Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corticosteroids in Crohn’s disease

Crohn's disease is a lifelong illness characterized by chronic recurrent flares. The precise etiology of Crohn's disease is unknown. However, it appears to involve an enhanced systemic immune response and intensified local intestinal mucosal inflammatory activity, mediated through various inflammatory cells and an array of proinflammatory cytokines. Corticosteroids have been the mainstay of treatment of Crohn's disease. The controlled trials of the National Cooperative Crohn's Disease Study and the European Cooperative Crohn's Disease Study established that corticosteroids were effective for the induction of remission in Crohn's disease for the duration of the studies (6–17 wk). However, corticosteroids have not been shown to have an impact on the maintenance of long term remission in patients with Crohn's disease. In addition, they are associated with a high potential for dependence and serious toxic side effects. Alternative classes of medical therapy for Crohn's disease, including modified corticosteroids and a group of new biological therapies, have proven to be efficacious in the management of active and/or quiescent Crohn's disease.
Attack of the Apps: Helping facilitate online learning with mobile devices

Can iPad apps help facilitate online learning? Naomi McGrath, Educational Development and Communications Officer at the UNE Business School, University of New England, answers this question with a reviews of four apps. It is her hope that using by incorporating mobile apps in the classroom, instructors can improve enable communication to external students. These specific apps have either been used as a gadget to help provide support when teaching, assist with ease of access, or used within an LMS to collaborate information and share with other open source software available online.
Longitudinal development of antisocial behaviors in young and early adolescent Puerto Rican children at two sites.

OBJECTIVE This report provides descriptive longitudinal findings over three waves of a study designed to assess the development of antisocial behaviors in young and early adolescent Puerto Rican children at two sites. METHOD Through the use of standard assessment measures, representative samples of Puerto Rican children of both genders 5 to 13 years of age and their adult caretakers were interviewed at two sites: the South Bronx in New York City (n = 1,138) and the Standard Metropolitan Areas in Puerto Rico (n = 1,353; N = 2,491). RESULTS Although no differences in prevalence between the two sites were apparent at baseline, analyses of the longitudinal data show that site differences emerge over time, with a decrease in risk of antisocial behavior over time in the Standard Metropolitan Areas relative to the Bronx. CONCLUSIONS The decreased risk of these disorders in the Standard Metropolitan Areas corroborates the low rates in Puerto Rico reported in previous research. Future analyses of these data are needed to identify the risk and protective factors associated with this difference.
Comparison among different analysis methodologies for LLC resonant converter

The LLC resonant converters have been widely used in many applications due to their features such as wide input voltage range, high efficiency, and high power density. Therefore, the analysis methodology for the LLC resonant converter is of great importance. Based on the existing literature, there are mainly four analysis methodologies: (i) fundamental harmonic analysis; (ii) frequency domain with time domain partial correction; (iii) frequency domain with time domain complete correction; (iv) time domain analysis or operation mode-based analysis. However, there is no systematic view and study on different LLC analysis methodologies. Therefore, the main purpose and contribution of this study are to make a comprehensive study and comparison of these analysis methodologies and to provide guidance on analysing and designing of the LLC resonant converter to the readers. In this study, the principles of these four analysis methodologies are introduced briefly. Then, by introducing gain error and peak gain frequency error as definitions, comprehensive comparison studies on these four different methodologies for different conditions are implemented. Recommended applications for each methodology are summarised; finally, an experimental prototype is built to verify the theoretical analysis, and a conclusion is drawn.
Design of a Broadband HF Antenna for Multimode Naval Communications---Part II: Extension to VHF/UHF Ranges

