Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are low-income elderly patients at risk for poor diabetes care?

OBJECTIVE Diabetes is common among low-income elderly, dual-eligible (DE) Medicare/Medicaid patients resulting in significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. However, the quality of diabetes care delivered to these patients has not been evaluated. The aims of this study were to describe the quality of diabetes care provided to DE patients and compare it with non-DE patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional analysis of administrative claims from 1 January 1997 through 31 December 1998. A total of 9,453 patients aged 65-75 years with diabetes participated in the study. These were Colorado Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) outpatients. The main outcome measures consisted of a proportion of patients receiving an annual hemoglobin A1c test, biennial eye examination, biennial lipid test, and all three of these care processes. RESULTS The mean patient age was 71 +/- 2.8 years. Over 22% of patients were identified as dual eligible, and they were significantly more likely to be younger, female, and of minority race/ethnicity; reside in a rural location; and have comorbid conditions compared with the non-DE population. DE patients had more visits to primary care physicians, emergency departments, and hospitalizations but were less likely to visit endocrinologists. DE patients were significantly less likely to receive an annual A1c test (73 vs. 81%; P < 0.0001), biennial ophthalmologic examination (63 vs. 75%; P < 0.0001), and biennial lipid testing (43 vs. 57%; P < 0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio of urban DE patients receiving all three care measures was 0.60 (95% CI 0.52-0.69) compared with urban non-DE patients. Minority race/ethnicity and emergency department use were significantly associated with not receiving diabetes care, whereas endocrinology visits were associated with an increased odds of receiving diabetes care. CONCLUSIONS DE Medicare/Medicaid status was independently associated with not receiving diabetes care, especially among those in urban areas.
The α-Chemokine, Stromal Cell-derived Factor-1α, Binds to the Transmembrane G-protein-coupled CXCR-4 Receptor and Activates Multiple Signal Transduction Pathways*

The α-chemokine stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1α binds to the seven transmembrane G-protein-coupled CXCR-4 receptor and acts to modulate cell migration and proliferation. The signaling pathways that mediate the effects of SDF-1α are not well characterized. We studied events following SDF-1α binding to CXCR-4 in a model murine pre-B cell line transfected with human CXCR-4. There was enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation and association of components of focal adhesion complexes such as the related adhesion focal tyrosine kinase, paxillin, and Crk. We also observed activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Wortmannin, a selective inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, partially inhibited the SDF-1α-induced migration and tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin. SDF-1α treatment selectively activated p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk 1 and Erk 2) and its upstream kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase but not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase or mitogen activated protein kinase kinase. We also observed that SDF-1α treatment increased NF-κB activity in nuclear extracts from the CXCR-4 transfectants. Taken together, these studies revealed that SDF-1α activates distinct signaling pathways that may mediate cell growth, migration, and transcriptional activation.
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF RESPIRATORY TRACT, DIAPHRAGM, AND PHRENIC NERVE AFTER DICHLORVOS INHALATION IN RATS

The aim of this study was to investigate the dose-related effects of dichlorvos inhalation on electrophysiological alterations of diaphragm and phrenic nerve and the changes in the histologic structure of respiratory system. This study was performed on 33 rats divided into 5 groups, inhaling 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15 µg/L of dichlorvos, respectively. Electrodiagnostic investigations of diaphragm and phrenic nerve were made before and after inhalations. Aspiration samples were taken from lungs to evaluate the presence of infection agents. The airways, lungs, and diaphragms were dissected out for histologic investigation. Rats exposed to a low concentration of dichlorvos (1-5 µg/L) showed no symptoms of intoxication, but exposure to higher doses (10-15 µg/L) induced dyspnea in several animals. Lower doses of dichlorvos revealed no electromyographic changes on diaphragm, whereas higher doses revealed a clear neuropathic involvement. Delayed phrenic nerve motor conduction velocity was noted for each group (p < .05). Morphologic changes on the tracheal epithelium, hyperplasia, thickening of the blood-air barrier, degeneration in alveoli, and ductus alveolaris were seen in histopathologic investigation. In conclusion, the acute inhalation of dichlorvos caused clear evidence of neuropathic involvement of the diaphragm and the phrenic nerve. Also, toxic pneumonitis and injury to the tracheal epithelial were noticed.
Computer-Aided Detection of Cancer in Automated 3-D Breast Ultrasound

