Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes of attitudes and patronage behaviors in response to a smoke-free bar law.

OBJECTIVES We examined patron responses to a California smoke-free bar law. METHODS Three telephone surveys measured attitudes and behavior changes after implementation of the law. RESULTS Approval of the law rose from 59.8% to 73.2% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.58, 2.40). Self-reported noncompliance decreased from 24.6% to 14.0% (OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.30, 0.85). Likelihood of visiting a bar or of not changing bar patronage after the law was implemented increased from 86% to 91% (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.29, 2.40). CONCLUSIONS California bar patrons increasingly support and comply with the smoke-free bar law.
Immunologic and clinical evaluation of postsurgical necrotizing sclerocorneal ulceration.

PURPOSE To perform a clinical, laboratory and pathologic evaluation in patients who had developed a postsurgical necrotizing sclerocorneal ulceration to detect a serious associated autoimmune disorder and to treat the ocular disease early. METHODS Nine patients with postsurgical necrotizing sclerocorneal ulceration after uneventful cataract extraction were studied by means of immunohistochemical techniques on conjunctival resections, immunologic serologic studies, and rheumatologic evaluation. Nine healthy subjects who underwent uneventful cataract surgery were used as controls. RESULTS The pathologic studies showed a local immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG deposition, increased human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR) expression, and a significant T-helper cell participation in conjunctival biopsies in the most severe ulcerations, which were detected in four patients with underlying autoimmune systemic disorder (rheumatoid arthritis, 45%) and only a macrophagic infiltration in the mildest ulcers in patients (55%) without immune disorders. Serologic features included high titers of rheumatoid factor in the four (45%) patients with rheumatoid arthritis, nonspecific serologic immune alteration in three (33%) patients, and were unremarkable in two (22%) patients. The medical and immunologic evaluations were negative in the control cases. Topically administered cyclosporin A healed the ocular disease. CONCLUSION A surgically induced local autoimmune reaction could occur in the incision area in patients with systemic vasculitic disease. There was no underlying systemic disorder in the mildest ulcers, and these ulcers could be due to a defect in the surgical technique. Our results suggest the need for a detailed systemic evaluation in patients with severe postsurgical necrotizing ulceration. Early diagnosis and aggressive medical treatment of the ocular disorder improves the visual outcome.
Robust Symmetric Multiplication for Programmable Analog VLSI Array Processing

This paper presents an electrically programmable analog multiplier. The circuit performs the multiplication between an input variable and an electrically selectable scaling factor. The multiplier is divided in several blocks: a linearized transconductor, binary weighted current mirrors and a differential to single-ended current adder. This paper shows the advantages introduced using a linearized OTA-based multiplier. The circuit presented renders higher linearity and symmetry in the output current than a previously reported single-transistor multiplier. Its inclusion in an array processor based on CNN allows for a more accurate implementation of the processing model and a more robust weight distribution scheme than those found in previous designs.
QoE fairness, HTTP Adaptive Streaming and IDVB-T: The AWM approach

In this paper, we show how Active Window Management (AWM) technique can be exploited for providing QoE fairness to the HTTP Adaptive Streaming users of an interactive digital broadcasting network. Furthermore, we test AWM's efficiency against another QoE fairness provision solution, presented in other research efforts, namely the Traffic Shaping. Towards these, we firstly describe the deployment of AWM and Traffic Shaping software modules in each intermediate node (Cell Main Node-CMN) of the broadcasting network and secondly we proceed with the experimental evaluation. The experimental results showed not only AWM's efficiency to achieve the set fairness goal but also revealed AWM's capacity, when compared to Traffic Shaping, to provide for much lower TCP Round Trip Times (88% less) and zero retransmissions; a result which could, in principle, lead to less TCP rate variations and thus less Quality Profile fluctuations.
Food and nutritional care in hospitals: how to prevent undernutrition--report and guidelines from the Council of Europe.

