Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children's Bicycle Helmet Attitudes and Use: Association With Parental Rules

Background: Previous studies have assessed the attitudes of parents and children toward bicycle helmet ownership and use in various settings, but they have not addressed the role of parental rules in promoting bicycle helmet use by children. Objectives: To further explore the attitudes of parents and children at pediatric practices toward bicycle helmet ownership and use by children and to assess the role of parental rules in promoting bicycle helmet use by children. Design: One hundred sixty-nine 5- to 14-year-old children who owned bicycles and their parents were surveyed during well-child visits at 5 general pediatric practices in the Chicago, Ill, area. One hundred twenty-nine families were represented. Of the children, 60% were aged 5 to 9 years, and 50% were girls. Results: Forty-eight children (28%) reported helmet ownership. Of the helmet owners, 21 (45%) reported helmet use; thus, the overall percentage of helmet use was 12%. Helmet ownership by children was significantly ( P P P Conclusions: Parental rules are associated with bicycle helmet use by children. Pediatricians may increase helmet use rates by promoting strict parental helmet rules as part of their anticipatory guidance regarding bicycle safety. More research about the effectiveness of this strategy is needed. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996;150:1259-1264
Lung Cancer after Heart Transplantation: Results from a Large Multicenter Registry

In this study we analyzed Spanish Post‐Heart‐Transplant Tumour Registry data for adult heart transplantation (HT) patients since 1984. Median post‐HT follow‐up of 4357 patients was 6.7 years. Lung cancer (mainly squamous cell or adenocarcinoma) was diagnosed in 102 (14.0% of patients developing cancers) a mean 6.4 years post‐HT. Incidence increased with age at HT from 149 per 100 000 person‐years among under‐45s to 542 among over‐64s; was 4.6 times greater among men than women; and was four times greater among pre‐HT smokers (2169 patients) than nonsmokers (2188). The incidence rates in age‐at‐diagnosis groups with more than one case were significantly greater than GLOBOCAN 2002 estimates for the general Spanish population, and comparison with published data on smoking and lung cancer in the general population suggests that this increase was not due to a greater prevalence of smokers or former smokers among HT patients. Curative surgery, performed in 21 of the 28 operable cases, increased Kaplan–Meier 2−year survival to 70% versus 16% among inoperable patients.
Modeling potential reduction of child mortality after national scale-up of community-based treatment of childhood illnesses in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND Since 2010, 28,000 female health extension workers (IEWs) received training and support to provide integrated community based case management (iCCM) of childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and se- vere malnutrition in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE We conducted a modeling exercise using two scenarios to project the potential reduction of the under five mortality, riate due io the iCCM program in the four agrarian regions of Ethiopia. METHODS. We created three projections: (1) baseline projection without iCCM; (2) a "moderate" projection using 2012 coverage data scaled up to 30% by 2015 and (3) a "best case" scenario scaled up to 80% with 50% of newborns with sepsis receiving effective treatment by 2015. RESULTS. If the 2012 coverage gains (moderate projection) were applied to the four agrarian regions, we project that the iCCM program could have saved over 10,000 additional lives per year among children age 1-59 months. If iCCM coverage reaches the, "best case" scenario, nearly 80,000 additional lives among children 1-59 months of age would be saved between 2012 and 2015. CONCLUSION. High quality iCCM, delivered and used at scale, is an important contributor to the reduction of under five mortality in rural Ethiopia. Continued investments in iCCM are critical to sustaining and improving recent declines in child mortality.
Tracking a partially occluded target with a cluster of Kalman filters

Tracking moving objects is one of the most important techniques in motion analysis and understanding, and it has many difficult problems to solve. Estimating and identifying moving objects, when the background and moving objects vary dynamically, are especially difficult. It is possible under such a complex environment that targets might disappear totally or partially due to occlusion by other objects. The Kalman filter has been used to estimate motion information and use the information in predicting the appearance of targets in succeeding frames. In this article, we propose another version of the Kalman filter, to be called the structural Kalman filter, which can successfully accomplish its role of estimating motion information under such a deteriorating condition as occlusion. Experimental results show that the suggested approach is very effective in estimating and tracking non‐rigid moving objects reliably. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The role of infection and inflammation in sudden infant death syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the most common cause of post-neonatal mortality in the developed world. The exact cause of SIDS is likely to be multifactorial involving a critical developmental period, a vulnerable infant, and one or more triggers. Many SIDS infants have a history of viral illness preceding death. Prone sleep position, one of the leading risk factors, can increase airway temperature, as well as stimulate bacterial colonization and bacterial toxin production. Markers of infection and inflammation are often found on autopsy along with microbial isolates. Although the causal link between infection and SIDS is not conclusive, there is evidence that an infectious insult could be a likely trigger of SIDS in some infants.
Education, implementation, and policy barriers to greater integration of palliative care: A literature review

