Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Everything the nurse practitioner should know about pediatric feeding tubes

Purpose: To provide an overview of the current feeding tubes in use in the pediatric population including feeding tube complications, and specific guidance for patients at the initiation, throughout the use of, and at the discontinuation of tube feeding. Data sources: A review of the literature was performed using multiple databases including PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid Medline, and Cochrane Library. Key words used included pediatric gastrostomy (G) tubes, nasogastric (NG) tubes, gastrojejunostomy (GJ) tubes, enteral access, and nurse practitioner (NP). Conclusions: Any child who cannot obtain nutrition orally is a candidate for enteral feeding tube access. Tube feeding is the recommended care guideline for children that are undernourished or unable to safely take‐in oral nutrition. Tube feeding has been known to improve health‐related quality of life. There are a number of different forms of feeding tubes that can be used in children, including NG, orogastric, G, and GJ tubes. Implications for practice: Children are being sent home regularly with enteral feeding tube access and NPs will encounter these patients in everyday practice. It is important that NPs know the risks and benefits of tube feeding as well as the types of tubes currently in use and their indications, advantages, disadvantages, and complications.
Effect of peginterferon alfa‐2a on liver histology in chronic hepatitis C: A meta‐analysis of individual patient data

Multicenter randomized trials have shown that once‐weekly pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa‐2a is more efficacious than conventional interferon alfa‐2a (IFN) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. We performed a meta‐analysis of 1,013 previously untreated patients (from 3 randomized trials) with pretreatment and post‐treatment liver biopsies to assess the differences between peginterferon alfa‐2a and IFN in terms of their effects on liver histology. Reported values were standardized mean differences (SMD) between patients receiving peginterferon alfa‐2a and those receiving IFN (post‐treatment value minus baseline value for each group). We used a random‐effects model to quantify the average effect of peginterferon alfa‐2a on liver histology. Peginterferon alfa‐2a significantly reduced fibrosis compared with IFN (SMD, −0.14; 95% CI: −0.27, −0.01; P = .04). A reduction in fibrosis was observed among sustained virologic responders (SMD, −0.59; 95% CI: −0.89, −0.30; P < .0001) and patients with recurrent disease (SMD, −0.34; 95% CI: −0.54, −0.14; P = .0007), whereas no significant reduction was observed among nonresponders (SMD, −0.13; 95% CI: −0.32, 0.05; P = .15). Logistic regression analysis indicated that patients with sustained virologic responses (SVRs) had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.61 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.29) for reduction in fibrosis compared with patients without SVRs, whereas obese patients (body mass index [BMI] > 30 kg/m2) had an OR of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.35, 0.90) compared with normal‐weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2) and overweight patients (BMI, 25–30 kg/m2). In conclusion, in patients with chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis, peginterferon alfa‐2a (relative to IFN) significantly reduced fibrosis. The beneficial effects of peginterferon on liver histology are closely related to virologic response. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;39:333–342.)
Recent increase in persistence of atmospheric circulation over Europe: comparison with long‐term variations since 1881

Long‐term changes in the persistence of atmospheric circulation (measured by the mean residence time of circulation types) over Europe since 1881 are studied using the Hess–Brezowsky classification of Grosswetterlagen. A comprehensive statistical analysis is performed utilizing tests for change points, trends and outliers. The most remarkable feature of the long‐term variations in the persistence of circulation patterns is a general sharp increase from the 1970s to the late 1980s. The shift towards higher persistence is statistically significant in most groups of the types and most seasons and is confirmed by all the statistical tools. The 1986–2000 period is an outlier, and the most pronounced change point in the time series appears in the mid‐1980s. The observed increase in the mean lifetime of the circulation types over European mid‐latitudes seems to be consistent with the idea of global warming, which is likely to shift the areas with the highest baroclinic activity (storm tracks) northwards. The enhanced persistence of the atmospheric circulation may have also supported the more frequent occurrence of temperature and other climatic extremes in Europe recently. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in garbage scavengers of Karachi.

OBJECTIVES To determine the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C, and to study the associated risk factors in garbage scavengers of Karachi. METHODS The cross-sectional study was performed in a colony inhabited by low socioeconomic garbage-collecting people. Data was collected from April to December 2011. After informed consent and pre-test counselling, a set of questions were asked from a questionnaire, and 5cc of blood was drawn for pathological testing. SPSS 18 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS A total of 141 males agreed to participate in the study with a mean age of 21.33+/-9.28 years. Most of the respondents (n=67; 47.5%) were in the age group 11-20 years; 86 (61%) were single; 89 (63%) were illiterate and 127 (90%) had a monthly income less than Rs.10,000. Prevalence of hepatitis B was 18.8% (n=22), followed by 8.5% (n=10) and 0.85% (n=1) of hepatitis C and HIV respectively. Besides, 108 (77%) collected needles/syringes and 76 (54%) got pricked more than once. Only 23 (16%) wore gloves while collecting garbage. Overall, 79 (56%) had a history of sexual contact; 18 (23%) had three or more partners. CONCLUSION The important factors contributing to the high prevalence of hepatitis B and C were needle prick injuries, bare-handed/bare-footed collection of garbage, poor vaccination status, improper garbage disposal system and the site of waste collection.
Development of a qPCR Strategy to Select Bean Genes Involved in Plant Defense Response and Regulated by the Trichoderma velutinum – Rhizoctonia solani Interaction

