Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the contribution of the dental care delivery system to oral health care disparities.

OBJECTIVES Existing studies of disparities in access to oral health care for underserved populations often focus on supply measures such as number of dentists. This approach overlooks the importance of other aspects of the dental care delivery system, such as personal and practice characteristics of dentists, that determine the capacity to provide care. This study aims to assess the role of such characteristics in access to care of underserved populations. METHODS We merged data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey and a 2003 survey of California dentists in their Medical Study Service Areas (MSSAs). We examined the role of overall supply and other characteristics of dentists in income and racial/ethnic disparities in access, which was measured by annual dental visits and unmet need for dental care due to costs. RESULTS We found that some characteristics of MSSAs, including higher proportions of dentists who were older, white, busy or overworked, and did not accept public insurance or discounted fees, inhibited access for low-income and minority populations. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the importance of monitoring characteristics of dentists in addition to traditional measures of supply such as licensed-dentist-to-population ratios. The findings identify specific aspects of the delivery system such as dentists' participation in Medicaid, provision of discounted care, busyness, age, race/ethnicity, and gender that should be regularly monitored. These data will provide a better understanding of how the dental care delivery system is organized and how this knowledge can be used to develop more narrowly targeted policies to alleviate disparities.
An in vitro study comparing two dose regimes of fresh frozen plasma on conventional and thromboelastographic tests of coagulation after major hepatic resection

After hepatic resection, post‐operative increases in international normalised ratio (INR) are frequent, but rarely associated with bleeding complication. Coagulation as assessed by thrombin generation may be normal, despite the increased INR. This study tests the hypothesis that viscoelastic tests (VET) of coagulation remain normal, despite mild elevations in INR, examines the efficacy of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in reversing prolongation of INR in such patients and determines the effect of FFP on VET.
Ependymal Tumors With Sarcomatous Change (“Ependymosarcoma”): A Clinicopathologic and Molecular Cytogenetic Study

Gliosarcomas are uncommon primary tumors of the central nervous system defined as exhibiting both glial and sarcomatous components. Sarcomatous change occurring in ependymal tumors is rare. We identified 11 such examples. There were 6 female and 5 male patients (median age, 18 y; range, 2 to 63). The tumors were located in the parieto-occipital (n=2), temporal (n=1), parietal (n=1), frontal (n=1), and occipital lobes (n=1), as well as the lateral ventricles (n=2), insula (n=1), cerebellopontine angle (n=1), and fourth ventricle/cerebellopontine angle (n=1). At presentation, the sarcomatous component was noted in 6 (of 10) cases and the ependymal element was grade III in 7 and grade II in 3 tumors, respectively. The sarcomatous component consisted of a reticulin rich, glial fibrillary acidic protein -negative fibrosarcoma (n=5) or pleomorphic spindle cell sarcoma (n=3), and 2 examples with heterologous elements: osseous and cartilaginous (n=1) and osseous only (n=1). The single case involving the fourth ventricle/left cerebellopontine angle consisted of subependymoma and fibrosarcoma components in roughly equal proportions at presentation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization studies performed with probes targeting the NF2 gene and other members of the protein 4.1 gene family demonstrated similar alterations in the ependymal and sarcomatous components in the cases tested, including polysomies/polyploidy (n=3), gains of 1q (n=3), deletions of 22q (n=2) and 6q (n=1), and monosomy 18 (n=1). There was no evidence of MDM2 or CCND1 amplification in any of the cases tested. On follow-up, 5 patients expired 4 months to 18 years after initial resection and 4 to 11 months after development of the sarcomatous component (mean, 7.6 mo); 1 patient is alive at 5 years with recurrent disease, and 1 is alive without recurrence 12 years after initial gross total resection followed by radiation therapy. Although rare, ependymal neoplasms must be included among the gliomas prone to undergo sarcomatous change and we propose the term “ependymosarcoma” for these tumors.
Understanding chronic heart failure

The key principles of chronic heart failure and the development of clinical management strategies are described. The physiological changes in chronic heart failure and the clinical management of children with heart failure are considered, but the treatment of heart failure related to congenital heart disease or the intensive care management of heart failure are not mentioned as both topics require consideration in their own right. A greater understanding of the maladaptive responses to chronic heart failure has enabled targeted therapy to be introduced with consequent improvement in symptoms, reduction in hospitalisation and lower mortality.
α-Glucosidase- and α-amylase-inhibitory activities of phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis.

