Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sozialmedizinische Folgen bei Uveitis im Kindes- und Jugendalter: Ergebnisse einer Pilotstudie

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Chronische Erkrankungen – wie z. B. eine Uveitis – haben sozioökonomische Folgen und weitere Minderungen der Lebensqualität zur Folge. Fragestellung In dieser Studie sollte der Einfluss einer Uveitis auf die Lebensqualität und berufliche Entwicklung ermittelt werden. Material und Methodik Prospektive Evaluation von Uveitispatienten im Kindes- und Jugendalter (Alter < 18 Lebensjahren, Uveitisklassifikation nach den Kriterien der Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature [SUN]) mit ≥ 12 Monaten Erkrankungsdauer in einem tertiären Uveitiszentrum. Der Einfluss auf die Lebensqualität, Freizeitaktivitäten, schulische Entwicklung und Schwerbehinderungen wurden analysiert. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit klinischen Daten korreliert. Die Daten wurden mittels deskriptiver Statistik analysiert. Ergebnisse 39 von 49 Patienten (80 %) hatten ein anteriore Uveitis (69,4 % beidseitig), 34 (69 %) eine assoziierte Systemerkrankung (juvenile idiopathische Arthritis n = 28), und 39 (80 %) hatten uveitisbedingte Komplikationen. 15 Patienten (31 %) waren wegen der Komplikationen bereits am Auge operiert worden. Viele Patienten wurden mit konventionellen (n = 37; 76 %) und biologischen (n = 18; 37 %) Disease-modifying antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) behandelt. Einschränkungen der Lebensqualität bestanden bei 41 % und der Freizeitgestaltung bei 23 %. Bei 32 Patienten (65 %) waren wegen der Uveitis wiederholt Fehltage in den letzten 12 Monaten in Kindergarten oder Schule aufgetreten (MW 12,5 Tage/Jahr; 15 % > 20 Tage). Die Uveitis beeinträchtigte die schulische Entwicklung (bei 29 %), führte zu Wiederholungen der Schulklasse (n = 3) oder auch zum Wechsel der Schulform (n = 3). Bei 30 % der Patienten bestand wegen der Uveitis bereits eine Schwerbehinderung. Schlussfolgerung Uveitis im Kindes- und Jugendalter hat erhebliche Auswirkungen auf die soziale und berufliche Perspektive. Die Folgen einer Uveitis können bereits im frühen Lebensalter zu einer Schwerbehinderung führen.
Tuberculosis en trabajadores de salud en el Perú, 2013-2015

Objectives. To describe the characteristics of tuberculosis epidemiology in Peruvian health workers. Materials and methods. A descriptive study was performed. It included all health workers with tuberculosis listed in the national epidemiological surveillance system of the Peruvian Ministry of Health, during 2013, 2014, and 2015. Results. A total of 755 cases of tuberculosis in health workers were reported: 60% worked in hospitals, 28% worked in primary-care facilities, and 12% worked in private facilities. In 57% of the cases, they worked in health facilities in Lima Metropolitan area and Callao. The average age of workers was 38 years (ranging from 19 to 89 years), and 63.6% were women. Of the cases, 6.1% were resistant, mainly multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, 67% of the cases had bacteriological confirmation of pulmonary tuberculosis. Health professionals and technicians represented 82.5% of the cases, and 55.2% corresponded to doctor’s offices, hospital admissions, and emergency rooms, the areas where they worked. Conclusions. Tuberculosis poses a significant work risk for health workers of both public and private facilities. It mainly affects health professionals and technicians providing direct care and assistance to patients in large Peruvian hospitals.
Frequency and Factors Associated with Biologic Monotherapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis; Experience from an Argentine Center

