Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of erythrocyte methotrexate-polyglutamate levels with the efficacy and hepatotoxicity of methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a 76-week prospective study

Objective To assess the utility of erythrocyte methotrexate-polyglutamate (MTX-PG) concentrations in determining the safety and efficacy of MTX in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods 79 MTX-naïve patients with RA were enrolled in this prospective 76-week cohort study. MTX was initiated, and a predefined dose-escalation protocol was followed. Erythrocyte MTX-PG concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography. The associations of MTX-PG concentrations with disease activity and adverse events were analysed. Results Dose escalation of MTX resulted in increased MTX-PG concentrations and a decrease in the mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). A significant association was observed between total MTX-PG concentrations and ΔDAS28 at week 12 (β=−0.013, p=0.003) and at week 24 (β=−0.014, p=0.003). The maximum MTX-PG levels were significantly higher in patients presenting with elevated transaminases (≥100 IU/L) than in those without (146 vs 106 nmol/L, p=0.009). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that a total MTX-PG concentrations of 83 nmol/L at week 12 was the threshold for a DAS28 improvement of ≥1.2 at week 24, and 105 nmol/L was the threshold for transaminases of ≥50 IU/L and 131 nmol/L for transaminases of ≥100 IU/L. MTX-PG concentrations were strongly influenced by body mass index and a serum albumin level. Conclusions MTX-PG concentrations are a useful biomarker in MTX therapy, in terms of efficacy and safety.
Interrelation of creep and relaxation: a modeling approach for ligaments.

Experimental data (Thornton et al., 1997) show that relaxation proceeds more rapidly (a greater slope on a log-log scale) than creep in ligament, a fact not explained by linear viscoelasticity. An interrelation between creep and relaxation is therefore developed for ligaments based on a single-integral nonlinear superposition model. This interrelation differs from the convolution relation obtained by Laplace transforms for linear materials. We demonstrate via continuum concepts of nonlinear viscoelasticity that such a difference in rate between creep and relaxation phenomenologically occurs when the nonlinearity is of a strain-stiffening type, i.e., the stress-strain curve is concave up as observed in ligament. We also show that it is inconsistent to assume a Fung-type constitutive law (Fung, 1972) for both creep and relaxation. Using the published data of Thornton et al. (1997), the nonlinear interrelation developed herein predicts creep behavior from relaxation data well (R > or = 0.998). Although data are limited and the causal mechanisms associated with viscoelastic tissue behavior are complex, continuum concepts demonstrated here appear capable of interrelating creep and relaxation with fidelity.
On mobility metrics applied for ad hoc network protocol evaluation

Different proposed routing schemes for mobile ad hoc networks have been evaluated with respect to different mobility metrics. Mobility metrics applied for ad hoc protocol performance evaluations have been studied in this paper. Within an ad hoc network with unreliable links and connections, applying a precise mobility metric that captures the impact of mobility can lead to reliable results. In this paper a new mobility metric called link stability metric that can capture the random mobility of mobile nodes in an ad hoc network has been analysed in an environment with a random waypoint mobility model.
Comparative effect of paracetamol, NSAIDs or their combination in postoperative pain management: a qualitative review.

BACKGROUND Quantitative reviews of postoperative pain management have demonstrated that the number of patients needed to treat for one patient to achieve at least 50% pain relief (NNT) is 2.7 for ibuprofen (400 mg) and 4.6 for paracetamol (1000 mg), both compared with placebo. However, direct comparisons between paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have not been extensively reviewed. The aims of this review are (i) to compare the analgesic and adverse effects of paracetamol with those of other NSAIDs in postoperative pain, (ii) to compare the effects of combined paracetamol and NSAID with those of either drug alone, and (iii) to discuss whether the adverse effects of NSAIDs in short-term use are justified by their analgesic effects, compared with paracetamol. METHODS Medline (1966 to January 2001) and the Cochrane Library (January 2001) were used to perform a systematic, qualitative review of postoperative pain studies comparing paracetamol (minimum 1000 mg) with NSAID in a double-blind, randomized manner. A quantitative review was not performed as too many studies of high scientific standard (27 out of 41 valid studies, including all major surgery studies) would have been excluded. RESULTS NSAIDs were clearly more effective in dental surgery, whereas the efficacy of NSAIDs and paracetamol seemed without substantial differences in major and orthopaedic surgery, although firm conclusions could not be made because the number of studies was limited. The addition of an NSAID to paracetamol may confer additional analgesic efficacy compared with paracetamol alone, and the limited data available also suggest that paracetamol may enhance analgesia when added to an NSAID, compared with NSAIDs alone. CONCLUSION Paracetamol is a viable alternative to the NSAIDs, especially because of the low incidence of adverse effects, and should be the preferred choice in high-risk patients. It may be appropriate to combine paracetamol with NSAIDs, but future studies are required, especially after major surgery, with specific focus on a potential increase in side-effects from their combined use.
THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF RATIONAL EXPERIANTIAL INVENTORY

