Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occupational activities and osteoarthritis of the knee.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) is rising and the search for interventions to mitigate risk is intensifying. This review considers the contribution of occupational activities to disease occurrence and the lessons for prevention. SOURCES Systematic search in Embase and Medline covering the period 1996 to November 2011. AREAS OF AGREEMENT Reasonably good evidence exists that physical work activities (especially kneeling, squatting, lifting and climbing) can cause and/or aggravate knee OA. These exposures should be reduced where possible. Obese workers with such exposures are at additional risk of knee OA and should therefore particularly be encouraged to lose weight. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY/RESEARCH NEED: Workplace interventions and policies to prevent knee OA have seldom been evaluated. Moreover, their implementation can be problematic. However, the need for research to optimize the design of work in relation to knee OA is pressing, given population trends towards extended working life.
THE LARGE AREA TELESCOPE ON THE FERMI GAMMA-RAY SPACE TELESCOPE MISSION

The Large Area Telescope (Fermi/LAT, hereafter LAT), the primary instrument on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) mission, is an imaging, wide field-of-view (FoV), high-energy γ-ray telescope, covering the energy range from below 20 MeV to more than 300 GeV. The LAT was built by an international collaboration with contributions from space agencies, high-energy particle physics institutes, and universities in France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. This paper describes the LAT, its preflight expected performance, and summarizes the key science objectives that will be addressed. On-orbit performance will be presented in detail in a subsequent paper. The LAT is a pair-conversion telescope with a precision tracker and calorimeter, each consisting of a 4 × 4 array of 16 modules, a segmented anticoincidence detector that covers the tracker array, and a programmable trigger and data acquisition system. Each tracker module has a vertical stack of 18 (x, y) tracking planes, including two layers (x and y) of single-sided silicon strip detectors and high-Z converter material (tungsten) per tray. Every calorimeter module has 96 CsI(Tl) crystals, arranged in an eight-layer hodoscopic configuration with a total depth of 8.6 radiation lengths, giving both longitudinal and transverse information about the energy deposition pattern. The calorimeter's depth and segmentation enable the high-energy reach of the LAT and contribute significantly to background rejection. The aspect ratio of the tracker (height/width) is 0.4, allowing a large FoV (2.4 sr) and ensuring that most pair-conversion showers initiated in the tracker will pass into the calorimeter for energy measurement. Data obtained with the LAT are intended to (1) permit rapid notification of high-energy γ-ray bursts and transients and facilitate monitoring of variable sources, (2) yield an extensive catalog of several thousand high-energy sources obtained from an all-sky survey, (3) measure spectra from 20 MeV to more than 50 GeV for several hundred sources, (4) localize point sources to 0.3–2 arcmin, (5) map and obtain spectra of extended sources such as SNRs, molecular clouds, and nearby galaxies, (6) measure the diffuse isotropic γ-ray background up to TeV energies, and (7) explore the discovery space for dark matter.
Diagnosis of sulfonamide hypersensitivity reactions by in-vitro "rechallenge" with hydroxylamine metabolites.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine whether differences in in-vitro detoxification of sulfonamide-reactive metabolites can be detected among the lymphocytes from controls, patients with sulfonamide hypersensitivity reactions, and patients with nonhypersensitivity reactions to the sulfonamide agents. DESIGN In-vitro toxicity assay on lymphocytes. SETTING Clinics for adverse drug reactions in an adult and pediatric tertiary care center. PATIENTS Peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained from 46 normal volunteers and 76 patients referred to the clinic for assessment of adverse drug reactions to sulfonamide agents. Thirty-one patients had clinical histories consistent with a diagnosis of hypersensitivity reaction, whereas 45 patients had clinical histories felt to be inconsistent with a diagnosis of hypersensitivity reaction. INTERVENTIONS Lymphocytes were assayed with tetrazolium to determine toxicity from the hydroxylamine of sulfamethoxazole. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The lymphocytes from patients with a history of hypersensitivity reactions showed markedly increased toxicity across a tenfold-concentration toxicity-concentration curve compared with those from controls and patients with a history of nonhypersensitivity reactions. These differences were highly significant (P less than 0.01). No difference was found between the toxicity shown by the lymphocytes from controls and that shown by the lymphocytes from patients with a history of nonhypersensitivity reactions. CONCLUSIONS Metabolic differences in the production and detoxification of reactive metabolites of sulfonamide agents are important determinants of hypersensitivity reactions to these agents. These results suggest that the hydroxylamine derivative of sulfamethoxazole may be a reactive metabolite mediating these reactions. Sulfonamide hydroxylamines are useful in the diagnosis and study of the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity reactions to sulfonamide agents.
Medical problems associated with spinal cord lesions - impact on functioning

Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to study the effects of medical problems associated with spinal cord lesions on functioning - with special interest in work participation and sexual functioning. A special aim was to explore bone mineral density and associated factors in persons with meningomyelocele. Methods: The target population comprised persons with traumatic spinal cord injury or meningomyelocele living in the county of Western Gotaland in Sweden. The subject characteristics, prevalence of medical problems and other disorders, as well as primary outcomes, were assessed with a structured questionnaire. In the osteoporosis study a physician and a physical therapist examined all subjects and assessed ambulatory status and the neurological level of the lesion. Bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, hip and forearm was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. In the workplace intervention study each participant was visited by an ergonomist at the workplace where the working conditions were documented by means of video recordings, questionnaires and the ergonomist's evaluation of the workplace. Results: Work participation rate in Swedish spinal cord lesion population is about two thirds of that in the healthy population (50% against 75%). Among the men with traumatic spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain and the presence of other somatic or mental disorders were associated with work participation, whereas most of these associations were not observed in the women with traumatic spinal cord injury or in the persons with meningomyelocele. The results of the workplace intervention study showed that the working conditions of persons with spinal cord lesion can be improved by ergonomic measures. Satisfaction with sexual life was rather low in all subgroups except in the women with meningomyelocele. Medical problems associated with spinal cord lesion, such as incontinence and neuropathic pain, affected satisfaction with sexual life in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury. In persons with meningomyelocele, none of the studied medical problems was associated with satisfaction with sexual life. The results also indicated that osteopenia and osteoporosis are more common among young adults with meningomyelocele than in the normative population. The effect of medical risk factors of osteoporosis on bone mineral density was modified by ambulatory status in this patient group. Conclusions: Medical problems affect functioning in persons with spinal cord lesion. There are, however, some gender differences, as well as differences between persons with congenital and acquired spinal cord lesion. Osteoporosis is a medical problem, which must be considered when treating and rehabilitating persons with meningomyelocele. Key-words: spinal cord injuries, meningomyelocele, rehabilitation, osteoporosis, bone density, employment, sexuality
Natalizumab-associated PML identified in the presymptomatic phase using MRI surveillance

Natalizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the cellular adhesion molecule α4-integrin, prevents leukocytes from crossing the blood–brain barrier. It is effective in multiple sclerosis (MS), but its use is limited by the potential risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). ### Case report. A 61-year-old woman with a 7-year history of relapsing-remitting MS developed PML after treatment with natalizumab for 24 months. Past history included breast cancer 13 years prior, treated with lumpectomy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, followed by tamoxifen. Her MS was initially treated with interferon-β over 5 years, during which time her disease developed a relapsing-remitting course, with 2 significant clinical relapses. Additionally, she developed clinically asymptomatic demyelinating lesions on cerebral MRI. Interferon-β was stopped and monthly methylprednisolone was given for 3 months. Her disease remained refractory to treatment and 2 years ago she was commenced on natalizumab. She underwent 6-monthly clinical and radiologic reviews with MRI. There was mild worsening of lower limb spasticity and ataxia over 2 years but no major relapses. MRI at 6, 12, and 18 months showed no new lesions. Routine MRI at 24 months after commencement of natalizumab showed a region of juxtacortical white matter fluid-attenuated …
Tricuspid regurgitation diagnosis and treatment

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is the most common lesion of the tricuspid valve (TV). Mild TR is common and usually is benign. However, moderate or severe TR can lead to irreversible myocardial damage and adverse outcomes. Despite these findings, few patients with significant TR undergo surgery. The treatment of functional (secondary) TR in particular remains controversial because of high rates of residual or recurrent TR and poor outcomes following surgical intervention. Traditional teaching that functional TR resolves on its own if the underlying disease is successfully treated has proven to be incorrect. This review aims to clarify management of TR by describing the anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of TR, including the eventual possibility of percutaneous TV therapy.
Numerical characterization of the radiation from implanted wireless sources considering different digital body phantoms

This paper presents numerical investigation of the radiation performance from stomach, bladder and heart implanted wireless sources using the Finite-Differences Time-Domain (FDTD). Simulations were performed at the Medical Implanted Communication Systems (MICS) frequency of 402 MHz, using two male and one female digital body phantoms. Azimuthal radiation pattern and radiation efficiency of the implanted wireless sources were calculated. Results have proven that the radiated power is strongly dependant on both; the location of the source, and the body size and composition. Radiation intensity from implanted sources inside the female body was higher than the male body cases, due to smaller female body size and reduced amount of overall lossy human tissues.
Expressions of miRNAs in papillary thyroid carcinoma and their associations with the BRAFV600E mutation.

