Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome of Children With Acute Encephalitis and Refractory Status Epilepticus

Acute encephalitis in children is a life-threatening neurological emergency. However, little is reported about the outcome of this devastating illness in the United States. The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients admitted to a regional pediatric intensive care unit with the diagnosis of acute encephalitis between 2006 and 2011. In 41 cases that met the inclusion criteria, the most common presenting symptoms were fever (65.9%), altered mental status (61%), and seizures (58.5%). Eight patients (19.5%) who presented with refractory status epilepticus had a longer median length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (46 vs 4 days; P < .0001) and a significant worsening of Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score on discharge by 2 or more points (odds ratio 20.38; 95% confidence interval, 2.89-143.52). All children survived to hospital discharge. In conclusion, children with acute encephalitis who present with refractory status epilepticus have a worse neurological outcome and a longer stay in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Myocardium at risk by magnetic resonance imaging: head-to-head comparison of T2-weighted imaging and contrast-enhanced steady-state free precession

Aims To determine the myocardial salvage index, the extent of infarction needs to be related to the myocardium at risk (MaR). Thus, the ability to assess both infarct size and MaR is of central clinical and scientific importance. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between T2-weighted cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and contrast-enhanced steady-state free precession (CE-SSFP) CMR for the determination of MaR in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Methods and results Twenty-one prospectively included patients with first-time ST-elevation myocardial infarction underwent CMR 1 week after primary percutaneous coronary intervention. For the assessment of MaR, T2-weighted images were acquired before and CE-SSFP images were acquired after the injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent. For the assessment of infarct size, late gadolinium enhancement images were acquired. The MaR by T2-weighted imaging and CE-SSFP was 29 ± 11 and 32 ± 12% of the left ventricle, respectively. Thus, the MaR with T2-weighted imaging was slightly smaller than that by CE-SSFP (−3.0 ± 4.0%; P < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between the two MaR measures (r2= 0.89, P < 0.01), independent of the time after contrast agent administration at which the CE-SSFP was commenced (2–8 min). Conclusion There is a good agreement between the MaR assessed by T2-weighted imaging and that assessed by CE-SSFP in patients with reperfused acute myocardial infarction 1 week after the acute event. Thus, both methods can be used to determine MaR and myocardial salvage at this point in time.
Biogeochemical patchiness at the sea surface

The surface distributions of many tracers in the ocean are highly correlated in time and space on meso (∼100 km) and smaller scales ( Figure 1 ). However, their characteristic scales of variability differ. Some variables like sea surface chlorophyll (Chl) are very fine‐scaled or patchy, while others like sea surface temperature (SST) are not. We characterize the patchiness of a distribution quantitatively by the dependence of the variance V on the length scale L as V ∼ Lp; smaller p corresponds to greater patchiness. Using scaling and a numerical model we show that patchiness, p, varies with the characteristic response time τ of the tracer to processes that alter its concentration in the upper ocean as p ∼ log τ. This suggests that sea surface Chl is more patchy (has smaller p) than SST at mesoscales because the characteristic time scale of phytoplankton growth in response to the availability of nutrients is less than that for the equilibration of temperature in response to heat fluxes. Similarly, sea surface dissolved oxygen (O2) exhibits more fine‐scaled variability than total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) because O2 equilibrates with the atmosphere much more rapidly than TCO2. Tracers that are more patchy require higher resolution to model and sample; the sampling or model grid spacing required scales as exp(−1/log τ). The quantitative relationship between p and τ can be used to relate various biogeochemical distributions, particularly to those that are remotely sensed, and to deduce biogeochemical response times of various tracers or plankton species from the characteristics of their distributions in space or time.
Innate T Cell Responses through Effects on Autophagy Regulates IL-23 Secretion and