Background: Early integration of palliative care into the management of patients with serious disease has the potential to both improve quality of life of patients and families and reduce healthcare costs. Despite these benefits, significant barriers exist in the United States to the early integration of palliative care in the disease trajectory of individuals with serious illness. Aim: To provide an overview of the barriers to more widespread palliative care integration in the United States. Design and data sources: A literature review using PubMed from 2005 to March 2015 augmented by primary data collected from 405 hospitals included in the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s National Palliative Care Registry for years 2012 and 2013. We use the World Health Organization’s Public Health Strategy for Palliative Care as a framework for analyzing barriers to palliative care integration. Results: We identified key barriers to palliative care integration across three World Health Organization domains: (1) education domain: lack of adequate education/training and perception of palliative care as end-of-life care; (2) implementation domain: inadequate size of palliative medicine–trained workforce, challenge of identifying patients appropriate for palliative care referral, and need for culture change across settings; (3) policy domain: fragmented healthcare system, need for greater funding for research, lack of adequate reimbursement for palliative care, and regulatory barriers. Conclusion: We describe the key policy and educational opportunities in the United States to address and potentially overcome the barriers to greater integration of palliative care into the healthcare of Americans with serious illness.
Weight of Foods and Number of Portions Consumed Are Not Proxies for Expressing Nutrient Intakes in Field Studies

In order to determine whether simplified indicators for usual consumption of selected food groups, specifically those derived from either the percentage of the number of daily portions, the percentage of total daily weight consumed, or both, could serve as proxies for the conventional expression of daily energy intake, these indicators were computed and compared from food-frequency data in a data set. Food consumption was reported in frequency categories and portion sizes per month, per week, or per day, and the cumulative sum was divided by 365 to provide a daily average. The survey was done in the township of Santa Cruz and three hamlets of a rural county seat in Guatemala. Data from food-frequency questionnaires from 269 individuals (55 men and 214 women aged 16 to 86 years) were analyzed. For foods of plant origin, the percentage of total energy, percentage of total food weight, and percentage of total number of portions consumed showed low correlations (r < .45). When subdivided into specific foods and food groups (fruits and vegetables, red meat, etc.), marked differences were revealed across sites and among different indicators of consumption. Despite the simplicity of calculation, neither the percentage of weight of food in a group nor the percentage of portions consumed could serve reliably as proxies for their contributions to the percentage of total energy in this rural population in Guatemala.
Physiological, Anthropometric, Strength, and Muscle Power Characteristics Correlates With Running Performance in Young Runners

Abstract Dellagrana, RA, Guglielmo, LGA, Santos, BV, Hernandez, SG, da Silva, SG, and Campos, W. Physiological, anthropometric, strength, and muscle power characteristics correlates with running performance in young runners. J Strength Cond Res 29(6): 1584–1591, 2015—The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physiological, anthropometric, strength, and muscle power variables and a 5-km time trial (5kmT) in young runners. Twenty-three runners volunteered to participate in this study. Height, body mass, body fat, and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured. The subjects underwent laboratory testing to determine maximal oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), velocity at ventilatory threshold (VVT), running economy (RE), velocity associated with maximal oxygen uptake (vV[Combining Dot Above]O2max), and peak velocity (PV). Peak torque, total work, and power were measured by an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°·s−1 and 240°·s−1 angular velocities. Right and left knee flexor and extensor torques were evaluated. Finally, the participants performed a 5kmT. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were used to determine the variables that significantly related to 5kmT. Strength and muscle power variables did not correlate with 5kmT. However, most physiological variables were associated with 5kmT. Velocity at ventilatory threshold alone explains 40% of the variance in 5kmT. The addition of the RE at speed 11.2 km·h−1 (RE11.2) and FFM to the prediction equation allowed for 71% of the adjusted variance in 5kmT to be predicted. These results show that strength and muscle power variables are not good predictors of 5kmT; however, the physiological variables presented high prediction capacity in the 5kmT. Moreover, the anthropometric measures showed significant influence in performance prediction.
Adverse effects during the treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in children with chronic hepatitis C

