Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized trial exploring the effect of a telephone call follow-up on care plan compliance among older adults discharged home from the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES Older patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) have difficulty comprehending discharge plans and are at high risk of adverse outcomes. The authors investigated whether a postdischarge telephone call-mediated intervention by a nurse would improve discharge care plan adherence, specifically by expediting post-ED visit physician follow-up appointments and/or compliance with medication changes. The second objectives were to determine if this telephone call intervention would reduce return ED visits and/or hospitalizations within 35 days of the index ED visit and to determine potential cost savings of this intervention. METHODS This was a 10-week randomized, controlled trial among patients aged 65 and older discharged to home from an academic ED. At 1 to 3 days after each patient's index ED visit, a trained nurse called intervention group patients to review discharge instructions and assist with discharge plan compliance; placebo call group patients received a patient satisfaction survey call, while the control group patients were not called. Data collection calls occurred at 5 to 8 days and 30 to 35 days after the index ED visits for all three groups. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were performed for categorical data and the Kruskal-Wallis test examined group differences in time to follow-up. RESULTS A total of 120 patients completed the study. Patients were 60% female and 72% white, with a mean age of 75 years (standard deviation [SD] ± 7.58 years). Intervention patients were more likely to follow up with medical providers within 5 days of their ED visits than either the placebo or the control group patients (54, 20, and 37%, respectively; p = 0.04). All groups performed well in medication acquisition and comprehension of medication indications and dosage. There were no differences in return visits to the ED or hospital within 35 days of the index ED visit for intervention patients, compared to placebo or control group patients (22, 33, and 27%, respectively; p = 0.41). An economic analysis showed an estimated 70% chance that this intervention would reduce total costs. CONCLUSIONS Telephone call follow-up of older patients discharged from the ED resulted in expedited follow-up for patients with their primary care physicians. Further study is warranted to determine if these results translate into improved patient outcomes, decreased return ED visits or hospital admissions, and cost savings resulting from this intervention.
Dissecting the physiological role of selective transmembrane-segment retention at the ER translocon

The membrane integration of polytopic proteins is coordinated at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the conserved Sec61 translocon, which facilitates the lateral release of transmembrane (TM) segments into the lipid phase during polypeptide translocation. Here we use a site-specific crosslinking strategy to study the membrane integration of a new model protein and show that the TM segments of the P2X2 receptor are retained at the Sec61 complex for the entire duration of the biosynthetic process. This extremely prolonged association implicates the Sec61 complex in the regulation of the membrane integration process, and we use both in vitro and in vivo analyses to study this effect further. TM-segment retention depends on the association of the ribosome with the Sec61 complex, and complete lateral exit of the P2X2 TM segments was only induced by the artificial termination of translation. In the event of the premature release of P2X2 TM1 from the ER translocon, the truncated polypeptide fragment was to found aggregate in the ER membrane, suggesting a distinct physiological requirement for the delayed release of TM segments from the ER translocon site.
Assessment of the sources of error affecting the quantitative accuracy of SPECT imaging in small animals

Small animal SPECT imaging systems have multiple potential applications in biomedical research. Whereas SPECT data are commonly interpreted qualitatively in a clinical setting, the ability to accurately quantify measurements will increase the utility of the SPECT data for laboratory measurements involving small animals. In this work, we assess the effect of photon attenuation, scatter and partial volume errors on the quantitative accuracy of small animal SPECT measurements, first with Monte Carlo simulation and then confirmed with experimental measurements. The simulations modeled the imaging geometry of a commercially available small animal SPECT system. We simulated the imaging of a radioactive source within a cylinder of water, and reconstructed the projection data using iterative reconstruction algorithms. The size of the source and the size of the surrounding cylinder were varied to evaluate the effects of photon attenuation and scatter on quantitative accuracy. We found that photon attenuation can reduce the measured concentration of radioactivity in a volume of interest in the center of a rat-sized cylinder of water by up to 50% when imaging with iodine-125, and up to 25% when imaging with technetium-99m. When imaging with iodine-125, the scatter-to-primary ratio can reach up to approximately 30%, and can cause overestimation of the radioactivity concentration when reconstructing data with attenuation correction. We varied the size of the source to evaluate partial volume errors, which we found to be a strong function of the size of the volume of interest and the spatial resolution. These errors can result in large (>50%) changes in the measured amount of radioactivity. The simulation results were compared with and found to agree with experimental measurements. The inclusion of attenuation correction in the reconstruction algorithm improved quantitative accuracy. We also found that an improvement of the spatial resolution through the use of resolution recovery techniques (i.e. modeling the finite collimator spatial resolution in iterative reconstruction algorithms) can significantly reduce the partial volume errors.
The electric field dependence of DNA mobilities in agarose gels: A reinvestigation

