Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome of trachoma lid surgeries in Jigawa state, Nigeria

Abstract Background: Following the implementation of the SAFE strategy in Jigawa state, ophthalmic nurses trained as lid surgeons perform trichiasis surgery in the state. This study aimed to determine the early outcome of these surgeries with the specific objectives to determine the recurrence rate of trichiasis; the incidence of eyelid contour abnormality and incidence of eyelid closure defects 3–6 months postoperatively. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients operated for the first time between December 2012 and April 2013 in four zones in Jigawa state. Zones were selected based on the location of the most active surgeons. Patients were examined with torchlight for presence of recurrent trichiasis (TT recurrence), eyelid contour abnormality (ECA) and eyelid closure defects (ECD). Results: 133 eyes of 77 patients were examined; incidences recorded were TT recurrence 17.29% (95% CI 11.29–24.80%), ECA 18.93% (95% CI 12.64–26.67%) and ECD 5.3% (95% CI 2.15–10.62%). Incidence of poor outcome varied with zone and was associated with female sex, duration of symptoms >1 year preoperatively, bilaterally operated eyes, and paid surgery. Conclusion: The incidence of poor outcome measures was high across all zones evaluated. The risk factors associated with poorer outcome include late presentation, female sex, Bilateral surgery, and paid surgery.
A continental-weathering control on orbitally driven redox-nutrient cycling during Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2

The Cretaceous period (~145–65 m.y. ago) was characterized by intervals of enhanced organic carbon burial associated with increased primary production under greenhouse conditions. The global consequences of these perturbations, oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), lasted up to 1 m.y. , but short-term nutrient and climatic controls on widespread anoxia are poorly understood. Here, we present a high-resolution reconstruction of oceanic redox and nutrient cycling as recorded in subtropical shelf sediments from Tarfaya, Morocco, spanning the initiation of OAE2. Iron-sulfur systematics and biomarker evidence demonstrate previously undescribed redox cyclicity on orbital time scales, from sulfidic to anoxic ferruginous (Fe-rich) water-column conditions. Bulk geochemical data and sulfur isotope modeling suggest that ferruginous conditions were not a consequence of nutrient or sulfate limitation, despite overall low sulfate concentrations in the proto–North Atlantic. Instead, fluctuations in the weathering influxes of sulfur and reactive iron, linked to a dynamic hydrological cycle, likely drove the redox cyclicity. Despite the potential for elevated phosphorus burial in association with Fe oxides under ferruginous conditions on the Tarfaya shelf, porewater sulfide generation drove extensive phosphorus recycling back to the water column, thus maintaining widespread open-ocean anoxia.
The natural degradation of microcystins (Cyanobacterial hepatotoxins) in fresh water - the future of modern treatment systems and water quality improvement

The increasing occurrence of hepatotoxic cyanobacterial blooms in fresh waters is one of the most serious risks to human health in the 21 st century. Therefore, proper management of waters contaminated with cyanobacteria requires elaboration of the appropriate methods to remove cyanobacterial hepatotoxins-microcystins (MCs) from the environment. Many chemical and physical procedures have been proposed to remove MCs from fresh waters, but more attention is now paid to more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient techniques for MCs reduction. Therefore, this paper presents a summary of the current knowledge concerning the possible use of natural processes with the participation of environmental bacteria for MCs degradation in fresh water.
Managing the New Product Development Project Portfolio: A Review of the Literature and Empirical Evidence

Literature on project portfolio management (PPM) has been escalating as interest has intensified. The surge of interest has been attributed to the increased importance of technological innovation and the recognition that successful innovation depends upon effective selection and management of the new product development (NPD) project portfolio. PPM processes are responsible for the alignment of projects with the innovation strategy, maintaining a balance of project types, and ensuring that the project portfolio fits with resource capability so that the organization can gain the maximum value from the investment in NPD. This is the first comprehensive review of the literature on NPD PPM to be published and reveals a wide range of considerations from a variety of sources across several disciplines. The growing importance of NPD PPM is highlighted, and interest in PPM is shown to have stimulated a field of research that is beginning to offer empirical findings to help clarify the relationships between PPM methods and NPD outcomes. Findings reported in the empirical literature are compared with the common beliefs and assertions presented in other published sources. The empirical findings show support for some assertions, and challenge others, while some proposed relationships remain untested.
Inter-area oscillation damping and primary frequency control of the New York state power grid with multi-functional multi-band power system stabilizers

