Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Deep Vein Thrombosis after Elective Hip Replacement Surgery by Preoperative Clinical and Haemostatic Variables: The ECAT DVT Study

Summary The European Concerted Action on Thrombosis (ECAT) DVT Study was a collaborative study of preoperative haemostatic tests in prediction of DVT (diagnosed by routine bilateral venography) after elective hip replacement. 480 patients were recruited in 11 centres across Europe. Clinical risk factors were assessed, and stored citrated plasma aliquots were centrally assayed for 29 haemostatic factors according to the ECAT methodology. 120 (32%) of 375 evaluable patients had DVT, and 41 (11%) had proximal DVT. Among clinical variables, DVT was significantly associated with increased age, obesity, and possibly non-use of stockings. Of the 29 haemostatic factors, mean preoperative levels were significantly higher in patients with subsequent DVT (on univariate analyses) for factor VIII activity, prothrombin fragment F1+2, thrombin-antithrombin complexes, and fibrin D-dimer; and significantly lower for APTT and APC sensitivity ratio. Factor V Leiden was also associated with DVT. Most of these variables were also associated with age, while D-dimer was higher in patients with varicose veins. On multivariate analyses including clinical variables, only a shorter APTT (locally but not centrally performed) and APC resistance showed a statistically significant association with DVT. We conclude that (a) DVT is common after elective hip replacement despite prophylaxis; (b) the study provides some evidence that DVT is associated with a preoperative hypercoaguable state; and (c) preoperative haemostatic tests do not add significantly to prediction of DVT from clinical variables, with the possible exception of APC resistance.
Brain-display interactive system by using steady-state visual evoke potential(SSVEP) stimulation

Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) is one of the most effective modalities for brain-computer interaction. However, its flickering visual stimuli may cause discomfort, even induce migraine and seizure attacks among its viewers. This paper presents a novel approach to induce SSVEP with high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) using composite color lights flickering near or above its critical flicker fusion (CFF) thresholds. Different combinations of frequencies, relative phases and pulse widths of the stimuli waveforms were tested for their effectiveness to produce high SNR values among their SSVEP responses. Results of our experiments were analyzed and studied. The rationale behind the special design of high-frequency polychromatic stimuli and the implications towards the development of an effective brain-display interaction (BDI) system were also discussed.
Title Vaginal Practices and Associations with Barrier Methods and Gel Use Among Sub-Saharan African Women Enrolled in an HIV Prevention Trial Permalink

Vaginal practices may interfere with the use and/or the effectiveness of female-initiated prevention methods. We investigated whether vaginal practices differed by randomization group in a phase III trial of the diaphragm with lubricant gel (MIRA) in Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 4925), and if they were associated with consistent use of study methods. At baseline, vaginal practices were commonly reported: vaginal washing (82.77%), wiping (56.47%) and insertion of dry or absorbent materials (20.58%). All three practices decreased during the trial. However, women in the intervention group were significantly more likely to report washing or wiping during follow-up compared to those in the control group. Additionally, washing, wiping, and insertion, were all independently and inversely associated with consistent diaphragm and gel use and with condom use as well, regardless of study arm. A better understanding of the socio-cultural context in which these practices are embedded could improve educational strategies to address these potentially modifiable behaviors, and may benefit future HIV prevention interventions of vaginal methods.
Die Bogenhausener Dysarthrieskalen (BoDyS): Ein standardisierter Test für die Dysarthriediagnostik bei Erwachsenen

Zusammenfassung Die Bogenhausener Dysarthrieskalen (BoDyS) sind ein standardisiertes Verfahren zur Diagnostik dysarthrischer Störungen bei Erwachsenen. Die Besonderheiten des Tests im Vergleich zu anderen Verfahren sind: 1. ausschließliche Verwendung sprachlicher Aufgaben, 2. auditive Beurteilungsmethode, 3. Bezug auf sprechmotorische Funktionskreise und 4. statistische Absicherung durch Mehrfachurteile. Der Test genügt den Gütekriterien der Auswertungsobjektivität, Reliabilität und Validität. Es existieren T-Wert-Normen, die auf einer Eichstichprobe von 167 Patienten beruhen.
Hydrophilic Ionic Liquids as Ingredients of Gel-Based Dermal Formulations

