Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Revascularization versus implantable cardioverter-defibrillators to prevent sudden death in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

Sudden death remains a dreaded consequence of coronary artery disease, and efforts to predict its incidence and to prevent its occurrence remain a major concern. A number of the challenges in management are highlighted in the article by Veenhuyzen et al1 in the present issue of Circulation . In their study, mortality and modes of death were assessed in 5410 patients with ischemic left ventricular function who were enrolled in the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) study.2 There were 1870 patients who had had prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and 3540 who had not had prior CABG. The SOLVD trial database is a good source for these data, both because it is large and because the cause of death (ie, whether cardiac and whether sudden or not) was established. See p 1489 The key findings of Veenhuyzen et al1 are that CABG was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of death (from 24.3% to 18.4%) and a 46% reduction in the risk of sudden death (from 7.5% to 4.1%). These findings are independent of ejection fraction, severity of heart failure symptoms, age, and other clinical variables. In a stratified analysis by severity of left ventricular dysfunction, there was some evidence for interaction, but similar results were noted overall. Prior CABG was not associated with an alteration in the risk of death from progressive heart failure. The results were applied to a group of patients with left ventricular dysfunction from the Coronary Artery Surgery Study Registry who had not undergone surgery, offering a predicted annual rate of death of 8.2% and sudden death …
Mapping canonical Wnt signaling in the developing and adult retina.

PURPOSE The role of the Wnt[b]/beta-catenin-dependent pathway (canonical Wnt pathway) in the context of retinal development and homeostasis is largely unknown. This study was undertaken to characterize activation of the Wnt canonical pathway and its relevance to cell type populations in the developing and adult retina. METHODS Tissue from TCF/Lef-LacZ (T-cell-specific transcription factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor) transgenic mice was used for monitoring the activation of the canonical Wnt pathway. Lithium (Li(+)) treatment was applied to induce ectopic activation of the TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter gene in retinal explants. Gene expression and retinal cell types were examined by in situ hybridization (ISH) or by immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS On Li(+) treatment, ectopic expression of the TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter gene was rapidly and dramatically induced in retinal explants. The pattern of TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter gene expression was dynamic throughout retinal development and in the adult retina. There was a distinctive expression pattern in each cellular layer, in the developing ciliary margin (CM), and the prospective ciliary epithelium. In the mature retina, the TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter gene was expressed in subsets of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and amacrine cells. The expression of the four TCF/Lef transcription factors overlapped with activation of the TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter. CONCLUSIONS The TCF/Lef-LacZ transgene is a faithful reporter of canonical Wnt signaling in the retina. The pattern of TCF/Lef-LacZ reporter gene activation and of TCF/Lef transcription factor expression suggests that activation of the canonical Wnt pathway is developmental-stage dependent and is spatially modulated. Our findings also imply the involvement of this pathway in the specification and/or generation of ciliary epithelium, cellular differentiation, axon guidance, and connectivity to targets in the central nervous system and in the maintenance or function of specific retinal neurons in the adult.
Accommodative changes in lens diameter in rhesus monkeys.

PURPOSE Some debate surrounds the accommodative mechanism in primates, particularly whether the lens equatorial diameter increases or decreases during accommodation. This study has been undertaken to measure the relationship between changes in lens diameter and refraction during accommodation in rhesus monkeys. METHODS Photorefraction was used to measure accommodation, and goniovideography was used to measure accommodative changes in lens diameter in the iridectomized eyes of two rhesus monkeys. Accommodation was stimulated through the full amplitude available to each eye by stimulation of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus of the brain. Dynamic measurement of refractive changes followed by dynamic measurements of changes in lens diameter for the same stimulus current amplitudes allow the relationship between refraction and lens diameter to be determined. RESULTS Lens diameter decreased relatively linearly during accommodation by 0.055 mm/diopter (D), resulting in an overall decrease in lens diameter of approximately 7% of the unaccommodated lens diameter for approximately 12 D of accommodation. CONCLUSIONS The rhesus monkey lens diameter decreases systematically with the refractive change during accommodation in accordance with the Helmholtz accommodative mechanism and in contrast to the accommodative mechanism originally proposed by Tscherning.
The death of a discipline or the birth of a transdiscipline: subverting questions of disciplinarity within Education Studies undergraduate courses