The purpose of this study is to adapt the Rational Experiential Inventory which was developed by Pacini and Epstein (1999) on young adults. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the construct validity and the Cronbach Alpha correlation coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency of the scale. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, a-four factor structure-which is same as the original formwas determined. CFA indicated goodnes of fit between model and data. The total variance explained by the scale is 41.5%. Findings indicate that the re-adapted inventory is a valid and reliable inventory and its structure differentiate according to the age of the study group. Eylem Gökçe TÜRK, Deniz GÜLLEROĞLU. 556 Mayıs 2014 Cilt:22 No:2 Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi
Virtual Environment Online for the Project-Based Learning Session

—Project-Based Learning (PBL) has become a necessity for the Moroccan higher education reform. PBL is an approach that transforms teaching from "teachers telling" to "students doing". However, implementing PBLs brings new challenges to higher education. In this paper, we present a set of Technology-enhanced Learning environments integrating the needed aspects in a synergetic way to fit well PBLs, especially in our context of use. The collaborative environments we developed, called respectively Smart-Project, Moulinette, M@roc Téléformation and Multi Agent Reporting System (MARS), were used to support PBL in the process of reform. In response to the challenges, the synergetic way in which our developed environments collaborated to provide interactive tracking data and semantic reports plays, in our sense, an important role in structuring and supporting effective PBL sessions.
Bacteraemia due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli in cancer patients: risk factors, antibiotic therapy and outcomes.

OBJECTIVES To assess the risk factors, antibiotic therapy and outcomes of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (MDRGNB) bacteraemia in hospitalized patients with cancer. METHODS Episodes of MDRGNB bacteraemia were compared with a susceptible control group in a 4 year prospective study. RESULTS Of 747 bacteraemias, 372 (49.7%) were caused by a Gram-negative bacilli (GNB). Fifty-one of these (13.7%) were caused by a multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain. Previous antibiotics [odds ratio (OR) 3.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.63-7.80] and urinary catheter (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.01-5.74) were identified as independent risk factors for MDRGNB acquisition. The most frequent mechanism of resistance was extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production (45%), mainly by Escherichia coli, followed by Amp-C cephalosporinase hyperproduction (24%). Patients with MDRGNB bacteraemia more frequently received inadequate initial antibiotic therapy (69% versus 9%; P < 0.001) and time to adequate therapy was longer in this group (41% versus 4%; P < 0.001). Patients in the resistant group more frequently required intensive care unit (ICU) admission (14% versus 5%; P = 0.023), had greater need for mechanical ventilation (14% versus 3%; P = 0.005) and had a higher overall case-fatality rate (41% versus 21%; P = 0.003). Risk factors for mortality were solid tumour (OR 5.04; 95% CI 2.49-10.19), current corticosteroid use (OR 4.38; 95% CI 2.39-8.05), ICU admission (OR 11.40; 95% CI 3.19-40.74) and MDRGNB bacteraemia (OR 3.52; 95% CI 1.36-9.09). CONCLUSIONS MDRGNB bacteraemia was common among cancer patients, especially in those exposed to antibiotics and urinary catheter. The most frequent mechanism of resistance was ESBL production. Patients with MDRGNB more frequently received inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy and presented poorer outcomes with a higher overall case-fatality rate (within 30 days).
Optimal design of photoreceptor mosaics: Why we do not see color at night

Abstract While color vision mediated by rod photoreceptors in dim light is possible (Kelber & Roth, 2006), most animals, including humans, do not see in color at night. This is because their retinas contain only a single class of rod photoreceptors. Many of these same animals have daylight color vision, mediated by multiple classes of cone photoreceptors. We develop a general formulation, based on Bayesian decision theory, to evaluate the efficacy of various retinal photoreceptor mosaics. The formulation evaluates each mosaic under the assumption that its output is processed to optimally estimate the image. It also explicitly takes into account the statistics of the environmental image ensemble. Using the general formulation, we consider the trade-off between monochromatic and dichromatic retinal designs as a function of overall illuminant intensity. We are able to demonstrate a set of assumptions under which the prevalent biological pattern represents optimal processing. These assumptions include an image ensemble characterized by high correlations between image intensities at nearby locations, as well as high correlations between intensities in different wavelength bands. They also include a constraint on receptor photopigment biophysics and/or the information carried by different wavelengths that produces an asymmetry in the signal-to-noise ratio of the output of different receptor classes. Our results thus provide an optimality explanation for the evolution of color vision for daylight conditions and monochromatic vision for nighttime conditions. An additional result from our calculations is that regular spatial interleaving of two receptor classes in a dichromatic retina yields performance superior to that of a retina where receptors of the same class are clumped together.
Relation of patients' experiences with individual physicians to malpractice risk.

