Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climatic Pulsations during Historic Time in China

HE question of climatic change in historic times has called forth investigations in many regions. Recently the writer has made an examination of Chinese archives for material bearing on the problem. Exact meteorological observation goes back only a short time in any country; but, in the absence of rain-gauge and thermometer readings, we may resort to records of the frequency of floods and droughts, the number of severe winters, the dates when the rivers were frozen over, etc., for hints regarding the climate of the time. It was partly on such data that Bruckner based his well-known monograph on "Klimaschwankungen. " In dealing with the records in Chinese history there is one advantage which is probably not possessed by any of the European countries, i. e. the length of time for which they are available.
Intelligent Supply Chain Integration and Management Based on Cloud of Things

The fierce global competition and market turbulence has been forcing the enterprises towards to the integration and intelligence for supply chain management, and the seamless information sharing and collaboration as well as operation agility are the challenges which need to be conquered, in terms of the highly distributed and heterogeneous resources located in separated warehouses. Although a number of works have been done to achieve the aforementioned targets, few of them are able to provide an overall integration and intelligence support for such system management. In this context, a novel intelligent supply chain integration and management system based on Cloud of Things is presented, in order to provide flexible and agile approaches to facilitate the resource sharing and participant collaboration in the whole supply chain life cycle. Furthermore, the enabling technologies, such as intelligent supply chain condition perception, heterogeneous network access convergence, and resource servicisation, are also studied. Finally, a case study together with the prototype system is implemented and demonstrates that the developed system can efficiently realise the integration of supply chain processes in the form of services, and also provide the effective intelligence support for physical resource management, so as to achieve an overall performance assurance for the system operation.
Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome among North Indian Adolescents Using Adult Treatment Panel III and Pediatric International Diabetic Federation Definitions

Background: Childhood obesity is an important risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescent. Because of high prevalence of Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in Indian Adult population, studies are needed to identify the prevalence of these metabolic abnormalities in adolescent population. Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome using Pediatric International Diabetic Federation definition and compare it with estimates of Adult Treatment Panel III definition among adolescents in Northern India. Material and methods: At total of 899 adolescents attending school (aged 10-18 years) participated in this population-based prospective study. All the clinical and biochemical assessment was done after proper consent. The metabolic syndrome was determined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition modified for age and Pediatric international diabetic federation definition. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 3.5% according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and 1.5% based on International Diabetic Federation criteria. No significant gender difference was observed in the distribution of metabolic syndrome. Hypertriglyceridemia was the most common and abdominal obesity the least common constituent of metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: This study provides the first estimates of metabolic syndrome using pediatric international diabetic federation definition in adolescent population from northern India.
Evidence for an altered sex ratio in clinic-referred adolescents with gender dysphoria.

INTRODUCTION The number of adolescents referred to specialized gender identity clinics for gender dysphoria appears to be increasing and there also appears to be a corresponding shift in the sex ratio, from one favoring natal males to one favoring natal females. AIM We conducted two quantitative studies to ascertain whether there has been a recent inversion of the sex ratio of adolescents referred for gender dysphoria. METHODS The sex ratio of adolescents from two specialized gender identity clinics was examined as a function of two cohort periods (2006-2013 vs. prior years). Study 1 was conducted on patients from a clinic in Toronto, and Study 2 was conducted on patients from a clinic in Amsterdam. RESULTS Across both clinics, the total sample size was 748. In both clinics, there was a significant change in the sex ratio of referred adolescents between the two cohort periods: between 2006 and 2013, the sex ratio favored natal females, but in the prior years, the sex ratio favored natal males. In Study 1 from Toronto, there was no corresponding change in the sex ratio of 6,592 adolescents referred for other clinical problems. CONCLUSIONS Sociological and sociocultural explanations are offered to account for this recent inversion in the sex ratio of adolescents with gender dysphoria.
Executive Information Requirements: Getting It Right