In 1999 the Council of Europe decided to collect information regarding Nutrition programmes in hospitals and for this purpose a network consisting of national experts from eight of the Partial Agreement member states was established. The aim was to review the current practice in Europe regarding hospital food provision, to highlight deficiencies and to issue guidelines to improve the nutritional care and support of hospitalized patients. Five major problems seemed to be common in this context: 1) lack of clearly defined responsibilities; 2) lack of sufficient education; 3) lack of influence of the patients; 4) lack of co-operation among all staff groups; and 5) lack of involvement from the hospital management. To solve the problems highlighted, a combined 'team-effort' is needed from national authorities and all staff involved in the nutritional care and support, including hospital managers.
Women outperform men in ultradistance swimming: the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim from 1983 to 2013.

PURPOSE Recent studies suggested that women's and men's ultraswim performances may be similar for distances of ≈ 35 km. The current study investigated both the gender difference and the age of peak ultraswim performance between 1983 and 203 at the 46-km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim with water temperatures < 20°C. METHODS Changes in race times and gender difference in 551 male and 237 female finishers were investigated using linear-, nonlinear, and hierarchical multilevel-regression analyses. RESULTS The top 19 race times ever were significantly (P < .0001) lower for women (371 ± 11 min) than for men (424 ± 9 min). Race times of the annual 3 fastest women and men did not differ between genders and remained stable across years. The age of the annual 3 fastest swimmers increased from 28 ± 4 y (1983) to 38 ± 6 y (2013; r² = .06, P = .03) in women and from 23 ± 4 y (1984) to 42 ± 8 y (2013; r² = .19, P < .0001 )in men. CONCLUSION The best women were ≈12 - 14% faster than the men in a 46-km open-water ultradistance race with temperatures < 20°C. The maturity of ultradistance swimmers has changed during the last decades, with the fastest swimmers becoming older across the years.
Binding of internalized receptors to the PDZ domain of GIPC/synectin recruits myosin VI to endocytic vesicles

Myosin VI (myo6) is the only actin-based molecular motor that translocates along actin filaments toward the minus end. Myo6 participates in two steps of endocytic trafficking; it is recruited to both clathrin-coated pits and to ensuing uncoated endocytic vesicles (UCV). Although there is evidence suggesting that the PDZ adaptor protein GIPC/synectin is involved in the association of myo6 with UCV, the recruitment mechanism is unknown. We show that GIPC/synectin is required for both internalization of cell surface receptors and for coupling of myo6 to UCV. This coupling occurs via a mechanism wherein engagement of the GIPC/synectin PDZ domain by C termini of internalized receptors facilitates in trans myo6 binding to the GIPC/synectin C terminus located outside of the PDZ domain. Analysis of megalin, a prototypical GIPC/synectin-binding receptor, revealed that deletion of its PDZ-binding motif drastically reduced GIPC/synectin and myo6 recruitment to UCV. Furthermore, interaction with GIPC/synectin was required for megalin’s function, as megalin was mistargeted in the renal proximal tubules of GIPC/synectin-null mice and these mice exhibited proteinuria, a condition consistent with defective megalin trafficking.
WSN Based Innovative Education Practice

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are a nascent technology that builds upon the recent decadepsilas advances in electrical and mechanical engineering including wireless communications, low-power embedded systems, MEMS-sensor design, network architectures and instrumentation applications. These networks promise a means by which to better monitor and understand environmental monitoring, precision agriculture and public health. The nature of WSNs motivates collaboration among researchers from diverse disciplines to leverage their skills to conduct meaningful experiments. An ongoing innovative education practice has been investigating the effectiveness of WSNs for monitoring environment signals in modern agriculture. Several undergraduate students were recruited as research assistants and given the responsibility of implementing and deploying a complete WSN solution. Using wireless sensor networks as a motivating technology, this paper documents our early experiences developing and deploying a WSN in the field. The novel aspect of this innovative practice was provided with a hands-on experience in which interdisciplinary team work, technical communications and hardware design is emphasized. Future undergraduate research areas are explored with suggestions on how WSN topics can permeate into undergraduate education.
The effect of balloon angioplasty on hypertension in atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis. Dutch Renal Artery Stenosis Intervention Cooperative Study Group.

