Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison between two activated protein C resistance methods as routine diagnostic tests for factor V Leiden mutation

The most common commercially available test measuring activated protein C (APC) resistance relies on the the anticoagulant response to added APC in an activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) based method. Another method is a Russell Viper venom time (RVVT) based system. To improve the specificity for factor V Leiden of the APTT based method, pre‐dilution of test plasma in FV‐deficient plasma has recently been recommended. In this study we tested the relative suitabilities of the APTT‐based system, the RVVT‐based system and their corresponding assays modified by pre‐dilution in FV‐deficient plasma, for screening asymptomatic subjects, a group of thrombophilic patients (in particular those with low APC ratios), patients on oral anticoagulants, and patients with lupus anticoagulant (LAC). We found the RVVT‐based assay to be superior to the APTT‐based method in the separation of normals from those with FV Leiden mutation both in asymptomatic subjects and in the thrombophilic patient group. Both modified assays demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 100% for FV Leiden, as verified by genotyping in asymptomatic subjects, thrombophilic patients and patients on oral anticoagulants, with the modified RVVT‐based assay giving better separation between normals and FV Leiden. Inhibition of phospholipid‐dependent coagulation by LAC antibodies rendered the APTT‐based system less suitable than the phospholipid‐rich RVVT‐based one, and as nine of the 20 LAC‐positive patients were on warfarin, we showed only the modified RVVT assay to be a reliable predictor of factor V Leiden in this patient group.
Extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: risk factors for infection and impact of resistance on outcomes.

BACKGROUND Extended spectrum beta Lactamases (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli (EC) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) has increased in recent years leading to limitations of treatment options. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of ESBL production among nosocomial isolates of EC and KP and their impact on clinical outcome METHODS One hundred and one isolates of EC and KP obtained from patients hospitalized for > 48 hours were included in the study. They were tested for ESBL production by double disc synergy test (DDST) and E test. Co-resistance to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim - sulphamethoxazole, aztreonam and beta lactamase inhibitor combinations and susceptibility to carbapenems were determined by disc diffusion method. Production of AmpC was screened using Cefoxitin discs. They were designated as colonizers or pathogens using clinical data and laboratory parameters. Risk factors assessed were variables related to hospital stay and antibiotics used. The outcome was followed up. RESULTS Of 101 isolates, 68 (49 EC, 19 KP) were ESBL producers, 14 being colonizers and 54 pathogens. They were obtained from Blood (4), Respiratory secretions (4), exudates (12) and Urine (48). A high degree of co-resistance was observed to other antibiotics. Susceptibility to carbapenem was universal. Two isolates were AmpC producers. Increased duration of hospital stay of >7 days was a significant risk factor (P < 0.0005). Prior exposure to antibiotics was also an important contributing factor. CONCLUSION The high prevalence of ESBL in EC and KP is associated with a multitude of infections in hospitalized patients with a significantly longer duration of hospital stay, increased morbidity and greater hospital charges. This necessitates emphasis on interventional strategies to control and prevent their spread in health care centers.
A floating memristor emulator circuit using operational transconductance amplifiers

This paper presents a floating memristor emulator circuit using operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs). The OTAs are used to realize electronically tunable second-generation current conveyors (ECCIIs). The behavior of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) memristor model of Hewlett-Packard laboratories has been imitated in the form of emulator circuit using ECCIIs. The hardware of proposed memristor emulator can be built using low cost devices that found in the market. The memristor emulator can be used as both the simulations and experiments which is valuable in a teaching aid and a real circuit application. Simulation and experimental results are also given to confirm the workability of the proposed circuit.
Variations in circadian rhythms of activity, sleep, and light exposure related to dementia in nursing-home patients.

We measured 24-hour circadian-rhythm patterns of activity and sleep/wake activity in a group of nursing-home patients (58 women and 19 men with a mean age of 85.7 years). Severely demented patients were contrasted with a composite group of moderate y, mild, or not-demented patients. Sleep/wake activity and light exposure were recorded with the Actillume recorder. Cosinor analyses were computed to determine the mesor, amplitude, acrophase, and circadian quotient of the activity rhythms. The diagnosis of dementia was based on the Mini Mental Examination and on examination of medical records. Sleep was extremely fragmented in both groups of nursing-home patients. Severely demented patients slept more both at night and during the day, but there were no significant differences in the number of awakenings during the night or in the number of naps during the day when compared to the composite group of moderate, mild, or no-dementia patients. The severely demented group had lower activity mesor, more blunted amplitude, and were more phase delayed (i.e. had later acrophases) than the other group. In addition, the severely demented patients spent less time exposed to bright light. These results confirm that circadian rhythms in nursing-home patients are disturbed with more disturbance in the severely demented. Much of the disturbance may be related not just to age but to mental status.
Association between activity level and situational factors in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in elementary school

