Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating an emergency general surgery service enhances the productivity of trauma surgeons, general surgeons and the hospital.

BACKGROUND Several models that integrate trauma and emergency general surgery (EGS) have been proposed to provide a diverse and challenging operative practice for trauma surgeons and improve recruitment. In July 2002, our institution established a 24/7 EGS consult service, staffed primarily by critical care/trauma surgeons (CCTS). The objective of this report was to evaluate the impact of this new service on CCTS, general surgeons (GS) and the hospital. METHODS All admissions to CCTS and GS from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2003 were reviewed by querying hospital and physician databases for demographics, diagnoses, operative intervention(s), and resource utilization. Data were analyzed using nonparametric methods. RESULTS [See ]. 9,405 admissions were identified, with GS and EGS admissions increasing over time. In July 2002, EGS became a separate service and captured 26% of GS admissions. Hospital-wide trauma admissions remained stable despite a slight decrease in trauma admissions to CCTS. A decrease in trauma operations by CCTS was offset by an increased EGS operative volume. EGS included "bread and butter" GS procedures including appendectomies and cholecystectomies and complex surgical procedures. EGS patients were often sicker with more than 50% requiring ICU admission compared with GS admissions of which only 10% required ICU care. (Table is included in full-text article.) CONCLUSIONS Departmental restructuring to include an EGS service: 1) increased CCTS volume despite decreased CCTS trauma admissions and operations; 2) increased elective GS volume; 3) generated increased use of ICU and operating room resources; and 4) demonstrated that CCTS with broad operative GS backgrounds and critical care knowledge can effectively staff an EGS service.
Estimation of the skin-air interface in mammograms using level sets

A method for the estimation of the breast contour in mammograms is presented. Segmentation of the breast region from the background is made difficult due to the fact that the compressed breast edge is mostly composed of adipose tissue that is radiolucent. The algorithm presented uses level sets to establish the corresponding skin-air boundary. An initial preprocessing procedure is performed where the image contrast is improved and the breast edge is enhanced. Artifacts, labels and noise are also removed from the mammogram. Following the breast boundary is identified using the level set formulation, by Chan and Vese, and the results are quantitatively evaluated against the radiologist's ground truth.
Single-cell profiling reveals that eRNA accumulation at enhancer–promoter loops is not required to sustain transcription

Abstract Enhancers are intergenic DNA elements that regulate the transcription of target genes in response to signaling pathways by interacting with promoters over large genomic distances. Recent studies have revealed that enhancers are bi-directionally transcribed into enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). Using single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH), we investigated the eRNA-mediated regulation of transcription during estrogen induction in MCF-7 cells. We demonstrate that eRNAs are localized exclusively in the nucleus and are induced with similar kinetics as target mRNAs. However, eRNAs are mostly nascent at enhancers and their steady-state levels remain lower than those of their cognate mRNAs. Surprisingly, at the single-allele level, eRNAs are rarely co-expressed with their target loci, demonstrating that active gene transcription does not require the continuous transcription of eRNAs or their accumulation at enhancers. When co-expressed, sub-diffraction distance measurements between nascent mRNA and eRNA signals reveal that co-transcription of eRNAs and mRNAs rarely occurs within closed enhancer–promoter loops. Lastly, basal eRNA transcription at enhancers, but not E2-induced transcription, is maintained upon depletion of MLL1 and ERα, suggesting some degree of chromatin accessibility prior to signal-dependent activation of transcription. Together, our findings suggest that eRNA accumulation at enhancer–promoter loops is not required to sustain target gene transcription.
Design of wideband dual-polarized microstrip antennas

This study investigates wideband dual-polarized microstrip antennas. These antennas are used to prevent deterioration of transmission quality caused by terminal interference or multipath fading, which usually occur when many terminals are used in limited space such as hot-spot zones. The experimental results showed that the impedance bandwidth (SWR≤2) of 33.24 % and the peak gain of 8.44 dBi (at 2.11 GHz) were obtained by the frequency band under 2.5 GHz. Designed originally for triple service band, the proposed antenna, with its simple structure, may easily be mass-produced and may have various commercial applications.
Diagnostic Approach and Management of Lynch Syndrome (Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Carcinoma): A Guide for Clinicians

The patient with a family history for colorectal carcinoma constitutes a complicated diagnostic challenge involving many clinicians. The diagnostic workup of familial colorectal cancer is an elaborate and time consuming process in which the family and several medical specialists closely collaborate. However, establishing a diagnosis can be very rewarding. If a mutation is detected in the family, a satisfactory explanation can be provided for an accumulation of tumors at young age, and often of untimely death. Appropriate presymptomatic testing can be offered to reduce mortality among at‐risk family members, and relatives not at risk can avoid uncertainty and needlessly intensive surveillance.
Specific Expiratory Muscle Training in COPD.

