Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experience of recovery and outcome following traumatic brain injury: a metasynthesis of qualitative research

Purpose. To explore the use of qualitative metasynthesis to inform debate on the selection of outcome measures for evaluation of services provided to adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method. Fifteen databases were searched for qualitative research published between 1965 and June 2009, investigating the lived experience of recovery following TBI acquired during adulthood. Two reviewers independently screened all abstracts. Included studies were evaluated using methodological criteria to provide a context for interpretation of substantive findings. Data were extracted and synthesised by three reviewers, using QSR NVivo to assist with data management. Results. From 23 studies, eight inter-related themes were identified to describe the enduring experience of TBI: 1) mind/body disconnect; 2) disconnect with pre-injury identity; 3) social disconnect; 4) emotional sequelae; 5) internal and external resources; 6) reconstruction of self-identity; 7) reconstruction of a place in the world; 8) reconstruction of personhood. Conclusion. Currently, there are outcome measures for some but not all of the issues identified in qualitative research on surviving TBI. In particular, new outcome measures may be required to evaluate experiences of loss of personal identity, satisfaction with reconstructed identity and sense of connection with one's body and one's life following TBI.
CCR6 is required for ligand-induced CatSper activation in human sperm

CatSper channel has been considered the principal sperm Ca2+ channel responsible for the cytosolic Ca2+ elevation required for various sperm functions necessary for fertilization [1–4]. However, the mechanism underlying the activation of CatSper channel by various physiological ligands remain incompletely understood. We have recently demonstrated the expression of C-C chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) in sperm and Ca2+ influx upon binding of human β-defensin 1 (DEFB1) to CCR6, which is important for sperm motility [5]. In the present study, we have demonstrated that CCR6 receptor and CatSper channel are both required for the Ca2+ entry/current induced by physiological ligands DEFB1, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20) and progesterone in human sperm. CCR6 is co-localized and interacts with CatSper in human sperm. Ca2+ influx mediated by CCR6 and CatSper is required for essential sperm functions, including motility, hyperactivation and acrosome reaction, which are impaired in infertile sperm showing reduced levels of CCR6 and CatSper. The present finding suggests a critical role of CCR6 receptor in mediating ligand-induced, CatSper-dependent Ca2+ influx required for various sperm functions and thus male fertility.
Information extraction in text mining

Text mining’s goal, simply put, is to derive information from text. Using multitudes of technologies from overlapping fields like Data Mining and Natural Language Processing we can yield knowledge from our text and facilitate other processing. Information Extraction (IE) plays a large part in text mining when we need to extract this data. In this survey we concern ourselves with general methods borrowed from other fields, with lower-level NLP techniques, IE methods, text representation models, and categorization techniques, and with specific implementations of some of these methods. Finally, with our new understanding of the field we can discuss a proposal for a system that combines WordNet, Wikipedia, and extracted definitions and concepts from web pages into a user-friendly search engine designed for topicspecific knowledge.
Lipooligosaccharide and Polysaccharide Capsule: Virulence Factors of Neisseria meningitidis That Determine Meningococcal Interaction with Human Dendritic Cells

ABSTRACT In this work we analyzed the roles of meningococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and capsule expression in the interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with human dendritic cells (DC). Infection of DC with serogroup B wild-type meningococci induced a strong burst of the proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8. In contrast, a serogroup B mutant strain lacking LOS expression barely led to cytokine induction, demonstrating that meningococcal LOS is the main mediator of the proinflammatory response in human DC. Sialylation of meningococcal LOS did not influence cytokine secretion by DC. However, we found the phagocytosis of N. meningitidis by human DC to be inhibited by LOS sialylation. In addition, the expression of the meningococcal serogroup A, B, and C capsules dramatically reduced DC adherence of N. meningitidis and phagocytosis to some extent. Hence, LOS sialylation and capsule expression are independent mechanisms protecting N. meningitidis from the phagocytic activity of human DC.
Évaluation des risques sanitaires chez les travailleurs exposés au styrène par la surveillance biologique de l’exposition professionnelle (SBEP)

