Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demand Information Sharing in Heterogeneous IT Services Environments

In an information technology services outsourcing arrangement, variance in demand volume and individual user preferences pose significant challenges to the provider organization in making resource allocation decisions. Such variations affect service levels, especially under fixed resource constraints. We explore the possible role of periodic demand information sharing and subsequent resource-level adjustments as a means of addressing issues arising from demand variation. As information exchange alters the dynamics of the relationship between the customer and provider organizations, incorporating information sharing in service-level agreements requires modifying current pricing schemes. A pricing heuristic is developed and tested under varying levels of information accuracy and granularity. The heuristic is shown to provide better economic welfare for both participants in comparison to the baseline pricing strategies considered. Also, it is shown that information, even at a coarse level of granularity, is very effective in providing stable service levels—a finding that is encouraging for enhanced collaborations between customer and provider organizations in outsourcing arrangements.
Fetal and Infant Growth Patterns and Risk of Lower Lung Function and Asthma. The Generation R Study

Rationale: Children with lower birth weight are at increased risk of asthma symptoms. Objectives: To examine associations of fetal and infant growth with childhood lung function and asthma. Methods: This study was embedded in a population‐based prospective cohort study of 5,635 children. Growth was estimated by repeated ultrasounds in the second and third trimesters, and measured at birth and at 3, 6, and 12 months. At age 10 years, spirometry was performed and asthma was assessed by parental questionnaire. Restricted and accelerated growth were defined as the growth percentile change between time periods less than −0.67 and more than 0.67 SD scores (SDSs), respectively. We applied multiple regression analyses, including conditional regression analyses, to account for correlations between repeated growth measures. Measurements and Main Results: Overall greater weight in the second and third trimesters, at birth, and at 12 months was associated with higher FEV1 and FVC (range of z‐score difference, 0.04‐0.08, per SDS increase in weight). Greater weight at 3 months was associated with lower FEV1/FVC and forced expiratory flow at 75% of the pulmonary volume (FEF75%) (z‐score differences [95% confidence interval]: −0.09 [−0.14 to −0.05] and −0.09 [−0.13 to −0.05] per SDS increase in weight, respectively). Restricted fetal weight growth was associated with lower childhood lung‐function measures, partly depending on infant weight growth patterns (range of z‐score difference, −0.25 to −0.13). Accelerated fetal weight growth was associated with higher FVC and lower FEV1/FVC only if followed by accelerated infant weight growth. Fetal and infant weight growth was not associated with childhood asthma. Conclusions: Both restricted fetal weight growth, partly depending on infant weight growth, and accelerated fetal and infant weight growth predispose children to lower lung function and a potential risk for respiratory diseases later in life.
Disease‐Modifying Effects of RHC80267 and JZL184 in a Pilocarpine Mouse Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often suffer from comorbid psychiatric diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, or impaired cognitive performance. Endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling is a key regulator of synaptic neurotransmission and has been implicated in the mechanisms of epilepsy as well as several mood disorders and cognitive impairments.
The Leja Method Revisited: Backward Error Analysis for the Matrix Exponential

The Leja method is a polynomial interpolation procedure that can be used to compute matrix functions. In particular, computing the action of the matrix exponential on a given vector is a typical application. This quantity is required, e.g., in exponential integrators. The Leja method essentially depends on three parameters: the scaling parameter, the location of the interpolation points, and the degree of interpolation. We present here a backward error analysis that allows us to determine these three parameters as a function of the prescribed accuracy. Additional aspects that are required for an efficient and reliable implementation are discussed. Numerical examples illustrating the performance of our MATLAB code are included.
Exploratory Study of Countries Lacking Data on Female Genital Mutilation in the Middle East and Africa

EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COUNTRIES LACKING DATA ON FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA Nazia Rose Naeem Old Dominion University, 2011 Director: Dr. Karen A. Polonko Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the cutting off of female genitals for nonmedical purposes (WHO 2008). FGM is a gender specific practice, which has no health benefits and severe consequences. In addition, the victims of this form of physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional violence are predominantly children between birth and age 15 (WHO 2008). Female genital mutilation is an egregious act, which must be eradicated. This study sought to begin the process of securing preliminary estimates for FGM in countries that lacked data on FGM in the Middle East and Africa, thereby shedding light on this extremely detrimental and oppressive practice. The data collection process was to develop a list of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) dealing with FGM, women's and/or children's rights in general for the 29 countries lacking data in the Middle East and Africa. A survey on the prevalence, predictors, and reasons for the continuation of this practice was developed and distributed to NGOs via email. This process ultimately yielded a respondent from one NGO in 16 of the 29 countries. However, a number of the respondents work for general human rights NGOs. Of the 16 countries, respondents in only four of these countries admitted that they knew of even one case of FGM that occurred in their country. Responses on what groups the NGOs thought are more likely to practice FGM were consistent with prior research in pointing to Muslim religion, women with lower education, rural region, and lower household wealth. Reasons these 16 respondents gave for the continuation of this practice were also similar to reasons given in prior literature including community/tradition, religion, increasing female marriage prospects, controlling female sexuality, and to keep female genitals clean. A hypothesis was generated to explain possible differences on prevalence in FGM that may exist in regions in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the key to the eradication of FGM based on the survey responses is to have community leaders and religious leaders speak out against the practice. In addition, we must promote equality amongst men, women, and children.
A note on separator-type robust stability theorem and well-posedness of linear time-invariant systems

This paper is concerned with the robust stability analysis of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems. Among approaches to such analysis is the one based on the separator-type robust stability theorem derived through the topological separation notion. This paper discusses a relationship between the well-posedness assumption and robust stability condition in this theorem, and shows that the former assumption is actually satisfied automatically and thus is redundant under the latter condition, provided that a mild assumption is satisfied about the uncertainty set. Relevant aspects are also discussed about well-posedness of uncertain systems including the continuous-time case.
Communication with Deaf and Hard‐of‐hearing People: A Guide for Medical Education

Some physicians may be insufficiently prepared to work with the many patients who have hearing loss. People with hearing loss constitute approximately 9% of the U.S. population, and the prevalence is increasing. Patients with hearing loss and their physicians report communication difficulties; physicians also report feeling less comfortable with these patients. Although communication with patients plays a major role in determining diagnoses and management, little attention is given to teaching medical students and residents the skills necessary to facilitate communication when hearing loss is involved. The need for these skills will increase with the expected rise in the number of such patients. The author presents the rationale for including information about hearing loss in curricula on patient—doctor communication, and suggests curricular content, including background regarding hearing loss and techniques that can enhance the physician's ability to listen to (that is, “hear”) and learn about the stories of these patients.
[Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health: dental caries in 6 to 12 year-old children].

OBJECTIVE To explore the association between caries indices in primary and permanent dentition and socioeconomic indicators at the individual and ecologic levels in 6-12 year old children. MATERIALS AND METHODS A comparative analysis of two datasets depicting oral health status in Campeche, México, with 2,939 children distributed equally by age and sex, was carried out. Oral health indices were contrasted at different cut-off points in primary and permanent dentitions (dmft, DMFT, dmft+DMFT and SiC indices) with independent variables such as place of residence (urban, marginal-urban) and mother's highest level of schooling (years of formal education) as socioeconomic variables (SES), as well as other sociodemographic variables using models of binary logistic regression in STATA 8.2. RESULTS The mean age was 8.85 +/- 1.83 years and 56.6% were girls. Nine models were generated in which changes in socioeconomic variables were linked to changes in oral health features in this community (both in terms of prevalence and severity), except for DMFT > 0 at 12 years of age. CONCLUSIONS In general, children of lower SES had greater caries experience and higher caries severity, in both primary and permanent dentitions. The relationships between oral health disparities and independent variables were confirmed in children living in geographically contiguous areas.
On the period ratio P 1 /2P 2 in the oscillations of coronal loops

