Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rate of Community Methadone Treatment Reporting at Jail Reentry following a Methadone Increased Dose Quality Improvement Effort

The Rikers Island Key Extended Entry Program (KEEP) has offered methadone treatment for opioid dependent inmates incarcerated in New York City's jails since 1986. In response to a trend toward low-dose methadone maintenance prescribing, a quality improvement (QI) protocol trained KEEP counselors, physicians, and pharmacists in the evidence base supporting moderate-to-high methadone maintenance doses in order to maximize therapeutic effects and rates of successful reporting to community methadone treatment programs (MTPs) post release. Discharge dose level and length of incarceration data were analyzed for 2 groups of KEEP patients discharged pre/post-QI. Among patients incarcerated for 21 or more days, the proportion of those on moderate-to-high doses of methadone increased significantly. Patients who reached a moderate-to-high methadone dose demonstrated higher rates of reporting to community MTP versus lower doses, both pre- and post-QI. Overall, a higher proportion of all patients reported to community MTP post-QI.
Local error analysis of Evans–Sanugi, nonlinear one-step methods based on θ-means

A new class of weighted, homogeneous, differentiable means is introduced, referred to as θ-means, which may be extended to the whole plane. These means are applied to Evans–Sanugi nonlinear one-step methods for initial value problems of scalar differential equations. Their general local truncation error is obtained, showing the first order of these methods for θ≠1/2 and second order for θ=1/2. Numerical results for scalar DETEST problems using Arithmetic, Harmonic, Contraharmonic, Quadratic, Geometric, Heronian, Centroidal and Logarithmic θ-means are presented. Both the local error of the methods and the global error of the numerical results have the same functional dependence with the parameters of the numerical method. The results show that a comparison of different methods for scalar problems may be based on the numerical evaluation of local truncation error.
No effect of glycogen level on glycogen metabolism during high intensity exercise.

This study examined the effect of glycogen supercompensation on glycogen breakdown, muscle and blood lactate accumulation, blood-pH, and performance during short-term high-intensity exercise. Young healthy volunteers performed two supramaximal (125% of VO2max) exercise tests on a bicycle ergometer, either for 1 min 45 s (protocol 1; N = 18) or to exhaustion (protocol 2; N = 14). The exercise tests were preceded by either 5 d on a controlled normal (N) diet, or by 2 d of glycogen-depleting exercise accompanied by the normal diet followed by 3 d on a carbohydrate-rich (CHR) diet. In protocol 1, preexercise muscle glycogen concentrations were 364 +/- 23 and 568 +/- 35 mumol.g-1 d.w. in the N and CHR condition, respectively (P < 0.05). During the exertion, glycogen concentration in the M. quadriceps decreased to the same extent in both groups. Accordingly, the exercise-induced increases in muscle and blood-lactate, and the fall in blood-pH were similar during N and CHR. In protocol 2, time to exhaustion was identical for N and CHR. It is concluded that during short-term intense exercise during which muscle glycogen availability exceeds glycogen demand, rate of glycogen breakdown, lactate accumulation, and performance are regulated irrespective of the preexercise muscle glycogen level.
Geographic Access to Hospital Care: A 30‐Minute Travel Time Standard

A review of literature focusing upon geographic accessibility to health facilities indicates that while distance has been the traditional measure, travel time may now be a more meaningful indicator. Applying a 30-minute travel time standard to general hospitals, as advocated by various health plans, this paper illustrates an approach to the determination of geographic accessibility through a combination of a travel time file and sociodemographic profiles. Focusing upon all residents of West Virginia, the study identifies the number and characteristics of persons who reside within and beyond the 30-minute standard. More than 10 per cent of the entire population and nearly 20 per cent of the rural residents live in areas which are, by this standard, inaccessible to general hospitals. The “inaccessible” populations are characterized as having sociodemographic attributes associated with high medical needs. Other applications of travel time data are discussed.
Multidisciplinary management of testicular cancer complicated by thrombosis of the inferior vena cava: a case report

