Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The efficacy of Jackson drain in the application to be a tunnel pleural catheter (TPC) in the management of malignant pleural effusion.

BACKGROUND Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common clinical problem in patients with advanced cancer and portends a poor prognosis, which means survival of less than six months. In June 1997, the US-FDA approved an indwelling TPC with a one-way drainage valve to be used in the management of MPE. Although popularity of this TPC has increased over the past few years, the experience with this device remains limited in Thai patients. One of the reasons is its high cost. OBJECTIVE Assess the efficacy and the safety of customary indwelling TPC by using Jackson drain in the management of patients with symptomatic MPE. MATERIAL AND METHOD Ten patients with symptomatic MPE were receiving these catheters (18 Fr Silicone catheters with 25 cm fenestrated length) to drain effusion via plastic vacuum bottles (250 ml) every other day or as needed to relieve dyspnea. The patient's dyspnic respiration, quality of life, and comfort during the catheter's application were quantified with a Borg score, the St. George Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the comfort's score, respectively. These parameters were recorded at initial (before insertion) and 2-week follow-up visit. Pain after 24 hours of each insertion was quantified by visual pain analogue scale (VPAS). Patients were followed until either death or catheter removal. RESULTS The Borg score, SGRQ, and comfort's score showed significant improvement at 2-week visit (p < 0.05). Mean VPAS was 2.44. There was no early (2-week) complication, but the catheters were obstructed in three patients (mean = 60 days) and slipped out in two (day 18, day 50). CONCLUSION This modified Jackson drain was effective in the treatment of MPE as a TPC without early complications.
Positive Affect Is Inversely Associated with Mortality in Individuals without Depression

Background: Some studies have analyzed the relation between well-being and mortality but none of them have attempted to disentangle the differential influence that positive affect, negative affect, and evaluative well-being might have on mortality using a longitudinal design in the general population and measuring independently and accurately each component of well-being. The aim of the present study is to assess the association of these well-being components with mortality after adjusting for health and other lifestyle factors and to analyze whether this association is different in people with and without depression. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 4753 people from Spain was followed up after 3 years. Analyses were performed with Cox regression models among the total sample and separately in people with and without depression. Results: In the analyses adjusted for age, sex, and years of education, all three well-being variables showed separately a statistically significant association with mortality. However, after adjustment for health status and other confounders including the other well-being components, only positive affect remained as marginally associated with a decreased risk of mortality in the overall sample [HR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.73–1.03], in particular among individuals without depression [HR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.68–0.99]. Conclusion: Positive affect is inversely associated with mortality in individuals without depression. Future research should focus on assessing interventions associated with a higher level of positive affect.
A comparison of CBT and EMDR for sexually‐abused Iranian girls

Fourteen randomly assigned Iranian girls ages 12–13 years who had been sexually abused received up to 12 sessions of CBT or EMDR treatment. Assessment of post-traumatic stress symptoms and problem behaviours was completed at pre-treatment and 2 weeks post-treatment. Both treatments showed large effect sizes on the post-traumatic symptom outcomes, and a medium effect size on the behaviour outcome, all statistically significant. A non-significant trend on self-reported post-traumatic stress symptoms favoured EMDR over CBT. Treatment efficiency was calculated by dividing change scores by number of sessions; EMDR was significantly more efficient, with large effect sizes on each outcome. Limitations include small N, single therapist for each treatment condition, no independent verification of treatment fidelity, and no long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that both CBT and EMDR can help girls to recover from the effects of sexual abuse, and that structured trauma treatments can be applied to children in Iran. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Police Sexual Violence: Civil Liability Under State Tort Law

This article explores civil liability under state tort law against criminal justice personnel engaged in police sexual violence (PSV). After describing vicarious liability under the doctrine of respondeat superior, the article identifies five theories that courts use in deciding whether criminal justice agents commit PSV within the scope of employment. The article also discusses PSV cases litigated pursuant to intentional and negligence torts. It concludes that governmental entities need to systematically collect data on the prevalence of PSV, and criminal justice agencies need to monitor employees' deviant acts effectively.
Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the skull with extra and intracranial extension presenting with bulky scalp mass lesion

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the cranium with extra- and intracranial extension without systemic or skeletal manifestation in a non-immunocompromised patient is extremely rare. These lesions are most of the time misdiagnosed because they mimic other conditions like meningioma. Here, we report a case presented with huge bulky scalp mass which on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain showed involvement of scalp, cranial vault, meninges, and the brain parenchyma, mimicking a meningioma. After gross total resection, biopsy and CD marker study revealed primary non-Hodgkin's diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Malignant NHL should be considered in differential diagnosis of bulky scalp mass lesion.
Microeconomics of Technology Adoption.

Differences in technology levels across countries account for a large component of the differences in wages and per-capita GDP across countries worldwide. This article reviews micro studies of the adoption of new technologies and the use of inputs complementary with new technologies to shed light on the barriers to technology diffusion in low-income countries. Among the factors examined affecting decisions pertaining to technology choice and input allocations are the financial and nonfinancial returns to adoption, one's own learning and social learning, technological externalities, scale economies, schooling, credit constraints, risk and incomplete insurance, and departures from behavioral rules implied by simple models of rationality.
Playing with rules around routines: children making mealtimes meaningful and enjoyable

Children attending early childhood education and care centres spend a lot of time fitting in with institutional routines. This paper uses ethnographic methods and sociocultural activity theory to describe and analyse the processes whereby young children in an early childhood centre collectively created meaning and interest during potentially boring routine mealtimes. The research explores the relationship between rules and children's playful activity. Using their imaginations children negotiated and played with and within the rules around ‘eating‐together’ times. While physically constrained in chairs around tables children enjoyed the freedom of playing with word sounds and meanings. Children actively, collaboratively and at times subversively, created their peer community culture.
Dead‐time correction for time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectral images: a critical issue in multivariate image analysis

Dead‐time effects result in a non‐linear detector response in the common time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry instruments. This can result in image artifacts that can often be misinterpreted. Although the Poisson correction procedure has been shown to effectively eliminate this non‐linearity in spectra, applying the correction to images presents difficulties because the low number of counts per pixel can create large statistical errors. The efficacy of three approaches to dead‐time correction in images has been explored. These approaches include: pixel binning, image segmentation and a binomial statistical correction. When few pixels are fully saturated, all three approaches work satisfactorily. When a large number of pixels are fully saturated, the statistical approach fails to remove the dead‐time artifacts revealed by multivariate analysis. Pixel binning is accurate at higher levels of saturation so long as the bin size is much smaller than the feature size. The segmentation approach works well independent of feature size or the number of fully saturated pixels but requires an accurate segmentation algorithm. It is recommended that images be collected under conditions that minimize the number of fully saturated pixels. When this is impractical and small features are present in the image, segmentation can provide an accurate way to correct for the detector saturation effect. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical, pathological, and molecular investigation of Mycoplasma pulmonis-induced murine respiratory mycoplasmosis in a rat (Rattus norvegicus) colony

Aim: Mycoplasma pulmonis (MP) remains potentially important rodent pathogen causing murine respiratory mycoplasmosis (MRM) which may go undiagnosed due to its asymptomatic nature. In the present study, we carried out clinical, pathological, and molecular investigations of MP-induced MRM in a rat colony. Materials and Methods: Two female Wistar rats were observed to be diseased in animal facility of NISER, Bhubaneswar, and were kept in isolation for further investigation. Both the animals were found to be positive for MP after serological and molecular tests. Thereafter, whole rat colony comprising of 36 animals was segregated based on clinical symptoms and further sampled for histopathological, serological, and molecular investigations. Tracheal washing and infected lung tissue were collected during necropsy examination for DNA extraction. Molecular diagnosis was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using species-specific primers. Result:: Classical symptoms of MP-associated respiratory tract infection were observed in only 2 of 36 infected animals, and most of the animals were found asymptomatic to the disease; however, all the animals were found to be carrier after necropsy and PCR assay. Gross and histopathological finding suggested severe congestion of the lungs along with suppurative and necrotizing pneumonia. The disease is confirmed by molecular diagnosis using species-specific primers in PCR assay. Conclusion: MRM may go undiagnosed due to asymptomatic nature. Detailed study of clinical symptoms, pathology, serology, and PCR-based molecular approach may aid in health monitoring and detection of MRM in a rodent colony reared for experimental purpose.
Broadband Continuous Class-${\rm F} ^{-1}$ Amplifier With Modified Harmonic-Controlled Network for Advanced Long Term Evolution Application

This letter presents a highly efficient broadband continuous Class- F -1 power amplifier (PA), which employs the modified simplified real frequency technique (SRFT). In highly efficient PA design, a low-pass matching method is preferred for its harmonic impedance controlling. However, the qualification ( ) in transforming lumped components of filter prototype to transmission lines (TLs) imposes a restriction on its application. To overcome this limitation, a modified SRFT procedure is employed to optimize fundamental impedance and control the harmonic impedance directly with TLs. The proposed design strategy is experimentally verified by a 1.7~2.8 GHz PA design with 80.4% maximum efficiency and 10-W output power. The 100 MHz long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) signal is applied to this PA and the linearization result shows a well -46.4 dBc performance by digital pre-distortion (DPD) at 2.55 GHz.
Dopamine stabilizes tumor blood vessels by up-regulating angiopoietin 1 expression in pericytes and Krüppel-like factor-2 expression in tumor endothelial cells

Impaired blood flow in the tumor vascular bed caused by structurally and functionally abnormal blood vessels not only hinders the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents but also aggravates tumor hypoxia, making the tumor cells further resistant to antineoplastic drugs. Therefore, normalization of tumor blood vessels may be an important approach to increase therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of cancer patients. As blood vessels are supplied by sympathetic nerves containing dopamine (DA), and DA regulates functions of normal blood vessels through its receptors present in these vessels, we investigated the effect of DA on tumor vasculature. Here we report loss of sympathetic innervation and endogenous DA in abnormal and immature tumor blood vessels in malignant colon and prostate tumor tissues. In contrast, exogenous administration of DA normalizes the morphology and improves the functions of these vessels by acting on pericytes and endothelial cells, the two major cellular components of blood vessels. DA acts through its D2 receptors present in these cells to up-regulate directly the expression of angiopoietin 1 (Ang1) in pericytes and the expression of the zinc finger transcriptional factor, Krüppel-like factor-2 (KLF2) in tumor endothelial cells. Importantly, this vessel stabilization by DA also significantly increases the concentration of anticancer drug in tumor tissues. These results show a relationship between vascular stabilization and a neurotransmitter and indicate that DA or its D2 receptor-specific agonists can be an option for the treatment of cancer and disorders in which normalization of blood vessels may have therapeutic benefits.
Laboratory diagnosis and interpretation of tests for syphilis

The lack of a method for demonstrating the presence of Treponema pallidum by growth necessitates the use of alternative methods. Traditionally, these methods are divided into direct detection methods (animal inoculation, dark-field microscopy, etc.) and serologic tests for the presence of patient antibody against T. pallidum. Serologic methods are further divided into two classes. One class, the nontreponemal tests, detects antibodies to lipoidal antigens present in either the host or T. pallidum; examples are the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory and rapid plasma reagin and tests. Reactivity in these tests generally indicates host tissue damage that may not be specific for syphilis. Because these tests are easy and inexpensive to perform, they are commonly used for screening, and with proper clinical signs they are suggestive of syphilis. The other class of test, the treponemal tests, uses specific treponemal antigens. Confirmation of infection requires a reactive treponemal test. Examples of the treponemal tests are the microhemagglutination assay for antibodies to T. pallidum and the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test. These tests are more expensive and complicated to perform than the nontreponemal tests. On the horizon are a number of direct antigen, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and PCR techniques. Several of these techniques have shown promise in clinical trials for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis and neurosyphilis that are presently difficult to diagnose.
Quadriceps muscle strength, contractile properties, and motor unit firing rates in young and old men

Changes with age in the voluntary static and dynamic strength of the quadriceps muscle group have been well characterized, and the importance of the muscle group for locomotion and independent living have been highlighted in both normal human aging and in clinical studies. Surprisingly few studies of this muscle group have described age‐related changes in voluntary activation ability using twitch interpolation and changes in stimulated contractile properties, and none have assessed the influence of old age on motor unit firing rates. We compared in 13 young (mean age 26 years) and 12 old (mean age 80 years) men the voluntary isometric strength, stimulated contractile properties, and average steady state motor unit firing rates in the quadriceps muscle. Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force and twitch tension were ∼50% lower in the old men, but contractile speed was only ∼10% slower than in the young men. There was no difference in the ability of either group to activate the quadriceps to a high degree (94–96%). At all isometric force levels tested (10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% MVC), there were no differences in mean motor unit firing rates. In both groups, the range of firing rates was similar and not large (∼8 Hz at 10% MVC and 26 Hz at MVC). Thus, the substantial age‐related weakness in this muscle does not seem to be related to changes in neural drive. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 22: 1094–1103, 1999
Design and Analysis of Millimeter-Wave Digitally Controlled Oscillators With C-2C Exponentially Scaling Switched-Capacitor Ladder

An exponentially scaling C-2C switched-capacitor (SC) ladder is proposed for millimeter-wave digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) to achieve high-frequency resolution with small chip area. The 65-nm-CMOS DCO prototype measures a frequency resolution of 4 Hz over a frequency range of 14.2%, from 54.79 to 63.16 GHz, with a phase noise at 1-MHz frequency offset of −90.7 to −94.1 dBc/Hz while consuming 18 mW, corresponding to an FOM<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{T}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> from −176.6 to −180 dB. The DCO occupies a core area of 0.10 mm<sup>2</sup>, with only 0.012 mm<sup>2</sup> for the C-2C SC ladder.
Survey on Adaptive Channel Equalization Techniques using Particle Swarm Optimization

-In digital communication system, symbols are generated in a source and transmitted over a channel to a receiver. Noise gets added during the transition of symbols over the channel from source to the destination. In practice the symbols are corrupted with nonlinear distortion, Inter Symbol Interference (ISI) and noise. One possibility to reduce the effect of this problem is to use a channel equalizer at the receiver. The function of the equalizer is to reconstruct the original signal from the received signal or to generate a reconstructed version of the transmitted signalo as close as possible to it. The addition of an equalizer usually reduces the bit error rate (BER): the ratio of received bits in error to total transmitted bits. The most preferred technique is adaptive equalization. Traditional adaptive equalization uses linear transversal ﬁlter to reduce the effect of ISI. This ﬁlter is generally adjusted using a known training sequence at the beginning of the transmission and Least Square Estimation or gradient descent to determine the optimal set of coefﬁcients for the ﬁlter. In the literature many adaptive algorithms such as Least Mean Square Algorithms have been developed which are effective under the assumption that the output is a linear function of the inputs. In practice this situation is rare and when nonlinear distortion and ISI are severe, nonlinear equalizers such as neural nets, the use of particle swarm optimization (PSO) can give a better performance. The objective of this paper is to discuss some of the adaptive equalization techniques available in the literature and put forth some ideas to improve the performance of PSO based adaptive equalization
MODERNIZING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

This article addresses the topic of affirmative action. The authors contend that the available information suggests that many of the broad-based notions that underlie current AA concepts are obsolete because decades of legislative and judicial remedies to combat overt discrimination have had positive results. This article argues that affirmative action policies may need to shift from their traditional emphasis on broad racial/gender characteristics to focus directly on economic disadvantage. Affirmative action (AA) has been an integral part of our national fabric for nearly four decades and may be the most divisive public policy issue of our time. Within the U.S. Supreme Court, a heated debate on the merits of AA has developed over the past two decades, reflecting the sharply divided opinion of the general public. In particular, Justice Clarence Thomas has harshly criticized the majority of the Court for endorsing the use of race-based preferences to remedy past employment discrimination. The majority of the Supreme Court reasons that outlawing existing discrimination is not an adequate response to a historical legacy of racial bias. After initial uncertainty, the majority now holds there is a compelling state interest in fully addressing a history of discrimination. Consequently, race-conscious
Induction of anaesthesia with halothane and isoflurane in the rabbit: a comparison of the use of a face-mask or an anaesthetic chamber

The effects of induction of anaesthesia with halothane or isoflurane were studied in rabbits. The anaesthetic agents were delivered either via a face-mask, or the animals were placed in an anaesthetic induction chamber. All rabbits had periods of apnoea during induction, lasting 30-120s, resulting in moderate hypercapnia and acidosis. Periods of apnoea were associated with a marked bradycardia. The combination of bradycardia and hypercapnia during induction may represent an increased risk of anaesthetic associated mortality. Animals in all groups tried to avoid inhaling anaesthetic vapour, and this behaviour, together with the occurrence of breath-holding suggests that induction was aversive.
Pathophysiology of Myocardial Perfusion in Hypertension

Chronic and acute hypertension have multiple untoward effects on the coronary circulation, several of which may either mimic or markedly worsen the clinical manifestations of coronary artery disease. Early after the onset of left ventricular hypertrophy secondary to hypertension, coronary vasodilator reserve is significantly impaired. During cardiac hypertrophy secondary to hypertension, the coronary arteries fail to enlarge in concert with ventricular enlargement. This failure results in a relative decrease by approximately 50% in the ratio of epicardial vessel diameter to the mass of myocardium perfused. The lower range of coronary subendocardial autoregulation is altered by chronic renovascular hypertension. A variety of vascular smooth muscle homeostatic mechanisms are abnormal in genetic models of hypertension, as is endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. Acute hypertension may enhance constriction to serotonin, most likely through the release of potent vasoconstrictor substances from leukocytes and platelets that adhere to the endothelium as a result of endothelial damage. Finally, many of the consequences of myocardial infarction are worsened in the setting of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy.
’Independent Study, Books and Libraries and the Academic Sixth‐Form'∗

∗ Independent Study, Books and Libraries and the Academic Sixth‐Form, by Jean Ruddock, David Hopkins, Susan Groundwater‐Smith and Beverly Labbett, is available from the British Library's Research and Development Department and in a longer version from the Centre for Applied Research in Education at the University of East Anglia.
Modelling volatility with mixture density networks

Volatility is an important variable in financial forecasting. Forecasting volatility requires a development of a suitable model for it. In this paper, we examine different time series models for volatility modelling. Specifically, we will study the use of recurrent mixture density networks, GARCH and EGARCH models to model volatility. In addition, we demonstrate the impact of different factors on the accuracy and completeness of each of these models.