Aims. With strong evidence of fast and slow magnetoacoustic modes arising in the solar atmosphere there is scope for improved determinations of coronal parameters through coronal seismology. Of particular interest is the ratio $P_{1}/2P_{2}$ between the period P 1 of the fundamental mode and the period P 2 of its first harmonic; in an homogeneous medium this ratio is one, but in a more complex configuration it is shifted to lower values. Methods. We consider analytically the effects on the different magnetohydrodynamic modes of structuring and stratification, pointing out that transverse or longitudinal structuring or gravitational stratification modifies the ratio $P_{1}/2P_{2}$. Results. The deviations caused by gravity and structure are studied for the fast and slow modes. Structure along the loop is found to be the dominant effect. Conclusions. The departure of $P_{1}/2P_{2}$ from unity can be used as a seismological tool in the corona. We apply our technique to the observations by Verwichte et al. (2004), deducing the density scale height in a coronal loop.
The effect of remifentanil for reducing myoclonus during induction of anesthesia with etomidate.

BACKGROUND Myoclonic movement is a common problem during induction of anesthesia with etomidate. We investigated the influences of pretreatment with remifentanil on etomidate induced myoclonus. METHODS Ninety ASA class I patients were divided randomly into three groups. Group NS received normal saline 2 ml as placebo (n = 30), group R0.5 and group R1.0 were pretreated with remifentanil 0.5 microgram/kg (n = 30) or 1.0 microgram/kg (n = 30) 1 minute before induction with etomidate 0.3 mg/kg. Orotracheal intubation was performed after administration of rocuronium 0.5 mg/kg. We assessed the incidence, onset, duration and intensity of myoclonus. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and bispectral index (BIS) were recorded during induction. RESULTS Twenty five patients developed myoclonus in group NS (83.3%), 3 patients in group R0.5 developed myoclonus (10%), as did 5 patients in group R1.0 (16.7%). Moderate to severe myoclonus of grade 3 and 4 were found 66.7% of patients in group NS, whereas no patients in both remifentanil pretreated groups developed this grade of myoclonus. The duration of myoclonus was reduced significantly in the remifentanil groups: 93.8 +/- 59.5 sec in group NS, 49.3 +/- 34.9 sec in group R0.5, 36.0 +/- 27.0 sec in group R1.0 (P < 0.05). HR was decreased by pretreatment with remifentanil prior to induction, while MAP and HR were decreased after induction with etomidate (P < 0.05). BIS changes were not different among the three groups. The dose dependent differences between the two remifentanil doses were not noticed. CONCLUSIONS Pretreatment with remifentanil significantly reduced the incidence, duration and intensity of etomidate induced myoclonus.
Structure–Activity Relationship Study of Spider Polyamine Toxins as Inhibitors of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors

The spider polyamine toxins Joro spider toxin‐3 (JSTX‐3) and Nephila polyamine toxins‐1 and ‐8 (NPTX‐1 and NPTX‐8) are isolated from the venom of the orb‐weaver spider Nephila clavata (Joro spider). They share a high degree of structural resemblance, their aromatic head groups being the only difference, and were recently found to be very potent open‐channel blockers of ionotropic glutamate (iGlu) receptors. In this study we designed and synthesized a collection of 24 analogues of these toxins using a recently developed solid‐phase synthetic methodology. Systematic variation in two regions of the toxins and subsequent evaluation of biological activity at AMPA and NMDA subtypes of iGlu receptors provided succinct information on structure–activity relationships. In particular, one set of analogues were found to display exquisite selectivity and potency for AMPA receptors relative to the natural products. Thus, this systematic SAR study has provided new pharmacological tools for studies of iGlu receptors.
Objective Changes in Brow Position, Superior Palpebral Crease, Peak Angle of the Eyebrow, and Jowl Surface Area after Volumetric Radiofrequency Treatments to Half of the Face