Introduction/objectives: The combination of biologic agents and synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs has proven to be effective for the treatment of patients with active Rheumatoid Arthritis; notwithstanding monotherapy was only exceptionally considered. However, with the advent of biologic agents with other modes of action and evidence contributed by tocilizumab studies, this option begun to be considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of monotherapy with biologic agents in patients with RA and factors associated with the use of this type of treatment, in the context of everyday practice. Method: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out, including patients over 18 years old who were diagnosed with RA, according to ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria, and who were treated with biologics. Demographic, clinical and treatment variables were evaluated. Results: From a total 450 patients with RA, 171 treated with biologic agents were evaluated. 31.6% received biologic monotherapy, most frequently due to MTX adverse effects. The most commonly used anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor as monotherapy was adalimumab. Monotherapy with biologic agents was seen to be associated with the use of drugs with other mechanisms than TNF blockers, most frequently tocilizumab. Bivariate and multivariate analyses have shown that monotherapy is an independent factor for no NSAID use. Corticosteroid use was lower in patients receiving monotherapy, although it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The biologic monotherapy frequency was 31.6%. The associated factors were use modes of action other than anti-TNF and a decreased use of NSAIDs.
Waveform synthesis via splines

As it currently stands, waveform generators are being employed in many diverse areas such as communication systems, radar applications, simulation, and testing. Thus, the objective here is to develop an algorithm for a waveform generator capable of synthesizing analog signals from a specified collection of discrete signal points, and polynomial splines are employed to develop a smooth curve (continuous derivatives) connecting these points. Texas Instruments recently released its 720 MHz digital signal processor (world's fastest), and the purpose of this brief paper is to add to the body of knowledge associated with splines and digital to analog conversion.
Synchronization of chaos in phase-locked loops

The first experimental demonstration that two phase-locked loops driven by a common chaotic signal derived from a master phase-locked loop can be synchronized under some suitably chosen but robust range of system parameters is reported. Experimental observations are completely consistent with both computer simulations and with the recent synchronization criterion due to L. M. Pecora and T. L. Carrol (1990, 1991). The robustness of this synchronization scheme suggests the intriguing possibility of achieving secure communication through chaos. >
PENDAMPINGAN IBU HAMIL TRIMESTER III MENINGKATKAN PRAKTEK PEMBERIAN ASI DAN STATUS GIZI BALITA 0-4 BULAN

Introduction: Results of Riskesdas in 2010 showed that the highest coverage was on 0 month age group infants (39,8%) and the lowest was on 5 months age group infants (15,3). Prevalence of stunted chlidren (short + very short) in NTB (West Nusa Tenggara) province is 43,7%. That rate is above the national rate (36,5%) and in general, stunted children problem in NTB province is still quite high because of the prevalence is over 20%. Therefore, the researchers conducted research to find exact mentoring model as an effort to solve nutritional status problems. Methods: The research design was simple experimental research design with the type of post-test only control group design. The research was conducted in Madiun-East java and Mataram-NTB started from April until October 2015. Result: There was a significant difference in exclusive breastfeeding practice between mothers who received the mentoring through home visit method with mothers who did not receive the mentoring. Infants of mothers who received the mentoring had opportunity / chance to breastfeed 9,333 times higher than infants of mothers who did not receive the mentoring. Discussion: Z-score of infants of mothers who received the mentoring had sligtly higher score than infants of mothers who did not receive the mentoring, but statistically there was no significant difference in 0-3 months infants nutritional status between both group. In connection with those results, it is recommended to use the mentoring model of “home visit to 3 rd trimester pregnant women” in order to increase the exclusive breastfeeding practice.
On the closed-loop stability of a teleoperation control scheme subject to communication time-delays

This paper focuses on the closed-loop stability analysis of a teleoperation control scheme subject to delays in the communication channel. The stability conditions derived using a frequency-domain approach are analytical and easy to check. Delay-independent as well as various delay-intervals stability cases are treated. The novelty of the approach lies in its simplicity for characterizing the stability regions in terms of the systems' parameters. Physical interpretations are included and several examples are also presented.
Dynamic production control in a serial line with process queue time constraint