Bean production is affected by a wide diversity of fungal pathogens, among them Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most important. A strategy to control bean infectious diseases, mainly those caused by fungi, is based on the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) that can reduce the negative effects of plant pathogens and also can promote positive responses in the plant. Trichoderma is a fungal genus that is able to induce the expression of genes involved in plant defense response and also to promote plant growth, root development and nutrient uptake. In this article, a strategy that combines in silico analysis and real time PCR to detect additional bean defense-related genes, regulated by the presence of Trichoderma velutinum and/or R. solani has been applied. Based in this strategy, from the 48 bean genes initially analyzed, 14 were selected, and only WRKY33, CH5b and hGS showed an up-regulatory response in the presence of T. velutinum. The other genes were or not affected (OSM34) or down-regulated by the presence of this fungus. R. solani infection resulted in a down-regulation of most of the genes analyzed, except PR1, OSM34 and CNGC2 that were not affected, and the presence of both, T. velutinum and R. solani, up-regulates hGS and down-regulates all the other genes analyzed, except CH5b which was not significantly affected. As conclusion, the strategy described in the present work has been shown to be effective to detect genes involved in plant defense, which respond to the presence of a BCA or to a pathogen and also to the presence of both. The selected genes show significant homology with previously described plant defense genes and they are expressed in bean leaves of plants treated with T. velutinum and/or infected with R. solani.
Discovery of Middle Triassic radiolarian fauna from the Nan area along the Nan-Uttaradit suture zone, northern Thailand

Abstract A Middle Triassic radiolarian fauna is present in the siliceous rock section at the Nan area along the Nan-Uttaradit suture zone, northern Thailand. The radiolarian fauna is composed of Triassocampe deweveri, T. nishimurai, Annulotriassocampe campanilis, Cenosphaera igoi, and other species and corresponds to the Anisian (Middle Triassic) Triassocampe deweveri fauna reported from Japan, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Far East of Russia, and northern and eastern Thailand. More than fifteen radiolarian species belonging to eight genera are investigated. The radiolarian-bearing rocks were probably deposited in a pelagic environment within the Nan-Uttaradit back-arc basin between the Simao and Indochina blocks during Middle Triassic time. This suggests that the Nan-Uttaradit back-arc basin, the Palaeo-Tethys ocean and Panthalassa ocean were probably connected by seaways at this time and might have shared the same oceanic circulation system. Furthermore, the complete closure of the Nan-Uttaradit back-arc basin between the Simao and the Indochina blocks is thought to have occurred at least after the Middle Triassic.
Energetics of the Internal Tide on Northern Georges Bank

Abstract This paper discusses the energetics of the internal waves generated by the tide on the northern edge of Georges Bank in the outer Gulf of Maine–-a region of strong tidal flow, a density/temperature front, and abrupt topography. A series of bank-edge cross sections in early July 1988, using the towed vertically profiling Batfish, shows that during off-bank flow a large internal hydraulic jump develops over the bank slope. This disturbance propagates on bank during the reverse phase of the tide, evolving into two internal solitonlike features that impinge upon the frontal zone separating stratified bank-edge water from the homogeneous water on bank. Thermistor chain data from the bank edge show that two internal wave packets per tidal cycle are characteristic of the region during this time of year. The available potential energy plus kinetic energy of the internal disturbances, estimated using the Batfish and thermistor chain data, is found to be 35 J m−3 in a plug of fluid 60 m deep and 4 km long .
Bounding CKM Mixing with a Fourth Family

April 22, 2009 Rev. April 27, 2009 arXiv:0904.3570 [hep-ph] Bounding CKM Mixing with a Fourth Family Michael S. Chanowitz Theoretical Physics Group Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory University of California Berkeley, California 94720 Abstract CKM mixing between third family quarks and a possible fourth family is constrained by global ﬁts to the precision electroweak data. The dominant constraint is from nondecoupling oblique corrections rather than the vertex correction to Z → bb used in previous analyses. The possibility of large mixing suggested by some recent analyses of FCNC processes is excluded, but 3-4 mixing of the same order as the Cabbibo mixing of the ﬁrst two families is allowed.
Classification of normal/abnormal heart sound recordings: The PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2016

