Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Osteogenic Progenitors in Bone Marrow Aspirates from Smokers and Nonsmokers

Bone marrow aspirates contain connective tissue progenitor cells which can proliferate to form cell colonies that express connective tissue phenotypes. The number of osteogenic connective tissue progenitor cells can be estimated by counting colonies that express alkaline phosphatase, an early marker of osteoblastic differentiation. Because tobacco use is associated with decreased bone mass and fracture nonunion, we tested the hypothesis that current or previous tobacco use is an independent determinant of marrow cellularity or prevalence of osteogenic connective tissue progenitor cells among marrow-derived cells. Marrow aspirates were obtained from the anterior iliac crest of 62 patients who were grouped as never smoked, past smokers, or current smokers. The number of nucleated cells per aspirate was determined. Cells were cultured for 6 days in osteogenic media. The prevalence of osteogenic connective tissue progenitor cells was determined by counting colony forming units. The area of each colony was assessed using quantitative image analysis. Cellularity of bone marrow was found to decrease with age. We observed no relationship between smoking status and marrow cellularity, colony prevalence, or colony area. This suggests that tobacco use is not associated with a change in prevalence of osteogenic connective tissue progenitor cells in bone marrow, or their intrinsic biologic capacity to undergo early osteoblastic differentiation.Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Study, Level I (testing of previously developed diagnostic criteria on consecutive patients-with universally applied reference “gold” standard). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Strategies of Child-Fosterage Among Mende Grannies in Sierra Leone

This paper analyzes child fosterage practices among the Mende "grannies" of Sierra Leone. It is argued that this practice mitigates the costs of high fertility to childbearers and distributes the benefits of children to elderly women. The data were drawn from an ethnographic survey involving 155 in-factors and 117 out-fosters. 22.5% of children under 5 years of age born to women surveyed 27.8% of children ages 6-10 years and 45.9% of those in the 11-15 year age group were living apart from their mothers. Whereas older children are sent to fosterage to obtain an education and make contacts that may allow them to enter the national government or business world smaller children are generally sent for reasons of child care especially when cash and food supplies are low. Grannies with wealth and prestige often mind many children. Factors such as sex legitimacy sibling order and age influence which children are sent to grannies. Girls high order siblings and illegitimate children are more likely to be sent to rural areas for care. In addition to the childrens labor grannies obtain money and supplies from parents; the ties to parents this arrangement implies provides these women with the means to subsist. In addition there is the potential of support from the children themselves in the future. Despite their illiteracy and isolation from the modern economy rural grannies are able to attain many of the benefits of modernization (e.g. cash imported household and clothing items access to modern legal help and medical care) through the institution of fosterage. To a certain extent the rural subsistence sector is absorbing some of the costs of high urban fertility. Sending a child to a rural granny allows young urban dwellers to avoid food and maintenance expenditures as well as losses of time from work. Finally fosterage provides urban migrants with a means to maintain ties with the rural community if they fail to integrate themselves into the urban area and must return home.
Comparison Between a New Low Dose Urea Capsule Test and the Conventional UBiT(R) Tablet Test for the Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection.

BACKGROUND The urea breath test (UBT) is regarded as a highly reliable, noninvasive tool for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection. We compared a recently developed low-dose 38 mg (13)C-urea capsule, which is able to eliminate oral urease effects and does not require positional changes during the test, with the conventionally used 100 mg (13)C-urea tablet method. METHODS Thirty-nine volunteers were tested under informed consent with both (13)C-UBT methods, Helifinder(R) and UBiT-IR300(R), with a minimum 2-week washout period. The pre-ingestion and 20-minute post-ingestion breath samples were analyzed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for Helifinder, and a nondispersive isotope-selective infrared spectrophotometer for UBiT samples. RESULTS Helifinder method showed excellent agreement with UBiT among 19 positive and 20 negative cases (weighted kappa value, 1.0). Helifinder results (y) showed good agreement but with a proportional bias compared to UBiT results (x) by Passing and Bablok method (y=0.551x-0.255, r=0.74, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Since the low-dose 38 mg (13)C-urea capsule (Helifinder) test, which is more convenient and economic, showed comparable results with the conventional UBiT method, it can be used as an alternative for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.
Single-payer national health insurance. Physicians' views.

