Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of thyroid function during first-trimester pregnancy: what is the rational upper limit of serum TSH during the first trimester in Chinese pregnant women?

CONTEXT Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) proposed that the upper limit of the TSH reference range should be 2.5 mIU/L in first trimester, but the reported ranges in China are significantly higher. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to establish a rational reference range of serum TSH for diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism in the first trimester of pregnant women in China. DESIGN We screened 4800 pregnant women in the first trimester and 2000 women who planned to become pregnant and evaluated 535 pregnant women in follow-up visits during the second and third trimester. RESULTS Median concentrations of serum TSH decreased significantly from the seventh week of gestation. The median of TSH from 4 to 6 weeks was significantly higher than from 7 to 12 weeks (2.15 [0.56-5.31] mIU/L vs 1.47 [0.10-4.34] mIU/L, P<.001); however, there was no significant difference compared with nonpregnant women (2.07 [0.69-5.64] mIU/L; P=.784). The median of free T4 was not significantly altered in the first trimester. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in the 4800 pregnant women was 27.8% on the diagnostic criteria of TSH>2.5 mIU/L and 4.0% using the reference interval derived by our laboratory (0.14-4.87 mIU/L). Additionally, of 118 pregnant women who had serum TSH>2.5 mIU/L in the first trimester, only 30.0% and 20.3% of them at the 20th and 30th week of gestation had TSH>3.0 mIU/L. CONCLUSIONS The reference range for nonpregnant women can be used for the assessment of pregnant women at 4 to 6 weeks of gestation. The upper limit of serum TSH in the first trimester was much higher than 2.5 mIU/L in Chinese pregnant women.
Running Head : TEACHER MERIT PAY AND STUDENT TEST SCORES 1 Teacher Merit Pay and Student Test Scores : A Meta-Analysis

In recent years, teacher merit pay programs have garnered considerable political and financial support, spurring rapid growth in the number of research studies investigating the association between teacher pay incentives and student test scores. The burgeoning research literature on this topic presents a novel opportunity to synthesize our understanding of merit pay and its influence on student test scores. This study fills that role as a meta-analysis of reported findings from 44 primary studies. Our meta-analysis finds that the presence of a merit pay program is associated with a modest, statistically significant, positive effect on student test scores (0.052 standard deviations). We also find that effect sizes are highly sensitive to program design and study context, which suggests that while some merit pay programs have the potential to improve student test scores in some contexts, researchers and policymakers should pay close attention to how the program is structured and implemented.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy in the Sultanate of Oman.

OBJECTIVE To establish the feasibility of newly started sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in our center at the Royal Hospital in the Sultanate of Oman. METHODS Twenty five patients with Breast cancer and melanoma were staged with sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, followed by Axillary lymph Node Dissection (ALND). Axillary SLN were detected by injection of blue dye alone or with radioisotope. Intraoperatively, a gamma probe detector identified the isotope-labeled SLN. Two patients underwent preoperative lymphoscintigraphy. The SLNs were examined histologically by hematoxylin-eosin staining and, if negative by this method an immunohistochemical staining (IHC) was done. RESULTS The only failure to detect inguinal SLN was one case after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Total detection rate of SLN was of 96%. Metastatic spread occurred in 11 patients of these 9 had other lymph node (LN) involved. Nine patients had no SLN involvement and no other LNs involved. CONCLUSIONS Ethically, according to the international recommendations and looking to the statistics of the Sultanate all clinical NO should have the choise of SLN biopsy prior to ALND.
Linear Formulation for Short-Term Operational Scheduling of Energy Storage Systems in Power Grids

