Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CanSupport: a model for home-based palliative care delivery in India.

BACKGROUND According to the 2014 WHO Global Atlas of Palliative Care, there is insufficient access to palliative care services worldwide, with the majority of unmet need in low- and middle-income countries. In India, there are major disparities in access to palliative care, with the majority of services being offered by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) scattered throughout the country. The barriers to expanding palliative care services in India are common to many lower- and middle-income countries-a lack of financial resources, a paucity of trained staff, and a focus on curative rather than comfort care. In this paper, we describe a model of palliative care being used by CanSupport, a non-governmental organization based in Delhi that was formed in 1996. They offer home-based services provided by multidisciplinary teams consisting of a physician, nurse, and social worker who are trained in palliative care. METHODS Data on patient demographics, services provided, and outcomes were collected retrospectively for patients treated by CanSupport for the year 2009-2010. Sources include CanSupport's population data and direct discussions with CanSupport staff. RESULTS During the year 2009-2010, CanSupport served 746 patients, with an average of 10 home visits per patient. Only 29% of patients were referred from hospitals or physicians, with the rest being self-referred or referred from CanSupport's help line. Pain scales were administered on each visit and 31% of patients received morphine. Of the 514 patient deaths, 76% occurred at home and a majority of families received bereavement counseling for up to 6 months. CONCLUSIONS CanSupport has shown that a home-based care model can be successful in India and is desired by patients at the end of life or with chronic illness. Their model of care saves the patients the cost of a hospital visit while still providing evaluation by staff with training in palliative care. In addition, the multidisciplinary nature of the teams allows for symptom management and emotional counseling for both the patients and their families. CanSupport has developed a way to provide reliable, cost-effective palliative care to patients that can serve as a model for building palliative care capacity in low- and middle-income countries.
Analysis and Control of RRAM Overshoot Current

To combat the large variability problem in resistive random access memory, current compliance elements are commonly used to limit the in-rush current during the forming operation. Regardless of the compliance element (1R-1R or 1T-1R), some degree of current overshoot is unavoidable. The peak value of the overshoot current is often used as a predictive metric of the filament characteristics and is linked to the parasitic capacitance of the test structure. The reported detrimental effects of higher parasitic capacitance seem to support this concept. However, this understanding is inconsistent with the recent successes of compliance-free ultrashort pulse forming which guarantees a maximum peak overshoot current. We use detailed circuit analysis and experimental measurements of 1R-1R and 1T-1R structures to show that the peak overshoot is independent of the parasitic capacitance while the overshoot duration is strongly dependent on the parasitic capacitance. Forming control can be achieved, in ultrashort pulse forming, since the overshoot duration is always less than the applied pulse duration. The demonstrated success of ultrashort pulse forming becomes easier to reconcile after identifying the importance of overshoot duration.
Shifts in the bacterial community composition along deep soil profiles in monospecific and mixed stands of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium

Our knowledge of the rhizosphere bacterial communities in deep soils and the role of Eucalyptus and Acacia on the structure of these communities remains very limited. In this study, we targeted the bacterial community along a depth profile (0 to 800 cm) and compared community structure in monospecific or mixed plantations of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis. We applied quantitative PCR (qPCR) and sequence the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize composition of bacterial communities. We identified a decrease in bacterial abundance with soil depth, and differences in community patterns between monospecific and mixed cultivations. Sequence analysis indicated a prevalent effect of soil depth on bacterial communities in the mixed plant cultivation system, and a remarkable differentiation of bacterial communities in areas solely cultivated with Eucalyptus. The groups most influenced by soil depth were Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria (more frequent in samples between 0 and 300 cm). The predominant bacterial groups differentially displayed in the monospecific stands of Eucalyptus were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Our results suggest that the addition of an N2-fixing tree in a monospecific cultivation system modulates bacterial community composition even at a great depth. We conclude that co-cultivation systems may represent a key strategy to improve soil resources and to establish more sustainable cultivation of Eucalyptus in Brazil.
Clinical Value Of D-Dimer and Other Coagulation Markers in Differantial Diagnosis of Hemorrhagic and Ischemic Stroke Hemorajik ve İskemik İnme Ayirici Tanisinda D-Dimer ve Diğer Koagülasyon Belirteçlerinin Değerliliği

