Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Different patterns of BK and JC polyomavirus reactivation following renal transplantation

Aim Reactivation of latent BK polyomavirus (BKV) infection is relatively common following renal transplantation and BKV-associated nephropathy has emerged as a significant complication. JC polyomavirus (JCV) reactivation is less well studied. The aim of the study was to determine reactivation patterns for these polyomaviruses in renal transplant recipients using an in-house quantitative real-time multiplex PCR assay and IgG serological assays using recombinant BK and JC virus-like particles. Methods Retrospective analysis of urine and plasma samples collected from 30 renal transplant patients from February 2004 to May 2005 at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Samples were collected at 5 days and thereafter at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-transplantation. Results Eight patients (26.7%) were positive for BK viruria; three of these patients submitted plasma samples and two had BK viraemia. Five patients (16.7%) were positive for JC viruria. A corresponding rise in BKV and JCV antibody titres was seen in association with high levels of viruria. Conclusions Different patterns of reactivation were observed: BK viruria was detected after 3–6 months, and JC viruria was observed as early as 5 days post-transplantation. One patient had biopsy-proven BKV nephropathy. No dual infections were seen. In order to ensure better graft survival, early diagnosis of these polyomaviruses is desirable.
Increased delta neutrophil index in women with severe preeclampsia

The pathophysiology of preeclampsia (PE) is believed to be associated with a systemic inflammatory response, but few inflammatory markers are currently available to predict PE. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the serum delta neutrophil index (DNI) between normal and preeclamptic women.
of TFTP DDoS Amplification

Web threats are becoming a major issue for both governments and companies. Generally, web threats increased as much as 600% during last year (WebSense, 2013). This appears to be a significant issue, since many major businesses seem to provide these services. Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are one of the most significant web threats and generally their aim is to waste the resources of the target machine (Mirkovic & Reiher, 2004). Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are typically executed from many sources and can result in large traffic flows. During last year 11% of DDoS attacks were over 60 Gbps (Prolexic, 2013a). The DDoS attacks are usually performed from the large botnets, which are networks of remotely controlled computers. There is an increasing effort by governments and companies to shut down the botnets (Dittrich, 2012), which has lead the attackers to look for alternative DDoS attack methods. One of the techniques to which attackers are returning to is DDoS amplification attacks. Amplification attacks use intermediate devices called amplifiers in order to amplify the attacker’s traffic. This work outlines an evaluation tool and evaluates an amplification attack based on the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP). This attack could have amplification factor of approximately 60, which rates highly along-side other researched amplification attacks. This could be a substantial issue globally, due to the fact this protocol is used in approximately 599,600 publicly open TFTP servers. Mitigation methods to this threat have also been considered and a variety of countermeasures are proposed. Effects of this attack on both amplifier and target were analysed based on the proposed metrics. While it has been reported that the breaching of TFTP would be possible (Schultz, 2013), this paper provides a complete methodology for the setup of the attack, and its verification.
Atmospheric pollutants and mortalities in English local authority areas

Objectives: To measure geographical co-relationships between disease-specific standardised mortality ratios (SMR) and different atmospheric emissions in 352 English local authorities. To link specific exposures with specific causes of death and to identify responsible polluting sources. To see whether long-term moderate exposures have the same lethal effects as short-term high-pollution (ie, smog) episodes. Design: Geographical distributions of SMR, atmospheric emissions and social hazards, extracted from three different sources, were converted to a congruent format. Correlation coefficients were calculated within and between these different datasets. Mortality/pollutant correlations were recalculated after additionally standardising the SMR for social differences between local authorities. Setting: The 352 English local authority areas, 1996–2004. Main results: SMR for one group of diseases (including upper alimentary and respiratory cancers, ischaemic heart disease, peptic ulcer, pneumonia) were related to a range of combustion emissions and to multiple social deprivation, cigarette smoking, binge drinking and a northern location. Additional standardisation of all SMR for these social hazards left a small subgroup independently related to atmospheric pollution, mainly from oil combustion. Correlations with pneumonia deaths were exceptional. Conclusions: High mortality rates were observed in areas with elevated ambient pollution levels. The strongest single effect was an increase in pneumonia deaths. Road transport was the chief source of the emissions responsible, although it was not possible to discriminate between the different chemical components. Many “pneumonia” deaths were probably caused by direct chemical injury, as in the 1952 London smog and are better regarded as “acute respiratory distress syndrome” or “acute lung injury”.
Unicompartmental Arthroplasty in the Post-Meniscectomy Knee: The Oxford Knee