Ionic liquids (ILs) have several properties that offer many advantages in dermal drug delivery systems. Depending on the chemical structure, ILs can be used for protection against microorganisms, to enhance skin penetration, and as a solvent. In the present work, SEPINEO™ P 600 formulations and hydroxyethylcellulose gels containing the hydrophilic ILs hexylpyridinium chloride, choline dihydrogen phosphate, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate were prepared, and the influence of the ILs on the formulation properties was evaluated. ILs were successfully incorporated into the emulsion structure, resulting in stable formulations. The antimicrobial activity of the ILs was estimated. The minimal inhibitory concentration values for hexylpyridinium chloride are about 2.5 mg/mL. The other two ILs have no antimicrobial activity. Skin penetration enhancement of caffeine, a hydrophilic model substance, was observed in the presence of hexylpyridinium chloride.
Attachment Disturbances Delay Language Acquisition in Internationally Adopted Children

ABSTRACT Cross-sectional research on internationally adopted children has indicated an association between early attachment disturbances and language deficits. Raaska et al. (2013) have speculated that this relationship is likely bidirectional. In an attempt to elucidate the causal relationship between these two risk factors, the attachment disturbances and language skills of 44 internationally adopted children were assessed in a cross-lagged structural equation model. Greater attachment disturbances at wave 1 predicted less gain in language by wave 2. In contrast, language at wave 1 was not predictive of attachment disturbances at wave 2. These results suggest that early attachment problems may present an important risk for later language development and should be an immediate and primary focus of post-adoptive intervention for families adopting internationally.
Coronary DSA: enhancing coronary tree visibility through discriminative learning and robust motion estimation

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is a well-known technique for improving the visibility and perceptibility of blood vessels in the human body. Coronary DSA extends conventional DSA to dynamic 2D fluoroscopic sequences of coronary arteries which are subject to respiratory and cardiac motion. Effective motion compensation is the main challenge for coronary DSA. Without a proper treatment, both breathing and heart motion can cause unpleasant artifacts in coronary subtraction images, jeopardizing the clinical value of coronary DSA. In this paper, we present an effective method to separate the dynamic layer of background structures from a fluoroscopic sequence of the heart, leaving a clean layer of moving coronary arteries. Our method combines the techniques of learning-based vessel detection and robust motion estimation to achieve reliable motion compensation for coronary sequences. Encouraging results have been achieved on clinically acquired coronary sequences, where the proposed method considerably improves the visibility and perceptibility of coronary arteries undergoing breathing and cardiac movement. Perceptibility improvement is significant especially for very thin vessels. The potential clinical benefit is expected in the context of obese patients and deep angulation, as well as in the reduction of contrast dose in normal size patients.
Feeding and growth of Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica) chicks with unpredictable food access

