Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life after Staged Revision for Infected Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

Introduction The aim of this review was to assess (health-related) quality of life ([HR]Qol) after 1-stage or 2-stage revision for prosthetic joint infection of the hip (PJI). Additionally, we compared (HR)QoL scores with normative population scores to assess whether QoL is reduced after revision for PJI. Methods A systematic search was performed in Embase, Cochrane and Pubmed. We included articles that reported (HR)QoL questionnaires after staged revision for hip PJI with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Methodological quality was assessed using the MINORS score. Results The search produced 11,195 results. We selected 12 papers describing 2-stage revisions. The mean MINORS score was 9.8. Average WOMAC scores of 185 patients with a mean follow-up of 69.8 months were 73. Average Short Form 36 (SF-36) scores of 159 patients with a mean follow-up of 40.7 months were 40.4 for the physical component score (PCS) and 51.6 for the mental component score (MCS). Average Short Form 12 (SF-12) scores of 154 patients with a mean follow-up of 73.4 months were: a PCS of 35.4 and a MCS of 49.1. The WOMAC, SF-12 (PCS) and SF-36 (PCS) were respectively 12%, 26.7% and 14.8% lower, compared to normative values. Discussions Patients who underwent 2-stage revision for hip PJI had substantially lower (physical component) (HR)QoL scores, but mental scores were comparable to the general population.
Development of spotlight mode SAR “Live SAR” for flood area surveillance

We have developed spotlight mode SAR called Live SAR for flood area surveillance. Live SAR has many feature for flexible measurement. The radar system is enough light to mount on small plane, and is able to take an image of various area with an antenna on a gimbal. Live SAR can control by an easy user interface software, and can automatically outputs very high-resolution image (0.1 m) within few tens of seconds. Live SAR has been tested both on ground and helicopter in Fukuoka and Utsunomiya area which include river and sea water, and could successfully generate high resolution image. It is confirmed that the water area looks dark due to a low radar cross section. We could take some such an image to estimate the water area and water volume. As well as fixed target image, moving target has been also detected. This feature will become very important to detect the water flow direction and people refuge.
Initial Evaluation of the Clarion CII Cochlear Implant: Speech Perception and Neural Response Imaging

Objective To evaluate the new Clarion® CII cochlear implant with the perimodiolar HiFocus® electrode array, including both speech perception outcomes and the device’s capabilities of measuring the electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP) of the auditory nerve (Neural Response Imaging, NRI). Design The speech perception scores on CVC words without lip reading were monitored prospectively for the 10 postlingually deaf patients implanted with the Clarion CII device in the period July 2000 until May 2001 in the Leiden University Medical Center. Preoperative and postoperative NRI recordings were made, applying various combinations of monopolar stimulating and recording electrodes with the alternating polarity paradigm available in the test bench software. Results Nine patients preferred the CIS, one the PPS strategy, none the SAS strategy. With their favorite strategy they acquired significant open set speech understanding within a few weeks, resulting in an average CVC phoneme score of 84% (word score 66%) at the end of the study (follow-up 3 to 11 mo). In speech-shaped noise, the average phoneme recognition threshold (PRT) was reached at a signal to noise ratio just below 0 dB. The NRI recordings had clear N1 and P1 peaks if there was at least one contact between the stimulating and recording electrodes, necessitating just 15 sweeps for a reliable recording. We observed considerable inter-patient and inter-electrode variability, but for a given situation NRI input/output curves were stable over time. More apical contacts generally elicited larger eCAPs. Response amplitudes tended to peak at recording sites around apical and basal stimulating electrodes, suggesting a limited spread of excitation. Preliminary recordings with the forward masking paradigm were consistent with the ones with the alternating polarity scheme. Conclusions The Clarion CII is a promising cochlear implant with which our first 10 patients have obtained excellent speech perception results. The NRI system yields high quality signals with a limited number of sweeps at a high sampling rate.
Discrimination and the Positive-Negative Asymmetry Effect: Ideological and Normative Processes