This paper presents linear programming (LP) formulations for short-term energy time-shift operational scheduling with energy storage systems (ESSs) in power grids. In particular, it is shown that the conventional nonlinear formulations for electric bill minimization, peak shaving, and load leveling can be formulated in the LP framework. New variables for the peak and off-peak values are introduced in peak shaving and load leveling model, and the historical peak value for demand charge are considered in the electric bill minimization model. The LP formulations simplify computation while maintaining the accuracy for including linear technical constraints of ESSs, such as the state-of-charge, charging/discharging efficiency, output power range, and energy limit considering the life cycle of ESS. Proposed LP formulations have been implemented and verified in practical power systems and a large-scale industrial customer using historical data.
3D discomfort from vertical and torsional disparities in natural images

The two major aspects of camera misalignment that cause visual discomfort when viewing images on a 3D display are vertical and torsional disparities. While vertical disparities are uniform throughout the image, torsional rotations introduce a range of disparities that depend on the location in the image. The goal of this study was to determine the discomfort ranges for the kinds of natural image that people are likely to take with 3D cameras rather than the artificial line and dot stimuli typically used for laboratory studies. We therefore assessed visual discomfort on a five-point scale from 'none' to 'severe' for artificial misalignment disparities applied to a set of full-resolution images of indoor scenes. For viewing times of 2 s, discomfort ratings for vertical disparity in both 2D and 3D images rose rapidly toward the discomfort level of 4 ('severe') by about 60 arcmin of vertical disparity. Discomfort ratings for torsional disparity in the same image rose only gradually, reaching only the discomfort level of 3 ('strong') by about 50 deg of torsional disparity. These data were modeled with a second-order hyperbolic compression function incorporating a term for the basic discomfort of the 3D display in the absence of any misalignments through a Minkowski norm. These fits showed that, at a criterion discomfort level of 2 ('moderate'), acceptable levels of vertical disparity were about 15 arcmin. The corresponding values for the torsional disparity were about 30 deg of relative orientation.
A CODY COMPLEX SITE ON THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIE PLAINS

Abstract Two diagnostic Cody complex artifacts were found in an upland setting in Washita County, west central Oklahoma. These artifacts, a Firstview point made of Edwards chert and a Scottsbluff point made of obsidian, provide clues to activities and land use of Cody complex people in this region where such evidence is limited and only minimally reported. The typological significance of some Cody complex projectile point attributes including basal form and flaking patterns are discussed with reference to the Flaming site artifacts. Models for long-distance transport of lithic materials and land use patterns are also presented with reference to the lithic sources represented at the Flaming site. This surface assemblage also includes a few flakes and tools and the site may represent a bison kill location, but no faunal evidence is preserved.
“Mesenchymal stem cells”: fact or fiction, and implications in their therapeutic use

The concept of a post-natal “mesenchymal stem cell” (“MSC”) originated from studies focused on bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), which are non-hematopoietic adherent cells, a subset of which are skeletal stem cells (SSCs), able to form cartilage, bone, hematopoiesis-supportive stroma, and marrow adipocytes based on rigorous clonal and differentiation assays. Subsequently, it was speculated that BMSCs could form other mesodermal derivatives and even cell types from other germ layers. Based on BMSC surface markers, representative of fibroblastic cells, and imprecise differentiation assays, it was further imagined that “MSCs” are ubiquitous and equipotent. However, “MSCs” do not have a common embryonic origin and are not a lineage, but recent studies indicate that they are tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells. These cells share cell surface features owing to their fibroblastic nature, but they are not identical. They display different differentiation capacities based on their tissue origin but do not “trans-differentiate” outside of their lineage, based on rigorous assays. For these reasons, the “MSC” term should be abandoned. Tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells provide the opportunity to devise methods for tissue regeneration by the cells themselves (tissue engineering). Their use in other forms of regenerative medicine based on paracrine, immunosuppressive, and immunomodulatory effects is far less clear.
Evidence for spin fluctuations in vanadium from a tunneling study of Fermi-liquid effects.

