Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence of health crises in tourists visiting Jamaica, west indies, 1998 to 2000.

BACKGROUND Tourism is important to the Jamaican economy accounting for approximately 25% of the gross domestic product. Health problems in tourists could have significant impact on the health of the local population, the scarce health service resources, and the tourist industry. This study was conducted to identify health problems most commonly occurring in tourists visiting Jamaica and examine how these problems are managed. METHODS Records of health problems occurring in tourists who visited principal tourist areas on the north coast from June 1998 to June 2002 were reviewed for the type of illness and how the problem was handled. The data were analyzed using Epi-Info software (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) and Statistical Analysis System software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). RESULTS Accidents were the most common health crises reported by tourists. Gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular problems occurred less frequently. Those less than 40 years of age more frequently reported accidents or injury, gastrointestinal problems, and drug abuse, whereas respiratory and cardiovascular problems were more common among those above 40 years of age. Cardiovascular problems, drug abuse, and death were more common in men than in women. Hotel nurses handled most of the cases and were more likely to refer patients to private physicians or hospitals than to public hospitals (p <.05). Factors influencing the way the crisis was handled were age (p =.0441); who handled the crisis (p <.0001); and the method of payment (p =.0072). The factors that influenced hospitalization were gender (p =.0615); who handled the crisis at the onset (p =.0497); how the crisis was dealt with (p =.0336); and previous health problems (p =.0056). Men were more likely to be hospitalized and to be referred to a public hospital than women. Medical insurance covered the costs for 11% of tourists, and 75% paid out of pocket. CONCLUSION The information provided by this study can be used to implement changes to reduce health problems in tourists and improve emergency health services in tourist areas.
Bots Get Smart

The main challenge in making video games is to make computer-generated characters-dubbed bots-act realistically. They must, of course, look good and move naturally. But, ideally, they should also be able to engage in believable conversations, plan their actions, find their way around virtual worlds, and learn from their mistakes. That is, they need to be smart. Today many video games create only an illusion of intelligence, using a few programming tricks. But in the not-so -distant future, game bots will routinely use sophisticated AI techniques to shape their behavior. We and our colleagues in the University of Alberta GAMES (game-playing, analytical methods, minimax search and empirical studies) research group, in Edmonton, Canada, have been working to help bring about such a revolution.
Prevalence of Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Findings in Patients With Noncardiac Chest Pain Versus Those With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)-Related Symptoms: Results from a National Endoscopic Database

BACKGROUND:Available data on the prevalence of esophageal and upper gut findings in patients with noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) are scarce and limited to one center's experience.AIM:To determine the prevalence of esophageal and upper gut mucosal findings in patients undergoing upper endoscopy for NCCP only versus those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms only, using the national Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative (CORI) database.METHODS:During the study period, the CORI database received endoscopic reports from a network of 76 community, university, and Veteran Administration Health Care System (VAHCS)/military practice sites. All adult patients who underwent an upper endoscopy for NCCP only or GERD-related symptoms only were identified. Demographic characteristics and prevalence of endoscopic findings were compared between the two groups.RESULTS:A total of 3,688 consecutive patients undergoing an upper endoscopy for NCCP and 32,981 for GERD were identified. Normal upper endoscopy was noted in 44.1% of NCCP patients versus 38.8% of those with GERD (P < 0.0001). Of the NCCP group, 28.6% had a hiatal hernia (HH), 19.4% erosive esophagitis (EE), 4.4% Barrett's esophagus (BE), and 3.6% stricture/stenosis. However, HH, EE, and BE were significantly more common in the GERD group as compared with the NCCP group (44.8%, 27.8%, and 9.1%, respectively, P < 0.0001). In univariate analysis of patients with NCCP, male gender was a risk factor for BE (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.35–2.55, P = 0.0001) and being nonwhite was protective (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.22–0.86, P = 0.02). In this group, male gender was also a risk factor for EE (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.11–1.54, P = 0.001) and age ≥65 yr was protective (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.6–0.89, P = 0.002). The NCCP group had a significantly higher prevalence of peptic ulcer in the upper gastrointestinal tract as compared with the GERD group (2.0% vs 1.5%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:In this endoscopic prevalence study, most of the endoscopic findings in NCCP were GERD related, but less common as compared with GERD patients.
Bioactive Compounds of the Volatile Oil of Dracocephalum kotschyi