BACKGROUND Forty-one million Americans have no health insurance and, despite the growth of managed care, medical costs are again increasing rapidly. One proposed solution is a single-payer health care financing system with universal coverage. Yet, physicians' views of such a system have not been well studied. METHODS We surveyed a random sample of physicians (from the American Medical Association Masterfile) in Massachusetts, regarding their views on a single-payer health care financing system and other financing and physician work-life issues that such a system might affect. RESULTS Of 1787 physicians, 904 (50.6%) responded to our survey. When asked which structure would provide the best care for the most people for a fixed amount of money, 63.5% of physicians chose a single-payer system; 10.7%, managed care; and 25.8%, a fee-for-service system. Only 51.9% believed that most physician colleagues would support a single-payer system. Most respondents would give up income to reduce paperwork, agree that it is government's responsibility to ensure the provision of medical care, believe that insurance firms should not play a major role in health care delivery, and would prefer to work under a salary system. CONCLUSIONS Most physicians in Massachusetts, a state with a high managed care penetration, believe that single-payer financing of health care with universal coverage would provide the best care for the most people, compared with a managed care or fee-for-service system. Physicians' advocacy of single-payer national health insurance could catalyze a renewed push for its adoption.
Does Faith Matter in Mutual Funds Investing? Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Abstract This article investigates one of the most vital issues in the Islamic mutual fund literature: Are there any costs associated with investing in Islamic mutual funds? We used a unique sample of 143 Saudi mutual funds and grouped them into portfolios based on their geographical focus, Shariah compliance, and the Saudi market trend (overall, bull, bear, and the crisis period). Findings suggest there is a benefit from adhering to Shariah law in locally-focused Saudi mutual funds. However, there is a cost of this adherence in internationally-focused Saudi mutual funds. Finally, in Arab-focused Saudi mutual funds, there is neither a cost nor a benefit.
Long‐bone critical‐size defects treated with tissue‐engineered grafts: A study on sheep

Standardized particulate bone constructs, obtained by expanding autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) onto coral granules in vitro, were transplanted into long‐bone, critical‐size defects in sheep. Control experiments were also performed in which autologous bone grafts were implanted. Defect cavities were lined with a preformed vascularized membrane (induced by temporarily inserting a cement spacer for 6 weeks prior to bone construct implantation), which served as a mold keeping the engineered bone granules in place. Radiographic, histological, and computed tomographic tests performed 6 months later showed that the osteogenic abilities of the engineered construct and autograft were significantly greater than those of coral scaffold alone. No significant differences were found between the amount of newly formed bone in defects filled with coral/MSCs and those filled with autograft, yet radiological scores differed significantly between the two groups (21% and 100% healed cortices, respectively). The present study on a clinically relevant animal model provides the first evidence that standardized particulate bone constructs can be used to repair large bone defects and that their osteogenic ability approaches that of bone autograft, the bone repair benchmark. By proving feasibility, the present study makes possible the treatment of segmental bone losses with bone constructs engineered from granules, a process which is much simpler than preparing customized massive constructs using computer‐assisted techniques. Important parameters, such as the rate of scaffold resorption and the number of MSCs to be seeded on the scaffolds, need to be optimized before reaching pertinent definitive conclusions. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25: 741–749, 2007
A Theory of Culture for Demography

MUCH OF THE INGENUITY EXPENDED BY DEMOGRAPHERS over the last halfcentury has been devoted to refining techniques of measurement, so that variables of interest might be reliably presented for explanation. The task of explanation itself has been less successful. Efforts that have assumed a decontextualized universal rationality and the maximization of scarce and monetizable goods have dominated much of demographic thinking but have encountered increasing opposition (viz. Cleland and Wilson, 1987; Lesthaeghe and Surkyn, 1988; and more broadly Sahlins's 1976 critique of utilitarianism in general). On the other hand, efforts to study demographic behavior in its social and cultural context usually produce only particularistic empirical summaries, and even institutional approaches in the hands of the sociological branch of the demographic fraternity have not reached the universalism so blithely assumed by their economic brethren. ' It is largely in the context of rejection of universalistic economic-demographic theories, and in the search for explanations that would still use general principles to elucidate particular outcomes, that the concept of culture has increasingly been called into play (e.g., Anderson, 1986; Carter, 1988; Clark, 1988; Hammel, 1981, 1985; Hull, 1983; Johansson, 1988; Kreager, 1982, 1986; Levine and Scrimshaw, 1983; Nag, 1972, 1980, 1983; Watkins, 1986, 1987, 1990). Culture, it is claimed, may explain why communities or persons living under apparently identical economic conditions but differing in language or tradition, often behave very differently demographically. Culture may explain why the population of a geographic region or linguistic area continues to behave demographically in much the same way over time, even though economic conditions change. Culture may explain why demographic differentials between populations persist even as the level of some demographic measure for all of them exhibits similar change over time.2 The use of culture as an analytic principle might elevate contextualization to a higher level. Thus, although an explanation grounded in a culture may
Analyzing the Strategy of Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Taiwan's Photovoltaic Industry

