Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
US National Breastfeeding Monitoring and Surveillance: Current Status and Recommendations

Eleven federally funded datasets assessing breastfeeding behaviors in the United States (Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Immunization Survey, National Survey of Children's Health, National Survey of Early Childhood Health, National Survey of Family Growth, Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey, and WIC Participant and Program Characteristics) were reviewed to evaluate breastfeeding variables (initiation, duration and exclusivity) and determine whether relevant breastfeeding determinants were collected to evaluate breastfeeding practices from a health disparities perspective. The datasets used inconsistent breastfeeding definitions, limited ethnic descriptors, and varied regarding availability of relevant determinants. Multiple datasets collect breastfeeding data, but a coordinated US breastfeeding monitoring and surveillance system does not exist. Suggestions to improve this system include: standardizing breastfeeding definitions, expanding ethnic/racial descriptors, collecting additional relevant variables, and reducing recall periods. J Hum Lact. 25(2):139-150.
Multiple myeloma presenting as eosinophilic pleural effusion

An elderly man, with no comorbidity, presented with rapidly accumulating left pleural effusion. He also had generalized adenopathy. Pleural fluid cytology showed exudative pleural effusion with eosinophilia. Supraclavicular lymph node biopsy was reported as amyloid. On further investigation he was found to have kappa‐light chain multiple myeloma. The final diagnosis was eosinophilic pleural effusion in a patient with multiple myeloma.
Global epidemiology of periodontal diseases: an overview.

This volume aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the distribution of various types of periodontal diseases from each of the world’s five major geographic regions. Epidemiology is the study of the health and disease in populations, as compared to individuals (20). Study of the distribution of human periodontal diseases and their risk factors on a global scale offers a unique investigational model that can provide power and generalization to observations on the periodontium made initially among more limited populations. In assessing causation between periodontal diseases and their suspected etiologic risk factors, it is useful to demonstrate consistency of the relationships in multiple, representative population samples. When diverse study approaches in various populations by different investigators produce similar conclusions on the distribution of periodontal diseases and/or their associations with putative risk factors, then one can be more confident that real phenomenon and/or causal relationships exist (29). Indeed, population-based studies provide external validity to observations obtained from more discrete subject groups, and enable generalization of the conclusions (14). Alternatively, differences in periodontal disease patterns among various population groups can be exploited to uncover previously unidentified risk factors that may not be expressed in all populations. Available population-based periodontal disease data originate from studies encompassing a wide range of objectives, designs and measurement criteria (18). The lack of standardized study design, definition of periodontal disease status, methods for disease detection and measurement, and criteria for subject selection markedly limit interpretation and
State of the art systematic review of bone disease in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a known consequence of anorexia nervosa (AN) and is particularly concerning during adolescence, a critical time for bone accrual. A comprehensive synthesis of available data regarding impaired bone health, its determinants, and associated management strategies in AN is currently lacking. This systematic review aims to synthesize information from key physiologic and prospective studies and trials, and provide a thorough understanding of impaired bone health in AN and its management. METHOD Search terms included "anorexia nervosa" AND "bone density" for the period 1995-2015, limited to articles in English. Papers were screened manually based on journal impact factor, sample size, age of participants, and inclusion of a control group. When necessary, we included seminal papers published before 1995. RESULTS AN leads to low BMD, impaired bone quality and increased fracture risk. Important determinants are low lean mass, hypogonadism, IGF-1 deficiency, and alterations in other hormones that impact bone health. Weight gain and menses restoration are critical for improving bone outcomes in AN. Physiologic estrogen replacement as the transdermal patch was shown to increase bone accrual in one study in adolescent females with AN; however, residual deficits persist. Bisphosphonates are potentially useful in adults with AN. DISCUSSION To date, evidence suggests that the safest and most effective strategy to improve bone health in AN is normalization of weight with restoration of menses. Pharmacotherapies that show promise include physiologic estradiol replacement (as the transdermal estradiol patch), and in adults, bisphosphonates. Further studies are necessary to determine the best strategies to normalize BMD in AN.
Development and evaluation of a multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of five foodborne pathogens

Aims: To develop a rapid multiplex PCR method for simultaneous detection of five major foodborne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis and Shigella flexneri, respectively).
Nonlinear Polarization Rotation in Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers With Linear Polarization Maintenance

