Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Race and Insurance Status as Predictors of Undergoing Laparoscopic Appendectomy in Children

Objective:The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of race and socioeconomic factors and the method used for appendectomies in children (open vs. laparoscopic). Summary Background Data:Previous studies have shown racial and insurance-related differences associated with the management of appendicitis in adults. It is not known whether these differences are observed in children. Methods:Children (<15 years) undergoing appendectomy from 1996 to 2002 were identified in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Severity of appendicitis and underlying chronic illnesses were determined by ICD-9 codes. Hospital characteristics evaluated included teaching status and location, children’s hospital status, and volume of appendectomies. Hierarchical unadjusted and risk-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed. Results:Among 72,189 children undergoing an appendectomy for appendicitis, 11,714 (16%) underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy. Multivariate analysis showed that whites were more likely to undergo a laparoscopic appendectomy than blacks (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03–1.25, P = 0.01) but not other races. A significant interaction between payer source and children’s hospital designation was observed, with the odds of children with private insurance undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy being significantly higher than those without private insurance at nonchildren’s hospitals but not at children’s hospitals. Conclusions:There are significant racial and insurance-related differences in use of laparoscopic appendectomy in children that are most evident at nonchildren’s hospitals. These findings provide evidence that factors at hospitals dedicated to children may lead to better access to new technologies.
Use of the Minicondylar Plate in Metacarpal and Phalangeal Fractures

The minicondylar plate is used for unstable intraarticular and periarticular fractures of the phalanges and metacarpals to provide stability and to allow early motion. This low profile implant can be placed laterally to avoid injury to the extensor mechanism. The authors retrospectively reviewed 53 consecutive patients from 2 institutions in whom 68 fractures (41 metacarpal and 27 phalangeal) had been treated with 1.5-mm or 2-mm minicondylar plates. Common mechanisms of injury were gunshot wounds, crush injuries, and assault/beatings. Thirty-seven fractures were open, 19 had severe soft tissue injury, and 30 required a bone graft. The followup period averaged 17 months. There were no nonunions or malunions. Sixty-seven complications were associated with 40 fractures in 29 patients: primarily symptomatic plates or pullout (30 complications), extensor lag (13 complications), and infections (8 complications). The complication rate was significantly higher in intraarticular and periarticular fractures also involving the middle ⅓ versus proximal ⅓ fractures; open versus closed fractures; fractures with increased soft tissue injury versus minimal injury; and bone grafted versus nongrafted fractures. Final arc of total active motion, available for 45 fractures, was excellent (≥ 221 °) for 17 fractures; good/fair (121 ° to 220 °) for 15, and poor (≤ 120 °) for 13. Metacarpal fractures had a significantly higher percentage of excellent results than did phalangeal fractures. Final motion did not correlate significantly with complication rate, severity of soft tissue injury, location in the bone, open versus closed fracture, or use of bone graft. When fractures cannot be restored and stabilized reliably by less invasive methods, the minicondylar plate provides secure fixation and can result in adequate function, even in the presence of severe combined injuries.
The effect of a peptide-containing synthetic lung surfactant on gas exchange and lung mechanics in a rabbit model of surfactant depletion

Background Currently, a new generation of synthetic pulmonary surfactants is being developed that may eventually replace animal-derived surfactants used in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome. Enlightened by this, we prepared a synthetic peptide-containing surfactant (Synsurf) consisting of phospholipids and poly-l-lysine electrostatically bonded to poly-l-glutamic acid. Our objective in this study was to investigate if bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-induced acute lung injury and surfactant deficiency with accompanying hypoxemia and increased alveolar and physiological dead space is restored to its prelavage condition by surfactant replacement with Synsurf, a generic prepared Exosurf, and a generic Exosurf containing Ca2+. Methods Twelve adult New Zealand white rabbits receiving conventional mechanical ventilation underwent repeated BAL to create acute lung injury and surfactant-deficient lung disease. Synthetic surfactants were then administered and their effects assessed at specified time points over 5 hours. The variables assessed before and after lavage and surfactant treatment included alveolar and physiological dead space, dead space/tidal volume ratio, arterial end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (PCO2) difference (mainstream capnography), arterial blood gas analysis, calculated shunt, and oxygen ratios. Results BAL led to acute lung injury characterized by an increasing arterial PCO2 and a simultaneous increase of alveolar and physiological dead space/tidal volume ratio with no intergroup differences. Arterial end-tidal PCO2 and dead space/tidal volume ratio correlated in the Synsurf, generic Exosurf and generic Exosurf containing Ca2+ groups. A significant and sustained improvement in systemic oxygenation occurred from time point 180 minutes onward in animals treated with Synsurf compared to the other two groups (P < 0.001). A statistically significant decrease in pulmonary shunt (P < 0.001) was found for the Synsurf-treated group of animals, as well as radiographic improvement in three out of four animals in that group. Conclusion In general, surfactant-replacement therapy in the animals did not fully restore the lung to its prelavage condition. However, our data show that the formulated surfactant Synsurf improves oxygenation by lowering pulmonary shunt.
Frequency, Probability, and Prediction: Easy Solutions to Cognitive Illusions?