Solar energy is one of the most popular resources in recent years. It has seemed as the best alternative for solving energy problem and protecting global environment. Moreover, many countries are very enthusiastic about the development of PV industry. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to find out the best strategy for Taiwan's photovoltaic PV industry. First, Taiwan PV industry was analyzed by using SWOT. Second, the Analytic Network Process ANP structure was formed and modified by Expert Depth Interview. Then, the questionnaires were designed and sent to experts. Finally, the authors used the returned questionnaires to calculate the weighting and select the best strategy for Taiwan PV industry. The research results showed that the diversification strategy was the most appropriate. With this consequence, the manager of PV industry can take this strategy in order to maintain the sustainable competitive advantage in PV industry of the world.
Assessment of Cerebral Oxygenation Oscillations in Subjects with Cerebral Infarction Using near Infrared Spectroscopy

The objective of this study is to assess the cerebral oxygenation oscillations in subjects with cerebral infarction (CI) based on the wavelet transform of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signals. A total of twenty subjects were recruited from a local hosipital to participate in this study. The subjects lay in the supine position and cerebral oxygenation signal was monitored for 20 minutes from the frontal lobe using NIRS. With spectral analysis based on wavelet transform, five frequency intervals were identified (I, 0.005-0.02 Hz, II, 0.02-0.06 Hz, III, 0.06-0.15 Hz, IV, 0.15-0.40 Hz and V, 0.40-2.0 Hz). The amplitude of the [HbO2] in frequency interval I (0.005-0.02 Hz), II (0.02-0.06 Hz), III (0.06-0.15 Hz) and V(0.15-2 Hz) for the subjects with CI were found to be significantly lower by 36%, 45%, 50% and 69% compared to that for the normal subjects (p<0.05). The amplitude of the [Hb] in frequency interval I (0.005-0.02 Hz), II (0.02-0.06 Hz) and V(0.15-2 Hz) for the subjects with CI were found to be significantly lower by 40%, 36% and 69% compared to that for the normal subjects (p<0.05). The reduction of spontaneous oscillations in subjects with CI may suggest an increased stiffness in cerebral arterial vessels. This indicates the possibility of applying spontaneous oscillations to assessing atherosclerosis in high risk subjects for CI based on the wavelet transform of NIRS signals.
Long-term clinical outcomes of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stents versus durable polymer everolimus-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease: three-year follow-up of the COMPARE II (Abluminal biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent versus durable polymer everolimus-elu

AIMS The aim of this analysis was to compare the long-term safety and efficacy of the biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent (BES) with that of the durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (EES). METHODS AND RESULTS The COMPARE II study was a prospective, randomised, multicentre, all-comers trial in which 2,707 patients were randomly allocated (2:1) to BES or EES. The pre-specified endpoint at three years was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), or target vessel revascularisation (TVR). Moreover, the combined endpoint all-cause death or MI was analysed as a safety, and TVR as an efficacy measure. Three-year follow-up was available in 2,683 patients (99.1%). At three years, MACE occurred in 213 patients (11.9%) in the BES group and in 101 patients (11.1 %) in the EES group (p=0.57). The rate of the combined safety endpoint all-cause death or MI was 9.3% in the BES group vs. 8.4% (p=0.52), while the efficacy measure TVR was 7.6% in BES vs. 6.5% (p=0.27). Interestingly, definite stent thrombosis rates did not differ between groups (1.2% for BES vs. 0.8%, p=0.33). CONCLUSIONS At three-year follow-up, MACE as well as safety and efficacy measures including stent thrombosis were not statistically different between the biodegradable polymer-coated BES and the durable polymer-coated EES. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01233453.
Heterophile antibodies segregate in families and are associated with protection from type 1 diabetes.

Markedly elevated levels of serum IL-4 were reported previously in 50% of a small group of type 1 diabetes nonprogessors. To determine the patterns of expression for this phenotype, a larger cohort of 58 families containing type 1 diabetic patients was examined. Analysis of the two-site ELISA assay used to measure serum IL-4 revealed evidence for heterophile antibodies, i.e., nonanalyte substances in serum capable of binding antibodies mutivalently and providing erroneous analyte (e.g., IL-4) quantification. Interestingly, relatives without type 1 diabetes were significantly more likely to have this phenotype than were patients with the disease (P = 0.003). In addition, the trait appears to have clustered within certain families and was associated with the protective MHC allele DQB1*0602 (P = 0.008). These results suggest that heterophile antibodies represent an in vivo trait associated with self-tolerance and nonprogression to diabetes.
Quality factor variation measured in a monolithic fused silica cylindrical resonator