Automated 3-D breast ultrasound (ABUS) has gained a lot of interest and may become widely used in screening of dense breasts, where sensitivity of mammography is poor. However, reading ABUS images is time consuming, and subtle abnormalities may be missed. Therefore, we are developing a computer aided detection (CAD) system to help reduce reading time and prevent errors. In the multi-stage system we propose, segmentations of the breast, the nipple and the chestwall are performed, providing landmarks for the detection algorithm. Subsequently, voxel features characterizing coronal spiculation patterns, blobness, contrast, and depth are extracted. Using an ensemble of neural-network classifiers, a likelihood map indicating potential abnormality is computed. Local maxima in the likelihood map are determined and form a set of candidates in each image. These candidates are further processed in a second detection stage, which includes region segmentation, feature extraction and a final classification. On region level, classification experiments were performed using different classifiers including an ensemble of neural networks, a support vector machine, a k-nearest neighbors, a linear discriminant, and a gentle boost classifier. Performance was determined using a dataset of 238 patients with 348 images (views), including 169 malignant and 154 benign lesions. Using free response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) analysis, the system obtains a view-based sensitivity of 64% at 1 false positives per image using an ensemble of neural-network classifiers.
Three-dimensional ﬁnite element analysis of molars with thin-walled prosthetic crowns made of various materials

Objectives. The aim of the study was to compare the strength of thin-walled molar crowns made of various materials under simulation of mastication. Methods. Five 3D FE models of the ﬁrst lower molar with the use of contact elements were created: intact tooth; tooth with a zirconia crown; tooth with a porcelain crown; tooth with a gold alloy crown and tooth with a composite crown. The computer simulations of mastication were conducted. For the models, equivalent stresseswere calculated using the modiﬁed von Mises failure criterion (mvM). Contact stresses at the adhesive interface between the cement and tooth structure under the crowns were analyzed. Results. Equivalent stresses in the crowns, did not exceed the tensile strength of their material. The mvM stresses in resin cement under the zirconia crown were 1.3 MPa, and under the composite crown they increased over 6 times. The tensile and shear contact stressesun-der the stiff crowns (ceramics and gold alloy), were several times lower than those under the composite one. The maximum mvM stresses in the tooth structure for the zirconia
Antioxidant, Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Activities of the Volatile Oil from the Wild Pepper Piper capense Used in Cameroon as a Culinary Spice

Wild pepper (Piper capense L.f., Piperaceae) is a spice traditionally used in western Cameroon to make soups called ‘Nkui’ and ‘Nah poh’. In the present work, the essential oil hydrodistilled from fruits was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS, and for in vitro biological activities, namely cytotoxic, antioxidant and antimicrobial, by MTT, DPPH, ABTS and agar disc diffusion methods. The oil composition was dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (56.5%) responsible for the pepper odor, such as β-pinene (33.2%), sabinene (10.0%) and α-pinene (8.9%). The oil induced a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on human tumor cells MDA-MB 231 (breast adenocarcinoma), A375 (malignant melanoma) and HCT116 (colon carcinoma), showing IC50 values of 26.3, 76.0 and 22.7 μg/ml, respectively. The oil showed total antioxidant activity with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant concentration (TEAC) value of 140 μmol/g. The essential oil of P. capense proved to be an effective scavenger of the ABTS+ radical, with an activity only about 30 times lower than that of Trolox. Moderate activity was observed against the Gram-positive species Staphylococcos aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, and the yeast Candida albicans. The notable inhibition of some human tumor cells is worthy of further investigation to discover the possible mechanisms of action responsible for the observed cytotoxic effect of this essential oil.
Of Once and Future Kings: Rethinking the Anglo-American Analogy in the Rising Powers Debate

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to advance the so-called rising powers debate of the past 15 years by interrogating its selective use of the past. Key to the debate are the impact of rising powers like China on the international order, and how to accommodate them. Historiography plays a crucial but unappreciated role in the debate, as scholars look to the past to make sense of the future. Especially in the United States, many compare the US now to Great Britain before 1940, the idea being that both faced the same difficulties of decline relative to rising challengers. This is the core case of power transition theory in the field of International Relations. It is also, fundamentally, weak. As I show, it relies on a ‘long chronology’ of British decline that the past quarter-century of historical scholarship on twentieth-century Britain has undermined. I instead propose a ‘short chronology’ of the transition away from Britain that emphasizes agency and contingency over structure and the longue durée. Bringing the work of historians to the rising powers debate thus indicates that the key factors to study are not grand systemic forces, but short-term politics and diplomacy.
Exploring American Indian Students’ Problem-Solving Propensity in the Context of Culturally Relevant STEM Topics