The Fermi-liquid parameter {ital G}{sub 0} is found to be close to zero in vanadium, providing new experimental evidence for the importance of spin fluctuations in this material. Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/V and V/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Fe tunnel junctions were used to observe the renormalization caused by Fermi-liquid interactions of the spin splitting of the vanadium's superconducting density of states in a magnetic field. This was done by fitting the theory of Rainer to the measured dynamic tunneling conductance. Excellent agreement was found with this theory, and the results were consistent with critical field measurements made on the same vanadium films. The spin-orbit scattering rate {ital b}{sub so} was determined to be 0.07{plus minus}0.03.
Phytochemical and Biological Investigation of Hymenocallis littoralis Salisb.

A phytochemical investigation of the bulbs and flowers of Hymenocallis littoralis Salisb. , cultivated in Egypt, was carried out, which resulted in the isolation of four alkaloids, lycorine (1), hippeastrine (2), 11‐hydroxyvittatine (3), and (+)‐8‐O‐demethylmaritidine (4), and of two flavonoids, quercetin 3′‐O‐glucoside (5), and rutin (6). The volatile constituents of the plant flowers were analyzed for the first time by GC/MS, which led to the identification of 26 known compounds (Table 1). Finally, the antimicrobial activity of the petroleum ether extract of the flowers of H. littoralis was investigated.
Normal Cone Function Requires the Interphotoreceptor Retinoid Binding Protein

11-cis-retinal is the light-sensitive component in rod and cone photoreceptors, and its isomerization to all-trans retinal in the presence of light initiates the visual response. For photoreceptors to function normally, all-trans retinal must be converted back into 11-cis-retinal through a series of enzymatic steps known as the visual cycle. The interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is a proposed retinoid transporter in the visual cycle, but rods in Irbp−/− mice have a normal visual cycle. While rods are primarily responsible for dim light vision, the ability of cones to function in constant light is essential to human vision and may be facilitated by cone-specific visual cycle pathways. We analyzed the cones in Irbp−/− mice to determine whether IRBP has a cone-specific visual cycle function. Cone electroretinogram (ERG) responses were reduced in Irbp−/− mice, but similar responses from Irbp−/− mice at all ages suggest that degeneration does not underlie cone dysfunction. Furthermore, cone densities and opsin levels in Irbp−/− mice were similar to C57BL/6 (wild-type) mice, and both cone opsins were properly localized to the cone outer segments. To test for retinoid deficiency in Irbp−/− mice, ERGs were analyzed before and after intraperitoneal injections of 9-cis-retinal. Treatment with 9-cis-retinal produced a significant recovery of the cone response in Irbp−/− mice and shows that retinoid deficiency underlies cone dysfunction. These data indicate that IRBP is essential to normal cone function and demonstrate that differences exist in the visual cycle of rods and cones.
A framework for hotspot support using Wi-Fi direct based device-to-device links

Recent years have witnessed massive growth in the popularity of smart portable devices. These devices are fully powered with a number of network interfaces, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G, etc., in order to facilitate connectivity and enable the realization of computing and reachability everywhere and all the time. However, in areas with degraded cellular services and lack of Wi-Fi coverage, these devices do not allow connectivity to the Internet. Such a limitation can be particularly detrimental in application scenarios like search and rescue during and after a disastrous event, since trapped individuals cannot be reached. This paper presents a new framework for overcoming such limitation by introducing a hot-spot that may be accessible over device-to-device (D2D) communication links. Specifically, Wi-Fi direct (WFD) is exploited to form multi-hop peer-to-peer (P2P) routes to the introduced hot-spot. WFD supports the same speed and range of the normal Wi-Fi without the need of any infrastructure. WFD is among the emerging network technologies that are becoming almost standard on all new smart devices. By exploiting nearby devices, which have Internet access, our framework will enable users to publish contents. Our framework is validated through implementation using Android.
Efecto de la suplementación con fuentes de cobre sobre el comportamiento productivo, morfometría intestinal y nivel de cobre hepático en pollos de carne