Trypanocidal activity was found in the volatile oil of dried Dracocephalum kotschyi. GCMS analysis determined that the major constituents of the oil were geranial (35.8%), C10H14O (26.6%), limonene (15.8%) and 1,1-dimethoxy decane (14.5%). In order to isolate the unknown biologically active monoterpene, fractionation of the volatile oil was carried out by silica gel column chromatography. The structure of the oxygenated compound was confirmed to be limonene-10-al (C10H14O) by analysis of physical and spectroscopic data (1H NMR, 13C NMR, HMBC and HMQC).
ACSM and CHAMP summit on sickle cell trait: mitigating risks for warfighters and athletes.

INTRODUCTION An estimated 300 million people worldwide have sickle cell trait (SCT). Although largely benign, SCT has been associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis and exercise-related sudden death in warfighters/athletes (WA). The National Collegiate Athletic Association's policy to confirm a student athlete's SCT status during their preparticipation medical examination prompted reaction from some organizations regarding the rationale and ethical justification of the policy. METHODS On September 26 and 27, 2011, a summit, composed of military and civilian experts in sports medicine and SCT, was convened at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. The expert panel was charged with two objectives: 1) to provide specific recommendations to further mitigate the apparent risk with strenuous exercise in WA with SCT and 2) to develop clinical guidelines to identify, treat, and return to duty/play WA suspected to have incurred nonfatal sickle cell collapse. RESULTS New terminology is introduced, areas of current controversy are explored, consensus recommendations for mitigating risk and managing the WA with SCT are reviewed, and important areas for future research are identified. CONCLUSION Further research is needed before conclusions can be drawn regarding the etiology of the increased death rate observed in WA with SCT, and the possibility exists that SCT is a surrogate for as yet another contributing factor for the unexplained deaths.
Voltage regulation and power losses minimization in automated distribution networks by an evolutionary multiobjective approach

In this paper, the problem of voltage regulation and power losses minimization for automated distribution systems is dealt with. The classical formulation of the problem of optimal control of shunt capacitor banks and Under Load Tap Changers located at HV/MV substations has been coupled with the optimal control of tie-switches and capacitor banks on the feeders of a large radially operated meshed distribution system with the aim of attaining minimum power losses and the flattening of the voltage profile. The considered formulation requires the optimization of two different objectives; therefore the use of adequate multiobjective heuristic optimization methods is needed. The heuristic strategy used for the optimization is based on fuzzy sets theory. After a brief description of the general problem of optimal control of voltage and power losses in automated distribution networks, the most recent papers on the topic are reported and commented. Then the problem formulation and the solution algorithm are described in detail. Finally, numerical results on a large distribution system demonstrate that the proposed formulation and approach are effective and feasible for finding an optimal generalized dispatching schedule.
Microbicides for HIV prevention: reality or hope?

Purpose of review This review discusses recent developments within the field of microbicide development and considers whether there are grounds to be hopeful that it will be possible to develop a microbicide for the prevention of HIV infection. Recent findings Phase 2B/3 effectiveness studies of surfactant and polyanion vaginal microbicides have demonstrated modest or no effect against HIV infection and in the case of nonoxynol-9 and cellulose sulfate the potential to increase the risk of HIV acquisition. However, newer antiretroviral microbicide candidates, such as tenofovir, have shown good safety and significant efficacy in animal models and human tissue explant systems and are currently being evaluated in human effectiveness studies. New formulation platforms, such as vaginal rings, are being developed to optimize product acceptability and adherence, and far greater scrutiny of candidate microbicides is happening at both the preclinical and early clinical phase of development. Summary Drug development is an inherently high-risk activity and many promising candidates are discarded due to safety issues or lack of efficacy. Lessons learned over the last two decades have helped to improve the microbicide development pathway and provide hope that it will be possible to develop a safe and effective microbicide for HIV prevention.
Accruals, Free Cash Flows, and EBITDA for Agribusiness Firms