As non‐teacher training courses in UK higher education in Education Studies have grown and developed in recent years they have received enormous interest. All of these Education Studies degrees claim to integrate a number of disciplines using an interdisciplinary or a multidisciplinary paradigm. Traditionally the systematic integration of disciplines within courses has created a range of lenses for focusing upon issues such as in medical sociology and health. However, by their very nature, Education Studies courses are complex and influenced by a number of factors such as the socio‐economic climate, political factors, changing technologies and the contemporary views of childhood as well as the changing and evolving socio‐constructions of childhood. Currently, Education Studies courses integrate a number of disciplines to investigate the learning process in context. There is a trend for Education Studies degrees to shift between terms of disciplinarity such as multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. This paper examines the nature of Education Studies degrees and tries to provoke the debate about the mono, inter, and multidisciplinarity nature of Education Studies. The paper promulgates that Education Studies by its nature and complexity cannot seek identity with any one of these approaches. It will suggest that, given the complexity of the context it serves to match, that instead Education Studies is embedded within transdisciplinarity.
On the minimum diameter of plane integral point sets

Plane integral point sets P are sets of n points in the plane with pairwise integral distances where not all the points are collinear. The largest occurring distance is called its diameter. By d(2, n) we denote the minimum possible diameter of a plane integral point set consisting of n points. We give some new exact values and describe the algorithms to obtain them. It turns out that plane integral point sets with minimum diameter consist very likely of subsets with many collinear points. For this special kind of point sets we prove a lower bound for d(2, n) achieving the upper bound n2 log log n up to a constant. If in contrary no 3 points are allowed to be collinear we talk of semi-general position and denote the corresponding minimum diameter by d(2, n). Again we give some new exact values. A famous question of Erdős asks for plane integral point sets with no 3 points on a line and no 4 points on a circle. Here we talk of point sets in general position and denote the corresponding minimum diameter by ḋ(2, n). Unfortunately we leave the existence of ḋ(2, 7) as an open question and can only provide the lower bound ḋ(2, 7) > 15, 000 obtained by an exhaustive search.
SPICE Optimization of Organic FET Models Using Charge Transport Elements

We report on a modeling technique that uses charge transport equations to calculate channel current in organic field effect transistors (OFETs) by numerical solution in the SPICE simulation program. SPICE is also used to optimize the model and achieve a fit to measured characteristics within 5% error. The overall modeling technique is a bridge between physical models of charge transport and a SPICE model useful in circuit simulation without requiring a closed-form drain-current equation. The automatic optimization of the simulation to measured curves will also allow, in the future, the empirical weighing of various charge transport effects in search of physical device operation, given sufficient empirical data. This modeling technique was applied to the measured characteristics of an OFET using pentacene in which the mobility was dependent on the voltage in the channel. The accuracy of the fit was better than 5% for 40 V > VDS > 7V and better than 20% for VDS > 7V. Simulation was completed within 3 min for this optimization on a modern personal computer.
Momentum Control of an Underactuated Flying Humanoid Robot

The letter takes the first step toward the development of a control framework for underactuated flying humanoid robots. These robots may thus have the capacities of flight, contact locomotion, and manipulation, and benefit from technologies and methods developed for Whole-Body Control and Aerial Manipulation. As in the case of quadrotors, we assume that the humanoid robot is powered by four thrust forces. For convenience, these forces are placed at the robot hands and feet. The control objective is defined as the asymptotic stabilization of the robot centroidal momentum. This objective allows us to track a desired trajectory for the robot center of mass and keep small errors between a reference orientation and the robot base frame. Stability and convergence of the robot momentum are shown to be in the sense of Lyapunov. Simulations carried out on a model of the humanoid robot iCub verify the soundness of the proposed approach.
P4 Peptide Therapy Rescues Aged Mice from Fatal Pneumococcal Sepsis

Many studies suggest that with aging, immune capabilities gradually diminish, leading to a decrease in antibody production, cytokines, and various effector cells ([1][1]-[4][2]). In this study, we examined the effects of an immune-enhancing peptide on aged mice. P4, a 28-amino-acid cationic peptide
Laboratory Surveillance of Influenza-Like Illness in Seven Teaching Hospitals, South Korea: 2011–2012 Season