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the clinical value of some laboratory markers(D- dimer, Fibrinogen, etc levels) as alternatives to expensive and sometimes unavailable advanced radiographic techniques, in differentiation and early diagnosis of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke which require distinct diagnosis, monitoring and treatment methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study includes 100 adult patients who applied to Emergency Department of Uludag University with clinical symptoms of stroke. At presentation on all of the patients and D-dimer, fibrinogen and other laboratory tests were studied. For differentiation of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, computerized tomography(CT) and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) were taken. CT and MRI detections were assessed by radiology specialists blindly. FINDINGS: Of 100 patients included in the study, 53% were women and 47% were men. In 28% of the patients, ischemic stroke, in 21%, hemorrhagic stroke and in 48%, transient ischemic attack (TIA) was detected, while remaining 3% were assessed as normal. Average age of patients with ischemic stroke was found higher than that of patients with hemorrhagic stroke. No significant difference was observed when patients were grouped by sexes. Coagulation markers, D-dimer and aPTT were significantly different between hemorrhagic stroke and TIA groups while no significant difference was observed between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke groups. RESULTS: Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes cause homeostatic anomalies besides the brain damage accompanying. In our study, a difference between hemorrhagic stroke and TIA groups was observed, while no difference
Fuzzy self-scheduling for GenCos

This letter presents a comprehensive fuzzy approach for maximizing a GenCo's profit in a competitive electricity market considering uncertainties. The market uncertainties considered are the demand, spinning and nonspinning reserves, market prices, and probability that reserves are called and generated. The proposed technique produces an optimal profit fuzzy function that reflects the market uncertainties and helps for hedging risks.
A Role for Double-Stranded RNA-Activated Protein Kinase PKR in Mycobacterium-Induced Cytokine Expression1

Following infection of the host by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, induction of cytokines is a major defense mechanism to limit the pathogen invasion. Cytokines interact with each other to form an intertwined network of pathways. For example, IFN and TNF have been shown to interact through common pathways including IFN-inducible, dsRNA-activated serine/threonine protein kinase (PKR) induction. As a signal transducer, it has been conventionally known to regulate the induction of cytokine expression in response to virus infection through NF-κB. In light of the critical role of TNF in immunity and its cytotoxic effects mediated by PKR, we examined the role of the kinase in the regulation of immune response against M. tuberculosis using the interaction of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and primary human blood monocytes as a model. Our results showed that BCG stimulates the induction of cytokine expression in human primary blood monocytes including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. With the suppression of PKR by using PKR-mutant gene or 2-aminopurine as PKR inhibitor, we showed that the BCG-induced cytokine expression in human monocytes is regulated by the phosphorylation and activation of PKR. We also demonstrated that downstream of PKR induction is the activation of MAPK and translocation of NF-κB into the nucleus. NF-κB in turn mediates the transcription of specific cytokine genes. Taken together, PKR plays a critical role in the regulation of immune responses to mycobacterial infection and may serve as an important molecule in the innate antimycobacterial defense.
Phenotype‐rescue of cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p16/INK4A defects in a spontaneous canine cell model of breast cancer