The paper discusses the impacts of the advanced closed loop control through multi-functional multi-band power system stabilizers on dynamic performance of the New York State power grid. Reference signal modulation of certain devices in the system has been shown to improve system damping and affect frequency response during generator outage scenarios. The methodology behind the development of system models and subsequent tuning of the controllers is discussed. Results demonstrate how feedback control of various power system equipment, including those that are electronically-interfaced, can aid in improving dynamic behavior of large interconnected systems.
A Phase 1 Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study of the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Belinostat in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Purpose: To determine the safety, dose-limiting toxicity, maximum tolerated dose, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of the novel hydroxamate histone deacetylase inhibitor belinostat (previously named PXD101) in patients with advanced refractory solid tumors. Experimental Design: Sequential dose-escalating cohorts of three to six patients received belinostat administered as a 30-min i.v. infusion on days 1 to 5 of a 21-day cycle. Pharmacokinetic variables were evaluated at all dose levels. Pharmacodynamic measurements included acetylation of histones extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, caspase-dependent cleavage of cytokeratin-18, and interleukin-6 levels. Results: Forty-six patients received belinostat at one of six dose levels (150-1,200 mg/m2/d). Dose-limiting toxicities were grade 3 fatigue (one patient at 600 mg/m2; one patient at 1,200 mg/m2), grade 3 diarrhea combined with fatigue (one patient at 1,200 mg/m2), grade 3 atrial fibrillation (one patient at 1,200 mg/m2; one patient at 1,000 mg/m2), and grade 2 nausea/vomiting leading to inability to complete a full 5-day cycle (two patients at 1,000 mg/m2). The maximum tolerated dose was 1,000 mg/m2/d. I.v. belinostat displayed linear pharmacokinetics with respect to Cmax and AUC. The intermediate elimination half-life was 0.3 to 1.3 h and was independent of dose. Histone H4 hyperacetylation was observed after each infusion and was sustained for 4 to 24 h in a dose-dependent manner. Increases in interleukin-6 levels were detected following belinostat treatment. Stable disease was observed in a total of 18 (39%) patients, including 15 treated for ≥4 cycles, and this was associated with caspase-dependent cleavage of cytokeratin-18. Of the 24 patients treated at the maximum tolerated dose (1,000 mg/m2/d), 50% achieved stable disease. Conclusions: I.v. belinostat is well tolerated, exhibits dose-dependent pharmacodynamic effects, and has promising antitumor activity.
El tratamiento de la expresión y la interacción oral en los manuales de ELE: una perspectiva de síntesis

En esta comunicacion vamos a presentar una parte de los resultados arrojados por una investigacion en la que se ha analizado la evolucion de los manuales de ELE publicados los ultimos 35 anos. Esta investigacion se enmarca en el programa de doctorado en Linguistica Aplicada a la Ensenanza de ELE de la Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Madrid) y ha sido dirigida por Ernesto Martin Peris, profesor de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona).
A Stochastic Model and Associated Fokker-Planck Equation for the Fiber Lay-Down Process in Nonwoven Production Processes

In this paper we present and investigate a stochastic model and its associated Fokker–Planck equation for the lay-down of fibers on a conveyor belt in the production process of nonwoven materials. The model is based on a stochastic differential equation taking into account the motion of the fiber under the influence of turbulence. A reformulation as a stochastic Hamiltonian system and an application of the stochastic averaging theorem lead to further simplifications of the model. Finally, the model is used to compute the distribution of functionals of the process that are important for the quality assessment of industrial fabrics.
Cerebral hemodynamic impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage as evaluated using transcranial doppler ultrasonography: relationship to delayed cerebral ischemia and clinical outcome.

OBJECT In this study the authors evaluated the relative role of cerebral hemodynamic impairment (HDI) in the pathogenesis of delayed cerebral ischemia and poor clinical outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS Cerebral hemodynamics were assessed daily with transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in 55 consecutive patients with verified SAH. Hemodynamic impairment was defined as blood flow velocity (BFV) values consistent with vasospasm in conjunction with impaired autoregulatory vasodilation as evaluated using the transient hyperemic response tests in the middle cerebral arteries. A total of 1344 TCD examinations were performed, in which the evaluation of HDI was feasible during 80.9% and HDI was registered during 12% of the examinations. It was found that HDI occurred in 60% of patients and was frequently recorded in conjunction with severe vasospasm (p < 0.05) and a rapid increase of BFV values (p < 0.05). Detection of HDI was closely associated with the development of delayed ischemic brain damage after SAH (p < 0.05). Furthermore, because delayed ischemia was never observed in cases in which vasospasm had not led to the development of HDI, its occurrence increased significantly the likelihood of subsequent cerebral ischemia among the patients with vasospasm (p < 0.05). Detection of HDI was independently related to unfavorable clinical outcome according to Glasgow Outcome Scale at 6 months after SAH (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results showed that HDI is common after SAH and can be evaluated with TCD ultrasonography in routine clinical practice. Detection of HDI could be useful for identifying patients at high or low risk for delayed ischemic complications and unfavorable clinical outcome after SAH.
Substance abuse increases the risk of neuropathy in an HIV‐infected cohort