This research examines the production control problem in two-station tandem queueing systems under time constraints. In these two-station tandem queueing systems, jobs must first be processed at the upstream station and then the downstream station. For each job, the sum of the waiting and processing time in the downstream queue is limited by an upper bound. This time constraint is called the process queue time constraint. When the process queue time constraint is violated, a significant scrap cost will be accrued. In this research, we develop a Markov decision model to study the production control problem under process queue time constraints. The objective is to minimise the sum of the expected long-run average inventory holding costs and scrap costs. According to the Markov decision model, an interesting exhaustive structure of the optimal production control policy is found. Based on this exhaustive structure, an efficient algorithm is developed to solve the production control problem numerically. The performance of the proposed algorithm is verified by a simulation study. Compared with other heuristics in the literature, the proposed algorithm can significantly reduce production costs while improving system throughput and utilisation.
Robot-Assisted Pericardial Drainage

Pericardial effusions compress the heart, and lead to decrease in cardiac output with haemodynamic collapse. The treatment of PE remains experimental (i.e. not standardized, based on the clinician’s experience) due to lack of large randomized studies. Available treatments differ from observation with/ without anti-inflammatory chemotherapy to pericardiocentesis with/without percutaneus catheter drainage, percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy and eventually to surgical interventions. Commonly two surgical techniques are being used: Transthoracic or subxiphoid surgical approach for creating pericardial window and the video-thoracoscopic pericardial window [1-4].
Planning of WiMAX Networks Based on Modified Empirical Path Loss Model

Abstract The prosperity and demand of wireless access technology have drawn tremendous attention from researchers for the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) over the past decade. This paper presents developed and adapted empirical path loss model (Samir Model) for the planning of WiMAX networks. The empirical propagation path loss models have a significant influence in wireless communication systems design. Predicting and finding the path loss are essential in planning and designing WiMAX networks. Three empirical models, the Stanford University Interim (SUI) model, the COST-231 Hata model and Samir model have been investigated in this work. Reference path loss of 3.5GHz WiMAX networks data is compared with the above mentioned models to demonstrate the responses of WiMAX systems based Samir empirical path loss model and confirm it is more comprehensive to combine both SUI and COST-231 Hata models . Many dependent parameters of the WiMAX planning problems are tested in different types of topography (rural, urban and suburban) such as path loss, base station and receiver antenna height, shadow fading, transmitting power and receiver sensitivity against distance between transmitter and receiver.
Einfluss des Überlappungsbereichs zwischen akustischer und elektrischer Stimulation

Zusammenfassung Patienten mit residualem Tieftonhörvermögen sowie Hochtonsteilabfall mit an Taubheit grenzendem Hörvermögen bei mittleren und hohen Frequenzen werden durch Cochlea-Implantate mit elektrisch-akustischer Stimulation (EAS, „hybride“ Stimulation) versorgt. Im Grenzbereich zwischen elektrischer und akustischer Stimulation kann es zu einer Überlagerung der beiden Reizformen kommen. Die Überlagerung wird bestimmt durch die Einführtiefe der Reizelektrode und der oberen Grenze des akustisch stimulierbaren Bereichs, sowie der Festlegung der Übertragungsbereiche (akustisch/elektrisch) durch den CI-Sprachprozessor. Die Studie untersuchte den Einfluss der Variation des elektrisch-akustischen Überlagerungsbereichs auf das Sprachverstehen im Störgeräusch, wobei die Breite der „Übertragungslücke“ zwischen den beiden verschiedenen Reizmodalitäten durch 2 unterschiedliche Verfahren variiert wurde. Die an 9 erfahrenen Nutzern des MED-EL Duet 2 Prozessors ermittelten Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der elektrisch-akustische Übertragungsbereich und mit ihm die Trennfrequenz zwischen Akustik-Teil und CI individuell angepasst werden sollten. Weitere Studien müssen zeigen, ob allgemeingültige Aussagen zur Auswirkung der Überlagerung zwischen elektrischer und akustischer Stimulation möglich sind, wobei eine Vergrößerung des Probandenkollektivs sowie eine längere Eingewöhnungszeit vor Durchführung der Hörtests notwendig erscheinen.
Superquadrics Model-based 3D Object Localization Algorithm

