Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breast Milk Expression and Maintenance in Mothers of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Supports and Barriers

The study objective was to identify patterns of factors that supported or hindered initiation of breast milk expression and maintenance of breast milk production after the birth of a very low birth weight (VLBW) infant in a sample of US women with varied prenatal infant feeding intentions. In-depth interviews were conducted 1 to 6 months after delivery in 32 women who initiated breast milk expression after encouragement from hospital staff. Pregnancy complications, anxiety regarding their infant’s health, and lack of privacy interfered with initiation of milk expression. After hospital discharge, using manual or small electric breast pumps, travel to the neonatal intensive care unit, return to work, and difficulty with time management interfered with maintenance of breast milk production. Family support, positive attitudes toward pumping, and anticipation of breastfeeding supported maintenance of breast milk production. From these data emerge points of intervention where additional support could improve mothers’ experiences and increase duration of breast milk feeding.
MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES ON ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN SWINE *

I t is now recognized tha t swine develop spontaneous changes in the intima of the aorta and main arteries which show many of the features of human atherosclerosis. '. ' The arteries of these animals, therefore, provide a suitable model for the study of the morphology and histogenesis of the spontaneous lesion or its modification by dietary and other experimental procedure^. ^-^ T h e following account is based on observations of the aortas and coronary arteries of 16 swine of different ages up to 10 years. Emphasis will be placed on the appearances by electron microscopy and on comparisons with human lesions. The methods used and details of the appearances of the arteries on gross examination and by light microscopy have been described in previous p u b l i c a t i o n ~ . ~ ' . l o Ma te r i a l for electron microscopy f rom t h e coronary arteries was fixed within one-half hour of killing the animal by exsanguination under Nembutals /ether anesthesia. Material from the aorta was taken immediately after that from the coronaries. Fixation was in two per cent osmium tetroxide buffered with veronal acetate-sucrose. Tissue blocks were trimmed to include the intima and inner part of the media, stained for one hour with one per cent phosphotungstic acid in absolute alcohol, and embedded in Araldite. All blocks were oriented to provide sections of the intima which were transverse to the axis of the vessel. Particulars of the animals are shown in TABLE 1.
Plasma renin activity and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio are associated with the development of chronic kidney disease: the Ohasama Study

Background: The aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) is used to screen for primary aldosteronism and could be an index for salt sensitivity. The association between ARR and the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is completely unknown. Method: A longitudinal observational study involving 689 participants from a general Japanese population (mean age 58.2 years; 68.5% women) who did not have CKD and were not receiving antihypertensive medication at baseline was conducted. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated from serum creatinine levels, and CKD was defined as eGFR less than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and/or dipstick-positive proteinuria. The associations of baseline plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration, and ARR with the development of CKD were examined using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis adjusted for sex, age, BMI, smoking, drinking, history of hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease, SBP, and baseline eGFR. Results: During a mean 9.1-year follow-up, 118 participants developed CKD. A 1 standard deviation increment in the natural log-transformed (ln) ARR was positively associated with the incidence of CKD (hazard ratio 1.29, P = 0.012). LnPRA showed an inverse association (hazard ratio 0.76, P = 0.007). Meanwhile, plasma aldosterone concentration was not associated with CKD. Individuals who developed CKD had significantly lower baseline PRA (0.97 vs. 1.14 ng/ml per h; P = 0.03) and higher baseline ARR levels [66.6 vs. 56.8 (pg/ml)/(ng/ml per h); P = 0.02] than those who did not. Conclusions: Lower PRA and higher ARR were associated with the development of CKD in a general population, suggesting that they are independent predictors of CKD.
Risk Factors for Ileoanal J Pouch-Related Septic Complications in Ulcerative Colitis and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

