Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mothers' and health care providers' perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to attendance at Canadian neonatal follow-up programs.

BACKGROUND Despite the benefits of Neonatal Follow-Up (NFU) programs for infants at risk for developmental problems subsequent to preterm birth, non-attendance continues to be a problem within Canada and beyond. This study investigated the barriers and facilitators to attendance at Canadian NFU programs from mothers' and health care providers' (HCP) perspectives. METHODS In this multi-site qualitative descriptive study, we conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 12 mothers, six from each of two NFU programs; and focus groups with 20 HCPs from nine NFU programs. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and then subjected to thematic analysis. RESULTS The predominant barriers represented a complex interplay of cumulative factors: mothers' isolation and feeling overwhelmed, with limited support, experiencing difficulty attending because of limited resources, who viewed NFU as not needed until problems arose for their child. Other barriers included vulnerability and fear of bad news. Mothers reported the need to protect their vulnerable child from risks, whereas HCPs reported creating vulnerability by monitoring the child's development over time. HCPs perceived fear of bad news as a barrier, whereas mothers viewed that impending bad news increased their need to attend to address the issue. The predominant facilitators were support, family centred-care and mothers with adequate resources. CONCLUSIONS Attendance is most problematic for mothers with limited support, capacity and resources. First and foremost, targeted approaches to NFU service provision are needed to address the cumulative barriers and improve experiences for mothers who find it difficult to attend NFU. A continuous relationship with a single point of contact is needed and merits further investigation - a provider who works across the traditional silos of neonatal intensive care, NFU and community services, minimizes duplication and navigates transitions.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase: a possible key factor in the pathogenesis of chronic vasospasm after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECT The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is not well understood. Nitric oxide is a well-established vasodilatory substance; however, in SAH, NO may become a major source for the production of injurious free-radical species, leading to chronic cerebral vasospasm. Reactive overproduction of NO to counteract vascular narrowing might potentiate the detrimental effects of NO. The focus of the present study is to determine the extent of reactive induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) after experimental SAH. METHODS Chronic vasospasm was induced in male Wistar rats by an injection of autologous blood (100 microl) into the cisterna magna followed by a second injection 24 hours later. A control group of 10 animals was treated with injections of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Vasospasm was verified by pressure-controlled angiography after retrograde cannulation of the external carotid artery 7 days later. In 11 of 15 animals radiographic evidence of cerebral vasospasm was seen. The animals were perfusion fixed and their brains were removed for immunohistochemical assessment. With the aid of a microscope, staining for iNOS was quantified in 40-microm floating coronal sections. Immunohistochemical staining for iNOS was markedly more intense in animals with significant angiographic evidence of vasospasm. Virtually no staining was observed in control animals. Seven days after the second experimental SAH, labeling of iNOS was found in endothelial cells, in vascular smooth-muscle cells, and, above all, in adventitial cells. Some immunohistochemical staining of iNOS was observed in rod cells (activated microglia), in glial networks, and in neurons. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates induction of iNOS after experimental SAH.
Automatic Mapping of Forest Stands Based on Three-Dimensional Point Clouds Derived from Terrestrial Laser-Scanning

Mapping of exact tree positions can be regarded as a crucial task of field work associated with forest monitoring, especially on intensive research plots. We propose a two-stage density clustering approach for the automatic mapping of tree positions, and an algorithm for automatic tree diameter estimates based on terrestrial laser-scanning (TLS) point cloud data sampled under limited sighting conditions. We show that our novel approach is able to detect tree positions in a mixed and vertically structured stand with an overall accuracy of 91.6%, and with omission- and commission error of only 5.7% and 2.7% respectively. Moreover, we were able to reproduce the stand’s diameter in breast height (DBH) distribution, and to estimate single trees DBH with a mean average deviation of ±2.90 cm compared with tape measurements as reference.
Cross-media topic analysis and information retrieval