Research using the minimal group paradigm demonstrates that categorization and ingroup identification can foster intergroup discrimination. However, the positive-negative asymmetry effect shows that less discrimination occurs when negative rather than positive outcomes are distributed. The normative hypothesis explains this asymmetry by the stronger inappropriateness of discrimination in negative than in positive outcome distributions. Results obtained in this minimal group paradigm study (N = 257) did not replicate the asymmetry effect: discrimination occurred in both positive and negative outcome distributions, even if norms against discrimination were stronger in negative than in positive outcome distributions. The absence of the asymmetry effect is explained by the effect of the discrimination-justifying ideology.
Effects of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Ca2+ Channel Antagonists, and α-Adrenergic Blockers on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in NIDDM Patients With Hypertension

We compared the effects of captopril, nifedipine, and doxazosin on glucose and lipid metabolism in 30 hypertensive non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients (age = 50 ± 3 years; body mass index = 30 ± 1 kg/m2). Of these patients, 9 were treated with captopril, 11 with nifedipine, and 10 with doxazosin for 12 weeks. Blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration, HbA1c, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), euglycemic insulin clamp, and plasma lipids were measured before and after a 3-month period. Mean arterial blood pressure (114 ± 2 mmHg) was similar in all groups before initiating antihypertensive therapy and declined to 102 ± 2 (captopril), 103 ± 1 (nifedipine), and 103 ± 2 (doxazosin) mmHg (P < 0.001). Baseline FPG (148 ± 11 mg/dl) and HbA1c (6.3 ± 1%) were similar in all groups and did not change significantly with treatment. Plasma glucose, insulin, and free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations during the OGTT were similar in all groups before antihypertensive treatment and did not change with captopril and nifedipine; after doxazosin, plasma glucose and FFA concentrations during the OGTT decreased (both P < 0.05) without change in plasma insulin response. Insulin-mediated glucose uptake (144 ± 11 mg · m−2 · min−1), glucose oxidation (76 ± 4 mg · m−2 · min−1), and nonoxidative glucose disposal (71 ± 6 mg · m−2 · min−1) were similar in all groups before the start of antihypertensive treatment and did not change in captopril and nifedipine groups. After doxazosin, total glucose uptake (180 ± 25 mg · m−1) increased significantly (P < 0.01); nonoxidative glucose disposal did not change. Plasms lipid levels improved after doxazosin therapy; high-density lipoprotein rose from 40 ± 3 to 44 ± 3 mg/dl (P <0.01 and triglycerides fell from 210 ± 18 to 178 ± 17 (P < 0.05). No changes in plasma lipid levels were observed with captopril or nifedipine. We concluded that in hypertensive NIDDM subjects, 1) captopril, nifedipine, and doxazosin are equally effective in lowering blood pressure; 2) captopril and nifedipine have no adverse effects on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, ot plasma lipid profile; and 3) doxazosin significantly improves insulin sensitivity during the euglycemic insulin clamp, enhances OGTT while decreasing the plasma insulin response, and improves the plasma lipid profile.
Systemic Risk Measure: CoVaR and Copula

We consider an alternative computation methodology of the systemic risk measure (CoVaR) using copula and extend it to high dimension case. In addition, we modify the definition of risk contribution (ΔCoVaR) to make it more reasonable. We investigate the change of ΔCoVaR for eight European sovereign debt markets before and after European debt crisis. Evidences show that crisis markets were highly correlated with system and within each other before crisis, while they decoupled with system after the crisis.
Comparison of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation IV (APACHE IV) severity of illness scoring systems, in a multidisciplinary ICU