Lavelle, Kingston H. G. Mills and James HarrisClaire A. Hearnden, Laura Williams, Jan Winter, Ed C. Celia Peral de Castro, Sarah A. Jones, Cliona Ni Cheallaigh,ol.1201946http://www.jimmunol.org/content/early/2012/09/12/jimmunJ Immunol€ published online 12 September 2012MaterialSupplementary6.DC1. htmlhttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/suppl/2012/09/12/jimmunol.120194Subscriptionshttp://jimmunol.org/subscriptionsInformation about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: Permissionshttp://www.aai. org/ji/copyright.htmlSubmit copyright permission requests at: Email Alertshttp://jimmunol.org/cgi/alerts/etocReceive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at:
Selected Schizosaccharomyces pombe Strains Have Characteristics That Are Beneficial for Winemaking

At present, wine is generally produced using Saccharomyces yeast followed by Oenococus bacteria to complete malolactic fermentation. This method has some unsolved problems, such as the management of highly acidic musts and the production of potentially toxic products including biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate. Here we explore the potential of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to solve these problems. We characterise an extensive worldwide collection of S. pombe strains according to classic biochemical parameters of oenological interest. We identify three genetically different S. pombe strains that appear suitable for winemaking. These strains compare favourably to standard Saccharomyces cerevisiae winemaking strains, in that they perform effective malic acid deacidification and significantly reduce levels of biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate precursors without the need for any secondary bacterial malolactic fermentation. These findings indicate that the use of certain S. pombe strains could be advantageous for winemaking in regions where malic acid is problematic, and these strains also show superior performance with respect to food safety.
INPUT SHAPING CONTROL OF CONTAINER CRANE SYSTEMS: LIMITING THE TRANSIENT SWAY ANGLE

Abstract A modified input shaping control to reduce residual vibration at the end-point and to limit the sway angle of the payload during traveling for container crane systems is investigated. When the maneuvering time is minimized, a large transient amplitude and steady state oscillations may occur inherently. Since a large swing of the payload during the transfer is dangerous, the control objective is to transfer a payload to the desired place as quickly as possible while limiting the swing angle of the payload during the transfer. The conventional shapers are enhanced by adding one more constraint to limit the intermediate sway angle of the payload. The developed method is shown to be more effective than other conventional shapers for preventing an excessive transient sway. Computer simulation results are provided.
Exploring highly structured data: a comparative study of stardinates and parallel coordinates

Comparing different information visualization (InfoVis) techniques is a challenging task and a necessary step to reach the users and their tasks. We evaluated the effectiveness in visualizing psychotherapeutic data of two InfoVis techniques, namely the stardinates and the parallel coordinates by a comparative study with 22 participants. Based on three research questions we interpret the results of our study in order to derive statements on both visualization techniques. We evaluated (1) the time participants were engaged in testing our material; (2) the number of correct answers; (3) subjects' statements, which were categorized by the type of statement; and (4) the subjects' key statements in comparison to those defined by an expert. Our empirical results indicate that the stardinates are a more appropriate method for interpreting such highly structured data in detail whereas parallel coordinates show advantages for gaining information at the first glance.
A Review of Ten Years of the Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART) from 2002 to 2011

Surveillance of antimicrobial agent resistance provides important information to guide microbiologists and infectious disease specialists understanding of the control and the spread of resistance mechanisms within the local environment. Continued monitoring of antimicrobial resistance patterns in the community and in local hospital environments is essential to guide effective empiric therapy. The Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART) has monitored the in vitro susceptibility patterns of clinical Gram-negative bacilli to antimicrobial agents collected worldwide from intra-abdominal infections since 2002 and urinary tract infections since 2009. Resistance trends, with a particular focus on carbapenem resistance and the rate of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), were analyzed. Isolates from intra-abdominal infections (n = 92,086) and urinary-tract infections (n = 24,705) were collected and tested using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methods. This review presents carbapenem susceptibility and ESBL rates over ten years of SMART study analysis, including key publications during this period. The SMART study has proved to be a valuable resource in determining pathogen prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility over the last ten years and continues to provide evidence for regulatory susceptibility breakpoints and clinical decision making.
The Optimal Mix of Bank and Market Debt: An Asset Pricing Approach