Research on cross-media topic analysis and information retrieval methods, which utilize semantic of multimedia data to describe cross-media documents. As the emerging of multimedia data on Internet, text based methods cause the problem of inadequacy of semantic, so a uniform semantic presentation on different media data is very important for information retrieval system. Cross-media topic analysis and information retrieval methods are proposed in this paper. Firstly, generative method and visual topic learning algorithm are used to construct visual topic model and map visual data to text topics. This method can solve the problem of consistent semantic description of cross-media data. On this basis, cross-media topic tagging and integrated search are achieved. Using the proposed method, a food safety information retrieval system is established and experiment results also show its effectiveness.
Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strain CASL, an Efficient l-Lactic Acid Producer from Cheap Substrate Cassava

ABSTRACT Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a type of probiotic bacteria with industrial potential for l-lactic acid production. We announce the draft genome sequence of L. rhamnosus CASL (2,855,156 bp with a G+C content of 46.6%), which is an efficient producer of l-lactic acid from cheap, nonfood substrate cassava with a high production titer.
Influence of Terrestrial Molluscs on Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Release in a Hawaiian Rain Forest

The roles of terrestrial molluscs in many important ecosystem processes are largely unknown, particularly in tropical forests. It has been suggested from studies in temperate forests that snails/slugs contribute to litter decomposition directly (by their own metabolism) and/or indirectly (by habitat modification enhancing micro‐arthropod or microbial activity). Forty‐two mesocosms were established at seven Hawaiian rain forest sites to examine the role of the five most abundant snail/slug species: the native Succinea cepulla, and the non‐native Arion intermedius, Deroceras laeve, Oxychilus alliarius, and Limax maximus. Controls had no snails/slugs. To assess the contribution of each mollusc species separately, decomposition experiments were conducted in mesocosms containing litter bags and manipulated field densities of the mollusc species. Presence of molluscs increased litter decomposition rates, which were strongly correlated with mollusc biomass. While rates of release of some nutrients (C, K, Mg, and Mn) differed among treatments, multivariate analyses indicated that the different mollusc species influenced nutrient release in a similar way. No increases in smaller invertebrate abundances were observed in treatments containing molluscs, indicating that molluscs do not facilitate smaller invertebrate recruitment and probably influence these ecosystem processes primarily by microbe facilitation. If a major functional role of terrestrial molluscs is to facilitate microbial growth, then maintaining adequate mollusc biomass may be essential for maintaining healthy functioning ecosystems.
p-Type conducting transparent characteristics of delafossite Mg-doped CuCrO2thin films prepared by RF-sputtering

The growth of technologically relevant compounds, Mg-doped CuCrO2 delafossite thin films, on a quartz substrate by radio-frequency sputtering is reported in this work. The deposition, performed at room temperature, leads to a nanocrystalline phase with extremely low roughness and high density. Delafossite characteristic diffraction peaks were obtained as a function of the thermal treatment under primary vacuum. The electrical conductivity was optimized until 1.6 S cm−1 with an optical transmittance of 63% in the visible range by a 600 °C annealing treatment under primary vacuum applied for 4 h. The transport properties were analyzed by Seebeck and Hall measurement, integrated spectrophotometry and optical simulation. These measurements highlighted degenerated semiconductor behavior using a hopping mechanism with a high hole concentration (1021 cm−3) and a low mobility (0.2 cm2 V−1 s−1). The direct optical bandgap of 3.3 eV has been measured according to Tauc's relationship. A refractive index of 2.3 at a wavelength of 1100 nm has been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry and confirmed by two independent modellings of the optical transmittance and reflectance spectra. All these p-type TCO optoelectronic characteristics have led to the highest Haacke's figure of merit (1.5 × 10−7 Ω−1) reported so far for such delafossite materials
Alleviation of morning joint stiffness by low-dose prednisone in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with circadian changes in IL-6 and cortisol

