Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Racial differences in trust and lung cancer patients' perceptions of physician communication.

PURPOSE Black patients report lower trust in physicians than white patients, but this difference is poorly studied. We examined whether racial differences in patient trust are associated with physician-patient communication about lung cancer treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data were obtained for 103 patients (22% black and 78% white) visiting thoracic surgery or oncology clinics in a large Southern Veterans Affairs hospital for initial treatment recommendation for suspicious pulmonary nodules or lung cancer. Questionnaires were used to determine patients' perceptions of the quality of the physicians' communication and were used to assess patients' previsit and postvisit trust in physician and trust in health care system. Patients responded on a 10-point scale. RESULTS Previsit trust in physician was statistically similar in black and white patients (mean score, 8.2 v 8.3, respectively; P = .80), but black patients had lower postvisit trust in physician than white patients (8.0 v 9.3, respectively; P = .02). Black patients, compared with white patients, judged the physicians' communication as less informative (7.3 v 8.5, respectively; P = .03), less supportive (8.1 v 9.3, respectively; P = .03), and less partnering (6.4 v 8.2, respectively; P = .001). In mixed linear regression analysis, controlling for clustering of patients by physician, patients' perceptions of physicians' communication were statistically significant (P < .005) predictors of postvisit trust, although patient race, previsit trust, and patient and visit characteristics were not significant (P > .05) predictors. CONCLUSION Perceptions that physician communication was less supportive, less partnering, and less informative accounted for black patients' lower trust in physicians. Our findings raise concern that black patients may have lower trust in their physicians in part because of poorer physician-patient communication.
Distributed clustering protocol for wireless sensor network

Energy efficiency is the crucial issue in designing a wireless sensor network WSN system. One of the popular classical energy efficient protocols is hierarchically cluster-based low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy LEACH. In LEACH, the energy efficiency is improved and the stable time of the system is extended due to the rotations of the cluster-head of the network. However, to complete a cluster-head selection session, each node must be informed the total number of nodes and the number of clusters in the beginning of every round of communication. In this paper, this issue is solved by adding a scan procedure in the cluster set-up stage and checking the residual energy. The performance is evaluated by the number of surviving nodes over a period of network operation time. Simulation results prove that by pursuing the proposed protocol, improved stability can be achieved over the conventional schemes.
Extensive antigenic changes in an atypical isolate of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus and experimental clinical control of this virus with an antigenically classical live vaccine

The 99323 Egyptian isolate of infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus (IBDV) was identified during an international survey of acute IBD cases. Its unique antigenicity was characterized by a markedly reduced binding of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 in an antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Nucleotide sequencing of the genome region encoding the VP2 major immunogenic domain in 99323 revealed amino acid changes occurring at positions critical for antigenicity, but phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that 99323 was related to typical, very virulent IBDV (e.g. isolate 89163). Protection experimentally afforded by an antigenically classical live IBD vaccine was investigated in specific pathogen free chickens challenged with 99323 or 89163. Both viruses were similarly controlled, as evaluated by clinical signs, growth retardation, bursa-to-body weight ratios and histological lesions of the bursa after challenge. These results document that an active antibody response to a classical live antigen may clinically control infection by an antigenically atypical very virulent IBDV.
Building a knowledge-based recommender for inclusive eLearning scenarios

When building a knowledge-based recommender along the eLearning life cycle, the following issues have to be considered: a) the user interface design of the tools required, b) the process to design/generate the recommendations, c) the process to select the appropriate recommendations, and d) the management of the users' interactions. We are defining a user-centered evaluation approach that copes with those issues and drives the recommender building process in three consecutive steps: 1) elicitation of pedagogically sound recommendations validated by users with a collaborative review, 2) acquisition and validation of the user features to select the appropriate recommendations for the current context, and 3) analysis of the recommendations provided and evaluation of their impact on the user.
Inoculation of hybrid poplar with the endophytic bacterium Enterobacter sp. 638 increases biomass but does not impact leaf level physiology

