Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case fatality of acute coronary events is improving even among elderly patients; the FINAMI study 1995–2012

Abstract Aim: To examine trends in incidence and 28-day case fatality of myocardial infarction (MI) in persons aged 75–99 years in four areas of Finland. Methods and results: The Finnish Acute Myocardial Infarction (FINAMI) register is a population-based MI register study, which during 1995–2012 recorded 30561 suspected acute coronary syndromes in persons aged ≥75 years. Of them, 16229 fulfilled the American Heart Association criteria for a definite, probable or possible MI or coronary death. This age-group contributed 56.8% of all MIs of which 62.7% occurred in women. The incidence of MI decreased by −3.3%/year (95% CI −4.2; −2.4) in women aged 75–84 years, and by −1.2%/year (−1.9; −0.5) in women aged 85-99 years, but among men in these age-groups, only a non-significant reduction occurred. The 28-day case fatality of MI was high. In the age-group 75–84 years, it decreased non-significantly by −1.6%/year in men, and significantly by −2.4%/year (−3.9; −0.8) in women. In the age-group 85–99 years, the decrease was more remarkable: −5.1%/year (−7.8; −2.3) and −3.9%/year (−5.5; −2.2), respectively. Conclusions: In Finland, more than half of MIs occur in the age-group 75–99 years, and most of them in women. The incidence of MI decreased significantly in elderly women but non-significantly in elderly men. The 28-day case fatality decreased especially in the age-group 85–99 years. Key Messages In Finland, more than one half of all myocardial infarctions (MIs) occur in the age-group of 75 years or older. Furthermore, 62.7% of MIs among elderly patients occur among women, although 58.0% of the elderly population are women. The incidence of MI decreased significantly in elderly women but not in elderly men. The 28-day case fatality in elderly patients was high but decreased significantly during the study period 1995–2012. This study provides population-based data on treatment strategies and trends in incidence, event rate, mortality and case fatality of MI in elderly individuals. Elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes still present a remarkable burden to the healthcare system in Finland as well as in many other developed countries. Especially considering the modern trend of reducing hospital resources and shifting patient care to outpatient clinics, the epidemiology of MI in elderly patients remains an important issue for the future planning of the healthcare system.
Analysing the Efficiency of Renewable Energy Consumption Among Oil‐Producing African Countries

Africa's growth over the past two decades has been unprecedented. However, access to modern forms of energy seems to be a major hurdle for most African countries even though renewable energy sources abound. It has been argued that, knowledge of demand determinants and estimates help to guide investment and policy design in the energy industry. This study therefore examined the efficiency of renewable energy consumption. Furthermore, it investigated the effect of carbon emissions, GDP per capita, energy resource depletion and human capital development on renewable energy demand in 10 African countries. A dynamic panel generalised method of moments, panel fixed‐effect and a panel random‐effect models were applied. The results suggest that economic growth, energy prices, carbon emissions and energy resource depletion significantly affect renewable energy demand in one or all the models. The study recommends that to promote renewable energy consumption, economic welfare of the population should be enhanced.
A mouse reporter line to conditionally mark nuclei and cell membranes for in vivo live‐imaging

Live‐imaging is an essential tool to visualize live cells and monitor their behaviors during development. This technology demands a variety of mouse reporter lines, each uniquely expressing a fluorescent protein. Here, we developed an R26R‐RG reporter mouse line that conditionally and simultaneously expresses mCherry and EGFP in nuclei and plasma membranes, respectively, from the Rosa26 locus. The intensity and resolution of mCherry nuclear localization and EGFP membrane localization were demonstrated to be sufficient for live‐imaging with embryos that express RG (mCherry and EGFP) ubiquitously and specifically in fetal Sertoli cells. The conditional R26R‐RG reporter mouse line should be a useful tool for labeling nuclei and membranes simultaneously in distinct cell populations. genesis 49:570–578, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Automated telecommunication interventions to promote adherence to cardio-metabolic medications: meta-analysis of effectiveness and meta-regression of behaviour change techniques

ABSTRACT Automated telecommunication interventions, including short message service and interactive voice response, are increasingly being used to promote adherence to medications prescribed for cardio-metabolic conditions. This systematic review aimed to comprehensively assess the effectiveness of such interventions to support medication adherence, and to identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and other intervention characteristics that are positively associated with greater intervention effectiveness. Meta-analysis of 17 randomised controlled trials showed a small but statistically significant effect on medication adherence, OR = 1.89, 95% CI [1.51, 2.36], I2 = 89%, N = 25,101. Multivariable meta-regression analysis including eight BCTs explained 88% of the observed variance in effect size (ES). The BCTs ‘tailored’ and ‘information about health consequences’ were positively and significantly associated with ES. Future studies could explore whether the inclusion of these and/or additional techniques (e.g., ‘implementation intentions’) would increase the effect of automated telecommunication interventions, using rigorous designs and objective outcome measures.
Electron specific absorbed fractions for the adult male and female ICRP/ICRU reference computational phantoms

