Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bidi use among urban youth--Massachusetts, March-April 1999.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Bidis are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes primarily made in India and other southeast Asian countries consisting of tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburni leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon ). In the United States, bidis are purchased for $1.50-$4.00 for one package of 20 and are available in different flavors (e.g., cherry, chocolate, and mango). Anecdotal reports indicate that bidi use was first observed during the mid-1990s and seems to be widespread among youth and racial/ethnic minority adolescents. This report summarizes preliminary data collected from a convenience sample of adolescents surveyed during March and early April 1999 in Massachusetts on the prevalence of bidi use among urban youth; these data indicate that of 642 youth surveyed, 40% had smoked bidis at least once during their lifetimes and 16% were current bidi smokers.
THE NATURE OF STUTTERING.

Reading is a hobby to open the knowledge windows. Besides, it can provide the inspiration and spirit to face this life. By this way, concomitant with the technology development, many companies serve the e-book or book in soft file. The system of this book of course will be much easier. No worry to forget bringing the the nature of stuttering book. You can open the device and get the book by on-line.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Anesthetized Patients: A Relevant Step toward Real-time Intraoperative Functional Neuroimaging

OBJECTIVE: The introduction of intraoperative 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging may provide up-to-date functional information in the surgical environment. However, feasible passive paradigms that allow the examination of anesthetized patients will be a precondition for intraoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a recently developed passive fMRI paradigm for functional neuroimaging in anesthetized patients. METHODS: We investigated four anesthetized patients with intracranial pathological conditions not related to the sensorimotor cortex. All patients had been anesthetized with standard total intravenous anesthesia for more than 24 hours before the fMRI scan. Anesthesia and monitoring were sustained during the scanning procedure. A simultaneous electrical stimulation of the median and tibial nerves was applied to elicit a cortical activation using a custom-designed magnetoelectrically shielded conductor. Statistical evaluation using Statistical Parametric Mapping software (Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College, London, England) and the Talairach Daemon Client (Version 1.1; Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX) followed. RESULTS: Three of four patients showed a good activation of the sensorimotor cortex under anesthesia. In one patient, no significant activation was observed, presumably as a result of increased body impedance because of severe edema. Standard dosages of the narcotics did not influence the cortical response; however, stimulation intensity had to be increased compared with awake patients. We did not detect relevant interferences with magnetic resonance imaging arising from the technical setup. CONCLUSION: The method presented proved to be a feasible paradigm for fMRI evaluation of the sensorimotor cortex in anesthetized patients and thus forms a relevant step toward real intraoperative functional neuroimaging.
Breast Cancer: Education, Counseling, and Adjustment—A Pilot Study

The feasibility of a randomized clinical trial to implement and compare the effectiveness of three components of an intervention for women with breast cancer and their partners was tested. The intervention components, standardized education by videotape (SE), telephone counseling (TC), and education with telephone counseling (SE + TC), were designed with a complementary approach to disease management of breast cancer at each of four phases of the breast cancer experience: diagnostic, postsurgery, adjuvant therapy, and ongoing recovery. A standardized Telephone Counseling Training Manual was developed. A nonprobability sample of 12 patient-partner pairs was accrued. Four pairs were randomly assigned to each of the three intervention components. A set of questionnaires was completed by each patient and partner at baseline and following each intervention for assessment of emotional, physical, and social adjustment, and perceived support. Attrition was minimal and return rate for the completed questionnaires at all five data-collection points was high. Validation of the SE and the TC, one of the objectives, was by data from the preliminary descriptive study (Hoskins, 1990–1994), pretests and posttests for standardized education, audiotapes for each phase-specific telephone counseling session, and evaluation forms for each intervention session. The positive findings included significant changes from pre- to postmeasurement in patients' and partners' scores for the standardized education in each of the four phases. Even with the limited statistical power, the effects were marked, lending support for a full-scale randomized clinical trial, to understand better the relative treatment efficacy and differential benefit of one or some interventions over others.
Thin film encapsulation for flexible AM-OLED: a review

Flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) will be the ultimate display technology to customers and industries in the near future but the challenges are still being unveiled one by one. Thin-film encapsulation (TFE) technology is the most demanding requirement to prevent water and oxygen permeation into flexible OLED devices. As a polymer substrate does not offer the same barrier performance as glass, the TFE should be developed on both the bottom and top side of the device layers for sufficient lifetimes. This work provides a review of promising thin-film barrier technologies as well as the basic gas diffusion background. Topics include the significance of the device structure, permeation rate measurement, proposed permeation mechanism, and thin-film deposition technologies (Vitex system and atomic layer deposition (ALD)/molecular layer deposition (MLD)) for effective barrier films.
Prevalence of purchase of antihypertensive and serum lipid‐reducing drugs in Sweden—individual data from national registers

To determine the prevalence of purchase of prescribed antihypertensive and/or serum lipid‐reducing pharmaceutical preparations among different age groups, from the age of 45, in the Swedish population. Further, to calculate the percentage of the population, from the age of 60, who purchased these pharmaceuticals without having had a circulatory diagnosis in the Hospital Discharge Register the last 7 years, or having purchased nitrate vasodilators, as an attempt to estimate the proportion of primary preventive treatments.
Slow Release of Nitric Oxide from Charged Catheters and Its Effect on Biofilm Formation by Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Catheter-associated urinary tract infection is the most prevalent cause of nosocomial infections. Bacteria associated with biofilm formation play a key role in the morbidity and pathogenesis of these infections. Nitric oxide (NO) is a naturally produced free radical with proven bactericidal effect. In this study, Foley urinary catheters were impregnated with gaseous NO. The catheters demonstrated slow release of nitric oxide over a 14-day period. The charged catheters were rendered antiseptic, and as such, were able to prevent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on their luminal and exterior surfaces. In addition, we observed that NO-impregnated catheters were able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli within the surrounding media, demonstrating the ability to eradicate a bacterial concentration of up to 104 CFU/ml.
The Gulf Coast Oyster Industry of the United States

IN RECENT years the Gulf Coast oyster industry of the United States has received considerable attention, largely because the oystermen, who had been tonging and dredging the coastal water bottom for many decades, asserted that the oysters were dying. They blamed the oil companies, whose overwater drilling had in a few years reached a 400-million-dollar annual production in Louisiana alone. Individually and as groups the oystermen sued the oil companies for taking away their livelihood by killing the oysters. By I947 there were more than 40 million dollars' worth of lawsuits against various oil companies operating primarily on the Louisiana coast. ' The oil companies in turn made available two million dollars for research, to determine whether or not normal, controlled oil activity is harmful to oysters and to discover the oyster enemies and how to combat them. The Texas A & M Research Foundation handled the project for the oil companies. Certainly, the oystermen themselves could not have gathered the facts regarding the life history of the oyster, because they are too few in number and do not have the necessary funds. After seven years of concentrated research by scientists in various fields it is generally agreed that the oil operations in and near the oyster beds are not alone the cause of oyster depletion.
A spatial structural equation modelling framework for health count responses

A structural equation model is proposed for the impact on area health referral counts of spatially correlated latent constructs. One type of construct is indicator based and represents the underlying morbidity or health need; such constructs are derived in a normal errors measurement model involving a set of observed socio‐economic indicators. Another set of residual constructs represents particularities of service configuration or spatially correlated risks that cannot be proxied by observed indicators. The structural model relates the referral outcomes to both types of construct in a Poisson regression. While multiple spatial factors based on measured socio‐economic indicators have already been proposed, the extension to include both indicator‐based and residual factors is novel. Further novel features are to represent spatially structured heterogeneity and nonlinearity in the impact of the indicator‐based constructs. A case study considers the modelling of a single indicator‐based morbidity construct (taken to represent a need for care) in 62 New York counties, with responses being psychiatric referrals to ambulatory and hospital care. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular Fingerprinting of Fish-Pathogenic Lactococcus garvieae Strains by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Analysis

ABSTRACT In this work, we used the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique to evaluate the genetic diversity in Lactococcus garvieae, an important pathogen for fish. Fifty-seven strains with different hosts and geographical origins, including Japan and several countries of the Mediterranean area such as Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, England, and Turkey, were analyzed. Two primers, oligonucleotides 5 and 6 (Pharmacia Biotech) were utilized; primer 5 was the most discriminative, since allowed us to differentiate 10 RAPD -types related to the origin of the strains. Regardless of the oligonucleotide primer employed, the 57 isolates of L. garvieae studied were separated into three genetic groups, composed of the Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Turkish strains (group A), the Italian and French strains (group B), and the Japanese strains (group C). The similarity of isolates within each group, estimated on the basis of the Dice coefficient, ranged from 75 to 100%. Our findings also indicate that RAPD profiling constitutes a useful tool for epidemiological studies of this fish pathogen.
Rat chromosome 9 bears a major susceptibility locus for IgE response

