Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Projections of primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States from 2005 to 2030.

BACKGROUND Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of revision total hip and knee arthroplasties performed in the United States. The purpose of this study was to formulate projections for the number of primary and revision total hip and knee arthroplasties that will be performed in the United States through 2030. METHODS The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1990 to 2003) was used in conjunction with United States Census Bureau data to quantify primary and revision arthroplasty rates as a function of age, gender, race and/or ethnicity, and census region. Projections were performed with use of Poisson regression on historical procedure rates in combination with population projections from 2005 to 2030. RESULTS By 2030, the demand for primary total hip arthroplasties is estimated to grow by 174% to 572,000. The demand for primary total knee arthroplasties is projected to grow by 673% to 3.48 million procedures. The demand for hip revision procedures is projected to double by the year 2026, while the demand for knee revisions is expected to double by 2015. Although hip revisions are currently more frequently performed than knee revisions, the demand for knee revisions is expected to surpass the demand for hip revisions after 2007. Overall, total hip and total knee revisions are projected to grow by 137% and 601%, respectively, between 2005 and 2030. CONCLUSIONS These large projected increases in demand for total hip and knee arthroplasties provide a quantitative basis for future policy decisions related to the numbers of orthopaedic surgeons needed to perform these procedures and the deployment of appropriate resources to serve this need.
Model-Based Comparison of the Normal and Fontan Circulatory Systems—Part II

Background: In the absence of an accessible chronic animal model of the Fontan circulation, computational modeling can provide insights into this unique circulatory arrangement, especially how differently it behaves from the normal mammalian circulation. Many groups have focused on refining a single element of the entire Fontan circulation—the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Yet, only modest improvements in transplant-free survival have resulted. From an engineering perspective, optimizing the performance of a complex, multiparameter system requires an understanding of how the performance is affected by the full set of system parameters. Methods: We evaluated the hemodynamic impact of nine physiological perturbations in the two-year-old (yo) patient with hypoplastic left heart syndrome having a Fontan rearrangement (using our previously described lumped-parameter multicompartment model of both pulmonary and systemic circulations). In cases where comparison is appropriate, we evaluated the hemodynamic impact of analogous pathophysiologies in the normal two-year-olds. We operated the model in open-loop mode in order to expose the magnitude of the impact of uncompensated physiological perturbations. Results: Without the benefit of compensatory mechanisms, a valvar regurgitant fraction of 50% is sufficient to drop the cardiac index (CI) to 2.0 L/min/m2 or less. Aortopulmonary collateral flow of 0.6 L/min (1.1 L/min/m2) or 0.5 L/min (0.9 L/min/m2), sufficient to raise the ratio of pulmonary flow to systemic flow (Qp/Qs) to no higher than 1.2 or 1.5 (fenestration present or absent, respectively), is the maximum which could be tolerated (CI = 2.0 L/min/m2) without the help of compensatory mechanisms. Ventricular end-diastolic elastance (stiffness) changes have dramatic effects on CI in a Fontan circulatory arrangement. Conclusions: Several components of the Fontan circulation other than the TCPC actually have equal, or greater, impact on CI under certain conditions.
Federalismo fiscal a partir de un mode - lo de equilibrio general aplicado: Anda- lucía vs. España Equilibrium model: Andalusia vs. Spain fiscal federalism using an applied generaL

The objective of this work is to do an approach to a federalism fiscal system using a bi-regional computable general equilibrium model that follows the walrasian tradition, extended with the inclusion of the public sector and the foreign external, and based on the social accounting matrices of Andalusia and Spain, elaborated for 1995, to analysis the effects of changes in direct taxes and their sectorial distribution, under the perspective of the Fiscal Federalism, about level of GDP, productive sectors, prices, tax collections and social welfare.
Artemether-lumefantrine for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