Abstract Introduction: Testicular cancer is a rare disease, most commonly seen in young adults. It represents 1% of solid cancers in men. Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis remains a rare complication of testicular cancer and is often associated with a high risk of pulmonary embolism (PE). Case report: The authors report a case of a 26-year-old man presenting with advanced testicular cancer, left-sided retroperitoneal metastasis and parietal infiltration of the IVC complicated with thrombosis of the left iliac vein and the IVC, both responsible for PE. Discussion: A multidisciplinary management which included curative excision of the lesions, placement of a temporary IVC filter and adjuvant chemotherapy permitted an optimal approach. No complications occurred and the post-operative healing was uneventful. No recurrences were observed on the long-term follow-up. Conclusions: IVC Thrombosis is a rare complication that should be taken into consideration when diagnosing testicular cancer. Prompt diagnosis is crucial to minimize the risk of PE which can be life-threatening.
On the local minima in a tomographic imaging technique

The reliability of a recently introduced nonlinear estimation method for tomographic imaging is discussed in full detail. It is shown how a proper choice of the functional spaces to which unknown quantities belong and the exploitation of the expected properties of the object under test and of all the available a priori information positively affect robustness against false solutions of the inversion procedure. The developed arguments allow the authors to understand causes of possible false solutions, suggesting possible countermeasures. In particular, it is shown how the proposed approach allows the authors to achieve accurate and reliable reconstructions in a set of cases larger than the range of applicability of other "false solutions free" approaches. Numerical analyses confirm the validity of the approach and the effectiveness of developed inversion procedures through practical examples.
A comparison of the quality of root canal treatment in two Danish subpopulations examined 1974-75 and 1997-98.

AIM The aim of this study was to compare the quality of root canal treatment in two Danish subpopulations. METHODOLOGY Group 1 (358 patients) was examined 1974-75 and group 2 (244 patients) 1997-98. All patients were more than 20 years old. All had undergone a full-mouth radiographic survey. In root-filled teeth the following parameters were assessed: the quality of the coronal restoration or crown, the lateral seal of the root filling, the length of the root filling, and the periapical status. Chi-squared tests were used for the evaluation of differences between the groups. RESULTS In group 1 there were 975 endodontically treated teeth, in group 2 there were 753. In group 1 the majority of root-filled teeth were premolars, in group 2 the majority were molars (P < 0.001). The quality of coronal restorations (P = 0.35) and crowns (P = 0.68) did not differ significantly between the groups. In group 2 more teeth had adequately sealed root canals (P < 0.001) and adequate length of root filling (P < 0.001). More root-filled molar teeth had apical periodontitis (AP) than root-filled premolar and anterior teeth (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Whilst the technical quality of endodontic treatment had improved during the last 24 years, basic differences between the populations prevented assessment of the impact of this change on disease frequencies. The study indicates that great care should be taken when comparing different patient populations, in particular more emphasis should be placed on the selection and description of study groups.
Transmission Phase Limit of Multilayer Frequency-Selective Surfaces for Transmitarray Designs

Many transmitarray antennas are designed with multilayer frequency-selective surface (M-FSS) type elements. The goal of this paper is to reveal the transmission phase limit of M-FSS for transmitarray antenna designs. An analytical study of the transmission coefficient of multiple conductor layers separated by dielectric materials has been carried out, and the maximum transmission phase range has been determined according to the number of layers, substrate permittivity, and separation between conductor layers. It is revealed that the -1-dB transmission phase limits are 54°, 170°, 308°, and full 360 °for single-, double-, triple-, and quad-layer FSS consisting of identical layers, respectively. Furthermore, it is shown that if -3-dB criteria is used, a triple-layer FSS is sufficient to achieve the full 360 ° phase range. The effectiveness of the analytical study has been validated through numerical simulations of several representative FSS examples.
Insomnia symptom, mental disorder and suicide: A case-control study in Chinese rural youths

