Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncontrolled Asthma Among Children: Impairment in Social Functioning and Sleep

Objective. To evaluate asthma symptom frequency, severity, and control among children with asthma and to evaluate the impact on social functioning and sleep impairment. Patients and Methods. Using a cross-sectional design, adult caregivers of children aged 6–12 years with moderate to severe asthma (severity based on National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines) were surveyed about the child's symptoms, treatment, activity limitation, and sleep impairment. Asthma was categorized as uncontrolled if the caregiver reported any of the following of the child: experienced >2 days/week with symptoms, were awakened at night by symptoms during the preceding 4 weeks, had activity limited by a health problem, or used short-acting beta-agonist for rescue >5 times/week. Asthma not meeting any of these criteria was categorized as controlled. Social functioning and sleep impairment were assessed using questions adapted from the SleepLearnPlay instrument. Children with uncontrolled and controlled asthma were compared using t tests for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Multiple comparison adjustment using the Bonferroni procedure was made for social functioning and sleep impairment measures. Results. A total of 473 caregivers completed the survey; 360 were caregivers of children with uncontrolled asthma and 113 of children with controlled asthma. Compared with controlled asthma, a greater proportion of children with uncontrolled asthma showed avoidance across all nine social activities assessed. Children with uncontrolled asthma were significantly more likely to wake up at night with symptoms (p <.0001) and use a rescue inhaler at night (p <.0001), experience difficulty waking up in the morning (p = .0001) and getting out of bed (p = .0039), and be overly tired all day (p <.0001). Conclusions. Uncontrolled asthma impacted functioning and sleep of children to a significantly greater degree than well-controlled asthma. Proper treatment and disease management to improve symptom control can reduce this impact on the lives of children.
A comparison of the endotoxin‐retentive abilities of two ‘96‐h’ in‐line intravenous filters

The ability of two in‐line intravenous filters, the Pall Intravenous Set Saver Filter ELD96 and the Codan I.V. S SET‐P, to retain endotoxin released by Pseudomonas aeruginosa during filtration of amino‐acid‐based parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions was investigated. When challenged with 108 cells of P. aeruginosa during simulated clinical PN infusion, the Pall ELD96 was shown to be capable of providing an effluent free of detectable endotoxin (>0–3125 EUE/ml). In contrast, the Codan I.V. S SET‐P allowed significant amounts of endotoxin to pass through.
Specific polymorphisms of cytokine genes are associated with different risks to develop single‐system or multi‐system childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Cytokines and chemokines determine mobilisation of Langerhans cells and their dysregulation is implicated in the pathogenesis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Twenty point mutations of 12 different cytokine genes were studied in 41 Italian children, 15 with single‐system (SS) and 26 with multi‐system disease. The allele and genotype distributions of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and interferon‐γ (IFNγ) were significantly different in patients vs. 140 controls (P = 0.007, and P = 0.018). Older children with single‐system disease shared the ‘anti‐inflammatory profile’ determined by the intermediate producer genotype IFNγ +874A/T (P = 0.029) and the high‐producer genotypes IL‐4 –590C/T and T/T (P = 0.029). Our findings suggest that specific cytokine gene variants affect susceptibility to LCH and its clinical heterogeneity.
Future-proofing justice: building a research agenda to address the effects of technological change on the protection of constitutional rights

A s changes occur in society, fitting the effects of those changes into existing legal structures and practices is not always smooth. When changes are gradual, law and precedent have time to react, using analogies to earlier situations or cases to build and understand how today’s world might differ from the world in which those precedents were set. When changes are sudden, however, thinking through how to address them can be tougher, and large-scale shifts can make it difficult to navigate the present based solely on analogies to the past. Shifts in technology—in which new innovations can produce rapid differences in what is possible—can create these types of challenges. As part of a multiyear research effort sponsored by and supporting the National Institute of Justice, the Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative has focused on identifying innovations in technology, policy, and practice that would be beneficial to the U.S. criminal justice sector. To do so, we convened expert panels and held other structured discussions with practitioners from law enforcement, courts, and corrections. During these discussions, practitioners identified changes in technology or new ways of doing things that might save money or enhance performance but also flagged innovations that might threaten the ideals that the criminal justice system is charged with protecting. An example that arose more than once in discussions with court practitioners was virtual presence. Teleconferencing has evolved from an expensive technology transmitting low-quality images to a technology so cheap that it is included as a standard feature in most new mobile communication devices. Today, on higher-end professional systems, a person can appear life size and at high enough resolution that a viewer can read facial expressions and body language. In the future, virtual reality • Panelists convened to craft a research agenda to ensure that advances in technology inside and outside the criminal justice system do not adversely affect the protection of individuals’ constitutional rights and identified a variety of needs for the near and longer terms.
Supply Chain Games

