Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respirable size-selective sampler for end-of-shift quartz measurement: Development and performance

ABSTRACT Aims of this study were to develop a respirable size-selective sampler for direct-on-filter (DoF) quartz measurement at the end-of-shift (EoS) using a portable Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and to determine its size-selective sampling performance. A new miniaturized sampler has been designed to have an effective particle deposition diameter close to the portable FTIR beam diameter (6 mm). The new sampler (named the EoS cyclone) was constructed using a 3D printer. The sampling efficiency of the EoS cyclone was determined using polydisperse glass sphere particles and a time-of-flight direct reading instrument. Respirable dust mass concentration and quartz absorbance levels of samples collected with the EoS cyclone were compared to those collected with the 10-mm nylon cyclone. The EoS cyclone operated at a flow rate of 1.2 l min−1 showed minimum bias compared to the international standard respirable convention. The use of the EoS cyclone induced respirable dust mass concentration results similar but significantly larger (5%) than those obtained from samples collected with 10-mm nylon cyclones. The sensitivity of the DoF-FTIR analysis in estimating quartz was found increased more than 10 times when the samples were collected with the EoS cyclone. The average particle deposition diameter was 8.8 mm in 60 samples. The newly developed user friendly EoS cyclone may provide a better sampling strategy in quartz exposure assessment with faster feedback.
Current epidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection in the United States: Low seroprevalence in the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey

Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES) 1988‐1994 dataset found a relatively high seroprevalence (21%) of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in the U.S. general population. Using data obtained within the NHANES 2009‐2010 survey, where a high performance assay for HEV was used, we estimated the weighted seroprevalence of HEV infection among U.S. individuals 6 years and older. We also evaluated factors associated with HEV seropositivity. A total of 8,814 individuals were included in the analysis. The median age of study participants was 37 years (interquartile range [IQR] 17‐58 years), with 51.2% being female. The weighted national seroprevalence of HEV was 6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1%‐6.9%). About 0.5% of those with HEV had evidence of recent exposure (immunoglobulin M‐positive). In the univariate analyses, factors associated with HEV seropositivity were increasing age (P‐trend < 0.001), birth outside of the U.S., Hispanic race, and “meat” consumption (>10 times/month). No significant association was observed with low socioeconomic status, water source, or level of education. In the multivariate analysis, only older age remained predictive of HEV seropositivity. Conclusion: The weighted national seroprevalence of HEV in the U.S. is much less than previously reported. Using data obtained with a high performance assay, the seroprevalence of HEV was estimated at 6.0% in the U.S. Based on these results, the seroprevalence of HEV is only one‐third as high as previously reported. (Hepatology 2014;60:815–822)
A conceptual model for take-home workplace exposures

ABSTRACT The boundary between occupational and environmental exposures is often artificial, as occupational hazards can readily escape the workplace. One way that this occurs is when workers “take-home” occupational hazards, exposing family members. While take-home exposures have long been recognized, there is no comprehensive framework describing the pathways by which workers bring home workplace hazards. In this article, we provide such a conceptual model that includes three pathways for take-home exposures: external contamination, internal dose, and behavior change of workers. This conceptual model should help to describe the problems of take-home exposures more comprehensively in future research.
Development and initial validation of the vaginal penetration cognition questionnaire (VPCQ) in a sample of women with vaginismus and dyspareunia.

INTRODUCTION Although the relevance of cognitions has been implicated in the etiology, explanatory models, and treatment of female sexual pain disorders, an instrument that assesses vaginal penetration cognitions is nonexistent. AIM The aim of this study was to develop and to investigate the psychometric properties of the Vaginal Penetration Cognition Questionnaire (VPCQ). The VPCQ was explicitly designed to assess cognitions regarding vaginal penetration in women with vaginismus and dyspareunia. METHODS A sample of 247 Dutch women with a female sexual dysfunction (FSD; 122 women with lifelong vaginismus and 125 women with dyspareunia) and 117 women without sexual complaints completed the questionnaire. Factor analyses were only conducted in the sample of women with FSD. Validation measures were conducted in both women with and without FSD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE All women completed the VPCQ and several additional questions regarding biographic and complaint characteristics. RESULTS Conduction of factor analyses yielded five subscales regarding cognitions about vaginal penetration: "control cognitions,""catastrophic and pain cognitions,""self-image cognitions,""positive cognitions," and "genital incompatibility cognitions. " Reliability of these five VPCQ subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.83, and the test-retest correlations were satisfactory. The five VPCQ subscales were reasonably stable across demographic variables and demonstrated good discriminant validity. All five subscales were able to detect significant differences between women with and without FSD. Additionally, the four subscales of the VPCQ concerning negative cognitions demonstrated the ability to differentiate between the two samples of women with FSD. Women with lifelong vaginismus reported lower levels of perceived penetration control and higher levels of catastrophic and pain cognitions, negative self-image cognitions, and genital incompatibility cognitions, when compared with women with dyspareunia. CONCLUSIONS The present study indicates that the VPCQ is a valid and reliable brief self-report measure for assessing cognitions regarding vaginal penetration in women with vaginismus or dyspareunia.
Wireless Communication Alternatives for Intelligent Transportation Systems: A Case Study