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected patients commonly develop distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP). Age, ethnicity, and toxic exposures may influence the risk. In this study we examined the association between substance use, antiretrovirals, ethnicity, and incident neuropathy in an HIV‐infected cohort. Methods: Data were obtained from the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC), an ongoing, prospective cohort started in 1998. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of substance use, demographics, neurotoxic antiretrovirals, and laboratory parameters with incident neuropathy in 636 participants who were neuropathy‐free at baseline. Results: The cumulative incidence of DSP was 41%. Substance use (P = 0.04), number of substances used (P = 0.04), and longer duration of HIV infection (P = 0.05) were associated with incident DSP, but demographic factors, use of neurotoxic antiretrovirals, and laboratory parameters were not. Conclusions: Substance use and longer duration of HIV infection are risk factors for DSP in HIV‐infected patients. Use of multiple substances may be particularly risky. Muscle Nerve, 2012
Unusual chromatin in human telomeres

We report that human telomeres have an unusual chromatin structure characterized by diffuse micrococcal nuclease patterns. The altered chromatin manifested itself only in human telomeres that are relatively short (2 to 7 kb). In contrast, human and mouse telomeres with telomeric repeat arrays of 14 to 150 kb displayed a more canonical chromatin structure with extensive arrays of tightly packed nucleosomes. All telomeric nucleosomes showed a shorter repeat size than bulk nucleosomes, and telomeric mononucleosomal particles were found to be hypersensitive to micrococcal nuclease. However, telomeric nucleosomes were similar to bulk nucleosomes in the rate at which they sedimented through sucrose gradients. We speculate that mammalian telomeres have a bipartite structure with unusual chromatin near the telomere terminus and a more canonical nucleosomal organization in the proximal part of the telomere.
Thriving Public—Private Partnership to Fortify Cooking Oil in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to Control Vitamin A Deficiency: Faire Tache d'Huile en Afrique de l'Ouest

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 42% of children are at risk for vitamin A deficiency, and control of vitamin A deficiency will prevent more than 600,000 child deaths annually. In the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), an estimated 54.3% of preschool-age children are vitamin A deficient and 13% of pregnant women have night blindness. Objective To project the achievements of this West African coalition. Methods This article documents the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned associated with the development of a public—private partnership to fortify vegetable oil in West Africa through project reports and industry assessments. Results National-level food consumption surveys identified cooking oil as a key vehicle for vitamin A. Stakeholders therefore advocated for the production of fortified vegetable oil at large scale, supported industrial assessments, and reinforced the capacity of cooking oil industries to implement vitamin A fortification through effective coordination of public and private partnerships tied with standards, regulations, and social marketing. Strong alliances for food fortification were established at the regional and national levels. Stakeholders also developed policies, adopted directives, built capacity, implemented social marketing, and monitored quality enforcement systems to sustain fortification for maximum public health impact. The synergy created resulted from the unique and complementary core competencies of all the partners under effective coordination. The initiative began with the 8 UEMOA member countries and now includes all 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), plus Cameroon, Tanzania, and Mozambique, forming a sub-Saharan Africa-wide initiative on food fortification. All members of the Professional Association of Cooking Oil Industries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (AIFO-UEMOA) now fortify edible oil with vitamin A. Through multisector cooperation, an estimated 70% of the population has access to vitamin A–fortified edible oil in participating countries. Conclusions Sustainable fortification of cooking oil is now a reality in all UEMOA countries.
The association of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) with reducing risk of cancer: multifactorial ecologic analysis of geographic variation in age-adjusted cancer mortality rates.

BACKGROUND Solar ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiance and vitamin D are associated with reduced cancer mortality rates. However, the previous ecologic study of UVB and cancer mortality rates in the U.S. (Grant, 2002) did not include other risk factors in the analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS An ecologic study was performed using age-adjusted annual mortality rates for Caucasian Americans for 1950-69 and 1970-94, along with state-averaged values for selected years for alcohol consumption, Hispanic heritage, lung cancer (as a proxy for smoking), poverty, degree of urbanization and UVB in multiple regression analyses. RESULTS Models were developed that explained much of the variance in cancer mortality rates, with stronger correlations for the earlier period. Fifteen types of cancer were inversely-associated with UVB. In the earlier period, most of the associations of cancer death rates with alcohol consumption (nine), Hispanic heritage (six), the proxy for smoking (ten), urban residence (seven) and poverty (inverse for eight) agreed well with the literature. CONCLUSION These results provide additional support for the hypothesis that solar UVB, through photosynthesis of vitamin D, is inversely-associated with cancer mortality rates, and that various other cancer risk-modifying factors do not detract from this link. It is thought that sun avoidance practices after 1980, along with improved cancer treatment, led to reduced associations in the latter period. The results regarding solar UVB should be studied further with additional observational and intervention studies of vitamin D indices and cancer incidence, mortality and survival rates.
CMS Changes in Reimbursement for HAIs: Setting A Research Agenda

