Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Early Enteral Nutrition on Patients After Emergency Gastrointestinal Surgery A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

: Early postoperative enteral feeding has been demonstrated to improve the outcome of patients who underwent surgery for gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, trauma, perforation, and/or obstruction. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the efﬁcacy of early post-operativeenteralnutrition(EN)afteremergencysurgeryinpatientswith GI perforation or strangulation. 484patients,admittedbetweenJanuary2007 and December 2012, were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the early EN (EEN, N ¼ 77) group and the late EN (LEN, N ¼ 407) group. The morbidity, mortality, length of hospital, and intensive care unit (ICU) stays were compared between the 2 groups. Propensity score matching was performed in order to adjust for any baseline differences. Patients receiving EEN had reduced in-hospital mortality rates (EEN 4.5% vs LEN 19.4%; P ¼ 0.008), pulmonary complications (EEN4.5%vs LEN19.4%; P ¼ 0.008),lengthsofhospitalstay(median: 14.0, interquartile range: 8.0–24.0 vs median: 17.0, interquartile range: 11.0–26.0, P ¼ 0.048), and more 28-day ICU-free days (median: 27.0, interquartile range: 25.0–27.0 vs median: 25.0, interquartile range: 22.0–27.0, P ¼ 0.042) than those receiving LEN in an analysis using propensity score matching. The signiﬁcant difference in survival between the 2 groups was also shown in the Kaplan–Meier survival curve ( P ¼ 0.042). In a further analysis using the Cox proportional hazard ratio after matching on the propensity score, EEN was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio, 0.03; 95% conﬁdence interval, 0.01–0.49; P ¼ 0.015). EEN is associated with beneﬁcial effects, such as reduced in-hospital mortality rates, pulmonary complications, lengths of hospital stay, and more 28-day ICU-free days, after emergency GI surgery.
Zimbabwean Science Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Learning Environments and Attitude Towards Science

: The purpose of the present study was to examine Zimbabwean junior secondary school students’ perceptions of their classroom environment in science and to investigate relationships between these perceptions and students’ attitudes toward science. The study also aimed to investigate differences in students’ attitudes toward science by gender, school location. Data were collected from 1728 Zimbabwean junior secondary school science students in 10 Kwekwe district schools. Data were collected with an adapted and modified version of the “What is Happening in This Classroom” (WIHIC) instrument and the “Test of Science Related Attitudes” (TOSRA). The study confirmed that the Zimbabwean version of the modified WIHIC is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the classroom learning environment in the Zimbabwean educational context. Significant differences between students’ perceptions of the actual and preferred learning environment were shown to exist with students tending to prefer a more favorable classroom learning environment than the one which they actually are experiencing. Female students generally hold more positive perceptions of the learning environments than their male counterparts. The findings also revealed that student’ perceptions of the classroom learning environment depending on the schools’ locality, with students in rural schools holding less favorable perceptions than students in urban schools for all seven WIHIC scales. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that students’ perceptions of their learning environment in science were significantly associated with their attitudes.
University of Birmingham Path and cycle decompositions of dense graphs

We make progress on three long standing conjectures from the 1960s about path and cycle decompositions of graphs. Gallai conjectured that any connected graph on n vertices can be decomposed into at most ⌈ n 2 ⌉ paths, while a conjecture of Hajós states that any Eulerian graph on n vertices can be decomposed into at most ⌊ n−1 2 ⌋ cycles. The Erdős-Gallai conjecture states that any graph on n vertices can be decomposed into O(n) cycles and edges. We show that if G is a sufficiently large graph on n vertices with linear minimum degree, then the following hold. (i) G can be decomposed into at most n 2 + o(n) paths. (ii) If G is Eulerian, then it can be decomposed into at most n 2 + o(n) cycles. (iii) G can be decomposed into at most 3n 2 + o(n) cycles and edges. If in addition G satisfies a weak expansion property, we asymptotically determine the required number of paths/cycles for each such G. (iv) G can be decomposed into max { odd(G) 2 , ∆(G) 2 } + o(n) paths, where odd(G) is the number of odd-degree vertices of G. (v) If G is Eulerian, then it can be decomposed into ∆(G) 2 + o(n) cycles. All bounds in (i)–(v) are asymptotically best possible.
Interleukin-6, age, and callosum integrity.