The electric field dependence of the electrophoretic mobility of linear DNA fragments in agarose gels was reinvestigated in order to correct the observed mobilities for the different temperatures actually present in the gel during electrophoresis in different electric field gradients. When corrected to a common temperature, the electrophoretic mobilities of DNA fragments ≤ 1 kilobase pairs (kbp) in size were independent of electric field strength at all field strengths from 0.6 to 4.6 V/cm if the gels contained ≤ 1.4% agarose. The mobilities of larger DNA fragments increased approximately linearly with electric field strength. If the agarose concentration was higher than 2%, the mobilities of all DNA fragments increased with increasing electric field strength. The electric field dependence of the mobility was larger in gels cast and run in Tris‐borate buffer (TBE) than in gels cast and run in Tris‐acetate buffer (TAE), and was more pronounced in gels without ethidium bromide incroporated in the matrix. Ferguson plots were constructed for the various DNA fragments, both with and without extrapolating the temperature‐corrected mobilities to zero electric field strength. Linear Ferguson plots were obtained for all fragments ≤ 12 kbp in size in agarose gels ≤ 1.4 % in concentration if the mobilities were first extrapolated to zero electric field strength. Concave upward curvature of the Ferguson plots was observed for DNA fragments ≤ 2 kbp in size at finite electric field strengths. Convex downward curvature of the Ferguson plots was observed for DNA fragments ≥ 1 kbp in size in agarose gels ≥ 2 % in concentration. The mobilities of the various DNA fragments, extrapolated to zero agarose concentration and zero electric field strength, decreased with increasing DNA molecular weight; extrapolating to zero molecular weight gave an “intrinsic” DNA mobility of 2.7 x 10−4 cm2/Vs at 20°C. The pore sizes of LE agarose gels cast and run in TAE and TBE buffers were estimated from the mobility of the DNA fragments. If the volume occupied by each DNA molecule is approximated by its root‐mean‐square (rms) radius of gyration, the median pore radius, rp, of an LE agarose gel cast and run in TAE buffer is rp = 98 A−0.90, where A is the agarose concentration in % and rp is given in nm. For gels cast and run in TBE buffer, the apparent median pore radius is rp = 66 A−0.95. If the volume occupied by each DNA molecule is represented by its mean geometric radius instead of the rms radius of gyration, the median gel pore radius in both buffers depends on A−0.5, as predicted by the extended Ogston theory. From the corresponding retardation coefficients, the gel fiber parameters were estimated.
Study on Peak and Valley Time Periods Partition of TOU Price

As one of end user prices,time-of-use(TOU) price is used in most countries of the world.And as one of the most efficient measures for modern demand side management(DSM),time-of-use(TOU) price is beneficial to flatten the load curve,which depends on not only the appropriate time-of-use price,but also the scientific peak and valley time periods partition.For the problem that there is no theoretical support for dividing the peak and valley period,some methods in the period of research were introduced,and the basic principles,application,advantages and disadvantages were summarized.At the same time,a new method which considering the balance of power supply and user demand was put forward to partition the peak and valley time periods.
On the Accuracy of Efficiency of Estimating Equation Approach

Summary. Liang and Zeger (1986, Biometrika73, 13–22) introduced a generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach based on a working correlation matrix to obtain efficient estimators of regression parameters in the class of generalized linear models for repeated measures data. As demonstrated by Crowder (1995, Biometrika82, 407–410), because of uncertainty of the definition of the working correlation matrix, the Liang‐Zeger approach may, in some cases, lead to a complete breakdown of the estimation of the regression parameters. After taking this comment of Crowder into account, recently Sutradhar and Das (1999, Biometrika86, 459–465) examined the loss of efficiency of the regression estimators due to misspecification of the correlation structures. But their study was confined to the regression estimation with cluster‐level covariates, as in the original paper of Liang and Zeger. In this paper, we study this efficiency loss problem for the generalized regression models with within‐cluster covariates by utilizing the approach of Sutsadhar and Das (1999).
The effect of tonicity of the medium on the respiratory and phosphorylative activity of heart-muscle sarcosomes.