Unicompartmental arthroplasty of the knee has become an accepted treatment alternative for limited osteoarthritis of the knee. Clinical studies are helping to determine which patients with unicompartmental arthritis of the knee have the most to gain from the limited nature of this surgery. The medium-term clinical results of properly selected patients are comparable to those of total knee arthroplasty. The small components used lend themselves to minimally invasive surgery. The Oxford unicompartmental arthroplasty has been developed to solve the problem of the kinematic conflict in knee arthroplasty design. The two separate articulating surfaces allow for simultaneous high congruency of both articulations while allowing the natural sliding motion in the sagittal plane. Strict attention to surgical technique and patient selection can help to achieve excellent arthroplasty longevity with high patient satisfaction.
Rapid effects of neonatal music therapy combined with kangaroo care on prematurely-born infants

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of music therapy (MT) combined with kangaroo care as dual treatment (DT) on the physiological responses of preterm infants compared with the influence of kangaroo care (KC) only. The infants' heart rate, respiration, transcutaneous O2 saturation and blood pressure were measured before, during, and after every therapy session. Sixty-one preterm infants born at a 24 to 36 week gestational age (GA) participated in the study. During KC, each infant was kept in skin-to-skin contact or held by a parent, and during DT sessions, the infant received music therapy in addition to KC. The DT and KC therapy sessions alternated. The results revealed that repeated DT and KC decreased the pulse, slowed down the respiration and increased the transcutaneous O2 saturation. The DT affected the blood pressure significantly more compared with the KC. Self-reports by the parents post-therapy suggest that DT may relax and calm both infants (51%) and parents (63%). In conclusion we propose that repeated combination of music therapy and kangaroo care may be more beneficial for preterm infants than KC alone in terms of certain physiological outcomes and parent self-reports.
Insulin Treatment Inhibits PAI-1 Production in NIDDM Patients with Endothelial Dysfunction

We examined 34 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients treated with sulfonylurea regimens, 24 NIDDM patients with 2-3 months long-acting insulin treat ment and 19 age-matched normoinsulinemic healthy controls. NIDDM patients were divided into two subgroups, with and without endothelial dysfunction according to von Willebrand factor level 0.14 IU/mL. There were significant differences in PAI-1 levels among patients without endothelial dysfunction treated by sulfonylurea agents (median 48.1, range 14-108 ng/ mL) or insulin (27.9, 2-53 ng/mL) and patients with endothe lial dysfunction treated by sulfonylurea regimens (80.7, 43-217 ng/mL) or insulin, respectively, (16.7, 7-34 ng/mL) (analysis of variance p < .001). NIDDM subgroups were not different in metabolic parameters (C-peptide and triglyceride levels, body mass index) and platelet activation marker (platelet factor 4 values). von Willebrand Factor and thrombomodulin levels were elevated in groups with endothelial dysfunction (analysis of variance p < .001, p = .025, respectively). Insulin treatment was accompanied by decreased PAI-1 levels especially in pa tients with endothelial dysfunction. Insulin is the inhibitor of endothelial PAI-1 production induced by cytokines. Therefore, we suggest that long-term insulin application may decrease PAI-1 levels by direct inhibitive action on the endothelial PAI-1 compartment. This hypothesis requires further research.
The alcohol behaviour of independent older people in Denmark

Abstract Purpose One of the aims of a recently completed Danish national study initiated by the Danish Association of Senior Citizens was to assess the alcohol behaviour of persons aged 65 years and over living independently in their own homes. Design and methods A representative sample of 600 independent persons aged 65 years and over took part in a national telephone survey to elucidate alcohol behaviour. Results The results of this part of the study reveal that 15 per cent of independent older people, corresponding to almost 100,000 persons, have potentially harmful alcohol behaviour—in particular older men and older people not living alone. Over 40 per cent of older men compared with just over 20 per cent of older women drink alcohol at least 4 days per week. Furthermore, older people exhibit strikingly different responses in relation to their own alcohol actions and their attitudes. Implications Since even moderate alcohol consumption levels become more harmful in old age, the results suggest that alcohol restraint campaigns in Denmark should address the alcohol and ageing issue more explicitly.
SiGe BiCMOS power amplifiers for 60GHz ISM band applications