ObjectiveTo analyze the association between pre- and perioperative factors and pouch-related septic complications (PRSC) in ulcerative colitis (UC) and in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) after ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA). Summary Background DataFor patients with UC and FAP, IPAA is the surgical therapy of choice, but in some patients the outcome is compromised by PRSC. MethodsA total of 706 consecutive patients (494 UC, 212 FAP) were assessed in a study aimed at identifying subgroups of patients who were at high risk for PRSC. The rate of PRSC was analyzed as a time-dependent function (Kaplan-Meier estimation). Patients with UC and FAP were stratified separately according to associated factors (age, sex, surgeon’s experience, temporary ileostomy, colectomy before IPAA, anastomotic tension, and several factors specific for UC). ResultsIn all, 131 (19.2%) patients had PRSC (23.4% UC, 9.4% FAP). In patients with UC, the estimated 1-year PRSC rate was 15.6% and the estimated 3-year PRSC rate was 24.2%. In patients with FAP, the estimated 1-year and 3-year PRSC rates were 9.2%. The difference between the estimated rates of PRSC was significant (P < .001). In the univariate analysis, patients with UC younger than 50 years, with severe proctitis, with preoperative hemoglobin levels less than 10 g/L, or receiving corticoid medication had a significantly higher risk for PRSC (P = .039, P = .037, P = .047, P = .003, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that patients with UC receiving a systemic prednisolone-equivalent corticoid medication of more than 40 mg/day had a significantly greater risk of developing pouch-related complications than patients with UC receiving 1 to 40 mg/day and patients with UC who were not receiving corticoid medication (RR: 3.78, 2.25, 1, respectively, P < .001). Patients with FAP proved to have a significantly higher risk for PRSC in the univariate and multivariate analyses if anastomotic tension had occurred (RR 3.60, P = .0086). ConclusionsPouch-related septic complications occur as late complications and should therefore be considered in regular, specific long-term follow-up examinations. The authors identified significant risk factors for PRSC specific to patients with UC and FAP; these must be considered for each individual surgical strategy.
Prophylactic PEG placement in head and neck cancer: how many feeding tubes are unused (and unnecessary)?

AIM To determine the rate of use and non-use of prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. METHODS All patients with HNC undergoing PEG between January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2006 were identified. Patients (or their next-of-kin) were surveyed by phone and all available medical records and cancer registry data were reviewed. Prophylactic PEG was defined as placement in the absence of dysphagia and prior to radiation or chemoradiation. Each patient with a prophylactic PEG was assessed for cancer diagnosis, type of therapy, PEG use, and complications related to PEG. RESULTS One hundred and three patients had PEG tubes placed for HNC. Thirty four patients (33%) could not be contacted for follow-up. Of the 23 (22.3%) patients with prophylactic PEG tubes, 11/23 (47.8%) either never used the PEG or used it for less than 2 wk. No association with PEG use vs non-use was observed for cancer diagnosis, stage, or specific cancer treatment. Non-use or limited use was observed in 3/6 (50%) treated with radiation alone vs 8/17 (47.1%) treated with chemoradiation (P = 1.0), and 3 of 10 (30%) treated with surgery vs 8 of 13 (62%) not treated with surgery (P = 0.21). Minor complications were reported in 5/23 (21.7%). One (4.3%) major complication was reported. CONCLUSION There is a high rate of unnecessary PEG placement when done prophylactically in patients with head and neck cancer.
Replacing Uridine with 2-Thiouridine Enhances the Rate and Fidelity of Nonenzymatic RNA Primer Extension

