Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of 12 month oral testosterone on testosterone deficiency symptoms in symptomatic elderly males with low-normal gonadal status.

BACKGROUND Relative androgen deficiency in ageing males is assumed to have adverse health effects. This study assessed the effect of 12 months' standard dose, oral testosterone, on symptoms attributed to testosterone deficiency in older men with plasma testosterone levels in the low-normal range for young men. METHODS Testosterone undecanoate (TU, 80 mg bid) or placebo was administered for one year to 76 healthy men, 60 years or older, with a free testosterone index (FTI) of 0.3-0.5 and significant symptoms on a questionnaire designed to evaluate androgen deficiency (ADAM). The ADAM was completed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Hormone and safety data were collected at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS After 12 months, plasma total testosterone was unchanged in both groups and sex hormone binding globulin decreased in the testosterone group (P = 0.01). FTI and calculated bioavailable testosterone (cBT) were greater in the testosterone group as compared with the placebo group (P = 0.021 and 0.025, respectively). There was no significant difference in total symptom score between testosterone and placebo groups after 12 months of oral TU. However, there were trends toward improvements in sadness/grumpiness (P = 0.063), reduced erection strength (P = 0.059) and decreased work performance symptoms (P = 0.077), particularly in men with baseline cBT levels below 3.1 nmol/l. CONCLUSIONS This study concludes that 80 mg bid oral TU does not improve overall ADAM questionnaire scores in older men with low-normal gonadal status. Oral TU may preserve mood and erectile function, as assessed by this questionnaire, particularly in men with the lowest testosterone levels.
Object extraction from high resolution SAR images using a birth and death dynamics

We present a new approach to extract predefined objects, such as trees and oil tanks for instance, from high resolution SAR images. We consider a stochastic approach based on an object process also called marked point process. The objects represent trees or oil tanks which are modeled by disks in the image. We first define a Gibbs density that takes into account both prior information and the data. The energy we define is composed of two terms, one is a prior, penalizing overlaps between objects, and the other is a data term, which measures the suitability of an object in the SAR image. The problem is then reduced to an energy minimization problem. We sample the process to extract the configuration of objects minimizing the energy by a fast birth-and-death dynamics, leading to the total number of objects (trees or oil tanks in our case). This approach is much faster than manual counts and does not need any preprocessing or supervision of a user.
Smoking and the brain

Papers p 1097 Smoking prevents dementia? Smoking causes dementia? Over the past decade a succession of research findings has produced apparently conflicting evidence on this question. In the early 1990s results from case-control and family studies suggested a protective effect.1 2 The findings were widely reported,3 including in the mass media, and some scientists stated publicly that they would consider taking up smoking if they had a family history of dementia. Tobacco companies began to sponsor conferences on dementia, perhaps because it seemed to offer them a lifeline in an otherwise relentless sequence of findings about the deleterious effects of smoking. If smoking reduced life expectancy and also reduced the likelihood of survivors developing dementia then, from a policy perspective, there might be a role for the habit in later life. The potential protective effects have some biological plausibility. Alzheimer's disease affects neurotransmitter systems, particularly the cholinergic system. Nicotine is a cholinergic agonist. The effect of nicotine on cognition, attention, …
Altered fibrin clot structure/function in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: association with thrombotic manifestation

Summary We tested the hypothesis that plasma fibrin clot structure/function is unfavourably altered in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Ex vivo plasma clot permeability, turbidity and susceptibility to lysis were determined in 126 consecutive patients with APS enrolled five months or more since thrombotic event vs 105 controls. Patients with both primary and secondary APS were characterised by 11% lower clot permeability (p<0.001), 4.8% shorter lag phase (p<0.001), 10% longer clot lysis time (p<0.001), and 4.7% higher maximum level of D-dimer released from clots (p=0.02) as compared to the controls. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed denser fibrin networks composed of thinner fibres in APS. Clots from patients with “triple-antibody positivity” were formed after shorter lag phase (p=0.019) and were lysed at a slower rate (p=0.004) than in the remainder. Clots from APS patients who experienced stroke and/or myocardial infarction were 8% less permeable (p=0.01) and susceptible to lysis (10.4% longer clot lysis time [p=0.006] and 4.5% slower release of D-dimer from clots [p=0.01]) compared with those following venous thromboembolism alone. Multivariate analysis adjusted for potential confounders showed that in APS patients, lupus anticoagulant and “triple-positivity” were the independent predictors of clot permeability, while “triple-positivity” predicted lysis time. We conclude that APS is associated with prothrombotic plasma fibrin clot phenotype, with more pronounced abnormalities in arterial thrombosis. Molecular background for this novel prothrombotic mechanism in APS remains to be established.
Acquired Immunity to Malaria

