Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomised controlled trial comparing ProSeal laryngeal mask airway, i-gel and Laryngeal Tube Suction-D under general anaesthesia for elective surgical patients requiring controlled ventilation

Background and Aims: The ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway (PLMA), i-gel™ and Laryngeal Tube Suction-D (LTS-D™) have previously been evaluated alone or in pair-wise comparisons but differing study designs make it difficult to compare the results. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical performance of these three devices in terms of efficacy and safety in patients receiving mechanical ventilation during elective surgical procedures. Methods: This prospective, randomised, double-blind study was conducted on 150 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II patients, randomly allocated into 3 groups, undergoing elective surgical procedures under general anaesthesia. PLMA, i-gel™ or LTS-D™ appropriate for weight or/and height was inserted. Primary outcome measured was airway sealing pressure. Insertion time, ease of insertion, number of attempts, overall success rate and the incidence of airway trauma and complications were also recorded. Intergroup differences were compared using one-way analysis of variance with post hoc correction for continuous data and Chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: Overall success rate was comparable between the three devices (i-gel™ 100%, LTS-D™ 94%, PLMA 96%). Airway sealing pressure was lower with i-gel™ (23.38 ± 2.06 cm H2O) compared to LTS-D™ (26.06 ± 2.11 cm H2O) and PLMA (28.5 ± 2.8 cm H2O; P < 0.0005). The mean insertion time was significantly more in PLMA (38.77 ± 3.2 s) compared to i-gel™ (27.9 ± 2.53 s) and LTS-D™ (21.66 ± 2.31 s; P < 0.0005). Conclusion: Airway sealing pressure and insertion time were significantly higher in PLMA compared to i-gel™ and LTS-D™.
APIS - A Web-based System for PSP/TSP

A useful supporting tool is very important to the success of PSP/TSP adoption. Based upon our experience, we summarize the requirements of a useful PSP/TSP supporting tool as follows: 1) support all phases of the PSP/TSP completely; 2) record and use historical data easily; 3) support teamwork effectively; and 4) provide team data in real time, enabling the PSP/TSP coach to see the process data at any time. In this paper, we propose a web-based PSP/TSP supporting tool, APIS (Advanced Process Improvement Solution). This tool meets all of the requirements stated above. APIS was deployed in SaaS (Software as a Service) manner, and users can rent software through the Internet. APIS has been used in more than thirty projects, and we have received a lot of positive feedback.
High mitochondrial mass identifies a sub-population of stem-like cancer cells that are chemo-resistant

Chemo-resistance is a clinical barrier to more effective anti-cancer therapy. In this context, cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are thought to be chemo-resistant, resulting in tumor recurrence and distant metastasis. Our hypothesis is that chemo-resistance in CSCs is driven, in part, by enhanced mitochondrial function. Here, we used breast cell lines and metastatic breast cancer patient samples to begin to dissect the role of mitochondrial metabolism in conferring the CSC phenotype. More specifically, we employed fluorescent staining with MitoTracker (MT) to metabolically fractionate these cell lines into mito-high and mito-low sub-populations, by flow-cytometry. Interestingly, cells with high mitochondrial mass (mito-high) were specifically enriched in a number of known CSC markers, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, and they were ESA+/CD24-/low and formed mammospheres with higher efficiency. Large cell size is another independent characteristic of the stem cell phenotype; here, we observed a >2-fold increase in mitochondrial mass in large cells (>12-μm), relative to the smaller cell population (4–8-μm). Moreover, the mito-high cell population showed a 2.4-fold enrichment in tumor-initiating cell activity, based on limiting dilution assays in murine xenografts. Importantly, primary human breast CSCs isolated from patients with metastatic breast cancer or a patient derived xenograft (PDX) also showed the co-enrichment of ALDH activity and mitochondrial mass. Most significantly, our investigations demonstrated that mito-high cells were resistant to paclitaxel, resulting in little or no DNA damage, as measured using the comet assay. In summary, increased mitochondrial mass in a sub-population of breast cancer cells confers a stem-like phenotype and chemo-resistance. As such, our current findings have important clinical implications for over-coming drug resistance, by therapeutically targeting the mito-high CSC population.
Preparation and Characterization of beta-Carotene Encapsulated Chitosan, Oleic Acid Coated Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