Endophytic bacteria have been shown to provide several advantages to their host, including enhanced growth. Inoculating biofuel species with endophytic bacteria is therefore an attractive option to increase the productivity of biofuel feedstocks. Here, we investigated the effect of inoculating hard wood cuttings of Populus deltoides Bartr. × Populus. nigra L. clone OP367 with Enterobacter sp. 638. After 17 weeks, plants inoculated with Enterobacter sp. 638 had 55% greater total biomass than un‐inoculated control plants. Study of gas exchange and fluorescence in developing and mature leaves over a diurnal cycle and over a 5 week measurement campaign revealed no effects of inoculation on photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic water use efficiency or the maximum and operating efficiency of photosystem II. However, plants inoculated with Enterobacter sp. 638 had a canopy that was 39% larger than control plants indicating that the enhanced growth was fueled by increased leaf area, not by improved physiology. Leaf nitrogen content was determined at two stages over the 5 week measurement period. No effect of Enterobacter sp. 638 on leaf nitrogen content was found indicating that the larger plants were acquiring sufficient nitrogen. Enterobacter sp. 638 lacks the genes for N2 fixation, therefore the increased availability of nitrogen likely resulted from enhanced nitrogen acquisition by the 84% larger root system. These data show that Enterobacter sp. 638 has the potential to dramatically increase productivity in poplar. If fully realized in the production environment, these results indicate that an increase in the environmental and economic viability of poplar as a biofuel feedstock is possible when inoculated with endophytic bacteria like Enterobacter sp. 638.
A case report of intraoperative retroorbital fluid dissection after frontal mini‐trephine placement

We report a case of a 24‐year‐old male with a history of allergic fungal sinusitis, who experienced an intraoperative retro‐orbital fluid dissection after frontal mini‐trephine placement. Although mini‐trephination of the frontal sinus is a useful technique that is frequently employed during endoscopic sinus surgery, it has potential complications. The purpose of this report is to discuss a previously unreported complication of frontal mini‐trephination and its management. Laryngoscope, 123:2969–2971, 2013
Covalent alteration of the CYP3A4 active site: evidence for multiple substrate binding domains.

The inhibition of CYP3A4-mediated oxidation of triazolam and testosterone was assessed in the presence of a selection of known CYP3A4 substrates and inhibitors. Under experimental conditions where the Michaelis-Menten model predicts substrate-independent inhibition ([S] = K(m)), results yielded substrate-dependent inhibition. Moreover, when the same experimental design was extended to a group of structurally similar flavonoids it was observed that flavanone, flavone, 3-hydroxyflavone, and 6-hydroxyflavone (10 microM) activated triazolam metabolism, but inhibited testosterone hydroxylation. In additional studies, residual CYP3A4 activity toward testosterone and triazolam hydroxylation was measured after pretreatment with the CYP3A4 mechanism based inhibitor, midazolam. After midazolam preincubation, CYP3A4 6 beta-hydroxylase activity was reduced by 47% while, in contrast, triazolam hydroxylation was reduced by 75%. These results provide physical evidence, which supports the hypothesis that the active site of CYP3A4 contains spatially distinct substrate-binding domains within the enzyme active site.
Note on the Nature of Self-Regard

The test-specificity of self-regard was investigated. It was found that, in general, the same terms, or the same areas of self-regard, related more highly on the same, or on two different, esteem tests, while different areas of self-regard related only poorly. It was concluded that esteem is not test-specific but rather represents a more enduring individual evaluative tendency.
Lifetime intellectual function and satisfaction with life in old age: longitudinal cohort study

