Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of the classical and higher order theory for free vibration analysis of MRE cored sandwich beam with composite skins using finite element method

In this work free vibration analysis of a sandwich beam with magneto rheological elastomer (MRE) core and composite skins has been investigated using finite element method (FEM). Both classical and higher order theories have been applied in the FE formulation. While in classical theory the strain in the transverse direction is neglected, in higher order theory the transverse strain is considered. Considering same dimensions and material properties of the sandwich beam elements natural frequencies and free vibration responses of the systems have been determined and compared for these two cases under the influence of different magnetic field. The results show that the percentage variations in modal frequencies are within 10%. While the variation in natural frequency is not much for lower modes it is significant for higher modes. The free vibration responses are for different magnetic fields have been plotted and compared.
Antisperm Antibodies in Primary and Secondary Infertile Couples of Central India

Immunologic factors are considered as important cause for infertility. One of the immu-nologic factors proposed for infertility is presence of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in serum. ASA are found in cervical mucus, seminal plasma and sera of men and women. It is possible for couples with antisperm antibodies occasionally to beat the odds and become pregnant. Acquisition of genital tract infection following the initial pregnancy can lead to subsequent development of antisperm antibodies. So the aim of this study was to find out the incidence of antisperm antibodies in primary and secondary infertile couples of central India. A cross sec-tional study included 109 couples suffering from infertility referred to the Reproductive Bi-ology Unit, MGIMS, Sevagram. Presence of antisperm antibodies (IgG and IgA classes) was estimated in the serum by Varelisa Sperm Antibodies kit method. Out of 109 infertile cou-ples, antibodies were observed in 37 couples of primary infertility and 15 couples of secon-dary infertility. The percentage incidence was 52.12% and 39.47% in primary infertility and secondary infertility. It is concluded that although the difference in the incidence of ASA in primary & secondary infertility is not statistically significant, its detection can provide a clue to the aetiologic factor in such couples.
Umbilical Cord Stricture is Not a Genetic Anomaly: A Study in Twins

Two recent reports on recurrent cases of umbilical cord stricture (UCS) have opened the debate on the possibility of a genetic basis for this anomaly, traditionally considered to be sporadic. We present a series of 130 cases of UCS located at the fetal insertion, diagnosed among 2067 fetal and infantile autopsies performed during the last 10 years. All cases were macerated stillborn fetuses, and 54.6% were 20 weeks of gestational age. Our study is focused on 2 recurrent episodes and 16 cases occurring in multiple pregnancies. Among twins, males were affected more than females (2.2:1), although no statistical significance was found. Associated umbilical cord anomalies were present in 8 of 16 cases, consisting of hypocoiling (3 cases), hypercoiling (2 cases), excessive length (1 case), vascular tortuosity (1 case), and single umbilical artery (1 case). The most frequent placental finding was obliterative endovasculopathy (6 cases), probably indicating a causal relationship with UCS. Zygosity was analyzed by placental histology and/or a panel of 12 microsatellite markers to classify twins as monozygotic (8 cases) or dizygotic (8 cases). Our data prove that UCS is not a genetic condition because all 8 genetically identical twins were discordant for the anomaly and 2 dizygotic twins with UCS had co-twins also affected. Genetic factors are not implicated in UCS pathophysiology, and parents with a fetal demise due to UCS should be counseled as having a low-recurrence risk for subsequent pregnancies. Because there is not a higher incidence of UCS in multiple gestations, twinning should not be considered a risk factor for UCS.
High frequency of creatine deficiency syndromes in patients with unexplained mental retardation

Motor neuron disease (MND) is increasingly regarded as encompassing multisystem disorders. Mild cognitive dysfunction suggestive of frontal lobe involvement occurs in around 33%1 of nondemented patients with ALS. Impaired performance has been identified among patients with ALS on tasks of executive function, such as planning, sequencing, initiating, and sustaining attention and, in particular, on tests of verbal fluency.2 There has also been some evidence to suggest abnormalities of language functioning and memory,3 although these have not been found consistently. Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) affects only the lower motor neurons and is associated with longer survival than ALS. In this study, we sought to investigate the presence of cognitive, behavioral, or emotional dysfunction in this group. We recruited 12 patients with a diagnosis of PMA (eight men, mean age 52 year; SD = 9.0) from the MND Care & Research Centres at King’s College Hospital, London, and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle. There was no significant …
The Healthy Newborn Hydration Model

