Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A First Attempt at Modelling Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Distributions Over Europe

The presence of red deer may be a contributing factor within the ecological and epidemiological systems contributing to the risk and spread of a range of vector-borne diseases. Deer are important hosts for many vectors, and may therefore serve as a focal point or attractant for vectors or may themselves become a reservoir for vector-borne disease. Three spatial modelling techniques were used to generate an ensemble model describing the proportion of suitable red deer habitat within recorded distributions for Europe as identified from diverse sources. The resulting model is therefore an index of presence, which may be useful in supporting the modelling of vector-borne disease across Europe.
The OMERACT Ultrasound Task Force — Advances and Priorities

This article reports the most recent work of the OMERACT Ultrasound Task Force (post OMERACT 8) and highlights of future research priorities discussed at the OMERACT 9 meeting, Kananaskis, Canada, May 2008. Results of 3 studies were presented: (1) assessing intermachine reliability; (2) applying the scoring system developed in the hand to other joints most commonly affected in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and (3) assessing interobserver reliability on a deep target joint (shoulder). Results demonstrated good intermachine reliability between multiple examiners, and good applicability of the scoring system for the hand on other joints (including shoulder). Study conclusions were discussed and a future research agenda was generated, notably the further development of a Global OMERACT Sonography Scoring (GLOSS) system in RA, emphasizing the importance of testing feasibility and added value over standard clinical variables. Future disease areas of importance to develop include a scoring system for enthesitis and osteoarthritis.
RELIABILITY OF PRACTICAL IRANIAN CRITERIA (PIC) FOR CLASSIFICATION OF BRAIN INFARCT

Background: Various classification criteria of brain infarct are used in clinical trials and stroke registries. The practical Iranian criteria (PIC) is designed for clinical practice. Methods: From March 2001 through March 2003, all consecutive stroke patients admitted to Vali-e- Asr Hospital, Birjand, Khorasan, Iran were included in this prospective observational study. Patients underwent a standard battery of diagnostic investigations by a stroke neurologist. Data on patients, demographics, clinical presentations, and diagnostic work-up were kept in a database. Two stroke neurologists and a general practitioner independently reviewed the data of 20 randomly selected patients and classified patients according to the PIC classification of stroke topography and etiology. The PIC is designed by stroke neurologists and approved in the University of Alberta, Canada. The degrees of interrater agreement were measured with unweighted k-statistics. Results: Among 302 stroke patients, 20 patients (11 females, 9 males) were randomly selected. The three interrater agreement for topographic subtyping of the patients was 0.95%, k = 0.915 (0.662 – 1), P < 0.0001 and for etiologic diagnosis was 0.90 %; k = 0.9022 (0.753 – 1), P < 0.0001. Stroke neurologists agreed in topographic diagnosis for 20 out of the 20 cases (100%; k= 1; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.0; P < 0.0001). The general practitioner arrived at the same topographic diagnosis for 19 out of the 20 cases (0.95%; k = 0.875; 95% CI, 0.638 to 1.0; P < 0.0001). Stroke neurologists agreed in etiologic diagnosis for 18 out of the 20 cases (0.90%; k = 0.855; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.0; P < 0.0001). The general practitioner arrived at the same etiologic diagnosis for 18 out of the 18 cases that the two stroke neurologists agreed (100%; k = 0.875; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.0; P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The interrater agreement of PIC for topographic and etiologic classification of brain infarct is much higher than the other classification systems. The PIC could be useful in stroke practice.
Impaired Antioxidant Status in Non-Organ Specific Autoantibody Positive Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is developed mainly by insulin resistance and oxidative stress, but the exact pathogenesis is unknown. Increased prevalence of non-organ specific autoantibodies (NOSA) in NAFLD may be the result of primary immune-mediated mechanism or secondary hepatocellular injury as a consequence of free radical reaction and cytokine production. The importance of NOSA positivity in NAFLD is uncertain. Our aim was to investigate the NOSA prevalence and the redox status as well as the cytokine level in NAFLD patients. Plasma free SH-group concentration, total antioxidant status were measured by colorimetric methods. Free radical–antioxidant balance was determined by a chemiluminometric assay. IL-6 concentration was measured by ELISA in various group of NAFLD patients. NOSA (antinuclear antibody) prevalence was found to be 55% in NAFLD patients. NOSA-positive patients showed a decrease of plasma free SH-group concentration, total antioxidant status and strengthening of free radica.
A Meta-Analysis of Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Acute Normobaric Hypoxia.