Introduction : Le but de ce travail etait d’evaluer l’exposition professionnelle au styrene (neurotoxique et cancerogene suspecte) dans differents secteurs d’activite et d’identifier les facteurs influencant les niveaux d’exposition afin d’en degager des recommandations de prevention. Methode : Une surveillance biologique a ete realisee chez des travailleurs du polyester, des copolymeres et des garages. Cette surveillance consistait en 2 prelevements d’urine collectes en debut (DS) et fin de semaine (FS). Les acides mandelique et phenylglyoxylique urinaires ont ete analyses par Chromatographie Liquide a Haute Performance avec detecteur Ultra-Violet. Resultats : 273 prelevements urinaires ont ete collectes chez 137 travailleurs de 16 entreprises (87% du polyester). Les concentrations les plus elevees ont ete observees dans le secteur des polyesters, que ce soit en DS (max=199 mg.g-1 creatinine) ou en FS (max=1106 mg.g-1), avec des niveaux significativement superieurs (p<0,001) aux autres secteurs. Les procedes en moule ouvert etaient associes a des expositions plus importantes qu’en moule ferme, et notamment la projection simultanee. Les facteurs influencant les concentrations de FS etaient les niveaux de DS, le procede, la proximite de la source de pollution, le port de masque, la teneur en styrene et le type de moule. Conclusion : Alors que les expositions au styrene dans les copolymeres / garages sont faibles, elles restent elevees dans le secteur polyester, necessitant des ameliorations techniques (resines faiblement emissives, aspirations a la source), organisationnelles (eloignement des operateurs des zones de sechage des resines) qu’individuelles (port de masques).
A 2W CMOS Hybrid Switching Amplitude Modulator for EDGE Polar Transmitters

An amplitude modulator for class-E2 EDGE polar transmitters is fabricated in a 0.35mum CMOS process. This hybrid switching modulator consists of a class-D amplifier with a 2MHz switching frequency and a wideband buffered analog amplifier having low output impedance of 200mOmega at high frequency. It can drive an RF PA with an equivalent impedance of 4Omega up to maximum output power of 2.25W with a maximum efficiency of 88.3%. The chip area is 4.7mm2.
Relationship between avoidable hospitalizations for diabetes mellitus and income level.

BACKGROUND Acute diabetic emergencies are potentially avoidable or amenable to timely and effective outpatient therapy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and acute complications of diabetes mellitus in Ontario. METHODS We used a population-based cohort of persons with diabetes mellitus (N = 605 825) derived from hospital and physician service claims between April 1, 1992, and March 31, 1999. Socioeconomic status was estimated using neighborhood-level data from the 1996 Canadian Census. Outcome events were defined as 1 or more hospitalizations or emergency department visits for hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. RESULTS There was a clear inverse gradient between income level and event rates. Individuals in the lowest income quintile were 44% more likely to have an event than those in the highest quintile (16.4% vs 11.4%; P<.001) and had a greater propensity toward recurrent emergency department admissions (1.9 vs 1.6 episodes per patient; P<.001). The gradient was most marked in 45- to 64-year-olds (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69-1.82) and less apparent in children (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.99-1.13). The relationship between SES and events persisted after adjusting for age, sex, urban vs rural residence, comorbidity, frequency of physician visits, continuity of care, physician specialty, and geographic region (adjusted OR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.08-1.10] per quintile level). In contrast, admission rates for non-ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (appendicitis and hip fracture) were unaffected by SES. CONCLUSION Even when some economic barriers to accessing care are removed, patients from low-SES neighborhoods still experience an excess number of hospitalizations for conditions that should be prevented by optimal care in the ambulatory setting.
Passive smoking is associated with lower age at menopause

Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the age at menopause in women exposed to passive smoking. Methods The study was designed as a case–control study. The main outcome measure was to compare the age at menopause of women exposed to second-hand smoking to non-exposed women. Results The age at menopause in the group exposed to second-hand smoking was significantly lower than that of women in the non-exposed group (47.0 ± 4.7 vs. 48.1 ± 5.2 years, p = 0.002). In regression analyses, the age at menopause had an inverse correlation with second-hand smoking, and a positive correlation with the mother's age at menopause. We further stratified women according to their smoking status. Women exposed to second-hand smoking who had never smoked had a significantly lower age at menopause than the non-exposed women only when the duration of exposure exceeded 20 years (46.6 ± 5.6 vs. 48.4 ± 3.7 years, p = 0.008). Furthermore, women who had never smoked and who were exposed to ≥ 10 cigarettes per day had a significantly lower mean age at menopause than non-exposed women who had never smoked. These differences were not observed among women who had ever smoked. Conclusions Our findings suggest that earlier age at menopause should be added to the negative effects of passive smoking, in addition to increased risks for overall, cardiovascular and cancer mortality as well as increased risk for osteoporosis.
Relationship between periodontal condition and arterial properties in an adult population in Japan.

UNLABELLED Oral Diseases (2010) 16, 781-787 OBJECTIVE: This study addressed the relationship between periodontal condition and second derivative of the finger photoplethysmogram (SDPTG) in Japanese adults. SUBJECT AND METHODS The Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and SDPTG were recorded in 415 subjects (mean age: 44.0 years). For assessing SDPTG, we mainly focused on the ratio of the absolute value of the height of the early negative 'b' wave and ratio of the late re-decreasing 'd' wave to the height of the initial positive 'a' wave, namely the b/a and d/a ratios. RESULTS The CPI score was positively correlated with the b/a ratio (P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with the d/a ratio (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that subjects with CPI scores ≥ 3 were more likely to have a higher level (male > -0.69, female > -0.64) of b/a ratio (Odds ratio = 1.7, P = 0.026) and lower level (male ≤ -0.29, female ≤ -0.32) of d/a ratio (Odds ratio = 2.2, P =0.001) than those with CPI scores 0-2, after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, pulse rate and presence of hypertension. CONCLUSION There was a statistical association between the CPI scores and SDPTG indices in Japanese adults.
The Ground State of Innate Immune Responsiveness Is Determined at the Interface of Genetic, Epigenetic, and Environmental Influences

Monocytes and macrophages form the major cellular component of the innate immune system, with roles in tissue development, homeostasis, and host defense against infection. Environmental factors were shown to play a significant part in determining innate immune responsiveness, and this included systemic conditions, such as circulating glucose levels, gut microflora, time of year, and even diurnal rhythm, which had a direct impact on innate immune receptor expression. Although the underlying molecular processes are just beginning to emerge, it is clear that environmental factors may alter epigenetic states of peripheral blood monocytes and resident tissue macrophages. We conclude that some measure of cellular ground state must become an essential part of the analysis of myeloid responsiveness or infectious susceptibility.
The N-terminal End of Nebulin Interacts with Tropomodulin at the Pointed Ends of the Thin Filaments*