In this work β-Carotene encapsulated Chitosan, oleic acid coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by modifying solvent displacement technique. Nanoparticles containing β-carotene were produced by interfacial deposition of the metal oxide/polymer nanocomposite, due to the displacement of acetone from the dispersed phase. Tween 20 is used as the stabilizing agent. β-carotene was entrapped in the metal oxide/polymeric matrix. Particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), UV-Visible spectroscopy (Uv-Vis), optical microscope (OM). Entrapment efficiency was calculated and In-Vitro release study has been done. KeywordsAnti oxidant, β-carotene, chitosan, oleic acid, nanoparticles.t
Anatomy of human mitral valve in adult cadaver and comparative anatomy of the valve.

SUMMARY A comparative anatomical study of the mitral ring and the 2 major mitral cusps of 12 adult mammals, including man, has been made. Two 25 mm thick sections of 2 adult human thoraces were cut to show the position and orientation of the adult mitral valve as it lies in the chest of the cadaver. Thin sections of hearts and valves were prepared so that the structure and basal attachments ofthe cusps could be examined microscopically. In
Understanding Knowledge-Sharing in Online Communities of Practice

: Information Technology is no longer regarded solely as a repository within knowledge management but also as a collaborative tool. This change of role gives rise to online communities (OLCs), which extend the loci of existing communities of practice. To leverage the potential of these communities, organisations must understand the mechanisms underpinning members’ decisions to share knowledge and expertise within the community. This paper discusses existing research and develops a theoretical model of factors that affect knowledge sharing in OLCs. The aim is to increase our understanding of the antecedents to knowledge-sharing in OLCs.
Study of the Antimicrobial Activity of Aminoreductone against Pathogenic Bacteria in Comparison with Other Antibiotics

Antimicrobial activities of aminoreductone (AR), a product formed in the initial stage of Maillard reaction, were screened against pathogenic bacteria. A significant growth inhibition of AR against all 7 isolates (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC® 25923 TM, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC® 14028 TM, Bacillus cereus ATCC® 13061TM, Bacillus subtilis ATCC® 11774 TM, Escherichia coli ATCC® 25922 TM, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC® 29212 TM, Listeria innocua ATCC® 33090 TM) were observed by the standard disc diffusion methods. The inhibition zone for each isolate by AR (2.5 mg) ranged from 15±0mm to 28.3±0.4mm in diameter. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AR ranging from 20mM to 26mM was proven in the 7 isolates tested. AR also showed the similar effect of growth inhibition in comparison with antibiotics frequently used for the treatment of infections bacteria, such as amikacin, ciprofloxacin, meropennem and levofloxacin. The results indicated that foods containing AR are valuable sources of bioactive compounds towards pathogenic bacteria. (Resume d'auteur)
Using application understanding to support impact analysis

Any change to one component of a software system is likely to be felt in other components, a phenomenon known as ‘ripple effect’. Impact analysis is the process of identifying all those components of a system which may be affected by ripple effect. This requires a knowledge of the dependencies between components. A software system consists not only of the source code, but also of all life cycle work products including requirements, design and test documents. Any of these components may be the subject of a change request, and should therefore be included in impact analysis. The ripple propagation graph (RPG) for impact analysis, developed as part of the AMES (Application Management Environments and Support) project, models an application in such a way that dependencies can be traced in order to identify all affected components. It is an object-relationship model consisting of the components of a system at some level of granularity, and the various relationships between them. This paper describes the AMES RPG, and how the results of the application understanding (AU) toolset, developed (again as part of the AMES project) to support the process of gaining an understanding of an application, can be used to provide some of the data required to populate the RPG. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SERUM LIPIDS IN INSULIN‐DEPENDENT DIABETICS ARE MARKEDLY ALTERED BY DIETARY FISH OILS

1. The effect of dietary fish oil supplementation on serum lipids was examined in normolipidaemic insulin‐dependent male diabetics and healthy controls. Fish oil was given as Max eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 15 g daily (equivalent to 2.7 g/day of EPA) for 3 weeks.
Model‐Supported Development of CS‐8635: A Fixed‐Dose Combination of Olmesartan, Amlodipine, and Hydrochlorothiazide