OBJECTIVE Alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression have been described in thyroid tumors, suggesting a role for miRNAs in thyroid carcinogenesis. BRAF(V600E) is the most frequently identified genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We investigated the link between BRAF(V600E) status and the expression of miRNAs in PTC and analyzed the associations of these factors with clinicopathological characteristics. DESIGN AND METHODS Prospective study of patients who underwent thyroid surgery between October 8, 2008 and November 1, 2010. BRAF(V600E) status was determined by mutant allele-specific amplification PCR and direct sequencing of exon 15 of the BRAF gene in 69 PTC tissues and 69 respective paracancerous normal thyroid tissues. Initially, miRNA expression was analyzed in 12 PTC tissues and three associated paracancerous tissues using a miRNA microarray. miRNAs differentially expressed between BRAF(V600E)-positive and -negative PTC tissues were then validated by real-time quantitative PCR on 69 PTC tissues and 69 paracancerous tissues. We also explored the associations between BRAF(V600E) status or differential miRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS The mutation rate of BRAF(V600E) in PTC was 47.8%. Twelve miRNAs were upregulated and six were downregulated in PTC tissues, among which miR-15a, 15a*, 34a*, 34b*, 551b, 873, 876-3p, and 1274a were first identified. miR-21* and 203 were significantly dysregulated (P<0.05) in PTC tissues with BRAF(V600E). Additionally, there were significant associations (P<0.05) between BRAF(V600E) and a higher tumor-node-metastasis staging (III/IV), and between miR-21* over-expression and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS We identified two miRNAs that are differentially expressed in PTC tissues with BRAF(V600E) and revealed their associations with clinicopathological features. These findings may lead to the development of a potential diagnostic biomarker or prognostic indicator of PTC.
ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE STRUCTURE: FROM SYNTAX TO EVENT-BASED ANALYSIS

The last 70 years have seen much research and clinical attention devoted to the descriptions and assessment of children's developing language structures. From these efforts have evolved a number of ways to describe the kinds of structures children evidence at different stages of development, and thus the means to make comparisons across children or across time periods. This article reviews major trends that have emerged in syntactic descriptions and approaches to language habilitation, culminating in contemporary approaches that view syntactic structure in real life events rather than in artificial tasks or with arbitrary checklists. These new approaches allow us to determine the communication goals that are not being met rather than cataloging the syntactic structures that have not yet been mastered and provide us with the contexts for helping the children develop structures that will lead to clearer expression of meanings and fewer breakdowns in communication.
Welfare and Profit Comparison between Quantity and Price Competition in Stackelberg Mixed Duopolies

We compare welfare and profits under price and quantity competition in mixed duopolies, in which a state-owned public firm competes against a private firm. It has been shown that price competition yields larger profit for the private firm and greater welfare if the two firms move simultaneously, regardless of whether the private firm is domestic or foreign. We investigate Stackelberg competition. Under public leadership, the profit and welfare rankings have common features with the simultaneousmove game, regardless of the nationality of private firms. By contrast, under private leadership, the result depends on the nationality of the private firm. When the private firm is domestic, welfare is greater under quantity competition, while the result is reversed when the private firm is foreign. However, regardless of the nationality of the private firm, the private firm earns more under price competition. These results indicate that profit ranking is fairly robust to time structure in mixed Stackelberg duopolies, but welfare ranking is not. JEL classification numbers: H42, H44, L13, L32
B16. Effect of mutual coupling on the performance of four elements microstrip antenna array fed by a Butler matrix

Detailed design of a four element microstrip antenna array fed by a Butler matrix is presented. The proposed structure represents a switched-beam smart antenna system working in the ISM band at 2.45 GHz. To compensate for mutual coupling effects, a four-arm spiral electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure is inserted between adjacent microstrip patches. The four-arm spiral EBG structure provides 40% reduction in size compared with the conventional mushroom EBG structure. The antenna gain with and without EBG substrate is evaluated taking into account the effect of mutual coupling. It is found that the use of four-arm spiral EBG substrate reduces the mutual coupling by (3-17) dB between the patches. This is useful in improving the accuracy of the direction of the main beam of the array. Moreover, this improves the gain by a small value of 0.25 dB. Simulation of the antenna system is carried out using Ansoft Designer software V4.
Gestión de impresiones, rendimiento y justicia percibida por el personal de ventas