Background A well-constructed and properly operating influenza surveillance scheme is essential for public health. This study was conducted to evaluate the distribution of respiratory viruses in patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) through the first teaching hospital-based surveillance scheme for ILI in South Korea. Methods Respiratory specimens were obtained from adult patients (≥18 years) who visited the emergency department (ED) with ILI from week 40, 2011 to week 22, 2012. Multiplex PCR was performed to detect respiratory viruses: influenza virus, adenovirus, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, bocavirus, and enterovirus. Results Among 1,983 patients who visited the ED with ILI, 811 (40.9%) were male. The median age of patients was 43 years. Influenza vaccination rate was 21.7% (430/1,983) during the 2011–2012 season. At least one comorbidity was found in 18% of patients. The positive rate of respiratory viruses was 52.1% (1,033/1,983) and the total number of detected viruses was 1,100. Influenza A virus was the dominant agent (677, 61.5%) in all age groups. The prevalence of human metapneumovirus was higher in patients more than 50 years old, while adenovirus was detected only in younger adults. In 58 (5.6%) cases, two or more respiratory viruses were detected. The co-incidence case was identified more frequently in patients with hematologic malignancy or organ transplantation recipients, however it was not related to clinical outcomes. Conclusion This study is valuable as the first extensive laboratory surveillance of the epidemiology of respiratory viruses in ILI patients through a teaching hospital-based influenza surveillance system in South Korea.
Hands free - care free: elderly people taking advantage of speech-only interaction

This paper presents an explorative study investigating the applicability of speech-only interaction in the everyday life of elderly people. For the purpose of this study we connected an iPhone 4s including the Siri application with a Bluetooth enabled headset. By pressing the Siri activation button on the iPhone the participants were able to directly access the iPhone services via voice without using a graphical user-interface (GUI). The aim of this study was to investigate the usability, user experience and acceptance of speech-only interaction by elderly users. The results indicate a high potential of speech-only interaction for elderly users not only in indoor but also in outdoor environments. The participants showed an overall positive attitude and high acceptance of speech interaction. They particularly appreciated the simplicity of this form of interaction and indicated to use speech-only interaction in their everyday life.
BIAS IN MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS. FAIR TESTS

Psychological assessment must ensure the equity and validity of interpretations and of any decisions taken as a result of them. Therefore, it is necessary to use bias-free assessment instruments capable of evaluating the personal and social needs of individuals with different characteristics. The study of possible bias in tests, or in some of their items, has been of great relevance in psychometric research over the last 30 years, and is likely to remain an important focus of interest for professionals and researchers involved in psychological and educational testing. The aim of this paper is to provide the applied psychologist with some background and guidelines in relation to bias, the concepts of differential functioning and impact, procedures for detecting item or test bias and the evaluation of its possible causes, with a view to improving the validity of psychological measurement.
Atypical Ormond's disease associated with bile duct stricture mimicking cholangiocarcinoma

A 55-year-old woman with suspected hilar cholangiocarcinoma presented with jaundice and dilated intrahepatic bile ducts owing to high-grade hepatic duct confluence stenosis. The suspected tumour and the entire extrahepatic bile duct system were resected and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was performed. Histological investigations showed perihepatic fibrosis but no signs of malignancy. One year later the patient developed bilateral hydronephrosis caused by ureteral obstruction. Since the patient had a gynaecological history of widespread inflammation, she was referred for transabdominal operative ureterolysis combined with hysterectomy and adnexectomy. Histological investigations as well as fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and computed tomography (CT) findings were compatible with retroperitoneal fibrosis (Ormond's disease). Treatment with tamoxifen was initiated. To the best of our knowledge, only a few cases of intraperitoneal fibroses mimicking cholangiocarcinoma followed by the typical symptoms of retroperitoneal Ormond's disease have been reported.
Body Composition Methods: Comparisons and Interpretation

The incidence of obesity in the United States and other developed countries is epidemic. Because the prevalence of comorbidities to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, has also increased, it is clear there is a great need to monitor and treat obesity and its comorbidities. Body composition assessments vary in precision and in the target tissue of interest. The most common assessments are anthropometric and include weight, stature, abdominal circumference, and skinfold measurements. More complex methods include bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, body density, and total body water estimates. There is no single universally recommended method for body composition assessment in the obese, but each modality has benefits and drawbacks. We present here the most common methods and provide guidelines by way of examples to assist the clinician/researcher in choosing methods appropriate to their situation.
Targeted Disruption of the Murine Retinal Dehydrogenase Gene Rdh12 Does Not Limit Visual Cycle Function