CS‐8635, a fixed‐dose triple combination of olmesartan, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide, was developed to address the growing need for additional blood pressure (BP) reduction in patients not controlled with dual‐combination therapies. Prior to Phase III, modeling and simulation (M&S) was conducted to estimate the additional BP lowering effect of CS‐8635 compared to the respective dual combinations. The Phase III study evaluated CS‐8635 BP lowering effects only at the highest dose strength among the five dose strengths to be developed. Post‐trial M&S was performed using an integrated dataset from three Phase III programs; CS‐8635 plus two prior dual combinations. M&S robustly estimated and described the BP lowering effects of CS‐8635 evaluated in a clinical setting. Furthermore, M&S evaluated BP lowering effects of the additional four dose strengths not studied. In summary, M&S aided the development of the clinical study and full characterization of the BP lowering effects of CS‐8635 across intermediate doses.
Regional Variation in 30-Day Ischemic Stroke Outcomes for Medicare Beneficiaries Treated in Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Hospitals

Background— We explored regional variation in 30-day ischemic stroke mortality and readmission rates and the extent to which regional differences in patients, hospitals, healthcare resources, and a quality of care composite care measure explain the observed variation. Methods and Results— This ecological analysis aggregated patient and hospital characteristics from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke registry (2007–2011), healthcare resource data from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care (2006), and Medicare fee-for-service data on 30-day mortality and readmissions (2007–2011) to the hospital referral region (HRR) level. We used linear regression to estimate adjusted HRR-level 30-day outcomes, to identify HRR-level characteristics associated with 30-day outcomes, and to describe which characteristics explained variation in 30-day outcomes. The mean adjusted HRR-level 30-day mortality and readmission rates were 10.3% (SD=1.1%) and 13.1% (SD=1.1%), respectively; a modest, negative correlation (r=−0.17; P=0.003) was found between one another. Demographics explained more variation in readmissions than mortality (25% versus 6%), but after accounting for demographics, comorbidities accounted for more variation in mortality compared with readmission rates (17% versus 7%). The combination of hospital characteristics and healthcare resources explained 11% and 16% of the variance in mortality and readmission rates, beyond patient characteristics. Most of the regional variation in mortality (65%) and readmission (50%) rates remained unexplained. Conclusions— Thirty-day mortality and readmission rates vary substantially across HRRs and exhibit an inverse relationship. While regional variation in 30-day outcomes were explained by patient and hospital factors differently, much of the regional variation in both outcomes remains unexplained.
A climatological study of evapotranspiration and moisture stress across the continental United States based on thermal remote sensing: 1. Model formulation

[1] Due to the influence of evaporation on land-surface temperature, thermal remote sensing data provide valuable information regarding the surface moisture status. The Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model uses the morning surface temperature rise, as measured from a geostationary satellite platform, to deduce surface energy and water fluxes at 5–10 km resolution over the continental United States. Recent improvements to the ALEXI model are described. Like most thermal remote sensing models, ALEXI is constrained to work under clear-sky conditions when the surface is visible to the satellite sensor, often leaving large gaps in the model output record. An algorithm for estimating fluxes during cloudy intervals is presented, defining a moisture stress function relating the fraction of potential evapotranspiration obtained from the model on clear days to estimates of the available water fraction in the soil surface layer and root zone. On cloudy days, this stress function is inverted to predict the soil and canopy fluxes. The method is evaluated using flux measurements representative at the watershed scale acquired in central Iowa with a dense flux tower network during the Soil Moisture Experiment of 2002 (SMEX02). The gap-filling algorithm reproduces observed fluxes with reasonable accuracy, yielding ∼20% errors in ET at the hourly timescale, and 15% errors at daily timesteps. In addition, modeled soil moisture shows reasonable response to major precipitation events. This algorithm is generic enough that it can easily be applied to other thermal energy balance models. With gap-filling, the ALEXI model can estimate hourly surface fluxes at every grid cell in the U.S. modeling domain in near real-time. A companion paper presents a climatological evaluation of ALEXI-derived evapotranspiration and moisture stress fields for the years 2002–2004.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms and risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children.