We propose a geometrical model based on the concept of dynamic eigenstates of polarization to describe the behavior of nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) arising in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). The rotation axis with respect to either the bias current or the optical power variation is demonstrated on the Poincare sphere (PS), meanwhile a procedure to find the rotation axis is presented. Thus, the SOA-based NPR with linear polarization maintenance (zero polarization ellipticity angle) can be achieved experimentally. The rotation of polarization azimuth on the PS with respect to the bias current, the probe signal power, and the pump signal power variation is measured experimentally. The 180deg phase difference between the transverse electric and the transverse magnetic modes can be all achieved with linear polarization maintenance.
Effect of coadministered lopinavir and ritonavir (Kaletra) on tacrolimus blood concentration in liver transplantation patients

With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV positivity is no longer a contraindication for liver transplantation. Some of the antiretroviral agents, particularly protease inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, indinavir, and nelfinavir) have been described as potent inhibitors of the metabolism of certain immunosuppressive drugs. In this article we describe a profound interaction between tacrolimus and Kaletra (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) (a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir) in 3 liver transplantation patients. Patient 1, who was maintained on a 5 mg twice daily dose of tacrolimus with a trough blood concentration around 10.6 ng/mL, required only 0.5 mg of tacrolimus per week after addition of Kaletra to achieve similar tacrolimus blood concentrations, with a half‐life of 10.6 days. In patient 2, the area under the blood concentration versus time curve for tacrolimus increased from 31 ng/mL/h to 301 ng/mL/h after addition of Kaletra, with a corresponding half‐life of 20 days. When the patient was subsequently switched to nelfinavir, the half‐life decreased to 10.3 days. Patient 3, who was maintained with 4 to 8 mg/d of tacrolimus and a corresponding blood concentration of 10 ng/mL before Kaletra, required a tacrolimus dose of 1 mg/wk and tacrolimus concentrations of 5 ng/mL with Kaletra. In conclusion, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir led to a much more profound increase in tacrolimus blood concentrations than use of single protease inhibitor, nelfinavir. A tacrolimus dose of less than 1 mg/wk may be sufficient to maintain adequate blood tacrolimus concentrations in patients on Kaletra. Patients may not need a further dose of tacrolimus for 3 to 5 weeks depending on liver function when therapy with Kaletra is initiated. Great caution is required in the management of tacrolimus dosage when Kaletra is introduced or withdrawn in HIV‐positive patients after liver transplantation, particularly in the presence of hepatic dysfunction.
Methodological approaches to the assessment of the cluster potential of the economy of a region

The paper is devoted to the development of methodological approaches to the identification of regional clusters and to the determination of the cluster potential of a territory. It was proved that the specification of the cluster potential of the economy of a region can be carried out on the basis of the system of qualitative criteria (cluster characteristics) and qualitative parameters in the potential cluster group. The mathematical description of threshold values, the total of which allows making the conclusion about the transformation of quantitative measurements into qualitative ones and into the possibilities of cluster changes was made. The main qualitative parameter of a potential cluster is the innovation focus of its participants which is taken into account. The analysis of the importance of innovation of a cluster group when using the “Coefficient of a localized innovation” for calculation is suggested. The elements for the mechanism of the encouragement of the innovative cluster initiative are as follows: competition, market institutes, cluster policy, state and private partnership.
3,4-Bis(4-nitrophenyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide

The title compound, C14H8N4O6, a new 1,2,5-oxadiazole N-oxide derivative, was formed by dimerization of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde oxime. The compound crystallizes with two independent molecules per asymmetric unit. The N-oxide O atom is disordered over two sites in each molecule; site occupancy factors are 0.57/0.43 and 0.5/0.5. The mean planes through the two benzene rings are inclined to the planar 1,2,3-oxadiazole ring by 25.03 (11) and 41.64 (11)° in one molecule, and 22.58 (11) and 42.66 (11)° in the other molecule, the smaller angle being for the ring on the oxide side of the oxadiazole ring in each case. In the crystal structure, the individual molecules form centrosymmetric dimers linked via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers of one molecule are then linked to those of the other molecule via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network.
[Quality assurance in treatment of stroke: basic module of the German Stroke Registry Study Group].

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Comparable, standardised data on the quality and efficiency of stroke care in Germany are lacking. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Schlaganfall-Register (ADSR--German Stroke Registries Study Group) has defined a "Minimum DataSet" for the evaluation of quality indicators of stroke treatment in Germany. METHODS The ADSR is a voluntary network of current regional stroke registries aiming at a standardisation in the use of stroke terminology and methods of data collection for German stroke databases. Currently six regional stroke registries are cooperating in the ADSR, combining data from about 18,000 stroke patients in 110 hospitals annually. RESULTS In the design of the ADSR DataSet a modular approach was chosen. The ADSR "Minimum DataSet" was adapted for a wide use in different health care facilities. In addition to the "Minimum DataSet" an "Advanced DataSet" will be developed to document additional items of stroke care in specialised stroke centres. The ADSR DataSet collection will be completed by special "Extended DataSets", designed for answering centre-specific and research questions. CONCLUSION The ADSR "Minimum DataSet" allows a standardised assessment of stroke care in Germany. It is the first questionnaire that provides valid and reliable comparisons between different clinical settings as well as regional stroke databases. The ADSR "Minimum DataSet" defines core items for a future National German Health Report on stroke care.
Cost–utility analysis of operative versus non‐operative treatment for colorectal liver metastases