Injection of Brown Norway (BN) rats with gold salts provides a model to analyze the genetic control of the IgE response. A cohort of F2 progeny of susceptible BN and resistant LEW strains has been studied to carry out a genome‐wide search for loci controlling the IgE response. Genome scanning identified two previously described loci, Atps1 and Atps2, and a new locus, Atps3. Atps1 linked to the MHC and Atps2 linked to the cytokine gene cluster that included the IL‐4 region have been previously associated with serum IgE concentrations and with other Th2‐dependent immune manifestations triggered by gold salts. The new interval, Atps3, identified on chromosome 9 (Lod score = 16), appears to play a major role in the control of the IgE response since it accounts for 31% of the genetic variance. Moreover, Atps3 is linked to anti‐laminin antibody response and to glomerular immunoglobulin deposits. The identification and functional characterization of genes involved in these regions, particularly in Atps3, may shed light on the pathogenesis of atopic diseases in man.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy does not impair liver regeneration following hepatectomy or portal vein embolization for colorectal cancer liver metastases

Treatment strategies for colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) such as major hepatectomy and portal vein embolization (PVE) rely on liver regeneration. We aim to investigate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on liver regeneration occurring after PVE and after major hepatectomy.
Novel lithium-laded porous aromatic framework for efficient CO 2 and H 2 uptake

successfully synthesized. In particular, PAF-18-OLi displays significant enhancements of H2 and CO2 adsorption capacity, especially for the CO2 uptake (14.4 wt%). More valuably, the stable PAF-18-OLi material exhibits high CO2/N2 selectivity, as high as 129 in the case of CO2 capture from simulated postcombustion flue gas mixtures (85% N2 and 15% CO2). Furthermore, the PAF-18-OLi has shown an improved H2 storage capacity after lithiation.
The validity of self‐reported health‐care utilization by AIDS patients

ObjectivesTo examine the validity of self-reported health-care utilization among persons with AIDS. DesignA comparison of survey data with information collected from medical and financial records. MethodsPersonal interviews provided information on utilization within a 4-month period for inpatient admissions (n = 296), ambulatory visits (n = 284), and hours of homecare (n = 106). Risk group, socioeconomic characteristics, disease stage, functional status, memory, and respondent's recall ability were also measured. Reporting error was defined as the difference between self reports and medical/financial records. Variations among subgroups of patients were examined using t tests and multiple regression. To determine whether reporting errors affected analysis of utilization data, we compared coefficients from parallel utilization models using each data source to predict use/non-use and total utilization. ResultsMean overall reporting errors were small and not significantly different from zero. Reporting errors were lowest for hospital admissions and highest for homecare. High utilizers underreported all types of services. The interviewer evaluation of recall was an independent and significant predictor of reporting errors for admissions and ambulatory visits. Reporting errors varied by selected subgroup characteristics, but the direction and significance of the error depended on the type of utilization measured. In the parallel utilization models, few differences appeared between models using self-reports and medical/financial records to identify correlates of use/non-use, but some differences between the models of total utilization were apparent. ConclusionsSelf-reports of utilization by AIDS patients with a recall period of 4 months or less provide, on average, valid data for analytic purposes. However, caution should be applied to reports by high or low users or by respondents judged by interviewers to have major recall problems.
Nicotine Exposure During a Critical Period of Development Leads to Persistent Changes in Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors of Adult Rat Brain