Insomnia has been reported as a risk factor of suicidal behaviors, but few studies have examined the association among insomnia, mental disorder and suicide, especially among Chinese populations. In this study, we examined the effect of insomnia symptoms on completed suicide in a large sample of suicides and their controls in Chinese rural youths. Subjects were 388 consecutively recruited suicides and 416 community living controls aged 15–34 years in the rural areas of three provinces in China. Established psychological autopsy method was used for data collection. Insomnia symptoms were assessed with sleep questions in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) about insomnia, including difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS) and early morning awakening (EMA). The results showed that DIS (OR = 12.01, P 0.001), DMS (OR = 12.82, P 0.001) or EMA (OR = 12.08, P 0.001) was significantly associated with increased risk of suicide even after mental disorder was controlled for. Our study showed that insomnia can be an independent risk factor for suicide. Mental disorders mediated the association between insomnia and suicide. Insomnia should be assessed and treated for individuals at risk of suicide.
Cloning and characterization of the cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase gene from the zygomycete fungus Cunninghamella.

The filamentous fungus Cunninghamella utilizes cytochrome P450 system(s) in the metabolism of a broad range of polyaromatic and aliphatic pollutants and a variety of drugs, but prior attempts at isolation of P450 system components of this fungus have been generally unsuccessful. We report upon the cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR) gene from two widely studied species, C. elegans and C. echinulata. The C. elegans CPR gene was obtained by screening a genomic library using as probe a PCR amplicon obtained with degenerate primers based on known CPRs. The 2420 bp coding region contained two apparent introns (149 bp and 138 bp). Northern blot analysis showed that the CPR gene is transcriptionally expressed in C. elegans and appears to be inducible by an alkane substrate, n-tetradecane. Phylogenetic comparison of the deduced C. elegans CPR (710 aa) suggested that it is more closely related to animal CPRs (41-42%) than to yeast (38-41%) and plant (35-36%) forms. A 2074 bp sequence containing most of the CPR gene homolog from C. echinulata was also isolated.
Biochemical and morphological alterations in the Achilles tendon of mdx mice

Dystrophin‐deficient muscles have repeated cycles of necrosis and regeneration, being susceptible to injury induced by muscle contractions. Some studies have demonstrated that tendons are also affected in mdx mice, based especially on the changes in biomechanical properties arising from the respective linked muscles. However, most studies have focused only on alterations in the myotendinous junction. Thus, the purpose of this work was to study biochemical and morphological alterations in the Achilles tendons of 60‐day‐old mdx mice. Hydroxyproline quantification, showed higher collagen concentration in the mdx mice as compared with the control. No difference between the tendons of both groups was found in the noncollagenous proteins dosage, and in the amount of collagen type III detected in the western blotting analysis. The zymography for gelatinases detection showed higher amounts of metaloproteinase‐2 (active isoform) and of metalloproteinase‐9 (latent isoform) in the mdx mice. Measurements of birefringence, using polarization microscopy, showed higher molecular organization of the collagen fibers in the tendons of mdx mice in comparison to the control group, with presence of larger areas of crimp. Ponceau SS‐stained tendon sections showed stronger staining of the extracellular matrix in the mdx groups. Toluidine blue‐stained sections showed more intense basophilia in tendons of the control group. In morphometry, a higher number of inflammatory cells was detected in the epitendon of mdx group. In conclusion, the Achilles tendon of 60‐day‐old mdx mice presents higher collagen concentration and organization of the collagen fibers, enhanced metalloproteinase‐2 activity, as well as prominent presence of inflammatory cells and lesser proteoglycans. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:85–93, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quality of life impact of external beam radiotherapy for advanced thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND External beam radiotherapy (XRT) has an established role in the management of recurrent or advanced well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC). The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of this additional intervention on the quality of life (QOL) compared with total thyroidectomy (TT), with or without adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI). METHODS A cross-sectional analysis using validated QOL instruments was performed. Patients receiving XRT between 1992 and 2008 for WDTC were identified and offered study participation. The Quality of Life Radiation Therapy Instrument and the Head and Neck Companion Module were administered retrospectively (N=13). For a comparison, patients previously treated with TT (N=11) alone as well as TT with postoperative RAI (N=11) for WDTC were also evaluated. RESULTS Thirty-four patients were included in the analysis. The XRT group reported significant decreases in chewing, swallowing, and appetite, and significant increase in pain, compared with both the RAI group and the TT group. Significant differences were reported for questions with regard to peace of mind, feeling discouraged, saliva, taste, ability to eat regular food, and concerns for the appearance of the neck in both RAI and XRT groups compared with TT patients. Subscale analysis of head and neck specific questions demonstrated significant overall differences for both RAI and XRT groups compared with thyroidectomy alone, with no differences observed between RAI and XRT groups in a direct comparison. CONCLUSIONS RAI therapy results in a measurable decrease in head and neck specific QOL measures compared with TT alone. The addition of XRT results in additional measurable morbidity secondary to pain and dysphagia.
Nano-Cylinder-Metal Biochemical Sensor Based on the Square Arrangement

