Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Happens to Children Who Lose Public Health Insurance Coverage?

Little is known about what happens to children who disenroll from public health-insurance programs. A telephone survey was conducted of children who recently had disenrolled from either Oregon's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) or FHIAP (premium assistance) programs, both of which have identical eligibility requirements. Access for these disenrolled children was driven largely by health insurance coverage. Insured children were more likely to have a usual source of care and to have seen a physician when they needed one. While FHIAP-disenrolled children were more likely to have private health-insurance coverage than those leaving SCHIP, absolute levels were low (53 percent and 33 percent, respectively). Thus, these programs generally did not provide a bridge to nonsubsidized private health insurance. Despite higher incomes (the main reason for losing coverage), many families did not purchase private health insurance, presumably because they still could not afford to do so.
Role of Interleukin-18 (IL-18) in Mycobacterial Infection in IL-18-Gene-Disrupted Mice

ABSTRACT Immunity to mycobacterial infection is closely linked to the emergence of T cells that secrete cytokines, gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), resulting in macrophage activation and recruitment of circulating monocytes to initiate chronic granuloma formation. The cytokine that mediates macrophage activation is IFN-γ, and, like IL-12, IL-18 was shown to activate Th1 cells and induce IFN-γ production by these cells. In order to investigate the role of IL-18 in mycobacterial infection, IL-18-deficient mice were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis andMycobacterium bovis BCG Pasteur, and their capacities to control bacterial growth, granuloma formation, cytokine secretion, and NO production were examined. These mice developed marked granulomatous, but not necrotic, lesions in their lungs and spleens. Compared with the levels in wild-type mice, the splenic IFN-γ levels were low but the IL-12 levels were normal in IL-18-deficient mice. The reduced IFN-γ production was not secondary to reduced induction of IL-12 production. The levels of NO production by peritoneal macrophages of IL-18-deficient and wild-type mice did not differ significantly. Granulomatous lesion development by IL-18-deficient mice was inhibited significantly by treatment with exogenous recombinant IL-18. Therefore, IL-18 is important for the generation of protective immunity to mycobacteria, and its main function is the induction of IFN-γ expression.
Developing a performance measurement system for public research centres

This study aims at developing a performance measurement system (PMS) for research and development (R&D) activities carried out by public research centres. Public research institutions are characterized by multiple stakeholders with different needs, and the management of R&D activities requires balancing the multiple goals of different stakeholders. This characteristic is a key issue in the process of construction of the PMS. Empirical evidence is provided by an Italian public research centre, where the researchers carried out a project aimed to develop a PMS following action research principles. This project gave the possibility to researchers to interact with different stakeholders and integrate their different information needs in a comprehensive set of key performance indicators (KPIs). As a result, multidimensional framework for measuring R&D performance in a public research centre is proposed and a set of Key Performance Indicators is developed, suggesting implications for academics and practitioners.
Same same, but different: Compositionality of paraphrase granularity levels

Paraphrases exist on different granularity levels, the most frequently used one being the sentential level. However, we argue that working on the sentential level is not optimal for both machines and humans, and that it would be easier and more efficient to work on sub-sentential levels. To prove this, we quantify and analyze the difference between paraphrases on both sentence and sub-sentence level in order to show the significance of the problem. First results on a preliminary dataset seem to confirm our hypotheses.
What You Think is What You Get: Comparative Evaluations of Close Relationships

Three studies tested the hypothesis that focus of comparison moderates the influence of comparison standards on relationship satisfaction. Participants were asked to evaluate either their current relationships or their alternative relationships relative to an external comparison standard: a romantic stereotype (Study 1) or others’ relationships (Studies 2 and 3). Consistent with the focusing hypothesis, the results show that people are more satisfied when they assimilate their relationship outcomes to a high standard or when they contrast them away from a low standard. Satisfaction, however, also increases when alternative relation-ships are contrasted away from a high standard or when they are assimilated to a low standard of comparison. Perceived quality of alternatives partially mediated the impact of focus of comparison on satisfaction. This finding is consistent with interdependence theory’s distinction between a comparison level and a comparison level for alternative relationships, which are not completely independent from each other.
Quantitation of Adsorption of Rhizobia in Low Numbers to Small Legume Roots