Administration of pegylated interferon‐alpha (IFN‐alpha) and ribavirin in adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a recommended therapeutic standard. Nevertheless, this therapeutic regimen rises numerous controversies. The aim of this study was to analyze adverse effects during the treatment with pegylated IFN‐alpha and ribavirin in children with CHC.
Use of Fractal Analysis for the Discrimination of Trabecular Changes Between Individuals With Healthy Gingiva or Moderate Periodontitis.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate the capability of fractal analysis to discriminate the changes in the trabecular structure of interdental bone between individuals with healthy gingiva or moderate periodontitis using digital images. METHODS Two groups of patients were included according to the probing depth, bleeding on probing, and clinical attachment level. The first group (n = 50) consisted of individuals with healthy gingiva, whereas the other group consisted of patients with moderate periodontitis (n = 50). Periapical images obtained with a storage phosphor plate system during clinical examination were used for the fractal dimension (FD) calculations. Two rectangular regions of interest (ROIs) were placed at mandibular posterior interdental bone areas. The mean of the two ROIs was used to calculate mean FD by using the box-counting method. Student t test was used for the comparison of the FDs of the two groups (P = 0.05). RESULTS The mean FD of patients with periodontitis was 0.83, whereas it was 1.02 for the patients with healthy gingiva. A significant difference was obtained in the mean FD values of healthy individuals and patients with moderate periodontitis (P <0.05). CONCLUSION Fractal analysis can quantitatively discriminate the trabecular integrity alterations induced by periodontitis and therefore can be recommended for the diagnosis and monitoring of changes in trabecular architecture associated with periodontitis.
Genoprotective and neuroprotective effects of Daphne gnidium leaf methanol extract, tested on male mice

Abstract Methanol extract of Daphne gnidium leaves was assessed for its antigenotoxic and neuroprotective effects through antioxidant and antibutyrylcholinesterase activities. Antigenotoxic activity was evaluated against methyl methanesulfonate injected intraperitoneally to mice, using the comet assay. The protective effect of D. gnidium reached 99.12%, at the lowest tested dose (44 mg/kg b.w.) in kidney cells, and 92.16% at the dose of 88 mg/kg b.w. in blood cells. The extract was dissolved in water and administrated to mice by intraperitoneal injection. Antioxidant activity was tested against DPPH radicals. It reached a maximum of 74.52% with an IC50 value of 45 µg/ml. Anticholinesterase activity was determined against butyrylcholinesterase, an enzyme linked to Alzheimer disease. The extract exhibited antibutyrylcholinestrase effect with an inhibition percentage of 35.82% at the lowest tested dose (44 mg/kg b.w.).
Risk factors for HIV seroconversion in homosexual men in Australia.

BACKGROUND Rates of newly acquired HIV infection are increasing in Australia, and sexual contact between men accounts for 85% of cases. OBJECTIVE To investigate behavioural risk factors for HIV seroconversion among gay and bisexual men from Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. METHODS 103 men with newly acquired HIV infection were recruited from clinics in Sydney and Melbourne and behavioural risk factor questionnaires were administered between January 2003 and October 2004. Results were compared with a cross sectional and a cohort study performed by our group that enrolled similar populations of men. RESULTS The majority of seroconverters (73%) reported more than five sexual partners in the last six months. Ninety-five men (92%) were able to identify a high-risk event (HRE) that they thought had led to their HIV seroconversion. Most (70%) reported receptive unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), insertive UAI, or both at their HRE. Sixteen men (16%) reported no UAI in the preceding six months including the HRE. Men were more likely to report receptive UAI at their HRE when they perceived a partner to be HIV-negative as compared with when they perceived a partner to be HIV-positive (P = 0.05). Injection drug use was reported by 22% of the men in the previous six months, and 62% reported intoxication with alcohol (> or =5 drinks) or mood altering recreational drug use at the HRE. CONCLUSIONS Gay and bisexual men who have recently seroconverted are highly sexually active and report high rates of unprotected anal intercourse and recreational drug use at the HRE.
Apolipoprotein J (clusterin) and Alzheimer's disease

Apolipoprotein J (clusterin) is a ubiquitous multifunctional glycoprotein capable of interacting with a broad spectrum of molecules. In pathological conditions, it is an amyloid associated protein, co‐localizing with fibrillar deposits in systemic and localized amyloid disorders. In Alzheimer's disease, the most frequent form of amyloidosis in humans and the major cause of dementia in the elderly, apoJ is present in amyloid plaques and cerebrovascular deposits but is rarely seen in NFT‐containing neurons. ApoJ expression is up‐regulated in a wide variety of insults and may represent a defense response against local damage to neurons. Four different mechanisms of action could be postulated to explain the role of apoJ as a neuroprotectant during cellular stress: (1) function as an anti‐apoptotic signal, (2) protection against oxidative stress, (3) inhibition of the membrane attack complex of complement proteins locally activated as a result of inflammation, and (4) binding to hydrophobic regions of partially unfolded, stressed proteins, and therefore avoiding aggregation in a chaperone‐like manner. This review focuses on the association of apoJ in biological fluids with Alzheimer's soluble Aβ. This interaction prevents Aβ aggregation and fibrillization and modulates its blood‐brain barrier transport at the cerebrovascular endothelium. Microsc. Res. Tech. 50:305–315, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of telmisartan, irbesartan, valsartan, candesartan, and losartan on cancers in 15 trials enrolling 138 769 individuals