Many supply chains offer goods and services in time-based competition with other chains, but there are few normative results concerning competitive dynamics. We formulate and analyze normative models of competition between supply chains and among the firms comprising a supply chain. The assumptions are those for which an echelon base-stock policy is known to be optimal if the chain is a centrally managed monopolist (or perfect competitor). However, we show that generally there is no equilibrium point in echelon base-stock policies when supply chains compete with each other, whether centralized or not. In contrast, there is an equilibrium point in echelon base-stock policies when a monopolistic supply chain is decentralized.
An Analysis of the Domestic Inflation Rate Dynamics and the Phillips Curve

This paper estimates the New Keynesian Phillips Curve in order to describe the structural characteristics of the Croatian economy explaining the dynamics of the domestic inflation rate. The results of the estimation of numerous specifications of the Phillips Curve show that a hybrid version of the New Keynesian Phillips Curve provides a better explanation of the dynamics of the domestic inflation rate than other forms of the model. The main determinants of trends in the domestic inflation rate are past and expected inflation and the real marginal cost of production, which in addition to the labour share, also includes foreign imported prices. The values of the estimated parameters of the hybrid New Keynesian Curve show that the expected inflation rate plays a much more significant role in determining current prices than past inflation. In addition, the estimated parameter of the frequency of price change is low, with enterprises changing prices on average every eight quarters.
What Is the Role of &bgr;-Adrenergic Signaling in Heart Failure?

Abstract— This review addresses open questions about the role of &bgr;-adrenergic receptors in cardiac function and failure. Cardiomyocytes express all three &bgr;-adrenergic receptor subtypes—&bgr;1, &bgr;2, and, at least in some species, &bgr;3. The &bgr;1 subtype is the most prominent one and is mainly responsible for positive chronotropic and inotropic effects of catecholamines. The &bgr;2 subtype also increases cardiac function, but its ability to activate nonclassical signaling pathways suggests a function distinct from the &bgr;1 subtype. In heart failure, the sympathetic system is activated, cardiac &bgr;-receptor number and function are decreased, and downstream mechanisms are altered. However, in spite of a wealth of data, we still do not know whether and to what extent these alterations are adaptive/protective or detrimental, or both. Clinically, &bgr;-adrenergic antagonists represent the most important advance in heart failure therapy, but it is still debated whether they act by blocking or by resensitizing the &bgr;-adrenergic receptor system. Newer experimental therapeutic strategies aim at the receptor desensitization machinery and at downstream signaling steps.
Mechanism of proton pumping in bacteriorhodopsin by solid-state NMR: the protonation state of tyrosine in the light-adapted and M states.

Solid-state 13C NMR spectra were employed to characterize the protonation state of tyrosine in the light-adapted (bR568) and M states of bacteriorhodopsin (bR). Difference spectra (isotopically labeled bR minus natural-abundance bR) were obtained for [4'-13C]Tyr-labeled bR, regenerated with [14-13C]retinal as an internal marker to identify the photocycle states. The [14-13C]retinal has distinct chemical shifts for bR555, for bR568, and for the M intermediate generated and thermally trapped at pH 10 in the presence of 0.3 M KCl or 0.5 M guanidine. Previous work has demonstrated that tyrosine and tyrosinate are easily distinguished on the basis of the chemical shift of the 4'-13C label and that both NMR signals are detectable in dark-adapted bR, although the tyrosinate signal is only present at pH values greater than 12. In the present work, we show that neither the light-adapted form of bR prepared at pH 7 or 10 nor the M state thermally trapped at -80 degrees C in 0.3 M KCl pH 10, or in 0.5 M guanidine pH 10, shows any detectable tyrosinate. In addition, after the M samples were briefly warmed (approximately 30 s), no tyrosinate was observed. However, small (1-2 ppm) changes in the structure or dispersion in the Tyr peak were observed in the M state phototrapped by either method. These changes were reversible when the sample was warmed, although on a time scale slower than the relaxation of the retinal back to the bR568 conformer. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Stability of the Human Fragile X (CGG)n Triplet Repeat Array inSaccharomyces cerevisiae Deficient in Aspects of DNA Metabolism