Bacteria adsorbed in low numbers to alfalfa or clover root surfaces were counted after incubation of seedlings in mineral solution with very dilute inocula (less than 105 bacteria per ml) of an antibiotic-resistant strain under defined conditions. After specified washing, bacteria which remained adsorbed to roots were selectively quantitated by culturing the roots embedded in yeast extract-mannitol-antibiotic agar and counting the microcolonies along the root surface; the range was from about 1 bacterium per root (estimated as the most probable number) to 50 bacteria per cm of root length (by direct counting). This simple procedure can be used with any pair of small-rooted plant and antibiotic-resistant bacterium, requires bacterial concentrations comparable to those frequently found in soils, and yields macroscopic localization and distribution data for adsorbed bacteria over the root surface. The number of adsorbed bacteria was proportional to the size of the inoculum. One of every four Rhizobium meliloti cells adsorbed in very low numbers to alfalfa roots resulted in the formation of a nodule. Overall adsorption of various symbiotic and nonsymbiotic bacterial strains to alfalfa and clover roots did not reflect the specificities of these legumes for their respective microsymbionts, R. meliloti and R. trifolii.
Long‐term sensory hyperinnervation following neonatal skin wounds

Skin innervation during wound healing was investigated using immunocytochemical staining with the panneuronal marker antiprotein gene product (PGP) 9.5, which labels the entire innervation of the skin throughout development and in the adult. Full‐thickness skin wounds in the hairy skin of the foot in neonatal rats result in pronounced hyperinnervation of the tissue that persists long after the wound has healed (at least 12 weeks). Quantification of this hyperinnervation by image analysis indicates that slcoin innervation density in the wounded area can increase up to 300%. The effect is greatest when wounds are performed at postnatal day (P) 0 or 7, declining when performed at P14 and P21 to resemble the weaker and transient effect in the adult. Staining with selective markers for different neuronal populations innervating skin (monoclonal anti‐RT97 staining the myelinated axons of large light sensory ganglion cells; anticalcitonin gene‐related peptide staining unmyelinated C axons, thinly myelinated Aδ axons, and a subpopulation of large A fibres) reveal that both A‐ and C‐fibre sensory axons contribute to this response. Destruction of the majority of the C‐fibre population with neonatal capsaicin pretreatment, which leaves large, A fibres intact, significantly reduces the hyperinnervation response at 14 days, confirming a major contribution from both A and C‐fibres. Sympathetic axons, stained with anti‐tyrosine hydroxylase, do not sprout into the wounded area. Furthermore, pretreatment of neonates with 6–hydroxydopamine, which destroys the sympathetic innervation, does not significantly reduce the overall sprouting response, as identified by anti‐PGP9. 5 staining. Behavioural sensory testing revealed a 50% drop in the mechanical threshold in the wounded area after 3 weeks. These remarkably long‐term and specific effects on sensory terminal axons following neonatal skin wounding indicate the plasticity of cutaneous innervation density following alterations in the target tissue at a critical stage of development. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of orally active inhibitors of protein and cellular fucosylation

The key role played by fucose in glycoprotein and cellular function has prompted significant research toward identifying recombinant and biochemical strategies for blocking its incorporation into proteins and membrane structures. Technologies surrounding engineered cell lines have evolved for the inhibition of in vitro fucosylation, but they are not applicable for in vivo use and drug development. To address this, we screened a panel of fucose analogues and identified 2-fluorofucose and 5-alkynylfucose derivatives that depleted cells of GDP-fucose, the substrate used by fucosyltransferases to incorporate fucose into protein and cellular glycans. The inhibitors were used in vitro to generate fucose-deficient antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activities. When given orally to mice, 2-fluorofucose inhibited fucosylation of endogenously produced antibodies, tumor xenograft membranes, and neutrophil adhesion glycans. We show that oral 2-fluorofucose treatment afforded complete protection from tumor engraftment in a syngeneic tumor vaccine model, inhibited neutrophil extravasation, and delayed the outgrowth of tumor xenografts in immune-deficient mice. The results point to several potential therapeutic applications for molecules that selectively block the endogenous generation of fucosylated glycan structures.
Awareness in dementia: A review of clinical correlates