Background Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, but a recent meta-analysis of selected studies suggested that ARBs may increase cancer risks. Objective Candesartan, irbesartan, telmisartan, valsartan, and losartan were assessed for incident cancers in 15 large parallel long-term multicenter double-blind clinical trials of these agents involving 138 769 participants. Patients and methods Individuals at high CVD risk were randomized to telmisartan (three trials, n = 51 878), irbesartan (three trials, n = 14 859), valsartan (four trials, n = 44 264), candesartan (four trials, n = 18 566), and losartan (one trial, n = 9193) and followed for 23–60 months. Incident cancer cases were compared in patients randomized to ARBs versus controls. In five trials (n = 42 403), the ARBs were compared to ACEi and in 11 trials (n = 63 313) to controls without ACEi. In addition, in seven trials (n = 47 020), the effect of ARBs with ACEi was compared to ACEi alone and in two trials ARBs with ACEi versus ARB alone (n = 25 712). Results Overall, there was no excess of cancer incidence with ARB therapy compared to controls in the 15 trials [4549 (6.16%) cases of 73 808 allocated to ARB versus 3856 (6.31%) of 61 106 assigned to non-ARB controls; odds ratio (OR) 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95–1.04] overall or when individual ARBs were examined. ORs comparing combination therapy with ARB along with ACEi versus ACEi was 1.01 (95% CI 0.94–1.10), combination versus ARB alone 1.02 (95% CI 0.91–1.13), ARB alone versus ACEi alone 1.06 (95% CI 0.97–1.16) and ARB versus placebo/control without ACEi 0.97 (95% CI 0.91–1.04). There was no excess of lung, prostate or breast cancer, or overall cancer deaths associated with ARB treatment. Conclusion There was no significant increase in the overall or site-specific cancer risk from ARBs compared to controls.
Improving Forecast Accuracy of Financial Vulnerability: Partial Least Squares Factor Model Approach

We present a factor augmented forecasting model for assessing the financial vulnerability in Korea. Dynamic factor models often extract latent common factors from a large panel of time series data via the method of the principal components (PC). Instead, we employ the partial least squares (PLS) method that estimates target specific common factors, utilizing covariances between predictors and the target variable. Applying PLS to 198 monthly frequency macroeconomic time series variables and the Bank of Korea's Financial Stress Index (KFSTI), our PLS factor augmented forecasting models consistently outperformed the random walk benchmark model in out-of-sample prediction exercises in all forecast horizons we considered. Our models also outperformed the autoregressive benchmark model in short-term forecast horizons. We expect our models would provide useful early warning signs of the emergence of systemic risks in Korea's financial markets.
Bioavailability of Pentachlorophenol to Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in Artificially Contaminated Soils

Abstract The bioaccumulation of pentachlorophenol in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) was studied for two artificially contaminated soils (S1 and S2). The uptake kinetics of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in earthworms increased quickly within the initial 10 days. This was followed by a nearly steady state for the next 20 days that fit with the equilibrium partitioning model. The correlation coefficients were 0.812 and 0.715 for S1 and S2, respectively. The average biota-to-soil accumulation factor of PCP in S1 was 0.51 ± 0.09, whereas that of S2 was 0.79 ± 0.12. There was a significant correlation between log C soil and log C worm, demonstrating the validity of the equilibrium partitioning model. The bioavailability of PCP was assessed by chemical extraction methods. The results demonstrated a close correlation between extractable amounts of PCP freshly added in soils and those in earthworms. With increasing residence time of PCP in soil, there was a progressively smaller amount of PCP assimilated by the earthworms. In contrast, the amount extracted by Soxhlet extraction did not show a similar decline. However, the extractable amount of PCP by methanol and methanol–water (1:1) significantly decreased over 440 days. Compared with the methanol–water (1:1) extraction method, the methanol extraction method was preferred to the prediction of the bioavailability of PCP in aged soils.
Experimental Demonstrations of All-Optical Phase-Multiplexing Using FWM-Based Phase Interleaving in Silica and Bismuth-Oxide HNLFs

We propose an all-optical phase-interleaving technology based on dual-pump four-wave mixing (FWM) in highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). The proposed all-optical phase-interleaving technology is applied in an all-optical phase-multiplexing scheme to successfully phase-multiplex 2times or 3 times 10-Gb/s DPSK-WDM signals to a 20- or 30-Gb/s DPSK in non-return-to-zero (NRZ) formats. The proposed all-optical phase multiplexing scheme is demonstrated using dual-pump FWM in highly nonlinear silica and bismuth fibers. In contrast with optical time-division multiplexing technology, the proposed all-optical phase-multiplexing technology does not require pulse-carving, thus offering a high spectral-efficiency. Differential precoder for each input tributary is operated independently, and no additional encoder or postcoder is required to recover the original data after demodulation on the receiver side.