Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A national rollout of an insufficiently evaluated practice: how evidence based are our end-of-life care policies?

There has been increasing international efforts to ensure that health care policies are evidence based. One area where there is a lack of ‘effectiveness’ evidence is in the use of end-of-life care pathways (EOLCP) (1). Despite the lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of the EOCLP, their use has been endorsed in the recent national palliative care strategy document in the UK (2). In addition, a publication endorsed by the Australian Government (titled: Supporting Australians to live well at the End of Life- National Palliative Care Strategy 2010) (3), recommended a national roll out of EOLCP across all sectors (primary, acute and aged care) in Australia. According to this document, it is a measure of “appropriateness” and “effectiveness” for promoting quality end-of-life care.
Architecture and Selectivity in Aquaporins: 2.5 Å X-Ray Structure of Aquaporin Z

Aquaporins are a family of water and small molecule channels found in organisms ranging from bacteria to animals. One of these channels, the E. coli protein aquaporin Z (AqpZ), has been shown to selectively conduct only water at high rates. We have expressed, purified, crystallized, and solved the X-ray structure of AqpZ. The 2.5 Å resolution structure of AqpZ suggests aquaporin selectivity results both from a steric mechanism due to pore size and from specific amino acid substitutions that regulate the preference for a hydrophobic or hydrophilic substrate. This structure provides direct evidence on the molecular mechanisms of specificity between water and glycerol in this family of channels from a single species. It is to our knowledge the first atomic resolution structure of a recombinant aquaporin and so provides a platform for combined genetic, mutational, functional, and structural determinations of the mechanisms of aquaporins and, more generally, the assembly of multimeric membrane proteins.
Cholinergic switch associated with morphological differentiation in neuroblastoma

The morphology of malignant cells distinguishes between undifferentiated, poorly differentiated and differentiating neuroblastomas and constitutes a strong prognostic factor. Spontaneous or treatment‐induced maturation characterizes a subset of neuroblastomas. It constitutes the basis of retinoic acid treatment to improve survival in aggressive neuroblastomas. However, the molecular events that drive differentiation are poorly understood. In the present study we have investigated the relationships between gene expression profiles and differentiation criteria in stroma‐poor neuroblastomas. This study included three undifferentiated (UN), 20 poorly differentiated (PDN) and 11 differentiating (DN) neuroblastomas. These groups could be clearly separated using unsupervised clustering methods, which further enabled a major classification impact of genes involved in neural development, differentiation and function to be identified. UNs are characterized by high ASCL1, high PHOX2B, low GATA2, low TH and low DBH expressions. Most PDNs harbour a clear adrenergic phenotype, even in the presence of missense PHOX2B mutations. Finally, all DN tumours demonstrate cholinergic features. Depending upon their association with adrenergic characteristics, this enables dual ‘cholinergic/adrenergic’ and ‘fully cholinergic’ neuroblastomas to be defined. This suggests that the cholinergic switch, a final specification process that occurs physiologically in a minority of sympathetic neurons, is a critical step of differentiation in some neuroblastic tumours. This switch is associated with a down regulation of DBH that is apparently not strictly dependent upon PHOX2B. Conversely, GATA2 and TFAP2B may play critical roles in maintaining adrenergic features in poorly differentiated tumours. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dense reconstruction by stereo-motion under perspective camera model

This paper presents a new stereo-motion approach for 3D scene reconstruction in dense and accurate form, that allows the cameras to be described by the full perspective model. Given a short and arbitrary motion of a stereo rig of camera, the projective depth of every image point can be recovered from the rank-four property of a matrix that comprises the image positions of the scene, and the associated 3D position can thereby be determined accurately. Compared to earlier methods, the approach allows the use of the full perspective model to describe the cameras, and thus can attain a higher accuracy. In addition, the projective depths are recovered without the need of having initial guess of the depth map or going through iterations or approximation. The recovery process demands only a few stereo correspondences over the entire scene to start with, and points that are occluded in some of the views can also be reconstructed. Experiments on real image sequences are shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Predictors and prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring in 1001 middle aged men.

