Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phosphate removal model: An observational study of low‐flux dialyzers in conventional hemodialysis therapy

Precise assessing phosphate removal by hemodialysis (HD) is important to improve phosphate control in patients on maintenance HD. We reported a simple noninvasive model to estimate phosphate removal within a 4‐hour HD. One hundred sixty‐five patients who underwent HD 4 hours per session using low‐flux dialyzers made of polysulfone (1.2 m2) or triacetate (1.3 m2) were enrolled. Blood flows varied from 180 to 300 mL/min. Effluent dialysate samples were collected during the 4‐hour HD treatment to measure the total phosphate removal. Predialysis levels of serum phosphate, potassium, hematocrit, intact parathyroid hormone, total carbon dioxide (TCO2), alkaline phosphatase, clinical and dialysis characteristics were obtained. One hundred thirty‐five observations were randomly selected for model building and the remaining 30 for model validation. Total amount of phosphate removal within the 4‐hour HD was mostly 15–30 mmol. A primary model (model 1) predicting total phosphate removal was Tpo4 = 79.6 × C45 (mmol/L) − 0.023 × age (years) + 0.065 × weight (kg) − 0.12 × TCO2 (mmol/L) + 0.05 × clearance (mL/min) − 3.44, where C45 was phosphate concentration in spent dialysate measured at the 45 minute of HD and clearance was phosphate clearance of dialyzer in vitro conditions offered by manufacturer's data sheet. Since the parameter TCO2 needed serum sample for measurement, we further derived a noninvasive model (model 2):Tpo4 = 80.3 × C45 − 0.024 × age + 0.07 × weight + 0.06 × clearance − 8.14. Coefficient of determination, root mean square error, and residual plots showed the appropriateness of two models. Model validation further suggested good and similar predictive ability of them. This study derived a noninvasive model to predict phosphate removal. It applies to patients treated by 4‐hour HD under similar conditions.
Gold and Titanium in the Oval Window: A Comparison of Two Metal Stapes Prostheses

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the hearing results of stapes surgery with 2 different full metal stapes prostheses. Study Design: Retrospective analyses were carried out on the pre- and postoperative hearing results obtained after primary stapedotomy with 2 different prostheses. Patients: We studied 106 patients with otosclerosis treated by stapes surgery. Intervention: Fifty-three patients had a stapedotomy with a gold piston and 53 patients received a titanium piston after stapedotomy. Main Outcome Measures: The results were compared according to mean audiometric parameters. Furthermore, the individual audiologic results were demonstrated with the Amsterdam Hearing Evaluations Plot (AHEP). This method is a visual presentation of the hearing result for each operated ear. Results: These AHEPs showed that the heavier gold piston (shaft Ø 0.4 mm and weight 10192.0 μg) gives more overclosure gain (28.3%) than the lightweight (shaft Ø 0.4 mm and weight 2541.0 μg) titanium piston (9.4% cases of overclosure). Conclusions: Because of the different properties of the 2 pistons (gold very malleable, titanium rather stiff), a choice can be made for different anatomic or pathologic situations in the operated middle ear. The “overclosure effect” of the gold piston is higher compared with the titanium piston.
Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Blood Salvaged after Extracorporeal Circulation (ECC) in Paediatric Heart Surgery

The salvaging of ECC circuit priming blood is essential for reducing the morbidity related to homologous blood transfusions and the importance of this technique is inversely proportionate to the age and weight of the child. In infants, the washing and centrifugation of blood not only drastically reduce the risk of contracting blood-transmitted diseases and cut management costs, but are also of considerable hemodynamic importance, producing a rapid normalization of the patient's hematocrit and hemoglobin and balancing the O2 consumption/demand ratio. The marketing of miniaturized salvaging devices with 55 ml bowls by Dideco has made possible the recovery of small quantities of blood, so as to normalise the hematic crisis and permit the application of total hemodilution in low-weight patients. The salvaged blood shows an average hematocrit of 52.7±9.7% (max 68.1%) and an average hemoglobin of 17.6±2.9 g/dl (max 20.7 g/dl), and maintains its structural components, osmotic resistance, concentration of intraerythrocytic hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin all intact. Washing with isoosmotic and isoionic hydroelectrolytic solutions normalizes the ionic situation in the post-operative period and activated blood salvaging after Extracorporeal Circulation. The use of solutions without nutritional substances results however in a considerable fall in the number of enzymes in the intraerythrocytic metabolic glucide chain (G6PDH: −40.7±14.3% p<0.001), (PK: −23.8±20.5% p<0.03). This drop may be responsible for erythrocytic morphological alterations (echinocytic change) and probably for the release of hemoglobin from the red blood cells. Washing with isoionic, isoosmotic solutions containing G5% and adenine could, at least in theory, improve the quality of the salvaged blood, by normalizing the morphology and the volume of the RBC and by increasing the hematocrit.
Long-term skin damage due to chemical weapon exposure