The normal small volume of breast milk produced in the first 2 days following birth may raise concerns about adequate hydration in breast-fed newborns. These concerns are further magnified when breast-fed infants lose ≥7% of their birth weight within 2 days postnatally. Weight loss following birth is presumably mostly water loss that could result in hypohydration and subsequent hypernatremic dehydration. However, excess fluid loss immediately following birth is a normal and necessary process. Furthermore, newborns exposed to excess fluid intake during labor may need to lose ≥7% of birth weight in the first 2 days following birth in order to achieve euhydration. Normal newborn fluid loss following birth confounds the use of weight loss as the sole measure of newborn hydration. We thus propose the healthy newborn hydration model that highlights the normalcy of newborn weight loss immediately following birth and the healthy newborn’s compensatory mechanisms for preserving adequate hydration. We also recommend the use of serum sodium to measure intravascular osmolarity in addition to monitoring weight loss to obtain a more comprehensive newborn hydration assessment. Research is necessary in healthy newborns to identify relationships among fluids received in utero, newborn weight loss, and hydration, as evaluated with laboratory measures, in the first 2 days following birth. This information will guide clinicians in correctly identifying newborns with inadequate hydration who are in need of supplementary fluids versus newborns with adequate hydration for whom exclusive breast-feeding can be supported and encouraged.
Implementations in the Australian Public Sector

Sad stories about EDRMS implementation failure are often told among records managers. An EDRMS project, like any other IS implementation, will need key ingredients to be successful. This paper reveals these components of a successful EDRMS implementation from the findings of a Web-based survey on the perspectives of records managers in the three levels of the Australian public sector. It also uncovers these organisations’ attitudes towards digital recordkeeping initiatives and an insight on their EDRMS projects.
Human T lymphotropic virus types I and II proviral sequences in Argentinian blood donors with indeterminate Western blot patterns

Human T‐cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) seroindeterminate blood donors have been reported worldwide including Argentina. To investigate the significance of HTLV‐I/II seroindeterminate Western blot (WB) patterns, we conducted an 8‐year cross‐sectional study. Of 86,238 Argentinian blood donors, 146 sera were reactive by screening tests. The WB results indicated that 20% were HTLV‐I reactive, 8% HTLV‐II reactive, 61% indeterminate, and 11% negative. The overall seroprevalence was 0.034% for HTLV‐I, 0.014% for HTLV‐II, and 0.103% for indeterminate. In 57 reactive specimens, HTLV‐I/II provirus could be examined by type specific PCR for tax, pol, and env regions. When at least two gene fragments were amplified HTLV‐I/II infection was considered confirmed. PCR results confirmed all WB seropositive samples for HTLV‐I (n = 15), and HTLV‐II (n = 7), and the only WB negative case was also PCR negative, showing a complete concordance between PCR and WB. However, of 34 WB seroindeterminate sera studied by PCR, in 5 was proviral DNA amplified. According to our criteria PCR confirmed one to be HTLV‐I, and one HTLV‐II, 3 remained indeterminate since only tax sequences were amplified. Among WB indeterminate samples tested by PCR, most of their serological profile showed reactivity to gag codified proteins but lacked env reactivities (70%). One sample with a WB gag pattern showed proviral tax sequences, but of the four samples with reactivity to env proteins GD21 (n = 3) or rgp46II (n = 1) PCR results indicated that one was HTLV‐I, one was HTLV‐II, and two were indeterminate (only tax sequences). In conclusion, the majority of HTLV‐seroindeterminate WB donors exhibited a gag indeterminate profile lacking HTLV provirus, and were thus considered uninfected. However, seroreactivity to env proteins, in particular to GD21, may indicate infection and a follow‐up study of each seroreactive blood donor should be considered. J. Med. Virol. 74:323–327, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use of C-reactive protein to predict outcome in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis.

BACKGROUND There is a high mortality rate in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis. Therefore, an early diagnosis and prognostic assessment is important for optimal therapeutic intervention. The objective of the study was to evaluate if baseline values and changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) might predict survival in dogs with SIRS and sepsis. DESIGN Prospective study; July 2004 to July 2005. SETTING Small Animal Clinic, Berlin, Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Munich. ANIMALS Sixty-one dogs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS For the CRP analysis blood was drawn on day 0, 1, and 2; CRP was measured using a commercial ELISA test kit. Thirteen dogs suffered from nonseptic SIRS and 48 dogs from sepsis. The 14-day survival rate was 61% (69% nonseptic SIRS, 58% sepsis). Serum CRP was higher in sick dogs compared with controls (P<0.001). Over the 3-day period surviving dogs (n=31) displayed a significantly greater decrease in CRP than nonsurvivors (n=10) (P=0.001). No correlation was found between the initial CRP concentrations and the survival rate. The changes in CRP corresponded to the survival rate (P=0.01). CONCLUSION There was no significant relationship between the survival rate in dogs with nonseptic SIRS or sepsis and the initial serum CRP concentrations. There was a correlation between decreasing CRP concentrations and recovery from disease. However, the changes in CRP concentrations over a 3-day period correctly predicted survival in 94% of dogs and death in 30% of the dogs (false positive rate 22%).
The relationship between stress, porosity, and nonlinear damage accumulation in acrylic bone cement.

