Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preventing the influx of vancomycin-resistant enterococci into health care institutions, by use of a simple validated prediction rule.

BACKGROUND The goal of this study was to develop a validated prediction rule for identification of patients harboring vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at hospital admission. METHODS A model for the prediction of patients harboring VRE at admission was created and validated by assigning weighted point values to independent risk factors associated with harboring VRE at admission, in 2 different cohorts of patients from 2 tertiary care hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. Patients with VRE isolated from clinical culture samples collected within 48 h of hospital admission were compared with patients not harboring VRE. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the prediction rule, the main outcome measures were patient demographic characteristics, comorbid illnesses, hospitalizations, and antibiotic exposure. RESULTS A total of 412 patients were enrolled. A risk index score was derived by using the following 6 independent risk factors associated with VRE recovery within 48 h of hospital admission: previous isolation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), whether the patient was receiving long-term hemodialysis, transfer from a long-term care facility, antibiotic exposure, prior hospitalization, and age >60 years. On the basis of a point score >or=10, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of this prediction rule were 44%, 98%, 81%, and 90%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This validated clinical prediction rule provides a novel strategy for the identification of patients at high risk of harboring VRE at hospital admission. Implementation of this rule may reduce the influx of VRE into health care institutions and the overall prevalence of VRE, by targeting VRE-screening measures and contact isolation precautions for these high-risk patients.
FPGA implementation of learning for online system identification

Artificial Neural Networks have been used in this paper to identify systems. Training online such networks using a gradient-based learning algorithm is one way to identify a system model. This task as a real-time embedded application requires the design of effective computational architectures which provide attractive trade-off between area and throughput. In this paper, we propose an FPGA implementation of an Artificial Neural Network with gradient-based learning for system identification. The design methodology is based on custom design of processing elements and the use of look-up tables for pre-computation of arithmetic operations. The results of implementation on a Virtex-5 XUPV5-LX110T evaluation platform are reported to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach.
Prediction of Users' Learning Curves for Adaptation while Using an Information Visualization

User performance and satisfaction when working with an interface is influenced by how quickly the user can acquire the skills necessary to work with the interface through practice. Learning curves are mathematical models that can represent a user's skill acquisition ability through parameters that describe the user's initial expertise as well as her learning rate. This information could be used by an interface to provide adaptive support to users who may otherwise be slow in learning the necessary skills. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of predicting in real time a user's learning curve when working with ValueChart, an interactive visualization for decision making. Our models leverage various data sources (a user's gaze behavior, pupil dilation, cognitive abilities), and we show that they outperform a baseline that leverages only knowledge on user task performance so far. We also show that the best performing model achieves good accuracies in predicting users' learning curves even after observing users' performance only on a few tasks. These results are promising toward the design of user-adaptive visualizations that can dynamically support a user in acquiring the necessary skills to complete visual tasks.
A social exchange perspective for achieving safety culture in healthcare organizations

PurposeUsing social exchange theory (SET) and Cooper’s (2000) model, the purpose of this paper is to operationalise a comprehensive model of safety culture and tests whether SET factors (supervisor-employee relationships and engagement) predict safety culture in a causal chain.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested using surveys from 648 healthcare staff in an Italian acute care hospital and analysed using structural equation modelling.FindingsSafety behaviours of clinical staff can be explained by the quality of the supervisor-employee relationship, their engagement, their feelings about safety and the quality of organisational support.Practical implicationsThe model provides a roadmap for strategically embedding effective safe behaviours. Management needs to improve healthcare staff’s workplace relationships to enhance engagement and to shape beliefs about safety practices.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is that it has empirically developed and tested a comprehensive model of safety culture that identifies a causal chain for healthcare managers to follow so as to embed an effective safety culture.
Implementation of a large‐scale variable velocity river flow routing algorithm in the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM)

Abstract Implementation and validation of a flow routing scheme for the North American domain of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) is described. A variable velocity flow routing algorithm is used to transport runoff from the land surface to the continental edges and provide freshwater flux forcing for the oceans. The flow routing scheme uses Manning's equation to estimate flow velocities for river channels whose cross‐sections are assumed to be rectangular. Discretization of major North American river basins and their flow directions are obtained at the polar stereographic resolution of the CRCM using 5‐minute global river flow direction data as a template. In the absence of observation‐based gridded estimates of runoff, model runoff estimates from a global simulation of the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrological model (forced with observationbased meteorological data) are used to validate the flow routing scheme. Model results show that the inclusion of flow routing improves the comparison with observation‐based streamflow estimates when compared to the unrouted runoff. Monthly comparison of simulated streamflow with observation‐based estimates, and basin‐wide averaged flow velocities, suggests that the flow routing scheme performs satisfactorily.
A Semantics for Nominal ComparativesJohn NerbonneCentre for the Behavioral and Cognitive NeurosciencesRijksuniversiteit

