Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physician's health : time to take care.

The importance of Physician wellbeing was probably first best articulated by prominent Greek physician Galen who said, ‘ That the physician will hardly be thought very careful of the health of his patients if he neglects his own. 1 ’ In this issue of JAPI Ramachandran and colleagues 2 surveyed 2499 doctors from urban and semi-urban areas and found that these physicians had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance) compared to age matched individuals from the general population. Young physician’s had a higher prevalence of alcohol use (16.7%) and one in ten physician were current smokers. Though similar trends have been reported in other countries, recent studies indicate that male physicians lived longer than men in general population (73 years versus 70 years). 3 A similar attempt was made in the past among the members of the Association of Physicians of India by past President Professor BB Thakur, though the observations remain unpublished. The surveys and information gathering amongst physicians is difficult, but an important area about which scant information is available. Physician are also at increased risk of mental illnesses and suicide. Physicians often fail to diagnose depression in themselves and don’t seek medical treatment. In a study of 200 medical students, only 22% of students who screened positive for depression sought for help. Among the most cited barriers were lack of time (48%), lack of confidentiality ( 37%), stigma ( 30%) and fear of medical documentation( 24%). 4 This and other studies have lead to the development of consensus statement to change professional attitudes and encourage physicians to see mental health care when needed. 5 In the present study physicians were not asked about their exercise habits. Lewis and colleagues 6 in a mailed survey of 2610 internists reported that physicians who exercised regularly were more likely to counsel their patients about the benefits of exercise and provide information regarding smoking cessation . Nevertheless, the current study underscores the risk of serious illness among young Indian physicians if major lifestyle changes are not implemented.
Clinical use of conventional reference intervals in the frail elderly.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Reference intervals provided by the laboratory are commonly established by measuring samples from apparently healthy subjects in the ages 18-65 years, excluding elderly individuals with chronic diseases and medication. The aim of our study was to establish whether current reference intervals for immune parameters and chemical biomarkers are valid for older individuals including those with chronic diseases, so-called frail elderly. METHODS Data from our cohort of 138 non-infected nursing home residents (NHR), mean age 86.8 years, range 80-98, were compared with raw data, as basis for the development of reference intervals, obtained from reference populations, like blood donors (IgA, IgG, IgM, C3 and C4) and from the Nordic Reference Interval Project (NORIP) (alanine aminotransferase, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphate, sodium and urea). Immune parameters were measured by nephelometry and in NORIP the measurements were performed by means of different routine methods, in more than 100 laboratories. RESULTS Only nine individuals (7%) of NHR were found to be free from chronic disease. C3, C4 (P < 0.001) and IgG levels (P < 0.05) were higher, while IgM levels (P < 0.001) were lower in NHR compared with reference blood donors. Levels of alanine aminotransferase, phosphate (P < 0.001), albumin (P < 0.05) and sodium (P < 0.01) were lower while creatinine and urea levels were higher (P < 0.001) in NHR compared with NORIP subjects. CONCLUSION Comparing laboratory results from elderly people with conventional reference intervals can be misleading or even dangerous, as normal conditions may appear pathological, or vice versa and thus lead to unnecessary or even harmful treatment.
Knee biomechanics of the support leg in soccer kicks from three angles of approach.

PURPOSE To examine knee joint kinematics, electromyographic (EMG) activity patterns and ground reaction forces (GRF) during an instep soccer kick from three different approaches relative to the ball. METHODS Ten male soccer players performed maximum kicks from 0 rad (K0), 0.81 rad (K45), and 1.62 rad (K90) angle between the players' starting position and the position of the ball. GRF data and 3-D kinematics and EMG activity of the vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles of the lower leg were recorded. RESULTS colon; Compared with K0, K90, and K45 demonstrated higher medial and posterior GRF and lower anterior GRF. K90 and K45 also demonstrated higher external rotation displacement, maximum flexion, internal rotation, abduction, and adduction velocity of the tibia relative to the femur of the support leg compared with K0 (P < 0.01). The BF EMG before and immediately after ground contact was also higher in K90 and K45 compared with K0 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Soccer kicks using a high angle of approach increase the medial and posterior GRF, which is indicative of an altered stance during the kick, resulting in an altered balance. Such kicks are accompanied by significant alterations in knee joint kinematics and an increased BF activation around ground contact. Soccer kicks from an angled approach may induce significant loads to knee joint structures of the support leg.
An Integrated Architecture for Cooperative Sensing Networks

Distributed sensor networks (DSNs) consisting of many small, low-cost, spatially dispersed, communicating nodes have been proposed for many applications, such as area surveillance and environmental monitoring. Trends in integrated electronics, such as better performance-to-cost ratios, low-power radios, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, now allow the construction of sensor nodes with signal processing, wireless communications, power sources and synchronization, all packaged into inexpensive miniature devices. If these devices can be easily deployed and self-integrated into a system, they promise great benefits in providing real-time information about environmental conditions. Intelligent sensor nodes function much like individual ants that, when formed into a network, cooperatively accomplish complex tasks and provide capabilities greater than the sum of the individual parts. The paper discusses several technical challenges that must be overcome to fully realize the viability of the DSN concept in realistic application scenarios.
Mammary development and regression during lactation in goats in relation to milk secretion.