This letter proposes a broadband antenna system with omnidirectional features, operating from 2 to 440 MHz. The basic antenna structure is the bifolded monopole, recently proposed as multimode high-frequency (HF) naval antenna, which is here augmented with a top-mounted discone mainly operating in the very-high-frequency (VHF) band. A mechanical and electrical integration strategy, which can be also extended to other antenna typologies, based on the lumped impedance loading to reduce the interantenna coupling, is described
Implications of socio-cultural contexts for the ethics of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND Health technology assesment (HTA) requires scientifically rigorous experimentation involving patients as subjects. HTA itself is required so that treatment given to patients will be both effective and efficient; this requirement is itself ethical in nature. At the same time it is essential that the methods used in HTA are ethically sound. Most healthcare researchers agree that the most effective and soundest method for assessing treatments is the randomised controlled trial (RCT). However, some researchers believe that the RCT is unethical, either in essence, or for use in some forms of medical research and HTA. Furthermore, many patients seem unable to understand the principles and purposes of the RCT, a factor which is highly detrimental for the validity of informed consent. Informed consent is the key to the ethics of medical research, both in most theories and in all codes of research conduct. Many RCTs therefore risk being unethical in practice, even if ethical in principle. AIM OF REPORT To survey the main objections to the RCT and its alternatives. To assess the philosophical and methodological basis of these objections, and of the methods recommended for addressing them. To identify areas where objections are founded in social or cultural factors normally overlooked in ethical argument about the RCT methodology. To identify alternative arguments or methods which might resolve ethical conflicts in this area. HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED The methods used were adapted from systematic reviews in medicine. Systematic searches of Medline, Psychlit and Sociofile CD-ROM databases; hand-searches of the major journals in general medicine and surgery, medical ethics and philosophy; and searches of books were carried out. The literature survey was restricted to articles published or abstracted in English. A database of the most relevant and useful materials was compiled, and is accessible on the Internet (http://www.liv.ac.uk/sdthomps/page1.html). RESEARCH FINDINGS UNDERSTANDING RCTS AND THEIR ALTERNATIVES: There is some evidence of difficulty in understanding the aims and methods of RCTs, and some disquiet about elements of the RCT methodologies. These objections are well known and much discussed, and concern the use of placebo, the continuation of trials after significant differentials in benefit or harm are apparent, and randomisation. CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS There was an absence of evidence of cultural or religious objections to randomisation, placebo or other kinds of controlled prospective trials. This most likely reflects an absence of research rather than absence of objections. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease

Since 1999, there have been nearly 20,000 cases of confirmed symptomatic West Nile virus (WNV) infection in the United States, and it is likely that more than 1 million people have been infected by the virus. WNV is now the most common cause of epidemic viral encephalitis in the United States, and it will likely remain an important cause of neurological disease for the foreseeable future. Clinical syndromes produced by WNV infection include asymptomatic infection, West Nile Fever, and West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). WNND includes syndromes of meningitis, encephalitis, and acute flaccid paralysis/poliomyelitis. The clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic features of these syndromes are reviewed here. Many patients with WNND have normal neuroimaging studies, but abnormalities may be present in areas including the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, and brainstem. Cerebrospinal fluid invariably shows a pleocytosis, with a predominance of neutrophils in up to half the patients. Diagnosis of WNND depends predominantly on demonstration of WNV‐specific IgM antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid. Recent studies suggest that some WNV‐infected patients have persistent WNV IgM serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid antibody responses, and this may require revision of current serodiagnostic criteria. Although there is no proven therapy for WNND, several vaccines and antiviral therapy with antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, and interferon preparations are currently undergoing human clinical trials. Recovery from neurological sequelae of WNV infection including cognitive deficits and weakness may be prolonged and incomplete. Ann Neurol 2006;60:286–300
Human activities in UK offshore waters: an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed

Integrated assessments (IA) and marine spatial planning (MSP) are becoming major drivers for the assessment and management of human activities at sea. To be successful, both require an understanding of the distribution of the pressures caused by human activities. We used spatial data for the major human activities operating in the England and Wales sector of UK waters in 2004 to provide an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed from multiple human activities. Pressure was estimated as the spatial extent of each of the activities; the intensity, longevity, and impacts arising from the pressures were not considered. Estimates of spatial extent were assigned to three pressure categories, subdivided into six pressure types. We estimated that four of the six pressure types affected ,1% of the seabed of England and Wales in 2004, whereas selective extraction caused by demersal trawling affected a minimum of 5.4%, rising to a possible maximum of 21.4%, of the total area of the seabed. This was a greater area than all other pressure types combined. The assessment process described here can be used as the framework for reporting human pressures at regular time intervals and feed into both IA and MSP for regional seas.
Sulfatide and monoclonal antibodies prevent reperfusion injury in skin flaps.

Sulfatide binds to P- and L-selectin, which play important roles in the initiation of neutrophil-endothelial interactions. Sulfatide protects skin flaps from ischemia-reperfusion injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the augmented protection when anti-rat ICAM-1 and anti-rat LFA-1 antibodies are combined with sulfatide in the ischemia-reperfusion model of rat skin flaps. Sulfatide was administered intravenously just before elevation of the right abdominal epigastric flap, and monoclonal antibodies were injected 30 min before clamp release. The femoral artery and vein were clamped above and below the epigastric vessels for 11 h and then the clamp was released. The administration of both sulfatide and monoclonal antibodies significantly increased the flap surviving area (6.58 +/- 0.61 cm(2) versus the group with monoclonal antibodies alone, 4.43 +/- 0.32 cm(2), P = 0.01). In the untreated rats the area was 1.86 +/- 0.36 cm(2). Histological examination 24 h after reperfusion in the group treated with sulfatide and monoclonal antibodies showed only slight leukocyte invasion into the flap, and myeloperoxidase activity 24 h after reperfusion was significantly reduced. This study indicates that both sulfatide and monoclonal antibodies protect rat skin flaps from ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Voice source cepstrum processing for speaker identification