Communication systems are the basis of every effective and reliable traffic control and management application. While cellular-based communication through commercial carriers is widely used for online traffic management applications, public agencies have also begun to consider other technologies, such as WiFi and WiMAX. Most such agencies still seek additional guidelines for the selection of suitable wireless options for different traffic control and management applications under different physical and environmental conditions. Performance and reliability are among the most important parameters to be considered when examining wireless communication options for traffic control and management applications. The authors first conducted interviews with selected traffic agencies regarding their experiences with performance of wireless communication infrastructure, as well as their interests and plans on future expansion. Next, they conducted a thorough literature review focusing on various wireless technologies that could be used in an intelligent transportation system environment. Last, the authors conducted a case study in which a section of the South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera system was wirelessly connected via either WiFi or WiMAX network architecture. This case study followed the proposed network design process presented in the article using WiFi and WiMAX technologies to support a traffic surveillance system that considered coverage range and two different network topologies: mesh/ad hoc (devices forward data to neighboring devices to reach the destination) and infrastructure (devices send data to an access point directly). The network simulator ns-2 was used to assess the average throughput that each camera can receive in different network topologies. Throughput/cost analysis of WiFi and WiMAX mesh and infrastructure topologies indicated that for given number of devices, a mesh network has better throughput for every dollar spent than infrastructure based topology. This article provides a foundation for further investigation of WiFi and WiMAX performance and reliability under different network topologies. Findings from this research will benefit transportation agencies and other stakeholders in evaluating and selecting wireless communication options and network topologies for various traffic control and management applications.
The Value of Privacy: Evidence From the Use of Mobile Devices for Traveler Information Systems

The emergence of location-based services has raised privacy to a hot-issue status. Clearly, there is a trade-off that needs to be considered. On the one hand, additional information can arguably improve the quality of the various services, not only for the individual, but also for the entire system. On the other hand, the collection of this additional information can be considered by some as a violation of their privacy. The objective of this article is twofold: on the one hand to provide a way to quantify the value of this privacy (loss), and on the other hand to present results from a case study applying this methodology. The methodology is generic and is based on the concept of the marginal rate of substitution between cost and a different variable (in this case privacy). The application is based on a stated-preference questionnaire that was specifically designed for this application and disseminated to respondents in Athens, Greece. An ordered probit model, in which all variables are interacted with the main service attributes (cost, accuracy, and privacy), is estimated based on this data. The empirical distribution of estimated willingness-to-accept for giving up part of the privacy (their current location and destination) was also calculated. The mean of the value of privacy (amount needed to give up one level of privacy) is found to be equal to 3.87€, while the median is equal to 2.50€ (reflecting the skewness of the distribution). This amount is considered reasonable since such services are commercially available for US$5 per month.
Use of Advanced Traveler Information Systems for Route Choice: Interpretation Based on a Bayesian Model

Advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) offer travelers a number of benefits, such as reduced travel time and uncertainty and improved traffic safety. The reliability of travel time provided by ATIS has an effect on the travelers’ choice of routes. However, the market for ATIS devices is a niche market, and its users may or may not follow the information and instructions provided by the system. Hence there is some information heterogeneity among travelers, which arises from the imperfect information with regard to other travelers’ preferences and types. This study applies the concept of a Bayesian game to the route choice problem when travelers are maximizing their degree of satisfaction by choosing routes. A Bayesian model is used in this work to analyze the impact of this heterogeneity on travelers’ route choices. We find that the use of ATIS exposes certain heterogeneities in traveler types and beliefs.
Survey research: (2) Survey instruments, reliability and validity