SUMMARY Naturally acquired immunity to falciparum malaria protects millions of people routinely exposed to Plasmodium falciparum infection from severe disease and death. There is no clear concept about how this protection works. There is no general agreement about the rate of onset of acquired immunity or what constitutes the key determinants of protection; much less is there a consensus regarding the mechanism(s) of protection. This review summarizes what is understood about naturally acquired and experimentally induced immunity against malaria with the help of evolving insights provided by biotechnology and places these insights in the context of historical, clinical, and epidemiological observations. We advocate that naturally acquired immunity should be appreciated as being virtually 100% effective against severe disease and death among heavily exposed adults. Even the immunity that occurs in exposed infants may exceed 90% effectiveness. The induction of an adult-like immune status among high-risk infants in sub-Saharan Africa would greatly diminish disease and death caused by P. falciparum. The mechanism of naturally acquired immunity that occurs among adults living in areas of hyper- to holoendemicity should be understood with a view toward duplicating such protection in infants and young children in areas of endemicity.
Timing of Delivery in Multiple Gestation

Introduction The incidence of multiple gestations in Western countries is increasing. The rate of twin pregnancies increased by 50% to 60% in England, France, and the United States between the mid-1970s and 1998. The rates of triplet or higher-order multiple pregnancies increased by 310% in France and 430% in England and Wales. The increase in multiple births in the last decade of the century has been accompanied by a significant increase in prematurity and its sequelae. Problems of prematurity in multiple gestations are covered elsewhere in this review. This chapter will focus on determining the appropriate timing for intervention in multiple gestations that progress to term or near term; an area that is often overlooked because of the more looming problems of prematurity. The discussion will be devoted primarily to twin pregnancies because these are the most likely of the multiple gestations to progress to term and for whom there is significantly more data available. Perinatal Risks Late in Gestation Maternal complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, respiratory difficulty, ambulatory problems, maternal exhaustion, and dependent edema are increased in pregnancies complicated by multiples. Some of these disorders such as severe preeclampsia mandate delivery but most just lead to an intense desire on the part of both the physician and patient to proceed with delivery as soon as possible. In addition to these and other maternal complications, there are fetal complications that are either seen with increased frequency in multiples or are unique to multiple gestations. In general, these fetal complications, such as IUGR, become more prevalent as the gestation advances. These require consideration in the antenatal management of multiple gestations and in the ultimate determination of the optimal timing of delivery.
Short term ambulatory oxygen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND Ambulatory oxygen is defined as the use of supplemental oxygen during exercise and activities of daily living. Ambulatory oxygen therapy is often used for patients on long term oxygen therapy during exercise, or for non long term oxygen therapy users who achieve some subjective and/or objective benefit from oxygen during exercise. The evidence for the use of ambulatory oxygen therapy is extrapolated from two sources: longer term studies and single assessment studies. Longer term studies assess the impact of ambulatory oxygen therapy used at home during activities of daily living. Single assessment studies compare performance during an exercise test using oxygen with performance during an exercise test using placebo air. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of ambulatory oxygen in patients with COPD using single assessment studies. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Airways Group COPD register was searched with predefined search terms. Searches were current as of March 2004. SELECTION CRITERIA Only randomised controlled trials were included. Studies did not have to be blinded. Studies had to compare oxygen and placebo when administered to people with COPD who were undergoing an exercise test. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers (JB, B'ON) extracted and entered data in to RevMan 4.2. 7. MAIN RESULTS Twenty-seven studies (contributing 29 data sets), randomising 469 participants met the inclusion criteria of the review. Oxygen improved all pooled outcomes relating to endurance exercise capacity (distance, time, number of steps) and maximal exercise capacity (exercise time and work rate). Data relating to VO2max could not be pooled and results from the original studies were not consistent. For the secondary outcomes of breathlessness, SaO2 and VE, comparisons were made at isotime. In all studies except two the isotime is defined as the time at which the placebo test ended. Oxygen improved breathlessness, SaO2/PaO2 and VE at isotime with endurance exercise testing. There was no data on breathlessness at isotime with maximal exercise testing. Oxygen improved SaO2/PaO2 at isotime; the reduction in VE did not reach statistical significance. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS This review provides some evidence from small, single assessment studies that ambulatory oxygen improves exercise performance in people with moderate to severe COPD. The results of the review may be affected by publication bias, and the small sample sizes in the studies. Although positive, the findings of the review require replication in larger trials with more distinct subgroups of participants. Maximal or endurance tests can be used in ambulatory oxygen assessment, but endurance tests may be more appropriate as they are more related to activities of daily living. Consideration should be given to the measurement of SaO2 and breathlessness at isotime as these provide important additional information. We recommend that these outcomes are included in the assessment for ambulatory oxygen. Future research needs to establish the level of benefit of ambulatory oxygen in specific subgroups of people with COPD.
The Identification of High-School Dropouts Identified as Learning Disabled: Evaluating the Utility of a Discriminant Analysis Function

