Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis: Analysis of 38 Cases

In 38 cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis, 19 were early cases (onset ≦ 60 days after insertion of prosthesis) and 19, late cases (onset ≧ 60 days). Nine late cases had onsets 12 to 53 months after surgery. The sources or predisposing factors in late cases included dental disease or manipulation; genitourinary tract procedures; and skin, urinary, or wound infections. In contrast, most early cases were secondary to complications of operation. Streptococci were the most common organisms causing late endocarditis, whereas staphylococci were most common among early cases. Four of the six patients who survived early onset were treated with antibiotics alone; the others, with antibiotics plus reoperation. In contrast, seven of the 11 late cases that survived were treated with antibiotics alone; the other four, with antibiotics plus reoperation. The lower mortality (42% vs 68%) in the late group probably reflects the less virulent infecting organisms and the better clinical condition of the hosts. Regardless of whether prosthetic valve endocarditis occurs early or late, intensive and prolonged administration of appropriate antibiotics together with aggressive surgical reintervention in selected situations appears necessary for cure. Any patient who has a prosthetic valve and undergoes any procedure likely to produce bacteremia should receive antibiotic prophylaxis in an attempt to prevent late endocarditis.
The impact of adding 1 month of intensive care unit training in a categorical internal medicine residency program*

Objective: To determine the impact of adding a month of critical care training in the postgraduate year (PGY)-2 on the critical care skills of PGY-3 residents. Design: Prospective, nonrandomized. Setting: The internal medicine (IM) residency program of a tertiary care medical center. Study Subjects: The study subjects included the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 academic year IM residents. Interventions: The 2005/2006 IM residents (control group, n = 48) had 1 month of critical care training (internship year) before their 1-month PGY-3 rotations. The 2006/2007 residents (intervention group, n = 47) had an additional 1-month rotation in a multispecialty intensive care unit (ICU) during their second year. Measurements and Main Results: At the beginning of their last ICU month rotation, the intervention group’s self-assessment (1–5 Likert scale) of their skills in internal jugular venous catheterization (3.4 vs. 2.4, p < 0.001) and management of severe sepsis (4.0 vs. 2.4, p < 0.001) and acute lung injury (3.3 vs. 2.6, p < 0.001) was higher than that of the control group. However, the observed success rates of endotracheal intubation (55.4% vs. 54.9%, p = 0.953) and central venous catheterization (78.1% vs. 80.8%, p = 0.488) were similar between the two groups. No difference was noted in the complication rates for endotracheal intubation or central venous catheterization between the control and intervention groups. End of ICU rotation examination results, attending evaluations, and the observed application of evidence-based practice in the management of severe sepsis were similar between the two groups. Conclusions: Increasing IM residents’ experience in the ICU resulted in modest, transient improvement of their perceived clinical skills in critical care procedures and management of severe sepsis and acute lung injury. However, no statistically significant and sustained improvement was noted in the observed cognitive or clinical skills.
Statistical Tests for a Ship Detector Based on the Polarimetric Notch Filter

Ship detection is an important topic in remote sensing, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has a valuable contribution, allowing detection at nighttime and with almost any weather conditions. In addition, polarimetry can play a significant role considering its capability to discriminate between different targets. Recently, a new ship detector exploiting polarimetric information has been developed, namely, the Geometrical Perturbation-Polarimetric Notch Filter (GP-PNF). This work is focused on devising two statistical tests for the GP-PNF. The latter allow an automatic and adaptive selection of the detector threshold. Initially, the probability density function (pdf) of the detector is analytically derived. Finally, the Neyman-Pearson lemma is exploited to set the threshold calculating probabilities using the clutter pdf (i.e., a constant false-alarm rate) and a likelihood ratio. The goodness of fit of the clutter pdf is tested with four real SAR data sets acquired by the RADARSAT-2 and the TanDEM-X satellites. The former images are quad-polarimetric, whereas the latter are dual-polarimetric HH/VV. The data are accompanied by the Automatic Identification System (AIS) location of vessels, which facilitates the validation of the detection masks. It can be observed that the pdfs fit the data histograms, and they pass the two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov and χ2 tests.
Evaluation Framework for Automatic Singing Transcription

In this paper, we analyse the evaluation strategies used in previous works on automatic singing transcription, and we present a novel, comprehensive and freely available evaluation framework for automatic singing transcription. This framework consists of a cross-annotated dataset and a set of extended evaluation measures, which are integrated in a Matlab toolbox. The presented evaluation measures are based on standard MIREX note-tracking measures, but they provide extra information about the type of errors made by the singing transcriber. Finally, a practical case of use is presented, in which the evaluation framework has been used to perform a comparison in detail of several state-of-the-art singing transcribers.
Decomposition of Nitrogen‐15 Labeled Hoop Pine Harvest Residues in Subtropical Australia