Mammary cancer is among the most frequently observed canine tumors in unspayed female dogs resulting in death due to metastatic disease. These tumors are excellent models of human breast cancer but until recently there was only anecdotal evidence regarding underlying genetic defects. We recently reported expression defects in the cyclin‐dependent kinase p21/Cip1 and p53 among three independent canine mammary tumor (CMT) cell lines derived from spontaneous canine mammary cancers. We investigated further defects in the same three cell lines focusing on additional tumor suppressor gene defects in cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors. p27/KIP1 appeared normally expressed and did not appear to encode inactivating mutations. In contrast, expression of p16/INK4A was defective/absent in two cell lines and normal/slightly induced in the third cell line. To determine if defects were causative in maintaining the transformed phenotype, a p16/INK4A transgene was permanently transfected followed by selection and single cell cloning. CMT/p16 clones were characterized for transgene expression, p16 protein content and phenotype including proliferation rate, cell cycle phase distribution, contact inhibition, substrate dependent cell growth and cell morphology. All cell lines appeared unique yet clear indications of phenotype rescue due to p16/INK4A transgene complementation were observed suggesting that defects in p16 expression were present in all three. In some cases cellular senescence also appeared to be induced. These data provide evidence supporting p16/INK4A mutations as causative defects promoting transformation in canine mammary cancer and further characterizes tumor suppressor gene defects with functional consequences in these cells supporting their application as spontaneous animal models of human disease. J. Cell. Biochem. 106: 491–505, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
How Important is Methodology for the Estimates of the Determinants of Happiness?

Psychologists and sociologists usually interpret happiness scores as cardinal and comparable across respondents, and thus run OLS regressions on happiness and changes in happiness. Economists usually assume only ordinality and have mainly used ordered latent response models, thereby not taking satisfactory account of fixed individual traits. We address this problem by developing a conditional estimator for the fixed-effect ordered logit model. We find that assuming ordinality or cardinality of happiness scores makes little difference, whilst allowing for fixed-effects does change results substantially. We call for more research into the determinants of the personality traits making up these fixed-effects.
Process Evaluation Results From the Healthy Directions–Small Business Study

The Healthy Directions–Small Business randomized, controlled study aimed to reduce cancer risk among multiethnic workers in small manufacturing businesses by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and daily multivitamin in take and decreasing consumption of red meat. The intervention incorporated participatory strategies and was built on a social-contextual framework that addressed people with varying cultural backgrounds and literacy levels. In addition, the intervention aimed to reduce worker exposure to occupational hazards. Process evaluation was conductedusing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative results showed high levels of worker awareness of and participation in programs. Qualitative findings suggested that management support, worker input, and a history of social interaction between workers and management may have contributed to high participation rates. Future studies need to examine characteristics associated with participation and nonparticipation of both managers and nonmanagers to increase the likelihood of participation and ultimately improve health behavior.
Predictive Factors of Household Task Participation in Brazilian Children and Adolescents

Home environment is an important setting for child participation. This study investigated the participation of Brazilian children and adolescents in household self-care (SC) and family-care (FC) tasks. Interviews were conducted with 109 caregivers of children and adolescents ages 6 to 14 years residing in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Multiple regression models revealed that a greater number of FC tasks were performed by children and adolescents (R2 = .23) from families who did not have a housekeeper and those in which the mothers did not work outside of the home; children and adolescents from this subgroup also received less assistance from the caregivers (R2 = .21) and showed greater independence in task performance (R2 = .20). On average, Brazilian children and adolescents participate in about half of the SC and 25% the FC household tasks. Factors related to family structure and child’s age were associated with task performance, caregiver assistance, and child and adolescent independence in household tasks.
EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS/INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS Concise Review: Pursuing Self-Renewal and Pluripotency with the Stem Cell Factor Nanog