This study presents an out-of-school problem-solving lesson we designed for American Indian students using a culturally relevant STEM topic. The lesson was titled “Shelter Design for Severe Weather Conditions. ” This shelter design lesson was developed based on an engineering design allowing us to integrate STEM topics within a traditional indigenous house-building context. This problem context was used to encourage students to apply their prior knowledge, experience, and community/cultural practice to solve problems. We implemented the lesson at a summer program on an American Indian reservation. Using the lesson, this study explores how American Indian students use cultural knowledge and experience to solve a STEM problem. We collected student data through preand post-STEM content knowledge tests, drawings and explanations of shelter models on the students’ group worksheets, and classroom observations. We used interpretive and inductive methods to analyze the data. This study demonstrates that our culturally relevant, STEM problem-solving lesson helped the American Indian students solve a complex, real-world problem. This study examines how students’ prior experiences and cultural knowledge affect their problem-solving strategies. Our findings have implications for further research on designing problem-solving lessons with culturally relevant STEM topics for students from historically marginalized populations.
Joint subchannel and power allocation in multiuser OFDM systems with minimal rate constraints

In this paper, we study the adaptive resource allocation in multiuser orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. We try to maximize the sum capacity of an OFDM system with given transmission power budget, while meeting users' minimal rate requirements. Unlike other resource allocation schemes, which generally separate subchannel allocation and power distribution into independent procedures, our proposed algorithm implements joint subchannel and power allocation. Given a set of subchannels, the required power to satisfy a user's minimal rate constraint is calculated by water‐filling policy. Then, the user who requires the maximum power to meet the rate requirement has a priority to obtain an additional subchannel. The procedure continues until all subchannels are consumed, by which time the consumed power to meet all users' rate requirements is also worked out. Finally, the margin power is allocated among all subchannels in an optimal manner to maximize the sum capacity of the OFDM system. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm performs better than other existing ones. The solution produced by our proposed algorithm is close to the upper bound, while its complexity is relatively lower compared with other methods, which makes it attractive for applications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma to Enhance Healing of Diabetic Foot Ulcers in Patients With Concomitant Peripheral Arterial Disease and Critical Limb Ischemia

We sought to investigate the effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the healing rate of diabetic foot ulcers in patients with diabetes and concomitant peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Diabetic patients with foot ulceration presenting with PAD who were treated with local growth factors in a single center, during a 24-month period from May 2009 to April 2011, were retrospectively reviewed. Based on the severity of PAD, subjects were divided into groups A (Fontaine classification stages I, IIa, and IIb) and B (Fontaine classification stages III and IV), with those included in the latter being considered to suffer from critical limb ischemia (CLI). End points of the analysis were clinical improvement, limb salvage, and amputation rate. Outcome was compared between groups A and B. Overall, 72 patients were evaluated, 30 with CLI. Ulcer area reduction >50% was observed in 58/72 patients while reduction >90% was achieved in 52/72 patients. There were 14 (19%) major and minor amputations, whereas the limb salvage rate was 89%. This variable was significantly different between groups A and B (100% vs 73%, P < .001), as is rate of reduction in ulcer area >90% (83% vs 56%, P = .02). Reduction of ulcer area >50% was observed in the majority of patients in both groups (group A 86% vs group B 73%, P = .23). In conclusion, PRP could serve as a useful adjunct during management of diabetic foot ulcers even in diabetic patients with unreconstructable arterial disease.
Development of eco-friendly cloud computing environments

Cloud computing technology knows a continuous growth in the past years. The growth of cloud computing generated in most situations to inefficient energy usage for storage, data processing, and network communications. The consumption of electrical energy generates at the end carbon emissions known also as carbon footprints. The eco-friendly cloud computing purpose is to decrease the carbon footprint of data centers by reducing their energy consumption. A considerable research has been performed with the purpose of supporting the eco-friendly cloud vision by optimizing the usage of computing resources from all areas of interest: software, hardware, network and storage. This paper contributes with multiple overviews over cloud energy optimization techniques and classifies them. This comprehensive overview is a considerable tool to use when designing a new data center or when planning to reduce power consumption of an already deployed data center.
IT-enabled innovation contest platforms: an exploration of the impacts and mechanisms of social capital