BACKGROUND In an effort to develop alternative therapeutic agents, strong inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase was detected in Eisenia bicyclis methanolic extract. RESULTS In this study, two phlorotannins were isolated from E. bicyclis and characterised by chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. The active substances were identified as fucofuroeckol A (FF) and dioxinodehydroeckol (DD). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of these substances in E. bicyclis. However, to date, no antidiabetic activity of FF and DD has been reported. Both phlorotannins demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. FF showed potent antidiabetic activity, with IC(50) values of 131.34 nmol L(-1) against α-glucosidase and 42.91 µmol L(-1) against α-amylase. The corresponding IC(50) values of DD were 93.33 nmol L(-1) and 472.7 µmol L(-1) . Furthermore, kinetic analysis revealed that FF and DD exhibited non-competitive inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase. CONCLUSION These results suggest that FF and DD may be candidates for the development of an antidiabetic pharmaceutical agent or food additive.
MDS study on the adhesive heat transfer in micro-channel cooler

Carbon nanotube (CNT) can be used in micro-channel cooler construction due to its excellent thermal conductivity. When fabricating CNTs directly onto the chip, the chip could be damaged because of the high temperature required for CNT growth (about 750°C). As a solution, a transfer technique is developed where the desired carbon nanotube pattern can be obtained by taking off a pre-fabricated CNT forest with a designed adhesive, and the transfer process could make the chip or other components immune from the high temperature required for the CNT growth process. This process can also improve the bonding/adhesive strength. Nevertheless, the use of adhesive in the CNT-based micro-channel structure might affect the thermal conduction of the cooling system. In particular, the heat transfer between the heat generator and the CNT fin in the micro-channel cooler shall be evaluated. In this paper the thermal conductivity of the adhesive is studied by molecular dynamics simulation (MDS). The adhesive considered in the present MDS model consists of the epoxy and the curing agent. After the curing process, the epoxy molecules construct a network, which is established in the epoxy matrix generation before the simulation. Nonequilibrium Molecular Dynamics Method (NEMD) is adopted in the modeling and periodic boundary conditions are applied. Furthermore, the heat transfer through CNT and adhesive interface is simulated in this work based on the adhesive results, which can provide information for future macro-analysis of the thermal performance of the CNT micro-channel cooler.
Streamline splatting

We propose a new technique called streamline splatting to visualize 3D vector fields. The core idea is to first generate effective streamlines and then apply the splatting method of volume rendering based on the generated streamlines. We apply this technique to a couple of examples of 3D flows. It can render dense but comprehendible images quite efficiently and has a promising potential to achieve interactive visualization.
Functional changes in troponin T by a splice donor site mutation that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Nakaura, Hiroyuki, Sachio Morimoto, Fumi Yanaga, Masashi Nakata, Hirofumi Nishi, Tsutomu Imaizumi, and Iwao Ohtsuki. Functional changes in troponin T by a splice donor site mutation that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Cell Physiol. 46): C225–C232, 1999. —A splice donor site mutation in intron 15 of the cardiac troponin T (TnT) gene has been shown to cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In this study, two truncated human cardiac TnTs expected to be produced by this mutation were expressed in Escherichia coli and partially (50–55%) exchanged into rabbit permeabilized cardiac muscle fibers. The fibers into which a short truncated TnT, which lacked the COOH-terminal 21 amino acids because of the replacement of 28 amino acids with 7 novel residues, had been exchanged generated a Ca21-activated maximum force that was slightly, but statistically significantly, lower than that generated by fibers into which wild-type TnT had been exchanged when troponin I (TnI) was phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. A long truncated TnT simply lacking the COOH-terminal 14 amino acids had no significant effect on the maximum force-generating capability in the fibers with either phosphorylated or dephosphorylated TnI. Both these two truncated TnTs conferred a lower cooperativity and a higher Ca21 sensitivity on the Ca21-activated force generation than did wild-type TnT, independent of the phosphorylation of TnI by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The results demonstrate that the splice donor site mutation in the cardiac TnT gene impairs the regulatory function of the TnT molecule, leading to an increase in the Ca21 sensitivity, and a decrease in the cooperativity, of cardiac muscle contraction, which might be involved in the pathogenesis of HCM.
Freestanding Graphene Fabric Film for Flexible Infrared Camouflage

Graphene films, fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, have exhibited superiorities in high crystallinity, thickness controllability, and large‐scale uniformity. However, most synthesized graphene films are substrate‐dependent, and usually fragile for practical application. Herein, a freestanding graphene film is prepared based on the CVD route. By using the etchable fabric substrate, a large‐scale papyraceous freestanding graphene fabric film (FS‐GFF) is obtained. The electrical conductivity of FS‐GFF can be modulated from 50 to 2800 Ω sq−1 by tailoring the graphene layer thickness. Moreover, the FS‐GFF can be further attached to various shaped objects by a simple rewetting manipulation with negligible changes of electric conductivity. Based on the advanced fabric structure, excellent electrical property, and high infrared emissivity, the FS‐GFF is thus assembled into a flexible device with tunable infrared emissivity, which can achieve the adaptive camouflage ability in complicated backgrounds. This work provides an infusive insight into the fabrication of large‐scale freestanding graphene fabric films, while promoting the exploration on the flexible infrared camouflage textiles.
The deep venous system of the lower extremity: new nomenclature