For the pose parameter estimation problem of 3D objects in an unorganized point cloud,a 3D object localization algorithm based on superquadrics model is proposed.A normalized radial Euclidean distance of a space point from the 3D object under arbitrary pose is defined by using the part-based superquadrics model of the 3D object.Then a nonlinear objective function for the 3D object pose estimation is established according to the mean square distance between the object surface points and the object in the point cloud,as well as the surface point number and interior point number of the object.By this means,the object localization problem is transformed into an optimization problem of the objective function.Then the invasive weed optimization(IWO) algorithm is adopted to optimize this objective function,and the obtained optimal solution is used as the estimation value of the 3D object pose.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can yield accurate object localization results with a good consistency of pose parameters,and effectively suppress the influence of measurement noises on measurement results.
Tissue engineering in burn wound healing: current modalities and future directions

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: TERM: Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine; GAG: Glycosaminoglycans; CEA: Cultured Epithelial Autograft; SCS: Stem Cells; MSCS: Mesenchymal Stem Cells, BMMSCS: Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells; ADSCS: Adipose -Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells; ECM: Extracellular Matrix; VEFG: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; PDGF: Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; IGF-1: Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; CSF: Colony Stimulating Factors; ILS: Interleukins; TNF: Tumor Necrosis Factor; TGF-Β: Transforming Growth Factor Β; MMPS: Matrix Metalloproteinases
Localizing systolic ejection within a trans-esophageal CW doppler ultrasound aortovelographic waveform

Localizing systolic ejection within trans-esophageal Doppler (TED) ultrasound aortograms is crucial for clinical application, but can be difficult to achieve especially during low flow states commonly encountered in critical care medicine. Termination of ventricular systole within the thoracic aorta is marked by the incisura, a transient, easily recognized on an intra-aortic pressure waveform but not on the non-invasive TED derived flow waveform. We have attempted to develop a new digital signal processing (DSP) strategy with the aim of recognizing physiologically relevant transients within quadrature demodulated Doppler ultrasound signals. We have applied our strategy to real aortic blood flow signals recorded during hypovolemia. Our new approach to TED quadrature demodulated signals shows how systole can be identified non-invasively and offers the real potential for refinement of the device.
Topical Structure Analysis of Korean EFL Learners’ Writings

This study explores Korean English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writings to examine coherence through topical structure analysis. It compares 15 Korean EFL learners’ essays with 15 native English speakers’ essays. The study investigates how these two groups advance their writing with sentence topics and how they employ four types of topical progression, namely, parallel, sequential, extended parallel, and extended sequential progression. Subcategories in each progression, though not by means exhaustive, elucidate differences in using topical progression between the two groups. The findings show that the Korean EFL learners tend to introduce more sentence topics and use more sequential progression than the native English speakers. Finally, the study suggests implications for teaching writing and future directions.
ASDPS-based geochemical data processing and anomaly identification

Geochemical data processing aims firstly at reducing random and/or systematic errors resulted from the field survey and/or laboratory analysis, and secondly at identifying whether the data contain some useful information indicating the existence of mineral concentrations, oil fields, and pollution sources in the survey area. The first task is usually carried out by using various smoothing approaches. However, how to determine the 'best' outcome from many smoothing methods still depends on a geochemist's personal judgment. The second task is achieved by making the data in reference to some geochemical benchmarks. In this paper, a statistical method is proposed to determine the likely 'best' outcome among many smoothed datasets, and then this 'best' fitted dataset is used to determine anomalies in reference to different geochemical benchmarks. The proposed statistical selector quantifies the determination of smoothing processing of geochemical data. The anomaly classifiers proposed can automatically identify and classify any geochemical anomalies contained in the data.
Enhancing Blood Donation Intentions Using the Train-the-Trainer ( TTT ) Model: A Field Trial Study