What is successful ageing? Current opinion is that “cognitive vitality is essential to quality of life…in old age. ”1 This depends substantially on people's cognitive ability from early life,2 and on how much they decline from their cognitive peak in young adulthood. Early cognitive ability also affects physical health and even survival to old age.2 But surely happiness and satisfaction with life are also key indices of successful ageing. Happiness was described as “the highest good and ultimate motivation for human action”3; this does not seem to be related to current cognitive ability.3 Cognitive level in youth and the amount of cognitive change across the lifespan are important indicators of cognitive vitality in old age. We examined a unique data set to investigate whether these factors are associated with people being happier. The Lothian birth cohort 1921 is a relatively healthy group of 550 older people (mean mini-mental state examination 28.2 (standard deviation 1.7), range 18-30). They were given the same test of mental ability (a version of the Moray House test number 12) at mean ages …
Defining Outcome Measures for Psoriatic Arthritis: A Report from the GRAPPA-OMERACT Working Group

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)-Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Core Set working group recently published the updated 2016 psoriatic arthritis (PsA) core domain set, a set of disease features that should be measured in all clinical trials. At the GRAPPA annual meeting in July 2016, the PsA working group presented the updated PsA core domain set endorsed by 90% of participants at OMERACT in May 2016 and drafted a roadmap for the development of the PsA core outcome measurement set. In this manuscript, we review the development process of the PsA core domain set and the ongoing and proposed work streams for development of a PsA core measurement set.
Endocrine aspects of sexual dysfunction in men.

INTRODUCTION Endocrine disorders of sex steroid hormones may adversely affect men's sexual function. Aim. To provide expert opinions/recommendations concerning state-of-the-art knowledge for the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of endocrinologic sexual medicine disorders. METHODS An International Consultation in collaboration with the major urology and sexual medicine associations assembled over 200 multidisciplinary experts from 60 countries into 17 committees. Committee members established specific objectives and scopes for various male and female sexual medicine topics. The recommendations concerning state-of-the-art knowledge in the respective sexual medicine topic represent the opinion of experts from five continents developed in a scientific and debate process. Concerning the Endocrine committee, there were eight experts from seven countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Expert opinions/recommendations are based on grading of evidence-based medical literature, extensive internal committee discussion over 2 years, public presentation and deliberation. RESULTS Hypogonadism is a clinical and biochemical syndrome characterized by a deficiency in serum androgen levels which may decrease sexual interest, quality of erections and quality of life. Biochemical investigations include testosterone and either bioavailable or calculated free testosterone; prolactin should be considered when hypogonadism has been documented. If clinically indicated, androgen therapy should maintain testosterone within the physiological range avoiding supraphysiologic values. Digital rectal examination and determination of serum prostate specific antigen values are mandatory prior to therapy and regularly thereafter. Androgen therapy is usually long-term requiring regular follow-up, frequent monitoring of blood levels and beneficial and adverse therapeutic responses. CONCLUSIONS Safe and effective treatments for endocrinologic sexual medicine disorders examined by prospective, placebo-controlled, multi-institutional clinical trials are needed.
ADAPTIVE COMBINATION OF SECOND ORDER VOLTERRA FILTERS WITH NLMS AND SIGN-NLMS ALGORITHMS FOR NONLINEAR ACOUSTIC ECHO CANCELLATION