Information on decomposition of harvest residues may assist in the maintenance of soil fertility in second rotation (2R) hoop pine plantations (Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex A. Cunn.) of subtropical Australia. The experiment was undertaken to determine the dynamics of residue decomposition and fate of residue-derived N. We used N-15-labeled hoop pine foliage, branch, and stem material in microplots, over a 30-mo period following harvesting. We examined the decomposition of each component both singly and combined, and used C-13 cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (C-13 CPMAS NMR) to chart C transformations in decomposing foliage. Residue-derived N-15 was immobilized in the 0- to 5-cm soil layer, with approximately 40% N-15 recovery in the soil from the combined residues by the end of the 30-mo period. Total recovery of N-15 in residues and soil varied between 60 and 80% for the combined-residue microplots, with 20 to 40% of the residue N-15 apparently lost. When residues were combined within microplots the rate of foliage decomposition decreased by 30% while the rate of branch and stem decomposition increased by 50 and 40% compared with rates for these components when decomposed separately. Residue decomposition studies should include a combined-residue treatment. Based on C-15 CPMAS NMR spectra for decomposing foliage, we obtained good correlations for methoxyl C, aryl C, carbohydrate C and phenolic C with residue mass, N-15 enrichment, and total N. The ratio of carbohydrate C to methoxyl C may be useful as an indicator of harvest residue decomposition in hoop pine plantations.
Current Perspectives

The purpose of coatings on implants is to achieve some or all of the improvements in biocompatibility, bioactivity, and increased protection from the release of harmful or unnecessary metal ions. During the last decade, there has been substantially increased interest in nanomaterials in biomedical science and dentistry. Nanocomposites can be described as a combination of two or more nanomaterials. By this approach, it is possible to manipulate mechanical properties, such as strength and modulus of the composites, to become closer to those of natural bone. This is feasible with the help of secondary substitution phases. Currently, the most common composite materials used for clinical applications are those selected from a handful of available and well-characterized biocompatible ceramics and natural and synthetic polymers. This approach is currently being explored in the development of a new generation of nanocomposite coatings with a wider range of oral and dental applications to promote osseointegration. The aim of this review is to give a brief introduction into the new advances in calcium phosphate nanocoatings and their composites, with a range of materials such as bioglass, carbon nanotubes, silica, ceramic oxide, and other nanoparticles being investigated or used in dentistry.
Computing Chernoff's Distribution

A distribution that arises in problems of estimation of monotone functions is that of the location of the maximum of two-sided Brownian motion minus a parabola. Using results from the first author's earlier work, we present algorithms and programs for computation of this distribution and its quantiles. We also present some comparisons with earlier computations and simulations.
A phase I clinical trial of novobiocin, a modulator of alkylating agent cytotoxicity.

Antineoplastic drug resistance is a major obstacle to improved treatment of most adult cancers in humans. Novobiocin, an antibacterial agent which inhibits the eukaryotic topoisomerase II enzyme, increases the cytotoxicity of several alkylating agents in vitro by the formation of lethal DNA-DNA interstrand cross-links, perhaps by decreasing the repair of drug monoadducts. In murine tumors treated in vivo novobiocin markedly potentiates alkylating agent cytotoxicity without concomitant increases in host toxicity. With this background, a Phase I trial of novobiocin and cyclophosphamide was performed in refractory cancer patients. Novobiocin was given p.o. for 96 h; 750 mg/m2 of i.v. cyclophosphamide was administered at 48 h. Thirty-four patients received 65 courses. The dose-limiting toxicity of novobiocin in this trial was vomiting. The maximum tolerated dose was 6 g/day. Six of 34 patients had Grade III or IV mylosuppression but no dose escalation effect was noted. Three patients developed allergic reactions which resolved completely. No other significant toxicity occurred. While no dose-dependent effect on serum novobiocin levels occurred, 18 of 19 patients treated at greater than or equal to 4 g daily had serum levels greater than or equal to 100 micrograms/ml at steady state, a level which corresponds to levels used in vitro and seen in vivo where the murine novobiocin half-life of 82 min is far less than that seen in humans (6.0 h). Two of 30 evaluable patients had partial responses. Four other patients had stable disease. Four of six had prior disease progression on cyclophosphamide combination therapy. Novobiocin is well tolerated in patients receiving cyclophosphamide and blood levels are in the drug-potentiating range. Phase II trials in cyclophosphamide refractory patients are anticipated.
Determination of the Binding Site-Size of the Protein-DNA Complex by Use of the Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay

In this chapter we describe how to perform an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), also known as the band shift or gel retardation assay, to determine the binding site-size of the DNA binding protein using a series of DNA polymers. The binding site-size information of the DNA binding protein is a prerequisite for formulating any model of the proteins’ function in DNA replication. EMSA is simple and quick, and if needed, the use of radioactive DNA make it highly sensitive and allow us to “see” the formation of distinct complexes of the DNA binding protein. The expectation of EMSA is that, once the length of the nucleotides is sufficient for the binding of protein, the protein-DNA complex remains intact and migrates as distinct band during gel electrophoresis. In addition, once the length of the nucleotides is sufficient for the binding of two or more proteins, the protein-DNA complexes migrate as distinct bands, usually referred to as a super shift: the higher the oligomeric protein-DNA complex, the lower the electrophoretic mobility. This technique can be used for both highly sequence-specific (e.g., transcription factor) (1,2) and non-specific proteins (e.g., single-stranded DNA binding protein) (3-7).
A homological definition of the Jones polynomial

We give a new definition of the Jones polynomial. Let L be an oriented knot or link obtained as the plat closure of a braid β ∈ B2n. We define a covering space ˜ C of the space of unordered n-tuples of distinct points in the 2n-punctured disk. We then describe two n-manifolds ˜ S and ˜ T in ˜ C, and show that the Jones polynomial of L can be defined as an intersection pairing between ˜ S and β ˜ T. Our construction is similar to one given by Lawrence, but more concrete. AMS Classification 57M25; 57M27, 20F36
A Phrase-Based Statistical Model for SMS Text Normalization

Short Messaging Service (SMS) texts behave quite differently from normal written texts and have some very special phenomena. To translate SMS texts, traditional approaches model such irregularities directly in Machine Translation (MT). However, such approaches suffer from customization problem as tremendous effort is required to adapt the language model of the existing translation system to handle SMS text style. We offer an alternative approach to resolve such irregularities by normalizing SMS texts before MT. In this paper, we view the task of SMS normalization as a translation problem from the SMS language to the English language and we propose to adapt a phrase-based statistical MT model for the task. Evaluation by 5-fold cross validation on a parallel SMS normalized corpus of 5000 sentences shows that our method can achieve 0.80702 in BLEU score against the baseline BLEU score 0.6958. Another experiment of translating SMS texts from English to Chinese on a separate SMS text corpus shows that, using SMS normalization as MT preprocessing can largely boost SMS translation performance from 0.1926 to 0.3770 in BLEU score.
Transcription factor 7‐like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphism and context‐specific risk of impaired fasting glucose in African American and Caucasian adults: the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study

Although variants in the transcription factor 7‐like 2 (TCF7L2) gene are consistently associated with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Caucasians, data from large population‐based studies of African Americans are lacking. Moreover, few studies have investigated the effects of TCF7L2 on IFG in the context of metabolic risk factors for diabetes.
Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Application on Human Oral Mucosa Modulates Tissue Regeneration

With the development of plasma sources generating nonthermal plasmas at atmo- spheric pressure the applications broaden enormously, especially in the medical field. While earlier applications of physical plasma on biological matter focused on inactivation of mi- croorganisms, the latest studies have revealed a modulation of eukaryotic cells by the same type of plasma. The aim of this study was to elucidate molecular mechanisms triggered by non-thermal plasma in human oral mucosa. Ex vivo biopsies were treated directly with the cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet kinpenMED and analyzed for distinctive markers of proliferation, apopto- sis, DNA damage, and differentiation. Moreover, secreted cytokines and growth factors were measured in the supernatant. These results revealed stimulating effects indicated by proliferation consolidated by secretion of VEGF. We also proved that these effects were mediated into deeper layers of the mucosa, without harming the cells on top of the treated samples. DNA damage de- tected as H2A.X-immunoreactivity was nearly constant between all samples. Our study revealed for the first time that human oral mucosa can be modulated by plasma treat - ment. Molecular markers for both cell damage and proliferation helped to identify the mecha- nisms triggered by plasma treatment. Moreover, our results strengthen a safe application of the kinpenMED on human oral tissue. Further studies on diseased skin are being performed in order to proceed towards a safe introduction of plasma medicine into the clinics.
HETEROGENEITY IN PLASMA HOMOVANILLIC ACID LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIFORM DISORDER

Plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) levels were estimated in 20 cases of schizophreniform disorder, 14 cases of schizophrenia ‘on medication’ and 17 cases of schizophrenia ‘off medication’. A bimodal distribution of pHVA was seen in schizophreniform disorder subjects, suggesting heterogenous groups in terms of dopaminergic function. No significant difference in the pHVA values was seen in the 3 groups, nor was there a relationship between the severity of the illness and the pHVA values; these results suggest plasticity of the dopaminergic system to neuroleptics.
The significance of individual biography in workplace learning