One thousand and one men, aged 35-65 years, were identified from the age-sex register of one group general practice. Over four years 900 men were visited at home and asked questions about symptoms potentially related to sleep apnoea and snoring. Height, weight, neck circumference, resting arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), and spirometric values were also determined. All night oximetry was then performed at home and the tracing analysed for the number of dips in SaO2 of more than 4%. Subjects with more than five dips of 4% SaO2 or more per hour were invited for sleep laboratory polysomnography. Seventeen per cent of the men admitted to snoring "often. " Multiple linear regression techniques identified and ranked neck circumference (r2 = 7.2%), cigarette consumption (r2 = 3.4%), and nasal stuffiness (r2 = 2%) as the only significant independent predictors of snoring. Together these account for at least a sixfold variation in the likelihood of being an "often" snorer. Forty six subjects (5%) had greater than 4% SaO2 dip rates of over five an hour and 31 of these had full sleep studies. Three subjects had clinically obvious and severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea, giving a prevalence of three per 1001 men (0.3%; 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.9%). Eighteen men had obstructive sleep apnoea only when supine and in 10 the cause of the SaO2 dipping on the original home tracing was not elucidated. The greater than 4% SaO2 dip rates correlated with the history of snoring. Multiple linear regression techniques identified and ranked neck circumference (r2 = 7.9%), alcohol consumption (r2 = 3.7%), age (r2 = 1%) and obesity (r2 = 1%) as the only significant independent predictors of the rate of overnight hypoxic dipping. This study shows that snoring in this randomly selected population correlates best with neck size, smoking, and nasal stuffiness. Obstructive sleep apnoea, defined by nocturnal hypoxaemia, correlates best with neck size and alcohol, and less so with age and general obesity.
Accuracy and precision of selected wound area measurement methods in diabetic foot ulceration.

AIM The present study assesses precision and accuracy of four selected methods of wound area measurements in diabetic foot wounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS The areas of 16 wound shapes were measured using linear measurement with elliptical estimation (Elliptical method), using the Visitrak™ (Smith & Nephew, London, United Kingdom) device, the SilhouetteMobile™ device (ARANZ Medical Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand), and the TeleDiaFoS system (Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Warsaw, Poland). The actual area of a wound shape was determined with a tested scanner and specifically developed software. Accuracy of the area measurement method was assessed by the relative error (RE), whereas precision was assessed by the coefficient of variation (CV). RESULTS The overall absolute REs were 13.3%, 6.8%, 2.1%, and 2.3% for the Elliptical method, the Visitrak device, the TeleDiaFoS system, and the SilhouetteMobile device, respectively. The accuracy of the Visitrak device was remarkably reduced for wound areas smaller than 2 cm². The overall CVs were 6.0%, 6.3%, 1.6%, and 3.1% for the Elliptical method, the Visitrak device, the TeleDiaFoS system, and the SilhouetteMobile device, respectively. The precision of the Visitrak device was revealed to be remarkably lower for small wounds (<2 cm²). CONCLUSIONS The Elliptical method gives overestimation up to 33%; thus, it should not be used in applications where the actual wound area is an important parameter (like the prediction of wound healing). The TeleDiaFoS system and the SilhouetteMobile device showed the best accuracy of all used methods; however, the precision of the TeleDiaFoS system was revealed to be higher than the precision of the SilhouetteMobile device. The accuracy and the precision of the Visitrak device are significantly reduced for wounds smaller than 2 cm².
Measuring Health: Related Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients. Psychometric Properties of the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI-15) in Greece

Different measuring tools have been used to understand the outcomes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) therapies. However, survival, cost-effectiveness and quality of life (QOL) are the main parameters to evaluate treatment of ESRD. The current study meant to assess the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI-15) translation to Greek in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). A total sample of 79 HD patients voluntarily participated in this pilot study. Domain analysis of MVQOLI-15-Greek was conducted based on the collected data at initial assessment. The reliability properties of the instrument were tested using the following measures; internal consistency, repeatability, test-retest reliability and convergent validity. Domain analysis demonstrated that all domains of the questionnaire had good variability. MVQOLI-15-Greek internal consistency was satisfactory with an overall Cronbach’s a at 0.74. Pearson’s r and intraclass correlation coefficient revealed strong correlations (ranging from 0.91 to 0.98) between initial assessment and re-assessment. MVQOLI-15-Greek convergent validity analysis indicated that the domains were strongly related to the same construct. The findings of the study indicate that the Greek version of MVQOLI-15 provided satisfactory psychometric properties supporting its use within pathological populations and in the context of national QOL measurement.
Transition agraire: la croissance dmographique, une opportunit ou une contrainte?