This work adopts the perspective of plural logic and measurement theory in order rst to focus on the microstructure of comparative determiners; and second, to derive the properties of comparative determiners as these are studied in Generalized Quantiier Theory, locus of the most sophisticated semantic analysis of natural language determiners. The work here appears to be the rst to examine comparatives within plural logic, a step which appears necessary, but which also harbors speciic analytical problems examined here. Since nominal comparatives involve plural and mass reference, we begin with a domain of discourse upon which a lattice structure (Link's) is imposed , and which maps (via abstract dimensions such as weight in kilograms) to concrete measures (in N,R+). The mapping must be homomorphic and Archimedean. Comparisons begin as simple predicates on dimensions or measures ; from these we derive classes of predicates on the domain, i.e., generalized determiners (quantiiers), and show, e.g., how monotonicity properties follow in the derivation. This results in a proposal for a logical language which includes derived determiners, and which is an attractive target for semantics interpretation; it also turns out that some interesting comparative determin-ers are rst order, at least when restricted to nonparametric and noncollective predications.
Super-resolution reconstruction of an image

This paper presents a generalization of restoration theory for the problem of super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) of an image. In the SRR problem, a set of low quality images is given, and a single improved quality image which fuses their information is required. We present a model for this problem, and show how the classic restoration theory tools-maximum likelihood estimator (ML), maximum a posteriori probability estimator (MAP) and the projection onto convex sets (POCS)-can be applied as a solution. A hybrid algorithm which joins the POCS and the ML benefits is suggested.
Building Micro-Foundations for the Routines, Capabilities, and Performance Links

Micro-foundations have become an important emerging theme in strategic management. This paper addresses micro-foundations in two related ways. First, we argue that the kind of macro (or 'collectivist') explanation that is presently utilized in the capabilities view in strategic management-which implies a neglect of micro-foundations-is incomplete. There are no mechanisms that work solely on the macro-level, directly connecting routines and capabilities to firm-level outcomes. While routines and capabilities are useful shorthand for complicated patterns of individual action and interaction, ultimately they are best understood at the micro-level. Second, we provide a formal model that shows precisely why macro-explanation is incomplete and which exemplifies how explicit micro-foundations may be built for notions of routines and capabilities and how these impact firm performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Complexity and Knowledge in Process Improvement Projects

Organizations implement process improvement approaches like TQM, Six Sigma, and Lean to cerate organizational knowledge and improve performance. Noted quality authority Joseph M Juran said that quality improvement takes place one project at a time and in no other way. Although a number of studies have investigated organizational-level factors that influence the success of quality management, few studies have investigated project-level factors. Quality improvement projects often utilize tools and methods to understand and diagnose problems. This study finds out that the perceived utility of the tools and method enhances knowledge creation for complex problems, but is less effective for simple problems. Complex problems lead to knowledge creation, which in turn leads to project success. However, complex problems also have a direct effect on project performance but in an opposing direction. Our findings suggest the use of tools and method should fit the complexity of the problem. Organizations can potentially benefit from multiple approaches to improvement projects (e.g. Kaizen and Six Sigma) that utilize the tools and method for varying levels of project complexity.
Relationship between Malnutrition and the Number of Permanent Teeth in Filipino 10- to 13-Year-Olds

In the present study, we determined whether there is a delay in the eruption of permanent teeth (PT) among Filipino adolescents with stunting or thinness. Height, weight, and number of PT were recorded in 1554 Filipino 10- to 13-year-olds (711 boys; 843 girls). z-scores for height (HAZ) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated according to the WHO growth reference, and their correlations to the number of PT were assessed. 54.9% of the children have at least one form of malnutrition. Significantly, more boys (22.9%) than girls (16.5%) were thin, while no sex difference in stunting was noted (boys 48.5%; girls 44.0%). The number of PT was significantly correlated to HAZ and BMI-z-score. Stunted and thin students had significantly fewer PT than their nonaffected peers. These differences tended to be the result of delay in tooth eruption in thin and stunted adolescents. In 13-year-old girls, all PT were erupted regardless of their nutritional status indicating a catch-up. Thin and stunted boys had one tooth less than normal boys at this age. Impaired physical growth and dental development seem to have common risk factors. Therefore, regular monitoring of growth and dental development might be helpful for targeting support programmes in developing countries.
A global synthesis of the rate and temperature sensitivity of soil nitrogen mineralization: latitudinal patterns and mechanisms

Soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization (Nmin) is a pivotal process in the global N cycle regulating the N availability of plant growth. Understanding the spatial patterns of Nmin, its temperature sensitivity (Q10) and regulatory mechanisms is critical for improving the management of soil nutrients. In this study, we evaluated 379 peer‐reviewed scientific papers to explore how Nmin and the Q10 of Nmin varied among different ecosystems and regions at the global scale. The results showed that Nmin varied significantly among different ecosystems with a global average of 2.41 mg N soil kg−1 day−1. Furthermore, Nmin significantly decreased with increasing latitude and altitude. The Q10 varied significantly among different ecosystems with a global average of 2.21, ranging from the highest found in forest soils (2.43) and the lowest found for grassland soils (1.67) and significantly increased with increasing latitude. Path analyses indicated that Nmin was primarily affected by the content of soil organic carbon (C), soil C:N ratio, and clay content, where Q10 was primarily influenced by the soil C:N ratio and soil pH. Furthermore, the activation energy (Ea) of soil N mineralization was significantly and negative correlated with the substrate quality index among all ecosystems, indicating the applicability of the carbon quality temperature hypothesis to soil N mineralization at a global scale. These findings provided empirical evidence supporting that soil N availability, under global warming scenarios, is expected to increase stronger in colder regions as compared with that low‐latitude regions due to the higher Q10. This may alleviate the restriction of N supply for increased primary productivity at higher latitudes.
Risk factors for vascular dementia: a hospital-based study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND In Taiwan, next to Alsheimer's, vascular dementia (VD) is the second leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Few studies have examined cardiovascular risk factors and their association with VD in Taiwan. METHODS This is a case-control study using a sampling of subjects from the outpatient memory clinics of two hospitals. Identified cases were those patients diagnosed with VD based on the DSM-IV criteria. The controls were subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating Scale as 0, i.e. no dementia from the same dementia registry database. Exposure was recorded by means of a risk factor questionnaire or medical examination. RESULTS There were a total of 190 patients with VD and 155 controls in this study. Significant risk factors were age, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. There was no correlation with sex, education, cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed reported cardiovascular risk factors contributing to VD as in Western countries.
The influence of aesthetics in usability testing: the case of dual-domain products

An experimental study examined whether the effects of aesthetic appeal on usability test outcomes are moderated by usage domain. The aesthetic appeal of a cell phone was experimentally manipulated in both home- and work-based usage domains. The two usage domains were modeled in a usability laboratory. 60 participants completed a series of typical cell phone user tasks. Dependent measures such as performance, perceived usability, and emotion were taken. The results showed that aesthetic appeal had a positive effect on perceived usability but a negative effect on performance. The effects of aesthetic appeal on usability test outcomes were not moderated by usage domain. The results of this study imply that it may be sufficient to test dual-domain products in only one of their usage domains.
Mirror symmetry in 2+1 and 1+1 dimensions

We study the Coulomb-Higgs duality of = 2 supersymmetric abelian Chern-Simons theories in 2+1 dimensions, by compactifying dual pairs on a circle of radius R and comparing the resulting = (2,2) theories in 1+1 dimensions. Below the compactification scale, the theory on the Higgs branch reduces to the non-linear sigma model on a toric manifold. In the dual theory on the Coulomb branch, the Kaluza-Klein modes generate an infinite tower of contributions to the superpotential. After resummation, in the limit R? 0 the superpotential becomes that of the Landau-Ginzburg model which is the two-dimensional mirror of the toric sigma model. We further examine the conjecture of all-scale three-dimensional mirror symmetry and observe that it is consistent with mirror symmetry in 1+1 dimensions.
Dynamics of Invertebrate Diversity in a Tropical Stream

Regional studies of biotic communities are important for characterising their normal spatial and temporal variation, but there are few such studies of tropical streams. This paper describes changes in invertebrate communities in Yuccabine Creek, a seasonal upland rainforest stream in tropical Australia, over three-year and decadal periods. Invertebrate abundance, richness and evenness were temporally stable, except after major drying or wet-season flows, from which they recovered quickly; however, three wet seasons contrasted in abundance patterns. Species' responses to flood or drought varied depending on life-histories and habitat dynamics. Communities showed contrasts between wet, early-dry and late-dry seasons, with different characteristic species. Current velocity, leaf litter and substratum particle size were the main environmental correlates with species abundances and multivariate scores. Between-decade contrasts were due to antecedent rainfall and loss of canopy cover. Trophic composition varied seasonally, driven by abundances of predators and detritivores. Yuccabine Creek differs from comparable temperate streams in its high diversity of invertebrates, continual recruitment and spring-dominated continual leaf fall; and from some other tropical streams in its seasonal flow regime. Interpretation of invertebrate metrics in these streams needs to account for historical, antecedent and current conditions, but biannual samples would adequately characterise the fauna.
Genetic and environmental influences on pre-schizophrenic personality: MAXCOV-HITMAX and LISREL analyses