Many errors in probabilistic judgment have been attributed to people's inability to think in statistical terms when faced with information about a single case. Prior theoretical analyses and empirical results imply that the errors associated with case-specific reasoning may be reduced when people make frequentistic predictions about a set of cases. In studies of three previously identified cognitive biases, we find that frequency-based predictions are different from-but no better than-case-specific judgments of probability. First, in studies of the "planning fallacy, " we compare the accuracy of aggregate frequency and case-specific probability judgments in predictions of students' real-life projects. When aggregate and single-case predictions are collected from different respondents, there is little difference between the two: Both are overly optimistic and show little predictive validity. However, in within-subject comparisons, the aggregate judgments are significantly more conservative than the single-case predictions, though still optimistically biased. Results from studies of overconfidence in general knowledge and base rate neglect in categorical prediction underline a general conclusion. Frequentistic predictions made for sets of events are no more statistically sophisticated, nor more accurate, than predictions made for individual events using subjective probability.
Crustal structure of Mexico and surrounding regions from seismic ambient noise tomography

SUMMARY Using continuous seismic data from newly available broadband stations in Mexico and Central America we have obtained group and phase velocity maps of fundamental mode Rayleigh wave for the region. These new maps have been calculated for periods between 8 and 60 s from cross-correlations of seismic ambient noise between 100 broadband stations, and stacked for 30 months from 2006 to 2008. The tomographic inversion of the obtained dispersion measurements has been carried out on a 1°× 1° grid, resulting in maps with resolution better than 250 km in the well-sampled regions of the model. For short periods (8–16 s) dispersion maps show good correlation with surface structural features. Low-velocity anomalies correlate with sedimentary basins around the Gulf of Mexico and Colorado embayment. High-velocity anomalies at short periods correlate with mountain ranges and regions of thin, extended crust such as the Gulf of California. Both the lowest and highest group velocity anomalies at these periods reach values of up to 15 per cent. For periods between 25 and 40 s, velocity anomalies are related to variations in crustal thickness and temperature. The most prominent low velocity anomaly correlates with thick crust and high mantle temperatures associated with the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Central American volcanic arc. The most remarkable features for longer periods (40–60 s) are the differences between high-velocity anomalies beneath the Mayan block, the Gulf of Mexico and the cratonic part of the United States and low-velocity anomalies beneath the Chortis block and northern Mexico. The long wavelength features of our model agree well with previous global and continental scale studies. However, because of the increased station density of the data set used, we are able to obtain reliable dispersion maps for shorter periods, and to image smaller scale features.
Hybrid Energy-Saving Algorithm Considering Silent Periods of VoIP Traffic for Mobile WiMAX

Recent broadband wireless access systems apply voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for their voice services, so a mobile station (MS) requires an efficient energy-saving algorithm for VoIP services to prolong its battery lifetime. The IEEE 802.16e system called Mobile WiMAX provides the power saving class (PSC) of type II as an energy-saving algorithm for VoIP service, but it is not originally designed to consider silent periods of VoIP traffic. Therefore, we propose a new hybrid energy-saving algorithm suitable for VoIP services with silence suppression, which basically follows PSC II during talk-spurt periods, but uses the truncated binary exponential algorithm of PSC I during silent periods. The analysis and simulation results show that the proposed hybrid scheme reduces power consumption effectively during silent periods while satisfying the maximum allowable end-to-end delay and low packet drop probability constraints with respect to the quality of service (QoS) of VoIP.
Multisnapshot Sparse Bayesian Learning for DOA

The directions of arrival (DOA) of plane waves are estimated from multisnapshot sensor array data using sparse Bayesian learning (SBL). The prior for the source amplitudes is assumed independent zero-mean complex Gaussian distributed with hyperparameters, the unknown variances (i.e., the source powers). For a complex Gaussian likelihood with hyperparameter, the unknown noise variance, the corresponding Gaussian posterior distribution is derived. The hyperparameters are automatically selected by maximizing the evidence and promoting sparse DOA estimates. The SBL scheme for DOA estimation is discussed and evaluated competitively against LASSO (ℓ1-regularization), conventional beamforming, and MUSIC.
Testing impact of knowledge characteristics and relationship ties on project performance