Voice source analysis and modelling has played a key role in important speech applications such as speech recognition, speech synthesis and speaker recognition. This work presents a robust algorithm for glottal closure detection and a novel set of voice source features for speaker recognition. In the rst part of the dissertation the DYPSA algorithm is developed for detecting glottal closure instants (GCIs). It includes a detailed study of group delay functions and their application to the linear prediction residual; glottal closure candidate generation from the group delay function; cost function design with regards to the properties of the speech signal at the point of closure; and dynamic programming algorithm used to reject unlikely glottal closure candidates. The DYPSA algorithm is evaluated on a speech database that includes simultaneous laryngograph recording to provide reference glottal closures instants. The algorithm achieves a 95.7% identi cation rate with 0.71 ms timing error standard deviation. In the second part of the dissertation GCI detection allows the vocal tract transfer function to be estimated using closed-phase analysis. This is converted to cepstrum coe cients (VTCC) and subtracted from the mel-frequency cepstrum coe cients (MFCC) to derive a set of voice source cepstrum coe cients (VSCC). These are then used for speaker identi cation on the TIMIT database. We show that although a classi er using MFCC performs better than one using VSCC, the combination of the two gives a signi cant improvement in recognition rate, illustrat-
Digital Control of a Bank of IIR Filters in Optimal Processing of Signals From Pulse Radiation Detectors

New algorithm for measurement of mean count rate of pulses from radiation detectors is described. The algorithm is based on the control of a bank of digital IIR filters governed by the state of mean count rate-stationary or transient. The algorithm solves successfully the compromise between the contradictory requirements for low statistical fluctuations in steady state and fast response to sudden changes of mean count rate. The design of the bank of IIR filters is carried out by using the Chebyshev approximation of the second kind in order to achieve the high selectivity and high stopband attenuation applying as low as possible order of the constituent filters. All designed filters are of the second order. The static and dynamic characteristics of the new algorithm and the corresponding computational efficiency are tested and compared with those of the traditional ratemeter algorithms. The state of mean count rate, stationary or transient, is determined by a circuit for estimation of the gradient of mean count rate. The numbers of threshold levels within the adaptation logic circuit and their mutual positions have been optimized to achieve the best compromise
Perceptions of safety culture vary across the intensive care units of a single institution*

Objective: To determine whether safety culture factors varied across the intensive care units (ICUs) of a single hospital, between nurses and physicians, and to explore ICU nursing directors' perceptions of their personnel's attitudes. Design: Cross‐sectional surveys using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire‐ICU version, a validated, aviation industry‐based safety culture survey instrument. It assesses culture across six factors: teamwork climate, perceptions of management, safety climate, stress recognition, job satisfaction, and work environment. Setting: Four ICUs in one tertiary care hospital. Subjects: All ICU personnel. Measurements and Main Results: We conducted the survey from January 1 to April 1, 2003, and achieved a 70.2% response rate (318 of 453). We calculated safety culture factor mean and percent‐positive scores (percentage of respondents with a mean score of ≥75 on a 0–100 scale for which 100 is best) for each ICU. We compared mean ICU scores by ANOVA and percent‐positive scores by chi‐square. Mean and percent‐positive scores by job category were modeled using a generalized estimating equations approach and compared using Wald statistics. We asked ICU nursing directors to estimate their personnel's mean scores and generated ratios of their estimates to the actual scores. Overall, factor scores were low to moderate across all factors (range across ICUs: 43.4–74.9 mean scores, 8.6–69.4 percent positive). Mean and percent‐positive scores differed significantly (p < .0083, Bonferroni correction) across ICUs, except for stress recognition, which was uniformly low. Compared with physicians, nurses had significantly lower mean working conditions and perceptions of management scores. ICU nursing directors tended to overestimate their personnel's attitudes. This was greatest for teamwork, for which all director estimates exceeded actual scores, with a mean overestimate of 16%. Conclusions: Significant safety culture variation exists across ICUs of a single hospital. ICU nursing directors tend to overestimate their personnel's attitudes, particularly for teamwork. Culture assessments based on institutional level analysis or director opinion may be flawed.
Heterosexual Vaginal and Anal Intercourse Amongst London Heroin and Cocaine Users