BACKGROUND There are several reports showing that expiratory muscle strength and endurance can be impaired in patients with COPD. This muscle weakness may have clinically relevant implications. Expiratory muscle training tended to improve cough and to reduce the sensation of respiratory effort during exercise in patients other than those with COPD. METHODS Twenty-six patients with COPD (FEV(1) 38% predicted) were recruited for the study. The patients were randomized into two groups: group 1, 13 patients were assigned to receive specific expiratory muscle training (SEMT) daily, six times a week, each session consisting of 1/2 h of training, for 3 months; and group 2, 13 patients were assigned to be a control group and received training with very low load. Spirometry, respiratory muscle strength and endurance, 6-min walk test, Mahler baseline dyspnea index (before), and the transitional dyspnea index (after) were measured before and after training. RESULTS The training-induced changes were significantly greater in the SEMT group than in the control group for the following variables: expiratory muscle strength (from 86 +/- 4.1 to 104 +/- 4.9 cm H(2)O, p < 0.005; mean difference from the control group, 24%; 95% confidence interval, 18 to 32%), expiratory muscle endurance (from 57 +/- 2.9% to 76 +/- 4.0%, p < 0.001; mean difference from the control group, 29%; 95% confidence interval, 21 to 39%), and in the distance walked in 6 min (from 262 +/- 38 to 312 +/- 47 m, p < 0.05; mean difference from the control group, 14%; 95% confidence interval, 9 to 20%). There was also a small but not significant increase (from 5.1 +/- 0.9 to 5.6 +/- 0.7, p = 0.14) in the dyspnea index. CONCLUSIONS The expiratory muscles can be specifically trained with improvement of both strength and endurance in patients with COPD. This improvement is associated with increase in exercise performance and no significant change in the sensation of dyspnea in daily activities.
A method for demonstrating gene essentiality in Staphylococcus aureus.

A method for demonstrating whether a gene of Staphylococcus aureus is essential for growth in a rich medium is described. We have used this method to determine whether the murE gene, which encodes the UDP-N-acetylmuramyl tripeptide synthetase required for peptidoglycan synthesis, is essential for growth in S. aureus. In this study, strain CYL368 was constructed from S. aureus RN4220 by placing the murE gene in the chromosome under the control of the spac promoter (a hybrid promoter of the Escherichia coli lac operator and the Bacillus subtilis SPO1 phage promoter). To regulate the murE gene in CYL368, the E. coli lacI gene was expressed from the B. licheniformis penicillinase gene (pcn) promoter in plasmid pMJ8426. Strain CYL368(pMJ8426) grew normally in the presence of isopropyl-beta-d-thiogalactopyranoside but could not grow in the absence of the inducer. These results indicate that the murE gene expressed from the spac promoter in CYL368(pMJ8426) is needed for bacterial growth. We concluded that murE is an essential gene of S. aureus.
Cyclosporin A sensitivity of the HIV‐1 long terminal repeat identifies distinct p56lck‐dependent pathways activated by CD4 triggering

The CD4 co‐receptor interacts with nonpolymorphic regions of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules on antigen‐presenting cells. This interaction results in the mobilization of a number of signaling mediators shared by the T cell receptor (TcR) signaling pathway and thus amplifies TcR‐generated signals. We have investigated the outcome of CD4 engagement on the activation of both cellular transcription factors and the HIV‐1 long terminal repeat (LTR). We show that CD4 triggering activates different pathways of HIV LTR activation which can be identified by their sensitivity to the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A. The response of the inducible cellular transcription factors involved in HIV LTR activation shows that both nuclear factor (NF)‐ϰB and NF‐AT mediate a cyclosporin A‐sensitive response to CD4, while AP‐1 is at least in part responsible for the cyclosporin A‐insensitive response. Both pathways can, however, be blocked by a kinase‐defective dominant negative p56lck mutant, supporting an essential role for p56lck kinase activity in CD4‐dependent signal transduction. A functional analysis of different CD4 epitopes using either anti‐CD4 mAb or HIV‐1 gp120 reveals a common epitope‐specific activation of both the LTR and of the transcription factors NF‐ϰB and NF‐AT.
Human papillomavirus infection in women with and without cervical cancer in Tehran, Iran

No data exist on the population prevalence of, or risk factors for, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Iran or the Middle East. Cervical specimens were obtained from 825 married women aged 18–59 years from the general population of Tehran, Iran and from 45 locally diagnosed invasive cervical cancers (ICC) according to the standardized protocol of the International Agency for Research on Cancer HPV Prevalence Surveys. HPV was detected and genotyped using a GP5+/6+ PCR‐based assay. HPV prevalence in the general population was 7.8% (95% confidence interval: 6.0–9.8) (5.1% of high‐risk types), with no significant variation by age. HPV positivity was significantly higher among divorced women, women in polygamous marriages and those reporting husband's absence from home for >7 nights/month. HPV16/18 accounted for 30 and 82.2% of HPV‐positive women in the general population and ICC, respectively. Cervical cancer prevention policies should take into account the relatively low HPV prevalence in this population.
Cepstrum Based Algorithm for Motor Imagery Classification