The calculation of radiation dose from internally incorporated radionuclides is based on so-called absorbed fractions (AFs) and specific absorbed fractions (SAFs). SAFs for monoenergetic electrons were calculated for 63 source regions and 67 target regions using the new male and female adult reference computational phantoms adopted by the ICRP and ICRU and the Monte Carlo radiation transport programme package EGSnrc. The SAF values for electrons are opposed to the simplifying assumptions of ICRP Publication 30. The previously applied assumption of electrons being fully absorbed in the source organ itself is not always true at electron energies above approximately 300–500 keV. High-energy electrons have the ability to leave the source organ and, consequently, the electron SAFs for neighbouring organs can reach the same magnitude as those for photons for electron energies above 1 MeV. The reciprocity principle known for photons can be extended to electron SAFs as well, thus making cross-fire electron SAFs mass-independent. To quantify the impact of the improved electron dosimetry in comparison to the dosimetry using the simple assumptions of ICRP Publication 30, absorbed doses per administered activity of three radiopharmaceuticals were evaluated with and without explicit electron transport. The organ absorbed doses per administered activity for the two evaluation methods agree within 2%–3% for most organs for radionuclides with decay spectra having electron energies below a few hundred keV and within approximately 20% if higher electron energies are involved. An important exception is the urinary bladder wall, where the dose is overestimated by 60–150% using the simplified ICRP 30 approach for the radiopharmaceuticals of this study.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors After an Employer-Based Risk Reduction Program: An Observational Cohort Study

Abstract Context The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a public health concern. Workplace interventions that focus on modifying lifestyle habits may reduce CVD risk factors in people at risk. Objective To determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention program that integrated dietary modification, physical activity, stress management, and behavior modification counseling to reduce the risk of CVD in at-risk adults. Methods Twelve 1-year cohorts who participated in a comprehensive employer-sponsored lifestyle intervention program targeting diet, exercise, behavior modification, and stress management between 2006 and 2010 at a rural university in Appalachian Ohio were studied. Body composition, fasting glucose and lipid levels, and maximal oxygen consumption were measured at baseline, after 100 days, and at 1 year. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted to compare measures at baseline with measures at 100 days and at 1 year. Results Seventy-four participants (57 women [77.1%], 17 men [22.9%]) of 97 completed the program (76.3% completion rate). Body weight (P<.001); percentage of body fat (P<.001); fat mass (P<.001); body mass index (P<.001); waist circumference (P<.001); blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (P=.035), low-density lipoprotein (P=.011), and glucose (P=.008); serum triglyceride levels (P=.019); blood pressure (systolic P=.028; diastolic, P=.001); and maximal oxygen consumption (P<.001) improved from baseline to 1 year after the intervention. Lean body mass (P=.111) and total cholesterol (P=.053) did not improve. Conclusions This employer-based lifestyle intervention program was effective in reducing CVD risk factors after 1 year of treatment. Future studies should examine the effects of the intervention at 2 and 5 years to further assess long-term adoption of the lifestyle changes and maintenance of health promoted by this program.
[Analysis on genetic diversity of different Salvia miltiorrhiza geographical populations in China].

OBJECTIVE To research on genetic diversity of different Salvia miltiorrhiza geographical populations in China. METHOD The genetic diversity of 27 S. miltiorrhiza geographical populations from ten provinces in China was estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. The data of amplified bands were analyzed by the software POPGENE and SPSS. RESULT The ten primers employed produced a total of 528 discernable and reproduceable amplified fragments. There were 476 polymorphic brands. The percentage of polymorphic bands with in different populations was 90.15%. Genetic diversity analysis showed that Neis gene diversity (He) was 0.261 2 and Shannon's genetic diversity index (1) was 0.403 3. The coefficient of gene similarity was 0.504 0-0.789 0 between populations. The cluster map including all samples were obtained by UPGMA. In the map, there were seven cluster groups and one individual outside the groups. CONCLUSION The genetic diversity with in different geographical population of S. miltiorrhiza in China is plentiful.
The bet gene of feline foamy virus is required for virus replication.