ABSTRACT RDH12 codes for a member of the family of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases/reductases proposed to function in the visual cycle that supplies the chromophore 11-cis retinal to photoreceptor cells. Mutations in RDH12 cause severe and progressive childhood onset autosomal-recessive retinal dystrophy, including Leber congenital amaurosis. We generated Rdh12 knockout mice, which exhibited grossly normal retinal histology at 10 months of age. Levels of all-trans and 11-cis retinoids in dark- and light-adapted animals and scotopic and photopic electroretinogram (ERG) responses were similar to those for the wild type, as was recovery of the ERG response following bleaching, for animals matched for an Rpe65 polymorphism (p.L450M). Lipid peroxidation products and other measures of oxidative stress did not appear to be elevated in Rdh12−/− animals. RDH12 was localized to photoreceptor inner segments and the outer nuclear layer in both mouse and human retinas by immunohistochemistry. The present findings, together with those of earlier studies showing only minor functional deficits in mice deficient for Rdh5, Rdh8, or Rdh11, suggest that the activity of any one isoform is not rate limiting in the visual response.
Democratic Transition and Electoral Violence in Togo

Following the presidential election held in Togo on April 24, 2005, after the death in office of long-time president Gnassingb? Eyad? ma, unprecedented levels of violence erupted across the country adding to the history of troubled elections in Africa. This paper investigates the Togolese presidential election of 2005, which is to date the smallest election held in Africa and one seriously marred by violence. The study was conducted following the methodology as under: Collecting, sorting and analyzing secondary information relating political history of the country. We find that 5% of Togolese were affected by the violence regardless of their ethnicity and wealth. The chances of being a victim of violence were higher in where politically-connected gangs operated. Violence, which was mainly triggered by the perception that the election had been rigged, reduced trust and social capital among communities making violence more likely to reoccur. The main finding is that treating electoral violence as a criminal matter or a cyclical phenomenon is not likely to end future elections from being violent. The more robust approach of adopting postelection political agreements in Togo showed early promise, but the protests following the recently held elections in Togo show a continuing institutional weakness for managing electoral conflict.
Diversity and Distribution of Commensal Fecal Escherichia coli Bacteria in Beef Cattle Administered Selected Subtherapeutic Antimicrobials in a Feedlot Setting

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli strains isolated from fecal samples were screened to examine changes in phenotypic and genotypic characteristics including antimicrobial susceptibility, clonal type, and carriage of resistance determinants. The goal of this 197-day study was to investigate the influence of administration of chlortetracycline alone (T) or in combination with sulfamethazine (TS) on the development of resistance, dissemination of defined strain types, and prevalence of resistance determinants in feedlot cattle. Inherent tetracycline resistance was detected in cattle with no prior antimicrobial exposure. Antimicrobial administration was not found to be essential for the maintenance of inherently ampicillin-resistant and tetracycline-resistant (Tetr) E. coli in control animals; however, higher TetrE. coli shedding was observed in animals subjected to the two treatments. At day 0, high tetracycline (26.7%), lower sulfamethoxazole-tetracycline (19.2%), and several other resistances were detected, which by the finishing phase (day 197) were restricted to ampicillin-tetracycline (47.5%), tetracycline (31.7%), and ampicillin-tetracycline-sulfamethoxazole (20.8%) from both treated and untreated cattle. Among the determinants, blaTEM1, tet(A), and sul2 were prevalent at days 0 and 197. Further, E. coli from day 0 showed diverse antibiogram profiles and strain types, which by the finishing phase were limited to up to three, irrespective of the treatment. Some genetically identical strains expressed different phenotypes and harbored diverse determinants, indicating that mobile genetic elements contribute to resistance dissemination. This was supported by an increased linked inheritance of ampicillin and tetracycline resistance genes and prevalence of specific strains at day 197. Animals in the cohort shed increasingly similar genotypes by the finishing phase due to animal-to-animal strain transmission. Thus, characterizing inherent resistance and propagation of cohort-specific strains is crucial for determining antimicrobial resistance in cattle.
The Bottleneck Traveling Salesman Problem: Algorithms and Probabilistic Analysis

The bottleneck traveling salesman problem seeks to minimize the maximum length arc over all Hamlltonlan cycles in a graph A probabdlStlC analysis is presented for random problems It is shown that the optimal ob.lectwe value can be closely approximated by a beta function Finally, effective solution techmques are developed and computational experience is reported
Incorporating multiple levels of analysis into occupational stress research

In recent years, more and more research in the organizational sciences has incorporated a multiple levels of analysis perspective (e.g. individual, group and organizational) into models of organizational behaviour. The study of occupational stress, however, has continued to focus almost exclusively on the individual level of analysis. In this paper, the authors contend that incorporating a multi-level perspective in the study of occupational stress has theoretical as well as practical value. The authors illustrate their position using results from an occupational stress research programme conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.