Surgical resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) is the standard of care when possible, although this strategy has not been compared with non‐operative interventions in controlled trials. Although survival outcomes are clear, the cost‐effectiveness of surgery is not. This study aimed to estimate the cost‐effectiveness of resection for CRLMs compared with non‐operative treatment (palliative care including chemotherapy).
Clinical Predictors for Possible Failure after Total Hip Arthroplasty

Introduction With the rising number of total hip arthroplasties (THAs) each year, it is increasingly important for surgeons to have evidence-based information on which to determine how often patients should be examined postoperatively. The purpose of this research was to determine whether it is possible to identify – based on Harris Hip Score (HHS) – early signs or predictors of THA failure so that methods of postoperative follow-up can be scheduled in advance of the time frame indicated by those predictors of failure. Methods The HHS of 9,949 primary THAs performed from 1973 to 2012 was reviewed retrospectively to identify the clinical predictors of failure. 1,131 hips were completely lost to follow-up, leaving 8,331 primary THAs in 6,979 patients. Time to failure was recorded with Kaplan-Meier analysis performed with aseptic loosening or revision of any component as the endpoint. Results Regression analysis revealed that a pain score of 30 or less at any time of follow-up (p<0.0001) was a significant risk and strongly indicative of later failing. A low distance walked score of 5 or less at 6 months (p = 0.0087) and 1 year (p = 0.0167) served as an early predictor of future failure. A lower stairs score of 2 or less was also an early predictor at 1 year (p = 0.0343) and at 3 years (p = 0.0245). A lower limp score of 8 or less was a mid-term predictor at 3 (p = 0.0001), 5 (p = 0.0002), 7 (p = 0.0191) and 10 (0.0028) years postoperative follow-up. Conclusions Pain, walk, stairs and limp scores are predictive of THA failure. Surgeons with patients who present with these indicators should optimise postoperative follow-ups to alert their patients.
Orai1 and STIM Reconstitute Store-operated Calcium Channel Function*

The two membrane proteins, STIM1 and Orai1, have each been shown to be essential for the activation of store-operated channels (SOC). Yet, how these proteins functionally interact is not known. Here, we reveal that STIM1 and Orai1 expressed together reconstitute functional SOCs. Expressed alone, Orai1 strongly reduces store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ current (ICRAC) in rat basophilic leukemia cells. However, expressed along with the store-sensing STIM1 protein, Orai1 causes a massive increase in SOCE, enhancing the rate of Ca2+entry by up to 103-fold. This entry is entirely store-dependent since the same coexpression causes no measurable store-independent Ca2+ entry. The entry is completely blocked by the SOC blocker, 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate. Orai1 and STIM1 coexpression also caused a large gain in CRAC channel function in rat basophilic leukemia cells. The close STIM1 homologue, STIM2, inhibited SOCE when expressed alone but coexpressed with Orai1 caused substantial constitutive (store-independent) Ca2+ entry. STIM proteins are known to mediate Ca2+ store-sensing and endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane coupling with no intrinsic channel properties. Our results revealing a powerful gain in SOC function dependent on the presence of both Orai1 and STIM1 strongly suggest that Orai1 contributes the PM channel component responsible for Ca2+ entry. The suppression of SOC function by Orai1 overexpression likely reflects a required stoichiometry between STIM1 and Orai1.
Named Entity Extraction Based on A Maximum Entropy Model and Transformation Rules

This paper describes named entity (NE) extraction based on a maximum entropy (M. E.) model and transformation rules. There are two types of named entities when focusing on the relationship between morphemes and NEs as defined in the NE task of the IREX competition held in 1999. Each NE consists of one or more morphemes, or includes a substring of a morpheme. We extract the former type of NE by using the M. E. model. We then extract the latter type of NE by applying transformation rules to the text.
Resource Management in 4G Wireless Communications at Vehicular Speeds: A Game Theory Solution