BACKGROUND Artemether-lumefantrine is being recommended by the World Health Organization for treating uncomplicated malaria. It is expensive. We sought evidence of its superiority over existing treatment regimens. OBJECTIVES To compare artemether-lumefantrine with other antimalarial drugs for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group specialized trials register (February 2003), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Issue 1, 2003), MEDLINE (1966 to February 2003), EMBASE (1988 to February 2003), conference proceedings, and reference lists of articles. We contacted experts in malaria research and the pharmaceutical company that manufactures artemether-lumefantrine. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized and quasi-randomized trials comparing artemether-lumefantrine administered orally with standard treatment regimens (single drug or combination). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently applied inclusion criteria to potentially relevant trials, assessed trial quality, and extracted data. Parasitaemia on day 28 (day 42 for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and day 63 for mefloquine) was the primary outcome. Adverse event information was collected from the studies. MAIN RESULTS Six trials (1698 participants) tested a four dose regimen. Failure rates for artemether-lumefantrine tended to be higher (comparisons included sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, halofantrine, and mefloquine; difference statistically significant for mefloquine). When compared with chloroquine, artemether-lumefantrine was better in two studies, but the failure rate for chloroquine at these sites was over 50%. Two trials (419 participants) tested a six dose regimen against mefloquine plus artesunate. Artemether-lumefantrine was associated with higher failure rates but the studies were small. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The four dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine seems to be less effective than most other current antimalarial regimens. The six dose regimen is largely untested.
Metabolism of manganese in calves as affected by dietary manganese and intravenous or duodenal manganese-54 dosing.

Fifteen intact male Holstein calves averaging 101 d of age were utilized to determine the effects of dietary Mn concentration and routes of administration on its metabolism. They were fed a practical grain diet containing 23 ppm Mn with 0, 100, or 1000 ppm supplemental Mn (MnSO4.H2O) for 7 d prior to intravenous or duodenal dosing with 54Mn. Animals were killed 4 h later. With added Mn there was a significant decrease in 54Mn content of some small intestine parts. However, in most tissue, including organs, bones, intestinal tract tissues, and blood, added Mn did not have a significant effect on 54Mn concentrations. Concentrations of 54Mn in tissues, except in small intestine, were far higher following intravenous dosing than with duodenal dosing. This further confirms that absorption of Mn is very low. Dosing method had a sizable effect on the relative amounts of 54Mn in different tissues. This suggests that intravenously administered Mn, at least initially, is not metabolized in the same way as that absorbed. In most tissues, unlabeled Mn was not affected greatly by supplemental Mn. This is in contrast to earlier results with very young calves and indicates that Mn metabolism changes sharply before 3 to 4 mo of calf age.
Phosphorylation of Serine Residues 3, 6, 10, and 13 Distinguishes Membrane Anchored from Soluble Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 65 and Is Restricted to Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 65α*

GAD65, the smaller isoform of the γ-aminobutyric acid-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase is detected as an α/β doublet of distinct mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65 is reversibly anchored to the membrane of synaptic vesicles in neurons and synaptic-like microvesicles in pancreatic β-cells. Here we demonstrate that GAD65α but not β is phosphorylated in vivo and in vitro in several cell types. Phosphorylation is not the cause of the α/β heterogeneity but represents a unique post-translational modification of GAD65α. Two-dimensional protein analyses identified five phosphorylated species of three different charges, which are likely to represent mono-, di-, and triphosphorylated GAD65α in different combinations of phosphorylated serines. Phosphorylation of GAD65α was located at serine residues 3, 6, 10, and 13, shown to be mediated by a membrane bound kinase, and distinguish the membrane anchored, and soluble forms of the enzyme. Phosphorylation status does not affect membrane anchoring of GAD65, nor its Km or Vmax for glutamate. The results are consistent with a model in which GAD65α and -β constitute the two subunits of the native GAD65 dimer, only one of which, α, undergoes phosphorylation following membrane anchoring, perhaps to regulate specific aspects of GAD65 function in the synaptic vesicle membrane.
Q DE CALIDAD Y SATISFACCIÓN DEL TURISTA EN EL SECTOR HOTELERO ESPAÑOL