Sulfur mustard (2,2-dichlorodiethyl sulfide: SM), the protagonist of vesicant chemical weapons, was first used in July 1917. Despite prohibition of its production and use by international conventions, it has been used in several conflicts. More than 100,000 soldiers and civilians were injured due to SM exposure during Iran–Iraq war (1980–1988). The acute skin lesions consist of erythema, edema, and blisters. Skin xerosis and pruritus, pigmentation disorders, scars, and cherry angiomas are among the most common long-term skin lesions after contact with SM. Although SM is a well-known carcinogenic substance, skin cancers are rarely reported.
International differences in corporate taxation, foreign direct investment and tax revenue

This paper assesses the redistribution of foreign direct investments (FDI) and tax revenues among countries due to multinationals’ response to international differences in corporate tax systems. The paper briefly reviews the literature on the tax sensitivity of FDI and uses a consensus estimate of this sensitivity in combination with bilateral FDI data to compute hypothetical bilateral FDI positions in the absence of tax rate differences. In a second step, tax revenue effects are estimated by assuming a conventional rate of return on investment. For most OECD countries, the effects of tax rate differentials on FDI positions range between -15% and 15% of current FDI positions. The calculated effects of taxes on FDI reflect real investments as well as tax planning behaviours and the methodology cannot distinguish between these two channels. The methodology only captures part of the tax planning activities of multinationals, since some of these activities are not reflected in the size of the FDI positions.
The Potential for Dietary Supplements to Reduce Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Symptoms

Many types of dietary supplements have been advocated for the reduction of certain symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, only one supplement—calcium—has been demonstrated to be of significant benefit in a large, rigorous, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Limited evidence suggests that magnesium, vitamin E and carbohydrate supplements might also be useful, but additional research is needed to confirm these findings. Trials of vitamin B6 supplementation have had conflicting results, and high doses of this vitamin taken for prolonged periods of time can cause neurological symptoms. Trials of evening primrose oil have also had conflicting results; the two most rigorous studies showed no evidence of benefit. A variety of herbal products are suggested to reduce symptoms of PMS. The efficacy of these products is uncertain because of a lack of consistent data from scientific studies. Health professionals should be aware of the possible use of these supplements and ask those with PMS about their use of such products and counsel them based upon the totality of evidence.
Prevalence and correlation of oral lesions among tobacco smokers, tobacco chewers, areca nut and alcohol users.

INTRODUCTION The incidence of oral premalignant and malignant lesions is on the rise due to an increased number of people taking in tobacco and alcohol related habits. MATERIAL AND METHODS 1028 patients with tobacco, alcohol and areca nut habits attending our Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology formed the study sample. An interviewer based questionnaire was used to record the habit details. All the patients were then examined clinically for the presence of lesions. Chi square and Fisher exact tests were used to assess the statistical significance of the study parameters. RESULTS Males had a higher prevalence and comprised 87.9% of the sample. The commonest habit in this study sample was smoking (39.2%) followed by smokeless tobacco use (28.1%). Out of the 1028 patients with habits 40% had no clinically detectable changes in their mucosa. Of the mucosal changes leukoplakia (14%) was the commonest. CONCLUSIONS This study provided information about the habit trends in the patients visiting this institution. The study may serve as a useful tool in educating the patients about the deleterious effects of oral tobacco, alcohol and betel exposure.
Hypernatremia and Intravenous Fluid Resuscitation in Collapsed Ultramarathon Runners

Objective:To determine if a return to normonatremia is required for symptomatology to resolve in collapsed hypernatremic runners and if intravenous (IV) administration of an isotonic solution would adversely affect serum sodium concentration ([Na+]) in collapsed normonatremic runners. Design:Observational study. Setting:2006 Comrades Marathon. Participants:103 collapsed runners. Main Outcome Measure:Final serum [Na+] upon discharge. Results:58% of all collapsed runners were hypernatremic. Hypernatremic runners reported significantly more vomiting than normonatremic runners (79 versus 34%; P < 0.001). A significant decrease in serum [Na+] in hypernatremic collapsed runners occurred after the IV administration of either 1 L of 0.45% normal saline (150.5 ± 3.5 versus 148.0 ± 4.6; P < 0.05) or Ringers lactate solution (147.7 ± 2.2 versus 146.2 ± 2.1; P < 0.05). One liter of IV fluid administration caused an increase in plasma volume that was not significantly different between (1) hypernatremic runners receiving a hypotonic solution (13.5 ± 12.7%) and (2) normonatremic runners receiving an isotonic solution (15.6 ± 11.3%). The final serum [Na+] of hypernatremic runners was above the range for normonatremia upon discharge (>145 mmol/L). Conclusions:A return to normonatremia was not required for hypernatremic runners to “recover” and be discharged from the medical tent. Vomiting either aggravated and/or facilitated the development of hypernatremia. IV administration of 1 L of either (1) a hypotonic solution to hypernatremic runners or (2) an isotonic solution to both normonatremic and hypernatremic runners did not produce any adverse biochemical or cardiovascular changes and can therefore be considered a safe and effective treatment for collapsed runners if used in this context.
Melatonin action in a midbrain vocal-acoustic network

