Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Benefits Provided by Various Hearing Aid Technologies in Older Adults

This article presents two different sets of data comparing the outcomes measured with different hearing aid technologies. In the first data set, performance on a fairly comprehensive core battery of hearing-aid outcome measures was obtained for five different technologies, ranging from analog single-channel linear in-theear devices with output-limiting compression and omnidirectional microphones to digital six-channel digital wide-dynamic-range-compression “open-fit” behind-theear devices having directional microphones. Despite the wide range in technologies and a fairly broad set of outcome measures, few significant differences in outcome were observed across technologies. In the second data set, an expanded battery of outcome measures was employed and the technology comparison was restricted to a comparison of omnidirectional versus directional microphones on digital four-channel devices. Here, again, few differences in outcome were observed. Thus, when hearing aids are fit within a comprehensive assessment and treatment protocol and close matches to prescriptive targets for gain and maximum output are obtained, as was the case for all the technologies compared here, the particulars of the technology do not appear to have an appreciable impact on measured hearing-aid outcome.
Optimization of Oral Etoposide Dosage in Elderly Patients with Non‐Hodgkin's Lymphoma Using the Fraction of Dose Absorbed Measured for Each Patient

This study was undertaken to investigate the pharmacokinetics of etoposide for optimizing its oral dosage in elderly patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) using the fraction of dose absorbed calculated from the data generated from first oral and intravenous doses in the same patient. Twenty‐three NHL patients (ages 61–95 years) entered this study. Each received 50 mg/m2 of etoposide by 1‐hour IV infusion, which was repeated every 24 hours for 5 days. The second cycle commenced on day 21, with etoposide being administered by mouth at a dose as close to 50 mg/m2 as possible. Serial blood samples were collected and analyzed for etoposide by HPLC. The fraction of dose absorbed (F) was calculated as F = (AUCor/AUCiv)(Div/Dor), and etoposide was then given orally for the following 20 days at a daily dose equivalent to Dor/F. After 1 week free of etoposide administration, a second cycle of oral etoposide at the adjusted dose was given for 21 days. The mean ± SD values for t1/2β, tmax, Cmax, CLTor, and MRT observed following the first oral dose were 8.98 ± 4.84 h, 1.39 ± 0.96 h, 0.083 ± 0.046 mg • L−1/mg•m−2, 1.89 ± 1.2 L•h−1/m2, and 10.37 ± 2.76 h, respectively, and those observed following the first intravenous dose were 8.05 ± 5.11 h, 1.57 ± 0.17 h, 0.142 ± 0.043 mg•L−1/mg•m−2, 1.25 ± 0.44 L • h−1/m2, and 7.69 ± 1.53 h, respectively. The mean ± SD of F was 0.80 ± 0.34. The data obtained indicate that optimization of etoposide oral dosage using F yielded good clinical results while keeping the morbidity at a level that is similar to that of the IV administration.
Remote laboratory for advanced servo control of electric machines

Remote laboratories are typically used for having remote access to physical laboratory facilities. In the setup presented in this paper that has not been the main objective, the remote laboratory presented here is used mainly for the following two purposes: First, to create a controlled environment where unwanted side activities like hardware setup, driver problems, troubleshooting faulty components, and struggles with special software for configuring DSP systems, are removed as much as possible, in order for the students to have their full focus on the tasks that relevant in the module: modeling of non-linear systems, synthetisation of controllers, and stability and performance analysis. Second, to significantly reduce the setup and maintenance cost associated with complex laboratory setups involving DSPs and expensive hardware.
Irritable infant syndrome: Theoretical perspectives and practice implications