This paper examines the optimal mix and priority structure of bank and market debt using a tax shield-bankruptcy cost tradeoff model where the only unique feature of banks is their ability to renegotiate. Closed-form expressions are derived for the values of renegotiable bank debt, non-renegotiable market debt, equity, and levered firm values. Optimal debt structure hinges upon the division of ex post bargaining power between the firm and bank. Weak firms utilize bank debt exclusively. Strong firms use a mixture of bank and market debt, with bank debt senior. The model explains: (i) why small firms use bank debt exclusively; (ii) why large firms employ mixed debt financing; (iii) why bank debt is senior; and (iv) why firms shift from bank debt into a mixture of market and bank debt over their life-cycle. Optimal debt contracts entail Absolute Priority, and we provide estimates of the cost of ex post priority violations across creditor classes.
Escaping from the straitjacket: UK MPs and their e-newsletters

Members of Parliament (MPs) want to communicate their ideas, messages and activities to their constituents. Within the modern political campaigning era the central party organisation has dominated most political communication through its control of national media management. As a result many MPs have sought to reach constituents via their local media. The rise of the post‐modern era has encouraged many MPs to consider unmediated communication via the internet. E‐newsletters represent a mechanism by which MPs can reduce their reliance on party hierarchies and journalists to communicate with constituents. This article will look at the growth of e‐newsletters, and whether certain factors make some MPs more likely than others to provide an e‐newsletter. The findings suggest that e‐newsletters are a slow‐moving bandwagon, with MPs in marginal seats and certain parties more likely to hop on, but that MPs have not yet escaped from the straitjacket of the centrally controlled campaign.
Helicobacter pylori Induces MAPK Phosphorylation and AP-1 Activation via a NOD1-Dependent Mechanism1

Helicobacter pylori rapidly activates MAPKs and transcription factors, NF-κB and AP-1, in gastric epithelial cells following host attachment. Activation of these signal transducers is largely dependent on the cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI)-encoded Type IV Secretion System. H. pylori was shown to translocate peptidoglycan through the Type IV Secretion System, which is recognized by the pathogen recognition molecule, NOD1, thus resulting in NF-κB activation. The mechanisms of H. pylori-induced MAPK and AP-1 activation, however, are less well defined and therefore, we assessed the contribution of NOD1 to their activation. For this, we used gastric epithelial cell lines, stably expressing siRNA to either NOD1 or a control gene. In siNOD1-expressing cells stimulated with cagPAI+ H. pylori, we observed significant reductions in p38 and ERK phosphorylation (p < 0.05), whereas the levels of Jnk phosphorylation remained unchanged. Consistent with a previous report, however, we were able to demonstrate NOD1-dependent Jnk phosphorylation by the invasive pathogen Shigella flexneri, highlighting pathogen-specific host responses to infection. We also show that NOD1 was essential for H. pylori induction of not only NF-κB, but also AP-1 activation, implying that NOD1 induces robust proinflammatory responses, in an attempt to rapidly control infection. Pharmacological inhibition of p38 and ERK activity significantly reduced IL-8 production in response to H. pylori, further emphasizing the importance of MAPKs in innate immune responses to the pathogen. Thus, for the first time we have shown the important role for NOD1 in MAPK and AP-1 activation in response to cagPAI+ H. pylori.
Phylogenetics and systematics of Angiostrongylus lungworms and related taxa (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) inferred from the nuclear small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA sequences