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether the objective activity level of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with situational factors in elementary school. A total of 16 children with combined‐type AD/HD (13 boys, 3 girls) and 20 controls matched for age and gender participated in the study. All the participants wore the objective measurement of activity level for 1 week while attending elementary school. The average activity levels were calculated for the morning and afternoon classes. The classes were categorized into four types: (i) in‐seat classes, in which the participants were expected to learn quietly while sitting in their own seats; (ii) not‐in‐seat classes, in which the participants were not expected to sit in their seats; (iii) physical education classes; and (iv) lunch/recess periods. During the afternoon in‐seat classes, the children with AD/HD were significantly more active than the controls. However, no significant differences based on the group (children with AD/HD or controls) were observed during the other morning or afternoon classes. These findings indicate that in naturalistic settings where the effects of situational demands involving inhibition and the effect of fatigue overlapped, the children with AD/HD exhibited an activity level that was different from that exhibited by the controls. Differences in the activity levels of children with AD/HD and normal controls were identified using an objective measurement of activity level when two situational factors overlapped.
The potential of proteomics and peptidomics for allergy and asthma research

Progress in the field of proteomics, the branch of biology that studies the full set of proteins derived from a given genome, is moving fast. Two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DG) separation of complex protein mixtures and the subsequent analysis of isolated protein spots by mass spectrometry allow fast and accurate identification of proteins. The comparison of spots from different samples separated on customized 2D gels allows the detection of punctual differences in their mobility and facilitates tracing back differences in protein expression, presence of isoforms, splice variants and posttranslational modifications by mass spectrometry. In spite of significant analytical challenges owing to the high complexity of the proteome and the challenge deriving from the necessity to process huge amounts of raw data generated by mass spectrometric profiling, proteomics has evolved to an indispensable tool in life sciences. A restricted window of the proteome that consists of peptides and small proteins not easily manageable by conventional gel electrophoresis prompted the development of separation methods based on liquid chromatography. This new research field termed peptidomics already contributed, together with proteomics to enlarge our knowledge about biological processes and supported by sophisticated bioinformatics tools, to the discovery of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. The technological capabilities of biophysical separation, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics form the basis of discovery programs that aim at mining the proteome starting from microgram amounts of protein extracts derived from body fluids and tissues. Proteomics and peptidomics have a great potential to speed up allergy and asthma research, where disease‐ and tissue‐specific samples are easy to obtain.
Turning around Chronically Low-Performing Schools.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) publishes practice guides in education to bring the best available evidence and expertise to bear on the types of systemic challenges that cannot currently be addressed by single interventions or programs. Authors of practice guides seldom conduct the types of systematic literature searches that are the backbone of a meta-analysis, although they take advantage of such work when it is already published. Instead, authors use their expertise to identify the most important research with respect to their recommendations, augmented by a search of recent publications to ensure that research citations are up-to-date. Unique to IES-sponsored practice guides is that they are subjected to rigorous external peer review through the same office that is responsible for independent review of other IES publications. A critical task for peer reviewers of a practice guide is to determine whether the evidence cited in support of particular recommendations is up-to-date and whether studies of similar or better quality that point in a different direction have not been ignored. Because practice guides depend on the expertise of their authors and their group decision-making, the content of a practice guide is not and should not be viewed as a set of recommendations that in every case depends on and flows inevitably from scientific research. The goal of this practice guide is to formulate specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations for use by educators addressing a multifaceted challenge that lacks developed or evaluated, packaged approaches. The challenge is turning around low-performing schools. The guide provides practical, clear information on critical topics related to school turnarounds and is based on the best available evidence as judged by the review team. Recommendations presented in this guide should not be construed to imply that further research is not warranted to judge the effectiveness of particular strategies for turning around failing schools. Disclaimer The opinions and positions expressed in this practice guide are the authors' and do not necessarily represent the opinions and positions of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education. This practice guide should be reviewed and applied according to the specific needs of the educators and education agency using it, and with full realization that it represents the judgments of the review panel regarding what constitutes sensible practice, based on the research that was available at the time of publication. This practice guide should be used as a tool to …
Impaired ability of prostaglandins to buffer renal vasoconstriction in genetically hypertensive rats.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the mechanism(s) responsible for the exaggerated angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced renal vasoconstriction during the development of hypertension. In previous studies we observed that ANG II produces a twofold larger decrease in renal blood flow (RBF) in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) compared with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats before but not after cyclooxygenase inhibition. We suggested that this strain difference could be attributed to differences in renal prostaglandin (PG) levels and/or action. To evaluate these possibilities, measurements of RBF were made in 6-wk-old, anesthetized SHR and WKY pretreated with indomethacin. ANG II was injected intrarenally before and during continuous intrarenal infusion of a low dose of PGE2, viprostol (PGE2 analogue), PGI2, iloprost (PGI2 analogue), and bradykinin. In the control period ANG II reduced RBF by 50% in both strains. Infusion of PGs reduced the vasoconstrictor effect of ANG II in WKY, but had no effect in SHR. In contrast, infusion of bradykinin blunted the ANG II-induced vasoconstriction to a similar degree in both WKY and SHR. To investigate whether this lack of protection in SHR is due to strain differences in the number and/or affinity of renal receptors of PGs, radiolabeled ligand binding studies for PGE2 and PGI2 receptors were undertaken in glomeruli isolated from young WKY and SHR. Scatchard analysis revealed a single, high-affinity receptor site for PGE2 that was similar in both strains of rats. Both strains also exhibited a single, high-affinity PGI2 receptor site. No differences were observed in the PGE2 or PGI2 receptor number between WKY and SHR. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Insights into type 1 diabetes from the autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes

Purpose of review Advances in human genetics and investigations in animal models of autoimmune disease have allowed insight into the basic mechanisms of immunologic tolerance. These advances allow us to understand the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases as never before. Here, we discuss the tolerance mechanisms of the autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes and their relevance to type 1 diabetes. Recent findings Defects in central tolerance with alteration of self-antigen expression levels in the thymus are a potent cause of autoimmunity. Peripheral tolerance defects that alter T-cell activation and signaling also play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and other associated autoimmune disorders, with multiple modest defects working in concert to produce disease. Regulation of the immune response through the action of regulatory T cells is a potent mode of tolerance induction in autoimmunity that is important in type 1 diabetes. Summary Rare syndromes of autoimmunity provide a valuable window into the breakdown of tolerance and identify multiple checkpoints that are critical for generation of autoimmunity. Understanding the application of these in type 1 diabetes will allow the development of future immunomodulatory therapies in the treatment and prevention of disease.
Health Extension Workers’ Knowledge and Knowledge-Sharing Effectiveness of Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding Are Associated With Mothers’ Knowledge and Child Stunting in Rural Ethiopia

Background: Little is known about how the knowledge and the knowledge-sharing effectiveness (KSE) of health extension workers (HEWs) affect maternal knowledge of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and their child’s nutritional status. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate mothers’ and HEWs’ knowledge of key IYCF practices and to investigate whether mothers’ knowledge and HEWs’ KSE are associated with stunting in young children (aged 12-23 months). Methods: This cross-sectional study used face-to-face interviews to assess the IYCF knowledge of HEWs (n = 96) and mothers of 12- to 23-month-old children (n = 122) in Mecha district, West Gojam, Ethiopia. The association between HEWs’ KSE and children’s length-for-age z scores (LAZ) was investigated. Results: Stunting (50%), underweight (34%), and wasting (10%) were highly prevalent. Less than half (45%) of the mothers had access to nutrition education through the health extension program, but those who had, had better knowledge of IYCF practices and thus lower rates of stunting (P < .001). However, key IYCF practices were not well understood by the HEWs and this affected their KSE. The gap in KSE was negatively associated with LAZ (r = −.475, P < .001) and remained significant even after adjusting for maternal height, socioeconomic status, and maternal education (r = −.423, P = .002). Conclusion: Health extension workers’ KSE is associated with child stunting. Future training of HEWs would benefit from emphasis on not only the content of the IYCF messages but also the process of delivery while increasing their counseling skills.
ESD-immunity evaluations of a 40 V nLDMOS with embedded SCRs in the drain side