Foamy viruses (FV) are complex retroviruses with additional bel genes located between env and the 3' long-terminal repeat. The functions of the bel 2 and bet genes are unknown and both are dispensable for replication of the prototypic human foamy virus in cell cultures. We examined the function(s) of bel 2 and bet of the distantly related feline foamy virus (FFV) in the proviral context. Mutagenesis was used to alter the Bel 2 and Bet or to abrogate their expression. The Bel 2/Bet mutants showed a 1000-fold reduced viral titer in feline kidney cells; in human 293T cells, viral titer was only about 10-fold reduced compared to wild-type FFV. In both cell types, the Bel 2/Bet mutations resulted in a reduced release of FFV particles. The results indicate that FFV Bet is required for efficient virus replication. The functions of the Bel 2 and Bet proteins are discussed.
UWB monopole antenna with enhanced gain and stable radiation pattern using gate like structures

A new technique of employing gate like metallic structure on the ground plane to achieve enhanced gain and stable radiation pattern of an ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip line fed planar monopole antenna is proposed. Two antennas with rectangular and semicircular gate like structures are designed having impedance bandwidth from 2 GHz to more than 11 GHz. The realized gain of the proposed antennas are found to be in the range of 3.98-7.44 dBi and 3.98-8.52 dBi for rectangular and semi-circular gate like structures, respectively. The proposed antennas also show nearly stable radiation patterns throughout the frequency band.
Dietary intake of calcium, fiber and other micronutrients in relation to colorectal cancer risk: Results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study

We evaluated the associations of dietary intake of calcium, fiber and vitamins with colorectal cancer risk in a population‐based prospective cohort study conducted among Chinese women in Shanghai. Subjects were recruited in urban Shanghai from March 1997 to May 2000. All subjects were interviewed in‐person to obtain information on demographic and lifestyle factors and anthropometric measurement was conducted. Usual dietary intake, using a validated food frequency questionnaire was assessed at the baseline survey. After following a total of 73,314 women for a median of 5.74 years, 283 incident colorectal cancer cases were recorded. Excluding the first 2 years of follow‐up, a high intake of calcium was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer. Comparing the highest quintile of nutrients intake to the lowest, the adjusted relative risk for colorectal cancer was 0.6 (p value for trend = 0.023) for calcium. No apparent associations were found for fiber, total vitamin A, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and E with colorectal cancer risk. Our results suggest that calcium may be protective against colorectal cancer development even at a lower consumption level compared to Western populations. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Family of Soft-Switching Single-Switch PWM Converters With Lossless Passive Snubber

To increase the power conversion density, decrease switching losses and electromagnetic interference (EMI), and provide safe operating area for a switch, applying snubber circuits which provide soft-switching conditions is inevitable. Among different types of snubber circuits, passive snubbers, due to their simplicity and robustness, are preferred. These snubber circuits can obtain soft-switching conditions without any additional switch. Thus, gate drive and control circuits remain simple. In this paper, a simple lossless passive snubber circuit which can be applied on isolated and nonisolated converters is introduced. The proposed snubber circuit provides zero-current-switching and zero-voltage-switching conditions at turn-on and turnoff instants, respectively. The proposed snubber is applied on a boost converter and analyzed. Also, in order to prove the effectiveness of the proposed snubber circuit from the converter efficiency and EMI viewpoints, a 200-W prototype boost converter is implemented, and experimental results are presented. Also, the simulation results of a soft-switched flyback converter with the proposed snubber cell are presented.
Investigation of Subject Motion Encountered During a Typical Positron Emission Tomography Scan

Subject motion has a known detrimental effect on brain Positron Emission Tomography image resolution. Numerous motion compensation techniques exist to address this issue, however prior to their application every effort should be made to limit subject motion. Using a Polaris motion tracking system subject motion was observed under typical scanning conditions for both healthy and Parkinson's disease (PD) volunteers. Motions in the range of 0 to 5 mm were observed for healthy subjects, and 0 to 20 mm for PD subjects. The most common source of motion was due to interaction between the subject and the attending nurse/scanning staff, especially during examination of the subject's symptoms (motions up to 8 mm). Less common activities resulting in significant motions were the use of a bedpan (20 mm), the removal of a cushion from under the subject's legs (5 mm) and leg readjustments (3 mm). Awareness of the effect each of these activities had on head motion can be used to motivate further limitations on these motions. Measured motions were also extrapolated to various regions in the brain, specifically the cerebellum, occipital cortex, and striatum. Subject head rotation about the vertical and horizontal axes resulted in the greatest displacement of regions in the cerebellum, while rotations about the subject's long axis primarily impacted the displacement of the occipital cortex region. This measurement provides motion related information about the expected accuracy of time activity curves for different brain regions.
Incumbent policy, benefits provision, and the triggering and spread of revolutionary uprisings

This article analyzes revolutionary uprisings, such as the Arab spring of 2011. Revolutions occur with an inherent probability dependent on a country’s characteristics. A country’s incumbent leader can decrease this probability by providing benefits to a population, e.g., public goods such as necessities of life, health care, safety, and education. We equate the probability of revolution with Granovetter’s equilibrium proportion of a population that joins a revolution. Decreased benefits provision increases the share of revolutionaries which, in turn, decreases the cost of revolt which helps resolve the free-rider problem implicit in revolting. The article quantifies how the incumbent chooses whether or not to provide benefits, and how many benefits to provide. We account for the unit cost of providing benefits and for the effects of the benefits provided, adjusted for whether the inherent revolution probability is low or high. Combining the modeling approaches, i.e., how revolutions spread and how the incumbent provides benefits, enriches our understanding of which factors affect revolutions and of how populations and their incumbent leaders interact. The model helps to understand the logic of revolutionary uprisings and how they can be curtailed.
New Evidence of the Causal Effect of Family Size on Child Quality in a Developing Country