Abstract The Angiostrongylus lungworms are of public health and veterinary concern in many countries. At the family level, the Angiostrongylus lungworms have been included in the family Angiostrongylidae or the family Metastrongylidae. The present study was undertaken to determine the usefulness and suitability of the nuclear 18S (small subunit, SSU) rDNA sequences for differentiating various taxa of the genus Angiostrongylus, as well as to determine the systematics and phylogenetic relationship of Angiostrongylus species and other metastrongyloid taxa. This study revealed six 18S (SSU) haplotypes in A. cantonensis, indicating considerable genetic diversity. The uncorrected pairwise ‘p’ distances among A. cantonensis ranged from 0 to 0.86%. The 18S (SSU) rDNA sequences unequivocally distinguished the five Angiostrongylus species, confirmed the close relationship of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis and that of A. costaricensis and A. dujardini, and were consistent with the family status of Angiostrongylidae and Metastrongylidae. In all cases, the congeneric metastrongyloid species clustered together. There was no supporting evidence to include the genus Skrjabingylus as a member of Metastrongylidae. The genera Aelurostrongylus and Didelphostrongylus were not recovered with Angiostrongylus, indicating polyphyly of the Angiostrongylidae. Of the currently recognized families of Metastrongyloidea, only Crenosomatidae appeared to be monophyletic. In view of the unsettled questions regarding the phylogenetic relationships of various taxa of the metastrongyloid worms, further analyses using more markers and more taxa are warranted.
A Study of Multimodal Addressee Detection in Human-Human-Computer Interaction

The goal of addressee detection is to answer the question , “Are you talking to me? ” When a dialogue system interacts with multiple users, it is crucial to detect when a user is speaking to the system as opposed to another person. We study this problem in a multimodal scenario, using lexical, acoustic, visual, dialogue state, and beamforming information. Using data from a multiparty dialogue system, we quantify the benefits of using multiple modalities over using a single modality. We also assess the relative importance of the various modalities, as well as of key individual features, in estimating the addressee. We find that energy-based acoustic features are by far the most important, that information from speech recognition and system state is useful as well, and that visual and beamforming features provide little additional benefit. While we find that head pose is affected by whom the speaker is addressing, it yields little nonredundant information due to the system acting as a situational attractor. Our findings would be relevant to multiparty, open-world dialogue systems in which the agent plays an active, conversational role, such as an interactive assistant deployed in a public, open space. For these scenarios , our study suggests that acoustic, lexical, and system-state information is an effective and practical combination of modalities to use for addressee detection. We also consider how our analyses might be affected by the ongoing development of more realistic, natural dialogue systems.
Mechanisms responsible for the enhanced pumping capacity of the in situ winter flounder heart (Pseudopleuronectes americanus).

In situ Starling and power output curves and in vitro pressure-volume curves were determined for winter flounder hearts, as well as the hearts of two other teleosts (Atlantic salmon and cod). In situ maximum cardiac output was not different between the three species (approximately 62 ml.min(-1). kg(-1)). However, because of the small size of the flounder heart, maximum stroke volume per milliliter per gram ventricle was significantly greater (2.3) compared with cod (1.7) and salmon (1.4) and is the highest reported for teleosts. The maximum power output of the flounder heart (7.6 mW/g) was significantly lower than that measured in the salmon (9.7) and similar to the cod (7.8) but was achieved at a much lower output pressure (4.9 vs. 8.0 and 6.2 kPa, respectively). Although the flounder heart could not perform resting levels of cardiac function at subambient pressures, it was much more sensitive to filling pressure, a finding supported by pressure-volume curves, which showed that the flounder's heart chambers were more compliant. Finally, we report that the flounder's bulbus:ventricle mass ratio (0.59) was significantly higher than in the cod (0.37) and salmon (0.22). These data, which support previous studies suggesting that the flatfish cardiovascular system is a high-volume, low-pressure design, show that vis-à-fronte filling is not important in flatfish, and that some fish can achieve high levels of cardiac output by vis-à-tergo filling alone; and suggest that a large compliant bulbus assists the flounder heart in delivering extremely large stroke volumes at pressures that do not become limiting.
Comparison of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography with cardiovascular magnetic resonance for left ventricular volumetric assessment in unselected patients.