In this paper, starting from a robust statistics (RS) adaptive approach presented in a previous work entitled the combined NLMS-Sign (CNLMS-S) adaptive filter, an automatic combination technique with similar performances is proposed. Thus, in order to obtain better performances in acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) setups than with the normalized least-mean square (NLMS) algorithm, in the CNLMS-S case the decision between the two algorithms (NLMS and Sign) is based on a set error threshold. The error threshold can be empirically determined or known a priori if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value from the loudspeaker-enclosure-microphone (LEM) setup is available or if the local noise levels can be determined from the silences. Here, to overcome this shortcoming, an adaptive combination of the two algorithms involved in RS is highlighted, providing similar results regarding convergence and final misadjustment. Also, the need of the error threshold set by the user is removed, the combination being controlled only by a step-size parameter, independent on the LEM, constrained only by the stability range. The proposed method is compared to the CNLMS-S in nonlinear LEM setups using measured linear and quadratic Volterra kernels, tracking the behavior of the echo-return loss enhancement (ERLE) characteristic. As input sequences, audio signals with different PDFs are used and WGN is added as local noise. Simulation results justify the efficiency of the proposed method, both in convergence and steady-state error against the CNLMS-S and, implicitly the NLMS and the Sign-NLMS algorithms.
[Clinical analysis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE To generate a comprehensive clinical profile of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) by systematically reviewing ICP cases managed in our hospital. METHODS The recorded clinical data, including diagnosis, complications, management, and maternal and infant outcomes, of nine ICP cases were collected retrospectively and reviewed systematically. RESULTS Seven of the nine total ICP patients presented with pruritus. All nine of the ICP patients showed bile acid level beyond the normal range. ICP complications included gestational hypertension (n = 3), diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 1) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, n = 1), and pre-eclampsia (n = 1). The infant of one patient with severe ICP showed meconium-stained liquor. All nine of the ICP patients underwent surgical delivery, of which three were delivered preterm (between the 35th and 36th week of gestation). All mothers' total bile acids declined to normal levels after delivery, and all infants survived without complication. CONCLUSION ICP does not increase the puerpera mortality rate and does not represent a poor prognosis for infants. Bile acid levels in the ICP patients, however, may be related to the extent of premature delivery time. While the standard drug treatment of ursodeoxycholic acid is suitable for most ICP cases, those with insufficient gestational age may benefit from adjuvant corticosteroid therapy to promote fetal lung maturation prior to preterm delivery. Severe ICP cases should be managed by inducing artificial labor or performing Caesarean section.
Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with 99mTc-depreotide (neospect) in discriminating between malignant and benign lesions in the diagnosis of lung cancer: a pilot study

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of a new somatostatin analog, 99mTc-Depreotide, in differentiating benign from malignant lesions in patients with pulmonary nodules or masses. Material and Methods: A pilot study was performed on 28 patients referred to our Lung Department on suspicion of lung cancer. A chest X-ray, computed tomography (CT) of the thorax and upper abdomen, and scintigraphy were done - scintigraphy following the administration of 740 MBq 99mTc-Depreotide. Planar and tomographical imaging of the thorax and whole-body scanning with a gamma camera were done, and diagnostic outcome of the scintigrams was compared to CT, pathology, and clinical outcome. Results: Of 21 patients who had a focal high uptake of Depreotide, 17 were malignancies. One patient had two lesions with high Depreotide uptake, lung cancer, and pneumonia in the contralateral lung. Two patients with sarcoidosis and one with bilateral round atelectasis also had high Depreotide uptake bilaterally. Seven of the 8 patients with no uptake were true negative: 5 hamartomas and 2 round atelectases. One small lung cancer in the pleura sinus did not have Depreotide uptake. Conclusion: The somastotatin analog Depreotide is promising for discriminating between malignant and benign lung lesions.
Abelson murine leukemia virus: molecular cloning of infectious integrated proviral DNA.

The integrated proviral genome of Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) was cloned in lambda gtWES . lambda B bacteriophage after EcoRI endonuclease digestion and enrichment of proviral sequences by sequential RPC-5 column chromatography and agarose gel electrophoresis. Recombinant DNA clones containing a 7.8-kilobase-pair EcoRI insert were shown to have the entire integrated A-MuLV genome with both 5' and 3' ends flanked by mink cellular DNA sequences. This DNA fragment was shown to induce focus transformation upon transfection of NIH/3T3 mouse cells. Moreover, focus-forming virus could be rescued from transformed nonproducer cells upon superinfection with a type C helper virus. A polyprotein of molecular weight 120,000 (p120) containing murine leukemia virus gag gene determinants was invariably deteced by immunoprecipitation analysis of individual transformants induced by the 7.8-kilobase-pair DNA. Molecularly cloned integrated A-MuLV in its infectious form should be of use in elucidating the mechanisms involved in transformation by this virus.
Bandwidth Enhancement of a Compact Transverse Bilateral Helical Antenna With Parasitic Element for Mobile Device Applications