Most managers spend half their time trying to get the information they need, whether it be informally through meetings, phone conversations, or reading, or formally through organizational computer-based information. During this process they have to sift through a great deal of useless information, a situation commonly referred to as "information overload" With the proliferating capabilities and plummeting cost of computers, it seems relief should be in sight for weary executives. Unfortunately, most information systems-formal or informal- do not meet executive needs. Indeed, most new systems require extensive revision (after they are supposedly completed) to even partially fulfill needs. This is a terrible loss. Most systems are expensive enough to develop. They are even more expensive to revise. As the pace of business accelerates, decisions that could wait for weeks must now be made in days, hours, or even minutes. Failure to get executives the information they need in a timely manner can result in lost opportunities or in a problem not being solved in time. Increasingly, executives have little reaction time to make decisions on pricing, product introduction, resource allocation, media inquiries, response to competition, and mergers. They need access to information without waiting several weeks or months for a computer project. Why can't executives and system designers work together to more correctly anticipate and determine information requirements? In this article, four reasons information requirements are not met are discussed, and four straightforward solutions executives can use to solve this problem are offered.
Development of Evaluation Indexes for Human-Centered Design of a Wearable Robot Arm

A new type of wearable robot that assists the user with additional arms has been presented in recent years. Previous studies have reported that wearable robot arms allow wearer to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Although concept designs have been qualitatively discussed, quantitative consideration in the design phase of wearable robot arms is necessary to improve their safety and operational efficiency. In order to evaluate the man-machine cooperativeness between users and wearable robot arms, the present paper proposes three evaluation indexes:workspace extensiveness, cooperativeness and invasiveness. The proposed evaluation indexes were defined according to the calculations of the common domain of the human workspace and the robot arm workspace. The calculation results suggest a design tradeoff between the work efficiency and the workspace invasiveness. The proposed indexes can be utilized as a new parameter for evaluating human-robot interactions when designing wearable robot arms.
Echocardiography Should Be Performed in All Elderly Patients with Congestive Heart Failure *

A ll elderly patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) should have an M-mode, 2-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiogram performed. A quantitative 2-dimensional echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) should be measured in all elderly patients with CHF because the presence of a normal LVEF (~50o/0)1 or an abnormal LVEF «50%)1 influences therapeutic decisions and is also of prognostic irnportance.l'" Ninety-five percent confidence limits for the reproducibility of a quantitative 2-dimensional echocardiographic LVEF are ± 7 percent. ' Therefore, a LVEF of 45 percent ranges from 42 to 48 percent. If the LVEF is borderline abnormal, the LVEF is considered abnormal if the LV end-diastolic volume is increased. Doppler echocardiography is useful in diagnosing LV diastolic dysfunction. Doppler echocardiography measures pulmonary artery pressure. Doppler echocardiography is also very useful in diagnosing the presence, etiology, and severity of aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, and other valvular heart disease in elderly patients with CHF. Severe silent valvular heart disease causing CHF and requiring surgical intervention may be diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography. For example, Doppler echocardiography may diagnose severe aortic stenosis causing CHF and requiring immediate aortic valve replacement in a patient with no audible heart murmur or an insignificant heart murmur because of low cardiac output. In addition to measuring LVEF, 2-dimensional echocardiography is useful in measuring the size of the left and right ventricles and atria, in diagnosing LV and right ventricular hypertrophy, and in measuring LV end-systolic and enddiastolic volumes, stroke volume, cardiac output, systolic ejection time, and mean rate of LV circumferential fiber shortening. Two-dimensional echocardiography is also very useful in diagnosing acute myocardial ischemia and complications secondary to acute myocardial infarction, regional LV wall motion abnormalities, LV aneurysm, mitral annular calcium, pericardial disease, the presence and severity of pericardial effusion, cardiac thrombi, cardiomyopathies,
Lipids, lipoproteins, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Westernised countries. Atherosclerosis is a complex disease, involving many cell types and circulating mediators and resulting in an inflammatory state. Atherosclerotic lesions form de novo from focal accumulation of lipoproteins, monocyte-derived macrophages, and lymphocytes within the arterial wall. These lesions can develop as early as the second decade of life and progress into clinical disease over time. However, despite recent advances in cardiology, atherosclerosis remains an important medical problem. There has been renewed interest in the protective role of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) against atherosclerosis and CVD. Patients with central obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome, have a unique dyslipoproteinaemia characterised by hypertriglyceridaemia, elevated levels of apolipoprotein B, small dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and low levels of HDL-cholesterol. Moreover, these lipoproteins represent major cardiovascular risk factors in these conditions. Although the focus in treating lipid disorders is on reducing LDL-cholesterol concentrations, additional lipid-related independent risk factors, such as triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels should be used clinically to assess cardiovascular risk. Among other factors, lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase, and cholesteryl ester transfer protein play an important role in abnormal HDL metabolism in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Insights gained from study of the postprandial state on atherosclerosis and CVD may also aid in risk assessment. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) was the first genetic disease of lipid metabolism to be clinically and molecularly characterised and is the most common and severe monogenic form of hypercholesterolaemia. Historically, the study of FH has provided insights into lipoprotein metabolism and the subsequent development of therapeutic agents for lowering LDL-cholesterol, such as the statins. The recent identification of new genes causing FH underscores the complexity of lipoprotein metabolism. The complexity and chronicity of atherosclerosis in humans hinders the study of the key mechanisms involved. Thus, over the past decade, the mouse has become the model of choice for atherosclerosis research. All of the current mouse models are based on perturbations of lipoprotein metabolism through dietary and/or genetic manipulations. These models have shown that many non-lipid factors can also influence the severity and characteristics of the atherosclerotic lesions. In this issue of The Clinical Biochemist Reviews, internationally recognised authors with experience in the above areas share their insights into the current state of lipids, lipoproteins, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. I wish to thank each of the contributors for their time and effort in this endeavour.
Peculiar features of magnetic and resistive transitions in partially crystallized La0.84Na0.16MnO3 films