Background and Aims: Outcome prediction of critically ill patients is an integral part of care in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) scoring systems provide an objective means of mortality prediction in ICU. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of APACHE II and IV scoring system in our ICU. Material and Methods: All patients admitted to the ICU between January and June 2014 and who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. APACHE II and IV score were calculated during the first 24 h of ICU stay based on the worst values. All patients were followed up till discharge from the hospital or death. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 19.0. Discrimination of the model for mortality was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Results: Of a total 1268, 1003 patients were included in this study. The mean (±standard deviation) admission APACHE II score was 19.4 ± 8.9, and APACHE IV score was 59.1 ± 27.2. The APACHE scores were significantly higher among nonsurvivors than survivors (P < 0.001). The overall crude hospital mortality rate was 17.6%. APACHE IV had better discriminative power area under the ROC curve ([AUC] –0.82) than APACHE II (AUC-0.75). Both APACHE II and APACHE IV had poor calibration. Conclusions: APACHE IV showed better discrimination compared to APACHE II in our ICU population. Both APACHE II and APACHE IV had poor calibration. However, APACHE II calibrated better compared to APACHE IV.
Flyback lossless passive snubber

To increase power conversion density, it is inevitably necessary to increase switching frequency. However, doing so has detrimental effects, including reduced efficiency and increased EMI under hard-switching operation. To prevent the side effects of high switching frequencies, soft switching methods present advantages. In this paper, a lossless passive snubber circuit that operates based on the flyback converter is introduced. The proposed snubber circuit is not only able to produce ZVS and ZCS conditions for the converter switch, but also to produce soft switching conditions for the other semiconductor elements. The snubber circuit is applied to a flyback converter and the experimental results are presented to justify the theoretical analysis. The outcomes show that the proposed converter improved efficiency by over 3% compared with the hard switching flyback converter.
Advanced endotracheal tube biofilm stage, not duration of intubation, is related to pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Biofilms are complex communities of living bacteria surrounded by a protective glycocalyx. Biofilms have been implicated in the development of infections such as dental caries and hardware infections. Biofilms form on endotracheal tubes (ETT) and can impact airway resistance. The lifecycle of a biofilm has four stages. We hypothesize that there is a relationship between the stage of biofilm on the ETT and development of pneumonia. METHODS: Thirty-two ETT were analyzed for biofilms and staged. Staging was performed by a microbiologist blinded to all patient information. Data included development of pneumonia, duration of intubation, comorbidities, and microbiology. Pneumonia was defined as presence of fever, WBC >12 K or <4 K, infiltrate on chest X-ray, and purulent sputum with +lower airway culture (bronchoalveolar lavage or brush). Statistics were performed by a biostatistician; p < 0.05 defined significance. RESULTS: There were 11 women and 21 men with a mean age of 50 years. Mean intensive care unit days were 13 (standard deviation ± 9.9) and mean length of intubation was 7.4 days (standard deviation ± 5.0). Half (16 of 32) the patients developed pneumonia while intubated. Eight of 10 patients with a stage IV biofilm had pneumonia. There was a relationship between increasing biofilm stage with the incidence of pneumonia (p < 0.05). Stage IV biofilms were associated with pneumonia (p < 0.02). There was no relationship to duration of intubation, patient age or hospital stay and biofilm stage. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced biofilm stage (stage IV) is associated with pneumonia. Duration of intubation does not predict biofilm stage.
Theorizing and researching levels of processing in self‐regulated learning