An electrically small antenna (ESA) designed for portable communication device applications is described. The antenna structure is based on the introduction of parasitic element to the transverse bilateral helical (TBH) antenna to enhance the bandwidth, leading to the TBH antenna with parasitic elements (TBHP). By insertion of a second helix into the core of the host helix, the overall dimensions of the antenna structure are kept the same as the original TBH antenna. A first-order analytical model is developed to gain insight to the design process. Performance of the TBHP antenna is evaluated using finite element method (FEM) electromagnetic simulation. The experimental and simulation data showed that the TBHP antenna has 105% wider bandwidth in a 50-Ω reference system and 74% higher radiation efficiency around the 621-MHz operating frequency compared with the original TBH antenna. Simulation and measurement results are found to be in good agreement.
Connexin 26 and basic fibroblast growth factor are expressed primarily in the subpial and subependymal layers in adult brain parenchyma: Roles in stem cell proliferation and morphological plasticity?

The gap junction protein connexin 26 (Cx26) has been detected previously in the parenchyma of the developing brain and in the developing and adult meninges, but there is no clear evidence for the presence of this connexin in adult brain parenchyma. Confocal mapping of Cx26 through serial sections of the meningeal‐intact rat brain with four antibodies revealed an intense Cx26 immunoreactivity in both parenchyma and extraparenchyma. In the extraparenchyma, a continuum of Cx26‐immunoreactive puncta was observed throughout the three meningeal layers, the perineurium of cranial nerves, and meningeal projections into the brain, including sheaths of blood vessels and stroma of the choroid plexus. In the parenchyma, Cx26‐immunoreactive puncta were located primarily in subependymal, subpial, and perivascular zones and were associated primarily with glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive (GFAP+) astrocytes, the nuclei of which are strongly immunoreactive for basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Although it was found to a lesser extent than in astrocytes, bFGF immunoreactivity also was intense in the nuclei of meningeal fibroblasts. In addition, we have found a close correlation between the distribution of Cx26 and vimentin immunoreactivities in the meninges and their projections into the brain. We previously showed vimentin and S100β immunoreactivities through a network of meningeal fibroblasts in the three layers of meninges, perivascular cells, and ependymocytes and in a population of astrocytes. The related topography of this network with GFAP+ astrocytes has also been demonstrated. Considering that connexin immunoreactivity may reflect the presence of functional gap junctions, the present results are consistent with our hypothesis that all of these various cell types may communicate in a cooperative network. J. Comp. Neurol. 431:88–104, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Temporal trends in stable isotopes for Nubian mummy tissues.

From Meroitic to Christian times (350 B.C.-A.D. 1400), Sudanese Nubia experienced political, economic, cultural, and environmental upheaval. Change in any one of these aspects of ancient lifeways can affect subsistence. Dietary patterns from this period are reconstructed by measuring stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in tissue samples from 146 mummies excavated from five sites in the Wadi Halfa area. On average, delta 13C values of bone collagen, muscle, and skin indicate high consumption levels of C3 plants (presumably wheat or barley staples, mixed vegetables, and fruits) throughout the sequence. However, during the X-Group period (A.D. 350-550), there is a statistically significant increase in consumption of C4 plants (millet or sorghum), which are predominant in both the archeological record and in modern crop production for most of the Northern Sudan. The X-Group period was also associated with a low Nile and political and economic restructuring. Increased use of C4 plants on a seasonal basis is also indicated by shifting delta 13C values along hair shafts for both X-Group and Christian periods. delta 15N values suggest that the major source of protein for all time periods came from herbivorous animals. A small, but significant increase in 15N over the 1,000-year sequence could be the result of fertilization.