INTRODUCTION Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a critical enzyme in folate metabolism and is involved in DNA synthesis, DNA repair and DNA methylation. Genetic polymorphisms of this enzyme have been shown to impact several diseases, including cancer. Leukemias are malignancies arising from rapidly proliferating hematopoietic cells having great requirement of DNA synthesis. This case-control study was undertaken to analyze the association of the MTHFR gene polymorphisms 677 C"T and 1298 A"C and the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-six patients aged below 15 years with a confirmed diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 99 matched controls were taken for this study. Analysis of the polymorphisms was done using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. RESULTS Frequency of MTHFR 677 CC and CT were 85.9% and 14.1% in the controls, and 84.9% and 15.1% in the cases. The 'T' allele frequency was 7% and 7.5% in cases and controls respectively. The frequency of MTHFR 1298 AA, AC, and CC were 28.3%, 55.6% and 16.1% for controls and 23.3%, 59.3% and 17.4% for cases respectively. The 'C' allele frequency for 1298 A-->C was 43.9% and 47% respectively for controls and cases. The odds ratio (OR) for C677T was 1.08 (95% CI 0.48-2.45, p = 0.851) and OR for A1298C was 1.29 (95% CI 0.65-2.29, p = 0.46) and OR for 1298 CC was 1.31 (95% CI 0.53-3.26, p = 0.56). The OR for the combined heterozygous status (677 CT and 1298 AC) was 1.94 (95% CI 0.58-6.52, p = 0.286). CONCLUSION The prevalence of 'T' allele for 677 MTHFR polymorphism was low in the population studied. There was no association between MTHFR 677 C-->T and 1298 A-->C gene polymorphisms and risk of ALL, which may be due to the small sample size.
Stock Market Investing Using Neural Networks

The fundamental hypothesis of this paper is that certain trends exist in stock market data that, if properly recognized, could be used to invest well on certain stocks. This paper details an attempt to apply neural networks to stock market investing, in order to create an agent that can learn to invest profitably in certain stocks. To accomplish this, a classification scheme is developed which maps certain stock closing price patterns to future movements in the price of the stock. A neural network is trained on this data, with the hope of identifying certain patterns in the data not obvious to human analysts. Finally, the output of the neural network is coupled with high-level decision rules to direct the agent when to buy or sell for given input data. As a result of these efforts, an agent is developed which makes a profit when investing upon the stocks given it in this project.
Modeling Slotted Aloha of WBAN in Non-Saturated Conditions

The IEEE 802.15. 6 is a communication standard for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). This standard includes a prioritized slotted Aloha as a choice for medium access control. This protocol is different from the traditional version as it has integral considerations for certain priorities of users. It attempts to resolve collision by halving the probability of retransmission, lower bounded by to a minimum, in the alternate slots to follow. In this paper, we present an analytical model to compute the non-saturated throughput of this protocol in the presence of finite number of nodes. The model is validated against simulation.
Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of circulating blood dendritic cell precursors and T cells predicts response to extracorporeal photopheresis in patients with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease

BACKGROUND: One proposed mechanism of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in reducing chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGVHD) is alteration in numbers of circulating dendritic cells (DCs). This hypothesis was tested by correlating numbers of DC precursors and T cells in the blood before and during ECP therapy with response of cGVHD.
Type a Personality, Stress, and Job Satisfaction in Police Officers

Recent research has indicated that self-reported stress is related to job satisfaction in police officers (Lester, et al., in press). The behaviors labelled as Type A, which have been found to be associated with a high risk of heart attack, appear to be relevant to self-perceptions of stress, and so this study investigated their association with job satisfaction. Twenty patrolmen and 16 supervisors (primarily white) in a police department completed the Job Descriptive Index (Smith, et al., 1975), an inventory to measure Type A behavior (Goldberg, 1978), and a self-evaluation of stress questionnaire (Willcher, 1980). Their mean age was 33.3 yr. (SD = 8.1), with 10.0 yr. of police experience (SD = 6.8): Scores on the Type A and the stress questionnaires were not associated (product moment 7 = 0.08). Ectomorphy scores were calculated by dividing the height of each man by the cube root of his weight. The more ectomorphic men reported less stress ( r = -0.40, two-tailed p < 0.05) and less Type A behavior (r -0.33, P < 0.05). The taller men also reported less Type A behavior ( r -0.36, p < 0.05). Age and years of police experience were unrelated to job satisfaction, reported stress, and Type A behaviors. Type A behavior was negatively associated with satisfaction with pay ( r -0.38, p < 0.05) but unrelated to satisfaction with work ( r = -0.18), with supervisors ( r = -0.18), and with promotions (-0.24). Self-evaluated stress was not associated with satisfaction with work ( r = -0.23), with supervisors ( r = -0.05), with promotions ( r = 0.12), or with pay ( r = -0.17). These results indicate little evidence for an association between Type A behaviors and job satisfaction in police officers.
12 Impact of Urban Air Pollution on Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

Marcos Abdo Arbex1,3,4, Silvia Leticia Santiago3, Elisangela Providello Moyses3, Luiz Alberto Pereira1,2, Paulo Hilário Saldiva1 and Alfésio Luís Ferreira Braga1,2 1Environmental Epidemiology Study Group, Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, Pathology Department, University of São Paulo Faculty of Medical Science, 2Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Group, Collective Health Post-graduation Program, Catholic University of Santos 3Internal Medicine Post-graduation Program, Federal University of São Paulo Medical School, 4Pulmonology Division, Internal Medicine Department, Araraquara University Center Medical School, Araraquara Brazil
A Wideband Circularly Polarized Cross-Dipole Antenna

This letter introduces a wideband circularly polarized (CP) cross-dipole antenna fabricated on a double-layered printed circuit board (PCB) substrate for 2.45-GHz ISM band wireless communications. Unlike conventional cross-dipole antennas, the proposed cross dipole is designed with wide open ends such that both impedance and axial-ratio (AR) bandwidths are enhanced. In addition, to excite the CP radiation effectively, a curved-delay line providing an orthogonal phase difference among the cross-dipole elements is attached at the corners of the sequentially rotated elements. By choosing a proper radius of the curved-delay line, a wide input impedance of the antenna can be realized. The antenna is center-fed by a 50- Ω coaxial cable and is placed above a square reflector to obtain a directional CP radiation pattern. With the advantage of centered feed, symmetric CP radiation patterns can be achieved across the entire operating bandwidth. Simulated and measured results confirm the proposed antenna produced good CP characteristics. An impedance bandwidth (for VSWR ≤ 2) of about 50.2% (1.99-3.22 GHz) and the 3-dB AR bandwidth of about 27% (2.30-2.9 GHz) around the center frequency of 2.45 GHz were measured. The antenna has an average CP gain of 6.2 dBic across the operating bandwidth and the maximum gain of 6.8 dBic at the center frequency. The size of antenna is 0. 45λ×0. 45λ×0. 24λ.
Radiation Effects in MOS Oxides

Electronic devices in space environments can contain numerous types of oxides and insulators. Ionizing radiation can induce significant charge buildup in these oxides and insulators leading to device degradation and failure. Electrons and protons in space can lead to radiation-induced total-dose effects. The two primary types of radiation-induced charge are oxide-trapped charge and interface-trap charge. These charges can cause large radiation-induced threshold voltage shifts and increases in leakage currents. Two alternate dielectrics that have been investigated for replacing silicon dioxide are hafnium oxides and reoxidized nitrided oxides (RNO). For advanced technologies, which may employ alternate dielectrics, radiation-induced voltage shifts in these insulators may be negligible. Radiation-induced charge buildup in parasitic field oxides and in SOI buried oxides can also lead to device degradation and failure. Indeed, for advanced commercial technologies, the total-dose hardness of ICs is normally dominated by radiation-induced charge buildup in either parasitic field oxides and/or SOI buried oxides. Heavy ions in space can also degrade the oxides in electronic devices through several different mechanisms including single-event gate rupture, reduction in device lifetime, and large voltage shifts in power MOSFETs.