BACKGROUND Patients with hypertension and renal-artery stenosis are often treated with percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty. However, the long-term effects of this procedure on blood pressure are not well understood. METHODS We randomly assigned 106 patients with hypertension who had atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis (defined as a decrease in luminal diameter of 50 percent or more) and a serum creatinine concentration of 2.3 mg per deciliter (200 micromol per liter) or less to undergo percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty or to receive drug therapy. To be included, patients also had to have a diastolic blood pressure of 95 mm Hg or higher despite treatment with two antihypertensive drugs or an increase of at least 0.2 mg per deciliter (20 micromol per liter) in the serum creatinine concentration during treatment with an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor. Blood pressure, doses of antihypertensive drugs, and renal function were assessed at 3 and 12 months, and patency of the renal artery was assessed at 12 months. RESULTS At base line, the mean (+/-SD) systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 179+/-25 and 104+/-10 mm Hg, respectively, in the angioplasty group and 180+/-23 and 103+/-8 mm Hg, respectively, in the drug-therapy group. At three months, the blood pressures were similar in the two groups (169+/-28 and 99+/-12 mm Hg, respectively, in the 56 patients in the angioplasty group and 176+/-31 and 101+/-14 mm Hg, respectively, in the 50 patients in the drug-therapy group; P=0.25 for the comparison of systolic pressure and P=0.36 for the comparison of diastolic pressure between the two groups); at the time, patients in the angioplasty group were taking 2.1+/-1.3 defined daily doses of medication and those in the drug-therapy group were taking 3.2+/-1.5 daily doses (P<0.001). In the drug-therapy group, 22 patients underwent balloon angioplasty after three months because of persistent hypertension despite treatment with three or more drugs or because of a deterioration in renal function. According to intention-to-treat analysis, at 12 months, there were no significant differences between the angioplasty and drug-therapy groups in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, daily drug doses, or renal function. CONCLUSIONS In the treatment of patients with hypertension and renal-artery stenosis, angioplasty has little advantage over antihypertensive-drug therapy.
Tonsillectomy return-to-theatre rates demonstrate a monthly and seasonal variation: an analysis of 256 799 patients

Abstract Objective: To explore whether the incidence of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage requiring a return to theatre demonstrates a monthly or seasonal variation. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study including all 256 799 tonsillectomies performed between April 2000 and March 2005 in NHS trusts in England. Outcome measures: Return-to-theatre rates for each calendar month and each three-month ‘season’, over the five-year study period. Results: A statistically significant association was found between the calendar month and the proportion of patients requiring a return to theatre for post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage (p=0.005). There was a bimodal seasonal distribution peaking in the winter and summer months, with winter rates significantly higher than spring rates (p=0.0104). Conclusions: The incidence of severe post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage showed monthly and seasonal variations. This is clearly a multi-factorial problem. However, in patients at high risk of bleeding or of the complications of bleeding, consideration should be given to performing tonsillectomy at a time of year of lower incidence.
Cyclophosphamide-induced Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats: The Modulatory Role of Gallic Acid as a Hepatoprotective and Chemopreventive Phytochemical