Aim: The effect of prednisone on the morning joint stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is enhanced by night-time (2 am) administration. It has been hypothesized that this may be due to suppression of the pathological early-morning rise in plasma IL-6, but this has not yet been measured. A theoretical disadvantage of night-time prednisone is increased suppression of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and reduced peak plasma cortisol levels, usually attained at approximately 7 am. This study measured 24-h variations in IL-6, other cytokines and cortisol in patients before and after a 2-week course of night-time prednisone to address both these questions. Materials & methods: Nine patients with active RA were clinically assessed and had 24-h blood sampling before and after a 2-week course of timed-release tablet (TRT) prednisone (5 mg per day). Patients took the TRT orally at 10 pm and the prednisone was released at 2 am. Changes in circadian variation in cortisol and IL-6 and clinical measures were .
Volumetric Muscle Loss

&NA; Prevention of infection, as well as bone covering and healing, is paramount in the management of limb injury with associated muscle injury. Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is the traumatic or surgical loss of skeletal muscle with resultant functional impairment. No standardized evaluation protocol exists for the characterization and quantification of VML. Clinical photographs and video recordings, range of motion measurements, manual muscle strength testing, and isokinetic muscle function testing may prove to be useful in documenting VML. Current treatment options include functional free muscle transfer and the use of advanced bracing designs. Advances in powered bracing and regenerative medicine may one day provide additional therapeutic options. Further research on VML is warranted.
[Further study of hantavirus circulation in the Russian Federation].

Lung specimens of 1514 small mammals of 35 species captured in 1991-1995 at 9 territories of Russia were tested in ELISA for virus antigens of hemorrhagic fever with the renal syndrome (HFRS). The antigens were detected in lung specimens of Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus gregalis, Microtus fortis, Arvicola terrestris, Apodemus agrarius, Micromys minutus, and Sorex sp. , well known as Hantavirus reservoirs, captured in the Vologda, Yaroslavl, Saratov, Astrakhan, and Chita regions. Infection of Microtus maximoviczii revealed in the Chita region was first found in China. Previously there were no reports about the circulation of hantaviruses in this region. Our study added one more host to the list of HFRS virus hosts: Meliones tamariscinus.
What makes evidence-based journal clubs succeed?

Do you catch up on valuable rest time once a week at your local journal club? Or doze while somebody presents an article that has been allocated to them, without reference to “question,” “search strategy,” or “assessing performance”? While the rest may bring health benefits, it is unlikely to advance the quality of care. Evidence-based journal clubs, however, have documented benefits.1 Having made most possible “errors,” we’d like to share some tricks and traps that we think make evidence-based journal clubs work or not. We have gathered our information from personal experience, a systematic search of the literature, and stories told by colleagues and members of the evidence-based-healthcare mailing list (see acknowledgements). One of us (PG) runs an evidence-based journal club in general practice; the other (RSP) runs an evidence-based journal club in the paediatric department of a teaching hospital2 and facilitates journal club meetings for pharmacists. While running these disparate events, we, quite separately, stumbled on many of the same tricks and traps, many of which are supported by the findings of a large survey of the factors that predict the life span of (any) journal club.3 The structure of successful evidence-based journal clubs varies. Commonly, the clubs run in a cycle. Our own medical journal clubs run over the same 2-session cycle (see figure—the cycle may be weekly, but other timeframes are possible). The last 10–15 minutes of the session are spent discussing participants’ real clinical problems and defining the structured clinical questions that would help address these problems. A process of moderated “voting” on the questions selects the most popular ones, and then someone is assigned the literature search as homework. The first 45 minutes of the next session are then spent appraising and applying the papers felt to represent the best answers to …
Computational geometry - an introduction through randomized algorithms