Cylindrical resonators are commonly used in Coriolis vibratory gyroscopes, which measure angular velocity through the precession of solid wave. Quality factor and its homogeneity are critical indicators of the resonator characteristics. In this paper, we report that the Q factor varies regularly around the resonator's axis of symmetry. We measured the resonator Q factor by the amplitude frequency response (AFR) using a non-contact method with an acoustic source for excitation and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for detection. By analyzing experimental results, we concluded that measuring Q factor at antinode can be a convenient and relatively accurate method for Q factor studies. However, one needs to be careful that the measurement point should be near the vibration antinode, otherwise the results may contain huge errors. We then built a theoretical model based on the two degree-of-freedom mass-spring system to analyze the Q variation behavior. The experimental results were consistent with the theoretical calculation. By comparing experimental results with numerical calculations, we showed that the circumferentially Q variation is due to the complex combined effect of frequency mismatch, Q factor mismatch, and the angle between excitation direction and the principle frequency axes (Qk) and the principle damping axes (Qc). We believed it is possible to combine the scan measurement of LDV with proposed model to determine the Q mismatch and direction of the damping axes without labor-consuming procedures, and therefore the proposed method can be developed for pre-screening of resonators for high-performance cylindrical resonator gyroscopes.
Q fever: clinical manifestations and treatment

Public awareness and advances in the diagnostic approach to Q fever have provided important information on epidemiological and clinical aspects of this zoonosis. Coxiella burnetii infection exhibits various acute or chronic clinical forms, and infection during pregnancy may jeopardize the integrity of the fetus. The presentation of infection is often nonspecific and this hinders prompt diagnosis. Therapeutic regimens vary, and treating Q fever during pregnancy and childhood is often challenging. Increasing clinical experience with C. burnetii infections has helped create treatment protocols and follow-up algorithms that have considerably improved management and prognosis. Vaccines are available, although their use is still limited.
Automatic CDR Estimation for Early Glaucoma Diagnosis

Glaucoma is a degenerative disease that constitutes the second cause of blindness in developed countries. Although it cannot be cured, its progression can be prevented through early diagnosis. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for automatic glaucoma diagnosis based on retinal colour images. We focus on capturing the inherent colour changes of optic disc (OD) and cup borders by computing several colour derivatives in CIE L∗a∗b∗ colour space with CIE94 colour distance. In addition, we consider spatial information retaining these colour derivatives and the original CIE L∗a∗b∗ values of the pixel and adding other characteristics such as its distance to the OD centre. The proposed strategy is robust due to a simple structure that does not need neither initial segmentation nor removal of the vascular tree or detection of vessel bends. The method has been extensively validated with two datasets (one public and one private), each one comprising 60 images of high variability of appearances. Achieved class-wise-averaged accuracy of 95.02% and 81.19% demonstrates that this automated approach could support physicians in the diagnosis of glaucoma in its early stage, and therefore, it could be seen as an opportunity for developing low-cost solutions for mass screening programs.
Antigen Receptor Galaxy: A User-Friendly, Web-Based Tool for Analysis and Visualization of T and B Cell Receptor Repertoire Data

Antigen Receptor Galaxy (ARGalaxy) is a Web-based tool for analyses and visualization of TCR and BCR sequencing data of 13 species. ARGalaxy consists of four parts: the demultiplex tool, the international ImMunoGeneTics information system (IMGT) concatenate tool, the immune repertoire pipeline, and the somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) pipeline. Together they allow the analysis of all different aspects of the immune repertoire. All pipelines can be run independently or combined, depending on the available data and the question of interest. The demultiplex tool allows data trimming and demultiplexing, whereas with the concatenate tool multiple IMGT/HighV-QUEST output files can be merged into a single file. The immune repertoire pipeline is an extended version of our previously published ImmunoGlobulin Galaxy (IGGalaxy) virtual machine that was developed to visualize V(D)J gene usage. It allows analysis of both BCR and TCR rearrangements, visualizes CDR3 characteristics (length and amino acid usage) and junction characteristics, and calculates the diversity of the immune repertoire. Finally, ARGalaxy includes the newly developed SHM and CSR pipeline to analyze SHM and/or CSR in BCR rearrangements. It analyzes the frequency and patterns of SHM, Ag selection (including BASELINe), clonality (Change-O), and CSR. The functionality of the ARGalaxy tool is illustrated in several clinical examples of patients with primary immunodeficiencies. In conclusion, ARGalaxy is a novel tool for the analysis of the complete immune repertoire, which is applicable to many patient groups with disturbances in the immune repertoire such as autoimmune diseases, allergy, and leukemia, but it can also be used to address basic research questions in repertoire formation and selection.