Strict regulation of actin thin filament length is critical for the proper functioning of sarcomeres, the basic contractile units of myofibrils. It has been hypothesized that a molecular template works with actin filament capping proteins to regulate thin filament lengths. Nebulin is a giant protein (∼800 kDa) in skeletal muscle that has been proposed to act as a molecular ruler to specify the thin filament lengths characteristic of different muscles. Tropomodulin (Tmod), a pointed end thin filament capping protein, has been shown to maintain the final length of the thin filaments. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the N-terminal end of nebulin colocalizes with Tmod at the pointed ends of thin filaments. The three extreme N-terminal modules (M1-M2-M3) of nebulin bind specifically to Tmod as demonstrated by blot overlay, bead binding, and solid phase binding assays. These data demonstrate that the N terminus of the nebulin molecule extends to the extreme end of the thin filament and also establish a novel biochemical function for this end. Two Tmod isoforms, erythrocyte Tmod (E-Tmod), expressed in embryonic and slow skeletal muscle, and skeletal Tmod (Sk-Tmod), expressed late in fast skeletal muscle differentiation, bind on overlapping sites to recombinant N-terminal nebulin fragments. Sk-Tmod binds nebulin with higher affinity than E-Tmod does, suggesting that the Tmod/nebulin interaction exhibits isoform specificity. These data provide evidence that Tmod and nebulin may work together as a linked mechanism to control thin filament lengths in skeletal muscle.
Effects of static magnetic fields on the growth of various types of human cells

The effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) on the proliferation of various types of human cells were determined. All cultures were maintained at 37 °C throughout the experiment. SMF was generated by placing two magnets oppositely oriented on either side of a T25 flask. The flux density in the flask ranged from 35 to 120 mT. Growth curves were constructed by plotting cell number at 18 h and 4, 7, 11, and 14 days after seeding, with the 18‐h point being a measure of attachment efficiency. Exposure to SMF significantly decreased initial attachment of fibroblasts and decreased subsequent growth compared to sham‐exposed control. Significant effects were observed in both fetal lung (WI‐38) and adult skin fibroblasts, but they were generally larger in the fetal lung fibroblast line. SMF did not affect attachment of human melanoma cells, but inhibited their growth by 20% on day 7. SMF produced no effects in a human adult stem cell line. Oxidant production increased 37% in WI‐38 cells exposed to SMF (230–250 mT) during the first 18 h after seeding, when cell attachment occurs. Conversely, no elevation in oxidant levels was observed after a prolonged 5‐day exposure. These results indicate that exposure to SMF has significant biological effects in some, but not all types of human cells. Bioelectromagnetics 32:140–147, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interference by antiruthenium antibodies in the Roche thyroid-stimulating hormone assay

There are many causes of interference in immunoassays causing erratic patient results. A method-specific interference due to antiruthenium antibodies in Roche free thyroxine (fT4) and free triiodothyronine (fT3) assays has been described previously. As a result, a new generation fT4 assay has been introduced by Roche. We describe six cases of interference due to antiruthenium antibodies, where in four cases interference in the Roche thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) assay was found as well. This raised the question as to whether other assays on this platform would also give incorrect results in patients with antiruthenium antibodies. Interference due to antiruthenium antibodies was suspected because of discrepancies between clinical presentation and/or TSH, fT4 and fT3 results. Samples of these six patients were re-analysed in Roche Diagnostics Laboratory, where it was demonstrated that the found discrepancies were indeed caused by interfering antiruthenium antibodies. Subsequently, these patients were asked to donate some blood once more for further evaluation, and three subjects agreed to participate. Their plasma was used to assay 18 analytes on Modular E and on a ruthenium-independent platform. The results were compared taking into account the known differences between distinct methods. As expected, significant interference was found in TSH. Also, in the new generation fT4 assay, ruthenium-induced interference was still present. However, the other assays, both competitive and immunometric, did not show clear interference. We therefore conclude that although antiruthenium antibodies theoretically can interfere in all assays on the Modular E platform, this kind of interference is found in the thyroid hormone assays, without marked interference in the other assays.
A Collaborative Filtering Based Social Recommender System for E-Commerce

—Social commerce based on relations is developing rapidly in recent years and the personalized recommender systems make the contribution. Based on the traditional collaborative filtering (CF) algorithm, this study proposes a social recommender systems that combing preference similarity, reputation-based trust and social relations between users. Using the real data from Epinions.com, we compared it with other five systems to evaluate its performance. The experimental results shows that the new recommender systems is quite promising in terms of mean absolute error (MAE), prediction precision, and recommendation precision compared to the traditional ones.
Human Vitreous Penetration of Imipenem

The purpose of this study was to determine imipenem concentrations in vitreous humor of non-infected human eyes. Ten patients undergoing vitrectomy were infused with a single dose of either 0.5g (5 patients) or 1g (5 patients) of imipenem. Vitreous humor was withdrawn 2 or 4 hours after the end of the infusion. Results differed in relation to the dose. After 0.5g, vitreous levels were stable (approximately 0.20 mg/l), but after 1g they were significantly higher (approximately 2 mg/l). These levels were above the minimum inhibitory concentration of imipenem for 90% (MIC 90) of the main species responsible for endophthalmitis.
A Resource Class Independent Deadlock Detection Algorithm

A method of detecting deadlocks among processes which can be suspended due to contention for any class of resource is described. Three classes of resources are described, uniquely-named resources such as Locks, M of N resources such as Teleprocessing Sessions or Magnetic Tape Drives, and Poolresources such as variable length storage pools. By using boolean expressions to describe how a process, suspended due to resource conflict, can have its request satisfied by resources released by other processes, the deadlock detection algorithm is independent of resource tables. The algorithm produces a set of potential 'victims' which can break all the detected deadlocks. A deadlock resolution algorithm based choosing the "least costly" process in deadlock is proposed.
The Relationship Between Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: Evidence From A Structural Break Analysis For Turkey

In this study the aim was to investigate empirically the role of energy consumption in economic growth for the Turkish economy. The data used include annual energy consumption and economic growth series from 1960 to 2008. We used aggregate as well as various disaggregate data on energy consumption, including, oil, electricity, coal and renewable energy. Our contribution is that we take a structural breaks modeling approach in this paper. In the literature, the Kejriwal cointegration test has not been applied to date. The main conclusion of the study was that Turkey’s energy consumption and economic growth has a positive relationship varying quantity with structural breaks.
Cingulate cortex of the rhesus monkey: II. Cortical afferents

Cortical projections to subdivisions of the cingulate cortex in the rhesus monkey were analyzed with horseradish peroxidase and tritiated amino acid tracers. These projections were evaluated in terms of an expanded cytoarchitectural scheme in which areas 24 and 23 were divided into three ventrodorsal parts, i.e., areas 24a–c and 23a–c.
Trends in cancer incidence in rural Eastern Cape Province; South Africa, 1998–2012

There are few cancer trend data reported in sub‐Saharan Africa notably due to the scarcity of population‐based cancer registries (PBCRs). The Eastern Cape Province PBCR is amongst the few registries in sub‐Saharan Africa that reports data for a rural population. Trends in cancer incidence are reported for the period 1998–2012. Registered cases, age‐standardized rates (ASRs) and standardized rate ratios are presented for the most common cancers in both males and females in three periods (1998–2002, 2003–2007 and 2008–2012). In males, the most commonly diagnosed cancer during the 15 year period was cancer of the oesophagus; incidence rates showed a significant decline over the 15 year period, entirely due to a 30% decrease between 2003–2007 and 2008–2012, to an ASR of 23.2 per 100,000 population. This was followed by prostate cancer, the incidence of which was more than doubled to a level of 9.9/100,000. In women, cancer of the cervix uteri has become the most common malignancy, with a significant increase in incidence during the period to 29.0/100,000. Oesophageal cancer is second in frequency, with (as in males) a significant decline in the final 10 years to an incidence of 14.5/100,000 in 2008–2012. The incidence of breast cancer increased by 61%, although the absolute rate remains low (12.2/100,000). The incidence rates of colorectal cancer are low, and the increases in incidence, although relatively large (35% in men, 63% in women) were not statistically significant. Kaposi sarcoma showed a dramatic increase in incidence in both sexes (3.5‐fold in men, 11‐fold in women) although the incidence remains relatively low by southern African standards. Cancer prevention and control activities in the area need to be informed by these data and strengthened.