The long-term survival of cemented hip replacements depends on the ability of the cemented fixation to resist fatigue damage. Damage has been assumed to accumulate linearly (Miner's law) even though it is unlikely to be the case in such a porous brittle material. This study addresses the nonlinear stress-dependent nature of fatigue damage accumulation in acrylic bone cement. Specimens were subjected to a zero-to-tension fatigue load in water at 37 degrees C. A total of 15 specimens were tested, i.e., five specimens at each of three stress levels. The specimens were cyclically loaded to a certain fraction of their fatigue lives and the amount of microcracking present at that time was quantified by counting each crack and measuring its length. This procedure was repeated until the specimen failed. A total of 801 cracks formed in the 15 specimens. All cracks were found to initiate at pores. Crack propagation directions were distributed normally about the direction perpendicular to the applied load at the lower stress levels, but at higher stress, the distribution tended to be broader. At higher stresses, more cracks were produced per pore. The damage accumulation process in acrylic bone cement was found to be nonlinear with the degree of nonlinearity increasing with stress. Furthermore, great variability was found which was attributed to the differences in porosity between specimens. A power law equation is given which describes the predicted relationship between damage accumulation and number of loading cycles as a function of the stress level.
Doppler and color Doppler ultrasonography in renal transplants: Chronic rejection

Although Doppler and color Doppler ultrasonography has been used extensively to examine acute changes in renal allograft function, there have been few reports on the role of Doppler ultrasonography in the assessment of chronic rejection. In those studies that have addressed chronic rejection, there is agreement that changes in renal function are not accompanied by consistent changes in flow wave‐form shape. The pathology of chronic rejection may be very different from the changes seen in acute rejection and its onset is usually gradual. Some authors have suggested that the decline in function is accompanied by lower Doppler frequency shifts (corresponding to lower velocities) in intra‐renal arteries. In a preliminary study comparing grafts with normal renal function and with biopsy‐proven chronic rejection, it has been shown that for grafts with chronic rejection, observed intra‐renal velocities are lower, especially at segmental and interlobar levels. This may be a more reliable reflection of reduced renal blood flow in chronic rejection than conventional Doppler ultrasound analysis of flow waveform shape. However, the diagnostic use of changes to intra‐renal flow velocities in chronic rejection is currently very limited. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Improving IS Functions Step by Step: the Use of Focus Area Maturity Models

With new technologies developing rapidly and becoming more common, organiza- tions need to keep up their IS capabilities. Maturity models are designed as a means to support capability development. The existing literature is strongly dominated by studies of fixed-level maturity models, i.e., maturity models that distinguish a limited set of generic maturity lev - els, such as the well-known CMM. We argue that, while fixed-level maturity models may be well-suited to assessing the maturity of IS capabilities, another form of maturity model, the focus area maturity model, is better suited to supporting incremental improvement. In this paper we define the concept of focus area maturity model. We use a design-science research method, basing our work on both extensive industry experience and scientific investigation.
Epidemiology of Recurrences or Reinfections ofClostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea

ABSTRACT Approximately 15 to 35% of patients with a first episode ofClostridium difficile-associated diarrhea relapse within 2 months. Between 1994 and 1997, strains from 93 hospitalized patients with C. difficile recurrences were fingerprinted by using both serotyping and PCR-ribotyping. The results showed that 48.4% of clinical recurrences were, in fact, reinfections with a different strain of C. difficile. Rates of clinical recurrences could therefore be reduced by implementing strict isolation precautions.
BER performance of communication systems using SAW correlators encoded with Walsh and Gold codes

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) correlator is a single compact device that computes correlation operation in real time without external power and simplifies the transceiver circuits in communication systems. Orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) technique employed in SAW correlators in communication systems provides high code diversity and enhanced processing gain. The inter digital transducer (IDT) of an OFC SAW correlator contains Nc number of chips and each chip generates frequency orthogonal to all other frequencies generated by other chips. Nc number of chips can have maximum Nc number of completely orthogonal sequences. This paper presents a `two-level' encoding technique for OFC using Walsh code and Gold code to achieve higher code diversity, and describes communication systems using the encoded SAW correlators. For single carrier based communication systems, the paper proposes encoding the IDT having single frequency with Gold code. Multiuser and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication systems using the encoded SAW correlator are presented. Mathematical expressions for the calculation of the encoded sequences for the proposed techniques are formulated. Performance of the multiuser and MIMO communication systems using the encoded SAW correlator is verified using mathematical and simulation models for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels.
In vitro method for measuring synthesis rates in the intervertebral disc