The contribution of inflammation to deleterious aging outcomes is increasingly recognized; however, little is known about the complex relationship between interleukin-6 (IL-6) and brain structure, or how this association might change with increasing age. We examined the association between IL-6, white matter integrity, and cognition in 151 community dwelling older adults, and tested whether age moderated these associations. Blood levels of IL-6 and vascular risk (e.g., homocysteine), as well as health history information, were collected. Processing speed assessments were administered to assess cognitive functioning, and we employed tract-based spatial statistics to examine whole brain white matter and regions of interest. Given the association between inflammation, vascular risk, and corpus callosum (CC) integrity, fractional anisotropy (FA) of the genu, body, and splenium represented our primary dependent variables. Whole brain analysis revealed an inverse association between IL-6 and CC fractional anisotropy. Subsequent ROI linear regression and ridge regression analyses indicated that the magnitude of this effect increased with age; thus, older individuals with higher IL-6 levels displayed lower white matter integrity. Finally, higher IL-6 levels were related to worse processing speed; this association was moderated by age, and was not fully accounted for by CC volume. This study highlights that at older ages, the association between higher IL-6 levels and lower white matter integrity is more pronounced; furthermore, it underscores the important, albeit burgeoning role of inflammatory processes in cognitive aging trajectories.
AGGREGATED GRADIENT METHODS

We focus on the problem of minimizing the sum of smooth component functions (where the sum is strongly convex) and a non-smooth convex function, which arises in regularized empirical risk minimization in machine learning and distributed constrained optimization in wireless sensor networks and smart grids. We consider solving this problem using the proximal incremental aggregated gradient (PIAG) method, which at each iteration moves along an aggregated gradient (formed by incrementally updating gradients of component functions according to a deterministic order) and taking a proximal step with respect to the non-smooth function. While the convergence properties of this method with randomized orders (in updating gradients of component functions) have been investigated, this paper, to the best of our knowledge, is the ﬁrst study that establishes the convergence rate properties of the PIAG method for any deterministic order. In particular, we show that the PIAG algorithm is globally convergent with a linear rate provided that the step size is suﬃciently small. We explicitly identify the rate of convergence and the corresponding step size to achieve this convergence rate. Our results improve upon the best known condition number dependence of the convergence rate of the incremental aggregated gradient methods used for minimizing a sum of smooth functions.
Spatio-temporal variation of the zooplankton population in the Hana River in Taï National Park (West Africa)

This work aimed to determine the distribution of zooplankton in relation with abiotic parameters in Hana river of Taï National Park. Three stations situated in upper, lower and mid watercourses were defined on Hana River. From May 2016 to April 2017 a monthly sampled of zooplankton was collected with a cylindro-conical net of 64 µm mesh-size. The low values of physicochemical parameters showed that Hana River is oligotrophic to eutrophic. The zooplankton composition indicates 04 great groups dominated by Rotifers (47,70%) followed by Copepods (25,01%) and other organisms (25,01%), Cladocerans represented 2,27% only in all of zooplankton individuals. Zooplankton population increased during the dry season when nutrient concentrations are higher in the river. This work has allowed us to identify environmental parameters witch influence the distribution of zooplankton taxa in the Hana River. However agricultural and rural activity in the peripheral area constituted a threat to the ecological quality of this river.
MAKING MIGRANTS GOVERNABLE Counting and defining the ‘illegal migrant’

This paper will investigate the production of knowledge regarding the number of illegalized migrants. Estimation of the number has been the common frame for production of this kind of knowledge, performed by social scientists, government officials, NGOs and others, but now biometric technology offers new perspectives on data, concepts and production of political numbers. Based on an analysis of various approaches to estimation of the number of irregular migration and an outline of biometric visions in the European Union on data production, the paper concludes that the changes caused by biometric technology will produce increased objectivity and depolitization in numbers of irregular migrants which could not be obtained in the field of estimation. The level of truth reflects the level of control and surveillance fixed as a strategy of government of mobility in the biometric technology.
Soil Characteristics and Variation in Yield and Yield Components of Plantain ( Musa paradiasiaca Aab) Intercropped with Melon on an Alfisol in South Western Nigeria

: Plantains are major food crops in the developing countries and are widely grown across the world’s tropical regions. There is sparse literature on soil characteristics on which plantains are grown and the yearly variation in the yield and yield components under different levels of K fertilizer applications. On-farm trials were conducted in 1993 and 1995 cropping seasons and the experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications, which are farmers’ field. The treatments were five levels of potassium fertilizers (0, 120, 240, 360 and 480 kg K ha G ) applied as muriate of potash (MOP). Results of soil analysis and 1 the suitability evaluation showed that available P content is sub-optimal and very much below the critical values recommended for sustained and continuous growth of plantain. Furthermore, the result of the suitability evaluation showed that potentially the land was rated was as highly suitable (S1) for plantain production. Results of mean yearly yield components (i.e. between leaf area, plant height, stem girth and number of functional leaves) showed significant differences between years and not across years. The coefficient of variation (CV) was less than 10% for all these parameters except for the mean bunch weight of plantain and it ranged between 197-320%. Furthermore, results showed that potassium fertilizer significantly affected the afore-mentioned yield components. In both cropping seasons, the yield of plantain increased at an increasing rate of K fertilizer application reaching the peak at 360 kg K ha G with bunch yields of 10.39 t ha G (1993) and 1 9.38 t ha G (1995) respectively, however, there were no significant differences between yields of different K 1 rates across years. The study concludes that even in the current state of the soil, application of K fertilizer significantly increase yield and yield components within years, but not across years. Potassium fertilizer rate of 360 kg ha G resulted in mean bunch yields of 10.39 t ha G (1993) and 9.38 t ha G (1995) respectively. The 1 1 fertilizer response equations for both years were: The study concludes that of all the yield and yield components of plantain examined, the only parameter is likely to vary widely with years is the bunch weight of plantain.
Welsh sport policy and the (in)visibility