The nonenzymatic replication of RNA oligonucleotides is thought to have played a key role in the origin of life prior to the evolution of ribozyme-catalyzed RNA replication. Although the copying of oligo-C templates by 2-methylimidazole-activated G monomers can be quite efficient, the copying of mixed sequence templates, especially those containing A and U, is particularly slow and error-prone. The greater thermodynamic stability of the 2-thio-U(s2U):A base pair, relative to the canonical U:A base pair, suggests that replacing U with s2U might enhance the rate and fidelity of the nonenzymatic copying of RNA templates. Here we report that this single atom substitution in the activated monomer improves both the kinetics and the fidelity of nonenzymatic primer extension on mixed-sequence RNA templates. In addition, the mean lengths of primer extension products obtained with s2U is greater than those obtained with U, augmenting the potential for nonenzymatic replication of heritable function-rich sequences. We suggest that noncanonical nucleotides such as s2U may have played a role during the infancy of the RNA world by facilitating the nonenzymatic replication of genomic RNA oligonucleotides.
Hematological manifestations of celiac disease

Abstract Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease once thought to be uncommon, is now being increasingly identified. Our improved diagnostic modalities have allowed us to diagnose more and more patients with atypical symptoms who improve on gluten-free diet (GFD). We discuss here the latest findings regarding the various hematological manifestations of celiac disease and their management. Anemia remains the most common hematological manifestation of celiac disease due to many mechanisms, and can be the sole presenting symptom. Other manifestations include thrombocytosis and thrombocythemia, leukopenia, thromboembolism, increased bleeding tendency, IgA deficiency, splenic dysfunction, and lymphoma. The diagnosis of celiac disease should always be kept in mind when a patient presents with unexplained and isolated hematological finding. Once diagnosed, patients should adhere to GFD and be educated about the potential complications of this disease. We herein present an algorithm for adequate management and follow-up.
Efficient Stochastic Optimization for Low-Rank Distance Metric Learning

Although distance metric learning has been successfully applied to many real-world applications, learning a distance metric from large-scale and high-dimensional data remains a challenging problem. Due to the PSD constraint, the computational complexity of previous algorithms per iteration is at least O(d2) where d is the dimensionality of the data.In this paper, we develop an efficient stochastic algorithm for a class of distance metric learning problems with nuclear norm regularization, referred to as low-rank DML. By utilizing the low-rank structure of the intermediate solutions and stochastic gradients, the complexity of our algorithm has a linear dependence on the dimensionality d. The key idea is to maintain all the iterates in factorized representations and construct stochastic gradients that are low-rank. In this way, the projection onto the PSD cone can be implemented efficiently by incremental SVD. Experimental results on several data sets validate the effectiveness and efficiency of our method.
Market-Oriented Culture and Strategy: Are They Synergistic?

Existing studies concerning the effects of marketing on firm performance have been conducted primarily in the areas of market -orientation and marketing strategy studies. Recently, efforts have been made in investigating the integrated effects of these two factors on firm performance. As part of these efforts, this study employed market-oriented culture and the marketing strategy making process of a firm as constituents of its marketing competence, and, based on reviews of related literature, developed relationship between market-oriented culture and the marketing strategy making process, and finally verified the suggested relationship by surveying managerial personnel from a range of firms. It was found that market-oriented culture does not only affect firm performance directly, but does so indirectly by affecting the marketing strategy making process.
Adaptation of external counterpulsation based on individual shear rate therapy improves endothelial function and claudication distance in peripheral artery disease.