Le bilan que l’on peut faire du developpement agricole et rural en Afrique sub-saharienne apres quarante ans d’independance n’est guere positif. L’ecart de developpement entre cette region et le reste du monde semble se creuser un peu plus chaque annee. Parmi les causes avancees pour expliquer un tel retard, le poids d’une croissance demographique particulierement elevee est couramment invoque. Cependant, l’effet de ce facteur sur le developpement agricole est loin de donner lieu a une analyse unanimement partagee. Certains considerent que cette forte croissance demographique entraine une degradation des ressources et met en peril la durabilite de l’agriculture. A ce point de vue s’oppose celui de ceux qui estiment que la densite de population est une condition necessaire, sinon suffisante, a l’intensification agricole et a l’amelioration de la gestion des ressources naturelles. Pour resoudre cette contradiction apparente, il parait necessaire d’analyser les dynamiques agraires dans leur diversite.
Frequency and Phase Estimation for Coherent QPSK Transmission With Unlocked DFB Lasers

This letter presents a hardware-efficient frequency estimator and an advanced phase estimation algorithm capable of tracking the phase noise of a 10-GBaud optical quadrature phase-shift-keying transmission system with standard distributed-feedback lasers in the presence of a frequency mismatch up to 1.2 GHz. This algorithm allows us to implement a digital coherent receiver without an analog frequency control circuit.
Localized iterative design for language learning in underdeveloped regions: the PACE framework

Poor literacy remains a decisive barrier to the economic empowerment of many people in the developing world. Of particular importance is literacy in a widely spoken "world language" such as English, which is typically a second language for these speakers. For complex reasons, schools are often not effective as vehicles for second language learning. In this paper we explore game-like language learning on cell phones. We argue that phones are an excellent technology platform in the typical ecologies of developing countries. We present the PACE framework that is intended to support the rapid, scalable development of language learning software localized for a particular community of learners. These learners are usually skeptical of formal education and of cultural biases they encounter in learning "remote" languages in particular. Localization of content is crucial to make the language relevant to them and to encourage them to adopt it.
Adaptación Cultural, actitudes hacia el multiculturalismo y ansiedad intergrupal en población militar

Constant intercultural contacts increment face groups and individuals with the question about their abilities to cope with difference. From a preventive view of �cultural blindness� negative effects, studies are focused in assessing the needed competences for an effective copying with cultural shock. Argentine Training Center for Pace Operations has as main objective the training of argentines selected to participate in UN peace operations. In the frame of a larger research with military population, a study was carried out with the aim to evaluate levels of multicultural competencies - as training and experience results- in 242 selected militaries to integrate a peace mission in Haiti for a six month period. Results show favourable attitudes towards multiculturalism, low intergroup anxiety and high levels of cultural adaptation. Differences showed up when taking into account previous trips, participant military rank and having or not persons on charge.
Discovering Activity-Performer Affiliation Knowledge on ICN-based Workflow Models

Technology-supported social networks have been penetrating many aspects of our lives from friendships/blogging sites to working organizations. Particularly, individuals as employees of companies have started to adopt a sort of organizational knowledge based on their operational technologies. This paper, so, focuses on a special type of organizational social network knowledge acquired from deploying workflow technologies, which is dubbed 'activity-performer affiliation knowledge. ' That is, the paper theoretically derives a series of concepts and algorithms not only for representing and discovering the knowledge but also for analyzing the discovered knowledge. These theoretical concepts and related algorithms are based upon the methodology of information control net workflow models, and the discovered knowledge eventually represents involvements and participation relationships between a group of performers and a group of activities in workflow models. Finally, we summarily describe the implications of the activity-performer affiliation knowledge, and how much it is worth discovering them in workflow-driven organizations and enterprises producing massively parallel interactions and large-scaled operational data collections.
High Fidelity Between Saliva Proteomics and the Biologic State of Salivary Glands Defines Biomarker Signatures for Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

Dependence on invasive procedures for classification of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) hampers timely diagnosis and suitable patient followup. The aim of this study was to recapitulate the diagnosis of SS through noninvasive means and to define the biologic state of SS patients' salivary glands.
Development of an intellectual e-NOTEBOOK system for group learning support

We report on the development of a WEB based intellectual e-NOTEBOOK system that provides an environment for group learning. That is, the system may recommend the useful notes automatically based on the item-to-item collaborative filtering and content- based filtering by using learners' reading histories and the contents of notes, which should improve the efficiency of the group learning.
An Ontology-Driven Application to Improve the Prescription of Educational Resources to Parents of Premature Infants