This paper presents a novel geometrical structure of NPs on optical fiber for high-sensitivity biochemical sensors, which comprised a single-mode fiber and a cylindrical metallic nanoparticle array. The sensor performed detection through a metallic nanoparticle array, which was arranged in a pattern that rendered the sensor highly sensitive. To effectively reduce the resource of the simulation server, both finite element method and the eigenmode expansion method were performed in combination with a perfectly matched layer, a perfectly reflecting boundary, an object meshing method, and a boundary meshing method. With the area of the triangular elements used as a basis, the object boundary, small object, medium object, and large objects were meshed at a ratio of 1: 10: 146: 728. Results of the simulations indicated that the proposed sensor was short in physical length (approximately 320 $\mu \text{m}$ ), high in resolution (approximately −140 dB), and high in sensitivity (135221.334 nm/RIU).
Investigation of the Susceptibility of Human Cell Lines to Bovine Herpesvirus 4 Infection: Demonstration that Human Cells Can Support a Nonpermissive Persistent Infection Which Protects Them against Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) is a gammaherpesvirus that has a worldwide distribution in the population of cattle. Many factors make human contamination by BoHV-4 likely to occur. In this study, we performed in vitro experiments to assess the risk and the consequences of human infection by BoHV-4. First, by using a recombinant BoHV-4 strain expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene promoter, we tested 21 human cell lines for their sensitivity and their permissiveness to BoHV-4 infection. These experiments revealed that human cell lines from lymphoid and myeloid origins were resistant to infection, whereas epithelial cells, carcinoma cells, or adenocarcinoma cells isolated from various organs were sensitive but poorly permissive to BoHV-4 infection. Second, by using the HeLa cell line as a model of human cells sensitive but not permissive to BoHV-4 infection, we investigated the resistance of infected cells to apoptosis and the persistence of the infection through cellular divisions. The results obtained can be summarized as follows. (i) BoHV-4 nonpermissive infection of HeLa cells protects them against tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis. (ii) BoHV-4 infection of HeLa cells persists in cell culture; however, the percentage of infected cells decreases with time due to erratic transmission of the viral genome through cell division. (iii) BoHV-4 infection has no effect on the rate of HeLa cell division. Altogether, these data suggest that BoHV-4 could infect humans. This study also stresses the importance of considering the insidious effects of nonpermissive infection when the biosafety of animal gammaherpesviruses for humans is being considered.
Influence of leakage magnetic fields on partial discharge activity in power transformers