IT-enabled innovation contest platforms are quickly growing in prominence due their provision of a cost effective, yet far reaching method of allowing organisations to connect with a global network of innovation solvers. Borne of the open innovation movement, this phenomenon and the research surrounding it have emerged suddenly and proliferated rapidly. Although conceptual support for the relevance of social capital as an antecedent of innovation seems compelling, there is a distinct lack of research to support this in existing literature. The result is that little is understood by scholars and practitioners in terms of its influence in the overall contest setting. This research study explores the heretofore unexplored influences of social capital toward these contests. Empirical data was gathered through two rounds of data collection, a pilot study of Trend Micro along with case studies of 15 separate ITenabled innovation contest platforms. Through this analysis, three theoretical models emerged from the findings, which in turn formed: i. A preliminary theory of social capital for innovation contest platforms ii. A preliminary theory of social capital for competitive markets iii. A preliminary theory of social capital for collaborative communities The study contributes to IS theory and practice in several ways. Firstly, it provides the first investigation of social capital theory within the innovation contest domain. Through the research strategy implemented, social capital theory is revealed to be a valid and appropriate theoretical lens that can be implemented by future researchers. Secondly, this investigation provides a solid foundation for further investigations, and the academic community is encouraged to validate and refine the theorisations presented herein. Thirdly, the findings serve to identify the strategic value of social capital constructs, while also presenting the mechanisms used to facilitate their development. Fourthly, the findings of this study highlight the need for an understanding of appropriate management strategies towards social capital within the innovation contest platforms.
How a branded website creates customer purchase intentions

This paper aims to investigate whether customers’ perceptions of the quality and brand equity of a branded website affect purchase intentions, and to explore the mediating effects of trust and perceived risk in this relationship. Links between purchase intention and both trust and perceived risk, moderated by electronic word of mouth (eWOM), are also examined. A research model for testing relationships among these constructs based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework is outlined. A statistical analysis of the collected questionnaires was computed from the website of a target chain restaurant in Taiwan (T.G.I. Friday’s). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the hypothesised relationships among the variables. The findings confirm that potential customers’ perceptions of both the quality and brand equity of a branded website affect their trust and perceived risk, and, in turn, their purchase intentions. This study also reveals the existence of a moderating effect of eWOM on the links between both trust and perceived risk and purchase intentions. Based on the findings, the implications are discussed, and directions for future research are highlighted.
Algorithmic Regulation: A Critical Interrogation

Innovations in networked digital communications technologies, including the rise of “Big Data,” ubiquitous computing, and cloud storage systems, may be giving rise to a new system of social ordering known as algorithmic regulation. Algorithmic regulation refers to decisionmaking systems that regulate a domain of activity in order to manage risk or alter behavior through continual computational generation of knowledge by systematically collecting data (in real time on a continuous basis) emitted directly from numerous dynamic components pertaining to the regulated environment in order to identify and, if necessary, automatically refine (or prompt refinement of) the system's operations to attain a pre-specified goal. This study provides a descriptive analysis of algorithmic regulation, classifying these decisionmaking systems as either reactive or pre-emptive, and offers a taxonomy that identifies eight different forms of algorithmic regulation based on their configuration at each of the three stages of the cybernetic process: notably, at the level of standard setting (adaptive vs. fixed behavioral standards), information-gathering and monitoring (historic data vs. predictions based on inferred data), and at the level of sanction and behavioral change (automatic execution vs. recommender systems). It maps the contours of several emerging debates surrounding algorithmic regulation, drawing upon insights from regulatory governance studies, legal critiques, surveillance studies, and critical data studies to highlight various concerns about the legitimacy of algorithmic regulation.
Enhancement of Hydroelectric Generation Scheduling Using Ant Colony System-Based Optimization Approaches

In this paper, an ant colony system (ACS)-based optimization approach is proposed for the enhancement of hydroelectric generation scheduling. To apply the method to solve this problem, the search space of multistage scheduling is first determined. Through a collection of cooperative agents called ants, the near-optimal solution to the scheduling problem can be effectively achieved. In the algorithm, the state transition rule, local pheromone-updating rule, and global pheromone-updating rule are all added to facilitate the computation. Because this method can operate the population of agents simultaneously, the process stagnation can be better prevented. The optimization capability can be thus significantly enhanced. The proposed approach has been tested on Taiwan Power System (Taipower) through the utility data. Test results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method for the application considered.
Bicalutamide dosages used in the treatment of prostate cancer

Androgen deprivation is often used for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Androgen deprivation can be achieved by surgical castration or medical castration, with or without using an antiandrogen. Each of these treatments may be used alone, or an antiandrogen may be used alongside castration to produce combined androgen blockade therapy.
Bank Finance for Private Firms in China: Does Political Capital Still Pay Off?

This paper investigates whether political connections help private firms in China gain access to commercial bank loans. Based on data from the 2012 Nationwide Survey of Private Enterprises in China, it finds that (1) politically connected firms were more likely to have access to commercial bank loans; (2) political connections were more important for smaller private firms and for private firms in industries where state-owned enterprises had a stronger presence; (3) political connection was less important in provinces where private sector development was more advanced; and (4) loan allocation based on political connections did not appear to be inconsistent with commercial principles as politically connected firms were also more profitable.