Melatonin is a well-documented time-keeping hormone that can entrain an individual's physiology and behavior to the day–night cycle, though surprisingly little is known about its influence on the neural basis of social behavior, including vocalization. Male midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) produce several call types distinguishable by duration and by daily and seasonal cycles in their production. We investigated melatonin's influence on the known nocturnal- and breeding season-dependent increase in excitability of the midshipman's vocal network (VN) that directly patterns natural calls. VN output is readily recorded from the vocal nerve as a ‘fictive call’. Five days of constant light significantly increased stimulus threshold levels for calls electrically evoked from vocally active sites in the medial midbrain, supporting previous findings that light suppresses VN excitability, while 2-iodomelatonin (2-IMel; a melatonin analog) implantation decreased threshold. 2-IMel also increased fictive call duration evoked from medial sites as well as lateral midbrain sites that produced several-fold longer calls irrespective of photoregime or drug treatment. When stimulus intensity was incrementally increased, 2-IMel increased duration only at lateral sites, suggesting that melatonin action is stronger in the lateral midbrain. For animals receiving 5 days of constant darkness, known to increase VN excitability, systemic injections of either of two mammalian melatonin receptor antagonists increased threshold and decreased duration for calls evoked from medial sites. Our results demonstrate melatonin modulation of VN excitability and suggest that social context-dependent call types differing in duration may be determined by neuro-hormonal action within specific regions of a midbrain vocal-acoustic network.
Hyperfibrinolytic activity in hospitalized cirrhotic patients in a referral liver unit

ObjectiveIncreased frequency of hyperfibrinolytic activity was reported in patients with cirrhosis. However, the incidence, clinical presentation, and the parameters related to hyperfibrinolysis remain largely unknown in these patients. By utilizing euglobulin lysis time (ELT) and other clinical coagulation tests, the present study investigated the incidence of and clinical parameters related to hyperfibrinolytic activity, and assessed predicting factors to ɛ-aminocaproic acid (EACA) treatment in cirrhotic patients with hyperfibrinolysis in a liver unit.METHODS:The study included 86 consecutive patients who were referred and admitted to a referral liver unit for various liver diseases. The mean age was 50.0 yr, with a male:female ratio of 60:26. Sixty-six patients (76.7%) were Hispanic and 75 (87.2%) were cirrhotic. The etiologies of liver diseases included alcoholic liver disease (n = 68, 79.1%), hepatitis B (n = 2, 2.3%), hepatitis C (n = 6, 7.0%), autoimmune hepatitis (n = 3, 3.5%), cryptogenic liver disease (n = 4, 4.7%), and hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 3, 3.5%). Coagulation studies included ELT, PT, PTT, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and fibrin degradation product levels.RESULTS:Hyperfibrinolytic activity as reflected by shortened ELT was present in 27/75 cirrhotic (31.3%) but 0/11 noncirrhotic patients, which was significantly correlated with higher Child-Pugh (C-P) class, abnormal levels of PT, PTT, fibrinogen, platelet count, and total bilirubin. Shortened ELT was more frequently seen in patients with hepatic decompensation and mucocutaneous bleeding, although these relationships were not statistically significant. In 27 patients with hyperfibrinolysis, five (18.5%) required EACA treatment for progressive mucocutaneous bleeding and/or hematoma. EACA treatment was significantly associated with higher C-P scores; greatly shortened ELT (≤50% of normal value); and abnormal levels of fibrinogen, total bilirubin, and PT, indicating that these factors may serve as predictors for EACA treatment.CONCLUSION:Hyperfibrinolytic activity was seen in 31.3% of patients with cirrhosis, which is correlated with higher C-P scores; abnormal PT, PTT, fibrinogen level, and platelet count; and hyperbilirubinemia. Patients who received EACA treatment usually have a more severe hyperfibrinolytic activity as indicated by shortened ELT and low level of fibrinogen, and more severe liver disease as indicated by higher C-P scores and hyperbilirubinemia.
Wages, Wellbeing and Location: Slaving Away in Sydney or Cruising on the Gold Coast