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency application through a proprietary device has recently been used for facial tissue tightening. Uniform volumetric heating of the dermis is created by passage of electrical current, while protection of the epidermis is maintained by concurrent cryogen cooling. OBJECTIVE To objectively quantify the effectiveness of volumetric radiofrequency application on the face, we treated 10 patients on the left side of the face with radiofrequency and evaluated the changes in brow position, superior palpebral crease, angle of the eyebrow, and jowl surface area. METHODS Uniform treatments were applied at 134 J/cm2 to the left side of the forehead and 1 cm past midline, at 115 J/cm2 to the left side of temple and cheeks, and at 97 J/cm2 to the left side of the jaw line and inferior postauricular surface. Patients were evaluated at monthly intervals up to 3 months with digital photography. Morphologic changes were evaluated with the “measuring tool” and “angle tool” of the Mirror Suite imaging system for aligned frontal-view photographs (for eyebrow position, superior palpebral crease elevation, and eyebrow angle changes) and the “outline tool” for aligned oblique-view photographs (for jowl surface area changes). RESULTS At the end of 3 months on the side that was treated, patients exhibited on average 4.3 mm of brow elevation and 1.9 mm of superior palpebral crease elevation along the midpupillary line and an average of 2.4 mm of brow elevation along the lateral canthal line. There was no significant improvement of brow elevation along the lateral canthal line on the contralateral side. The peak angle of the ipsilateral eyebrow became slightly more acute by an average of 4.5° after treatments. Moreover, the jowls on the lower part of the face, displayed a mean decrease of 22.6% in surface area after treatments. The nontreated side displayed a lack of eyebrow angle and jowl surface area changes. CONCLUSIONS The application of radiofrequency to the face provides quantifiable changes. The brow along the midpupillary line is elevated to a greater degree than the lateral brow. This is consistent with acute angle changes seen in the eyebrow. Improvements in the lower part of the face with radiofrequency application can be quantified by demonstrating a decrease jowl surface. Moreover, these measurement techniques can be useful tools for evaluating other treatment parameters with radiofrequency application.
A Comparison of Paramedic First Pass Endotracheal Intubation Success Rate of the VividTrac VT-A 100, GlideScope Ranger, and Direct Laryngoscopy Under Simulated Prehospital Cervical Spinal Immobilization Conditions in a Cadaveric Model

Abstract Objective The primary goal of this study was to compare paramedic first pass success rate between two different video laryngoscopes and direct laryngoscopy (DL) under simulated prehospital conditions in a cadaveric model. Methods This was a non-randomized, group-controlled trial in which five non-embalmed, non-frozen cadavers were intubated under prehospital spinal immobilization conditions using DL and with both the GlideScope Ranger (GL; Verathon Inc, Bothell, Washington USA) and the VividTrac VT-A100 (VT; Vivid Medical, Palo Alto, California USA). Participants had to intubate each cadaver with each of the three devices (DL, GL, or VT) in a randomly assigned order. Paramedics were given 31 seconds for an intubation attempt and a maximum of three attempts per device to successfully intubate each cadaver. Confirmation of successful endotracheal intubation (ETI) was confirmed by one of the six on-site physicians. Results Successful ETI within three attempts across all devices occurred 99.5% of the time overall and individually 98.5% of the time for VT, 100.0% of the time for GL, and 100.0% of the time for DL. First pass success overall was 64.4%. Individually, first pass success was 60.0% for VT, 68.8% for GL, and 64.5% for DL. A chi-square test revealed no statistically significant difference amongst the three devices for first pass success rates (P=.583). Average time to successful intubation was 42.2 seconds for VT, 38.0 seconds for GL, and 33.7 for seconds for DL. The average number of intubation attempts for each device were as follows: 1.48 for VT, 1.40 for GL, and 1.42 for DL. Conclusion The was no statistically significant difference in first pass or overall successful ETI rates between DL and video laryngoscopy (VL) with either the GL or VT (adult). HodnickR, ZitekT, GalsterK, JohnsonS, BledsoeB, EbbsD. A comparison of paramedic first pass endotracheal intubation success rate of the VividTrac VT-A 100, GlideScope Ranger, and direct laryngoscopy under simulated prehospital cervical spinal immobilization conditions in a cadaveric model. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):621–624.
Studies on contract inhibition of growth in the mouse fibroblast, 3T3. I. Changes in cell size and composition during 'unrestricted' growth.