BACKGROUND The effect of hypoxia on the exhaled nitric oxide (NO) of humans is unresolved. Many studies have measured the fraction of exhaled NO (FENO) or the partial pressure of exhaled NO (PENO) in normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia, with differing results. METHODS To better understand NO physiology and altitude acclimatization, we employed a random effects meta-analysis to determine the effect of acute normobaric hypoxia on the PENO of humans. A total of 93 subjects from 7 published studies (with 9 groups) were included. The median duration of exposure was 30 min and the mean hypoxic PIo2 was 95 (SD=10) mmHg. RESULTS The weighted standardized mean difference (SMD) in PENO measured at baseline and during an acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia was not significantly different from zero (SMD=0.09; 95% CI=-0.17, 0.34; z=0.65). CONCLUSION Based on this meta-analysis, acute normobaric hypoxia does not affect the PENO measured from the mouths of humans. This result should be considered for interpretations of high-altitude (and hypobaric) measurements of exhaled NO. As the PENO is a potential biomarker for altitude-illness susceptibility, recognizing that normobaric hypoxia does not affect the PENO will be important for understanding previous associations between low exhaled NO and poor acclimatization to hypoxia.
Generating the Depth Map from the Motion Information of H.264-Encoded 2D Video Sequence

An efficient method that estimates the depth map of a 3D-scene using the motion information of the H.264-encoded 2D-video is presented. The motion information of the video-frames captured via a single camera is either directly used or modified to approximate the displacement (disparity) that exists between the right and left images when the scene is captured by stereoscopic cameras. Then, depth is estimated based on its inverse relation with disparity. The low-complexity of this method and its compatibility with future broadcasting networks allow its real-time implementation at the receiver; thus 3D-signal is constructed at no additional burden to the network. Performance evaluations show that this method outperforms the other existing H.264-based technique by up to 1.98 dB PSNR, providing more realistic depth information of the scene. Moreover subjective comparisons of the results, obtained by viewers watching the generated stereo video sequences on a 3D-display system, confirm the superiority of our method.
The Integrated Programme: an evaluation of a multicomponent drugs prevention programme in northern England (1996-1999)

Based on North American evidence that multi-component drugs prevention programmes have an impact on reducing young people's drug taking, the Integrated Programme (IP) was designed and delivered to adolescents in northern England during 1998-1999. The IP was evaluated by comparing the attitudes and drug-taking behaviour of nearly 2000 young people before and after programme delivery. Action sites (which received the IP) and comparison sites (which did not) were randomly allocated once baseline survey measurements had been taken. Controlling for key variables multiple logistic regression was used to measure the odds ratio of drug taking on 20 measures for young people in both action and comparison sites based on a follow-up survey. The results suggested that young people who received the IP were more likely to reduce harder drug use and maintain a softer drug-taking repertoire than those in the comparison sites. However, these 'gains' were small and inconsistent and the IP had no impact on reducing initiation/first trying rates. The results were thus only indicative that such programmes might be effective in the UK context.
Pregnancy outcome of first trimester exposure to the vitamin K antagonist phenprocoumon depends on duration of treatment

Summary The aim of this observational cohort study was to specify the risk of the vitamin K antagonist (VKA) phenprocoumon during first trimester of pregnancy, in particular to estimate the risk of birth defects and spontaneous fetal loss. Four hundred eight pregnancies with phenprocoumon exposure were compared to 1,642 pregnancies neither exposed to VKA nor to other major teratogens or fetotoxicants. There was no typical warfarin embryopathy in our exposed cohort. However, the overall rate of major birth defects was significantly increased (7.4 % vs 2.3 %; adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] 2.14; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.4–3.4). With early cessation until five completed gestational weeks the birth defect risk was similar to the comparison cohort (2.4 % vs 2.3 %; ORadj 1.07; 95 % CI 0.2–3.6). With treatment duration exceeding seven gestational weeks the rate of major birth defects increased up to five-fold (10.8 % vs 2.3 %; ORadj 5.18; 95 % CI 2.0–11.6). The overall risk of spontaneous abortion (SAB) was 38.0 % vs 17.5 % in the comparison cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HRadj] 2.9; 95 % CI 2.2–3.9). The treatment duration had a significant effect on the hazard of SAB (HRadj 1.12; 95 % CI 1.01–1.25 per each additional exposure week). Phenprocoumon and other VKA carry an embryotoxic risk. This risk seems to be time-dependent with a steep risk increase for birth defects and also for fetal loss after week 5. If maternal disease permits, VKA therapy should be switched to safer alternatives such as heparins immediately after early recognition of pregnancy. Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.
Health beliefs and practices of Qatari women: A qualitative study

The purpose of this study was to understand health beliefs and practices of Qatari women by exploring puberty and sexual relations. A qualitative descriptive research design, using focus groups, was used in this study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit college-age Qatari women from six universities in Qatar. A total of 43 Qatari women participated in this study. NVivo 8 qualitative analysis software was used to analyze collected data. Participants reported that Qatari women lacked information about puberty and did not feel prepared for their first menstrual period (menarche). Participants also reported a lack of information about sexual relations due to their mothers’ and schools’ discomfort with the topic. Recommendations related to the investigated areas were elicited from the participants. There is a urgent need to conduct educational programs in Qatar.
Influence of hardness on the bioavailability of silver to a freshwater snail after waterborne exposure to silver nitrate and silver nanoparticles