This study explores the relationships between the accrual and cash flow components of earnings for agribusiness. Three accrual models with their respective cash flows, free cash flows, and free cash flows to equity are analyzed. Results for the agribusiness industry are compared with results from previous studies of all firms. Earnings Before Interests, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA), a measure frequently recommended as a proxy for cash flow is tested using these models. Empirical results show that both the magnitude and the behavior of EBITDA differ from cash flows and should not be used as a proxy.
Cross Talk Between MicroRNA and Coding Cancer Genes

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and posttranscriptional gene regulators shown to be involved in pathogenesis of all types of human cancers. Their aberrant expression as tumor suppressors can lead to cancerogenesis by inhibiting malignant potential, or when acting as oncogenes, by activating malignant potential. Differential expression of miRNA genes in tumorous tissues can occur owing to several factors including positional effects when mapping to cancer-associated genomic regions, epigenetic mechanisms, and malfunctioning of the miRNA processing machinery, all of which can contribute to a complex miRNA-mediated gene network misregulation. They may increase or decrease expression of protein-coding genes, can target 3′-UTR or other genic regions (5′-UTR, promoter, coding sequences), and can function in various subcellular compartments, developmental, and metabolic processes. Because expanding research on miRNA-cancer associations has already produced large amounts of data, our main objective here was to summarize main findings and critically examine the intricate network connecting the miRNAs and coding genes in regulatory mechanisms and their function and phenotypic consequences for cancer. By examining such interactions, we aimed to gain insights for the development of new diagnostic markers as well as identification of potential venues for more selective tumor therapy. To enable efficient examination of the main past and current miRNA discoveries, we developed a Web-based miRNA timeline tool that will be regularly updated (http://www.integratomics-time.com/miRNA_timeline). Further development of this tool will be directed at providing additional analyses to clarify complex network interactions between miRNAs, other classes of ncRNAs, and protein-coding genes and their involvement in development of diseases including cancer. This tool therefore provides curated relevant information about the miRNA basic research and therapeutic application all at hand on one site to help researchers and clinicians in making informed decision about their miRNA cancer–related research or clinical practice.
Full Utilization of TWSTT Network Data for the Short-Term Stability and Uncertainty Improvement

The two-way satellite time and frequency transfer (TWSTFT) is a precise time transfer technique and has being used to generate the international atomic time since 1999. Nowadays, TWSTFT links have formed a worldwide network and the large amount of TWSTFT data become highly redundant. To fully utilize the data of TWSTFT network and improve the TWSTFT results, a feasible method of processing data is proposed in this paper. According to the stability of each link, we assign a weighting value to each related equation and then solve the matrix equation with the weighted least squares method. We perform data analysis with practical time transfer data, and the results show that it is an effective method to improve the short-term stabilities and uncertainties of TWSTFT results.
Early intervention and recovery for young people with early psychosis: consensus statement

Summary International declarations that articulate core values, goals and standards have played an important role in enhancing the quality of care in a number of areas of medicine. This document attempts this task for early intervention in psychotic disorders. It was originally inspired by the St Vincents declaration on the care of diabetes and carefully developed by David Shiers and Jo Smith with support from the Initiative to Reduce the Impact of Schizophrenia, National Institute for Mental Health in England and Rethink, resulting in the UK-focused Newcastle Declaration. The World Health Organization and the International Early Psychosis Association then collaborated to produce an international version of the declaration, which articulates the universal principles of early intervention and tries to blend these with local capacities and cultural diversity.
Identification of a candidate adaptive polymorphism for Drosophila life history by parallel independent clines on two continents