In the past few decades heart sound signals (i.e., phono-cardiograms or PCGs) have been widely studied. Automated heart sound segmentation and classification techniques have the potential to screen for pathologies in a variety of clinical applications. However, comparative analyses of algorithms in the literature have been hindered by the lack of a large and open database of heart sound recordings. The PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology (CinC) Challenge 2016 addresses this issue by assembling the largest public heart sound database, aggregated from eight sources obtained by seven independent research groups around the world. The database includes 4,430 recordings taken from 1,072 subjects, totalling 233,512 heart sounds collected from both healthy subjects and patients with a variety of conditions such as heart valve disease and coronary artery disease. These recordings were collected using heterogeneous equipment in both clinical and nonclinical (such as in-home visits). The length of recording varied from several seconds to several minutes. Additional data provided include subject demographics (age and gender), recording information (number per patient, body location, and length of recording), synchronously recorded signals (such as ECG), sampling frequency and sensor type used. Participants were asked to classify recordings as normal, abnormal, or not possible to evaluate (noisy/uncertain). The overall score for an entry was based on a weighted sensitivity and specificity score with respect to manual expert annotations. A brief description of a baseline classification method is provided, including a description of open source code, which has been provided in association with the Challenge. The open source code provided a score of 0.71 (Se=0.65 Sp=0.76). During the official phase of the competition, a total of 48 teams submitted 348 open source entries, with a highest score of 0.86 (Se=0.94 Sp=0.78).
Differences in post-operative functional disability and patient satisfaction between patients with long (three levels or more) and short (less than three) lumbar fusions.

We examined the differences in post-operative functional disability and patient satisfaction between 56 patients who underwent a lumbar fusion at three or more levels for degenerative disease (group I) and 69 patients, matched by age and gender, who had undergone a one or two level fusion (group II). Their mean age was 66 years (49 to 84) and the mean follow-up was 43 months (24 to 65). The mean pre-operative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, and the mean post-operative VAS were similar in both groups (p > 0.05), but post-operatively the improvement in ODI was significantly less in group I (40.6%) than in group II (49.5%) (p < 0.001). Of the ten ODI items, patients in group I showed significant problems with lifting, sitting, standing, and travelling (p < 0.05). The most significant differences in the post-operative ODI were observed between patients who had undergone fusion at four or more levels and those who had undergone fusion at less than four levels (p = 0.005). The proportion of patients who were satisfied with their operations was similar in groups I and II (72.7% and 77.0%, respectively) (p = 0.668). The mean number of fused levels was associated with the post-operative ODI (r = 0.266, p = 0.003), but not with the post-operative VAS or satisfaction grade (p > 0.05). Post-operative functional disability was more severe in those with a long-level lumbar fusion, particularly at four or more levels, but patient satisfaction remained similar for those with both long- and short-level fusions.
Prediction, by retinal location, of the onset of diabetic edema in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE To formulate a model to predict the location of the onset of diabetic retinal edema (DE) in adults with diabetic retinopathy (DR), at risk for DE. METHODS In all, 46 eyes from 23 patients with DR were included. Subjects were followed semiannually until DE developed or the study concluded. The presence or absence of DE within the central 45 ° at the final visit was the outcome measure, and data from the prior visit were used as baseline. A logistic regression model was formulated to assess the relationship between DE development and: multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) implicit time (IT) Z-score, mfERG amplitude (Amp) Z-score, sex, diabetes duration, diabetes type, blood glucose, HbA1c, age, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure, and grade of retinopathy. A total of 35 retinal zones were constructed from the mfERG elements and each was graded for DE. Data from 52 control subjects were used to calculate the maximum IT and minimum Amp Z-scores for each zone. Receiver operating characteristic curves from a fivefold cross-validation were used to determine the model's predictive properties. RESULTS Edema developed in 5.2% of all retinal zones and in 35% of the eyes. The mfERG Amp, mfERG IT, SBP, and sex were together predictive of edema onset. Combined, these factors produce a model that has 84% sensitivity and 76% specificity. CONCLUSIONS Together mfERG, SBP, and sex are good predictors of local edema in patients with DR. The model is a useful tool for assessing risk for edema development and a candidate measure to evaluate novel therapeutics directed at DE.
Spatial and temporal controls on overwash occurrence on a Great Lakes barrier spit

Field measurements from 1985 to 1990 and sequential aerial photography since 1945 show that overwash plays an extremely important role in the dynamics of Long Point, a large barrier spit on the north shore of Lake Erie. Overwash occurs primarily in the transgressive proximal and central zones of the spit, which together account for some 65% of the total shoreline length of 41 km. During periods of high lake level, over 50% of the shoreline in these zones may be overwashed. Washover morphology ranges from continuous washover terraces in areas of low foredunes to isolated washovers with narrow throats and distinct fans where breaching has occurred through high dunes. Individual overwash events commonly produce deposits on the fan surface 0.25–0.75 m or more in thickness. Washover-fan sediments are dominated by nearly horizontal planar bedding, with deposits near the fan margins often having foreset bedding, reflecting deposition in standing water of the bay or of interdune ponds.The frequency of overwash oc.
Concordance between M-mode, pulsed Tissue Doppler, and colour Tissue Doppler in the assessment of mitral annulus systolic excursion in normal subjects.