Poor cell-edge throughput is a well recognized problem in wireless communication technologies including 4G. Inter-cell interference (ICI), low signal to noise ratio (SNR) and inability to use an efficient modulation scheme in a low SNR environment are major problems in cell-edge regions in a multi- cell communication environment, which severely limits the spectral efficiency and cell-edge throughput. Mobility at vehicular speeds adds another dimension of problem for cell-edge users mainly because bit error rate increases exponentially with increasing vehicular speeds due to the multipath problem. 4G standards like LTE-A and WiMAX are currently considering various options to address this problem of low cell-edge throughput. One such option is to split the total radio resource among the cell center and cell-edge region, which allows frequency reuse, reduces ICI in cell-edge area, and supports CoMP transmission. In this paper, we show that simple resource splitting strategy like this, is not sufficient to support wireless communications at vehicular speeds. We propose a game theoretic model to resource management in 4G networks, which works well with nodes moving at high vehicular speeds. The ultimate benefit of the proposed scheme includes lower connection dropping rates for mobile nodes and higher revenue return for the service providers.
Melanocortin receptor 1 variants and melanoma risk: A study of 2 European populations

Variation within the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) gene, that influences phenotypic traits and susceptibility to melanoma, is abundant across the populations. We assessed and compared the risk of melanoma in 2 European populations, German and Spanish, by genotyping MC1R variants through direct DNA sequencing from 1,185 melanoma cases and 1,582 controls. The presence of any variant in both populations was associated with a significantly increased risk of melanoma (odds ratio OR = 1.67, 95% confidence interval CI 1.40–1.99). The population attributable fractions (PAF) associated with the MC1R variants in both populations was over 25%. However, the results showed a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) higher frequency of MC1R variants in the German (70%) than in the Spanish population (60%). The red‐hair colour (RHC) variants, though associated with increased risk in both populations, were more common in the German than in the Spanish population (p < 0.0001). Interestingly, non‐RHC variants increased the disease risk in the Spanish (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.20–2.14) but not in the German population (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.80–1.44). Although RHC variants explained a major proportion of the observed PAF in the German population, in the Spanish population the major contributor to the PAF was the non‐RHC V60L variant. We also observed reduced historic linkage disequilibrium between the variants V92M and T314T in the gene in German melanoma cases. In conclusion, our data underscored the unambiguous importance of the MC1R variants towards the population burden of melanoma. However, the variants that are associated with the disease differ between the investigated populations. © 2009 UICC
Towards a scholarship on regional elections

ABSTRACT This introduction article inaugurates the first annual special issue on regional elections which sets out to nurture a community of regional election scholars who seek to understand the factors driving regional voters, regional election outcomes, and regional electoral dynamics across the globe. This is a much-needed research effort given that the territorial scope and importance of regional elections have increased considerably over the past four decades yet most scholarship remains focused on national elections. Collectively the articles and reports presented in this first special issue enable us to distil three contributions to the scholarship on regional elections: a refinement on the scope conditions of the second-order election model; the introduction of the concept of barometer elections; and the insight that each regional (and national) election is regionalized or nationalized to a certain extent, either in outcome and/or in relation to the processes that sustain the outcome.
Risk factors of prostate cancer: a case-control study in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among males in Pakistan but very little is known about risk factors among the Pakistani population. Therefore a hospital-based, case-control study was carried out in Faisalabad to identify potential risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was based on 140 prostate cancer cases and 280 normal controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for odds ratios to assess the relationship between prostate cancer and different risk factors. RESULTS Family history of prostate cancer, age, smoking, obesity, consumption of red meat and frequent use of fat items significantly increased the prostate cancer risk (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of: 7.32; 1.79-29.8; 16.9, 5.60-50.8; 2.47, 1.17-5.18; 5.79, 2.66-12.6; 2.71, 1.07-6.91; and 3.39, 1.47-7.83, respectively. On the other hand, more consumption of fruit, fluid intake and better lifestyle (physical activity) significantly reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer with odd ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals of: 0.27, 0.11-0.61; 0.05, 0.02-0.12; and 0.28, 0.13- 0.58. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggested that age, family history of prostate cancer, smoking, obesity, fluid intake, frequent use of fat items, consumption of fruits and better lifestyle might be associated with prostate cancer among Pakistani males.
A miniaturized, broadband power divider using loaded slow wave structures for wireless applications

In this paper, a miniaturized wideband two-way Wilkinson divider operating from 0.2 to 4.6-GHz is demonstrated. The proposed miniaturization concept depends on the use of artificial transmission lines (ATLs), to replace the conventional impedance transformers, in order to decrease the phase velocity of the propagating waves and accordingly achieving higher electric lengths using smaller physical dimensions. Broadband operation is obtained by employing a two section transformer. The implemented divider provides a fractional bandwidth of approximately 183% around a center frequency of 2.4 GHz while providing a good isolation between its outputs. A size reduction of 25%-35% approximately is achieved in comparison to the conventional divider.