Mammary development was assessed in lactating goats using a combination of biopsy (for analysis of nucleic acids) and udder volumes (for determination of gross size). Single biopsies were shown to be highly representative of the composition of the whole gland provided that they were taken from carefully selected sites. Results indicated an increase in both milk yield and the size of the mammary cell population ( DNAt ) over the first three weeks of lactation. Yield, but not DNAt , continued to increase until peak lactation at around week eight. As milk yield fell between weeks eight and twenty-three the size of the cell population also decreased; beyond week twenty-three and until week thirty-six DNAt stabilized but yield continued to fall. It is concluded that the first part of the increase in milk yield during ascending (early) lactation in goats can be attributed to proliferation of secretory cells, but subsequently there is an increase in the amount produced by each cell. Likewise, declining lactation is initially characterized by a loss of cells, and yield per cell falls later.
Approche quantitative de la réponse écologique des espèces végétales forestières à l'échelle de la France

L'objectif de ce travail est de determiner l'interet des bases de donnees presentant un nombre important de releves floristiques et ecologiques complets pour etudier de facon quantitative le comportement ecologique des especes vegetales forestieres sur de vastes territoires. Les donnees utilisees sont celles d'EcoPlant, developpee a l'Ecole Nationale du Genie Rural des Eaux et des Forets (ENGREF, Nancy) pour stocker des milliers de releves phytoecologiques complets (releves floristiques et caracteristiques climatiques et edaphiques precises), realises dans les forets de France. La definition de 54 courbes de reponse theoriques d'especes vegetales vis-avis du pH, et la creation de jeux artificiels de donnees binaires de taille variable pour essayer de re-creer les courbes de reponse theoriques, ont permis de montrer qu'il est difficile de modeliser de maniere fiable le comportement des especes peu frequentes avec la regression logistique. En effet, nous montrons que 50 a 100 occurrences d'une espece representent un seuil minimal pour determiner precisement l'optimum, l'amplitude et la probabilite maximale de la courbe de reponse ecologique des especes avec la regression logistique, ce qui justifie la necessite de travailler avec de larges bases de donnees. Pour tester la stabilite du comportement ecologique des especes sur de vastes territoires, nous avons compare la reponse au pH du sol de 46 herbacees forestieres entre le nord-est et le nordouest de la France, et de 21 herbacees forestieres entre les Vosges et le Jura. En contexte de plaine ou de montagne, la majorite des especes etudiees n'ont pas revele de differences regionales marquees en terme d'optimum ou d'amplitude ecologiques vis-a-vis du pH de l'horizon A du sol. Les quelques differences regionales observees ont ete expliquees dans les deux cas par des conditions de competition differentes dans chaque region. Nous concluons que l'etude de la reponse ecologique peut s'effectuer sur de vastes territoires tels que la France, a condition que les conditions de competition ne soient pas trop differentes selon les regions. Une caracteristique majeure de la base EcoPlant est de stocker des informations edaphiques et climatiques, couplee a des releves floristiques effectues sur les memes sites. L'etude conjointe de la reponse ecologique des especes vegetales vis-a-vis de facteurs climatiques et edaphiques a rarement ete menee, puisque la majorite des etudes etudient la reponse climatique des especes vegetales. Nous illustrons l'importance de prendre en compte des variables edaphiques de nutrition dans les modeles de niche ecologique et de distribution geographique des plantes terrestres, par la modelisation de l'ecologie et de la distribution de l'Erable champetre (Acer campestre L.) dans les forets francaises. L'ensemble des resultats met en evidence l'interet des bases de donnees importantes et ecologiquement completes telles qu'EcoPlant pour approfondir la connaissance des differentes dimensions de la niche ecologique des especes a l'echelle de vastes territoires.
Comparison of Otolith-Based Back-Calculation Methods to Determine Individual Growth Histories of Larval Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis

In rearing studies on 6- to 22-d-old larval striped bass, Morone saxatilis, we applied several back-calculation methods to known-growth larvae. A growth effect occurred on otolith diameter – standard length relationships, where slower growing larvae had relatively larger otoliths. Otolith growth was less affected by feeding regime than was somatic growth. Due to the conservative nature of otolith growth, proportional based (Biological Intercept Method) and simple linear regression methods linearized somatic growth transitions and did not estimate periods of negative growth. A quadratic regression method which used age as an additional predictor resulted in the accurate back-calculation of size at age in all groups of laboratory-reared larvae. However, when model coefficients were applied to a test population of pond-reared larvae, the quadratic model performed poorly. While differences in relative otolith size between pond- and laboratory-reared larvae could be ascribed to a temperature effect, the inabil.
Behavior and Risk of Predation in Larval Tree Hole Mosquitoes: Effects of Hunger and Population History of Predation

We compare fixed behavior patterns and estimate associated risk of predation for eight populations of Aedes triseriatus at different levels of hunger, produced by manipulation of food availability prior to the test. Activity patterns (frequencies of browsing, filtering, resting, and thrashing) varied significantly among populations, hut did not differ significantly between populations from sympatry with the predator Toxorhynchites rutilus vs those from allopatry to this predator. Activity patterns were affected by hunger, with increasing hunger associated with decreasing thrashing and resting, and increasing browsing. Food affected activity in all populations in a similar fashion
Universal screening and drug treatment of dyslipidemia in children and adolescents.

VER THE LAST FEW DECADES, THE THEORY THAT adultdiseasesbegininchildhoodhasbeenwidely discussed.Smoking,themostcommonunderlyingcauseofdeathforadultsintheUnitedStates, beginsbeforetheageof18yearsinthemajorityofadultsmokers. Obesity has become the largest health problem in the United States, and the difficulty of long-term weight loss for obesechildrenandadolescentsmeansthatmanyofthemwill beoverweightasadults.Therationaleforconsideringcardiovascular disease prevention efforts in childhood is compelling. Not only do risk factors track from childhood into adult life, but the development and progression of atherosclerosis, whichoftenstartsinchildhood,arealsodirectlyrelatedtothe number of risk factors and their severity. The recent report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI)ExpertPanelonIntegratedGuidelinesfor CardiovascularHealthandRiskReductioninChildrenandAdolescents 1 reviewsallthemajorcardiovasculardiseaseriskfactors and makes recommendations about their management. There is good evidence for the recommendations on screening for tobacco use and hypertension during childhood and adolescencetopreventlatercardiovasculardisease.Themost controversialrecommendationislikelytobeuniversalscreeningforlipidlevelsinchildrenat9to11yearsofageandagain at17to21yearsofage.InthenewNHLBIguidelines,highlevelsoflipidsinchildrenarelinkedtorecommendationsabout bothbehavioralanddrugtherapies.Therobustevidencethat high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are a cause of atherosclerosis and clinical events is not matched bysimilarlevelsofevidencethatlong-term,perhapslifelong, drug treatment in young children is effective and safe. In adults, the health benefits of statins are well demonstrated. In a meta-analysis of 10 primary prevention clinical trials, statin use was associated with a 30% reduction (95% CI, 19%-39%) in coronary events and a 12% reduction (95% CI, 4%-19%) in total mortality. 2 Recent trials, meta-analyses, andlipidtreatmentguidelinessupportnotonlymoreaggressivestatintherapyinhigh-riskindividualsbutalsotheexpan
Large scale identification of genes involved in cell surface biosynthesis and architecture in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The sequenced yeast genome offers a unique resource for the analysis of eukaryotic cell function and enables genome-wide screens for genes involved in cellular processes. We have identified genes involved in cell surface assembly by screening transposon-mutagenized cells for altered sensitivity to calcofluor white, followed by supplementary screens to further characterize mutant phenotypes. The mutated genes were directly retrieved from genomic DNA and then matched uniquely to a gene in the yeast genome database. Eighty-two genes with apparent perturbation of the cell surface were identified, with mutations in 65 of them displaying at least one further cell surface phenotype in addition to their modified sensitivity to calcofluor. Fifty of these genes were previously known, 17 encoded proteins whose function could be anticipated through sequence homology or previously recognized phenotypes and 15 genes had no previously known phenotype.
Classification with High‐Dimensional Genetic Data: Assigning Patients and Genetic Features to Known Classes

A major task in the statistical analysis of genetic data such as gene expressions and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is to predict whether a patient has a certain disease, or from which of several known subtypes of a disease a patient suffers. A large number of discrimination methods have been proposed in the literature and have been applied to genetic data to tackle this task. In this paper, we give an overview on the most popular of these procedures in the analysis of genetic data. Moreover, we describe how these methods for supervised classification can be combined with variable selection approaches to reduce the number of genetic features from several thousands to as few as possible to form a concise classification rule. Finally, we show how the resulting statistical models can be validated. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Energy transduction in protein transport and the ATP hydrolytic cycle of SecA