Background: In Iran, despite various attempts to increase recruitment of female blood donors, women make up less than 10% of blood donors. Methods: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of face-toface education via the Train-the-Trainer (TTT) model on people’s willingness to donate blood, especially women. A field trial study was designed based on a face-to-face educational plan for a population in 22 municipal regions of Tehran, the capital of Iran. The periods from March 2011 to February 2011 and from March 2010 to February 2010 were named as trial 2 and trial 1, respectively. Results: Total number of volunteers in trial 2 was 9,178 cases, including 2,785 females and 6,393 males, compared with 4,074 cases, including 454 females and 3,620 males, in trial 1. Female/male ratios in trials 1 and 2 were 0.13 and 0.44, respectively (p<0.001). Deferred donors made up 24% (981/4074) of 4,074 in trial 1, and of the 9,178 donors in trial 2, 29% (2693/9178) were deferred (p<0.001). The most common cause in trial 1 was erythrocytosis, 20%, and in trial 2 was anemia, 21.5%. Conclusions: Overall, face-to-face education is an appropriate method for enhancing safe blood donor motivation and recruitment.
Terrain-surface Estimation from Body Configurations of Passive Linkages

A passive linkage mechanism is used for increasing the mobile performance of a wheeled vehicle on uneven ground. The mechanism changes its shape according to the terrain and enables all the wheels to remain grounded while the vehicle operates over rough terrain. This means that the shape of the passive linkage mechanism must correspond to that of the terrain surface, so that the vehicle can estimate the shape of the surface while passing over it. This paper proposes a new terrain-surface estimation scheme that uses a passive linkage mechanism. Our key concept is to enable changes in the vehicle body's configuration to correspond to those in the terrain's shape. Using this concept, our mobile platform estimates the shape of terrain surfaces without using external sensors; the estimated surface shapes are used to adjust the reference velocities of individual wheels, thereby improving the mobile performance of the vehicle. We test our proposed scheme by experiments using a prototype vehicle.
Eine neue deutschsprachige Skala zur Erfassung von elterlichem Stress nach Frühgeburtlichkeit (PSS:NICU_German/2-scales)

Zusammenfassung Theoretischer Hintergrund Die Frühgeburt eines Kindes führt bei Eltern zu erhöhtem Stress, Angst und Sorge. Dies kann langfristige Auswirkungen auf die psychische Gesundheit der Mutter haben und potentiell auch die Entwicklung des Kindes beeinflussen. Fragestellung Der englischsprachige Fragebogen Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [1] erhebt elterlichen Stress nach Frühgeburtlichkeit in 3 Subskalen. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, eine ins Deutsche übersetzte Fassung des PSS:NICU Fragebogens hinsichtlich ihrer psychometrischen Gütekriterien und Dimensionalität zu überprüfen, um eine reliable deutsche Version zu entwickeln. Methode Zur Entwicklung (exploratorische Faktorenanalyse) diente eine Stichprobe von 50 Elternpaaren von Frühgeborenen. Ergebnisse Die Subskala Bilder und Geräusche wurde aufgrund der niedrigen Itemanzahl aus der deutschen Version des PSS:NICU entfernt. Ein PSS:NICU_German/2-scales Fragebogen wurde entwickelt. Dieser besteht nun aus den Subskalen Aussehen und Verhalten des Kindes (7 Items, Cronbachs α=0,82) und Elterliche Rolle (6 Items, Cronbachs α=0,87). Schlussfolgerung Der PSS:NICU_German/2-scales Fragebogen stellt ein ökonomisches und reliables Instrument zur Erfassung von elterlichem Stress nach Frühgeburtlichkeit dar.
Markov characterization of a digital channel

The paper presents the modeling of a digital channel on the basis of the Fritchman partitioned finite-state model (1967). The transition probabilities are determined on the basis of the error free run distribution (EFRD). The experimental determination of the error sequence is made for a FSK signal, with a baud rate of 300 Bd, and for an 8-PSK signal, 1600 Bd respectively. The experiment was performed in an urban and a rural area. The speed of the vehicle was 40 km/h, and 100 km/h respectively. The effects of the vehicle speed and signaling method upon the P(/spl ges/m,n) probability were emphasized for each case.