THE survey instrument refers to the questions or questionnaire used to collect the data. It is important that the instrument gathers relevant information effectively and efficiently and that the responses are reliable and valid. The survey instrument should also be acceptable to potential respondents (eg, reasonable in length and wellpresented). Most pharmacy practice researchers undertaking survey research develop their own questionnaire or survey instrument, devising questions to meet their study objectives. In these cases, issues of acceptability, reliability and validity, of both individual questions and the instrument as a whole, have to be addressed from scratch. Rather than develop their own instruments, some researchers have used questions, or series of questions, that have been devised and developed by others. '-8 The advantage of this is that much of the time-consuming, detailed and often expensive work required to ensure validity and reliability will have already been undertaken. Instruments to measure variables such as attitudes, health status and satisfaction with services, if they are an accurate reflection of the attribute of interest, will be structurally complex. When investigating these issues it is often sensible to incorporate or adapt an existing measure where a suitable one exists, rather than setting out to de-
Acute Quadriplegia From Hyperkalemia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Background Hyperkalemia has been described as a rare and under recognized cause of acute quadriplegia. Case Report A 52-year-old man with end-stage renal disease presented with ascending quadriplegia and dyspnea for 2 days. He had life-threatening hyperkalemia (9.0 mEq/L). His electrocardiogram showed typical features of hyperkalemia. His symptoms improved in 30 minutes and completely resolved in 5 hours after emergent treatment of hyperkalemia. He admitted eating large amounts of high potassium foods and taking ibuprofen in uncertain quantities. We reviewed 62 articles and identified 73 patients with secondary hyperkalemic paralysis. Common presentations were diminished reflexes, quadriparesis/paralysis, respiratory involvement, and sensory loss. Almost half of all patients had potassium levels higher than 9 mEq/L. Complete recovery, achieved in 89% of patients, did not correlate either with the absolute potassium level or the degree to which it was corrected. Conclusions Hyperkalemia is a rare but treatable cause of acute flaccid paralysis that requires immediate treatment. Late diagnosis can delay appropriate treatment leading to cardiac arrhythmias and arrest.
A screen in mice uncovers repression of lipoprotein lipase by microRNA‐29a as a mechanism for lipid distribution away from the liver

Identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate lipid metabolism is important to advance the understanding and treatment of some of the most common human diseases. In the liver, a few key miRNAs have been reported that regulate lipid metabolism, but since many genes contribute to hepatic lipid metabolism, we hypothesized that other such miRNAs exist. To identify genes repressed by miRNAs in mature hepatocytes in vivo, we injected adult mice carrying floxed Dicer1 alleles with an adenoassociated viral vector expressing Cre recombinase specifically in hepatocytes. By inactivating Dicer in adult quiescent hepatocytes we avoided the hepatocyte injury and regeneration observed in previous mouse models of global miRNA deficiency in hepatocytes. Next, we combined gene and miRNA expression profiling to identify candidate gene/miRNA interactions involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and validated their function in vivo using antisense oligonucleotides. A candidate gene that emerged from our screen was lipoprotein lipase (Lpl), which encodes an enzyme that facilitates cellular uptake of lipids from the circulation. Unlike in energy‐dependent cells like myocytes, LPL is normally repressed in adult hepatocytes. We identified miR‐29a as the miRNA responsible for repressing LPL in hepatocytes, and found that decreasing hepatic miR‐29a levels causes lipids to accumulate in mouse livers. Conclusion: Our screen suggests several new miRNAs are regulators of hepatic lipid metabolism. We show that one of these, miR‐29a, contributes to physiological lipid distribution away from the liver and protects hepatocytes from steatosis. Our results, together with miR‐29a's known antifibrotic effect, suggest miR‐29a is a therapeutic target in fatty liver disease. (Hepatology 2015;61:141–152)
Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index and fibrosis‐4 index for detecting liver fibrosis in adult patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: A systemic review and meta‐analysis

The aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis index based on the four factors (Fibrosis 4 index; FIB‐4) are the two most widely studied noninvasive tools for assessing liver fibrosis. Our aims were to systematically review the performance of APRI and FIB‐4 in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in adult patients and compare their advantages and disadvantages. We examined the diagnostic accuracy of APRI and FIB‐4 for significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis based on their sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Heterogeneity was explored using metaregression. Our systemic review and meta‐analysis included 16 articles of APRI only, 21 articles of APRI and FIB‐4 and two articles of FIB‐4 for detecting different levels of liver fibrosis. With an APRI threshold of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, the sensitivity and specificity values were 70.0% and 60.0%, 50.0% and 83.0%, and 36.9% and 92.5% for significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis, respectively. With an FIB‐4 threshold of 1.45 and 3.25, the sensitivity and specificity values were 65.4% and 73.6% and 16.2% and 95.2% for significant fibrosis. The summary AUROC values using APRI and FIB‐4 for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 0.7407 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7033‐0.7781) and 0.7844 (95% CI: 0.7450‐0.8238; (Z = 1.59, P = 0.06), 0.7347 (95% CI: 0.6790‐0.7904) and 0.8165 (95% CI: 0.7707‐0.8623; Z = 2.01, P = 0.02), and 0.7268 (95% CI: 0.6578‐0.7958) and 0.8448 (95% CI: 0.7742‐0.9154; (Z = 2.34, P = 0.01), respectively. Conclusions: Our meta‐analysis suggests that APRI and FIB‐4 can identify hepatitis B‐related fibrosis with a moderate sensitivity and accuracy. (Hepatology 2015;61:292–302)
Atrial Fibrillation: Another Perspective