– The aim of this paper is to empirically test and find the correlation between knowledge characteristics and relationship ties on project performance. , – Data were collected via personal interviews based on a structured survey of project managers in a knowledge‐intensive firm. The data were analyzed using a multiple regression model. , – The results show that project performance was positively related to the frequency and closeness of source, and difficulty of the “knowledge element” described in the survey. Interestingly, against the prevalent view, the source and the level of tacitness of the knowledge element were not found to be significant. , – Data are limited to specific corporate setting and variables are not exhaustive, despite the fact that this study includes the most theoretically interesting variables. One implication is that strong ties to a knowledge element source are important for project success, but distinctions between internal and external sources, and degree of codification, are not. , – This study also implies that, in this day and age of knowledge management and chief knowledge officers, most of the important knowledge may already have been codified inside the firm, thus alleviating the past focus on transfer of tacit knowledge. This fact also implies that firms that are left behind in terms of managing their knowledge inside the firm stand to lose a lot more since the other firms are managing their own knowledge base better. , – This paper incorporates and empirically tests most of the variables considered important to theoreticians and practitioners in the realm of knowledge management and network theory. The latter theory is important in the field of knowledge management because it offers the link and medium in which knowledge travels and transfers.
THE INFLUENCE OF ERYTHROPHAGOCYTOSIS ON THE INTERACTION OF MACROPHAGES AND SALMONELLA IN VITRO

Phagocytosis and killing of Salmonella typhimurium by mouse peritoneal macrophages was inhibited when the bacteria and antibody-coated homologous erythrocytes or heterologous erythrocytes were simultaneously exposed to macrophages in vitro. No inhibition of phagocytosis or killing was observed in experiments employing uncoated or disrupted antibody-coated homologous erythrocytes. Degradation of S. typhimurium as measured by the loss of fluorescence from intracellular salmonella coated with fluorescein-labeled antibody was inhibited in macrophages which had previously ingested antibody-coated homologous erythrocytes. Anti-mouse-erythrocyte serum was found to have a cytotoxic action on mouse macrophages. However, the viability of macrophages was not altered by phagocytosis of antibody-coated homologous erythrocytes or uncoated heterologous erythrocytes.
Comparison of the effect of naproxen, etodolac and diclofenac on postoperative sequels following third molar surgery: A randomised, double-blind, crossover study

Objectives: To compare the three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) diclofenac potassium, etodolac and naproxen sodium in relation to pain, swelling and trismus following impacted third molar surgery. Study Design: The study was a randomized and a double-blinded study which included 42 healthy young individuals with impacted third molars and bone retention. Patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n: 14) to which diclofenac potassium, naproxen sodium and etodolac were administered orally an hour before the operation. Impacted third molars were surgically extracted with local anaesthesia. Visual analog scales (VAS) were used to assess the pain in the 6th, 12th hours and on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th days postoperatively. Swelling was evaluated using ultrasound (US) and mouth opening (trismus) was measured with a composing stick pre and post operatively on the 2nd and 7th days respectively. Results: Regarding pain alleviation, diclofenac potassium was better than naproxen sodium and naproxen sodium was better than etodolac but these differences were not statistically significant. US measurements showed that the swelling on postoperative 2nd day was significantly lowest with diclofenac potassium as compared to others (p= 0.027) while naproxen sodium and etodolac acted similarly (p=0.747). No difference was noted regarding trismus in any of the groups. Conclusions: NSAIDs (diclofenac, naproxen and etodolac) are somehow similarly effective for controlling pain and trismus following extraction of mandibular third molars but diclofenac potassium surpasses others in reduction of swelling. Key words:Diclofenac potassium, naproxen sodium, etodolac, impacted third molar surgery, pain, swelling, trismus.
Inventing and devising movement in the design of movement-based interactive systems

This paper reports on a study that explored ways of inventing and devising movement for use in the design of movement-based interaction with video-based, motion-sensing technologies. Methods that dancers, trained in movement improvisation and performance-making, used to choreograph movement were examined as sources of potential methods for technology designers. The findings enabled us to develop methods and tools for creating and structuring new movements, based on felt experience and the creative potential of the moving body. These methods and tools contribute to the ongoing development of a design methodology underpinned by the principle of making strange. By making strange, we mean ways of unsettling habitual perceptions and conceptions of the moving body to arrive at fresh appreciations and perspectives for design that are anchored in the sensing, feeling and moving body.
Feminist fatale : voices from the “twentysomething" generation explore the future of the “women's movement"