The motor protein SecA drives the transport of polypeptides through the ubiquitous protein channel SecYEG. Changes in protein-nucleotide binding energy during the hydrolytic cycle of SecA must be harnessed to drive large conformational changes resulting in channel opening and vectorial substrate polypeptide transport. Here, we elucidate the ATP hydrolysis cycle of SecA from Escherichia coli by transient and steady-state methods. The basal ATPase activity of SecA is very slow with the release of ADP being some 600-fold slower than hydrolysis. Upon binding to SecYEG the release of ADP is stimulated but remains rate-limiting. ADP release is fastest in the fully coupled system when a substrate protein is being translocated; in this case hydrolysis and ADP release occur at approximately the same rate. The data imply that ADP dissociation from SecA is accompanied by a structural rearrangement that is strongly coupled to the protein interface and protein translocation through SecYEG.
Identification and characterization of the Cryptococcus neoformans phosphomannose isomerase‐encoding gene, MAN1, and its impact on pathogenicity

The polysaccharide capsule surrounding Cryptococcus neoformans comprises manose, xylose and glucuronic acid, of which mannose is the major constituent. The GDP‐mannose biosynthesis pathway is highly conserved in fungi and consists of three key enzymes: phosphomannose isomerase (PMI), phosphomannomutase (PMM) and GDP‐mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP). The MAN1 gene, encoding for the PMI enzyme, was isolated and sequenced from C. neoformans, and a disruption of the MAN1 gene was generated. One MAN1 disruption mutant, man1, which showed poor capsule formation, reduced polysaccharide secretion and morphological abnormalities, was chosen for virulence studies. In both the rabbit and the mouse models of invasive cryptococcosis, man1 was shown to be severely impaired in its virulence, with complete elimination of the yeast from the host. A reconstituted strain of man1 was constructed using gene replacement at the native locus. The wild‐type and reconstituted strains were significantly more virulent than the knock‐out mutant in both animal models. Our findings reveal that PMI activity is essential for the survival of C. neoformans in the host. The fact that the man1 mutant was not pathogenic suggests that blocking mannose synthesis could be fungicidal in the mammalian host and thus an excellent target for antifungal drug development.
Understanding Stakeholders’ Influence on Project Success with a New SNA Method: A Case Study of the Green Retrofit in China

Stakeholders strongly influence project success, particularly for complex projects with heterogeneous stakeholders, and hence, understanding their influence is essential for project management and implementation. This paper proposes an original model based on social network analysis (SNA), which first introduces critical success factors (CSFs) as intermediate variables between stakeholders and project success. The model can demonstrate the interrelation between stakeholders and CSFs, and the results can reveal how stakeholders influence project success. Green retrofit is a typical type of complex project. The stakeholder relationship in green retrofit projects is more complex than in new projects, since more stakeholders (e.g., tenants and facility managers) who have particular interrelations (e.g., lease contract and split incentives between owners and tenants) are involved. Therefore, a case study of green retrofit in China was conducted to illustrate how the proposed model works. The results indicated the priorities and similarities of stakeholders in green retrofit. Stakeholders are categorized into five clusters according to their relationship. Based on the results, the important role of stakeholders in green retrofit projects was discussed. The main contribution of this study is providing a novel method to reveal how stakeholders influence the success of complex projects.
Consumers' Online Cognitive Scripts: A Neurophysiological Approach

A cognitive script is a predetermined sequence of actions that define a well-known situation. Building on neuroscience literature, the objectives of this research-in-progress are to verify and validate that consumers activate cognitive scripts when shopping online, understand how cognitive scripts are formed by consumers over multiple online shopping trips, and investigate how consumers activating different cognitive scripts respond when facing a novel shopping environment. Twenty-one novice participants (i.e., no digital music purchase experience) were assigned to either an “intrascript” condition (multiple visits to a single website) or an “interscript” condition (single visits to multiple websites). Using psychometric and neurophysiological measures, our results suggest that intrascript consumers appear to use more automatic processing, while interscript consumers use more controlled processing. In addition, when visiting a new website, interscript consumers perceive this website as easier to use than intrascript consumers. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.
VictoriaFalls: Scaling highly-threaded processor cores

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation on VictoriaFalls, Sun Microsystems' highly threaded processor cores. Some of the specific topics discussed include: the special features and processing capabilties of highly threaded processors; the system architecture and design of VictoriaFalls; scaling challenges and implementations; and performance scaling techniques and evaluations.