Background:The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) promulgated regulations commencing October 1, 2008, which deny payment for selected conditions occurring during the hospital stay and are not present on admission. Three of the 10 hospital-acquired conditions covered by the new CMS policy involve healthcare-associated infections, which are a common, expensive, and often preventable cause of inpatient morbidity and mortality. Objective:To outline a research agenda on the impact of CMS's payment policy on the healthcare system and the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. Methods:An invitational daylong conference was convened in April 2009. Including the planning committee and speakers there were 41 conference participants who were national experts and senior researchers. Results:Building upon a behavioral model and organizational theory and management research a conceptual framework was applied to organize the wide range of issues that arose. A broad array of research topics was identified. Thirty-two research agenda items were organized in the areas of incentives, environmental factors, organizational factors, clinical outcomes, staff outcomes, and financial outcomes. Methodological challenges are also discussed. Conclusions:This policy is a first significant step to move output-based inpatient funding to outcome-based funding, and this agenda is applicable to all hospital-acquired conditions. Studies beginning soon will have the best hope of capturing data for the years preceding the policy change, a key element in nonexperimental research. The CMS payment policy offers an excellent opportunity to understand and influence the use of financial incentives for improving patient safety.
Passive Interferon Protection in Mouse Influenza

Summary Interferon prepared from influenza virus infected eggs or mouse lungs when intranasally administered protected mice against a mouse-adapted Type B influenza challenge. To be effective, the interferons had to be given before virus, and treatments delayed 24 hours after virus exposure served only to aggravate the infection. The concentration of virus used in the challenge was critical. The effect was best observed when the dosage was approximately 10 LD50.
Does Low Dose Steroids Confer Benefits in Sepsis and Septic Shock

Over the last 40 years, the use of corticosteroids in sepsis and septic shock has evolved from the initial use of high-dose, short-duration steroid therapy in the 1980s, to the recent recommendation of using low-dose longerduration steroid therapy in refractory septic shock patients. A recent, prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled pilot trial of patients in four adult intensive care units in London-teaching hospitals showed that hydrocortisone decreased vasopressin requirements, reduced the duration and reduced the required dose, when used together in the treatment of septic shock, but it did not alter plasma vasopressin levels. The optimal dosing of hydrocortisone, about 300 mg/day, was agreed uniformly. As this dose also provides sufficient mineralocorticoid effects, the additional use of mineralocorticoid is not needed. Despite the fact that severely ill septic shock patients are given treatment, according to the current guidelines, the survival benefit is unproven. The benefits of steroids on less severely ill septic patients are still questionable. More research is highly recommended to successfully identify the benefits of steroids in septic shock. Birdem Med J 2017; 7(1): 48-59
High-level optimization techniques for low-power multiplier design

While performance and area remain to be two major design goals, power consumption has become a critical concern in today's VLSI system design. Multiplication is a fundamental operation in most arithmetic computing systems. Multipliers have large area, long latency and consume considerable power. Previous work on low-power multipliers focuses on low-level optimizations and has not considered well the arithmetic computation features and application-specific data characteristics. At the algorithm and architecture level, this dissertation addresses low-power multiplier design systematically from two aspects: internal efforts considering multiplier architectures and external efforts considering input data characteristics. For internal efforts, we consider recoding optimization for partial product generation, operand representation optimization, and structure optimization of partial product reduction. For external efforts, we consider signal gating to de-activate portions of a full-precision multiplier. Several multiplier types are studied: linear array multipliers, leapfrog array multipliers, left-to-right linear array multipliers, split array multipliers, and tree multipliers. Experiments show that recoding optimization and structure optimization have achieved steady power reduction with reduced delay for both random test data and large-dynamic-range data. Operand representation optimization and signal gating have demonstrated significant power saving for large-dynamic-range data with relatively small overhead.
Outage probability and diversity order of linear equalizers in frequency-selective fading channels

We investigate the performance of finite-length linear equalizers through calculation of diversity order. We focus on block transmission with cyclic prefix. We prove that, regardless of the channel memory the diversity order of zero-forcing equalizer is one. Through asymptotic outage probability analysis, we observe that the minimum mean square equalizer has a varying diversity order depending on the spectral efficiency.