Background: Gallic acid (GA) is an endogenous plant phenol known to have antioxidant, free radical scavenging ability, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-fungal properties. The aim of this study was to assess the protective effect of GA on cyclophosphamide (CPA)-induced hepatotoxicity in male Wistar rats. Methods: Sixty rats were grouped into six groups of 10 rats per group. Group 1 received distilled water. Group 2 received CPA at 200 mg/kg single dose intraperitoneally on day 1. Groups 3 and 4 received a single dose of CPA (200 mg/kg) intraperitoneally on day 1 and then were treated with GA at 60 and 120 mg/kg body weight for 14 days, respectively. Rats in Groups 5 and 6 only received GA at 60 and 120 mg/kg body weight for 14 days, respectively. GA was administered orally. Results: CPA induced hepatic damage as indicated by significant elevation (P < 0.05) in aspartate aminotransferase, organ weight, and evidence by the histological study. CPA also induced hepatic oxidative stress as indicated by significant elevation (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde content, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, nitrite level, and the level of glutathione (GSH) peroxidase crashed in the CPA-treated group. GA enhanced the antioxidant defense system as indicated by significant elevation (P < 0.05) in GSH level, catalase activity, and GSH-S-transferase activity. Conclusions: Taken together, the result of this present study shows that GA has a protective effect on CPA-induced hepatotoxicity.
An HF-Free Etching of SiO2 for Soft Lithography

We show that inorganic fluorides, such as NaF and NH4F, can etch SiO2 in the presence of HCl vapor resulting in a negative tone pattern transfer to a SiO2 substrate. Using a polydimethylsiloxane stamp, we demonstrate high-quality one-step pattern transfer to a SiO2 substrate. Compared with traditional HF vapor etching and buffered oxide etching methods, the current approach avoids direct handling of HF and, therefore, significantly reduces the associated safety risks. Our results suggest that fluoride etching could be a general purpose pattern transfer technique for soft lithography of SiO2 substrates.
Coping Strategies and Social Support in the Family Impact of Cleft Lip and Palate and Parents’ Adjustment and Psychological Distress

Objective: To examine the role of parents’ coping strategies and social support in the family impact of cleft lip and palate (CLP) and levels of adjustment and psychological distress and to investigate whether a child's age, type of cleft, or other reported medical problems influenced such outcomes. Design: A cross-sectional study. Participants: One hundred three parents of children or young adults with CLP recruited from families attending a multidisciplinary cleft lip and palate clinic. Outcome measures: Family impact, psychological distress, and positive adjustment were assessed using validated psychological questionnaires. Results: Findings indicated that while there were many impacts of a child's CLP, negative outcomes (family impact, psychological distress) were not high. In contrast, parents reported high levels of positive adjustment or stress-related growth as a result of their child's condition. Participants also reported high levels of social support and relied more on the use of approach rather than avoidance-oriented coping strategies. Having more support from friends and family was associated with less negative family impact, lower psychological distress, and better adjustment. Greater use of approach coping was associated with more positive adjustment; whereas, avoidant coping was associated with a greater family impact and more psychological distress. Having a younger child and/or a child with medical problems in addition to CLP was associated with a greater impact on the family. Conclusions: How parents cope with their child's condition and the levels of support received may have implications for caregivers, the family unit, and the delivery of more family-oriented CLP services.
Modeling of octagonal spiral inductors for integrated circuit applications

As a need of embedded passive components is rising with the demand of small on-chip integrated circuit (IC) components, on-chip spiral inductor has become one of the key elements in IC designs according to S. Jenei et al. (2002). In this paper, modeling of octagonal spiral inductors with different number of turns is investigated.
New evidence for stroke prevention: scientific review.

CONTEXT Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and the application of evidence for stroke prevention varies considerably. OBJECTIVE To review the most recent, high-quality evidence for primary and secondary stroke prevention. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION Searches of MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, and the ACP Journal Club were performed to identify English-language articles published from 1998 to 2001 that focused on primary and secondary stroke prevention. The references of each retrieved article were scanned, and experts in the field were contacted to identify additional relevant articles. DATA EXTRACTION Each of the articles was appraised, and its quality was graded with levels of evidence based on specific scientific methods that affect a study's validity. DATA SYNTHESIS For primary prevention of stroke, adequate blood pressure reduction, and treatment of hyperlipidemia, use of antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and of antiplatelet therapy in patients with myocardial infarction are effective and supported by evidence from several randomized trials. Effective strategies for the secondary prevention of stroke include treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, antithrombotic therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation, antiplatelet therapy, and carotid endarterectomy in patients with severe carotid artery stenosis. CONCLUSIONS Stroke is a major public health concern, and a significant body of evidence supports many primary and secondary prevention strategies.
Ski Tourism and Web Marketing Strategies: The Case of Ski Resorts in France and Spain