A linear convolutive mixing model based real time motor imagery classification algorithm is proposed in this paper. The proposed cepstrum based method is very first and robust unsupervised learning algorithm, extremely useful for real time brain computer interface(BCI). The cepstrum is analyzed for estimation of combined action potential generated through the active synapses of raw electroencephalogram (EEG) signal. Maximum energy of the estimated cepstrum, is used as a feature. The extracted feature further subjected to simple Bayesian probabilistic classifier, for classification. The proposed method of EEG signal pre-processing and feature extraction outperforms the conventional temporal relative spectral power (TRSP) based movement imagery classification algorithm and BCI competition II results.
Human Resources And Innovative Behaviour: Improving Nursing Performance

This study examines, using the social exchange theory, the mediating effect of employees’ perception of wellbeing on the relationship between two human resource (HR) management factors (satisfaction with teamwork and satisfaction with training opportunities) and innovative behaviour of nurses working in Australian public and private hospitals. Current nurse shortages and limited budgets have increased the need for hospitals to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It is proposed that fostering innovative behaviour is one way that hospitals can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of nurses. A cross-sectional self-report survey was completed by 220 nurses working within Australian hospitals. The results show that an employee’s perception of their wellbeing completely mediated the relationship between satisfaction with training opportunities and their innovative behaviour and partially mediated the relationship between satisfaction with teamwork and innovative behaviour. The findings shed new light on how HR management factors can foster innovative behaviour. The results raise new implications for managers seeking to stimulate innovative behaviour, highlighting the importance of cultivating an organisational environment conducive to positive perceptions of wellbeing.
Acute alcohol activates STAT3, AP‐1, and Sp‐1 transcription factors via the family of Src kinases to promote IL‐10 production in human monocytes

Alcohol consumption is associated with an imbalance in pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines and immunosuppression, partially as a result of enhanced IL‐10 production. The mechanisms of IL‐10 induction by alcohol remain poorly understood. We identified that increased IL‐10 production in human monocytes after acute in vivo alcohol consumption or in vitro alcohol treatment was associated with increased STAT3 activation. Alcohol alone induced and in combination with LPS augmented STAT3 phosphorylation at tyrosine 705 (tyr705) and serine 727 (ser727) residues and increased STAT3 binding to DNA. Upstream, alcohol activated the Src kinases, as indicated by an increase in phosphorylated and a decrease in nonphosphorylated Src proteins. STAT3 activation by Src kinases occurred directly at the tyr705 residue and indirectly at the ser727 residue via JNK MAPKs. Using specific Src (PP2), JNK1/2 (SB600125), or p38 (SB203580) inhibitors, we determined that alcohol treatment alone induced and together with LPS, augmented the DNA‐binding capacity of the specificity protein‐1 (Sp‐1) and AP‐1 transcription factors involved in IL‐10 production via Src‐mediated activation of p38 MAPK and JNK, respectively. Our data suggest that acute alcohol activates Src/STAT3 and Src/MAPK/STAT3, AP‐1, and Sp‐1 pathways as important mechanisms for IL‐10‐mediated immunomodulation after acute alcohol use.
An Empirical Analysis of Bank Lending and Inflation in Nigeria

This paper estimates an inflation model for Nigeria by examining the existence of a significant long-run relationship between inflation and bank lending and to identify the main economic fundamentals that influence the relationship as well as other variables that determined inflation between 1980 and 2008. We make use of the bounds testing approach to cointegration within an autoregressive distributed framework, suggested by Pesaran et al., (2001). In the long run, we find that bank lending and real income emerge as the main determinants of inflation in Nigeria, while fiscal deficits and exchange rates are insignificant. The relationships among the variables are stable and significant.
Inhaled Formaldehyde: Exposure Estimation, Hazard Characterization, and Exposure-Response Analysis