A community-derived sample of 392 heroin users and 145 cocaine users were interviewed about their drug use and sexual behaviour, with (optional) collection of saliva specimen for linked anonymous HIV/HBV testing. The heroin sample was stratified (50/50) across current treatment and non-treatment status. For cocaine users 80% were not in current contact with any treatment. Overall levels of sexual activity were several times higher than reported in recent national surveys. Last-year prevalence of heterosexual anal intercourse was 23% and 20% for heroin-using males and females respectively (last-month figures—12% and 10%); and 23% and 15% for cocaine-using males and females respectively (last-month figures—7% and 9%). Two-thirds of subjects rarely or never used condoms during heterosexual anal intercourse. For females, receptive anal intercourse was positively related to a history of sex-for-money activity, high scores of severity of dependence, and injecting as a current route of use.
Novel Mechanism of β-Lactam Resistance Due to Bypass of DD-Transpeptidation in Enterococcus faecium *

The peptidoglycan structure of in vitro selected ampicillin-resistant mutant Enterococcus faecium D344M512 and of the susceptible parental strain D344S was determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The muropeptide monomers were almost identical in the two strains. The substantial majority (99.3%) of the oligomers from the susceptible strain D344S contained the usuald-alanyl → d-asparaginyl (ord-aspartyl)-l-lysyl cross-link (d-Ala → d-Asx-l-Lys) generated by β-lactam-sensitive DD-transpeptidation. The remaining oligomers (0.7%) were produced by β-lactam-insensitive LD-transpeptidation, because they contained l-Lys →d-Asx-l-Lys cross-links. The muropeptide oligomers of the ampicillin-resistant mutant D344M512 contained only these l-Lys → d-Asx-l-Lys cross-links indicating that resistance was due to the bypass of the β-lactam-sensitive DD-transpeptidation reaction. The discovery of this novel resistance mechanism indicates that DD-transpeptidases cannot be considered anymore as the sole essential transpeptidase enzymes.
Cervical Carcinoma: Relationship between Histology and Survival Following Radiation Therapy

This report is a retrospective analysis of the course of 253 patients with cervical carcinoma treated by radiation therapy. The carcinomas were classified according to the histomorpho- Iogic criteria previously outlined by Reagan. Statistical analysis by the chi-square test showed a highly significant difference in survival of the large-cell nonkeratinizing carcinoma as compared to both the keratinizing and smallcell carcinomas at both 2- and 5-year periods. The survival of patients with keratinizing carcinoma as compared to those with small-cell carcinoma was found to be probably significant in one-half of the comparisons while the remainder were not significant.
A prospective study of incident squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in the nurses' health study.

BACKGROUND Few epidemiologic studies are available that quantify the magnitude of the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin associated with sun exposure and related factors such as skin type. In addition, several studies have found an association between cigarette smoking and SCC. PURPOSE We prospectively examined the risk of developing SCC in relation to phenotype and the effects of sun exposure, as well as to cigarette smoking and other factors, during 8 years of follow-up in a cohort of 107,900 predominantly white women aged 30-55 years at base line in 1976. METHODS Questionnaires regarding medical history and health-related variables were sent to Nurses' Health Study participants every 2 years, beginning in 1976. Information on constitutional factors (natural hair color, childhood and adolescent tendency to sunburn and tan, and lifetime number of severe sunburns), lifestyle factors (regular time spent outdoors in the summer and sunscreen use), the state lived in at birth and at ages 15 and 30 years, and cigarette smoking habits were ascertained by questionnaire. A total of 197 women with first-incident, histologically confirmed, invasive SCCs that were diagnosed from 1982 to 1990 were included in this analysis. Multivariate analysis using proportional hazards models was used to calculate the relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with adjustment for confounders. RESULTS The risk of SCC was increased in women living in California (RR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.3-2.6) and Florida (RR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1-3.9) at base line, compared with those living in the northeastern states. This risk was higher for women living in those states at birth and at 15 years of age (RR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.4-4.4 for California and RR = 3.0; 95% CI = 0.7-1.2 for Florida). Red (RR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.1-3.7) and light brown (RR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.2-2.4) hair colors were associated with an increased risk of SCC, compared with dark brown hair. After adjusting for the number of sunburns, women who tended to burn after 2 or more hours of sun exposure as children had a slightly higher risk of SCC than those who never burned (RR = 1.5; 95% CI = 0.9-2.5 for burn and RR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.6-2.0 for painful burn), although the actual number of severe burns appeared to be a more important factor (RR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.5-4.0 for six or more burns). Finally, current cigarette smokers showed a 50% increase in the risk of SCC compared with never smokers (RR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1-2.1). CONCLUSION Exposure to the sun leading to sunburn, particularly at early ages, should be avoided to decrease the risk of incident SCC.