BACKGROUND External counterpulsation therapy enhances blood flow and was shown to improve endothelial function and quality of life in coronary artery disease patients. However, high pressures of up to 300 mmHg may lead to malperfusion of the ischaemic limb. To improve the clinical outcome of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), we adjusted external counterpulsation and developed a novel non-invasive approach termed individual shear rate therapy (ISRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS In the present study, 14 patients with a Fontaine stage IIb and femoral-popliteal PAD underwent 30 hours of ISRT over 5 weeks. For ISRT, individual treatment pressures that do not exceed 160 mmHg were assessed by Doppler flow parameters during counterpulsation (individual shear rate diagnosis) in order to enhance and maximise peripheral perfusion. The study aimed to enhance peripheral perfusion and evaluate the primary clinical endpoint endothelial function, as well as to perform preliminary analysis of the ankle brachial index (ABI) and walking distance. RESULTS Doppler flow measurements in the lower limb (ankle) validated that maximum blood flow velocity during systole and acceleration doubled during ISRT. Study results demonstrated that long-term ISRT significantly increased flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery (0.13+/- 0.09 mm to 0.38+/- 0.05 mm; p < 0.05), while nitromediated dilation (0.36+/- 0.10 mm to 0.45+/- 0.08 mm) remained and common femoral artery FMD did not reach statistical significance (0.38+/- 0.08 mm to 0.67+/- 0.19 mm; p<0.05). Initial claudication distance considerably improved for all patients after 30 hours of ISRT (92.6 +/- 8.2 metres to 280+/- 101.3 metres, p<0.05), just like the absolute claudication distance, which showed a more than 2.5-fold increase (167.8+/- 18.1 metres to 446.7+/- 133.3 metres; p<0.05). The ABI did not improve (0.58+/- 0.03 to 0.65+/- 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that long-term ISRT is a potential novel non-invasive treatment to improve endothelial function and absolute pain-free walking distance for PAD patients.
Narrando el conflicto: alumnado de origen inmigrante en un centro escolar de Madrid

Como narran alumnos y alumnas de origen inmigrante situaciones de conflicto que han experimentado en un centro escolar multicultural de la Comunidad de Madrid? , ? De que manera comprenden y explican los alumnos-narradores sus comportamientos de resistencia/confrontacion? Que nos permite el analisis de estas narraciones comprender sobre la situacion de fracaso escolar en este centro escolar? Estas preguntas seran respondidas dentro del analisis de relatos cotidianos recogidos en entrevistas a diferentes "penas", grupos de iguales que se organizan para resistir el orden de la escuela (Gibson et al, 2004). Este estudio es parte de un trabajo de investigacion sobre aulas multiculturales en Madrid siguiendo el marco de la Etnografia, la Sociolinguistica y el Analisis del Discurso desde una perspectiva critica (Martin Rojo, en prensa). De acuerdo con esta perspectiva, las narrativas se entienden como practicas discursivas/interaccionales co-construidas de manera situada, las cuales reflejan tanto las creencias sociales como las relaciones, a las cuales contribuye a negociar y modificar (Fairclough, 1989; De Fina, 2003a: 369). Ello nos lleva a atender a las formas en las que las narrativas siguen y generan reglas sociales, formas de comprender y elaborar la experiencia, relaciones sociales y roles entre los participantes (tanto del mundo narrado como del de la realidad desde la cual se narra).
Linear interference cancellation in CDMA based on iterative techniques for linear equation systems

It has previously been shown that well known iterations for solving a set of linear equations correspond to linear interference cancellation structures. Here, we suggest applying a block-wise iteration that consists of an outer and an inner iteration. The outer iteration used is the Gauss-Seidel (GS) method, while for the inner iteration, we study direct matrix inversion, the Jacobi over-relaxation iteration, and the conjugate gradient iteration. When a true inner iteration is used, this approach allows for a timely derivation of the acceleration parameters required by advanced iterations. The block iteration is based on a symbol-level implementation which leads to the same detection delay profile for both parallel and serial structures at the expense of differences in the amount of serial processing required. This is discussed in some detail and quantified for comparison. The performance of the detectors is studied via computer simulations where it is found that the block approach can provide significantly faster convergence, leading to improved detection delay over the simpler GS iteration. The improvements are obtained at the expense of an increase in the required serial processing speed.
Two ' s company, but three ' s no crowd: Evaluating exploratory web search for individuals and teams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate when and how people working in collaboration could be benefitted by an exploratory search task, specifically focussing on team size and its effect on the outcomes of such a task. Design/methodology/approach – The paper investigates the effects of team sizes on exploratory search tasks using a lab study involving 68 participants – 12 individuals, ten dyads, and 12 triads. In order to assess various factors during their exploratory search sessions, an evaluation framework is synthesized using relevant literature. The framework consists of measures for five groups of quantities relevant to exploratory search: information exposure, information relevancy, information search, performance, and learning. Findings – The analyses on the user study data using the proposed framework reveals that while individuals working alone cover more information than those working in teams, the teams (dyads and triads) are able to achieve better information coverage and search.
Trends in South African Internet banking