Life history traits are critical components of fitness and frequently reflect adaptive responses to environmental pressures. However, few genes that contribute to natural life history variation have been identified. Insulin signalling mediates the determination of life history traits in many organisms, and single gene manipulation in Drosophila melanogaster suggests that individual genes in the pathway have the potential to produce major effects on these quantitative traits. We evaluated allelic variation at two insulin signalling genes, the Insulin‐like Receptor (InR) and its substrate, chico, in natural populations of D. melanogaster. We found different patterns of variation: InR shows evidence of positive selection and clines in allele frequency across latitude; chico exhibits neutral patterns of evolution. The clinal patterns at InR are replicated between North America and Australia, showing striking similarity in the distribution of specific alleles and the rate at which allele frequencies change across latitude. Moreover, we identified a polymorphism at InR that appears to be functionally significant and consistent with hypothetical patterns of selection across geography. This polymorphism provides new characterization of genic regions of functionality within InR, and is likely a component in a suite of genes and traits that respond adaptively to climatic variation.
The Relationship between Information Asymmetry and the Quality of Audit: An Empirical Study in Istanbul Stock Exchange

Information asymmetry occurs where one party of an enterprise has more or better information than the other.The primary objective is to remove asymmetric information. It is argued that information asymmetry can beremoved by a high quality audit. This study examined the differences between the enterprises audited by BigFour audit companies that were employed for measuring the quality of audit and the enterprises not put into suchaudit in terms of information asymmetry variables. The enterprises audited by four big audit companies, whichwere argued to make a high quality audit, were compared with other enterprises in terms of 6 variables used inthe measurement of information asymmetry. The study was conducted on manufacturing industry enterprisestraded at Istanbul Stock Exchange (Note 1). The variables of the independence of the board of directors, marketvalue/book value, and Tobin Q were found to be statistically different in two separate enterprise groups.However, the study yielded results contrary to those reported in the literature.
Análisis e incidencia del gasto en transporte público de los hogares en las localidades de Usme y Ciudad Bolívar

A continuacion se presenta un documento de trabajoresultado de un proceso investigativo, cuyo principalobjetivo es demostrar la incidencia en el gasto de lasfamilias en relacion con el transporte publico en laslocalidades de Usme y Ciudad Bolivar de Bogota desdeuna perspectiva analitica de manera descriptivamediante la utilizacion de un modelo econometricoque nos permita determinar y comprobar la incidenciadel gasto de las familias. Con el fin de lograr elcometido, se diseno e implemento un instrumentode recoleccion de datos basado en 619 encuestasefectuadas directamente a los hogares que utilizan elservicio de transporte publico colectivo en las localidadesde Usme y Ciudad Bolivar para desplazarsea sus lugares de trabajo o estudio o cumplir con actividadesde su nucleo familiar. El trabajo se sustenta,ademas, en la elaboracion de una resena historicadel uso del transporte en Bogota, tomando como baseun modelo de consumo de las familias y las ultimastendencias encontradas en el estudio de la economiadel transporte, haciendo enfasis en lo relacionadocon el transporte publico colectivo de pasajeros. Portal motivo, se encuentran en el desarrollo del trabajolos diferentes aportes de especialistas en el temadel transporte, que ha tomado gran importancia enel desarrollo economico y la busqueda de bienestarde las familias.
Prevalence of and major risk factors for adult bronchial asthma in Taipei City.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The prevalence of bronchial asthma has been on the rise worldwide, but the prevalence of adult asthma in Taiwan has not been reported. The objective of this study was to determine the current 1-year and lifetime asthma prevalence rates, and to identify major risk factors for adult asthma in Taiwan. METHODS A cluster sampling was conducted in 1999, where 21 clusters and 4549 adults (age > or = 18 years) were selected randomly. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a total of 2076 adults (45.6%; men/women, 987/1089) using a questionnaire designed to assess asthma and asthma-like symptoms adapted from the American Thoracic Society with minor modifications to include information about current asthma status. RESULTS The results showed that 50 cases had a previous diagnosis of asthma and 94 had been classified as probably having asthma with intermittently audible wheezing. The lifetime prevalence rate of asthma in adults in Taipei City was 7.8%. Seventy three out of 144 patients had asthmatic symptoms or wheezing in the past 12 months. The 1-year prevalence of asthma was 4.1%. A multiple logistic regression model showed the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of a history of maternal asthma to be 5.8 (2.77 to 12.18), that of allergic rhinitis to be 3.2 (2.03 to 5.16), that of paternal asthma to be 2.2 (0.91 to 5.21), that of older age (> or = 50 years) to be 2.0 (1.25 to 3.19), and that of smoking habit to be 1.7 (1.02 to 2.72). CONCLUSIONS The lifetime prevalence rate of adult bronchial asthma in Taipei City was 7.8% and related to both genetic and environmental factors, which included maternal or paternal history of asthma, history of allergic rhinitis, older age (> or = 50 years), and smoking habits.
Need for recovery from work related fatigue and its role in the development and prediction of subjective health complaints