Kamen notes the irony of how, because of hard-won victories, young women often do not have profound consciousness-raising experiences until their thirties, in the workplace. There they find the "glass ceiling" blocking them from the top. There they meet what columnist Anna Quindlen called the "quota of one" woman allowed ("I really wish I could run your column, but I already run Ellen Goodman"). There they work as hard as the next guy, whose wife takes care of the home and kids the career woman cannot afford.
Numerical solution of a model for brain cancer progression after therapy

Abstract We present a numerical scheme used to investigate a mathematical model of tumor growth which incorporates multiple disparate timescales. We simulate the model with different initial data. The initial conditions explored herein correspond to a small remnant of tumor tissue left after surgical resection. Our results indicate that tumor regrowth begins at the pre‐surgery tumor‐healthy tissue interface and penetrates back into the original tumor area. This growth is rate‐limited by the reformation of the tumor vascular network.
Phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of the MUC1 mucin correlates with changes in cell‐cell adhesion

The MUC1 epithelial mucin is expressed by glandular epithelial cells and is often highly expressed and associated with poor prognosis in adenocarcinomas. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the highly conserved cytoplasmic tail of MUC1 (MUC1‐CT) has been demonstrated in MUC1 transfected cells and in one breast cancer cell line. In addition, associations between MUC1 and secondary signalling molecules have been demonstrated in breast cancer cell lines. MUC1 clearly plays a role in intracellular signalling, since we were able to demonstrate tyrosine phosphorylation of the MUC1‐CT in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines and in primary cultures of serous ovarian cancers. We were unable to modulate MUC1‐CT phosphorylation using conditioned media from cell lines showing the highest levels of signalling. However, in several breast and ovarian cancer cell lines, we clearly showed the highest levels of MUC1‐CT tyrosine phosphorylation occurred during recolonisation of culture dishes or in low‐density adherent cultures. We now hypothesise that phosphorylation changes may reflect either involvement of MUC1 in cell motility or a redistribution of MUC1 in the membrane during the course of cell‐cell adhesion. Int. J. Cancer 87:499–506, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evolution of alternative insect life histories in stochastic seasonal environments

Abstract Deterministic seasonality can explain the evolution of alternative life history phenotypes (i.e., life history polyphenism) expressed in different generations emerging within the same year. However, the influence of stochastic variation on the expression of such life history polyphenisms in seasonal environments is insufficiently understood. Here, we use insects as a model and explore (1) the effects of stochastic variation in seasonality and (2) the life cycle on the degree of life history differentiation among the alternative developmental pathways of direct development and diapause (overwintering), and (3) the evolution of phenology. With numerical simulation, we determine the values of development (growth) time, growth rate, body size, reproductive effort, adult life span, and fecundity in both the overwintering and directly developing generations that maximize geometric mean fitness. The results suggest that natural selection favors the expression of alternative life histories in the alternative developmental pathways even when there is stochastic variation in seasonality, but that trait differentiation is affected by the developmental stage that overwinters. Increasing environmental unpredictability induced a switch to a bet‐hedging type of life history strategy, which is consistent with general life history theory. Bet‐hedging appeared in our study system as reduced expression of the direct development phenotype, with associated changes in life history phenotypes, because the fitness value of direct development is highly variable in uncertain environments. Our main result is that seasonality itself is a key factor promoting the evolution of seasonally polyphenic life histories but that environmental stochasticity may modulate the expression of life history phenotypes.
L'évaluation des politiques éducatives

politiques educatives s'inscrivent desormais au cœur du debat public, en France comme a l'etranger. Car les processus d'elaboration des choix politiques en education tendent a evoluer (1). Longtemps la chasse gardee d'une elite specialisee, en lien avec les syndicats professionnels dans le cadre d'un modele neo-corporatiste, les reformes de structures scolaires, l'elaboration des curricula ou encore les statuts et missions des personnels etaient concus, discutes, decides en vase clos. L'avenement d'une «democratie du public» (Manin, 1996), ou la definition du bien commun n'est plus le seul monopole des dirigeants legitimes, change la donne. L'offre politique est de plus en plus « liee aux demandes du public qui sont d'autant plus importantes qu'existe une liberte de l'opinion publique qui connait une autonomisation croissante a l'egard des clivages partisans classiques » (Lascoumes et Le Gales, 2004, p. 24).
Septic Arthritis of the Sternoclavicular Joint

Septic arthritis is a medical emergency that requires immediate action to prevent significant morbidity and mortality. The sternoclavicular joint may have a more insidious onset than septic arthritis at other sites. A high index of suspicion and judicious use of laboratory and radiologic evaluation can help solidify this diagnosis. The sternoclavicular joint is likely to become infected in the immunocompromised patient or the patient who uses intravenous drugs, but sternoclavicular joint arthritis in the former is uncommon. This case series describes the course of 2 immunocompetent patients who were treated conservatively for septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint.