Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic evaluation of neutral-pH, low-glucose degradation product peritoneal dialysis solutions compared with standard solutions: a secondary analysis of the balANZ Trial.

BACKGROUND Biocompatible solutions may lower peritonitis rates, but are more costly than conventional solutions. The aim of the present study was to assess the additional costs and health outcomes of biocompatible over conventional solutions in incident peritoneal dialysis patients to guide practice decisions. STUDY DESIGN Secondary economic evaluation of a randomized controlled trial. SETTING & POPULATION 185 participants in the balANZ trial. MODEL, PERSPECTIVE, & TIMEFRAME Cost-effectiveness of biocompatible compared to standard solution over the 2 years using an Australian health care funder perspective. INTERVENTION Intervention group received biocompatible solutions and control group received standard solutions over 2 years. OUTCOMES Costs included dialysis charges, costs of treating peritonitis, non-peritonitis-related hospital stays, and medication. Peritonitis was the health outcome of interest; incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were reported in terms of the additional cost per additional patient avoiding peritonitis at 2 years. RESULTS Mean total per-patient costs were A$57,451 and A$53,930 for the biocompatible and standard-solution groups, respectively. The base-case analysis indicated an incremental cost of A$17,804 per additional patient avoiding peritonitis at 2 years for biocompatible compared to standard solution. In a sensitivity analysis excluding extreme outliers for non-peritonitis-related hospitalizations, mean per-patient costs were A$49,159 and A$52,009 for the biocompatible and standard-solution groups, respectively. Consequently, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio also was reduced significantly: biocompatible solution became both less costly and more effective than standard solution and, in economic terms, was dominant over standard solution. LIMITATIONS Peritonitis was a secondary outcome of the balANZ trial. Health outcomes measured only in terms of patients avoiding peritonitis over 2 years may underestimate the longer term benefits (eg, prolonged technique survival). CONCLUSIONS Biocompatible dialysis solutions may offer a cost-effective alternative to standard solutions for peritoneal dialysis patients. Reductions in peritonitis-related hospital costs may offset the higher costs of biocompatible solution.
Polycythemia Rubra Vera and Pregnancy

Polycythemia rubra vera is a rare complication of pregnancy. Only 13 pregnancies occurring in eight women have been reported. The maternal outcome is uniformly good except for an apparent association of pregnancy-induced hypertension. The perinatal outcome is poor and is due to the frequent occurrence of abortion, preterm delivery, and stillbirth. The etiology of the disease is discussed along with symptoms and diagnostic criteria. A young woman who successfully negotiated two pregnancies is presented. Guidelines for hematologic monitoring and management during pregnancy and the early puerperium are proposed.
A 2-D numerical study of microscale phase change material thermal storage for GaN transistor thermal management

A novel thermal management technology was explored to lower the peak temperature associated with high power GaN transistors in pulse application. The technology involves the use of an embedded microscale PCM heat storage device within the chip (near the active channels of the GaN device), which effectively increases the heat capacity of the material by taking advantage of the latent heat of the PCM. In this study, 2-D transient thermal models were developed to characterize the thermal behavior of GaN transistors with micro-scale PCM heat storage device. The model is capable of computing the spatial-temporal temperature distribution of the GaN transistor as it is rapidly pulsed and captures the formation and evolution of hot spots that form within the device. The model also captures the PCM melting behavior and latent heat absorption during the transient. The use of a PCM can effectively control the hot spot temperature by absorbing a significant portion of the transient heat input. As shown in this modeling study, the use of PCM heat storage in GaN transistors reduces the GaN hot spot temperature for a given heat input. Alternatively, the maximum allowable GaN heat input can be increased with the use of PCM. At a given heat input flux of 5×105 W/cm2, for example, the use of PCM heat storage can lower the peak temperature by 21∼22°C, relative to transistors without PCM (baseline), regardless of the duty cycle ratio. In addition, a transistor with PCM heat storage can accommodate much higher joule heat generation without exceeding the maximum allowable temperature limit, 180°C. In this study, the modeling results show that by integrating a PCM that has a 140°C melting point in a 5μm×6μm groove configuration, the critical heat flux can be increased from 13.34×105 W/cm2 (baseline) to 16.8×105 W/cm2 (with PCM), a 26% improvement. Key PCM design parameters were identified in this modeling study: (1) PCM amount; (2) PCM melting point; and (3) PCM groove structure. Their coupling and the impact on design optimization require further investigation.
Change detection based on color edges

This paper discusses a novel approach for change detection robust to illumination variations. The proposed technique makes use of a color edge detection scheme applied to the difference between a current and a reference image. Simulation results and comparisons to techniques in literature are reported and show that the proposed scheme offers a good detection performance, while providing robustness to illumination variations.
Lipid metabolism in the pancreatic beta-cell. Implications for insulin secretion.

We have investigated the role of lipid metabolism with regard to beta-cell function and insulin secretion. Lipids are known to play a crucial functional role in the pancreatic beta-cell, where they are essential for adequate hormone release, but may also exert a long-term toxic effect, leading to beta-cell dysfunction. Our studies in mice, where insulin resistance and glucose intolerance was induced by high fat diet, showed that beta-cells compensate by increasing mitochondrial mass and hence shift oxidation from glucose to other fuels, such as amino acids and free fatty acids. This process is likely a means to maintain euglycemia, and if it fails diabetes will evolve. We have studied the consequences of a targeted inactivation of a key enzyme in lipolysis: hormone sensitive lipase (HSL). To this end, both a global knock out of HSL and a beta-cell specific KO of the enzyme (beta-HSL KO) were created. In theory, disruption of HSL could cause an accumulation of lipids, inducing cellular toxicity, as well as having an effect on overall energy homeostasis. Additionally, insulin secretion from beta-cells could be compromised due to abrogation of an essential lipid signal normally provided by HSL. In the global KO of HSL, we found that ablation of HSL causes insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and liver; accumulation of diglyceride was observed in adipose tissue. However, lack of HSL did not have an effect on insulin secretion in the global KO mouse of HSL. This may be due to compensatory mechanisms. By contrast, in our beta-HSL KO, an ablation of the protein made a strong impact on insulin secretion both in vivo and in vitro. beta-HSL KO mice were hyperglycemic, and the first phase of insulin secretion was selectively affected. Furthermore, an increase in adipose mass in beta-HSL KO mice, accompanied by a rise in plasma leptin levels, as well as increased peripheral insulin sensitivity, indicates crosstalk between tissues involved in metabolic control. We hereby conclude that HSL is a key enzyme in overall glucose homeostasis. Its pivotal role may be attributed to the provision of lipid-derived signals essential for control of insulin release. (Less)
An Energy-Efficient Sensor Routing with low latency, scalability in Wireless Sensor Networks

Energy efficiency, low latency, scalability are important requirements for wireless sensor networks. Specially, because sensor nodes are usually battery powered, and highly resource constrained, energy- efficient routing sensor routing scheme with low latency, scalability in wireless sensor networks is very important. In this paper, we present a sensor routing scheme, EESR (energy-efficient sensor routing) that provides energy-efficient data delivery from sensors to the base station. The proposed scheme divides the area into sectors and locates a manager node to each sector. The manager node receives collected data from sensor devices in its corresponding sector and then transfers the data to the base station through the shortest path of the 2-dimensional (x, y) coordinates. In this process, we use relative direction based routing in the 2- dimensional (x, y) coordinates in wireless sensor networks. Via analysis and simulation, we show that the proposed scheme achieve significant energy savings and outperform idealized transitional schemes (e.g., broadcasting, directed diffusion, clustering) under the investigated scenarios.
Challenges in interactive visualization for knowledge management

Today, knowledge management is widely respected as a promising tool to simultaneously improve product quality, product time to market and overall cost. In practice, one of the key challenges however is to provide mechanisms for the structuring, navigation, retrieval and visualization of knowledge. In this paper, we present and discuss these challenges from a practical perspective and discuss some promising trails to their overcoming.
The Influence of Online Customer Reviews on Purchase Intention: the Role of Non-numerical Factors

Significant attention has been recently drawn to the relationship between online customer reviews (OCRs) and purchase intention. Nevertheless, due to the complex nature of the problem, such a relationship is not yet entirely understood. This ongoing study aims, therefore, to examine this relationship by developing an understanding of the impact of the non-numerical attributes of OCRs on customer trust and intentions. A structural equation modelling procedure is applied to the investigation of the impact of OCRs on customer trust and intentions. The findings of this study, in addition to their contribution to the existing literature, will help business communities by providing a better understanding of consumers and how their decisions are affected by OCRs.
Understanding (and Acting On) 20 Years of Research on Violence and LGBTQ + Communities

Questions related to violence, vulnerability, and sexual and gender minorities continuing to occupy a focal place in U.S. public discourse. We reviewed findings from 20 years of research on that topic to make recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. This article synthesizes findings from 102 peer-reviewed articles as well as a small number of unpublished studies and grey literature. We found no data to support the idea (widespread in popular discourse) that those in the sexual or gender majority require protection from sexual or gender minority individuals. Instead, this wide body of research indicates that sexual and gender minorities are themselves at elevated risk for physical and sexual assault, harassment, bullying, and hate crime victimization throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Contradicting the image of hate crimes as perpetrated by strangers or acquaintances, we find that bias-related verbal abuse, physical, and sexual assault by close family members contribute heavily to observed victimization rates. Further, despite the perception that society is becoming more welcoming, victimization disparities appear to be stable or widening since the 1990s. More studies with probabilistic sampling approaches, standardized measures, and larger samples of gender minorities are needed. However, widespread victimization of sexual and gender minorities is clearly an urgent issue, demanding attention from clinicians, program developers, and policy makers.
Unreliable Sources and the Conjunction Fallacy

We provide the first empirical test of a recent, normative account of the conjunction fallacy. According to Bovens and Hartman (2003), an unlikely statement from a partially reliable source is not necessarily more likely than a conjunction statement from another partially reliable source. Hence once information is considered to be coming from potentially not fully reliable sources, the conjunction fallacy is no longer at odds with probability theory. We provide here a simple experimental test of this account, and report comparisons of the Bovens and Hartmann model with Wyer's (1976) model and a simple averaging model. Wyer's model provided the best fit and the averaging model had the highest true positive rate in determining whether individual participants would commit the fallacy or not.
Effect of rosiglitazone versus insulin on the pancreatic beta-cell function of subjects with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE In a previous study, we found observational evidence of improvement in beta-cell function when rosiglitazone was added to a failing oral antihyperglycemic regimen consisting of sulfonylureas and metformin. To confirm our previous observations, we designed and performed a prospective, randomized, and controlled study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 17 subjects with type 2 diabetes, inadequately controlled on a maximized oral antihyperglycemic double regimen of glimepiride and metformin, were randomized to the addition of rosiglitazone or insulin to their treatment regimens for a period of 6 months. At baseline and at 6 months, the following were performed: measurement of fasting plasma glucose, fasting proinsulin, and insulin levels; frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test; and glucagon stimulation test for C-peptide. RESULTS Nine subjects were randomized to the addition of 8 mg rosiglitazone, and eight subjects were randomized to the addition of one injection of insulin (premixed 70/30) before their evening meal. The treatment groups were well matched for age, duration of diabetes, and BMI. Most important, the HbA(1c) was well matched between groups before treatment (8.7 +/- 0.3 and 9.0 +/- 0.3%; NS) and at the end of the 6 months (7.8 +/- 0.5 and 7.8 +/- 0.3%; NS). After 6 months, at the end of the study, there was a significant improvement in acute insulin response to glucose in the rosiglitazone group (+15.3 microIU x ml(-1) x 10 min(-1); P < 0.001) that led to an increase in the disposition index from 0.18 at baseline to 4.18 at 6 months (P = 0.02). Furthermore, at the end of the study, the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio had decreased in the rosiglitazone group by 36% (P = 0.03) but did not change significantly in the insulin treatment group. CONCLUSIONS Rosiglitazone, but not insulin, induced a recovery of pancreatic beta-cell function, as evidenced by the restoration of the first-phase insulin response to glucose, improvement in the disposition index, and a decrease in the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio in subjects with type 2 diabetes in whom oral antihyperglycemic therapy failed. This improvement was independent of the correction of glucotoxicity.
Adverse outcomes among homeless adolescents and young adults who report a history of traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVES We examined the prevalence of self-reported traumatic brain injury (TBI) among homeless young people and explored whether sociodemographic characteristics, mental health diagnoses, substance use, exposure to violence, or difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs) were associated with TBI. METHODS We analyzed data from the Wilder Homelessness Study, in which participants were recruited in 2006 and 2009 from streets, shelters, and locations in Minnesota that provide services to homeless individuals. Participants completed 30-minute interviews to collect information about history of TBI, homelessness, health status, exposure to violence (e.g., childhood abuse, assault), and other aspects of functioning. RESULTS Of the 2732 participating adolescents and young adults, 43% reported a history of TBI. Participants with TBI became homeless at a younger age and were more likely to report mental health diagnoses, substance use, suicidality, victimization, and difficulties with ADLs. The majority of participants (51%) reported sustaining their first injury prior to becoming homeless or at the same age of their first homeless episode (10%). CONCLUSIONS TBI occurs frequently among homeless young people and is a marker of adverse outcomes such as mental health difficulties, suicidal behavior, substance use, and victimization.
Massive pulmonary hemorrhage in the newborn. I. Pathologic considerations.