ABSTRACT Expanded trinucleotide repeats underlie a growing number of human diseases. The human FMR1 (CGG) n array can exhibit genetic instability characterized by progressive expansion over several generations leading to gene silencing and the development of the fragile X syndrome. While expansion is dependent upon the length of uninterrupted (CGG) n , instability occurs in a limited germ line and early developmental window, suggesting that lineage-specific expression of other factors determines the cellular environment permissive for expansion. To identify these factors, we have established normal- and premutation-length human FMR1 (CGG) n arrays in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and assessed the frequency of length changes greater than 5 triplets in cells deficient in various DNA repair and replication functions. In contrast to previous studies withEscherichia coli, we observed a low frequency of orientation-dependent large expansions in arrays carrying long uninterrupted (CGG) n arrays in a wild-type background. This frequency was unaffected by deletion of several DNA mismatch repair genes or deletion of the EXO1 andDIN7 genes and was not enhanced through meiosis in a wild-type background. Array contraction occurred in an orientation-dependent manner in most mutant backgrounds, but loss of the Sgs1p resulted in a generalized increase in array stability in both orientations. In contrast, FMR1 arrays had a 10-fold-elevated frequency of expansion in a rad27 background, providing evidence for a role in lagging-strand Okazaki fragment processing in (CGG) n triplet repeat expansion.
Design of high-gain lens antenna based on phase-gradient metasurface

A high-gain and low-profile lens antenna is designed using phase-gradient metasurface (PGMS). The PGMS is a planar structure and is composed of many PGMS units. By changing the size of the metal patch on the unit gradually, we can obtain a transmission phase-shifting range of about 360 degrees. Based on the principle of the phase compensation of the optical lens, the PGMS is designed. Since this phase-gradient metasurface can focus an incident plane wave, therefore, we placed an X-band patch antenna at the focal point of the PGMS as a feed source. In this way, the PGMS and the patch antenna constitutes the entire antenna system together. Then this antenna system is studied using computer simulation. Results show that the designed planar PGMS lens is not only very thin but also can effectively reduce the main beam width and thus enhance the gain of the source antennas. The gain reached 18.7 dB and high directivity was achieved.
Acquired loss of red cell Kell antigens

Summary. A 19‐year‐old patient with a long history of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura developed a potent antibody against a high‐incidence antigen in the Kell blood group system. The direct antiglobulin test on his red cells was negative. His cells exhibited profound depression of Kell blood group antigens, but antigens of other blood groups were normal. Transfusion of incompatible blood was well tolerated and differential agglutination tests, using selected Rh antisera, showed in vivo survival of the transfused red cells for more than 8 weeks. However, the transfused red cells also showed acquired loss of Kell antigens. Five months after the initial findings, Kell‐related antibody disappeared and Kell antigens reappeared on his red cells. The patient's serum stored from the initial investigation now reacted with his freshly collected red cells. These data suggest that an environmental agent in the patient's plasma was responsible for the temporary loss of Kell antigens from red cells in his circulation.
Stimulating Students’ Curiosity with A Companion Agent in Virtual Learning Environments

Agent technology can be incorporated into virtual learning environments to potentially address core issues of interest and engagement in learning. This paper proposes a learning companion agent to stimulate students’ curiosity in a virtual learning environment. Curiosity is the intrinsic motivation for learning and has been shown in educational studies to promote deep learning. The curious learning companion is designed based on the psychological theories of human curiosity and the educational practices for stimulating curiosity. The curious learning companion acts as an autonomous peer learner that accompanies students and observes their learning behaviors in a virtual learning environment. It detects curiosity-stimulating factors in the environmental context and stimulates students’ curiosity by asking thought-provoking questions. The curious learning companion is illustrated with a case scenario in Virtual Singapura.
A single-item self-report medication adherence question predicts hospitalisation and death in patients with heart failure.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether a single-item self-report medication adherence question predicts hospitalisation and death in patients with heart failure. BACKGROUND Poor medication adherence is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Having a simple means of identifying suboptimal medication adherence could help identify at-risk patients for interventions. DESIGN We performed a prospective cohort study in 592 participants with heart failure within a four-site randomised trial. METHODS Self-report medication adherence was assessed at baseline using a single-item question: 'Over the past seven days, how many times did you miss a dose of any of your heart medication? ' Participants who reported no missing doses were defined as fully adherent, and those missing more than one dose were considered less than fully adherent. The primary outcome was combined all-cause hospitalisation or death over one year and the secondary endpoint was heart failure hospitalisation. Outcomes were assessed with blinded chart reviews, and heart failure outcomes were determined by a blinded adjudication committee. We used negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between medication adherence and outcomes. RESULTS Fifty-two percent of participants were 52% male, mean age was 61 years, and 31% were of New York Heart Association class III/IV at enrolment; 72% of participants reported full adherence to their heart medicine at baseline. Participants with full medication adherence had a lower rate of all-cause hospitalisation and death (0·71 events/year) compared with those with any nonadherence (0·86 events/year): adjusted-for-site incidence rate ratio was 0·83, fully adjusted incidence rate ratio 0·68. Incidence rate ratios were similar for heart failure hospitalisations. CONCLUSION A single medication adherence question at baseline predicts hospitalisation and death over one year in heart failure patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Medication adherence is associated with all-cause and heart failure-related hospitalisation and death in heart failure. It is important for clinicians to assess patients' medication adherence on a regular basis at their clinical follow-ups.
A scheme for using closest rendezvous points and Mobile Elements for data gathering in wireless sensor networks