The correct and precise nomenclature of the veins of the lower extremity is a necessary tool for communication. Three important changes have been done over the last 13 years. Terminologia Anatomica, the latest version of the Latin anatomical nomenclature, was published in 1998, extended in the area of the lower extremity veins with two consensus documents, in 2001, during the 14th World Congress of the International Union of Phlebology and in 2004 during the 21st World Congress of the International Union of Angiology. This article is a free continuation of two previous articles, reviewing the detailed anatomy and correct nomenclature of the superficial veins of the lower extremities and veins of pelvis. Now, it is concentrated on the deep venous system, in which 15 new terms have been added in both Latin and English languages.
Three phase induction motor drive using flyback converter and PWM inverter fed from a single photovoltaic panel

The purpose of this project is to drive a three phase induction motor with the use of a single photovoltaic (PV) panel. The motor will be driven with the available power at the moment, because no battery will be implemented. In order to match the impedance of the panel (to extract the maximum power available) and boost the voltage, a fly back topology is proposed. In output of the flyback a three phase inverter is connected to drive the induction motor. This inverter will be controlled with the PWM unipolar technique. A maximum power point algorithm, the perturbation and observation, is implemented. Simulation results are provided. The panel delivered rated 210W and the motor achieved rated speed in open loop.
The role of hypertension, body mass index, and serum leptin levels in patients with endometrial hyperplasia during premenopausal period.

OBJECTIVES to investigate whether body mass index (BMI), hypertension (HTN), diabetes, age, and physical activity can be considered risk factors for endometrial simple hyperplasia in premenopausal women. Furthermore this study was undertaken to determine whether serum concentration of leptin in patients with BMI>or= 30 kg / m2 with endometrial hyperplasia deviate from values in patients with normal endometrium. MATERIALS AND METHODS The authors enrolled 167 hyperplasia cases and 282 controls. Demographic characteristics and data on age, diabetes, hypertension, BMI, physical activity, and anthropometric parameters were collected. Leptin concentration in serum was measured with immunoenzymatic test kit from IBL. Univariable and multivariable analysis were performed to verify the association among age, HTN, BMI, physical activity, diabetes, and the presence of uterine hyperplasia. Furthermore the authors evaluated the correlation between BMI and leptin level (with Pearson's linear correlation) in women with simple hyperplasia and in controls. RESULTS The prevalence of hyperplasia found was 34.4%. The following factors were independently associated with increased risk of endometrial hyperplasia: HTN (odds ratio 3.19, 95% confidence interval 1.20-8.48, p<0.020) and BMI>or=30 Kg/m2 (odds ratio 6.43, 95% confidence interval 3.92-10.53, p<0.000). Mean leptin concentration in serum was higher in patients who had endometrial hyperplasia than in controls (p<0.005) and the leptin levels depended on BMI. CONCLUSIONS The following are risk factors for endometrial hyperplasia in premenopausal women: BMI>or=30 kg/m2 and HTN (blood pressure>or=130/85 or in therapy). Leptin appears to participate in proliferative processes of the endometrium, depending on BMI. Current guidelines may need to be reconsidered.
On cooperative encoding with partially known non-causal interference

We consider a three-terminal Gaussian relay channel corrupted by a Gaussian interference. We assume that the interference is non-causally known to only some, i.e, not to all, the terminals. We examine two different scenarios: 1) both the source and the relay, but not the destination, know the interference and collaborate to cancel out its effect and 2) only the source knows the interference. The first scenario exhibits some symmetry and we refer to it as “informed source and relay”. The second scenario exhibits some asymmetry and we refer to it as “informed source only”. For the Gaussian relay channel with informed source and relay, we derive a lower bound on channel capacity, based on the source and the relay both employing standard dirty paper coding (DPC) and the relay using the decode-and-forward scheme. We also show that this lower bound meets with the cut-set bound, and thus gives capacity, if the channel is degraded. For the Gaussian relay channel with informed source only, we derive a lower bound on channel capacity. This lower bound is based on a generalized DPC that consists in a combination of partial cancellation of the known interference and standard DPC. In the asymmetric scenario, the performance characterizations reveal that, by opposition to Costa's initial DPC, it may be beneficial that the informed source uses a part of its power to (partially) cancel the effect of this interference so that the uninformed relay benefits from this cancellation.
Inhibition of Lysosome and Proteasome Function Enhances Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