Formaldehyde has been assessed as a Priority Substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Probabilistic estimates of exposure of the general population in Canada to formaldehyde in ambient and indoor air are presented. Critical health effects include sensory irritation and the potential to induce tumors in the upper respiratory tract (the nasal region in rodents and potentially the lungs of humans). The majority of the general population is exposed to airborne concentrations of formaldehyde less than those typically associated with sensory irritation (i.e., 0.1 mg/m 3 ). Based primarily upon data derived from laboratory studies, the inhalation of formaldehyde under conditions that induce cytotoxicity and sustained regenerative proliferation within the respiratory tract is considered to present a carcinogenic hazard to humans. At airborne levels for which the prevalence of sensory irritation is minimal (i.e., 0.1 mg/m 3 ), risks of respiratory-tract cancers for the general population estimated on the basis of a biologically motivated case-specific model are exceedingly low. This biologically motivated case-specific model incorporates two-stage clonal expansion and is supported by dosimetry calculations from computational fluid dynamics analyses of formaldehyde flux in various regions of the nose and single-path modeling for the lower respiratory tract. The degree of confidence in the underlying database and uncertainties in estimates of exposure and in characterization of hazard and dose response are delineated.
Increased risk of colorectal cancer among smokers: Results of a 26‐year follow‐up of us veterans and a review

To clarify the relationship between tobacco use and risk of colorectal cancer, we evaluated a cohort of 248,046 American veterans followed prospectively for 26 years. In comparison with veterans who had never used tobacco, the risk of death was significantly increased for colon cancer and rectal cancer among current and former cigarette smokers and among pipe or cigar smokers, controlling for social class and occupational physical activity. Rectal‐cancer risk was also significantly elevated among users of chewing tobacco or snuff. For both sites, risk increased significantly with pack‐years, earlier age at first use, and number of cigarettes. These results reinforce 2 recent reports of the association of cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer in men and women. Inconsistencies in the findings of earlier epidemiologic studies appear to be due in large part to differences in length of follow‐up or in choice of controls. Studies with at least 20 years of follow‐up or population‐based controls have tended to find elevated risk with tobacco smoking, while those with shorter follow‐up or hospital controls have not. This, plus the strength and consistency of the association of smoking and colon polyps, suggest that smoking may primarily affect an early stage in the development of colon cancer. If this association is causal, tobacco use may be responsible for 16% of colon‐cancer and 22% of rectal‐cancer deaths among these veterans.
Early expression of negative/disorganized symptoms predicting psychotic experiences and subsequent clinical psychosis: a 10-year study.

OBJECTIVE The cognitive and motivational impairments observed in psychotic disorders may reflect early developmental alterations that, when combined with later environmental exposures, may drive the onset of positive psychotic symptoms. The epidemiological predictions of this model were tested. METHOD A longitudinal prospective cohort study (the Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology Study) was conducted with a representative general population sample of adolescents and young adults from Munich (N=3,021), who were 14-24 years of age at baseline. Sociodemographic factors, environmental exposures, and measures of psychopathology and associated clinical relevance were assessed across three waves, covering a period of up to 10 years, by clinical psychologists using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS Both negative/disorganized and positive psychotic symptoms were frequent (5-year cumulative prevalence rates of around 12%) and occurred in combination more often than predicted by chance. Negative/disorganized symptoms revealed a pattern of sociodemographic associations indicative of developmental impairment, whereas the positive symptoms were associated with environmental exposures such as trauma, cannabis use, and urbanicity. Negative/disorganized symptoms predicted positive symptoms over time, and co-occurrence of positive and negative/disorganized symptoms was predictive of clinical relevance in terms of secondary functional impairment and help-seeking behavior. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the negative/disorganized features associated with psychotic disorder are distributed at the population level and drive the ontogenesis of positive psychotic experiences after exposure to environmental risks, increasing the likelihood of impairment and need for care.
Quantifying the Variation in the Effective Population Size Within a Genome

The effective population size (Ne) is one of the most fundamental parameters in population genetics. It is thought to vary across the genome as a consequence of differences in the rate of recombination and the density of selected sites due to the processes of genetic hitchhiking and background selection. Although it is known that there is intragenomic variation in the effective population size in some species, it is not known whether this is widespread or how much variation in the effective population size there is. Here, we test whether the effective population size varies across the genome, between protein-coding genes, in 10 eukaryotic species by considering whether there is significant variation in neutral diversity, taking into account differences in the mutation rate between loci by using the divergence between species. In most species we find significant evidence of variation. We investigate whether the variation in Ne is correlated to recombination rate and the density of selected sites in four species, for which these data are available. We find that Ne is positively correlated to recombination rate in one species, Drosophila melanogaster, and negatively correlated to a measure of the density of selected sites in two others, humans and Arabidopsis thaliana. However, much of the variation remains unexplained. We use a hierarchical Bayesian analysis to quantify the amount of variation in the effective population size and show that it is quite modest in all species—most genes have an Ne that is within a few fold of all other genes. Nonetheless we show that this modest variation in Ne is sufficient to cause significant differences in the efficiency of natural selection across the genome, by demonstrating that the ratio of the number of nonsynonymous to synonymous polymorphisms is significantly correlated to synonymous diversity and estimates of Ne, even taking into account the obvious nonindependence between these measures.