This paper describes design and analysis of two SiGe BiCMOS power amplifiers for 60GHz ISM band applications. The presented two-stage and three-stage power amplifier employ single-ended topology with transistors in common-emitter configuration, except that the three-stage power amplifier uses a cascade structure in the input stage for better input/output isolation. Drawn 37.8mw from 1.8V supply, the two-stage power amplifier is able to deliver 7.2dBm output power, 13.5dB power gain and 11.9% PAE at its 1dB compression point. A saturated power of 8.6dBm can be achieved. With a power consumption of 46.8mW from 1.8V supply, the three-stage power amplifier offers a power gain of 22.5dB, 5.5dBm output power and 7.6% PAE at its 1dB compression point. The two-stage and three-stage power amplifier occupy a silicon area of 880 × 580 μm2 and 1180 × 580 μm2, respectively. The simulation results show that the two designs can be fully adopted in 60GHz ISM band applications. The presented power amplifiers have a fT/fmax = 200/200 GHz and a break-down voltage BVCEO °f 1.9V, based on Tower Jazz Semiconductor's 0. 18μm SiGe BiCMOS process.
Impacts of NBTI/PBTI on SRAM VMIN and design techniques for SRAM VMIN improvement

Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) and Positive Bias Temperature Instability (PBTI) are critical circuit reliability issues in highly scaled CMOS technologies. In this paper, we analyze the impacts of NBTI and PBTI on SRAM Vmini and present a design solution for mitigating the impact of NBTI and PBTI on SRAM V<inf>MIN</inf>. Two different SRAM V<inf>MINS</inf> (SNM-limited V<inf>MIN</inf> and time-limited V<inf>MIN</inf>) are explained. Simulation results show that SNM-limited V<inf>MTN</inf> is more sensitive to NBTI while time-limited V<inf>MTN</inf> is more prone to suffer from PBTI effect. NBTI/PBTI-aware control of wordline pulse width and sense amplifier enable time mitigates the V<inf>MIN</inf> degradation induced by NBTI/PBTI.
Endoscopic Spinal Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Discs

Objective : So called “minimally invasive procedures”have evolved from chemonucleolysis, automated percutaneous discectomy, arthroscopic microdiscectomy that are mainly working within the confines of intradiscal space to transforaminal endoscopic technique to remove herniated epidural disc materials directly. The purpose of this study is to assess the result of endoscopic spinal surgery and favorable indications in the thoracolumbar spine. Methods : The records of 71 patients, 73 endoscopic procedures, were retrospectively analysed. Yeung Endoscopic Spine Surgery system with 7 mm working sleeve and 25°viewing angle was used. The mean follow up period was 6 months (range,3-9). Results : Operated levels were from T12-L1 disc down to L5-L6 or S1 disc. Of 71 cases, 2 patients underwent transforaminal endoscopic surgery twice due to recurrence after initial operation. MacNab’s criteria was used to assess the outcome. Favorable outcome, excellent or good, was seen in 78% (57 procedures) of the patients. Among 11 fair outcomes, only 1 procedure was followed by secondary open procedure, laminectomy with discectomy. Two of 5 poor outcomes were operated again by same procedure which resulted in fair outcomes. One patient with aggravated cauda equina syndrome remained poor and a lumbar fusion procedure was performed in other patient with poor outcome. There were 2 postoperative discitis that were treated with conservative care in one and anterior lumbar interbody fusion in the other. Conclusion : Evolving technology of mechanical, visual instrument enables minimal invasive procedure possible and effective. The transforaminal endoscopic spinal surgery can reach as high as T12-L1 disc level. The rate of favorable outcome is mid-range among reported endoscopic lumbar surgery series. Authors believe that the outcome will be better as cases accumulate and will be able to reach the rate of standard open microsurgery.
Occupational, social, and relationship hazards and psychological distress among low-income workers: implications of the ‘inverse hazard law’

Background Few studies have simultaneously included exposure information on occupational hazards, relationship hazards (eg, intimate partner violence) and social hazards (eg, poverty and racial discrimination), especially among low-income multiracial/ethnic populations. Methods A cross-sectional study (2003–2004) of 1202 workers employed at 14 worksites in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts investigated the independent and joint association of occupational, social and relationship hazards with psychological distress (K6 scale). Results Among this low-income cohort (45% were below the US poverty line), exposure to occupational, social and relationship hazards, per the ‘inverse hazard law,’ was high: 82% exposed to at least one occupational hazard, 79% to at least one social hazard, and 32% of men and 34% of women, respectively, stated they had been the perpetrator or target of intimate partner violence (IPV). Fully 15.4% had clinically significant psychological distress scores (K6 score ≥13). All three types of hazards, and also poverty, were independently associated with increased risk of psychological distress. In models including all three hazards, however, significant associations with psychological distress occurred among men and women for workplace abuse and high exposure to racial discrimination only; among men, for IPV; and among women, for high exposure to occupational hazards, poverty and smoking. Conclusions Reckoning with the joint and embodied reality of diverse types of hazards involving how people live and work is necessary for understanding determinants of health status.
Sharpness-aware real-time haze removal for advanced driver assistance systems