Abstract The release of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the aquatic environment is likely, but the influence of water chemistry on their impacts and fate remains unclear. Here, we characterize the bioavailability of Ag from AgNO3 and from AgNPs capped with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP AgNP) and thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG AgNP) in the freshwater snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, after short waterborne exposures. Results showed that water hardness, AgNP capping agents, and metal speciation affected the uptake rate of Ag from AgNPs. Comparison of the results from organisms of similar weight showed that water hardness affected the uptake of Ag from AgNPs, but not that from AgNO3. Transformation (dissolution and aggregation) of the AgNPs was also influenced by water hardness and the capping agent. Bioavailability of Ag from AgNPs was, in turn, correlated to these physical changes. Water hardness increased the aggregation of AgNPs, especially for PEG AgNPs, reducing the bioavailability of Ag from PEG AgNPs to a greater degree than from PVP AgNPs. Higher dissolved Ag concentrations were measured for the PVP AgNPs (15%) compared to PEG AgNPs (3%) in moderately hard water, enhancing Ag bioavailability of the former. Multiple drivers of bioavailability yielded differences in Ag influx between very hard and deionized water where the uptake rate constants (kuw, l g−1 d−1 ± SE) varied from 3.1 ± 0.7 to 0.2 ± 0.01 for PEG AgNPs and from 2.3 ± 0.02 to 1.3 ± 0.01 for PVP AgNPs. Modeling bioavailability of Ag from NPs revealed that Ag influx into L. stagnalis comprised uptake from the NPs themselves and from newly dissolved Ag.
New directions in traffic measurement and accounting

Accurate network traffic measurement is required for accounting, bandwidth provisioning, and detecting DOS attacks. However, keeping a counter to measure the traffic sent by each of a million concurrent flows is too expensive (using SRAM) or slow (using DRAM). The current state-of-the-art (e.g., Cisco NetFlow) methods which count periodically sampled packets are slow, inaccurate, and memory-intensive. Our paper introduces a paradigm shift by concentrating on the problem of measuring only "heavy" flows --- i.e., flows whose traffic is above some threshold such as 1% of the link. After showing that a number of simple solutions based on cached counters and classical sampling do not work, we describe two novel and scalable schemes for this purpose which take a constant number of memory references per packet and use a small amount of memory. Further, unlike NetFlow estimates, we have provable bounds on the accuracy of measured rates and the probability of false negatives. We also propose a new form of accounting called threshold accounting in which only flows above threshold are charge by usage while the rest are charged a fixed fee. Threshold accounting generalizes the familiar notions of usage-based and duration based pricing.
An Examination of the Impact of Preconception Health on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes through the Theoretical Lens of Reciprocal Determinism

Statement of Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of preconception health on adverse pregnancy outcomes through the theoretical lens of reciprocal determinism. Thus, this study aims to develop a preconception health conceptual framework that accounts for the interactive relationships among behavior, the environment, and the person. Rationale for the Study Women may not recognize a pregnancy until the first or second missed menstrual cycle, a full four to eight weeks or more after conception. Once a woman realizes the possibility of a pregnancy, it takes further time to confirm the pregnancy with a home pregnancy kit or a visit to the health care provider. In that time period, the woman may have unknowingly exposed her embryo to nutritional deficiencies, over-the-counter drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or other toxins. Because nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, yielding about three million unintended pregnancies in the U.S. annually, there is a need to shift care to an earlier period in a woman's life cycle with greater potential to prevent birth defects and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, also known as preconception care. The preconception health movement began with the rationale that many adverse pregnancy outcomes are determined prior to prenatal care initiation. Thus, in addition to prenatal care, the need for preconception health arose. The empirical literature makes a strong case for the benefit of individual preconception health components and their effects on adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the actual effectiveness of collective preconception health in reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes has not yet been demonstrated. In an effort to evaluate the impact of preconception health on maternal morbidity, infant morbidity, and infant mortality, this study examined the reciprocal relationships between environmental, personal, and preconception behavioral factors and their associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods A secondary data analysis was conducted using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2005-2008 to test a preconception framework. Project 1 examined all variables in the preconception framework among the following states: Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, and Utah. Project 2 examined all variables except of two among all PRAMS-participating states. All of the variables in the proposed framework were derived from questions in the PRAMS survey or from PRAMS-linked birth certificate data. The research questions posed in this study were resolved through the path analyses of reduced and full iterations of the preconception framework in Projects 1 and 2. Results In Project 1, list-wise deletion of missing data resulted in a decrease from the original 27,933 participants to 12,239 participants. In Project 2, this action resulted in a decrease from the original 200,008 participants to 128,551 participants. The analysis of the reduced frameworks for both projects revealed extremely low R-squared values (1.1% or less). Subsequent analyses…
NetCache: Balancing Key-Value Stores with Fast In-Network Caching