Partial discharges are a clear ageing agent on insulating materials used in high voltage electrical machines. For this reason, there is increasing interest in measuring this phenomenon in an effort to forecast unexpected failures in electrical equipment. Despite the fact that normalized tests have been carried out for years, the effect of leakage magnetic fluxes in transformers and rotating machines stator windings has not yet been considered. The authors show that common stray fluxes in typical high voltage machines modify partial discharge activity, so the interaction between ionization processes and magnetic fields is analysed. This might have a clear effect on the results extracted from on-line and off-line partial discharge measurements.
Passive periodic motions of multi-joint robots by stiffness adaptation and DFC for energy saving

This paper presents a new energy saving control method for multi-joint robots to generate passive periodic motions, which require less actuator torque. Generally, if we do not use actuator torque, multi-joint robots with elastic elements will generate chaotic motion due to nonlinearity of multi-joint-robot dynamics. To solve this problem; stiffness adaptation and DFC are simultaneously used in our study. The proposed controller works without using parameters of the controlled systems, Numerical simulations demonstrate its effectiveness.
Assessing Psychologists in Practice: Lessons From the Health Professions Using Multisource Feedback

The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic literature review of multisource feedback (MSF) instruments and to summarize the evidence of feasibility, reliability, generalizability, validity, and other psychometric characteristics of the instruments. Accordingly, we conducted a systematic literature review for English-language studies published from 1975 to 2012 using the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO. The following terms were used in the search: multisource feedback, 360-degree evaluation, and assessment of medical professionalism. Forty-eight studies conducted in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, China, and elsewhere met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate that MSF has adequate evidence of validity, reliability, and feasibility for providing health practitioners with quality improvement data (both formative and summative assessment) as part of an overall strategy of maintaining competence and certification. Professional psychology has not adopted MSF as a systematic competence-based method for evaluating, maintaining, and assuring competent practice of psychology and instead relies on self-assessment as the primary quality assurance approach for its public accountability. We make recommendations to adopt an MSF system of competence-based assessment of practicing psychologists by regulatory and licensing authorities in Canada and the United States.
Data pattern based electromagnetic interference modeling for IC packaging

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is becoming more serious when the data rate of the digital system continues increasing. However, its modeling and analysis are very challenging. In this paper, a novel electromagnetic superposition method is developed to model the IC packaging electromagnetic emission. It employs the equivalence principle to obtain the electromagnetic field response over a broad spectrum. Then it uses the linear property of the passive parasitic system to superpose the contribution of different signals on the packaging. As a result, with certain pre-calculations, it is convenient to compute the electromagnetic emission efficiently from different signals with various data pattern combinations, which benefits identifying worst case scenario. In addition, data reconstruction can be evaluated through the phase shift, which simplifies identifying the EMI of any pulse bit pattern. This work provides a basic modeling framework for comprehensive radiation studies.
Immunological role of prostaglandin E2 production in mouse auditory cells in response to LPS

The effect of LPS on the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in mouse HEI-OC1 auditory cells was examined. HEI-OC1 auditory cells constitutively produce a small amount of PGE2. LPS augmented the PGE2 production via enhanced cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) expression. LPS-induced augmentation of COX2 expression was dependent on up-regulation of COX2 mRNA expression. LPS induced the production of TNF-α, but not IL-1β· An anti-TNF-α neutralizing Ab significantly inhibited PGE2 production and COX2 mRNA expression in response to LPS. LPS-induced PGE2 production was prevented by a series of pharmacological signaling inhibitors to NF-κB and MAPKs. Pam3CSK4 as a TLR2 ligand, as well as LPS as a TLR4 ligand, augmented the PGE2 production. However, poly I:C as a TLR3 ligand, imiquimod as a TLR7 ligand and CpG DNA as a TLR9 ligand did not augment it. HEI-OC1 cells expressed TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9, but not TLR3 or TLR7. The putative role of LPS-induced PGE2 production in auditory cells is discussed.