This article provides a review of the literature on clinical correlates of awareness in dementia. Most inconsistencies were found with regard to an association between depression and higher levels of awareness. Dysthymia, but not major depression, is probably related to higher levels of awareness. Anxiety also appears to be related to higher levels of awareness. Apathy and psychosis are frequently present in patients with less awareness, and may share common neuropathological substrates with awareness. Furthermore, unawareness seems to be related to difficulties in daily life functioning, increased caregiver burden, and deterioration in global dementia severity. Factors that may be of influence on the inconclusive data are discussed, as are future directions of research.
Heat and momentum transport of ion internal transport barrier plasmas on the Large Helical Device

The peaked ion-temperature profile with steep gradient, the so-called ion internal transport barrier (ion ITB), was formed in the neutral beam heated plasmas on the Large Helical Device and the high-ion-temperature regime of helical plasmas has been significantly extended. The ion thermal diffusivity in the ion ITB plasma decreases down to the neoclassical transport level. The heavy ion beam probe observed the smooth potential profile with negative radial electric field (ion root) in the core region where the ion thermal diffusivity decreases significantly. The large toroidal rotation was also observed in the ion ITB core and the transport of toroidal momentum was analysed qualitatively. The decrease in momentum diffusivity with ion temperature increase was observed in the ion ITB core. The toroidal rotation driven by ion-temperature gradient, the so-called intrinsic rotation, is also identified.
Notice of RetractionNotice of RetractionThe influence of co-worker and supervisor support on waiters' performance in 4 & 5-star hotels in Kuala Lumpur

The study investigates the role of co-worker and supervisory support towards the job performance of hotel employees. A survey instrument that included measures of perceived co-worker support, supervisor support and job performance was administered to 196 hotel employees in Kuala Lumpur. Findings showed that there is a need to distinguish forms of support in organizations as only co-worker support recorded a significant influence on job performance. Implications and recommendations for future research are also provided.
Emerging Issues and Challenges for Improving Patient Safety in Mental Health: A Qualitative Analysis of Expert Perspectives

Objectives: It is only recently that patient safety in mental health was considered a field in its own right, and there is a lack of awareness of the issues and a shortage of readily available information. This research builds on existing knowledge by soliciting the expertise of leaders in the area of patient safety and/or mental health via 2 qualitative methods. Methods: Qualitative interviews were held with 19 key informants. Small group discussions were held during a Canadian invitational roundtable event with 72 participants. A thematic qualitative analysis involving a 2-step process was performed: (1) coding each interview, and (2) identifying larger themes. Results: The findings revealed that more work is required to establish clear patient safety definitions, develop awareness, set priorities, and develop strategies for responding to patient safety incidents in mental health settings. Establishing a culture of patient safety and embedding it within all levels of an organization is vital, including adopting a systems level approach to examining patient safety incidents, encouraging open reporting and communication, considering the patient/caregiver perspective, and eliminating discrimination and stigma. Patient safety issues pertaining to community care settings are an urgent issue and require greater understanding. The need to promote national leadership, standardization of practice, ongoing training, information sharing, and additional research also was voiced. Conclusions: The results from this research highlight that greater action is required to improve patient safety in mental health settings. This research has identified several potentially important future directions for improving patient safety in mental health.
Biotransformation of Aflatoxin B 1 and Its Relationship with the Differential Toxicological Response to Aflatoxin in Commercial Poultry Species 19