Espana ha centrado la mejora de la competitividad de sus destinos turisticos en la calidad del servicio, desarrollado a traves de la marca «Q de calidad turistica». En este trabajo, se contrasta si el esfuerzo realizado por los hoteles en alcanzar este estandar de calidad, es percibido por el turista que se aloja en el mismo de manera general o si se centra en alguna dimension particular del servicio. Los resultados revelan que, para la muestra analizada, la calidad reconocida influye en la satisfaccion que obtiene el cliente en ese establecimiento de forma diferente segun la dimension objeto de estudio.
The use of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in the isolation of sex‐specific markers

Sex identification is a problem in research and conservation. It can often be solved using a DNA test but this is only an option if a sex‐specific marker is available. Such markers can be identified using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. This is usually a taxonomic method, as it produces a DNA fingerprint of 50–100 PCR bands. However, if male and female AFLP products are compared, sex‐specific markers are confined to the heterogametic sex and can rapidly be identified. Once a marker is found, AFLP can be used to sex organisms directly or the marker can be sequenced and a standard PCR test designed.
Structural factors that control conformational transitions and serotype specificity in type 3 poliovirus.

The three‐dimensional structure of the Sabin strain of type 3 poliovirus has been determined at 2.4 A resolution. Significant structural differences with the Mahoney strain of type 1 poliovirus are confined to loops and terminal extensions of the capsid proteins, occur in all of the major antigenic sites of the virion and typically involve insertions, deletions or the replacement of prolines. Several newly identified components of the structure participate in assembly‐dependent interactions which are relevant to the biologically important processes of viral assembly and uncoating. These include two sites of lipid substitution, two putative nucleotides and a beta sheet formed by the N‐termini of capsid proteins VP4 and VP1. The structure provides an explanation for the temperature sensitive phenotype of the P3/Sabin strain. Amino acids that regulate temperature sensitivity in type 3 poliovirus are located in the interfaces between promoters, in the binding site for a lipid substituent and in an assembly‐dependent extended beta sheet that stabilizes the association of pentamers. Several lines of evidence indicate that these structural components also control conformational transitions at various stages of the viral life cycle.
DNA damage and cell cycle checkpoints

DNA is prone to numerous forms of damage that can injure cells and impair fitness. Cells have evolved an array of mechanisms to repair these injuries. Proliferating cells are especially vulnerable to DNA damage due to the added demands of cellular growth and division. Cell cycle checkpoints represent integral components of DNA repair that coordinate cooperation between the machinery of the cell cycle and several biochemical pathways that respond to damage and restore DNA structure. By delaying progression through the cell cycle, checkpoints provide more time for repair before the critical phases of DNA replication, when the genome is replicated, and of mitosis, when the genome is segregated. Loss or attenuation of checkpoint function may increase spontaneous and induced gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations by reducing the efficiency of DNA repair. Defects in checkpoint control have been seen in certain hereditary cancer syndromes and at early stages of cell transformation. Mutations in checkpoint control genes therefore may contribute to the genetic instability that appears to drive neoplastic evolution. —Kaufmann, W. K. , Paules, R. S. DNA damage and cell cycle checkpoints. FASEB J. 10, 238‐247 (1996)
Charting a course for effective scientific communication: Balancing accuracy and promotion around the Virgin Galactic crash