A variety of wireless sensor network (WSN) applications have been proposed. However, the efficiency of WSNs, as well as their ability to interact with different environments, varies. Many challenges and problems to be solved remain. Overcoming these challenges requires a protocol that will design and provide a highly efficient system, thus helping the WSN to transmit data in a suitable time. In WSNs with Mobile Elements (MEs), the task is first to find an effective way to minimize the length of the tour that the ME follows for data gathering. However, the minimized tour length should still offer access to all nodes in the networks for data collection form the sensor nodes. In this paper, we propose a protocol that results in a shorter ME tour length than previously proposed protocols, using closest rendezvous points (CRPs) distributed throughout the network. Furthermore, this proposed protocol offers access to all nodes inside the network for the exchange of data with the MEs, as facilitated by the suggested CRP algorithm. One or more nodes can be represented by a single CRP that provides connectivity to all of the nodes within its wireless range. In cases where a greater number of MEs are used, less time is required to traverse the network for data gathering. This research demonstrates that the tour time can be reduced significantly by using more than one ME.
Performance Analysis of Adaptive Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks with Hybrid Interweave-Underlay

In this paper we present a novel dynamic spectrum sensing and access model in cognitive radio networks. This model allows secondary user (SU) to sequentially sense two times if necessary due to the false alarm, and choose different accessing manner according to the sensing result. In practice, sensing results often affect the data transmission in cognitive radio systems. Therefore, a hybrid interweave/underlay cognitive radio system is presented by jointly considering spectrum sensing and data transmission. We derive throughput of the secondary user. compared to the existing works, our analytical results indicate that our approach can achieve significant improvements in terms of SU's throughput.
A survey on clustering in data mining

Clustering is the unsupervised classification of patterns (observations, data items, or feature vectors) into groups (clusters). The clustering problem has been addressed in many contexts and by researchers in many disciplines; this reflects its broad appeal and usefulness as one of the steps in exploratory data analysis. Unsupervised learning (clustering) deals with which have not been pre classified in any way and so do not have a class attribute associated with them. The scope of applying clustering algorithm is to discover useful but unknown classes of items. Unsupervised learning is an approach of learning where instances are automatically placed into meaningful groups based on their similarity. This paper addresses fundamental concepts of unsupervised learning while it serveys recent clustering algorithm and their complexities.
A role for tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the increased mortality associated with Vibrio vulnificus infection in the presence of hepatic dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to evaluate whether pre-existing hepatic dysfunction (cirrhosis) leads to increased morbidity and mortality, in part through an inappropriate in vivo tumor necrosis factor-alpha response. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Vibrio vulnificus is the most commonly isolated member of the noncholera Vibrio sp. , responsible for fulminant and frequently fatal septicemia. A strong clinical association exists between hepatic dysfunction and increased morbidity and mortality from Vibrio sp. infection. However, the underlying mechanism behind this association has not been fully delineated. METHODS Cirrhosis was induced in C57BL/6 (15 to 20 g) mice using thrice-weekly injections of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 7 weeks. Either a 7.0 to 9.5 X 10(7) (low dose) or a 0.8 to 1.2 X 10(9) colony-forming unit (high dose) of V. vulnificus was administered through a mini-laparotomy incision via transgastric puncture into both cirrhotic and control animals. RESULTS Mortality in cirrhotic mice to low- and high-dose Vibrio infection was 88% (7/8) and 100% (8/8), respectively, whereas mortality in control animals was 0% (0/8) and 12% (1/8), respectively (p<0.01). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA could be detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in livers and lungs from infected animals 2 and 4 hours after Vibrio administration in both control and cirrhotic animals. Lung and liver tumor necrosis factor-alpha bioactivity, however, was significantly lower in cirrhotic animals infected with Vibrio when compared with controls. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha was only sporadically detected in both groups of Vibrio-infected animals. When cirrhotic mice challenged with a low dose of Vibrio sp. were pretreated with 1.0 mg/kg body weight of a novel tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor immunoadhesin, the increased mortality was completely prevented. CONCLUSIONS Cirrhotic mice show increased mortality to Vibrio infection, and this increased mortality is dependent on an in vivo tumor necrosis factor-alpha response.