The impacts of climate change are affecting ski tourism in Europe’s southernmost ski resorts, such as those in France, and Spain. This is leading to changes in the scheduling of activities which, in turn, imply changes in how ski resorts are managed. The main aim of this work is to analyze whether ski resort websites are developing an effective marketing strategy and if they are adapted to e-commerce and the needs of contemporary society, including the adaptations needed to better face climate change and the stagnation the sector is suffering. In order to achieve this, we have developed a model to analyze ski resort websites; it is based on web content analysis, taking four factors into account: information, communication, e-commerce, and additional functions. We will, secondly, apply the eMICA (Extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption) methodology to analyze the maturity of such e-commerce activities in ski tourism. Fifty-two ski resorts in Spain and 173 in France were analyzed. Results show that, while alpine ski resorts in general, and those in France in particular, are better prepared, resorts still have to facilitate more effective communication and interaction with their target public. A minority of resorts provide information on environmental certifications and snowmaking.
Design of a short nonuniform acquisition protocol for quantitative analysis in dynamic cardiac SPECT imaging — a retrospective 123I‐MIBG animal study

Purpose Our previous works have found that quantitative analysis of 123I‐MIBG kinetics in the rat heart with dynamic single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) offers the potential to quantify the innervation integrity at an early stage of left ventricular hypertrophy. However, conventional protocols involving a long acquisition time for dynamic imaging reduce the animal survival rate and thus make longitudinal analysis difficult. The goal of this work was to develop a procedure to reduce the total acquisition time by selecting nonuniform acquisition times for projection views while maintaining the accuracy and precision of estimated physiologic parameters. Method Taking dynamic cardiac imaging with 123I‐MIBG in rats as an example, we generated time activity curves (TACs) of regions of interest (ROIs) as ground truths based on a direct four‐dimensional reconstruction of experimental data acquired from a rotating SPECT camera, where TACs represented as the coefficients of B‐spline basis functions were used to estimate compartmental model parameters. By iteratively adjusting the knots (i.e., control points) of B‐spline basis functions, new TACs were created according to two rules: accuracy and precision. The accuracy criterion allocates the knots to achieve low relative entropy between the estimated left ventricular blood pool TAC and its ground truth so that the estimated input function approximates its real value and thus the procedure yields an accurate estimate of model parameters. The precision criterion, via the D‐optimal method, forces the estimated parameters to be as precise as possible, with minimum variances. Based on the final knots obtained, a new protocol of 30 min was built with a shorter acquisition time that maintained a 5% error in estimating rate constants of the compartment model. This was evaluated through digital simulations. Results The simulation results showed that our method was able to reduce the acquisition time from 100 to 30 min for the cardiac study of rats with 123I‐MIBG. Compared to a uniform interval dynamic SPECT protocol (1 s acquisition interval, 30 min acquisition time), the newly proposed protocol with nonuniform interval achieved comparable (Symbol and Symbol, P = 0.5745 for Symbol and P = 0.0604 for Symbol) or better (Distribution Volume, DV, P = 0.0004) performance for parameter estimates with less storage and shorter computational time. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Symbol. No caption available. Conclusion In this study, a procedure was devised to shorten the acquisition time while maintaining the accuracy and precision of estimated physiologic parameters in dynamic SPECT imaging. The procedure was designed for 123I‐MIBG cardiac imaging in rat studies; however, it has the potential to be extended to other applications, including patient studies involving the acquisition of dynamic SPECT data.