I. BASICS. 1. Quick-sort and Search. Quick-sort. Another view of quick-sort. Randomized binary trees. Skip lists. 2. What Is Computational Geometry? Range queries. Arrangements. Trapezoidal decompositions. Convex polytopes. Voronoi diagrams. Hidden surface removal. Numerical precision and degeneracies. Early deterministic algorithms. Deterministic vs. randomized algorithms. The model of randomness. 3. Incremental Algorithms. Trapezoidal decompositions. Convex polytopes. Voronoi diagrams. Configuration spaces. Tail estimates. 4. Dynamic Algorithms. trapezoidal decompositions. Voronoi diagrams. History and configuration spaces. Rebuilding history. Deletions in history. Dynamic shuffling. 5. Random Sampling. Configuration spaces with bounded valence. Top-down sampling. Bottom-up sampling. Dynamic sampling. Average conflict size. More dynamic algorithms. Range spaces and E-nets. Comparisons. II. APPLICATIONS. 6. Arrangements of Hyperplanes. Incremental construction. Zone Theorem. Canonical triangulations. Point location and ray shooting. Point location and range queries. 7. Convex Polytopes. Linear Programming. The number of faces. Incremental construction. The expected structural and conflict change. Dynamic maintenance. Voronoi diagrams. Search problems. Levels and Voronoi diagrams of order k. 8. Range Search. Orthogonal intersection search. Nonintersecting segments in the plane. Dynamic point location. Simplex range search. Half-space range queries. Decomposable search problems. Parametric search. 9. Computer Graphics. Hidden surface removal. Binary Space Partitions. Moving viewpoint. 10. How Crucial Is Randomness? Pseudo-random sources. Derandomization. Appendix: Tail Estimates. Chernoff's technique. Chebychev's technique. Bibliography. Index.
Clinical long-term effects of Meniett pulse generator for Meniere's disease

Conclusion. According to this long-term study, the Meniett pulse generator is a safe, effective, and non-destructive therapy that can reduce vertiginous symptoms and associated functional handicap and partly show an improvement of hearing in medically intractable and active Meniere's disease. Moreover, we recommend considering it before attempting any surgical or chemical vestibular ablation procedure. Objective. To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of transtympanic pressure treatment in the management of recalcitrant vertigo in Meniere's disease. Patients and methods. This was a cross-sectional case study of 22 consecutive patients with medically active and intractable Meniere's disease who opted to try the Meniett pulse generator between July 2005 and March 2008. Eighteen of these patients were followed up for over 24 months. A standard ventilation tube was inserted in the affected ear. The treatment period with the Meniett pulse generator was 2 months in clinic, then the follow-up was a mean of 28 months. Patients indicated on the symptom report card and six-point functional scale the maximum level of vertigo, activity, and stress. Hearing was assessed utilizing pure tone average thresholds (PTAs) and the vestibular caloric test was performed. Results. For 18 patients, the changes on the vertigo visual analog scale (VAS) and six-point functional scale before and after treatment with the Meniett device were statistically significant (p<0.05). No changes in vestibular function were noted. In all, 13 and 10 of 18 patients, respectively, showed a significant PTA increase of 10 dB or more at 2 months and 12 months after treatment with the Meniett device. Nine of 17 patients showed a significant PTA increase of 10 dB or more at 24 months after the treatment. There were no complications during the 28-month follow-up.
Computational Engineering in the Cloud: Benefits and Challenges