This paper proposes a new haze-removal scheme for automotive applications. In contrast that the previous works focus on enhancing the quality of haze-free images, the proposed algorithm sharpens the edges of lanes by adopting the weighting filter. Moreover, the previous internal steps, which cannot improve the sharpness of lanes, are removed to reduce the computing overheads. As a result, the proposed haze-removal algorithm improves the sharpness of lanes remarkably, while providing the real-time image processing for advanced driver assistance systems.
Advances in the management of acute myeloid leukemia in older adult patients.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To update oncology nurses on new developments in the care of older adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). DATA SOURCES Clinical trial data, published guidelines, review articles, and conference proceedings. DATA SYNTHESIS Therapies for older adult patients with AML include cytarabine-based intensive-induction chemotherapy, investigational therapy, and supportive care. Nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may provide the best opportunity for cure following remission if a human leukocyte antigen-matched hematopoietic stem cell donor is available. Careful assessment of patient- and disease-related factors is critical in determining the appropriate treatment modality for individuals. Assessment tools and algorithms may identify patients likely to be intolerant of intensive therapies. Supportive care may improve treatment tolerance and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Survival outcomes have not improved significantly for older adult patients with AML. Novel therapies, coupled with better understanding of prognostic factors, may allow more highly individualized care. Performance status or comorbidity score may provide insights regarding outcome, particularly when combined with age, cytogenetic risk, or molecular markers. Efforts to improve transplantation safety may increase use in the older adult patient population. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Nurses provide disease and treatment information, manage adverse effects, and offer emotional support. Knowledge of the key management issues for older adult patients with AML is critical in fulfilling this role.
Asian economic crises and health: population health impacts and policy responses

The current global economic crisis is affecting many Asian countries. In fact, the expanded activity especially in financial sectors following the previous economic crisis in the late 1990s may have even increased some countries' vulnerability to the current economic instability. Although the current crisis in Asia is different from the previous one in terms of its causes and patterns,1 they share similarities in their potential consequences, such as increases in unemployment and decreases in household income and spending. Examining the population health impacts of and associated policy responses to the economic crisis in the late 1990s, thus, may provide some important insights for Asian or other countries in the development of policies to deal with the consequences of the current economic crisis. Starting with the depreciation of the Thai baht in July 1997, the Asian economic crisis struck many Far East and Southeast Asian countries. Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand were most affected.1 2 In Indonesia and Thailand, it took many years for the per capita gross domestic product to regain its precrisis level.2 The population health impacts of this economic crisis differed among countries and across different health outcomes. Increases in suicide deaths were detected in many Asian countries.2–4 However, increases …
Socioeconomic status and the risk of major depression: the Canadian National Population Health Survey

Background There are few longitudinal studies investigating the risk of major depression by socioeconomic status (SES). In this study, data from the longitudinal cohort of Canadian National Population Health Survey were used to estimate the risk of major depressive episode (MDE) over 6 years by SES levels. Methods The National Population Health Survey used a nationally representative sample of the Canadian general population. In this analysis, participants (n=9589) were followed from 2000/2001 (baseline) to 2006/2007. MDE was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview—Short Form for Major Depression. Results Low education level (OR=1.86, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.69) and financial strain (OR=1.65, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.28) were associated with an increased risk of MDE in participants who worked in the past 12 months. In those who did not work in the past 12 months, participants with low education were at a lower risk of MDE (OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.76), compared with those with high education. Financial strain was not associated with MDE in participants who did not work. Working men who reported low household income (12.9%) and participants who did not work and reported low personal income (5.4%) had a higher incidence of MDE than others. Conclusions SES inequalities in the risk of MDE exist in the general population. However, the inequalities may depend on measures of SES, sex and employment status. These should be considered in interventions of reducing inequalities in MDE. MDE history is an important factor in studies examining inequalities in MDE.
Towards new patterns of mobility

Transport policies during the last half century have changed the model of transport, giving priority to motorised private transportation and nearly removing pedestrians from land use in urban areas. This fact generates serious negative adverse effects in the overall population, such as noise and environment pollution, traffic injuries, social isolation and lack of physical activity. It contributes to the burden of disease with increased mortality, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. In addition, the impact of transport has an unequal distribution on society. Socially disadvantaged people experience the least benefits from motorisation and the most disbenefit from the model of motorised private transportation.1 A greater proportion do not own a car; have less access to services, healthcare, shops and leisure; and most deprived children have a higher risk of being killed as a pedestrian.2 There is a large amount of evidence that walking regularly provides many health benefits. It has been reported that it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, colon …