22 111. Mussatto KA, Sawin KJ, Schiffman R, Leske J, Simpson P, Marino BS. The importance of self-perceptions to psychosocial adjustment in adolescents with heart disease. J Pediatr Health Care 2014;28:251-61. 112. Griebsch I, Coast J, Brown J. Quality-adjusted life-years lack quality in pediatric care: a critical review of published cost-utility studies in child health. Pediatrics 2005;115:e600-14.
Modeling and Visualizing Individual and Global Trends of a Multi-agent System

This paper proposes a new model for real-time visualization of the social dynamics as a resultant of individual changes due to their mutual interactions. The model allows the dynamical visualization of both, the individual characteristics changes as well as the resultant system trends as a whole. As an application, we investigated the role of individual degrees of influence and the number of agents in the global choice of a population between two antagonistic options.
Determining optimal protective actions for nuclear incidents.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is revising its Protective Action Guides (PAGs), which specify recommended dose levels at which actions should be taken to protect the public during an accident at a nuclear facility. The appropriateness of these PAGs depends on the health risks that could be avoided by the protective actions relative to both the costs and adverse health impacts of taking the actions. According to the optimization principle of radiation protection, the cost of measures designed to protect people from ionizing radiation should be commensurate with the risks avoided. This article evaluates the recommended protective actions with respect to the optimization principle. The evaluation is based on both recent radiation risk estimates and a derivation of the monetary value of a reduction in risk. It is estimated that evacuation of a population sector should be carried out only if the evacuation will reduce the collective dose equivalent to the population by 1 person-Sv or more for every U.S. +34,000 to +250,000 in net evacuation costs. Therefore, the decision to evacuate should be based on the dose that would be avoided by the evacuation and predetermined site-specific evacuation costs, rather than simply projected dose to the population. Findings further suggest that separate PAGs for the thyroid and skin are unnecessary for protecting against stochastic effects because use of the effective dose equivalent concept eliminates the need for these guides. Separate PAGs for specific organs need only ensure that significant nonstochastic effects are prevented.
Pyogenic spondylodiscitis and osteoradionecrosis of the cervico-thoracic spine: a rare complication after surgery and radiation for hypopharyngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVE To describe a rare case of osteoradionecrosis and pyogenic spondylodiscitis of the cervico-thoracic spine after surgery and radiotherapy for hypopharyngeal cancer. METHODOLOGY Diagnostic clues are presented and critically discussed with particular regard to computed tomography, magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography features advising the association between and osteoradionecrosis and spondylodiscitis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Pathogen isolation via CT-guided biopsy provided the definite diagnosis and indicated the targeted therapy. Successful recovery was obtained with conservative treatment.
IBEX: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS (2009–2013)

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) returned its first five years of scientific observations from 2009 to 2013. In this study, we examine, validate, initially analyze, and provide to the broad scientific community this complete set of energetic neutral atom (ENA) observations for the first time. IBEX measures the fluxes of ENAs reaching 1 AU from sources in the outer heliosphere and most likely the very nearby interstellar space beyond the heliopause. The data, maps, and documentation provided in this study represent the fourth major release of the IBEX data, incorporate important improvements, and should be used for future studies and as the citable reference for the current version of the IBEX data. In this study, we also examine five years of time evolution in the outer heliosphere and the resulting ENA emissions. These observations show a complicated variation with a general decrease in ENA fluxes from 2009 to 2012 over most regions of the sky, consistent with a 2–4 year recycle time for the previously decreasing solar wind flux. In contrast, the heliotail fluxes continue to decrease, again consistent with a significantly more distant source in the downwind direction. Finally, the Ribbon shows the most complicated time variations, with a leveling off in the southern hemisphere and continued decline in the northern one; these may be consistent with the Ribbon source being significantly farther away in the north than in the south. Together, the observations and results shown in this study expose the intricacies of our heliosphere's interaction with the local interstellar medium.
Characterization of competence and biofilm development of a Streptococcus sanguinis endocarditis isolate.

Streptococcus sanguinis is an oral commensal bacterium and endogenous pathogen in the blood, which is generally naturally competent to take up extracellular DNA. Regarded as a stress response, competence development enables S. sanguinis to acquire new genetic material. The sequenced reference strain SK36 encodes and expresses the genes required for competence (com) and uptake of DNA. Isolated from blood cultures of a confirmed case of infective endocarditis, strain 133-79 encodes all necessary com genes but is not transformable under conditions permissive for competence development in SK36. Using synthetic competence-stimulating peptides (sCSP) based on sequences of SK36 and 133-79 comC, both strains developed competence at similar frequencies in cross-transformation experiments. Furthermore, downstream response pathways are similar in strains SK36 and 133-79 because platelet aggregation and biofilm formation appeared unaffected by CSP. Collectively, the data indicate that strains SK36 and 133-79 respond to CSP similarly, strongly suggesting that endogenous production or release of CSP from 133-79 is impaired.