ABSTRACT We previously reported that inhibition of endosomal/lysosomal function can dramatically enhance human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infectivity, suggesting that under these conditions productive HIV-1 infection can occur via the endocytic pathway. Here we further examined this effect with bafilomycin A1 (BFLA-1) and show that this enhancement of infectivity extends to all HIV-1 isolates tested regardless of coreceptor usage. However, isolate-specific differences were observed in the magnitude of the effect. This was particularly evident in the case of the weakly infectious HIV-1SF2, for which we observed the greatest enhancement. Using reciprocal chimeric viruses, we were able to determine that both the disproportionate increase in the infectivity of HIV-1SF2 in response to BFLA-1 and its weak infectivity in the absence of BFLA-1 mapped to its envelope gene. Further, we found HIV-1SF2 to have lower fusion activity and to be 12-fold more sensitive to the fusion inhibitor T-20 than HIV-1NL4-3. Proteasomal inhibitors also enhance HIV-1 infectivity, and we report that the combination of a lysosomal and a proteasomal inhibitor greatly enhanced infectivity of all isolates tested. Again, HIV-1SF2 was unique in exhibiting a synergistic 400-fold increase in infectivity. We also determined that inhibition of proteasomal function increased the infectivity of HIV-1 pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. The evidence presented here highlights the important role of the lysosomes/proteasomes in the destruction of infectious HIV-1SF2 and could have implications for the development of novel antiviral agents that might take advantage of these innate defenses.
A new localised lightning locating system — software implementation

Lightning mapping or locating systems are mainly based on either the time of arrival or the directional finder methods. For a localised region, it is desired that the coordinate of lightning strike within the region can be accurately determined. This works concerns the software implementation of the installed localised lightning locating system (LLLS) using LabView. The coordinate of lightning strike is calculated based on the measurement of lightning induced voltages and their arrival times at both ends of an overhead telephone line. Due to the small area involved, the accuracy of the coordinate calculation was shown to be much better than that obtained from the commercial country-wide lightning locating system.
Robust Digital Tracking Controller Design for High-speed Positioning Systems

In this paper, a design approach for robust digital tracking controllers for high-speed positioning is proposed. In high-speed tracking, the combination of a feedforward controller and a robust feedback controller is desirable: the robust feedback controller compensates for mechanical nonlinearities, parameter variation, and disturbances and lets the dynamic behavior of the actual feedback loop system stay close to the nominal one, which makes it possible for the feedforward controller to correctly anticipate and compensate for closed loop dynamics. The idea of disturbance observers is utilized to construct a robust feedback system, and is combined with the idea of zero phase error feedforward controllers. The overall system is demonstrated to possess excellent tracking performance by simulation and experiment.
Single-trial effective brain connectivity patterns enhance discriminability of mental imagery tasks

Objective. The majority of the current approaches of connectivity based brain–computer interface (BCI) systems focus on distinguishing between different motor imagery (MI) tasks. Brain regions associated with MI are anatomically close to each other, hence these BCI systems suffer from low performances. Our objective is to introduce single-trial connectivity feature based BCI system for cognition imagery (CI) based tasks wherein the associated brain regions are located relatively far away as compared to those for MI. Approach. We implemented time-domain partial Granger causality (PGC) for the estimation of the connectivity features in a BCI setting. The proposed hypothesis has been verified with two publically available datasets involving MI and CI tasks. Main results. The results support the conclusion that connectivity based features can provide a better performance than a classical signal processing framework based on bandpass features coupled with spatial filtering for CI tasks, including word generation, subtraction, and spatial navigation. These results show for the first time that connectivity features can provide a reliable performance for imagery-based BCI system. Significance. We show that single-trial connectivity features for mixed imagery tasks (i.e. combination of CI and MI) can outperform the features obtained by current state-of-the-art method and hence can be successfully applied for BCI applications.
Evaluation of Serum Zinc Status and Glycated Hemoglobin of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Assam

The present study was undertaken to find out any correlation between serum zinc concentration and HbA1C% in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The study was carried out on 50 newly diagnosed patients of type 2 diabetes and controls in the Department of Biochemistry, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh. Analyses of blood glucose (fasting and postprandial), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum zinc, urea, and creatinine concentrations were performed by standard methods. Concentrations of fasting and postprandial blood glucose were significantly higher in the diabetic group than controls (P < 0.001) and the mean HbA1c% was also higher in cases (8.32% ±1.58%). The mean serum zinc concentration in cases was found to be significantly lower than controls (79.85 ± 13.4 vs. 109.74 ± 9.72 μg/dL) and P < 0.001 with correlation coefficient r = –0.804. Present study revealed an inverse relationship between HbA1C% and serum zinc concentration in patients with type 2 DM, substantiated by regression analysis.