This study examined the utility of a linear discriminant function to distinguish between students identified as learning disabled (LD) who had either been released from high school under codes suggestive of school dropout (n = 213) or graduation (n = 92). The discriminant function was comprised of six variables—student ethnicity, reading ability, family intactness, family socioeconomic status, school transfers, and school-initiated interruptions. The analysis determined that differences between the LD dropout sample and LD graduate sample were sufficient to allow for a discrimination between the groups. On the basis of group differences the discriminant function that was constructed correctly classified 83% of the school dropouts and 46% of the school graduates, for an overall 73% accuracy rate. Those factors contributing most to the function were the number of district-initiated interruptions, school transfers, and family intactness. Based on the findings, implications for school districts and future research are noted.
Is Any Medical Research Population Not Vulnerable?

“Dissecting Bioethics,” edited by Tuija Takala and Matti Häyry, welcomes contributions on the conceptual and theoretical dimensions of bioethics. The section is dedicated to the idea that words defined by bioethicists and others should not be allowed to imprison people's actual concerns, emotions, and thoughts. Papers that expose the many meanings of a concept, describe the different readings of a moral doctrine, or provide an alternative angle to seemingly self-evident issues are therefore particularly appreciated. The themes covered in the section so far include dignity, naturalness, public interest, community, disability, autonomy, parity of reasoning, symbolic appeals, and toleration. All submitted papers are peer reviewed. To submit a paper or to discuss a suitable topic, contact Tuija Takala at tuija.takala@helsinki.fi.
Management system of simple rental flats study based on technical aspect and health in Medan city

Medan city is a metropolis city in Sumatera that has slums area. Simple rental flats have been built to overcome the problem. However the preliminary survey result showed that the physical and non-physical environment management of simple rent flats is very bad. This study conducted in 3 simple rent flats. It has observed the simple rent flats environment and has interviewed occupants and related agencies. Results of conducted research showed the occupant’s characteristics based on the largest percentage are Javanese; last education is senior high with self-employed work with average income Rp 1,000,000 – Rp 2,500,000. Waste retribution submitted to their cleanliness except for Amplas simple rent flats, their waste management system does not manage properly and the garbage littered. The number of family members of Wisma Labuhan and Amplas simple rent flats exceeds the regulation number of occupants, so it is crowded and noisy. Physical conditions of Amplas simple rent flats are bad, septic tank is full and are not vacuumed. Clean water sources derived from wells and artesian wll are vulnerable to be contaminated by pollutants such as leachate and bad quality water. It is necessary to improve the physical, basic sanitation, and guidance for the simple rent flats occupants to the management system of Simple Rent Flats.
Breast leukemia: an update

Background Breast leukemia is extremely rare. The published data on this manifestation include predominantly case reports and do not provide any statistical information. Purpose To identify clinical signs and radiological features of breast leukemia. Material and Methods PubMed and Medline databases between 1980 and 2010 were screened using ‘breast leukemia’ and ‘leukemia of the breast’ as keywords. Secondary references were also reviewed. By this search, a total of 139 patients were identified from the literature. Results In most patients (n = 85, 61.2%) acute myeloid leukemia was diagnosed. Acute lymphatic leukemia occurred in 35 patients (25.2%). Isolated BL before bone marrow infiltration was seen in 24 patients (17.3%). Involvement of the breast during the course of leukemia was diagnosed in 25 cases (18%). Intramammary leukemic relapse after therapy/stem cell transplantation occurred in 59 patients (42.4%). In 71 cases (51.1%) the lesions were solitary and in 57 (41%) multiple. The number of lesions was not reported in 11 patients (7.9%). There was no significant difference between the number of lesions in ML and LL. Clinically, 73% of the patients presented with palpable breast masses. Most of them were painless. Mammography was performed in 39 patients, allowing the identification of the following three mammographic patterns: breast masses (28 patients, 72%), architectural distortion (5 patients, 13%), no abnormalities (6 patients, 15%). On ultrasound, most identified masses were homogeneously hypoechoic with microlobulated or indistinct margins. On MRI, on T2-weighted images breast lesions were hyperintense. After venous administration of contrast medium, BL showed marked inhomogeneous contrast enhancement. Treatment of BL is the same as for other localizations and is based on chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Conclusion In the present study the clinical and radiological features of BL are described. They are non-specific. However, BL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of breast disorders, especially in patients with leukemia.
Dose–response investigation into glucose facilitation of memory performance and mood in healthy young adults