We present NetCache, a new key-value store architecture that leverages the power and flexibility of new-generation programmable switches to handle queries on hot items and balance the load across storage nodes. NetCache provides high aggregate throughput and low latency even under highly-skewed and rapidly-changing workloads. The core of NetCache is a packet-processing pipeline that exploits the capabilities of modern programmable switch ASICs to efficiently detect, index, cache and serve hot key-value items in the switch data plane. Additionally, our solution guarantees cache coherence with minimal overhead. We implement a NetCache prototype on Barefoot Tofino switches and commodity servers and demonstrate that a single switch can process 2+ billion queries per second for 64K items with 16-byte keys and 128-byte values, while only consuming a small portion of its hardware resources. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a sophisticated application-level functionality, such as in-network caching, has been shown to run at line rate on programmable switches. Furthermore, we show that NetCache improves the throughput by 3-10x and reduces the latency of up to 40% of queries by 50%, for high-performance, in-memory key-value stores.
Outcomes and direct treatment costs with novel oral anticoagulants compared to clinic-monitored warfarin for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

Objectives: To describe patient characteristics and evaluate costs and outcomes of novel oral anticoagulants compared to clinic-monitored warfarin for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation within the Scott & White Healthcare system. Methods: Patients with atrial fibrillation, CHADS 2 score ≥ 1, and a prescription claim for dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin between 2010 and 2012 were evaluated over 12 months. Patients in the warfarin cohort were enrolled in an Anticoagulation Clinic. Patients were matched 1:1 for age, CHADS 2 , and gender for comparisons between groups. Baseline characteristics, medication adherence, occurrence of adverse events, and treatment costs were compared using inferential statistics. Anticoagulation control was assessed for patients in the warfarin cohort. Results: 141 and 471 patients met criteria for the novel cohort group and the warfarin group, respectively. After matching, 136 remained in each cohort. Prior to matching, The study was an intent-to-treat, retrospective, quasi-experimental design utilizing matched cohorts to allow for between-group comparisons of clinical and economic outcomes. Pharmacy claims, medical claims, electronic medical records, and health plan enrollment data were evaluated from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013. and assessing control
Incorporating Patient and Carer Concerns in Discharge Plans: The Development of a Practical Patient-Centred Checklist

Discharge plans should include prompts for patients and their families to identify key concerns regarding their ability to undertake practical activities of daily living post-discharge. During a six month series of post-discharg e interviews, elderly recently ill patients and their carers identified concerns about managing on leaving the hospital, encompassing transport home from hospital, gaining entry to their home, having appropriate food and effective heating or cooling available immediately postdischarge, obtaining assistance in managing their home and family responsibilities, navigating around their house, accessing their General Medical Practitioner, going shopping, paying bills and regaining social contacts. Few of these concerns were addressed in formal discharge plans made by hospital staff for patients in our study. This paper outlines the development of a patient-centred checklist generated from patient and carer concerns related to being prepared for discharge. Background
O-167a Inflammatory Subtypes In Wheezing Infants: Assessment And Identification Using Induced Sputum

Background Patterns of wheezing during early childhood may indicate differences in aetiology and prognosis of respiratory illnesses. Objectives This study evaluated sputum cytology in infants with recurrent wheezing to classify sputum inflammatory phenotypes and assessed their characterisation over time. Methods Sputum induction were performed in 890 infants with recurrent wheezing. Samples were classified as eosinophilic (>2.5% eosinophils), neutrophilic (>54% neutrophils), mixed granulocytic (>2.5% eosinophils, >54% neutrophils), or paucigranulocytic (≤2.5% eosinophils, ≤54% neutrophils). Sputum induction were repeated after 3 months in infants with oral montelukast sodium (4 mg, QN) or nebulizer ICS (Budesonide aerosol 0.5 mg, Bid). Results Total 504 infants (58.1%)had raised levels of inflammatory cells, eosinophilic 30.6%, neutrophilic 65.2%, mixed granulocytic 4.2%. Variabilities in sputum inflammatory phenotype were observed in both the severe and the mild to moderate wheezing groups. Changes in phenotype were not related to inhaled ICS or oral montelukast sodium, nor were it reflected in a change in tidal pulmonary function. About 27.3% infants fulfilled the criteria for eosinophilia and there were no differences in severity even atopy between non-eosinophilic and eosinophilic wheezing. Conclusions Raised levels of inflammatory cells were frequently found in infants with recurrent wheezing. Sputum inflammatory phenotype was not stable, unlike asthma, neutrophilic was the most common inflammatory phenotype in infants with wheezing, and it was no business of eosinophilia.