Postulating that the predisposition to illness in Claridge's disease model of schizophrenia can be equated with the personality dimensions S or Insensitivity, (low) E or Extraversion, and N or Neuroticism, as measured by Van Kampen's 3DPT, and assuming that the mode of transmission of schizophrenia is basically polygenic, the genetic and environmental etiology of S, E, and N was assessed in a sample of 52 MZ and 76 DZ twin pairs and their parents by means of LISREL. Besides, in a sample of 2118 subjects MAXCOV–HITMAX analyses were conducted for these factors as well as for the personality dimension G or Orderliness, but now assessed by the 4DPT, in order to find out whether a discrete or quasi-discrete variable might also underlie these dimensions, giving support to the possibility of dominance or epistasis. The results obtained in these investigations favoured a model for all three dimensions, allowing for both additive and non-additive genetic effects in combination with non-shared environmental influences. It was not possible to choose between a model involving dominance and a model involving epistatic genetic effects. With the use of scores corrected for sex and age, which were converted to normal scores, the proportion of variance explained by additive genetic factors was 20% for S, 40–41% for E, and 26–29% for N. Dominance or multiple-gene epistasis accounted for 37–38% (S), 19–20% (E), and 30–31% (N), and unshared environmental influences for 42–43% (S), 41% (E), and 42–43% (N) respectively.
Near-Oracle Performance of Basis Pursuit under Random Noise

We consider the problem of estimating a deterministic spars e vectorx0 from underdetermined noisy measurements, in which the noise is a Gaussian random vector. Two tec hniques which are commonly used in this setting are the Dantzig selector and basis pursuit denoising (BPDN). It has previously been shown that, with high probability, the Dantzig selector comes close to the performance of the or acle estimator which knows the locations of the nonzero components of x0, when the performance is measured by the l2 distance between x0 and its estimate. In this paper, we demonstrate that BPDN achieves analogous results, but th at he constants involved in the BPDN analysis are significantly better. Submitted toIEEE Trans. Signal Processing , March 2009.
Methods of linear transfer speed estimation in the data grid

Four methods to estimate available channel bandwidth in Data Grid are described. To compare methods Data Grid was emulated and the special data transfer scenarios were designed. For every scenario the estimates of the performance and bandwidth parameters are constructed using linear filtering techniques based on the Kalman filter, least-squares, recursive least-squares and linear stochastic approximation with randomized inputs. The parameters such as step-size were the same during all the experiments to show how well can the algorithms adapt to different data transfer scenarios without any manual adjustment. The results demonstrating the estimation errors of the considered methods are given and disscussed.
Political Choices: The effect of additional parties on voter decision-making in the UK

This thesis explores the effects of additional parties on the decision-making processes of UK voters in lab-based studies. Specifically, it is concerned with the idea that intrinsic aspects of the democratic system, such as the inclusion of additional parties in an election, can reduce the likelihood of ‘correct voting’ (a voter choosing the candidate whose policies best match their own policy preferences). Firstly, how correct voting is affected by increasing choice set size (i.e. the number of candidates available to choose between). We also examine how a suspected partisan heuristic, ‘party label’, affects rates of correct voting. We conduct four experiments using dynamic information environments, and materials from the five main UK political parties. Results show increasing choice set size negatively predicts voters’ ability to choose the best available option in the choice set. Results for party label are mixed, but strongly suggest party label acts as a beneficial aid to correct voting and may act to offset the effects of increasing choice set size. Secondly, we analyse the patterns of information processing from the previous experiments, creating novel metrics of heuristic processing. We find party label and choice set size affect voters’ information processing, namely the amount and equality of search between alternatives. Finally, we examine the effect of additional alternatives on political decision-making via the established ‘context effects’ paradigm. We test the ‘attraction’, ‘similarity’, ‘compromise’, and ‘phantom’ effects in a series of fictional and more realistic political scenarios, culminating in a field study during the 2015 UK General Election. We find evidence for the attraction and similarity’ effects, but inconsistent evidence for other context effects; and that asymmetric dominance patterns exist in a minority of UK voters’ political preferences (in contrast to a previous finding in the U.S).