Since the work of Lehninger & Kennedy (1948) on the effect of tonicity of the medium on the activity of the fatty acid oxidase system of liver mitochondria, it has been repeatedly emphasized that approximately isotonic conditions are necessary for optimal oxidative phosphorylation activity of the mitochondria. The present study was undertaken as part of an investigation of the optimal conditions for oxidative phosphorylation in heart-muscle sarcosomes, the granules which correspond to the mitochondria in other tissues (Cleland & Slater, 1953a). It has been known since the time of Kolliker (1888) that sarcosomes undergo a series ofstructural changes when placed in hypotonic media. These changes have been studied in detail by Cleland & Slater (1953b). In the present paper, we are not concerned with the most striking morphological changes, which occur below an osmolar concentration of 0 05. The only change which occurs between isotonic (osmolar concentration of 0.32) and 0 05osmolar media is a considerable but largely reversible swelling of the sarcosome, and the present paper deals with the effect of this swelling on the respiratory and phosphorylative activity of the
The Nature and Nurture of Morality

What makes us moral? asks Neil Levy, a philosopher from the University of Melbourne, in a book sporting this title. In particular, Levy examines the roles played by nature and nurture in the origin of moral dispositions. Levy’s answer to the question addressed in the book is foreshadowed in the subtitle—“crossing the boundaries of biology”—and stated clearly in the conclusion: “Evolution gave us the preconditions of morality, but it is only as a result of the cultural elaboration of this raw material that we come to be moral beings.We are animals, and we cannot ever free ourselves of our biological heritage. We have no need: it enables all the flexible, rational, and caring behavior that we could want, and allows us to seek to become ever more moral beings” (p. 205). Overall, we recommend this book. Levy is a gifted writer and a clear thinker. He has taken the trouble to study evolutionary theory, and gets it right most of the time. He offers clear analyses of the issues he discusses. He avoids logical fallacies and other conceptual traps found in other writing about evolution and morality, such as viewing humans as either naturally good or naturally bad, assuming that evolutionary theory is genetically deterministic, and attributing to evolutionary theorists the position that the environment does not play an important role in the determination of behavior. He deals with many interesting issues and provides a good history of the development of evolutionary thinking about moral dispositions. He offers a fair overview of criticisms of evolutionary theory, and a reasonable resolution of the controversies in the area. This book is not, however, without problems.
Metabolic disturbance in first-episode schizophrenia

Background Schizophrenia shortens life, e.g. through suicide and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is assumed that medications play a major role, but most of the evidence for this comes from studies poorly controlled for variables such as lifestyle and medication status. Aims To determine whether schizophrenia is associated (independently of medication) with the development of certain metabolic disturbances and whether these might be explained by stress axis dysfunction. Method Literature review. Results Most studies did not control for confounding factors such as previous usage of medication, lifestyle, age and ethnicity. A few conducted in drug-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia appear to indicate that these patients have higher than expected rates of visceral obesity and impaired fasting glucose concentrations, which may be related to a subtle disturbance of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Conclusions Schizophrenia is independently associated with physical illnesses that have a metabolic signature. Therefore, patients need to have a thorough physical assessment at diagnosis and at regular intervals thereafter. Metabolic disturbances have been found in drug-naïve patients with first-episode illness and may be an inherent part of the illness.
Effect of the α2C-adrenoreceptor deletion322–325 variant on sympathetic activity and cardiovascular measures in healthy subjects

Background The α2C-adrenergic receptor plays an important role in the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system and, therefore, blood pressure and heart rate. A deletion polymorphism in its gene (ADRA2C del322–325), ten times more common in black than white Americans, has been associated with a loss of function in vitro and, under controlled study conditions, raised blood pressure and catecholamine secretion. We therefore examined the hypothesis that the ADRA2C deletion variant would alter sympathetic activity and contribute to ethnic differences in blood pressure. Methods We measured resting plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations, blood pressure and heart rate in 224 healthy subjects (127 whites), and determined their ADRA2C del322–325 genotype. Additionally, we analyzed heart rate variability (HRV) in a subgroup of 50 black subjects. Results Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were higher in blacks than whites [difference (95% confidence interval), 4.4 (1.5–7.4) mmHg, P = 0.003; and 2.7 (0.7–4.6) mmHg, P = 0.01, respectively]. Norepinephrine concentrations did not differ among subjects with 0, 1 and 2 copies of the deletion variant [median (interquartile range), 185.0 (147.5–269.8), 200.0 (154.9–257.0) and 173.8 (158.5–235.8) pg/ml, respectively; P = 0.54]. Similarly, none of the HRV parameters differed among the genotype groups. In multiple linear regression analyses adjusting for multiple covariates, the deletion genotype was not associated with SBP or DBP. In contrast, black ethnicity was associated with higher SBP (P = 0.001) and DBP (P = 0.005). Conclusion The ADRA2C deletion polymorphism had no effect on markers of resting sympathetic activity and cardiovascular measures, and did not account for ethnic differences in blood pressure.
Analyzing the information distribution in the fMRI measurements by estimating the degree of locality