AIMS To compare left ventricular (LV) volume indices and the ejection fraction (EF) obtained using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in unselected patients representative of 'real-world' clinical practice, and to determine the effect of RT3DE image quality on these parameters. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixty consecutive patients undergoing CMR underwent same day RT3DE. LV volume and EF measurements were made using both modalities and compared. All scans were independently analysed by a second observer to assess inter-observer variability, and 40% were re-analysed to assess intra-observer variability. RT3DE image quality was graded as good, adequate, and non-analysable. Thirteen (22%) patients had good RT3DE image quality, 29 (48%) had adequate image quality, and 18 (30%) had image quality precluding analysis. Body mass index and arrhythmia frequency were higher in patients with suboptimal image quality. RT3DE significantly underestimated end-diastolic volume (EDV) (-45 ± 35 mL, P < 0.001), end-systolic volume (ESV) (-11 ± 24 mL, P = 0.004), and EF (-7 ± 9%, P < 0.001) compared with CMR although the degree of underestimation was substantially less when image quality was good. Eleven patients (18%) classified as having a normal EF by CMR had a reduced EF according to RT3DE, all but one of which had suboptimal image quality. Observer variability for RT3DE was higher than for CMR for all parameters, however, the difference was not significant when RT3DE image quality was good. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to previously published data from highly selected patient groups, 'real-world' RT3DE substantially underestimates LV volumes and EF. The degree of underestimation is related to image quality.
of Model-Based Systems Engineering ( MBSE ) Methodologies

In this report, a methodology is defined as a collection of related processes, methods, and tools [2]. A MBSE methodology can be characterized as the collection of related processes, methods, and tools used to support the discipline of systems engineering in a “modelbased” or “model-driven” context. The intent of this survey is to educate the reader about the various candidate MBSE methodologies that are commercially available as well as the controland state-based MBSE methodology that has been developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which has been published in the open literature.
A High-Throughput MAC Protocol for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

One way to improve the throughput of a wireless ad hoc network at the media access (MAC) layer is to allow as much as possible concurrent transmissions among neighboring nodes. In this paper, we present a novel high-throughput MAC protocol, called Concurrent Transmission MAC(CTMAC), which supports concurrent transmission while allowing the network to have a simple design with a single channel, single transceiver, and single transmission power architecture. CTMAC inserts additional control gap between the transmission of control packets (RTS/CTS) and data packets (DATA/ACK), which allows a series of RTS/CTS exchanges to take place between the nodes in the vicinity of the transmitting or receiving node to schedule possible multiple, concurrent data transmissions. To safeguard the concurrent data transmission, collision avoidance information is included in the control packets and used by the neighboring nodes to determine whether they should begin their transmissions. Also, to isolate the possible interference between DATA packets and ACK packets, a new ACK sequence mechanism is proposed. Simulation results show that a significant gain in throughput can be obtained by the CTMAC protocol compared with the existing work including the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol.
Fractionation of Tetrahymena ciliary membranes with triton X-114 and the identification of a ciliary membrane ATPase

Cilia were isolated from Tetrahymena thermophila, extracted with Triton X-114, and the detergent-soluble membrane + matrix proteins separated into Triton X-114 aqueous and detergent phases. The aqueous phase polypeptides include a high molecular mass polypeptide previously identified as a membrane dynein, detergent-soluble alpha and beta tubulins, and numerous polypeptides distinct from those found in axonemes. Integral membrane proteins partition into the detergent phase and include two major polypeptides of 58 and 50 kD, a 49-kD polypeptide, and 5 polypeptides in relatively minor amounts. The major detergent phase polypeptides are PAS-positive and are phosphorylated in vivo. A membrane-associated ATPase, distinct from the dynein-like protein, partitions into the Triton X-114 detergent phase and contains nearly 20% of the total ciliary ATPase activity. The ATPase requires Mg++ or Ca++ and is not inhibited by ouabain or vanadate. This procedure provides a gentle and rapid technique to separate integral membrane proteins from those that may be peripherally associated with the matrix or membrane.