El estudio tuvo por objetivo evaluar el efecto de la suplementacion de cobre sobre el comportamiento productivo, los niveles de cobre en el higado y la morfometria intestinal en pollos de 0 a 40 dias de edad. Se emplearon 200 pollos BB machos de la Linea Cob500, distribuidos en cinco tratamientos con cuatro repeticiones y 10 animales por repeticion: T1, dieta basal con zinc bacitracina (control positivo); T2, dieta basal sin antibiotico(control negativo); T3, dieta basal con sulfato de cobre; T4, dieta basal con oxicloruro de cobre; T5, dieta basal con cobre clorado tribasico (CCTB). El cobre suplementado fue de 250 mg/kg. No se encontro diferencia estadistica en peso corporal, ganancia de pesodiario, rendimiento de carcasa y rendimiento economico. El indice de conversion y el consumo de alimento fueron mejores en T3 en relacion a T1 y T2 (p<0.05). El mayor nivel de cobre en higado fue en T5 (p<0.05). Asimismo, la suplementacion de cobre influyo la altura y area de vellosidad en el yeyuno comparado a los grupos control. Se concluye que con la suplementacion de 250 ppm Cu, proveniente del sulfato de cobre, se mejora la conversion alimenticia y que la suplementacion de cobre, independientemente de la fuente, afecta la morfologia intestinal.
Fetal and infant growth and cardiovascular risk factors in women

Abstract Objective: To examine whether cardiovascular risk factors in women are related to fetal and infant growth. Design: Follow up study of women born 1923-30 whose birth weights and weights at one year were recorded. Setting: Hertfordshire. Subjects: 297 women born and still living in East Hertfordshire. Main outcome measures: Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations during a standard oral glucose tolerance test; fasting plasma proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin concentrations; blood pressure; fasting serum total, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and apolipoprotein A I and B concentrations; and plasma fibrinogen and factor VII concentrations. Results: Fasting plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and 32-33 split proinsulin fell with increasing birth weight (P=0.04, P=0.002, and P=0.0002 respectively, when current body mass index was allowed for). Glucose and insulin concentrations 120 minutes after an oral glucose load showed similar trends (P=0.03 and P=0.02). Systolic blood pressure, waist:hip ratio, and serum triglyceride concentrations also fell with increasing birth weight (P=0.08, P=0.07, and P=0.07 respectively), while serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations rose (P=0.04). At each birth weight women who currently had a higher body mass index had higher levels of risk factors. Conclusion: In women, as in men, reduced fetal growth leads to insulin resistance and the associated disorders: raised blood pressure and high serum triglyceride and low serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The highest values of these coronary risk factors occur in people who were small at birth and become obese. In contrast with men, low rates of infant growth did not predict levels of risk factors in women. Key messages Key messages They have increased levels of cardiovascular risk factors associated with insulin resistance The highest levels of these risk factors are in people who were small at birth and obese as adults Unlike in men, low rates of growth in infancy are not linked to coronary heart disease in women
ATAXIA‐TELANGIECTASIA: SOMATOSENSORY,‘BRAINSTEM AUDITORY. AND MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS IN SIX PATIENTS

Six patients with ataxia‐telangiectasia were given neurophysiological examinations. The patients had progressive sensorimotor axonal neuropathy that had begun at about age eight years. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) showed central alterations in two of four cases. Somatosensory (BAEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were altered in four of five cases. In the advanced stage of the disease the neurophysiological findings, except BAEPs and MEPs, resembled those in Friedreich's ataxia. MEP and BAEP results may therefore be useful for differential diagnosis.
The shared responsibility of disease surveillance