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells hold great promise for future use in tissue replacement therapies due to their ability to self-renew indefinitely and to differentiate into all adult cell types. Harnessing this therapeutic potential efficiently requires a much deeper understanding of the molecular processes at work within the pluripotency network. The transcription factors Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 reside at the core of this network, where they interact and regulate their own expression as well as that of numerous other pluripotency factors. Of these core factors, Nanog is critical for blocking the differentiation of pluripotent cells, and more importantly, for establishing the pluripotent ground state during somatic cell reprogramming. Both mouse and human Nanog are able to form dimers in vivo, allowing them to preferentially interact with certain factors and perform unique functions. Recent studies have identified an evolutionary functional conservation among vertebrate Nanog orthologs from chick, zebrafish, and the axolotl salamander, adding an additional layer of complexity to Nanog function. Here, we present a detailed overview of published work focusing on Nanog structure, function, dimerization, and regulation at the genetic and posttranslational levels with regard to the establishment and maintenance of pluripotency. The full spectrum of Nanog function in pluripotent stem cells and in cancer is only beginning to be revealed. We therefore use this evidence to advocate for more comprehensive analysis of Nanog in the context of disease, development, and regeneration. STEM CELLS 2013;31:1227–1236 Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Battle against Aging and Folds: Benefit and Risks of the Semi-Permanent Fillers Polylactic Acid and Calcium Hydroxylapatite

Background: Semi-permanent fillers are among the most favorable fillers on the market. Through their unique mode of action and its associated lasting aesthetic effect, they take an exceptional position. Objective: To compare the two semi-permanent fillers Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) and calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) in reference to the aesthetic result, patient satisfaction and side effects. Methods: Studies on side effects, patient satisfaction and aesthetic results after augmentation with semi-permanent fillers were analyzed. Results: Semi-permanent fillers seem excellently suited for the augmentation of very deep wrinkles particularly in the lower half of the face. In general, high patient satisfaction can be determined with both fillers. Here, the effect from the polylactic acid can be verified for up to two years while no effect could be verified already after one year in a majority of the patients augmented with CaHA. Short-term side effects such as bleedings or erythema in the region of the augmented area have been observed in both fillers during augmentation. The incidence of nodules and granulomas seems significantly higher in augmentations with PLLA compared to CaHA. Rare side effects such as an embolization of a blood vessel caused by the implant have been described for both fillers in case reports. Conclusion: Semi-permanent fillers are superbly suited for wrinkle augmentation. Which filler is the preferred one in what case depends strongly on the individual needs of the patient and the therapist’s experience.
Cholesterol dynamics in membranes of raft composition: a molecular point of view from 2H and 31P solid-state NMR.

Lipidic membrane systems that have been reported to be composed of sphingomyelin (SM)-cholesterol (Chol) microdomains or "rafts" by Dietrich et al. [palmitoyloleoyl-phosphatidylcholine(POPC)/SM/Chol, 1/1/1; Dietrich, C. , Bagatolli, L. A. , Volovyk, Z. N. , Thompson, N. L. , Levi, M. , Jacobson, K. , and Gratton, E. (2001) Biophys. J. 80, 1417-1428] and by Schroeder et al. [SCRL: Liver-PC/Liver-phosphatidylethanolamine/SM/Cerebrosides/Chol, 1/1/1/1/2; Schroeder, R. , London, E. , and Brown, D. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 12130-12134] were investigated under the form of fully hydrated liposomes by the noninvasive solid-state (31)P and (2)H NMR method. Liposomes of binary lipid composition POPC/Chol and SM/Chol were also studied as boundary/control systems. All systems are found to be in the liquid-ordered phase (Lo) at physiological temperatures. Use of deuterium-labeled cholesterol afforded finding both the position of the sterol motional axis and its molecular order parameter. The axis of anisotropic rotation of cholesterol is such that the molecule is, on average, quasiperpendicular to the membrane plane, in all of the four systems investigated. Cholesterol order parameters greater than 0.8 are observed, indicating that the sterol is in a very motionally restricted environment in the temperature range 0-60 degrees C. The binary mixtures present "boundary" situations with the lowest values for POPC/Chol and the highest for SM/Chol. The SCRL raft mixture has the same ordering as the SM/Chol, i.e., the highest order parameter values over the temperature range. It demonstrates that in the SCRL mixture cholesterol dynamics is as in the binary system SM/Chol, therefore, suggesting that it might be depleted from the rest of the membrane to form complexes as if it were alone with SM. On the other hand, the mixture POPC/SM/Chol exhibits an intermediate ordering situation between those of SM/Chol and POPC/Chol. This strongly suggests that cholesterol could be in fast exchange, at the NMR time scale (milli- to microseconds), between two or more membrane regions of different dynamics and questions the statement of "rigid domains" made of SM and cholesterol in the model "raft" system POPC/SM/Chol.
An Investigation into the Effects of Aminoguanidine Treatment on the Plasma and Blood of Free‐fed and Dietary‐restricted Rats