&NA; Conceptually weak and unsubstantiated theories attempting to explain the origins of infant colic have led to inconsistent and ineffective approaches to the management of the infant with persistent crying. A new theoretical perspective that views excessive crying as a developmental behavioral disorder is presented. The clinical implications of this model for nurses working with families of irritable infants are discussed.
Evaluation of control of diabetes mellitus in a subspecialty clinic.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether patients with diabetes under follow-up surveillance in a subspecialty clinic are receiving care that meets the guidelines recommended by the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. METHODS We abstracted 2 years of medical records of patients sampled from 2 academic diabetes clinics, managed by board-certified endocrinologists. Information regarding the testing for and results of hemoglobin A1c (A1C), lipids, blood pressure, and microalbuminuria was recorded and analyzed. RESULTS The data on 499 patients were analyzed. More than 90% of patients had the recommended A1C, lipid, and blood pressure testing. Approximately 25% of patients had A1C levels >7%, and about 14% had A1C levels >6.5%. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were at target in approximately 82%, 65%, and 68% of patients, respectively. Approximately 55% of male and 50% of female patients had high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels at target. Blood pressure was controlled in approximately a third of the patients. Approximately 30% of patients tested had microalbuminuria. Only 6.8% of patients in year 1 and 3.5% of patients in year 2 had all these risk factors (A1C, lipids, and blood pressure) at target levels. CONCLUSION The results indicate that in our subspecialty clinics, although testing for "risk factors" is being done at a high frequency, the targets for these risk factors are being met by only a limited number of patients. We believe that this result may be due to patient- or system-related factors but not due to physician knowledge. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on patient and system factors to improve the outcomes of the care of patients with diabetes.
Discrepant responses to triple combination antiretroviral therapy in advanced HIV disease

Objectives:To determine the clinical, virological and immunological outcome in a cohort of unselected patients receiving triple combination therapy for more than 1 year. Methods:Prospective follow-up of a cohort of 162 unselected, protease inhibitor-naive, antiretroviral-experienced patients with advanced HIV disease, treated with indinavir combined with two nucleoside analogues. Results:The mean CD4 cell count and plasma HIV RNA level in the study group at baseline were 69 ± 5 × 106/l and 4.75 ± 0.07 log10 copies/ml, respectively. Five per cent of patients died prematurely or were lost to follow-up. Fifty-seven per cent of patients responded to therapy, as assessed by a sustained increase in CD4 cell counts above 50 × 106/l and a decrease in plasma HIV RNA greater than 1 log10 copies/ml, throughout 12.1 months of follow-up. Seventeen per cent of patients were immunological and virological non-responders. Twenty-one per cent of patients exhibited discrepant virological and immunological responses to treatment, of whom one-half failed to exhibit significant increases in CD4 cells despite a virological response to therapy and one-half exhibited increased CD4 cell counts in the absence of significant decrease in plasma viral load. The incidence of AIDS-defining events in the latter group of patients was similar to that of responder patients, whereas their incidence was higher in patients who failed to exhibit a virological and immunological response and those who failed to increase CD4 cells despite a significant decrease in viral load. Conclusion:Our observations of discrepant immunological and virological responses to treatment raise the issue of the significance of persistent elevated levels of plasma HIV RNA and of the relevance of measurements of plasma viral load for assessing the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy in patients whose CD4 cell counts increase despite the absence of significant decrease in plasma HIV viral load.
Proximal tubular cells contain a phenotypically distinct, scattered cell population involved in tubular regeneration

Regeneration of injured tubular cells occurs after acute tubular necrosis primarily from intrinsic renal cells. This may occur from a pre‐existing intratubular stem/progenitor cell population or from any surviving proximal tubular cell. In this study, we characterize a CD24‐, CD133‐, and vimentin‐positive subpopulation of cells scattered throughout the proximal tubule in normal human kidney. Compared to adjacent ‘normal’ proximal tubular cells, these CD24‐positive cells contained less cytoplasm, fewer mitochondria, and no brush border. In addition, 49 marker proteins are described that are expressed within the proximal tubules in a similar scattered pattern. For eight of these markers, we confirmed co‐localization with CD24. In human biopsies of patients with acute tubular necrosis (ATN), the number of CD24‐positive tubular cells was increased. In both normal human kidneys and the ATN biopsies, around 85% of proliferating cells were CD24‐positive – indicating that this cell population participates in tubular regeneration. In healthy rat kidneys, the novel cell subpopulation was absent. However, upon unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), the novel cell population was detected in significant amounts in the injured kidney. In summary, in human renal biopsies, the CD24‐positive cells represent tubular cells with a deviant phenotype, characterized by a distinct morphology and marker expression. After acute tubular injury, these cells become more numerous. In healthy rat kidneys, these cells are not detectable, whereas after UUO, they appeared de novo – arguing against the notion that these cells represent a pre‐existing progenitor cell population. Our data indicate rather that these cells represent transiently dedifferentiated tubular cells involved in regeneration. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chalmers Publication Library Functional verification of computationally predicted qnr genes