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a highly toxic compound (LD50 = 1-50 mg/kg) for most animal species, although it is extremely toxic (LD50 < 1 mg/kg) for some highly susceptible species such as pigs, dogs, cats, rainbow trouts, and ducklings. The toxic effects of AFB1 are both dose and time dependent and two distinct forms of aflatoxicosis, namely acute and chronic, can be distinguished depending on the level and length of time of aflatoxin exposure. In many species acute poisoning is characterized by an acute hepatotoxic disease that manifests itself with depression, anorexia, icterus, and hemorrhages. Histologic hepatic lesions include periportal necrosis associated with bile duct proliferation and oval cell hyperplasia. Chronic aflatoxicosis resulting from regular low-level dietary intake of aflatoxins causes unspecific signs such as reduced weight gain, reduced feed intake, and reduced feed conversion in pigs and poultry, and reduced milk yield in cows. Another effect of chronic exposure is aflatoxin-induced hepatocellular carcinoma, bile duct hyperplasia and hepatic steatosis (fatty liver). However, these effects are species-specific and not all animals exposed to aflatoxin develop liver cancer. For example, the only poultry species that develops hepatocellular carcinoma after AFB1 exposure is the duck. Differences in the susceptibility to acute and chronic AFB1 toxicosis have been observed among animals of different species. Animals having the highest sensitivity are the duckling, piglet, rabbit, dog and cat, while chickens, mice, hamsters, and chinchillas are relatively resistant. Further, mature animals are generally more resistant to AFB1 than young ones and females are more resistant than males. In general, in commercial poultry species, intake of feed contaminated with AFB1 results primarily in liver damage (the target organ of AFB1 is the liver), associated with immunosuppression, poor performance, and even mortality when the dietary levels are high enough. However, there is wide variability in specific species sensitivity to AFB1 and the susceptibility ranges from ducklings > turkey poults > goslings > pheasant chicks > quail chicks > chicks (Leeson et al., 1995). Even though there is still no clear explanation for this differential sensitivity, differences in susceptibility could be due to differences in AFB1 biotransformation pathways among species. The aim of the present chapter is to review the current knowledge on AFB1 biotransformation, with emphasis on
Association of reduced carbon monoxide diffusing capacity with moderate or severe left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in obese persons.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the association of reduced diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (D(LCO)) with moderate or severe left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in obese persons. DESIGN We investigated the association of D(LCO) with LVDD in 105 patients with a mean +/- SD body mass index of 49 +/- 5 kg/m2. An abnormal D(LCO) was < 80%. LVDD was investigated by Doppler and by tissue Doppler echocardiography. The Doppler echocardiographic data were analyzed blindly without knowledge of the clinical characteristics or whether the D(LCO) was normal or abnormal. SETTING A university hospital. PATIENTS The 105 patients included 19 men and 86 women (mean age, 45 +/- 9 years). RESULTS An abnormal D(LCO) was present in 62 of 105 patients (59%). Moderate or severe LVDD was present in 35 of 105 patients (33%). Moderate or severe LVDD was present in 25 of 62 patients (40%) with an abnormal D(LCO) and in 10 of 43 patients (23%) with a normal D(LCO) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Obese patients with a decreased D(LCO) have an increased prevalence of moderate or severe LVDD.
Evidence-Based Guidelines to Eliminate Repetitive Laboratory Testing

Routine daily laboratory testing of hospitalized patients reflects a wasteful clinical practice that threatens the value of health care. Choosing Wisely initiatives from numerous professional societies have identified repetitive laboratory testing in the face of clinical stability as low value care. Although laboratory expenditure often represents less than 5% of most hospital budgets, the impact is far-reaching given that laboratory tests influence nearly 60% to 70% of all medical decisions. Excessive phlebotomy can lead to hospital-acquired anemia, increased costs, and unnecessary downstream testing and procedures. Efforts to reduce the frequency of laboratory orders can improve patient satisfaction and reduce cost without negatively affecting patient outcomes. To date, numerous interventions have been deployed across multiple institutions without a standardized approach. Health care professionals and administrative leaders should carefully strategize and optimize efforts to reduce daily laboratory testing. This review presents an evidence-based implementation blueprint to guide teams aimed at improving appropriate routine laboratory testing among hospitalized patients.
Effects of hemoperfusion with an immobilized polymyxin-B fiber column on cytokine plasma levels in patients with abdominal sepsis.