A method for culturing intervertebral disc tissue in vitro under conditions that control changes in hydration and minimize loss of proteoglycans has been developed. Disc slices were enclosed in small‐pore dialysis tubing and incubated in medium containing polyethylene glycol (PEG). By varying the PEG concentration, different external swelling pressures could be applied to the tissue. The rate of glycosaminoglycan synthesis in rabbit and dog disc was then measured using [35S]sulphate as a precursor. Synthesis rates varied with final hydration of the tissue, and the highest rates were found at hydrations close to those found in vivo. Under conditions of controlled hydration, rabbit nucleus has a higher rate of glycosaminoglycan synthesis than annulus. However, the rates measured in sagittal slices of dog disc decreased from the outer to the inner regions of the anterior annulus, reaching a minimum value in the nucleus and then increasing again in the posterior part of the annulus. The results show that in the intervertebral disc, measured rates depend on culture conditions.
Phase III randomized intergroup trial of subtotal lymphoid irradiation versus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and subtotal lymphoid irradiation for stage IA to IIA Hodgkin's disease.

PURPOSE The management of early-stage Hodgkin's disease in the United States is controversial. To evaluate whether staging laparotomy could be safely avoided in early-stage Hodgkin's disease and whether chemotherapy should be a part of the treatment of nonlaparotomy staged patients, a phase III intergroup trial was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three hundred forty-eight patients with clinical stage IA to IIA supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease were randomized without staging laparotomy to treatment with either subtotal lymphoid irradiation (STLI) or combined-modality therapy (CMT) consisting of three cycles of doxorubicin and vinblastine followed by STLI. RESULTS The study was closed at the second, planned, interim analysis because of a markedly superior failure-free survival (FFS) rate for patients on the CMT arm (94%) compared with the STLI arm (81%). With a median follow-up of 3.3 years, 10 patients have experienced relapse or died on the chemoradiotherapy arm, compared with 34 on the radiotherapy arm (P <.001). Few deaths have occurred on either arm (three deaths on CMT and seven deaths on STLI). Treatment was well tolerated, with only one death on each arm attributed to treatment. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a high FFS rate in a large group of stage IA to IIA patients without performing staging laparotomy and that three cycles of chemotherapy plus STLI provide a superior FFS compared with STLI alone. Extended follow-up is necessary to assess freedom from second relapse, overall survival, late toxicities, patterns of treatment failure, and quality of life.
In vivo effects of two acidic soft drinks on shear bond strength of metal orthodontic brackets with and without resin infiltration treatment.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the in vivo effects of two acidic soft drinks (Coca-Cola and Sprite) on the shear bond strength of metal orthodontic brackets with and without resin infiltration treatment. In addition, the enamel surface was evaluated, after debonding, using a scanning electron microscope. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty noncarious maxillary premolars, scheduled for extraction in 30 orthodontic patients, were used. Patients were randomly divided into two groups according to the soft drink tested (Coca-Cola or Sprite). In each group, application of resin infiltration (Icon. DMG, Hamburg, Germany) was done on one side only before bonding of brackets. Patients were told to rinse their mouth with their respective soft drink at room temperature for 5 minutes, three times a day for 3 months. Shear bond strength was tested with a universal testing machine. After shearing test, a scanning electron microscope was used to evaluate enamel erosion. Statistical analysis was performed by twoway analysis of variance followed by the least significant difference test. RESULTS The Coca-Cola group without resin infiltration showed the lowest resistance to shearing forces. Scanning electron micrographs of both groups after resin application showed a significant improvement compared with results without resin use, as the enamel appeared smoother and less erosive. CONCLUSION Pretreatment with the infiltrating resin has proved to result in a significant improvement in shear bond strength, regardless of the type of soft drink consumed.
Clinical spectrum of Leishmaniasis.

The clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis depend on com­ plex interactions between the virulence characteristics of the infecting Leishmania species and the immune responses of its host. The result is a spectrum of disease ranging from localized skin lesions to diffuse involvement of the reticuloendothelial system. Human disease has traditionally been divided into three major clinical syndromes: visceral, cutaneous, and mucosal leishmaniasis; however, a number of variants exist. Further­ more, a single Leishmania species can produce more than one clinical syndrome, and each syndrome is caused by multiple species. The true incidence and prevalence of leishmaniasis is uncer­ tain because many cases go undiagnosed or unreported in areas where the infection is endemic. In 1993, the World Health Organization estimated that 350 million people worldwide were at risk for infection. The incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis has been estimated to be 1.0-1.5 million cases per year, and