OBJECTIVE Patient care experience survey data might be useful for managing individual physician malpractice risk, but available evidence is limited. This study assesses whether patients' experiences with individual physicians, as measured by a validated survey, are associated with patient complaints and malpractice lawsuits. DESIGN Random samples of active patients in physicians' panels, with sample sizes adequate to provide highly reliable, stable information about patients' experiences with each physician (n = 19 202, average respondents per physician = 119) were used to assess the relation of patient survey measures to malpractice risk. SETTING A large multi-specialty physician organization in eastern Massachusetts, USA. PARTICIPANTS Physicians providing care for at least 5 years in adult primary care and select high-risk specialty departments between January 1996 and December 2005 (n = 161). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patient complaints (2001-05) and malpractice lawsuits (1996-2005). RESULTS Compared to primary care physicians, high-risk specialists had a lower patient complaint rate (0.34 vs. 1.36 complaints per patient care full time equivalent; P < 0.001), but a higher lawsuit rate (0.09 vs. 0.05 lawsuits per patient care full time equivalent; P = 0.02). Irrespective of physician specialty, the quality of physician-patient interactions (IRR = 0.61; P < 0.001) and care coordination (IRR = 0.65; P < 0.001) were inversely associated with patient complaints. Patient survey measures were not associated with malpractice lawsuits. CONCLUSIONS The results underscore the challenges organizations face when attempting to use patient survey data to manage individual physician medical malpractice risk. Because lawsuits are infrequent events, calibrating these validated patient survey measures to malpractice lawsuit risk will require large physician samples from diverse practices.
Political Ecology and Contours of Vulnerability to Water Insecurity in Semiarid North-Eastern Ghana

Vulnerability to water insecurity in Ghana has often been characterised as a biophysical phenomenon that can be objectively solved using technical and rational approaches to manage water resources use and allocation – thus, making vulnerability to water security discourse politically neutral. Contesting this orthodoxy, this article shows the multiple mechanisms and structures that undergird vulnerability of households to water insecurity in semiarid Ghana. Vulnerability to water insecurity is often veiled in political and economic imbalances that constrain the choices of people in their daily water realities. We argue that a rigid fixation on the biophysical conceptualisation of water insecurity separates nature from society while simultaneously ignoring the lived insecurities resulting from the contours of power. Policy formulation based on this conceptualisation without addressing the access rights and differentiated vulnerabilities could be misleading while yielding minimal impact.
Angiogenin Regulation by Estradiol in Breast Tissue: Tamoxifen Inhibits Angiogenin Nuclear Translocation and Antiangiogenin Therapy Reduces Breast Cancer Growth In vivo

Purpose: Angiogenin, a 14.2-kDa polypeptide member of the RNase A superfamily, has potent angiogenic effects. Nuclear accumulation of angiogenin is essential for its angiogenic activity. Increased angiogenin expression has been associated with the transition of normal breast tissue into invasive breast carcinoma. In this article, we investigated whether estradiol (E2) affected angiogenin in breast tissue. Experimental Design: We used microdialysis for sampling of extracellular angiogenin in vivo. In vitro cultures of whole normal breast tissue, breast cancer cells, and endothelial cells were used. Results: We show that extracellular angiogenin correlated significantly with E2 in normal human breast tissue in vivo and that exposure of normal breast tissue biopsies to E2 stimulated angiogenin secretion. In breast cancer patients, the in vivo angiogenin levels were significantly higher in tumors compared with the adjacent normal breast tissue. In estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer cells, E2 increased and tamoxifen decreased angiogenin secretion. Moreover, E2-induced angiogenin derived from cancer cells significantly increased endothelial cell proliferation. Tamoxifen reversed this increase as well as inhibited nuclear translocation of angiogenin. In vivo, in experimental breast cancer, tamoxifen decreased angiogenin levels and decreased angiogenesis. Additionally, treating tumor-bearing mice with an antiangiogenin antibody resulted in tumor stasis, suggesting a role for angiogenin in estrogen-dependent breast cancer growth. Conclusion: Our results suggest previously unknown mechanisms by which estrogen and antiestrogen regulate angiogenesis in normal human breast tissue and breast cancer. This may be important for estrogen-driven breast cancer progression and a molecular target for therapeutic interventions. Clin Cancer Res; 16(14); 3659–69. ©2010 AACR.
Motion track: Visualizing variations of human motion data

This paper proposes a novel visualization approach, which can depict the variations between different human motion data. This is achieved by representing the time dimension of each animation sequence with a sequential curve in a locality-preserving reference 2D space, called the motion track representation. The principal advantage of this representation over standard representations of motion capture data - generally either a keyframed timeline or a 2D motion map in its entirety - is that it maps the motion differences along the time dimension into parallel perceptible spatial dimensions but at the same time captures the primary content of the source data. Latent semantic differences that are difficult to be visually distinguished can be clearly displayed, favoring effective summary, clustering, comparison and analysis of motion database.
An integrated knowledge-based and machine learning approach for Chinese question classification