In this study, we propose a new method for analyzing and representing the distribution of discriminative information for data acquired via functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). For this purpose, we form a spatially local mesh with varying size, around each voxel, called the seed voxel. The relationship among each seed voxel and its neighbors is estimated using a linear regression model by minimizing the square error. Then, we estimate the optimal mesh size that represents the connections among each seed voxel and its surroundings by minimizing Akaike's Final Prediction Error (FPE) with respect to the mesh size. The degree of locality is represented by the optimum mesh size. Our results indicate that the local mesh size with the highest discriminative power varies across individual participants. The proposed method was tested on an fMRI study consisting of item recognition (IR) and judgment of recency (JOR) tasks. For each participant, the estimated arc weights of each local mesh with different mesh size are used to classify the type of memory judgment (i.e.IR or JOR). Classification accuracy for each participant was derived using k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) method. The results indicate that the proposed local mesh model with optimal mesh size can successfully represent discriminative information for neuroimaging data.
Surging progressives in the conservative mood

This article examines the conditional effects of income and urbanism on vote choice in an attempt to explain why both the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the progressive Japanese Communist Party (JCP) were successful in the 2014 Japanese Lower House election. Casting doubt on the conventional explanations, it argues that social division along income lines caused a polarization of voting in urban areas, which in turn allowed the two parties to prosper in the election. More specifically, Prime Minister Abe’s monetarist economic policies implemented during an economic downturn influenced the welfare of people differently according to income level, and consequently divided them into voters for the LDP and for the JCP. Using Japan as a case study, this research shows how an economic policy implemented during an economic downturn can create social and political divisions among people, which in turn impacts elections.
Self‐Sustained Resistance to Suppression of CD8+ Teff Cells at the Site of Autoimmune Inflammation Can Be Reversed by Tumor Necrosis Factor and Interferon‐γ Blockade

Resistance of Teff cells to Treg cell–mediated suppression contributes to the breakdown of peripheral tolerance in the inflamed joints of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). However, unanswered questions are whether this resistant phenotype is self‐sustained and whether CD8+ and CD4+ Teff cells share the same mechanism of resistance to suppression. We undertook this study to investigate intrinsic resistance of CD8+ Teff cells to suppression and to determine how this can be targeted therapeutically.
How change in age-specific mortality affects life expectancy.

At current mortality rates, life expectancy is most responsive to change in mortality rates at older ages. Mathematical formulae that describe the linkage between change in age-specific mortality rates and change in life expectancy reveal why. These formulae also shed light on how past progress against mortality has been translated into increases in life expectancy – and on the impact that future progress may have. Furthermore, the mathematics can be adapted to study the effect of mortality change in heterogeneous populations in which those who did at some age would, if saved, enjoy a different life expectancy than those who live.
Economic analysis of organic farming in Tanzania: a case study of smallholder coffee production in Muleba district

This study analysed the economics of small holder organic farmers in Muleba district. Specifically the study was conducted to identify the costs associated with organic and conventional coffee production, to assess profitability of the two farming system and to determine the effect of premium price in compensation of yield in organic coffee. The study also addressed the coffee organic standard demanded by importers. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling procedures were employed for the selection of 100 respondents among which 50 farmers were organic coffee producers and 50 farmers were conventional coffee producers. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in costs associated with production of organic coffee and conventional coffee, especially as it was observed in labour costs and fixed costs. However there was statistically significant difference in average variable costs of the two farming system which was attributed by high marketing costs for organic coffee of about 58% higher than that of conventional coffee. Farm enterprise budget indicated that profit obtained from hulled conventional coffee exceeded those obtained from hulled organic coffee. Organic conversion in Muleba district was associated with increases rather than reductions in yield which relates to the low input characteristics of conventional farming in the district. With the premium price of 1 800 Tsh/kg offered to organic farmers and increase in yield, organic farmers were expected to be profitable, but due to high total variable costs observed organic farmers obtained less profit. From these findings it is recommended that deliberate efforts should be made to assist farmers to access training and extension services in order for them to ii
Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduction Method Suitable for MC-CDMA System Downlink

In this paper, a novel peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction method named cyclic-shifted scramble code (CSSC) method is proposed for multicarrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) systems downlink. The proposed method utilizes the characteristics of multicarrier systems, i.e., if inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) input sequence changes, the output waveform also changes. In CSSC method, a scramble code assigned to a base station is applied to user data symbols after cyclic-shift. Comparing PAPRs of IFFT outputs amongst different shifts of the scramble code, the shift minimizing PAPR is selected and the MC-CDMA signal with the minimum PAPR will be transmitted. The receiver can estimate the amount of phase shifts by correlating between the scramble code and the received signal component in the pilot channel. The numerical results showed that PAPR can be reduced by approximately 3 dB by CSSC method without BER performance degradation