Abstract: Effects of neonatal nicotine exposure on the development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α2, α3, α4, α7, and β2 subunit mRNAs and the number of nAChR isoforms in rat brain were studied. The mRNA levels for nAChR subunits were measured by ribonuclease protection assay, and the number of nAChR isoforms was measured with (−)‐[3H]nicotine, [3H]epibatidine, and α‐[3H]bungarotoxin ([3H]α‐Bgt). Pups were divided into two groups: One group received (−)‐nicotine treatment (0.1 mg/kg s.c. free base twice per day) during postnatal day (P) 1 to P21 and the other during P8 to P16. The period from P8 to P16 was chosen due to persistent changes that occur in brain nAChRs and in the behavior of adult mice that received (−)‐nicotine treatment during P10 to P16. (−)‐Nicotine exposure from P1 to P21 significantly up‐regulated the number of [3H]‐epibatidine and high‐affinity (−)‐[3H]nicotine binding sites in most of the brain regions studied but did not influence the number of [3H]α‐Bgt binding sites. This effect was a transient one: The up‐regulated binding sites returned to control level 1 week after withdrawal from nicotine. (−)‐Nicotine exposure during P8 to P16 resulted in a significant and long‐lasting increase in the number of nAChR isoforms labeled by (−)‐[3H]nicotine, but not by [3H]epibatidine, in the cortex, hippocampus, and striatum of adult rat. This treatment converted the low‐affinity binding sites of (−)‐nicotine into a high‐affinity state revealed by the competition studies of (−)‐[3H]nicotine/(−)‐nicotine. No changes in the mRNA levels of the subunits studied were observed following nicotine treatment during these two periods. These results suggest that the second postnatal week is a critical period during which nicotine treatment can induce permanent effects on the nAChRs in rat brain. The underlying mechanisms involved in the up‐regulation of the number of nAChRs observed in this study are posttranscriptional.
Robust object tracking with RGBD-based sparse learning

Robust object tracking has been an important and challenging research area in the field of computer vision for decades. With the increasing popularity of affordable depth sensors, range data is widely used in visual tracking for its ability to provide robustness to varying illumination and occlusions. In this paper, a novel RGBD and sparse learning based tracker is proposed. The range data is integrated into the sparse learning framework in three respects. First, an extra depth view is added to the color image based visual features as an independent view for robust appearance modeling. Then, a special occlusion template set is designed to replenish the existing dictionary for handling various occlusion conditions. Finally, a depth-based occlusion detection method is proposed to efficiently determine an accurate time for the template update. Extensive experiments on both KITTI and Princeton data sets demonstrate that the proposed tracker outperforms the state-of-the-art tracking algorithms, including both sparse learning and RGBD based methods.
Implications of Hierarchical N-body Methods for Multiprocessor Architecture

We first examine the key architectural implications of realistically scaling a representative member of this important class of applications. Using scaling methods that reflect the concerns of an application scientist leads to different conclusions than does naive scaling in terms of data set size. In particular, we show that under the most realistic scaling model, both the communication to computation ratio and the amount of cache memory per processor required for effective performance increase with scaling. We then examine the effect of a shared address space versus message passing as the communication abstraction. We show that the lack of a shared address space substantially increases the programming complexity and performance overheads of a message-passing implementation.
Plague metapopulation dynamics in a natural reservoir: the burrow system as the unit of study

SUMMARY The ecology of plague (Yersinia pestis infection) in its ancient foci in Central Asia remains poorly understood. We present field data from two sites in Kazakhstan where the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) is the major natural host. Family groups inhabit and defend burrow systems spaced throughout the landscape, such that the host population may be considered a metapopulation, with each occupied burrow system a subpopulation. We examine plague transmission within and between family groups and its effect on survival. Transmission of plague occurred disproportionately within family groups although not all gerbils became infected once plague entered a burrow system. There were no spatial patterns to suggest that family groups in close proximity to infected burrow systems were more at risk of infection than those far away. At one site, infection increased the chances of burrow-system extinction. Overall, it is useful to consider the burrow system as the unit of study within a much larger metapopulation.
The Importance of Recruitment in Job Choice: A Different Way of Looking

Recent literature reviews have called into question the impact of recruitment activities on applicants’job choices. However, most previous findings have been based on cross-sectional ratings obtained immediately after initial screening interviews, thus raising questions about the degree to which prior conclusions are bound to that particular methodology. In contrast, the present study used longitudinal structured interviews to let job seekers explain, in their own words, how they made critical job search and choice decisions. Interview transcripts revealed that recruitment practices played a variety of roles in job seeker decisions. For example, consistent with signaling theory, subjects interpreted a wide variety of recruitment experiences (recruiter competence, sex composition of interview panels, recruitment delays) as symbolic of broader organizational characteristics. In addition, a number of “contingency” variables emerged that seemed to affect the perceived signaling value of recruitment experiences (e.g., prior knowledge of the company, functional area of the recruiter). Also notable were the strongly negative effects of recruitment delays, particularly among male students with higher grade point averages and greater job search success. Finally, our results suggest that certain applicant reactions may be systematically related to sex, work experience, grade point average, and search success. The article concludes with practical and research implications.