Coverage of the inflight explosion of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo on October 31st, 2014, exposes a gap between Virgin's polished public face and the technical realities of its aim to provide accessible space travel. In the days following the crash, Branson used his various media arms to communicate concern, support, and his faith in the importance of his company's space mission. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began their ongoing investigation into the incident, releasing four video briefings in the week following the crash. These two media events — Branson's online handling of the fallout from the incident, and the NTSB's Acting Chairman Chris Hart's briefings — provide an interesting case study in the way that scientific material is disseminated by and for expert and non-expert audiences, and how this interacts with expectations around the marketing and promotion of scientific discovery. This paper will analyze the contrasting coverage of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crash from the NTSB, Virgin's media arms and popular journalism, to consider how we balance scientific accuracy with attempts to capture and promote public interest in the sciences.
Genetic polymorphisms of non-coding RNAs associated with increased head and neck cancer susceptibility: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Genetic polymorphisms, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and nucleotide repeat expansions, can occur in regions that transcribe non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), such as, but not limited to, micro RNA and long non-coding RNA. An association between genetic polymorphisms of ncRNA and increasing head and neck cancer (HNC) risk has been identified by several studies. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to consolidate existing findings to clarify this association. Four electronic databases, such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, were utilised. Inclusion of studies and data extraction were accomplished in duplicate. A total of 42 eligible studies were included, involving 28,527 cases and 37,151 controls. Meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis and publication bias detection were performed. Among the eligible studies, 102 SNPs were investigated, and 21 of them were considered eligible for meta-analysis. Our analysis revealed that HOTAIR rs920778, uc003opf.1 rs11752942, and miR-196a2 rs11614913 were related to HNC susceptibility, while let-7 rs10877887, miR-124-1rs531564, and miR-608 rs4919510 were considered as protective factors. In conclusion, our results showed the extreme importance of an up-to-date comprehensive meta-analysis encompassing the most recent findings to obtain a relevant and reliable framework to understand the relationship between ncRNA SNPs and HNC susceptibility.
Performance Analysis of Entropy based methods and Clustering methods for Brain Tumor Segmentation

Brain tumor is the most deadly disease that affects human life span. To segment the brain tumor part, many segmentation techniques have been emerged in image processing like region based Segmentation, Boundary based segmentation. In this paper, several entropies based methods and several cluster techniques are compared and analyzed for brain tumor segmentation. Several entropies such as rough entropy, Shannon entropy, Renyi entropy, Min entropy, Log Energy, entropy and several clustering methods such as K-Means segmentation, Fuzzy C-Means segmentation and improved Fuzzy CMeans clustering based on measure of medium truth degree are applied for segmentation of brain tumor MRI image and the result is compared and analyzed. Entropy and clustering methods are applied to segment the different parts of the image based on threshold. The proposed segmentation gives higher accuracy when compared with other methods like Region based segmentation, pixel based segmentation. Image accuracy is calculated using Peak Signal noise ratio (PSNR), Mean square error (MSE) for each entropy method and for each clustering method and the results show that Rough entropy gives better result for segmentation. Keywords-Filter, Rough Entropy, Shannon entropy, Renyi Entropy, Min Entropy, Log Energy Entropy, K-Means, Fuzzy C-Means, Improved Fuzzy C-Means Clustering, PSNR, MSE
Plasma membrane rafts play a critical role in HIV-1 assembly and release

HIV-1 particle production occurs in a series of steps promoted by the viral Gag protein. Although it is well established that assembly and release take place at the plasma membrane, the nature of membrane assembly sites remains poorly understood. We show here that Gag specifically associates with cholesterol-enriched microdomains (“rafts”) at the plasma membrane. Kinetic studies demonstrate that raft association follows membrane binding, and the analysis of Gag mutants reveals that, whereas the N terminus of Gag mediates raft binding, this association is greatly enhanced by Gag–Gag interaction domains. We observe that depletion of cellular cholesterol markedly and specifically reduces HIV-1 particle production. Furthermore, treatment of virus-producing cells or virus particles with raft-disrupting agents significantly impairs virus infectivity. These results identify the association of Gag with plasma membrane rafts as an important step in HIV-1 replication. These findings may lead to novel strategies for suppressing HIV-1 replication in vivo.
Induction of nitrogen-fixing nodules on clover requires only 32 kilobase pairs of DNA from the Rhizobium trifolii symbiosis plasmid