Abstract— An investigation has been made into the effect of oral aminoguanidine (50–60 mg kg−1 day−1) on the blood biochemistry of male Wistar rats which either had free access to food or were dietary‐restricted (50% of the food consumed by the free access group). In control rats (i.e. without aminoguanidine treatment) three weeks of food restriction caused significant increases in plasma sodium and albumin and the erythrocyte count, haematocrit and haemoglobin. There were reductions in plasma calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase activity, urea, triglycerides, creatinine, glucose and the red cell volume. Similar effects of food restriction were observed in aminoguanidine‐treated rats. Aminoguanidine ingestion in free‐fed animals caused a reduction in plasma creatinine concentration. In dietary‐restricted rats, aminoguanidine ingestion reduced plasma sodium and total plasma proteins (largely as a result of a decline in albumin), and increased plasma urea concentrations. Aminoguanidine was added to plasma of control rats in‐vitro to determine whether it interfered with the assay of urea and creatinine. At concentrations of 0.1 to 10 mg mL−1, aminoguanidine had no effect on urea determinations. However, aminoguanidine significantly reduced the apparent concentration of plasma creatinine by between 7 to 81%. The changes in plasma analytes in aminoguanidine‐treated rats may be indicative of minor hepatic perturbations or kidney function, but the data also imply that prior nutritional state is a determinant of aminoguanidine effects.
The Effect of Self-Monitoring the INR on Quality of Anticoagulation and Quality of Life

In a prospective cohort study the influence of self-monitoring of the International Normalized Ratio (INR) was examined on 100 consecutive patients for a period of 6 months. Quality of life changed in a positive way. Independence and better organization of vacation and spare time were the most frequently mentioned advantages of the new method. Quality of anticoagulation by using a self-monitoring device was improved compared to the values before using the self-monitoring device. For measuring the INR, the usage of a portable monitor as the primary method can be recommended in selected patients receiving oral long-term anticoagulation.
Fatty Acid Derived Compounds – the Dominant Volatile Class of the Essential Oil Poor Sonchus Arvensis Subsp. Uliginosus (Bieb.) Nyman

Chemical composition of the essential oil hydrodistilled from aerial parts of Sonchus arvensis subsp. uliginosus is reported for the first time. GC and GC-MS analyses of the oil enabled the identification of 114 components that represented 97.4% of the total oil. Main identified constituents were heneicosane (28.4%), (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol (19.0%), (E)-2-hexen-1-ol (11.6%), 1-eicosanol (7.5%) and tricosane (5.3%). Fatty acid derived compounds (“green leaf” volatiles, alkanes, n-alkenes, n-aldehydes and n-alcohols) were by far predominant (89.4%). A much lower percentage of shikimate metabolites (5.0%), carotenoid-derived compounds (1.7%) and terpenoids (0.9%) has also been detected in the oil. Compositions of the essential oils of S. arvensis subsp. uliginosus and other 18 randomly chosen species, characterized by a wide range of essential oil yields, belonging to different plant genera, were compared using multivariate statistical analysis. The results strongly suggest that the main volatiles of essential oil poor species (yields less then 0.1%) are fatty acid- and carotenoid derived compounds, while essential oil rich taxa (essential oil yields much higher then 0.1%) are generally characterized by the specific production of mono- and sesquiterpenoids, and/or phenylpropanoids.