Abstract In this paper we address a perceived gap in the workplace learning literature, for there is very little writing which successfully integrates the issues of individual learners into predominantly social theories of learning. The paper draws upon data from four linked research projects to address this problem. Following an analysis of the theoretical problems and a possible solution, the paper identifies and discussed four overlapping individual dimensions to workplace learning. They are: workers bring prior knowledge, understanding and skills which contribute to their learning; the habitus of workers influences the ways they co-construct and take advantage of opportunities for learning at work; the dispositions of individual workers contribute to the co-production and reproduction of the workplace culture; and belonging to a workplace community contributes to the developing identity of the workers themselves.
Improving Extreme-Scale Problem Solving: Assessing Electronic Brainstorming Effectiveness in an Industrial Setting

Objective: An experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of individual versus group electronic brainstorming to address difficult, real-world challenges. Background: Although industrial reliance on electronic communications has become ubiquitous, empirical and theoretical understanding of the bounds of its effectiveness have been limited. Previous research using short-term laboratory experiments have engaged small groups of students in answering questions irrelevant to an industrial setting. The present experiment extends current findings beyond the laboratory to larger groups of real-world employees addressing organization-relevant challenges during the course of 4 days. Methods: Employees and contractors at a national laboratory participated, either in a group setting or individually, in an electronic brainstorm to pose solutions to a real-world problem. Results: The data demonstrate that (for this design) individuals perform at least as well as groups in producing quantity of electronic ideas, regardless of brainstorming duration. However, when judged with respect to quality along three dimensions (originality, feasibility, and effectiveness), the individuals significantly (p < .05) outperformed the group. Conclusion: When quality is used to benchmark success, these data indicate that work-relevant challenges are better solved by aggregating electronic individual responses rather than by electronically convening a group. Application: This research suggests that industrial reliance on electronic problem-solving groups should be tempered, and large nominal groups may be more appropriate corporate problem-solving vehicles.
Pankinetoplast DNA structure in a primitive bodonid flagellate, Cryptobia helicis

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a primitive kinetoplastid flagellate Cryptobia helicis is composed of 4.2 kb minicircles and 43 kb maxicircles. 85% and 6% of the minicircles are in the form of supercoiled (SC) and relaxed (OC) monomers, respectively. The remaining minicircles (9%) constitute catenated oligomers composed of both the SC and OC molecules. Minicircles contain bent helix and sequences homologous to the minicircle conserved sequence blocks. Maxicircles encode typical mitochondrial genes and are not catenated. The mtDNA, which we describe with the term ‘pankinetoplast DNA’, is spread throughout the mitochondrial lumen, where it is associated with multiple electron‐lucent loci. There are ∼8400 minicircles per pankinetoplast‐mitochondrion, with the pan‐kDNA representing ∼36% of the total cellular DNA. Based on the similarity of the C.helicis minicircles to plasmids, we present a theory on the formation of the kDNA network.
Device for the application of a dynamic biaxially uniform and isotropic strain to a flexible cell culture membrane

A large number of studies have demonstrated that mechanical perturbation modulates cellular metabolism; however, the systematic characterization of the molecular and cellular transduction mechanisms underlying mechanically induced metabolic modulation has been impeded, in part, by the limitations of the mechanical device. The objective of this investigation was to develop an in vitro experimental system that would provide independent control of the spatial and temporal biaxial strain distribution imposed on a flexible transparent tissue culture membrane that permits attachment, proliferation, and maintenance of the phenotypic expression of cultured embryonic osteoblasts. Such a device would permit a systematic investigation of the cellular response to specific, independently controlled parameters of mechanical deformation. Using a prototype device designed to impose a dynamic sinusoidal spatially isotropic biaxial strain profile, we confirmed experimentally that the strain was biaxially uniform and isotropic (radial = circumferential strain over the entire culture membrane) to within 14% (SD/mean) for the range of the peak strains tested (2.3–9.4%). Additionally, the uniformity was maintained at 1 Hz for at least 5 days of continuous operation. This experimental verfication of the theoretically predicted isotropic strain profile suggests that the design principle is sound. Embryonic osteoblasts cultured on the flexible substrate proliferated and exhibited a temporal pattern of phenotypic expression (extracellular matrix accumulation and mineralization) comparable with that observed on polystyrene of tissue culture grade.
Vildagliptin therapy and hypoglycaemia in Muslim type 2 diabetes patients during Ramadan

Aims: To compare hypoglycaemic events, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and changes in bodyweight in metformin‐treated Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes receiving adjunctive treatment with vildagliptin or gliclazide during Ramadan fasting.