La influencia del subordinado en el proceso de evaluacion de su rendimiento ha atraido la atencion de los investigadores en los ultimos anos. Aunque la mayoria de los trabajos confirman su papel activo, la investigacion empirica es muy escasa, especialmente en relacion al personal de ventas. Dada la naturaleza especifica del trabajo de los �vendedores�, parece de interes analizar y valorar su participacion en el procedimiento de evaluacion. Para ello se propone y contrasta un modelo explicativo de la influencia de las tacticas de gestion de impresiones utilizadas por el personal de ventas en el afecto del supervisor, la puntuacion de rendimiento obtenida y la percepcion de justicia del procedimiento. El analisis, basado en la informacion proporcionada por 122 pares �supervisor (delegado)-empleado (vendedor)� pertenecientes a 35 empresas espanolas, confirma la mayoria de las relaciones planteadas. El uso de tacticas centradas en el supervisor influye positivamente en el rendimiento evaluado del vendedor, tanto de forma directa, como indirecta a traves del afecto entre ambos. Por el contrario, las tacticas centradas en el trabajo influyen negativamente sobre el resultado de la evaluacion, pero solo directamente. Se confirma, asimismo, la relacion entre la gestion de impresiones y la percepcion de justicia del procedimiento de evaluacion.
System dynamics-based modelling and analysis of greening the construction industry supply chain

Increasing concern on global warming and corporate social responsibility have made environmental issues an area of importance to address for governments and businesses across the world. Among the Middle East countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops the list in terms of per capita energy spending and per capita carbon footprints. The construction industry is the major contributor to environmental pollution due to its size and nature of activity. The rapid growth of construction sector has a significant environmental impact with increase in carbon footprints. This paper analyses the environmental implications of the rapidly growing construction industry in UAE using system dynamics approach. Quantitative modelling of the construction industry supply chain helps to measure the dynamic interaction between its various factors under multiple realistic scenarios. The potential carbon savings and the impact of each factor are calculated using scenario development analysis. The paper has addressed in detail the various drivers and inhibitors of carbon emission in the construction industry supply chain and ways to evaluate the carbon savings. The paper provides an analytical decision framework to assess emissions of all stages applicable to the construction industry supply chain.
Cardiac localization of 99mTc-(Sn)-pyrophosphate following irradiation of the chest.

Of 70 consecutive cancer patients referred from radiotherapy for bone scans, 32% showed cardiac uptake of 99mTc-(Sn)-pyrophosphate; only 9% of a control group showed this uptake. Of those with prior left hemithorax irradiation, 60% showed cardiac uptake; only 12% of those with irradiation elsewhere showed this phenomenon (p less than .01). The patients who had no increased uptake tended to have shorter irradiation-to-scan time intervals (less than 10 months) than those who did show increased uptake (mean of 22 months).
Meta-Analysis: Audit and Feedback Features Impact Effectiveness on Care Quality

Background:Audit and feedback (A&F) has long been used to improve quality of care, albeit with variable results. This meta-analytic study tested whether Feedback Intervention Theory, a framework from industrial/organizational psychology, explains the observed variability in health care A&F research. Method:Data source: studies cited by Jamtvedt's 2006 Cochrane systematic review of A&F, followed by database searches using the Cochrane review's search strategy to identify more recent studies. Inclusion criteria: Cochrane review criteria, plus: presence of a treatment group receiving only A&F; a control group receiving no intervention; a quantitatively measurable outcome; minimum n of 10 per arm; sufficient statistics for effect size calculations. Moderators: presence of discouragement and praise; correct solution, attainment level, velocity, frequency, and normative information; feedback format (verbal, textual, graphic, public, computerized, group vs. individual); goal setting activity. Procedure: meta-analytic procedures using the Hedges-Olkin method. Results:Of 519 studies initially identified, 19 met all inclusion criteria. Studies were most often excluded due to the lack of a feedback-only arm. A&F has a modest, though significant positive effect on quality outcomes (d = 0.40, 95% confidence interval = ±0.20); providing specific suggestions for improvement, written, and more frequent feedback strengthened this effect, whereas graphical and verbal feedback attenuated this effect. Conclusions:A&F effectiveness is improved when feedback is delivered with specific suggestions for improvement, in writing, and frequently. Other feedback characteristics could also potentially improve effectiveness; however, research with stricter experimental controls is needed to identify the specific feedback characteristics that maximize its effectiveness.
Allosteric Communication in Cysteinyl tRNA Synthetase

Protein structure networks are constructed for the identification of long-range signaling pathways in cysteinyl tRNA synthetase (CysRS). Molecular dynamics simulation trajectory of CysRS-ligand complexes were used to determine conformational ensembles in order to gain insight into the allosteric signaling paths. Communication paths between the anticodon binding region and the aminoacylation region have been identified. Extensive interaction between the helix bundle domain and the anticodon binding domain, resulting in structural rigidity in the presence of tRNA, has been detected. Based on the predicted model, six residues along the communication paths have been examined by mutations (single and double) and shown to mediate a coordinated coupling between anticodon recognition and activation of amino acid at the active site. This study on CysRS clearly shows that specific key residues, which are involved in communication between distal sites in allosteric proteins but may be elusive in direct structure analysis, can be identified from dynamics of protein structure networks.