Overlapping subclones from the Rhizobium trifolii symbiosis plasmid pRt843a were generated by using in vivo and in vitro methods. Subclones were assayed for symbiotic phenotype by introducing them into a derivative of R. trifolii ANU843 cured of its symbiosis plasmid and testing the transconjugant strains for the ability to induce nitrogen-fixing nodules on clover. One subclone spanning 32 kilobase pairs (kb) of DNA from pRt843a was found to restore nitrogen fixation ability. This subclone included all known nodulation genes of R. trifolii ANU843 and the nitrogenase structural genes nifHDK. In addition, regions homologous to fixABC, nifA, nifB, nifE, and nifN genes of other nitrogen-fixing bacteria were identified in this 32-kb subclone by DNA-DNA hybridization. Transposon mutagenesis of this subclone confirmed that regions containing these nif and fix genes were required for induction of nitrogen-fixing nodules on clover. In addition, a region located 5 kb downstream of the nifK gene was found to be required for induction of nitrogen-fixing nodules. No homology to known nif and fix genes could be detected in this latter region.
The language of fishery management advice offered by ICES

Since the establishment of the Exclusive Economic Zones in the mid 1970s, several exploited fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic have been managed by total allowable catch (TAC). The advice on annual levels of TAC, as offered by ICES, has been given on certain assumptions as to what the objectives of the fishery management agencies might be. These objectives have seldom been stated explicitly by fishery management agencies, and the language of the advice has been subject to alternative interpretations. In particular, some terms, e.g. “safe biological limits” have given rise to disputes and doubts about their usefulness and true meaning. In this paper, we discuss the language of ICES’ advice, and offer some suggestions on how to improve communication between ICES and the relevant fishery management bodies, NGOs, and the public.
Community‐supported models of care for people on HIV treatment in sub‐Saharan Africa

Further scale‐up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to those in need while supporting the growing patient cohort on ART requires continuous adaptation of healthcare delivery models. We describe several approaches to manage stable patients on ART developed by Médecins Sans Frontières together with Ministries of Health in four countries in sub‐Saharan Africa.
Differentiation and hematopoietic-support of clonal cells in myelodysplastic syndromes

Studies were performed to obtain evidence of the differentiating and hematopoietic potential of marrow clone-original cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). First, results of correlation analysis between bone marrow clonal cells and blast percentages for a total of 60 MDS showed that almost all cases had higher clonal (mean 50.1%) than blast proportion (mean 7.0%) (p < 0.001). In contrast, in 16 AML patients, mean clone/blasts disparity was nearly zero. Secondly, the amount of clone-original individual cells were defined in mature hematopoietic cells, mean 47.9% in segmented granulocytes, 47.1% in orthochromatic normoblasts and 37.8% in mature megakaryocytes. In addition, FISH examination showed approximately similar proportions of clonal cells in peripheral blood and marrow for all 22 tested cases (mean 39.1% in blood vs 49.8% in marrow). Moreover, the neutrophils in MDS peripheral blood oxidized dihydrorhodamine123 (DHR) nearly the same as neutrophils in a normal donor's circulation, while obviously poor function was observed in neutrophils from AML blood. Of note, research on clonality had an unexpected outcome as most of the typical morphological dysplastic cells possessed normal karyotypes. These findings lead to the proposal that the biological features of MDS clones are distinctive from those of AML clones.
A novel inverse-magnetostrictive type pressure sensor with planar sensing inductor

In this study, a novel planar inductor to detect the pressure sensor is proposed. The planar inductor consists of planar coil and CoFeB films. The proposed sensor exploits the inverse-magnetostriction effect to change the permeability of the CoFeB film by pressure load. This permeability variation will further result in the inductance difference of the planar inductor. Consequently the relationship between the pressure and inductance can be obtained by the inductance measurement. To demonstrate the presented concept, prototype inverse-magnetostrictive type pressure sensors with planar sensing inductor (Al planar coil and CoFeB films) have been implemented and tested. Sensitivity measurements show the gauge factor of the novel pressure sensor is approximate 280. To support the proposed concept, the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements show the magnetic anisotropy of the CoFeB film (extracted from the hysteresis loops) is changed due to the applied pressure load.