The impacts of current-path variation on the ESD robustness of nLDMOS devices as the drain-side modulation by a 0.18 μm/40 V process are evaluated in this paper. From the transmission-line-pulsing (TLP) measurement, the secondary breakdown current (It2) of an nLDMOS with the drain-side embedded SCR structure & "pnp" arrangement (DUT-2) increased from 2.498 A up to > 7 A (at least upgraded 180%) as compared with the reference nLDMOS device. And, the trigger voltage (Vt1) is also decreased; particularly the reduction of the pure SCR (DUT-3) is the most one. Meanwhile, the Ron of the pure LDMOS (DUT-4) increased, and the It2 value can also upgrade from 2.498 A to 3.043 A (improved about 21.8%). In this paper, we can find that the It2 value of the Reference nLDMOS is lower than that of the pure SCR and pure nLDMOS translated from the nLDMOS-SCR (pnp-arranged); therefore the It2 value of this nLDMOS-SCR (pnp) composed device will be higher than the Reference nLDMOS.
The Impact of Economic Sentiment, Consumer, Producer and Investor's Confidence Indices on Stock Returns of the Listed Companies in FTSE-20 in Greece

This chapter examines the relationship between stock returns of companies listed in the FTSE-20 on the Athens Exchange and behavioral indicators. The research is based on the behavioral APT model, which examines stock returns’ risk factors through the involvement of macroeconomic variables and behavioral indicators. The data is the closing price of 17 shares listed in the FTSE-20 index, a number of macroeconomic variables, and a series of behavioral indicators for the period of January 2001-December 2014. Regressions were conducted with dependent The Impact of Economic Sentiment, Consumer, Producer and Investor’s Confidence Indices on Stock Returns of the Listed Companies in FTSE-20 in Greece
In situ conversion of tumors into autologous tumor-associated antigen vaccines by intratumoral injection of α-gal glycolipids

The immunogenicity of autologous tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) is markedly increased upon the intratumoral injection of α-gal glycolipids, which insert into tumor cell membranes. The binding of natural anti-Gal antibodies to these glycolipids activates the complement system and recruits antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which internalize anti-Gal-coated tumor cells upon Fc/FcγR interactions. Eventually, TAA-derived peptides presented by APCs activate a T cell-mediated tumor-specific immune response.
Exceptions Handling in Hierarchical Petri Net Based Specification for Logic Controllers

Hierarchical Petri nets beside UML state machine diagrams, sequentional function charts (SFC) and hierarchical concurrent state machines are common solution for specification of logic controllers. These specification formats provide both concurrency and modeling on multi levels of abstraction (hierarchic approach). But only state machine diagrams supports exceptions handling in direct way. Program model presented in form of state machine diagram may be later transformed into a program in the SFC language or transformed in the Petri Net and implemented in the FPGA structure. Similarity between SFC language and Petri Nets give us lot of tools for analysis such control system[3]. Article presents new approach for exceptions handling in hierarchical Petri nets as formal specification for logic controllers. Proposed method of specification can be used independently or as a part of dual specification (correlated state machine diagram and hierarchical Petri Net).
Efficacy of Executive Function Interventions After Stroke: A Systematic Review

Abstract Purpose: Disorders in executive functions are common post stroke and play a critical role in predicting functional recovery. To establish best practice recommendations, it is necessary to appraise the evidence regarding specific executive function interventions post stroke. This systematic review aims to determine whether executive function intervention is more effective than no or alternative intervention in improving executive functions and functional abilities in the acute, subacute, and chronic stages post stroke. Method: A systematic review was performed up to January 2011 of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, OTseeker, and Cochrane databases. Eligible studies needed to include a cognitive intervention to remediate executive function impairments post stroke or to improve functional tasks compromised by these impairments. Methodological quality of randomized trials was rated by 2 authors. The level of evidence for each intervention, according to stage of recovery, was determined. Results: Ten studies met inclusion criteria – 1 evaluating treatment in the subacute and 9 in the chronic stage. Limited evidence from the 1 study in the subacute stage (level 2b) and 9 studies (including 3 randomized controlled trials) in the chronic stage (level 2a) support using remedial (eg, computerized working memory training) and compensatory interventions (eg, problem-solving strategies, paging system) for improving executive functioning and, possibly, functional abilities. Conclusion: These findings suggest that persons with stroke may possibly benefit from specific executive function training and learn compensatory strategies to reduce the consequences of executive impairments. Further research is needed in acute and subacute stroke, when the impact of treatment is potentially great and where few studies have been undertaken.