We analyse the relationships between subjective wellbeing (SWB), wages and internal migration. Our study addresses whether people make (revealed preference) location decisions based on SWB and/or wage prospects. We present both a theoretical intertemporal location choice model and empirical analyses using the Australian longitudinal HILDA dataset. Our theory predicts considerable heterogeneity in location choices for individuals at different life stages depending on their individual characteristics, including their rate of time preference. We find a significant and sustained uplift in SWB for migrants, which holds across a range of sub-samples. By contrast, wage responses are muted albeit with heterogeneity across groups. Our theory and results show that migration decisions are considered within a life-cycle context. The estimated pronounced upturn in SWB for migrants substantiates the usefulness of SWB both as a concept for policy-makers to target and for researchers to incorporate in their studies.
Steady state modelling of three-core wire armoured submarine cables: Power losses and ampacity estimation based on FEM and IEC

This paper introduces Finite Element Method modelling techniques applied to wire armoured submarine three-core cables, whose nominal voltages range from 36 to 245 kV. The analysis is focused on the implementation of the net voltage cancellation principle in a 2D environment. The model is utilised in a comparative study with the IEC 60287 Standard, developed in terms of power losses, loss factors and cable ampacity. Despite the model limitations, the estimated loss factors are mainly in compliance with the state of the art, verifying the widely recognized conservatism of the IEC standard. Simulation results confirm that the wire armour stranding is not accounted for, but also suggest that the ampacity underrating might be due to other inaccuracies in the IEC modelling indications. Overall, the difference in terms of current rating between the FEM and the IEC approach is found to be voltage dependent and more relevant for high voltage designs.
Decentralized sensor selection for cooperative spectrum sensing based on unsupervised learning

In this paper, decentralized cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks is studied based on the recent advances in unsupervised learning. To balance a tradeoff between the sensing reliability and the cooperation overhead (e.g., energy, delay, and signaling, etc.), a distributed clustering algorithm, without any central coordinator, is introduced for inducing the sensors with the best detection performance to join together and take charge of cooperative spectrum sensing. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme can obtain detection performance comparable to that of optimal soft combination scheme with reduced cooperation overhead. Moreover, the proposed scheme does not require any priori knowledge of spectrum sensors' received signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs) or locations.
Providers’ Perspective of Special Education for Children

All children are entitled to educational rights in accordance to the international treaties (Convention on the Rights of the Child) and national laws of the Philippines. However, children with special needs usually do not receive these basic rights because of structural and political conditions. Therefore, this study focuses on the provision of education to children with special needs in a government operated school in a city of central Philippines. Specifically, this aims to describe the current services of a special education center, the involvement of its stakeholders in the development of children, challenges in their service provision; and their recommendations for program development. The study utilized a descriptive qualitative design through a key informant interview utilizing an interview guide. A total of eight informants were interviewed and selected through purposive sampling with selection criteria of a) providing direct child development services to students and b) teaching for at least 1 year in the school. Findings of the study provided basic demographic profiles of the teachers who are mostly female, married and between 21 to 53 years old with an average age of 38. The service was described by the kind of service, materials provided and development conditions being catered for. In addition, the support of the teacher, parents and the government were described. These highlight the challenges in the provision of special education in areas of assessment and diagnosis, instruction, parents’ involvement, physical set-up and educational materials. Recommendations were then made regarding how to further their service provision. In conclusion, children have not received full access to due to social and attitudinal problems. Additionally, almost all kinds of development conditions were catered for; hindrances were noted in areas of structure, instruction and attitude, which could be highlighted for program development.
Policy Choice and Product Bundling in a Complicated Health Insurance Market

Understanding how consumers choose health insurance and the quality of those choices is crucial information for policymakers. This paper uses a choice experiment to evaluate choice quality and how this interacts with an important form of complexity—product bundling. The results indicate that consumers are likely to make choices that violate expected utility theory, use heuristic decision strategies, and overinsure relative to minimizing out-of-pocket costs. Product bundling is found to exacerbate all of these tendencies. The experimental approach used overcomes some limitations of revealed preference research in this area, such as the endogeneity of choosing bundled insurance.
Maternal Methadone Dosage and Neonatal Withdrawal*

Summary: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of maternal methadone dosage on the severity of neonatal withdrawal. The charts of 67 drug‐abusing mothers and their 70 infants were examined to determine documented patterns of drug usage and the severity of neonatal withdrawal. Of these, 40 women were on a methadone programme. There was a strong relationship between maternal methadone dose at delivery and severity of neonatal withdrawal as assessed by the Neonatal Abstinence Score, length of stay and duration of treatment. Children whose mothers received methadone had mean peak symptom scores greater than 10 whereas the group receiving no methadone had mean scores of less than 4 (p < 0.001). These effects tended to increase with increasing doses of methadone. Length of stay and duration of neonatal treatment showed highly statistically significant increases (p< 0.001) with increasing methadone dose. Maternal methadone dose appears to be strongly related to the severity of neonatal withdrawal.