It has been suggested that the memory enhancing effect of glucose follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with 25 g resulting in optimal facilitation in healthy young adults. The aim of this study was to further investigate the dose dependency of the glucose facilitation effect in this population across different memory domains and to assess moderation by interindividual differences in glucose regulation and weight. Following a double-blind, repeated measures design, 30 participants were administered drinks containing five different doses of glucose (0 g, 15 g, 25 g, 50 g, and 60 g) and were tested across a range of memory tasks. Glycaemic response and changes in mood state were assessed following drink administration. Analysis of the data showed that glucose administration did not affect mood, but significant glucose facilitation of several memory tasks was observed. However, dose–response curves differed depending on the memory task with only performance on the long-term memory tasks adhering largely to the previously observed inverted U-shaped dose–response curve. Moderation of the response profiles by interindividual differences in glucose regulation and weight was observed. The current data suggest that dose–response function and optimal dose might depend on cognitive domain and are moderated by interindividual differences in glucose regulation and weight.
A Study of Routing Protocol and Security Scheme for Cloud-Connected Smart Home Internet of Things Devices

: With IoT many applications and services have been emerging in the areas such as, smartcities, surveillance, healthcare, security, etc. The services offered can be ubiquitously accessed through smart device applications by the users. The interaction between smart devices and cloud based web services is a common scenario of IoT deployment. Security is a major concern in IoT and some papers have proposed a secure communication channel between the users and devices of a smart home in terms of authentication, authorization and antitheft mechanism. However, a reliable communication is considered in most of the cases. In this paper,a study is conducted by assuming a lossy communication channel and thus the employment of a suitable routing protocol to an existing IoT security system.
On Begins, Meets and before

Interval temporal logics (ITLs) are logics for reasoning about temporal statements expressed over intervals, i.e., periods of time. The most famous temporal logic for intervals studied so far is probably Halpern and Shoham's HS, which is the logic of the thirteen Allen's interval relations. Unfortunately, HS and most of its fragments are undecidable. This discouraged the research in this area until recently, when a number non-trivial decidable ITLs have been discovered. This paper is a contribution towards the complete classification of all different fragments of HS. We consider here different combinations of the interval relations begins (B), meets (A), later (L) and their inverses , and . We know from previous work that the combination is decidable only when finite domains are considered (and undecidable elsewhere), and that is decidable over the natural numbers. In the present paper we show that, over strongly discrete linear models (e.g. finite orders, the naturals, the integers), decidability of can be further extended to capture the language , which lies strictly in between and . The logic turns out to be maximal w.r. t decidability over the considered classes, and its satisfiability problem is EXPSPACE-complete. In this paper we also provide an optimal non-deterministic decision procedure, and we show that the language is powerful enough to polynomially encode metric constraints on the length of the current interval.
Learning Kernels on Extended Reeb Graphs for 3D Shape Classification and Retrieval

This paper addresses 3D shape classification and retrieval in terms of supervised selection of the most significant features in a space of attributed graphs encoding different shape characteristics. For this purpose, 3D models are represented as bags of shortest paths defined over well chosen Extended Reeb graphs, while the similarity between pairs of Extended Reeb graphs is addressed through kernels adapted to these descriptions. Given this set of kernels, a Multiple Kernel Learning algorithm is used to find an optimal linear combination of kernels for classification and retrieval purposes. Results are comparable with the best results of the literature, and the modularity and flexibility of the kernel learning ensure its applicability to a large set of methods.
Online Estimation of the State of Charge of a Lithium Ion Cell

A procedure to predict the state of charge of a lithium ion cell using experimental data (cell potential versus time), as it becomes available, is presented. The procedure is based on the physics of the system and provides a realistic estimate of the state of charge of the cell as a function of time, for a given set of properties of the electrodes. An electrochemical cell model is used to obtain an extended Kalman filter (EKF) for estimating the state of charge (SOC) of a lithium ion cell in which the negative electrode is the limiting electrode. The method could also be used for a cell in which the positive electrode is limiting. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
From the Physical Web to the Physical Semantic Web: Knowledge Discovery in the Internet of Things

The Physical Semantic Web is proposed as a paradigm enhancing the Google Physical Web approach for the Internet of Things. It allows semantic annotations to be associated to beacons instead of trivial identifiers, in order to enable more powerful expressiveness in human-things and things-things interactions. This paper presents a general framework for the Physical Semantic Web, based on machine-understandable annotations of physical resources and novel logic-guided resource discovery capabilities. Possible application scenarios are outlined to highlight the benefits of induced enhancements and the effectiveness of theoretical solutions. Keywords–Physical Web; Knowledge Representation; Ubiquitous computing