Background: The quinolone resistance (qnr) genes are widely distributed among bacteria. We recently developed and applied probabilistic models to identify tentative novel qnr genes in large public collections of DNA sequence data including fragmented metagenomes. Findings: By using inducible recombinant expressions systems the functionality of four identified qnr candidates were evaluated in Escherichia coli. Expression of several known qnr genes as well as two novel candidates provided fluoroquinolone resistance that increased with elevated inducer concentrations. The two novel, functionally verified qnr genes are termed Vfuqnr and assembled qnr 1. Co-expression of two qnr genes suggested non-synergistic action. Conclusion: The combination of a computational model and recombinant expression systems provides opportunities to explore and identify novel antibiotic resistance genes in both genomic and metagenomic datasets.
Concentrations of Abscisic Acid and Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Soybean Seeds during Development.

Concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in seed parts were determined during reproductive development of soybean plants (Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv ;Chippewa 64'). The concentration of ABA and IAA changed independently in individual seed parts with time. Measurement of the level of ABA and IAA in whole seeds masked the changes which occurred in individual seed tissues. The concentration of ABA was generally highest and that of IAA was generally lowest in the embryonic axis of soybean seeds. In the testa, the IAA concentration was generally highest while the ABA concentration was generally the lowest compared to other parts of the seed.
Parameters influencing membrane CD14 expression and soluble CD14 levels in sepsis.

INTRODUCTION Membrane (mCD14) and soluble (sCD14) CD14 are pattern recognition receptors for bacterial cell wall fragments. They play an important role in the generation of the innate immune response against bacterial pathogens. Differential expression of these receptors may be relevant for the clinical course of patients with sepsis. PATIENTS AND METHODS 32 patients with an early onset of sepsis (duration of symptoms < 24h) were examined repeatedly by flow cytometry for expression of mCD14, and by ELISA for levels of sCD14, leukocyte elastase and C-reactive Protein (CRP). RESULTS At study entry, mCD14 expression was reduced in all patients with sepsis, but returned to normal levels during the course of the disease in survivors only. mCD14 was found to be inversely correlated with severity of disease, leukocyte elastase, and C-reactive protein. Among patients with severe disease and Apache II scores >or= 20, sCD14 levels at study entry were significantly higher in those who survived by day 28, as compared to non-survivors (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION The data presented are compatible with a recently published hypothesis derived from in vitro experiments suggesting that leukocyte elastase may be responsible for cleavage of mCD14 from the monocyte surface. The data also suggest that higher sCD14 levels may be beneficial in sepsis. Persistently reduced mCD14 expression seems to be a marker for severity of disease in patients with sepsis.
Interleukin-1 system gene polymorphisms are associated with fat mass in young men.