We investigated the effect of unpredictable feeding times on feeding activity and body mass gain in fast growing Japanese quail (Cotumix c. japonica) from 7 to 31 d of age. Quail chicks were subjected to a long day length (18L:6D) with ad libitum food during (1) 17.5 h of the light period, starting 0.5 h after lights-on (group A, n = 14), (2) 6 h of the light period, starting 0.5 h after lights-on (group B, n = 14), and (3) 6 h of the light period, starting pseudorandomly either 0.5, 6, or 11.5 h after lights-on (group C, n = 12). We examined the effects on locomotor, feeding and drinking activity, body mass, and food intake. Treatment did not affect daily locomotor, feeding, or drinking activity. Distribution of activity over the light period was affected: group B and C showed more activity above the feeder and water container outside the feeding time, and showed a large bout of locomotor and feeding activity at the start of this period. Both overall weight gain and gross energy intake (GEI) were highest in group A and lowest in group C. Distribution of food intake throughout the daily feeding period was affected: group B and C consumed more food during the first part of the feeding period than group A. Daily GEI in group C was influenced by fasting duration prior to feeding and by time of food availability. We suggest that young quail adjust their feeding behaviour in response to their instantaneous energy needs. This effect is modulated by time of food availability: food arriving later in the day led to higher intake levels.
Ovulatory and metabolic effects of D-chiro-inositol in the polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND Women with the polycystic ovary syndrome have insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, possibly because of a deficiency of a D-chiro-inositol-containing phosphoglycan that mediates the action of insulin. We hypothesized that the administration of D-chiro-inositol would replenish stores of the mediator and improve insulin sensitivity. METHODS We measured steroids in serum and performed oral glucose-tolerance tests before and after the oral administration of 1200 mg of D-chiro-inositol or placebo once daily for six to eight weeks in 44 obese women with the polycystic ovary syndrome. The serum progesterone concentration was measured weekly to monitor for ovulation. RESULTS In the 22 women given D-chiro-inositol, the mean (+/-SD) area under the plasma insulin curve after the oral administration of glucose decreased from 13,417+/-11,572 to 5158+/-6714 microU per milliliter per minute (81+/-69 to 31+/-40 nmol per liter per minute) (P=0.007; P=0.07 for the comparison of this change with the change in the placebo group); glucose tolerance did not change significantly. The serum free testosterone concentration in these 22 women decreased from 1.1+/-0.8 to 0.5+/-0.5 ng per deciliter (38+/-7 to 17+/-3 pmol per liter) (P=0.006 for the comparison with the change in the placebo group). The women's diastolic and systolic blood pressure decreased by 4 mm Hg (P<0.001 and P=0.05, respectively, for the comparisons with the changes in the placebo group), and their plasma triglyceride concentrations decreased from 184+/-88 to 110+/-61 mg per deciliter (2.1+/-0.2 to 1.2+/-0.1 mmol per liter) (P=0.002 for the comparison with the change in the placebo group). None of these variables changed appreciably in the placebo group. Nineteen of the 22 women who received D-chiro-inositol ovulated, as compared with 6 of the 22 women in the placebo group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS D-Chiro-inositol increases the action of insulin in patients with the polycystic ovary syndrome, thereby improving ovulatory function and decreasing serum androgen concentrations, blood pressure, and plasma triglyceride concentrations.
My Friend Leaks My Privacy: Modeling and Analyzing Privacy in Social Networks

With the dramatically increasing participation in online social networks (OSNs), huge amount of private information becomes available on such sites. It is critical to preserve users' privacy without preventing them from socialization and sharing. Unfortunately, existing solutions fall short meeting such requirements. We argue that the key component of OSN privacy protection is protecting (sensitive) content -- privacy as having the ability to control information dissemination. We follow the concepts of private information boundaries and restricted access and limited control to introduce a social circle model. We articulate the formal constructs of this model and the desired properties for privacy protection in the model. We show that the social circle model is efficient yet practical, which provides certain level of privacy protection capabilities to users, while still facilitates socialization. We then utilize this model to analyze the most popular social network platforms on the Internet (Facebook, Google+, WeChat, etc), and demonstrate the potential privacy vulnerabilities in some social networks. Finally, we discuss the implications of the analysis, and possible future directions.
Role of Genes Tp16, Tp53 and Rb on Genetics Oral and Oropharingeal Cancer: A Review

With the advancement of molecular biology and knowledge about genetic aspects in recent decades the study of the processes that determine the emergence, evolution and prognosis of tumors in different tissues and body regions, has become increasingly necessary and crucial for the approach of better treatment, cure or relief that improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Damage in TP16, TP53 and RB genes are related to various tumors squamous cell, and studies have shown their relationship with head and neck carcinomas. Risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and the presence of human papilloma virus in the affected tissue influence the pathophysiology of these tumors, especially over action in these genes or on their products. This brief study meant to address issues of concern that has been studied about the genetics of cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx, considered the most prevalent and incident of head and neck carcinomas group.
The Untranslated Regions of Classic Swine Fever Virus RNA Trigger Apoptosis