In a recent analysis of the performance of global health governance initiatives, Ng and Ruger (2011) argue that one of the most striking features of the transition from international health governance to global health governance has been the continuation of the same ‘decades-old problems of insufficient coordination, the pursuit of national and organizational self-interest, inadequate participation by the recipients and targets of aid, and sheer lack of resources’. They contend that diplomatic initiatives in the field of health are plagued, in particular, by a multiplicity of actors that have uncoordinated buy-in that affects and distorts the implementation (and sustainability) of these initiatives (Ng and Ruger 2011). In 2005, a key moment in the global health governance initiative was the passage of the revised International Health Regulations (IHR) by the World Health Assembly. The revisions to this legal instrument, concerned with coordinating the prevention and containment of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC), marked a conceptual and practical shift for the responsibilities of states, non-state actors and the World Health Organization (WHO). States were no longer only responsible for keeping outbreaks from entering their borders; they were also deemed responsible for preventing outbreaks spreading beyond their borders. Meanwhile, ‘informal’ (non-state) actors and the WHO were given new responsibilities to, respectively, report outbreaks and (for the WHO) proactively seek state confirmation of outbreaks. Since the 2005 revisions to the IHR, much attention has turned to how these three actors states, non-state entities and the WHO will coordinate their activities in relation to infectious disease control (Baker and Fidler 2006, Lee and Fidler 2007, Hoffman 2010, Katz and Fischer 2010). The concern in this special symposium, based on a workshop sponsored by Griffith University in July 2011, is to focus on one aspect of the revised IHR that depends upon these multiple actors (states, informal actors and the WHO) cooperating and contributing to fulfil their shared obligation under the revised IHR: early warning surveillance. This collection of articles traces how these actors, under the revised IHR, have interpreted their
PDL Progenitor–Mediated PDL Recovery Contributes to Orthodontic Relapse

Periodontal ligament (PDL) is subjected to mechanical force during physiologic activities. PDL stem/progenitor cells are the main mesenchymal stem cells in PDL. However, how PDL progenitors participate in PDL homeostasis upon and after mechanical force is largely unknown. In this study, force-triggered orthodontic tooth movement and the following relapse were used as models to demonstrate the response of PDL progenitors and their role in PDL remodeling upon and after mechanical force. Upon orthodontic force, PDL collagen on the compression side significantly degraded, showing a broken and disorganized pattern. After force withdrawal, the degraded PDL collagen recovered during the early stage of relapse. Correspondingly, increased CD90+ PDL progenitors with suppressed expression of type I collagen (Col-I) were observed upon orthodontic force, whereas these cells accumulated at the degradation regions and regained Col-I expression after force withdrawal during early relapse. Our results further showed that compressive force altered cell morphology and repressed collagen expression in cultured PDL progenitors, which both recovered after force withdrawal. Force withdrawal–induced recovery of collagen expression in cultured PDL progenitors could be regulated by transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β), a key molecule for tissue homeostasis and extracellular matrix remodeling. More interesting, inhibiting the regained Col-I expression in CD90+ PDL progenitors by blocking TGF-β interrupted PDL collagen recovery and partially inhibited the early relapse. These data suggest that PDL progenitors can respond to mechanical force and may process intrinsic stability to recover to original status after force withdrawal. PDL progenitors with intrinsic stability are required for PDL recovery and consequently contribute to early orthodontic relapse, which can be regulated by TGF-β signaling.
Consideraciones sobre las externalidades negativas de la economía de mercado en el contexto de la integración ambiental.

El presente articulo repasa las condiciones basicas de la economia neoclasica y su relacion con la economia de mercado, con el fin de observar sus principales limitaciones, sobre todo en lo concerniente a la aparicion de externalidades negativas y la incidencia sobre el deterioro del medio ambiente. Para ello se expone en un primer epigrafe el caso del monopolio afectado por la racionalidad aproximada, en la terminologia de los economistas llamados «nuevos keynesianos» y, acto seguido, se examina una economia teorica afectada por el deterioro medioambiental resenado. Ante este planteamiento inicial se tienen en cuenta los principales instrumentos de la politica medioambiental y los problemas mas caracteristicos con que se enfrentan los instrumentos de mercado, lo que sirve de orientacion para resenar algunos instrumentos mas eficaces para poner freno al problema de la contaminacion en general.