This study follows up a study examining the effectiveness of Internet marketing, which found that only 22.6 per cent of respondents banked online. This study aims to determine respondents' reasons for not banking online, and to develop strategies for banks to get people banking online. A sample of 369 consumers was drawn from two universities in Kwazulu‐Natal. Universities were chosen because they are an untapped e‐commerce market segment. Employees at universities fit the profile of typical Internet users. Data were collected using a Web‐based questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that more males used Internet banking than females. Automated telling machine usage was far greater than Internet banking usage. A large percentage of Internet bankers used the service for inter‐account transfers and checking balances/statements. Security was the prime issue for those not banking online. Potential customers wanted guaranteed safety and loyalty rewards to get them to bank online. Internet banking has the potential to grow amongst tertiary institution employees.
Prognostic Significance of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and their prognostic value in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after neoadjuvant therapy. Methods Intratumoral CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+ lymphocytes were examined by immunohistochemistry using a computer-assisted quantitative analysis in 136 PDAC patients who received neoadjuvant therapy and pancreaticoduodenectomy. The results were correlated with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results High CD4+ TILs in treated PDAC were associated with high CD8+ TILs (P = 0.003), differentiation (P = 0.04), and a lower frequency of recurrence (P = 0.02). Patients with high CD4+ TILs had longer disease-free survival and overall survival (OS) than did patients with low CD4+ TILs (P < 0.01). The median OS of patients with a high CD8+/FOXP3+ lymphocyte ratio (39.5 [standard deviation, 6.1] months) was longer than that of patients with a low CD8+/FOXP3+ lymphocyte ratio (28.3 [standard deviation, 2.3] months; P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, high CD4+ TILs were an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.30–0.81; P = 0.005) and OS (hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.33–0.89; P = 0.02). Conclusions High level of CD4+ lymphocytes is associated with tumor differentiation and lower recurrence and is an independent prognostic factor for survival in PDAC patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.
Longitudinal study of the number and choice of leisure time physical activities from mid to late adolescence: implications for school curricula and community recreation programs.

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) declines during adolescence. There has been little research describing this decline or examining participation and nonparticipation in specific activities. OBJECTIVE To describe the pattern of change in the number of physical activities, the time spent on specific activities, and the stability of participation and nonparticipation in specific activities during adolescence. DESIGN AND SETTING A population-based 4-year longitudinal study of adolescents recruited from a single suburban school district near Pittsburgh, Pa. PARTICIPANTS A total of 782 adolescents, aged 12 to 15 years at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Physical activity was measured annually via questionnaire. Outcome measures include hours per week of PA, number of reported activities, and participation (yes or no) in specific activities. RESULTS Physical activity declined during the 4 years by 26%. The decline in PA was primarily due to a decrease in the number of reported activities. Adolescents who continued to report an activity during the 4 years of the study maintained or increased the time spent on that specific activity. Female adolescents were more likely to report individual activities, while male adolescents were more likely to report team activities. The probability of maintaining participation in a specific activity during the 4 years was low to moderate, 0.02 to 0.47 for female adolescents and 0.04 to 0.71 for male adolescents. The probability of not participating in a specific activity during the 4 years was extremely high and consistent for male and female adolescents, 0.70 to 1.00. CONCLUSIONS The decline in PA during adolescence is primarily due to a decrease in the number of activities in which the adolescent is participating, and there is only a moderate probability that an adolescent will continue to participate in an activity during the 4-year period from junior to senior high. Future efforts should be directed at identifying factors associated with initiating and maintaining participation in specific activities.