BACKGROUND Deep versus surface knowledge is widely discussed by educational practitioners. A corresponding construct, levels of processing, has received extensive theoretical and empirical attention in learning science and psychology. In both arenas, lower levels of information and shallower levels of processing are predicted and generally empirically demonstrated to limit knowledge learners gain, curtail what they can do with newly acquired knowledge, and shorten the life span of recently acquired knowledge. PURPOSE I recapitulate major accounts of levels or depth of information and information processing to set a stage for conceptualizing, first, self-regulated learning (SRL) from this perspective and, second, how a "levels-sensitive" approach might be implemented in research about SRL. METHOD I merge the levels construct into a model of SRL (Winne, 2011, Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (pp. 15-32), New York: Routledge; Winne, 2017b, Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd ed.), New York: Routledge; Winne & Hadwin, 1998, Metacognition in educational theory and practice (pp. 277-304). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum) conceptually and with respect to operationally defining the levels construct in the context of SRL in relation to each of the model's four phases - surveying task conditions, setting goals and planning, engaging the task, and composing major adaptations for future tasks. Select illustrations are provided for each phase of SRL. Regarding phase 3, a software system called nStudy is introduced as state-of-the-art instrumentation for gathering fine-grained, time-stamped trace data about information learners select for processing and operations they use to process that information. CONCLUSIONS Self-regulated learning can be viewed through a lens of the levels construct, and operational definitions can be designed to research SRL with respect to levels. While information can be organized arbitrarily deeply, the levels construct may not be particularly useful for distinguishing among processes except in a sense that, because processes in SRL operate on information with depth, they epiphenomenally acquire characteristics of levels. Thus, SRL per se is not a deeper kind of processing. Instead, it is processing more complex - deeper - information about a different topic, namely processes for learning.
Morphological, Secondary Metabolite and ITS (rDNA) Variability within Usnic Acid‐Containing Lichen Thalli of Xanthoparmelia Explored at the Local Scale of Rock Outcrop in W‐Alps

Lichen secondary metabolites (LSMs) are regarded with interest for valuable biological properties, but chemical variability among/within lichen taxa has been only fragmentarily characterized by advanced analytical techniques. Knowledge of variability at a local geographic scale has been particularly neglected, while it should address the collection of chemically homogeneous materials to test and exploit LSMs. Here we evaluated the chemical variability of 48 Xanthoparmelia specimens from two rock outcrops in Western Italian Alps, representative of nine morphotypes and sixteen rDNA ITS haplotypes. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by HPLC‐DAD‐ESI‐MS2 and UPLC‐HDR‐DAD, respectively, and revealed the occurrence of 18 LSMs. Chemical partition allowed distinguishing six chemical groups, only partially overlapping with distinct morphotypes and three divergent haplotype groups, which, overall, accounted for the co‐occurrence of different taxa only in part identifiable with species described for Europe. Some morphotypes were variable in presence and concentration of LSMs, and chemical divergences also characterized single ITS haplotypes. Accordingly, the collection of chemically homogeneous materials, even at a local scale, may be not properly addressed by morphological features and ITS barcoding, and should be confirmed by a specimen‐level chemical characterization.
Possible Overestimation of Indocyanine Green-Derived Plasma Volume Early After Induction of Anesthesia with Propofol/Fentanyl

Apparently large plasma volumes derived by indocyanine green (PV-ICG) have been determined in the initial period after induction of anesthesia. We tested the hypothesis that possible overestimation of PV-ICG occurs shortly after anesthetic induction. Anesthesia was induced in 13 patients with fentanyl bolus 2 &mgr;g/kg and propofol infusion 0.5 mg · kg−1 · min−1 IV until patients lost consciousness and was then maintained with a propofol infusion. PV-ICG and the initial distribution volume of glucose (IDVG) were assessed at 15 min before and at 15 min after anesthetic induction. Plasma ICG and glucose concentrations were measured from serial blood samples taken before and through 7 min after injection of ICG 25 mg and glucose 5 g. PV-ICG and IDVG were calculated using a one-compartment model. PV-ICG was significantly increased by an average of 15.3% after induction, from 2.29 ± 0.38 (sd) L to 2.64 ± 0.31 L (P < 0.001). The mean hematocrit (Hct), concentrations of hemoglobin (Hb), and total plasma proteins at postinduction decreased compared with those at preinduction by 2.9%, 2.2%, and 2.3%, respectively (P < 0.05). Percentile increase in plasma volume calculated from Hb and Hct before and after induction was 4%. Consequently, an 11% overestimation in PV-ICG was observed. IDVG remained unchanged. Therefore, the ratio of PV-ICG/IDVG increased from 0.40 ± 0.05 before induction to 0.48 ± 0.06 after induction (P < 0.01). These results validate the hypothesis that possible overestimation of PV-ICG occurs during a definable period of time after propofol anesthetic induction. The present results also support the PV-ICG/IDVG ratio as a measure of possible overestimation of PV-ICG or fluid redistribution from the central to the peripheral tissues.
A 1.95GHz 28dBm fully integrated packaged power amplifier presenting a 3G FOM of 80 (PAE+ACLR) designed in H9SOIFEM CMOS 130nm: Development of an optimized high performances RF SOI power cell