CONTEXT There is growing evidence for interactions between the regulation of body fat and the immune system. Studies of knockout mice indicate that IL-1 has an antiobesity effect. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate our hypothesis that common polymorphisms of the IL-1 system, which are associated with IL-1 activity, also are associated with fat mass. DESIGN, SETTING, AND STUDY SUBJECTS: The Gothenburg Osteoporosis and Obesity Determinants (GOOD) study is a population-based cross-sectional study of 18- to 20-yr-old men (n = 1068), mostly Caucasian, from the Gothenburg area (Sweden). Three different polymorphisms, IL-1beta +3953 C/T, IL-1beta-31 T/C, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) variable number tandem repeat of 86 bp, were investigated in relation to body fat mass. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The main outcome measures were genotype distributions and their association with body fat mass in different compartments, measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS Carriers of the T variant (CT and TT) of the +3953 C to T (F(T) = 0.25) IL-1beta gene polymorphism had significantly lower total fat mass (P = 0.013) and also significantly reduced arm, leg, and trunk fat, compared with CC individuals. IL-1RN*2 carriers with two repeats of the IL-1RN variable number tandem repeat polymorphism had increased total fat (P = 0.036), serum leptin, and fat of trunk and arm as well as serum levels of IL-1RN and IL-1RN production ex vivo. The IL-1beta-31 polymorphism did not correlate with the fat measurements. CONCLUSIONS The IL-1 system, recently shown to affect fat mass in experimental animals, contains gene polymorphisms that are associated with fat mass in young men.
Biosorption of Phenolic Compounds from Aqueous Solutions using Pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb) Bark Powder

The present study describes the development of a new bioadsorbent from lignocellulosic wastes of agricultural origin. The biosorption capacity of an agricultural solid waste, pine bark (Pinus densiflora Sieb.), to remove phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-CPh), and 4- chlorophenol (4-CPh)) from aqueous solutions under batch equilibrium conditions was investigated. The morphological characteristics of the biosorbent were evaluated by BET surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of initial pH (2 to 10), contact time, initial concentration of adsorbate (50 to 200 mg/L), and biosorbent dosage. The biosorption of phenolic compounds decreased with increasing pH, and the highest biosorption capacity was achieved at a pH of 6.0. Biosorption equilibrium was established in 120 min. The biosorption equilibrium data were fitted and analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm equations, as well as four adsorption kinetic models. The kinetics data fitted well into the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.993. The maximum monolayer biosorption capacity of pine bark for phenol, 2-CPh, and 4-CPh was found to be 142.85, 204.08, and 263.15 mg/g, respectively, as calculated by the Langmuir model at 30 ± 1 °C. Pine bark could be used as a new effective, low-cost biosorbent material with good uptake capacity and rapid kinetics for the removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous media.
On the Structures in the Afterglow Peak Emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts

Using GRB 991216 as a prototype, we show that the intensity substructures observed in what is generally called the "prompt emission" in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) do originate in the collision between the accelerated baryonic matter pulse with inhomogeneities in the interstellar medium (ISM). The initial phase of such process occurs at a Lorentz factor γ ~ 310. The crossing of ISM inhomogeneities of sizes ΔR ~ 1015 cm occurs in a detector arrival time interval of ~0.4 s, implying an apparent superluminal behavior of ~105c. The long-lasting debate between the validity of the external shock model versus the internal shock model for GRBs is solved in favor of the first.
Spam E-Mail Classification by Utilizing N-Gram Features of Hyperlink Texts

With the advent of the Internet and reduction of the costs in digital communication, spam has become a key problem in several types of media (i.e. email, social media and micro blog). Further, in recent years, email spamming in particular has been subjected to an exponentially growing threat which affects both individuals and business world. Hence, a large number of studies have been proposed in order to combat with spam emails. In this study, instead of subject or body components of emails, pure use of hyperlink texts along with word level n-gram indexing schema is proposed for the first time in order to generate features to be employed in a spam/ham email classifier. Since the length of link texts in e-mails does not exceed sentence level, we have limited the n-gram indexing up to trigram schema. Throughout the study, provided by COMODO Inc, a novel large scale dataset covering 50.000 link texts belonging to spam and ham emails has been used for feature extraction and performance evaluation. In order to generate the required vocabularies; unigrams, bigrams and trigrams models have been generated. Next, including one active learner, three different machine learning methods (Support Vector Machines, SVM-Pegasos and Naive Bayes) have been employed to classify each link. According to the results of the experiments, classification using trigram based bag-of-words representation reaches up to 98,75% accuracy which outperforms unigram and bigram schemas. Apart from having high accuracy, the proposed approach also preserves privacy of the customers since it does not require any kind of analysis on body contents of e-mails.
Potential clamp analysis of membrane currents in rat myelinated nerve fibres.