Aims: To present the available empirical evidence for the assumed position of the concept of work related fatigue as: (1) short term effect of the working day; and (2) an intermediate variable between work demands and the development of subjective health complaints and sickness absence. Methods: Results from six single occupation studies, conducted between 1996 and 2002, are presented. Work demands (working hours, decision latitude, break control/autonomy, and mental, emotional, and physical demands) were assessed through validated scales. Work related fatigue was represented and assessed by means of the need for recovery after working time scale in all studies. Subjective health complaints and duration of sickness absence were quantified with the same instruments in most studies as well. Both cross sectional studies (four) as well as prospective studies (two; up to two years follow up) were performed. Cross sectional data of 3820 workers, in total, were available. Prospective data were accessible for 1200 workers in industry and health care. Models were tested with stepwise multiple regression analyses. Results: Strong associations between work demands and need for necovery were found in different occupations. The variance explained in need for recovery by work demands, age, and (baseline) need for recovery ranged between 14% and 48% in both types of studies. The amount of explained variance by work demands, age, and (baseline) need for recovery in subjective health complaints ranged between 24% and 58% in the different occupations. The prospective data showed the prognostic value of need for recovery in relation to subjective health complaints (in terms of psychosomatic complaints, emotional exhaustion, or sleep problems) and duration of future sickness absence. Conclusions: The hypothesised role for work related fatigue as a link in the causal string of events, that is assumed to exist between repeated adverse work demands and the development of work related stress reactions, (psychological) overload and, eventually, health problems, was confirmed.
Targeting protein inactivation through an oligomerization chain reaction

A general strategy for inactivation of target proteins is presented, which we have termed “oligomerization chain reaction. ” This technique is based on the fusion of the self-associating coiled-coil (CC) domain of the nuclear factor promyelocytic leukemia (PML) to target proteins that are able to self-associate naturally. Oligomerization through the CC region of promyelocytic leukemia, and through the natural self-associating domain, triggers the oligomerization chain reaction, leading to formation of large molecular weight complexes and functional inactivation of the target. As a test case, we have chosen the oncosuppressor p53, naturally occurring as a tetramer. Fusion of the CC to p53 leads to formation of stable high molecular weight complexes—as shown by size exclusion chromatography—to which wild-type p53 is recruited with high efficiency. CC-p53 chimeras delocalize wild-type p53 to the cytoplasm and inhibit its transcriptional regulatory properties, resulting in a loss of p53 function. We propose that this strategy may be of general application to self-associating factors and represent a complementary approach to currently used functional inactivation-based strategies.