vast majority of patients, atrial fibrillation occurs in association with heart disease (e.g., coronary artery disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathy), although in some patients it may occur with no demonstrable heart disease [2]. Two large epidemiological investigations [3,4] evaluated the clinical course and characteristics of patients with atrial fibrillation. Both studies revealed there
Impact of dry ejaculation caused by highly selective alpha1A-blocker: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover pilot study in healthy volunteer men.

INTRODUCTION Dry ejaculation with loss of seminal emission is reported in patients who have been administered silodosin, an alpha1A-adrenoceptor antagonist. AIM We investigated the impact of dry ejaculation caused by orally administered silodosin on orgasmic function. METHODS In a double-blind crossover study, 50 healthy volunteer men were randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of 4-mg silodosin or placebo with 3 days of washout before crossover. Subjects masturbated 4 hours after administering agents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Numerical rating scale (NRS) score from 0 (highest) to 10 (lowest) for subjective quality of orgasm, the subjective number of contractions of the bulbocavernosus/pelvic floor muscles, and the amount of semen were examined. Results. After the administration of silodosin, the NRS score worsened by 1.3 points (P = 0.003), the number of contractions of the bulbocavernosus/pelvic floor muscles decreased by about 1 (P = 0.003), and there was a decrease of 1.8 mL in the amount of semen produced (P < 0.0001). Eleven men overall (22%) on silodosin administration had less than a 50% decrease from baseline in the amount of semen. CONCLUSIONS Silodosin may adversely affect the subjective orgasmic function by causing an abnormal ejaculation with decreased (or no) semen discharge and a decrease in the number of bulbocavernosus/pelvic floor muscle contractions. Semen passing through the urethra and sufficient rhythmic contraction of the muscle of the pelvic floor may contribute to the subjective pleasure of orgasm.
FMRP interacts with G-quadruplex structures in the 3’-UTR of its dendritic target Shank1 mRNA

ABSTRACT Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, is caused by the loss of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP, which regulates the transport and translation of specific mRNAs, uses its RGG box domain to bind mRNA targets that form G-quadruplex structures. One of the FMRP in vivo targets, Shank1 mRNA, encodes the master scaffold proteins of the postsynaptic density (PSD) which regulate the size and shape of dendritic spines because of their capacity to interact with many different PSD components. Due to their effect on spine morphology, altered translational regulation of Shank1 transcripts may contribute to the FXS pathology. We hypothesized that the FMRP interactions with Shank1 mRNA are mediated by the recognition of the G quadruplex structure, which has not been previously demonstrated. In this study we used biophysical techniques to analyze the Shank1 mRNA 3’-UTR and its interactions with FMRP and its phosphorylated mimic FMRP S500D. We found that the Shank1 mRNA 3 ′ -UTR adopts two very stable intramolecular G-quadruplexes which are bound specifically and with high affinity by FMRP both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest a role of G-quadruplex RNA motif as a structural element in the common mechanism of FMRP regulation of its dendritic mRNA targets.
The clinical course of cirrhosis: The importance of multistate models and competing risks analysis

Multistate models are models of disease progression that, for a patient group, define multiple outcome events, each of which may affect the time to develop another outcome event. Multistate models are highly relevant for studies of patients with cirrhosis; both the classical perception of cirrhosis as either compensated or decompensated and the recent, more complex models of cirrhosis progression are multistate models. Therefore, researchers who conduct clinical studies of patients with cirrhosis must realize that most of their research questions assume a multistate disease model. Failure to do so can result in severely biased results and bad clinical decisions. The analyses that can be used to study disease progression in a multistate disease model may be called competing risks analysis, named after the competing risks disease model, which is the simplest multistate disease model. In this review article, we introduce multistate disease models and competing risks analysis and explain why the standard armamentarium of Kaplan‐Meier survival estimates and Cox regression sometimes gives bad answers to good questions. We also use real data to answer typical research questions about the course of cirrhosis and illustrate biases resulting from inadequate methods. Finally, we suggest statistical software packages that are helpful and accessible to the clinician‐researcher. (Hepatology 2015;62:292‐302)