The present work aims to study magnetic, electric, magnetoresistance and resonance properties of partially crystallized La0.84Na0. 16MnO3 thin films. Peculiar behavior resulting from the wide-range coexistence of highly conductive ferromagnetic and weakly conductive paramagnetic phases has been analyzed. Based on the results of magnetic measurements and theoretical calculations, the dependence of the volume fraction of ferromagnetic phase, VFM, on temperature is calculated. The VFM values whereby electric resistance and magnetoresistance display maxima are determined.
Identification and Characterization of Catabolic para-Nitrophenol 4-Monooxygenase and para-Benzoquinone Reductase from Pseudomonas sp. Strain WBC-3

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas sp. strain WBC-3 utilizes para-nitrophenol (PNP) as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. In order to identify the genes involved in this utilization, we cloned and sequenced a 12.7-kb fragment containing a conserved region of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase genes. Of the products of the 13 open reading frames deduced from this fragment, PnpA shares 24% identity to the large component of a 3-hydroxyphenylacetate hydroxylase from Pseudomonas putida U and PnpB is 58% identical to an NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli. Both PnpA and PnpB were purified to homogeneity as His-tagged proteins, and they were considered to be a monomer and a dimer, respectively, as determined by gel filtration. PnpA is a flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent single-component PNP 4-monooxygenase that converts PNP to para-benzoquinone in the presence of NADPH. PnpB is a flavin mononucleotide-and NADPH-dependent p-benzoquinone reductase that catalyzes the reduction of p-benzoquinone to hydroquinone. PnpB could enhance PnpA activity, and genetic analyses indicated that both pnpA and pnpB play essential roles in PNP mineralization in strain WBC-3. Furthermore, the pnpCDEF gene cluster next to pnpAB shares significant similarities with and has the same organization as a gene cluster responsible for hydroquinone degradation (hapCDEF) in Pseudomonas fluorescens ACB (M. J. Moonen, N. M. Kamerbeek, A. H. Westphal, S. A. Boeren, D. B. Janssen, M. W. Fraaije, and W. J. van Berkel, J. Bacteriol. 190:5190-5198, 2008), suggesting that the genes involved in PNP degradation are physically linked.
"Fast food" for our preemies?

The remarkable survival rate of increasingly smaller infants that has been achieved in the past decades has led to new questions for the neonatologist and the pediatric gastroenterologist. What should be fed to this novel population of premature babies? How? How should we progress in the feeding schedule? These are just a few examples that are far from trivial if we consider the profound impact of early nutrition on somatic growth and neurological development in this cohort of infants (1). We know that breast milk is better than any commercial formula and, from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) point of view, it has been shown to be protective against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) when compared with formula, even when breast milk is supplemented (2,3). Intriguingly, some studies show that one’s own mother’s milk offers better protection than human milk coming from a donor bank (4,5). Continuous feeding seems to be preferable over bolus mode in starting the nutrition of a critical neonate according to a few studies (6,7), but mostly because of the lack of good quality data, the issue is far from settled. Whatever the milk (human or formulated) or the mode of administration, physicians taking care of premature neonates some years ago tended to postpone enteral nutrition fearing that the early enteral route per se carried a higher risk of NEC. This policy had to be balanced against the prolonged use of a central venous access with its infectious and thrombotic hazards. A popular strategy that was then suggested was to give for some days after birth trophic feedings (TF), that is, small amounts of milk (eg, 0.5 or 1 mL every 2 hours) to prime the gut and enhance its digestive and absorptive functions
An EOQ model with a varying demand followed by advertising expenditure and selling price under permissible delay in payments: for a retailer