AIMS M-mode left atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) correlates with Tissue Doppler (TD) peak systolic annular velocity in healthy individuals. This approach is biased by several interacting factors related to the structural complexity of mitral annulus physiology, including the different dimensional values of measures, the confounding effect of isovolumic motions, and the spectral thickness of pulsed TD envelope. We sought to analyze the effective concordance between techniques in the assessment of systolic annular excursion. METHODS AND RESULTS In 92 healthy subjects (age 60.5 +/- 18.6, 43.5% women), systolic AVPD was measured after exclusion of isovolumic components using three techniques: (i) M-mode; (ii) temporal integration of pulsed TD systolic wave; and (iii) colour TD-derived tissue tracking. Close correlations of M-mode AVPD with pulsed TD velocity-time integral (VTI) (R = 0.90, P < 0.0001) and colour TD AVPD (R = 0.86, P < 0.0001) were found. However, M-mode AVPD underestimated pulsed TD VTI (mean error -5.1 +/- 1.7 mm) and overestimated colour TD AVPD (mean error 3.4 +/- 1.3 mm). The concordance between M-mode and pulsed TD increased after adjustment for spectral dispersion of pulsed TD instantaneous velocities (mean error 0.1 +/- 1.1 mm). CONCLUSION Despite strict correlations exist between M-mode and TD in the assessment of mitral annulus systolic excursion, the effective concordance between techniques is sub-optimal.
View morphing

Image morphing techniques can generate compelling 2D transitions between images. However, differences in object pose or viewpoint often cause unnatural distortions in image morphs that are difﬁcult to correct manually. Using basic principles of projective geometry, this paper introduces a simple extension to image morphing that correctly handles 3D projective camera and scene transformations. The technique, called view morphing , works by prewarping two images prior to computing a morph and then postwarping the interpolated images. Because no knowledge of 3D shape is required, the technique may be applied to photographs and drawings, as well as rendered scenes. The ability to synthesize changes both in viewpoint and image structure affords a wide variety of interesting 3D effects via simple image transformations.
After the 2010 rains : Changes in reporting rates of birds in remnant woodland vegetation in the central wheatbelt of New South Wales, Australia , from drought to post-drought

Loss and fragmentation of the native vegetation of the Central Western Plains of New South Wales was followed by declines of woodland-dependent species. Drought is likely to have further suppressed many animal populations. Here we report on changes in woodland bird reporting rates between surveys in 2005-2009 (drought declared period) and surveys in 2010-2013 following the drought-breaking rains of 2010. By 2013 the number of species detected per survey had just recovered to the level of surveys in 2005/6. The 2013 species composition of the region was similar to that recorded in the 2005-2009 drought surveys, with half of the small insectivorous and nectarivorous woodland birds remaining rare and restricted. Woodland remnants in the landscape continued to be dominated by the same, usually large, species of birds, but reporting rates of 13 of the 15 most common species declined. Conversely, several smaller, foliage gleaning passerines had higher reporting rates post-drought, with Striated Pardalote and We.
Tropospheric carbon monoxide and hydrogen measurements over Kalimantan in Indonesia and northern Australia during October, 1997

During the PACE‐5 campaign over Australia and Indonesia in October 1997, we used an aircraft to measure carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2). Latitudinal distributions of CO and H2 clearly showed a large increase from northern Australia to Kalimantan in Indonesia. Elevated CO levels over northern Australia were observed only in the smoke plumes of savanna fires. A thick smoke haze from forest fires over Kalimantan contained very high CO mixing ratios of 3 to 9 ppm. These enhanced CO mixing ratios correlated well with increased concentrations of H2, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and aerosols. Emission ratios from biomass burning in Kalimantan ranged 0.06 0.1 for H2/CO (ppb/ppb), 0.0002 to 0.0005 for NOx/CO (ppb/ppb), and 0.43 to 1.0 for number of aerosols/CO (cm−3/ppb). These values were much lower than emission ratios in northern Australia. This difference suggests that the biomass burning in Indonesia was intense and that, due to a strong El Niño event, an unique composition of trace gases was formed in the smoke haze.