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) causes a broad range of disease in pigs, from acute symptoms including high fever and hemorrhages, to chronic disease or unapparent infection, depending on the virus strain. CSFV belongs to the genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae. It carries a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome. An internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) drives the translation of a single open reading frame encoding a 3898 amino acid long polypeptide chain. The open reading frame is followed by a 3′ UTR comprising four highly structured stem-loops. In the present study, a synthetic RNA composed of the 5′ and 3′ UTRs of the CSFV genome devoid of any viral coding sequence and separated by a luciferase gene cassette (designated 5′UTR-Luc-3′UTR) triggered apoptotic cell death as early as 4 h post-transfection. The apoptosis was measured by DNA laddering analysis, TUNEL assay, annexin-V binding determined by flow cytometry, and by analysis of caspase activation. Contrasting with this, only trace DNA laddering was observed in cells transfected with the individual 5′ or 3′ UTR RNA; even when the 5′ UTR and 3′ UTR were co-transfected as separate RNA molecules, DNA laddering did not reach the level induced by the chimeric 5′UTR-Luc-3′UTR RNA. Interestingly, RNA composed of the 5′UTR and of stem-loop I of the 3′UTR triggered much stronger apoptosis than the 5′ or 3′UTR alone. These results indicate that the 5′ and 3′ UTRs act together in cis induce apoptosis. We furthered obtained evidence that the UTR-mediated apoptosis required double-stranded RNA and involved translation shutoff possibly through activation of PKR.
Strain-Dependent Norovirus Bioaccumulation in Oysters

ABSTRACT Noroviruses (NoVs) are the main agents of gastroenteritis in humans and the primary pathogens of shellfish-related outbreaks. Some NoV strains bind to shellfish tissues by using carbohydrate structures similar to their human ligands, leading to the hypothesis that such ligands may influence bioaccumulation. This study compares the bioaccumulation efficiencies and tissue distributions in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) of three strains from the two principal human norovirus genogroups. Clear differences between strains were observed. The GI.1 strain was the most efficiently concentrated strain. Bioaccumulation specifically occurred in digestive tissues in a dose-dependent manner, and its efficiency paralleled ligand expression, which was highest during the cold months. In comparison, the GII.4 strain was very poorly bioaccumulated and was recovered in almost all tissues without seasonal influence. The GII.3 strain presented an intermediate behavior, without seasonal effect and with less bioaccumulation efficiency than that of the GI.1 strain during the cold months. In addition, the GII.3 strain was transiently concentrated in gills and mantle before being almost specifically accumulated in digestive tissues. Carbohydrate ligand specificities of the strains at least partly explain the strain-dependent bioaccumulation characteristics. In particular, binding to the digestive-tube-specific ligand should contribute to bioaccumulation, whereas we hypothesize that binding to the sialic acid-containing ligand present in all tissues would contribute to retain virus particles in the gills or mantle and lead to rapid destruction.
Quantile-Based Optimization of Noisy Computer Experiments With Tunable Precision

This article addresses the issue of kriging-based optimization of stochastic simulators. Many of these simulators depend on factors that tune the level of precision of the response, the gain in accuracy being at a price of computational time. The contribution of this work is two-fold: first, we propose a quantile-based criterion for the sequential design of experiments, in the fashion of the classical expected improvement criterion, which allows an elegant treatment of heterogeneous response precisions. Second, we present a procedure for the allocation of the computational time given to each measurement, allowing a better distribution of the computational effort and increased efficiency. Finally, the optimization method is applied to an original application in nuclear criticality safety. This article has supplementary material available online. The proposed criterion is available in the R package DiceOptim.
Visual Rehabilitation in Combined Surgical Procedures: Bridging Two Eye Poles for Better Vision

The starting idea of this special issue was to link innovative anterior to posterior ocular surgical procedures in an era of highly dynamic innovations in both segments of the eye. Every one of the editors had his own perception of what this might implicate and it turns out that all the submitting colleagues had scientific clinical and preclinical projects long before in place and were willing to share their outcomes with us. T. Tandogan et al., for example, illustrated to us the simple challenge of phacoemulsification after vitrectomy as a result of the altered intraocular fluid dynamics, a simple basic paper not only for the beginner, but also for every surgeon before he/she starts to perform combined procedures.
Acetyl Cysteine as a Glutathione Precursor for chizophrenia — A Double-Blind , Randomized , lacebo-Controlled Trial

ackground: Brain glutathione levels are decreased in schizophrenia, a disorder that often is chronic and refractory to treatment. N-acetyl ysteine (NAC) increases brain glutathione in rodents. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of oral NAC (1 g rally twice daily [b.i.d.]) as an add-on to maintenance medication for the treatment of chronic schizophrenia over a 24-week period.
Penalized Wavelets: Embedding Wavelets into Semiparametric Regression

We introduce the concept of penalized wavelets to facilitate seamless embedding of wavelets into semiparametric regression models. In particular, we show that penalized wavelets are analogous to penalized splines; the latter being the established approach to function estimation in semiparametric regression. They differ only in the type of penalization that is appropriate. This fact is not borne out by the existing wavelet liter- ature, where the regression modelling and fitting issues are overshadowed by computational issues such as efficiency gains afforded by the Discrete Wavelet Transform and partially obscured by a tendency to work in the wavelet coefficient space. With penalized wavelet structurein place, we then show that fitting and inference can be achieved via the same general approaches used for penalized splines: penalized least squares, maximum likelihood and best prediction within a frequentist mixed model framework, and Markov chain Monte Carlo and mean field variational Bayes within a Bayesian framework. Penalized wavelets are also shown have a close rela- tionship with wide data ("p ≫ n") regression and benefit from ongoing research on that topic.
The triangle-free 2-matching polytope of subcubic graphs ⋆

The problem of determining the maximum size of a Ck-free 2matching (that is, a2-matching not containing cycles of length k) is a much studied question of matching theory. Cornuéjols and Pulley b ank showed that deciding the existence of a Ck-free 2-factor is NP-complete for k ≥ 5, while Hartvigsen gave an algorithm for the triangle-free case ( k = 3). The existence of aC4-free 2-matching is still open. The description of theCk-free2-matching polytope is also of interest. Király showed that finding a maximum weight square-free 2-factor is NP-complete even in bipartite graphs with 0− 1 weights, hence we should not expect a nice polyhedral description for k ≥ 4. However, imposing the condition that the graph has maximum degree 3, these problems become considera bly asier. The polyhedral description of the triangle-free 2-factor and 2 -matching polytopes of subcubic simple graphs was given by Hartvigsen and Li. In thi s paper, we give slight generalizations of their nice results by using a shri nking method inspired by Edmonds’ maximum matching algorithm. Considering the general case, a new class of valid inequalit ies for the trianglefree 2-matching polytope is introduced. With the help of the se inequalities, we propose a conjecture for the polyhedral description of th e triangle-free 2matching polytope of simple graphs.
Compact Representation of Elliptic Curve Points over F 2

finite fields, elliptic curves, cryptography A method is described to represent points on elliptic curves over F2n‚ in the context of elliptic curve cryptosystems‚ using n bits. The method allows for full recovery of the x and y components of the point. This improves on the naive representation using 2n bits and on a previously known compressed representation using n + 1 bits. Since n bits are necessary to represent a point in the general case of a cryptosystem over F2n, the representation described in this note is minimal.
Childhood Poverty and Young Adults’ Allostatic Load

Childhood poverty is linked to a host of physical and psychological disorders during childhood and later in life. In the study reported here, we showed that the proportion of childhood spent in poverty from birth to age 9 was linked to elevated allostatic load, a marker of chronic physiological stress, in 17-year-olds. Furthermore, this prospective longitudinal relationship was mediated by cumulative risk exposure at age 13. The greater the duration of early life spent in poverty, the greater the exposure to cumulative risk. This, in turn, leads to elevated allostatic load. Multiple psychological, biological, and neurological pathways likely account for the social patterning of psychological and physical disease.