This paper derives an Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)/Economic Production Quantity (EPQ) model with finite replenishment/production rate, taking into account the effect of the suppliers' trade credit and the retailers' promotional effort made by the advertising and the sales-team. The rate of demand in market is assumed to be a function of the selling price and the budget for the advertising and the sales-team. The objective of this paper is to determine the optimal selling price, replenishment period and the above budget so that the average net profit is maximised. The associated constrained maximisation problem is solved by Interior-Penalty-Function Method (Fiacco and Mc Cormick). The model is illustrated with a result, using numerical example and it provides some insights into the effect of the retailers' promotional effort.
Breve historia del proceso de fundición a la cera perdida

El objetivo del presente esbozo es hacer una sintesis historica de la evolucion del proceso de fundicion a la cera perdida desde sus origenes hasta la epoco actual, No se trata de hacer una descripcion detallada de los descubrimientos, sino de permitir una compresion general acerca de como el proceso ha permanecido constante, sin interrupcionen el tiempo. Pero notemos que desaparece en algunos lugares y aparece en otros desde hace 60 siglos hasta ahora. Por ello se trata de una de las tecnicas mas antiguas de la humanidad.
Lung Scintigraphy and Helical Computed Tomography for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism: A Meta-Analysis

To assess the diagnostic value of lung scintigraphy and helical computed tomography (hCT) in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE), all English-language articles that described lung scintigraphy and hCT in patients with suspected PE were retrieved. Articles were assessed for strength of methodology, based on nine a priori-defined criteria. Parameters of diagnostic accuracy and results of management studies were calculated and evaluated. Lung scintigraphy is diagnostic in approximately 50% of patients with suspected PE. A normal perfusion scan has a chance of recurrent PE in two of 693 patients (0.3%; 95% CI: 0.2-0.4%; fatal in 0.15%). A high-probability lung scan is corrected with angiographically proven PE in 308 of 350 patients (88%; 95% CI: 84-91%). Pulmonary embolism was proven in 385 of 1529 patients (25%; 95% CI: 24-28%) with a nondiagnostic lung scan. Helical CT studies were compared with angiography and lung scintigraphy in 1171 patients, with a prevalence of PE of 39%. The sensitivity and specificity of hCT was 283/320 (88%; 95% CI: 83-91%) and 374/408 (92%; 95% CI:89-94%), respectively. Only one prospective management study using hCT was available. In patients in whom anticoagulants were withheld based on a normal hCT study, recurrent thromboembolic events occurred in six of 109 patients (5.5%; 95% CI: 2-12%), with one fatality (1%; 95% CI: 0.02-4.3%). Lung scintigraphy is evaluated extensively and yields a diagnostic result in 50% of patients. Helical CT has similar positive predictive value to a high-probability lung scan. However, the exact role of hCT in the management of patients with suspected PE needs to be determiined in prospective studies.
Slenderly and conformable passive UHF RFID yarn

This paper introduces an important innovation in the use, form factor and performance of passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. An EPC Class 1 Gen 2 passive RFID tag is conceived in the form of a slenderly yarn. The wide-band and high gain tag antenna design is based on a resourceful impedance matching technique that keeps the slenderly form factor. In addition, a method to assure a reliable antenna-chip electrical contact based on modifying the package of existing RFID chips is presented. Antenna and chip geometry allow the tags to be cascaded in series and to compose a continuous yarn. A slenderly tag presents a diameter of less than 600 µm and reaches 14 m read range from 800 MHz to 920 MHz. Results are validated by theoretical studies, simulations and experimentations. The produced yam can follow different finishing process such as plastic coating to easily conform complex surfaces or textile wrapping and being used as primary raw in fabrics. To the authors knowledge, none of the traditional RFID inlays exhibit similar performance and shape conformability.
Empathy: An NP/MD Comparison

The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE, 20 Likert-type items) was administered to 32 female nurse practitioners, 37 female pediatricians, and 33 female physicians in hospital-based specialties (anesthesiology, pathology, radiology). Nurse practitioners and pediatricians obtained higher JSPE mean scores than physicians in hospital-based specialties.