Furthermore, the capability of these cells to support the growth of ehrlichiae suggests that they may be useful for primary isolation of ehrlichiae as well. The cytopathic effect produced in Vero or HEL cells offers a very helpful indicator of the infection. Plaque formation in Vero cells is a new phenomenon not yet reported for ehrlichiae and will allow the titration of inocula and clonal purification of this bacterium.
Spatial contrast sensitivities of X and Y type neurones in the cat's dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus.

The discharges of X and Y type neurones were recorded extracellularly from the binocular segment of the A laminae of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of anaesthetized, paralysed cats. X type geniculate cells are referred to as XG cells and Y type geniculate cells as YG cells. They were differentiated on the basis of a test of linear spatial summation and the relatively higher spatial resolution of the XG type. Contrast sensitivities of these cells were measured for a series of spatial frequencies at 5.2 Hz. Sensitivity measurements took account of the variability inherent in the cells’ maintained discharges. Maintained discharges of XG and YG cells were found to be similarly noisy and the level of noise was stable in the time range of seconds to hours. The noise level was greater than in corresponding ganglion cells, suggesting that an extra source of noise is added at the geniculate level. The criterion set routinely to measure ‘threshold’ contrast corresponded to a level of reliability of about two false positives in fifty. YG cells had higher contrast sensitivities at low spatial frequencies and XG at high. YG cells were found also to have higher peak sensitivities. The optimum spatial frequency of XG cells was found to be higher than that of YG cells. YG cells also show less attenuation in contrast sensitivity for gratings of spatial frequencies below their optima. Contrast sensitivities of both XG and YG cells were found to be lower than those of corresponding ganglion cells. The optimum spatial frequencies and spatial resolutions of XG and YG cells decreased as the retinal eccentricities of their receptive fields increased. XG cells were found to have higher spatial resolution in lamina A than lamina A1. No difference was found between on‐ and off‐centre types of either cell class. Although individual YG cells are more sensitive to low spatial frequencies than individual XG cells, the ensemble of XG cells of one centre‐type which overlaps a particular YG cell receptive field of the same centre‐type has a contrast sensitivity at optimum spatial frequency very close to that of the YG cell. This leads one to believe that XG cells could by themselves account for the contrast sensitivity of the cat's visual system.
Changes in hormones, metabolites, and milk after treatment with sometribove (recombinant methionyl bST) in Deutsches Fleckvieh and German black and white cows.

Twelve second-lactation Deutsches Fleckvieh cows, (FV, a dual-purpose breed) and 12 German Black and White (BW, a dairy breed) were used to evaluate similarities and differences in the response to a prolonged-release formulation of sometribove (N-methionyl bovine somatotropin, bST). Cows were milked twice daily and fed a basic diet (70% corn silage, 30% alfalfa hay) ad libitum plus 1 kg of concentrate. Additionally, concentrates and supplements were offered at the rate of 1 kg for each 22 kg of milk produced above 12 kg/d. Six cows of each breed were treated s.c. with 500 mg of sometribove at 14-d intervals from wk 9 to 29 postpartum (pp). Blood was collected by jugular vein puncture once weekly from wk 7 to 33 pp and daily for 14 d after the first and last (11th) injection of bST. Somatotropin (ST), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), insulin, thyroid hormones, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), liver enzymes, and blood metabolites were evaluated. During bST treatment, plasma ST increased significantly on d 7 in both breeds and then decreased on d 14 after injection. Plasma IGF-I was positively correlated with ST. Plasma NEFA were high on d 7 and decreased on d 14. In response to bST, the average milk yield increased for FV and BW cows by 5.1 kg/d (29.7%) and 5.0 kg/d (28%), respectively, and 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) increased by 5.0 kg/d (28%) and 5.3 kg/d (19.9%), respectively. Milk content of fat, protein, lactose, number of somatic cells, and body weight were similar across treatments. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Role of Family Environment on Socio-emotional Adjustment of Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Abstract The present study was conducted at Kumarganj, Faizabad District of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The purpose of the study was to assess family environment of adolescent girls and its impact on their socio-emotional adjustment. One hundred adolescent girls of age group between 17-18 years comprised the sample of the study. Family Environment Scale (FES) and Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS) were administered. Data was analyzed in terms of percentage and multiple regression analysis. The statistical analysis revealed that all the eight family environment factors, viz. cohesion, expressiveness conflict, acceptance and caring, independence, active-recreational orientation, organization and control together showed significant role in socio-emotional and educational adjustment of adolescent girls.