Cloud computing services, which allow users to lease time on remote computer systems, must be particularly attractive to smaller engineering organizations that use engineering simulation software. Such organizations have occasional need for substantial computing power but may lack the budget and in-house expertise to purchase and maintain such resources locally. The case study presented in this paper examines the potential benefits and practical challenges that a medium-sized manufacturing firm faced when attempting to leverage computing resources in a cloud computing environment to do model-based simulation. Results show substantial reductions in execution time for the problem of interest, but several socio-technical barriers exist that may hinder more widespread adoption of cloud computing within engineering.
Activation of SPARC expression in reactive stroma associated with human epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE SPARC (secreted protein, acidic, rich in cysteine) is a calcium-binding counteradhesive glycoprotein that has the potential to play an important role in promoting tumor progression and invasiveness. SPARC has been reported to be markedly down-regulated in ovarian carcinomas relative to the normal surface epithelium and has been suggested to act as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer. To more precisely define potential changes in SPARC expression associated with malignant transformation of the ovary, we compared the distribution of SPARC mRNA and protein expression in patient specimens of malignant and nonmalignant ovaries. METHOD SPARC mRNA and protein expression was examined in 24 human invasive ovarian cancers, 5 tumors of low malignant potential (LMP), and 8 nonmalignant ovaries by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In nonmalignant ovaries, SPARC mRNA expression was restricted to thecal and granulosa cells of vessiculated follicles. Cytoplasmic SPARC immunoreactivity was observed in these compartments, whereas variable SPARC immunostaining was observed in normal surface epithelial cells. In contrast, high-level expression of SPARC mRNA and protein was detected in stroma of ovaries containing malignant tumor cells, particularly at the tumor-stromal interface of the invading tumors. Lower levels and a more diffuse pattern of SPARC mRNA expression were associated with LMP specimens. SPARC mRNA was not expressed by ovarian adenocarcinoma or by surface epithelial cells. Consistent with the in situ hybridization data, SPARC immunoreactivity was found throughout the reactive stroma of specimens containing ovarian carcinoma. However, despite the lack of detectable SPARC mRNA, SPARC immunoreactivity was consistently observed within the cytoplasm of cancer cells. CONCLUSION The pattern of SPARC expression shown in this study indicates that SPARC is up-regulated in reactive stroma associated with invasive ovarian cancer. Moreover, these results raise the possibility that SPARC secreted from the stroma is internalized by ovarian cancer cells and may exert important intracellular effects upon these cells.
COGNITIVE RESERVE AS A PREDICTOR OF HEALTHY AGING

Many studies point out the existence of individual differences both in the levels of age-related cognitive impairment and in the way this impairment occurs: some people can tolerate brain damage for a longer time without showing external signs of damage. The concept of cognitive reserve emerges as a useful and interesting approach to explain this phenomenon. This paper attempts to describe the state of the question as regards the cognitive reserve. It refers to an active process by which the brain adapts itself to a situation of impairment by using cognitive resources in order to compensate this impairment. It is a concept that cannot be measured directly but through indirect indicators. The most common indicators to measure the cognitive reserve are: level of education, occupation attainment and lifestyle. Many studies suggest that high values in these indicators go together with a high level of cognitive reserve and, therefore, play an important protective function against the development of dementia. We conclude this article with a set of practical recommendations to stimulate the cognitive reserve and age healthy.
Extremes of endogenous testosterone are associated with increased risk of incident coronary events in older women.

CONTEXT Few studies have examined whether endogenous testosterone is associated with the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women. OBJECTIVE This study tested the association of total testosterone (total T) and bioavailable T (BioT) levels with risk of incident coronary events among older community-dwelling women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This was a prospective, population-based study of 639 postmenopausal women, aged 50-91 (mean, 73.8) yr who had serum testosterone measurements at baseline (1984-87) and who were followed for incident CHD events through 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A total of 134 incident CHD events occurred during follow-up [45 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 79 fatal myocardial infarctions, and 10 coronary revascularizations]. RESULTS The median follow-up was 12.3 yr. Age-adjusted CHD risk estimates were similar for the four highest total T quintiles relative to the lowest, suggesting a low threshold. In age-adjusted analyses, the lowest total T quintile (</=80 pg/ml) was associated with a 1.62-fold increased risk of incident CHD [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-2.39] compared to higher levels. BioT showed a U-shaped association with incident CHD. Age-adjusted risk for the lowest and highest BioT quintiles relative to the third were 1.79 (95% CI, 1.03-3.16) and 1.96 (95% CI, 1.13-3.41), respectively. Additional adjustment for lifestyle, adiposity, estradiol, and ovarian status, or for CHD risk factor covariates, had minimal influence on results. CONCLUSIONS An optimal range of testosterone may exist for cardiovascular health in women, with increased risk of CHD events at low levels of testosterone overall and at high levels of the bioavailable fraction of testosterone.