In this paper we draw on research conducted in Wales to consider reasons for participation and non-participation in sport and physical activity among Black and minoritised ethnic (BME) groups. This study exposes the challenge at the heart of sports policy in relation to ‘race’ and ethnicity in Wales that, if not addressed, may lead to the marginalisation of attempts to increase BME participation in sport and physical activity despite good intent. It points to a disjuncture between supply and demand and leads us to question the extent to which such policies resonate with the interests, needs and lived experiences of people from different BME communities in Wales. We draw on testimonies of policy-makers and implementers, as well as individuals from various BME communities in five regions of Wales, to consider the extent to which national sports policy encourages strategies to increase participation among different ethnic groups. We suggest that increasing participation among BME communities and other ‘hard -to- reach’ groups must go beyond accounting for the supply aspects of sport and physical activity to consider more critically the plethora of barriers and exclusions facing many BME communities. We conclude by arguing that for racial inequalities to be reduced , and promises such as ‘sport for all’ to be re alised, then the analysis of policy needs to be related to broader relations of power in the culture of both sport and society.
Unique regulation of anion/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchangers by constitutive nitric oxide in rabbit small intestine

Unique regulation of anion/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchangers by constitutive nitric oxide in rabbit small intestine. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 285: G1084–G1090, 2003; 10.1152/ajpgi.00013. 2003. —In the rabbit small intestine, there are three functionally different brush-border membrane (BBM) anion/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchangers: 1 ) Cl/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange on the BBM of villus cells responsible for coupled NaCl absorption; 2 ) Cl/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange on the BBM of crypt cells possibly involved in HCO 3 (cid:1) secretion; and 3 ) short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange on the BBM of villus cells, which facilitates SCFA absorption. Although constitutive nitric oxide (cNO) has been postulated to alter many gastrointestinal tract functions, how cNO may specif-ically alter these three transporters is unknown. Inhibition of cNO synthase with N G -nitro- L -arginine methyl ester ( L -NAME) 1 ) did not affect villus cell BBM Cl/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange, 2 ) stimulated crypt cell BBM Cl/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange, and 3 ) inhibited villus cell BBM SCFA/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange. D -NAME, an inactive analog of L -NAME, and L - N 6 -(1-imino-ethyl)lysine, a more selective inhibitor of inducible NO, did not affect these transport processes. Kinetic studies demonstrated that 1 ) the mechanism of inhibition of crypt cell BBM Cl/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange is secondary to a decrease in the maximal rate of uptake of Cl, without an alteration in the afﬁnity of the transporter for Cl, and 2 ) the mechanism of stimulation of villus cell BBM SCFA/HCO 3 (cid:1) exchange is secondary to an increase in the afﬁnity of the transporter for SCFA without an alteration in the maximal rate of uptake of SCFA. These results indicate that cNO uniquely regulates the three BBM anion/HCO 3 (cid:1) transporters in the rabbit small intestine.
A Feasibility Study of an e + e (cid:0) Ring Collider for Higgs Factory (cid:3)

A ring-based Higgs factory with a center-of-mass energy of 240 GeV residing in the existing LEP tunnel is studied at a level of concrete lattice. We found that low-emittance lattice is essential to mitigate the eﬀect of beamstrahlung on the beam lifetime. To achieve a luminosity of 1 : 0 (cid:2) 10 34 cm (cid:0) 2 s (cid:0) 1 , we simpliﬁed ﬁnal focusing system and improved its momentum aperture by a factor of 5 to 2.5%. Abstract A ring-based Higgs factory with a center-of-mass energy of 240 GeV residing in the existing LEP tunnel is studied at a level of concrete lattice. We found that low-emittance lattice is essential to mitigate the effect of beamstrahlung on the beam lifetime. To achieve a luminosity of 1 . 0 (cid:2) 10 34 cm (cid:0) 2 s (cid:0) 1 , we simpliﬁed ﬁnal focusing system and improved its momentum aperture by a factor of 5 to 2.5%.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE Characterizing Warm-ENSO Variability in the Equatorial Paciﬁc: An OLR Perspective* , 1