CST’s Baby CareLink provides a ‘collaborative healthware’ environment for parents of premature infants that incorporates just-in-time learning as one means of knowledge exploration and patient empowerment [1], [2], [3]. As the Baby CareLink content base has continued to grow, it has become increasingly difficult for content prescribers to identify all relevant resources for parents at a given point in time in their child’s course of care. In addition, the growing content base has become increasingly difficult to maintain without a rich indexing system. In order to address these issues, we have developed an ontology-driven application that supports the indexing and retrieval of educational materials according to rich descriptions of premature infants. We have developed an initial OWL-DL-based [4] ontology describing relevant concepts in the domain of neonatology, including clinical conditions, diagnostic testing, therapies, durable medical equipment, and the infants themselves. We have developed an initial terminologic model describing typical clinical problems and therapies that occur over the clinical course of these premature infants. Indexers tag educational resources through a web based client application that allows them to create rich descriptions of educational resources based on the reference ontology. Clinical end-users interact with a client application that identifies educational resources appropriate to clinical scenarios occurring over the course of a typical premature infant’s development based on the description generated from records of existing infants in the Baby CareLink system, or according to a user-created description. Network Inference’s tools were used to develop the neonatology ontology and implement the run-time system. ConstructTM, a Visio-based ontology modeling tool was used to develop the reference ontology. This tool allowed the representation of the domain’s concepts, subsumption relationships, properties, instances, and axioms diagrammatically. Cerebra ServerTM, an OWL-DL-based inferencing platform was used to provide logical consistency-checking at modeling time directly from ConstructTM. Cerebra ServerTM was integrated with Baby CareLink and to the indexing and retrieving tools through a . Net connector that provides an API for 1) extending the ontology at indexing time with newly-classified educational resources, 2) dynamically creating instances of individual premature babies using data from Baby CareLink and 3) querying the ontology at run-time. Howard Goldberg et al. This knowledge centric approach to the identification and recommendation of educational resources is anticipated to better individualize information for parents of infants managed through Baby CareLink and increase the efficacy of the information prescription process. The approach is expected to increase the return on investment provided by Baby CareLink through reduction in the time required by nurses and care managers to interact with the system.
Design Methodology of Multi-Frequency Unequal Split Wilkinson Power Dividers Using Transmission Line Transformers

In this paper, a new simple design procedure of multi- frequency unequal split Wilkinson power dividers (WPDs) is presented. The procedure is based on using N-sections of transmission line transformers, instead of the conventional quarter-wave WPD branches, to realize a WPD that operates at N frequencies. Good isolation is achieved by using lumped resistors without any extra modiflcation to the conventional structure of WPDs. The analysis, design procedure, and mathematical expressions are presented for arbitrary design frequencies, and arbitrary power split ratio. For veriflcation purposes, a 1 : 2 dual-frequency, a 1 : 2 tri-frequency, and a 1 : 2 quad-frequency WPDs are designed and fabricated. The measured results show good agreement with those obtained using the presented design methodology and with full-wave simulated results.
Complete Low-Intensity Endurance Training Programme in Haemodialysis Patients: Improving the Care of Renal Patients

Background: Patients on haemodialysis (HD) have a decreased physical and functional capacity. Several studies have reported the beneficial effects of exercise on the physical, functional and psychological functioning of HD patients. Despite these results, exercise programmes on HD are not commonplace. Objective: To analyse the effect of an intradialysis endurance training programme on muscular strength and functional capacity in our HD patients. Material and Methods: A 6-month single-centre prospective study. HD patients were non-randomly assigned to an exercise group (group E) or a control group (group C). Exercise training included complete endurance training using balls, weights and elastic bands in the first 2 h of an HD session; group C received standard HD care. Analysed data: (1) biochemical parameters; (2) biceps and quadriceps muscle tone, maximum quadriceps length strength (MQLS) and dominant hand grip (HG); (3) functional capacity tests: sit-to-stand-to-sit (STS10) and 6-min walking test (6MWT). Results: Forty patients were included, 55% were men; their mean age was 68.4 years; the patients were 61.6 months on HD; 16 patients were in group E and 24 in group C. In group E, muscular strength showed a significant improvement in MQLS (15.6 ± 10.7 vs. 17.7 ± 12.5 kg, p < 0.05) and HG (22.1 ± 13.2 vs. 24.1 ± 15.8 kg, p < 0.05) at the end of the programme, while a global decrease was reported in group C (MQLS 20.9 ± 9.3 vs. 16.2 ± 8.4 kg, p < 0.05; HG 25.1 ± 10.3 vs. 24.1 ± 11.1 kg). 6MWT significantly improved in group E (20%, 293.1 vs. 368 m, p < 0.001) and decreased in group C (10%, 350 vs. 315 m, p < 0.004). At the end of the programme, STS10 time was reduced in group E (2.1 ± 18.5 vs. 28.7 ± 20.6 s), while it rose in group C (31.5 ± 17.9 vs. 36.4 ± 19.8 s), though significant differences were not found. Conclusions: (1) The intradialysis training programme improved muscular strength and functional capacity in our HD patients. (2) These results support the benefits of exercise training for HD patients. (3) Nephrologists should consider exercise training as a standard practice for the care of HD patients.