SUMMARY Growth of the contact-inhibited 3T3 and its SV40-transformed derivative, 3T3T is unbalanced. Despite obvious exponential increase in cell number, cell volume, RNA and protein show a marked decrease with increasing population density in both cell types, greater in 3T3 than 3T3T. Daily medium change does not correct this growth pattern but merely seems to equalize initial growth rates of the 2 cell types and prolong the period during which the cell number continues to increase. The evidence suggests that the lag period that ensues following plating of the cells is a period of intense metabolic activity during which a large proportion of cellular protein and RNA is synthesized in preparation for exponential growth.
B Signaling k Inflammasome by Targeting NF-to Malaria Independently of the Caspase-12 Dampens the Immune Response

Pathogen sensing by the inﬂammasome activates inﬂammatory caspases that mediate inﬂammation and cell death. Caspase-12 antagonizes the inﬂammasome and NF- k B and is associated with susceptibility to bacterial sepsis. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (T 125 C) in human Casp12 restricts its expression to Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Here, we investigated the role of caspase-12 in the control of parasite replication and pathogenesis in malaria and report that caspase-12 dampened parasite clearance in blood-stage malaria and modulated susceptibility to cerebral malaria. This response was independent of the caspase-1 inﬂammasome, as casp1 2 / 2 mice were indistinguishable from wild-type animals in response to malaria, but dependent on enhanced NF- k B activation. Mechanistically, caspase-12 competed with NEMO for association with I k B kinase– a / b , effectively preventing the formation of the I k B kinase complex and inhibiting downstream transcriptional activation by NF- k B. Systemic inhibition of NF- k B or Ab neutralization of IFN- g reversed the increased resistance of casp12 2 / 2 mice to blood-stage malaria infection. The Journal of Immunology , 2010, 185: 000–000.
Disorder-Induced Enhancement of Magnetic Properties in Ball-Milled Fe2CrAl Alloy

First principles calculation for the energies and magnetic moments of Fe<sub>2</sub>CrAl with various structures has been carried out. The contradiction between theoretical and experimental magnetic moment of Fe<sub>2</sub>CrAl has been illustrated. The L2<sub>1</sub>-based structure has the lowest energy and thus should be formed during synthesis, while the native magnetic Cr-clusters are responsible for the extra large magnetic moment. Based on these calculations, a metastable and partially disordered B2<sub>CD</sub> structure has been achieved in a ball-milled Fe<sub>2</sub>CrAl alloy. It shows a 300 K higher T<sub>C</sub> and a 1.5 μ<sub>B</sub> higher M<sub>S</sub>, respectively, compared with the arc-melted samples with L2<sub>1</sub>-based structures.
Biological activities of Curcuma longa L.

There are several data in the literature indicating a great variety of pharmacological activities of Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), which exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-human immunodeficiency virus, anti-bacteria, antioxidant effects and nematocidal activities. Curcumin is a major component in Curcuma longa L. , being responsible for its biological actions. Other extracts of this plant has been showing potency too. In vitro, curcumin exhibits anti-parasitic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal effects; and also inhibits carcinogenesis and cancer growth. In vivo, there are experiments showing the anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory potency of curcumin and extracts of C. longa L. by parenteral and oral application in animal models. In this present work we make an overview of the pharmacological activities of C. longa L. , showing its importance.