It is shown that space–time smoothed outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) indices of equatorial Paciﬁc seasonal variability can give an interestingly different perspective on El Nin˜o than is obtained from sea surface temperature (SST) indices or the Southern Oscillation index (SOI). In particular, the index deﬁned by averaging over an eastern-central region exhibits strong event like character—more so than in any other El Nin˜o–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm-phase index known to the authors. Although the historical record for OLR is much shorter than for SST or SOI, OLR offers a direct connection to anomalous atmospheric heating. It is suggested that the years identiﬁed as events by this OLR index deserve particular recognition; and it is noteworthythat they all meet the criteria for ‘‘El Nin˜o’’ years. Other years, whose warm-ENSO status differs depending upon the index favored, are not particularly distinctive from an OLR per- spective, and a case could be made that either the other years do not deserve special classiﬁcation or that they should be identiﬁed as different from the OLR-distinguished El Nin˜o years.
Edinburgh Streaming by leaky surface acoustic waves

Acoustic streaming, the generation of mean ﬂow by dissipating acoustic waves, provides a promising method for ﬂow pumping in microﬂuidic devices. In recent years, several groups have been experimenting with acoustic streaming induced by leaky surface waves: (Rayleigh) surface waves excited in a piezoelectric solid interact with a small volume of ﬂuid where they generate acoustic waves and, as result of the viscous dissipation of these waves, a mean ﬂow. We discuss the computation of the corresponding Lagrangian mean ﬂow, which controls the trajectories of ﬂuid particles and hence the mixing properties of the ﬂows generated by this method. The problem is formulated using the averaged vorticity equation. This extracts the balance between wave dissipation and mean-ﬂow dissipation that is at the core of the streaming process by eliminating large, cancelling terms in the averaged momentum equation. Particular attention is paid to the thin boundary layer that forms at the solid/liquid interface, where both the acoustic waves and their streaming eﬀect are best computed using matched asymptotics. This leads to an explicit expression for a slip velocity which gives the limiting value of the Lagrangian mean velocity away from the boundary; this expression generalises earlier results by including the eﬀect of the oscillations of the boundary. The Lagrangian ﬂow is naturally separated into three contributions: an interior-driven Eulerian mean ﬂow, a boundary-driven Eulerian mean ﬂow, and the Stokes drift. A scale analysis indicates that the latter two contributions can be neglected in devices much larger than the acoustic wavelength but need to be taken into account in smaller devices. A simple two-dimensional model of mean-ﬂow generation by surface acoustic waves is discussed as an illustration.
Newborn Intestinal Epithelium Negatively Regulates TLR4 Signaling in the Intracellular Heat Shock Protein-70

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the leading cause of gastrointestinal-related mortality in premature infants, and it develops under conditions of exaggerated TLR4 signaling in the newborn intestinal epithelium. Because NEC does not develop spontane-ously, despite the presence of seemingly tonic stimulation of intestinal TLR4, we hypothesized that mechanisms must exist to constrain TLR4 signaling that become diminished during NEC pathogenesis and focused on the intracellular stress response protein and chaperone heat shock protein-70 (Hsp70). We demonstrate that the induction of intracellular Hsp70 in enterocytes dramatically reduced TLR4 signaling, as assessed by LPS-induced NF- k B translocation, cytokine expression, and apoptosis. These ﬁndings were conﬁrmed in vivo, using mice that either globally lacked Hsp70 or overexpressed Hsp70 within the intestinal epithelium. TLR4 activation itself signiﬁcantly increased Hsp70 expression in enterocytes, which provided a mechanism of auto-inhibition of TLR4 signaling in enterocytes. In seeking to deﬁne the mechanisms involved, intracellular Hsp70-mediated inhibition of TLR4 signaling required both its substrate-binding EEVD domain and association with the cochaperone CHIP, resulting in ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of TLR4. The expression of Hsp70 in the intestinal epithelium was signiﬁcantly decreased in murine and human NEC compared with healthy controls, suggesting that loss of Hsp70 protection from TLR4 could lead to NEC.
Transforming Growth Factor- b Gene Expression in Avian Low Score Normal Pectoral Muscle 1

The avian Low Score Normal (LSN) genetic muscle weakness is phenotypically characterized by a reduction in the ability of birds to right themselves from a supine position. In previous studies, LSN birds exhibited elevated levels of decorin transcript and protein at embryonic Day 20 and a large increase in collagen crosslinking at 6 wk posthatch. Transforming growth factor- b (TGF- b ) expression has been reported to control decorin expression. Steady state levels of TGF- b 1 and TGF- b 2 transcripts were determined in ovo and posthatch in order to initiate an investigation of the mechanism underlying decorin expression. On embryonic Day 20 through 1 wk posthatch, TGF- b 2 transcript levels were elevated, whereas an increase in TGF- b 1 was only noted at 1 d posthatch. These data suggest that the increase in decorin expression may be associated with a modification in a TGF- b signal transduction pathway. 77:464–467