1. Large myelinated nerve fibres were isolated from rats and the membrane action potential was recorded in single nodes of Ranvier. Potential clamp experiments were performed at 24 degrees C and in one fibre also at 33 degrees C. 2. Positive potential steps were associated with an initial, mainly Na carried, current with an equilibrium potential (Ue) of 40 +/‐ 13 mV. The INa vs. U curve showed rectification at large positive potentials. 3. The Na permeability (PNa) curve was characteristically S‐shaped with a half value at ‐48 +/‐ 6 mV and a ceiling value of 3.7 +/‐ 0.7 cm.sec‐1.10(‐3). PNa as defined by the constant field equation accounted for the rectification of the INa/U curve. 4. The potential and time dependence of the rapid inactivation (h) process was described quantitatively in terms of its steady state (h infinity) vs. U curve and its rate constants (alpha h and beta h) vs. U curves. h infinity (U = ‐80 mV) was 0.68 +/‐ 0.09. 5. The delayed currents were small and the ionic specificity of the delayed permeability changes was not identified. Tentatively calculated PK at large potentials was 0.21 +/‐ 0.06 cm.sec‐1.10(‐3). The leak conductance (gL) was 130 +/‐ 33 mS.cm‐2. 6. A temperature rise in one experiment from 24 to 33 degrees C increased the rate constants (alpha h and beta h), but did not significantly change the size of the delayed currents. 7. INa was completely blocked by 25 nM‐TTX in the outside solution. External application of 5 mM‐TEA only slowly and incompletely blocked the small delayed currents. This effect was not fully reversible. 8. A comparison with frog fibres showed that the node in rat fibres had (a) a lower Ue of the initial current (probably because of a lower Na selectivity of the channel for the initial current), (b) approximately equal max. peak PNa, (c) about 10 mV negatively shifted PNa vs. U and h infinity vs. U curves, (d) quantitatively similar relations between rate constants of inactivation (alpha h and beta h) and U at 20‐‐24 degrees C, (e) PK that was 1/5 of PK in frog fibres, (f) 4‐‐5 times larger leak conductance, (g) membrane action potentials of smiliar amplitude and duration.
Brief Treatment With the Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Mifepristone Normalises the Corticosterone‐Induced Reduction of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

The glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone has been shown to rapidly and effectively ameliorate symptoms of psychotic major depression. To better understand its mechanism, we investigated mifepristone's cellular effects, and found that it rapidly reversed a chronic corticosterone‐induced reduction of adult neurogenesis in rats. Unlike other antidepressants, mifepristone is particularly potent in a high corticosterone environment. These data indicate that similarly to its clinical efficacy, mifepristone's effects on adult neurogenesis are rapid and positive, and may therefore be important for its mechanism of action.
Plasmonics: The Promise of Highly Integrated Optical Devices

This paper reviews the fundamentals of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitations sustained by interfaces between metallic and insulating media, with a focus on applications in waveguiding of electromagnetic waves at visible and near-infrared frequencies. The large wavevectors accessible via SPP oscillations allow for significantly reduced wavelengths and thus increased confinement of the propagating modes, promising a subwavelength photonic infrastructure suitable for integration on Si-based photonic chips. Various geometries such as single interfaces, multilayer structures, and nanoparticle ensembles are discussed and their properties assessed in terms of light confinement and energy attenuation of the guided modes. Metal/insulator/metal (MIM) and certain forms of nanoparticle waveguides promise novel avenues for light confinement, guiding, and coupling, which could provide the basis for subwavelength photonic devices