A fully integrated and packaged Power Amplifier (PA) has been realized in 130nm STMicroelectronics H9SOIFEM. The PA is based on a new dedicated power cell delivering very good RF performances. At 28dBm output power, ACPR is -40dBc and PAE is 40%, reaching a FOM (ACPR+PAE) of 80 at 1.95GHz 3G standard, under 3.4V. Neither linearization nor efficiency enhancement technics have been used. The core power transistor provides very high power added efficiency (PAE) of 75% at a gain of 18dB typical, around 2GHz. This technology has been optimized for low cost RF front end module (FEM) applications.
Avaluating Alternative Risk Transfer as a Crop Insurance Policy under Stochastic Yields and Prices

The purpose is to evaluate Alternative Risk Transfer (ART) against Short-term Crop Hail Insurance (SCHI) to provide cost effective and constant cover against hail risk under stochastic yields and prices. A farm financial simulation model was developed to simulate the influence of hail damage and the different crop insurance policies on a maize farm with variable levels of yields and prices. The yield and price data were simulated with the procedure for estimating and simulating multivariate empirical (MVE) probability distributions. The risk efficiency was analysed with stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF). The insurance options with the largest net benefit to the enterprise were ART in the low hail risk area and SCHI in the high hail risk area. It was found that both SCHI and ART might be effective measures for the mitigation of hail damage, depending on the amount of hail risk present in certain area.
Solving mathematical programs with complementarity constraints as nonlinear programs

We consider solving mathematical programs with complementarity constraints (MPCCs) as nonlinear programs (NLPs) using standard NLP solvers. This approach is appealing because it allows existing off-the-shelf NLP solvers to tackle large instances of MPCCs. Numerical experience on MacMPEC, a large collection of MPCC test problems is presented. Our experience indicates that sequential quadratic programming (SQP) methods are very well suited for solving MPCCs and at present outperform interior-point solvers both in terms of speed and reliability. All NLP solvers also compare very favorably to special MPCC solvers on tests published in the literature.
Selective internal radiation therapy with SIR-Spheres in patients with nonresectable liver tumors.

AIM Transarterial embolization of branches of the hepatic artery with biocompatible 90Y-labeled microspheres (SIR-Spheres) is a local treatment modality for patients with liver tumors, which, most recently, has become available in Europe. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of this selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). METHODS Twenty-three patients with nonresectable hepatic metastases or hepatocellular carcinoma nonresponding to polychemotherapy and/or other local treatment were treated with SIRT. SIR-Spheres (mean activity, 2270 MBq) were administered by gentle intra-arterial infusion in the hepatic artery. A follow-up was documented by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), course of tumor markers, and computed tomography (CT). RESULTS Common minor side-effects were abdominal pain, nausea, and fever. Mild pancreatitis and peptic ulceration were observed once each. Currently, all patients are still alive, with survival times ranging from 11 to 518 days from SIRT up to the present. Three-month follow-up investigations are available in 13 of 23 patients, which, so far, are showing a marked decrease of FDG uptake, a drop of tumor markers, and unchanged or slightly decreasing lesion size (CT) in 10 of 13 patients. Two patients showed stable findings, while another patient showed progressive disease. Long-term follow-up investigations are available in 2 of 23 patients, showing hepatic and extrahepatic progression 6 and 9 months after SIRT. CONCLUSIONS Our initial experience confirms that SIRT is a promising local therapeutic approach in patients with nonresectable liver tumors which is feasible and has an acceptable toxicity profile. Prospective data on comparing this treatment alone or in combination with other modalities are needed to answer whether long-term survival in this unfavorable stage of disease can be markedly improved.