This paper presents new evidence of the causal effect of family size on child quality in a developing-country context. We estimate the impact of family size on child labor and educational outcomes among Brazilian children and young adults by exploring the exogenous variation of family size driven by the presence of twins in the family. Using the Brazilian Census data for 1991, we find that the exogenous increase in family size is positively related to labor force participation for boys and girls and to household chores for young women. We also find negative effects on educational outcomes for boys and girls and negative impacts on human capital formation for young female adults. Moreover, we obtain suggestive evidence that credit and time constraints faced by poor families may explain the findings.
A Review on Structure–Activity Relationship of Dietary Polyphenols Inhibiting α-Amylase

The inhibitory effects of dietary polyphenols against α-amylase have attracted great interest among researchers. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the research reports on the structure–activity relationship of polyphenols inhibiting α-amylase. The molecular structures that influence the inhibition are the following: (1) The hydroxylation of flavonoids improved the inhibitory effect on α-amylase; (2) Presence of an unsaturated 2,3-bond in conjugation with a 4-carbonyl group has been associated with stronger inhibition; (3) The glycosylation of flavonoids decreased the inhibitory effect on α-amylase depending on the conjugation site and the class of sugar moiety; (4) The methylation and methoxylation of flavonoids obviously weakened the inhibitory effect; (5) The galloylated catechins have higher inhibition than nongalloylated catechins; the catechol-type catechins were stronger than the pyrogallol-type catechins; the inhibition activities of the catechins with 2,3-trans structure were higher than those of the catechins with 2,3-cis structure; (6) Cyanidin-3-glucoside showed higher inhibition against than cyanidin and cyanidin-3-galactoside and cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside had no inhibitory activity; (7) Ellagitannins with β-galloyl groups at glucose C-1 positions have higher inhibitory effect than the α-galloyl and nongalloyl compounds and the molecular weight of ellagitannins is not an important element.
Brucellosis in the West Bank, Palestine.

OBJECTIVE To identify the risk factors for brucellosis in Palestine, to estimate their association with the disease and to recommend appropriate prevention measures. METHODS An unmatched case-control study was conducted in the West Bank of Palestine. A total of 450 subjects (150 cases and 300 controls) chosen from all districts were investigated. Data were collected during the year 2000. Subjects were interviewed using a standard questionnaire acquiring demographic and risk factor information. Laboratory results were also recorded on the questionnaire. Data were analyzed calculating the odds ratio and the confidence intervals for the studied variables. A logistic regression model was used to explore the association between disease status and the studied variables. RESULTS Several variables were significantly associated with brucellosis involving both direct and indirect transmission such as consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy products, herding, lambing and others. CONCLUSION Most of the risk factors for being infected with brucellosis are modifiable. Efforts should be directed to the prevention of this major public health problem in Palestine utilizing the information obtained in this study.
In vitro and in vivo characterization of BR96 sFv-PE40. A single-chain immunotoxin fusion protein that cures human breast carcinoma xenografts in athymic mice and rats.

BR96 sFv-PE40 is a single-chain immunotoxin fusion protein targeted to the Ley Ag, which is expressed in many different human carcinomas as well as in normal gastrointestinal epithelium of humans and certain animals, including athymic rats but not mice. In vitro binding analysis determined that BR96 sFv-PE40 was similar in affinity to BR96 Fab. BR96 sFv-PE40 internalizes rapidly, similar to BR96 IgG. H3396 cells, derived from metastatic human breast carcinoma, have been established as tumor xenografts in estradiol-supplemented athymic mice and rats. H3396 tumor xenografts established in athymic mice (up to 350 mm3) and rats (up to 100 mm3) completely regressed after i.v. administration of BR96 sFv-PE40, given as 0.625 mg/kg (1.975 mg/m2) every 4th day for a total of five doses (mice) or 0.25 mg/kg (1.475 mg/m2) every 4th day for a total of four doses (rats). The tumors remained regressed for the duration of the study (> 85 days post-implant), which represents > 10 doubling times, indicating that the animals were cured. There was no toxicity in rats receiving a curative dose of 0.25 mg/kg, although liver and lung toxicity could be detected at a 16 times higher dose, 4 mg/kg or 23.6 mg/m2. We conclude, therefore, that BR96 sFv-PE40 can cure tumor xenografts at well tolerated doses and also in the presence of Ley expression in normal tissues.