Question classification plays an important role in question-answering systems. Chinese question classification is the process that analyzes a question and labels it based on its question type and expected answer type. In this paper, we propose an integrated knowledge-based and machine learning approach for Chinese question classification that focuses on factoid question answering. We develop a Chinese question classification scheme for CLQA C-C (cross language question answering Chinese to Chinese) factoid question answering, and define a coarse-grained and fine-grained classification taxonomy for a Chinese question-answering system. We adopt INFOMAP inference engine to support the knowledge-based approach for Chinese questions, which can be formulated as templates and use SVM (support vector machines) as the machine learning approach for large collections of labeled Chinese questions. Our experimental results show that the accuracy of Chinese question classification using INFOMAP alone is 88% and 73.5% with SVM alone. In contrast, classification based on a hybrid approach that incorporates SVM and INFOMAP yields an accuracy rate of 92%.
User Demand Description and Optimization in Web Data Management

Based on object deputy database, newly proposed web data management system (WDMS) provides user with personal data spaces to flexibly manage their various web data. Limited to database capacity, WDMS should gather data that user need from Web according to user demand implied in their personal data spaces. However, user demand that expressed in SQL sentences in data spaces can't be comprehended and executed by meta-search engine. Confronted with the problem, this paper proposed a user demand description method which is helpful to formalize user demand expression and bridge the gap between user demand and web data sources. Based on user demand description, this paper also proposed user demand set optimization method to eliminate the subset and intersection relationship among user demand set. The experimental results demonstrate that user demand description and its optimization method can well express complex user demand and reduce redundant query cost. This work can be widely used in various kinds of personal Web data service system.
The Problem of singularities of higher order curvature corrections in four-dimensional string gravity

The influence of higher order (stringly inspired) curvature corrections to the classical General Relativity spherically symmetric solution is studied. In string gravity these curvature corrections have a special form and can provide a singular contribution to the field equations because they generate higher derivatives of metric functions multiplied by a small parameter. Analytically and numerically it is shown that sometimes in 4D string gravity the Schwarzschild solution is not recovered when the string coupling constant vanishes and limited number of higher order curvature corrections is considered.
Nanostructured down-converter module for photovoltaic application

In silicon-based solar cells, a substantial part of the energy losses is related to the charge carriers thermalization in the UV-blue range and the week carriers collection at these wavelenghts. To avoid this issue, we introduce a new concept which combines a rare-earths doped thin layer with a photonic crystal (PC) layer, allowing an efficient conversion from UV-blue photons to near-IR photons. We report on the feasibility of such a nanostructured down-converter module using an active rare-earth doped CaYAlO4 thin layer and a silicon nitride PC on top. By means of optical numerical simulations, the promising potentialities of the concept are demonstrated.
Repairing Provenance Policy Violations by Inventing Non-Functional Nodes

In scientific collaborations, provenance is increasingly used to explain, debug, reproduce, and determine the validity and quality of data products. In such environments, it can be infeasible or undesirable to publish the complete provenance of all the final output data products. We have developed PROPUB, a system that allows users to publish a customized version of their data provenance, based on a set of publication and customization requests, while observing certain provenance publication policies, expressed as logic integrity constraints. The user’s customization requests may violate one or more integrity constraints. In previous work, we removed additional parts of the provenance graph (i.e., not directly requested by the user) to repair policy violations. In this paper, we present an alternative approach which ensures that all relevant nodes are retained in the provenance graph. The key idea is to introduce new (non-functional) nodes that are used to represent lineage dependencies, without revealing information that the user wants to protect. With this new approach, a user may now explore different provenance publication strategies, and choose the most appropriate one before publishing sensitive provenance data.
Novel Dual-Mode Dual-Band Filters Using Coplanar-Waveguide-Fed Ring Resonators

This paper presents a novel approach for designing dual-mode dual-band bandpass filters with independently controlled center frequencies and bandwidths. Two microstrip perturbed ring resonators are employed to obtain dual-mode dual-band responses. Novel feeding structures are introduced to simultaneously feed the ring resonators and conveniently control the coupling strength between resonators and feeding lines, resulting in a wide tunable range of external quality factors. Two kinds of filter configurations with compact size are proposed. Both of them provide sufficient degrees of freedom to satisfy various requirements of external qualify factors and coupling coefficients at both passbands. Therefore, the center frequencies and fractional bandwidths of both passbands can be independently tuned to desired specifications within a wide range. To verify the proposed method, four filters are implemented. The measured results exhibit dual-mode dual-band bandpass responses with high selectivity.