AIM The beneficial role of hemofiltration with immobilized polymyxin-B fiber (PMX) columns in sepsis, especially sepsis due to gram-negative bacteria, has previously been emphasized. Although the efficacy of PMX-B fiber-mediated hemofiltration in reducing plasma levels of cytokines has been reported, other studies did not confirm this observation. Here we report the effects of PMX-B fiber-mediated hemofiltration on outcome and cytokine plasma levels in patients with abdominal sepsis. METHODS Twelve consecutive patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (October 2006-December 2007) for severe sepsis/septic shock from abdominal infection were treated with standard therapy and 2 cycles of hemofiltration with PMX cartridges. Clinical data and plasma levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-a were measured 24 hours before and after PMX treatment. RESULTS Plasma concentrations (pg/mL) of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-a were significantly lower after hemofiltration with a PMX fiber column (279.9+/-69.2 vs. 130.9+/-18.4, 166.4+/-36.7 vs. 45.5+/-12.2, 83.1+/-13.5 vs. 23.9+/-5.1 pg/mL, respectively; P<0.05). After treatment, patients required lower doses of norepinephrine (0.3+/-0.1 vs. 0.8+/-0.1 mg/kg/min) and reduced lactate levels, recovery of respiratory function and improved Simplified Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores. After 28 days, 6 patients (50%) had survived. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that survivors had higher IL-6 and lower IL-10 and TNF-a pre-treatment plasma levels (pg/mL) compared with deceased patients (324.4+/-41.1 vs.235.3+/-38.4; 98.5+/-16.1 vs. 234.3+/-48.6, 44.5+/-9.0 vs.121.6+/-52.3 pg/mL, respectively; P<0.05). No adverse events imputable to the treatment were recorded. CONCLUSION Hemofiltration with a PMX fiber column was able to reduce plasma levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-a, especially in patients surviving at 28 days. Use of the technique was associated with lower norepinephrine support and an increased PaO2/FiO2 ratio.
Assert Use and Defectiveness in Industrial Code

The use of asserts in code has received increasing attention in the software engineering community in the past few years, even though it has been a recognized programming construct for many decades. A previous empirical study by Casalnuovo showed that methods containing asserts had fewer defects than those that did not. In this paper, we analyze the test classes of two industrial telecom Java systems to lend support to, or refute that finding. We also analyze the physical position of asserts in methods to determine if there is a relationship between assert placement and method defect-proneness. Finally, we explore the role of test method size and the relationship it has with asserts. In terms of the previous study by Casalnuovo, we found only limited evidence to support the earlier results. We did however find that defective methods with one assert tended to be located at significantly lower levels of the class position-wise than non-defective methods. Finally, method size seemed to correlate strongly with asserts, but surprisingly less so when we excluded methods with just one assert. The work described highlights the need for more studies into this aspect of code, one which has strong links with code comprehension.
Efficacy of Voriconazole in Treatment of Systemic Scedosporiosis in Neutropenic Mice

ABSTRACT We have evaluated the efficacy of voriconazole (VRC) in a murine model of systemic infection by Scedosporium apiospermum. The survival of mice treated with VRC at 5, 20, or 40 mg/kg/day was greater than that of the control group (P ≤ 0.0009). VRC reduced the tissue burden in the spleen and brain (P < 0.001 in both organs) in comparison with that of the control group.
Prevalence of yeast‐like fungi and evaluation of several virulence factors from feral pigeons in Seoul, Korea

Aims: Studies of pigeon‐borne yeasts have tended to focus on species, such as Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, with scant attention to feral pigeons in Korea. We studied the prevalence of yeasts from faecal samples of feral pigeons obtained in various public places in Seoul, Korea, and assessed their potential capacity as human pathogens.