Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Hypothermia in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are common and successful orthopedic procedures, and as their frequency continues to increase substantially, the focus on limiting perioperative complications heightens. Intraoperative normothermia is recommended to minimize additional complications, but limited evidence exists regarding the effect of hypothermia on orthopedic patients. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of perioperative hypothermia in the setting of TKA and THA, and to evaluate its impact on complications and outcomes. The clinical records of 2580 consecutive patients who underwent TKA or THA at a single institution between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013 were reviewed. After excluding patients with complex or revision procedures, a total of 2397 patients comprised the study population. Patient demographic data, surgery-specific data, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day readmission were recorded. Patients with a mean intraoperative temperature less than 36°C were identified as hypothermic. Statistical analysis evaluated associations with hypothermia and the effect on complications and outcomes. The incidence of mean intraoperative hypothermia was 37%, 43.9%, and 32.6% for arthroplasty, THA, and TKA, respectively. General anesthesia was significantly associated with hypothermia (P<.001). Women and THA patients were at higher risk for hypothermia. In the arthroplasty and THA cohorts, longer operating room time and re-warmer use were associated with hypothermia (P=.010). Overall, hypothermia was associated with increased estimated blood loss, but no increase in associated transfusion was demonstrated (P=.006). Hypothermia was not associated with postoperative complications. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(1):56-63. ].
Correction for the dislocation of curved surfaces caused by the PSF in 2D and 3D CT images

Conventional edge-detection methods suffer from the dislocation of curved surfaces due to the PSF. We propose a new method that uses the isophote curvature to circumvent this. It is accurate for objects with locally constant curvature, even for small objects (like blood vessels) and in the presence of noise.
Defects and Defect Processes in Nonmetallic Solids

W Hayes and A M Stoneham 1985 Chichester: John Wiley vii + 472 pp price £54.30 ISBN 0 471 89791 4 A book of considerable proportions would be required to give a comprehensive treatment of the full spectrum of defects occurring in the vast range of solids with disparate properties describable as nonmetallic. Clearly this volume, with its limited size, can only present a superficial version of its subject matter.
Changing Policy Framing as a Deliberate Strategy for Public Health Advocacy: A Qualitative Policy Case Study of Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol

Context Scotland is the first country in the world to pass legislation introducing a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol in an attempt to reduce consumption and associated harms by increasing the price of the cheapest alcohol. We investigated the competing ways in which policy stakeholders presented the debate. We then established whether a change in framing helped explain the policy's emergence. Methods We conducted a detailed policy case study through analysis of evidence submitted to the Scottish parliament, and in-depth, one-to-one interviews (n = 36) with politicians, civil servants, advocates, researchers, and industry representatives. Findings Public- and voluntary-sector stakeholders tended to support MUP, while industry representatives were more divided. Two markedly different ways of presenting alcohol as a policy problem were evident. Critics of MUP (all of whom were related to industry) emphasized social disorder issues, particularly among young people, and hence argued for targeted approaches. In contrast, advocates for MUP (with the exception of those in industry) focused on alcohol as a health issue arising from overconsumption at a population level, thus suggesting that population-based interventions were necessary. Industry stakeholders favoring MUP adopted a hybrid framing, maintaining several aspects of the critical framing. Our interview data showed that public health advocates worked hard to redefine the policy issue by deliberately presenting a consistent alternative framing. Conclusions Framing alcohol policy as a broad, multisectoral, public health issue that requires a whole-population approach has been crucial to enabling policymakers to seriously consider MUP, and public health advocates intentionally presented alcohol policy in this way. This reframing helped prioritize public health considerations in the policy debate and represents a deliberate strategy for consideration by those advocating for policy change around the world and in other public health areas.
Using history information to improve design flaws detection

As systems evolve and their structure decays, maintainers need accurate and automatic identification of the design problems. Current approaches for automatic detection of design problems are not accurate enough because they analyze only a single version of a system and consequently they miss essential information as design problems appear and evolve over time. Our approach is to use the historical information of the suspected flawed structure to increase the accuracy of the automatic problem detection. Our means is to define measurements which summarize how persistent the problem was and how much maintenance effort was spent on the suspected structure. We apply our approach on a large scale case study and show how it improves the accuracy of the detection of god classes and data classes, and additionally how it adds valuable semantical information about the evolution of flawed design structures.
Simulations of two-dimensional turbulent convection in a density-stratified fluid.

High resolution computer simulations of two-dimensional convection using the anelastic approximation are presented. These calculations span Rayleigh numbers from 10(8)-10(12) for Prandtl number equal to unity, with the fluid density decreasing by a factor of 12 from the bottom to the top of the convection region. This range covers several decades in the "hard" turbulent regime. While many studies of this sort have been conducted for the Boussinesq approximation (i.e., no density stratification), we use the anelastic approximation with a significant density stratification in this turbulent regime. The convection is dominated by a large-scale coherent flow composed of ascending and descending superplumes. We find a power law exponent of 0.28 for the Nusselt-Rayleigh number scaling and a power law with exponent of 0.50 for the Reynolds-Rayleigh number scaling for the entire parameter space studied. These values are very similar to those determined experimentally and analytically for convection with no density stratification.
Experimental Animal Models of Arteriovenous Malformation: A Review

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital lesions that cause brain haemorrhage in children and young adults. Current treatment modalities include surgery, radiosurgery and embolization. These treatments are generally effective only for small AVMs. Over one third of AVMs cannot be treated safely and effectively with existing options. Several animal models have been developed with the aims of understanding AVM pathophysiology and improving treatment. No animal model perfectly mimics a human AVM. Each model has limitations and advantages. Models contribute to the understanding of AVMs and hopefully to the development of improved therapies. This paper reviews animal models of AVMs and their advantages and disadvantages.
Left Ventricular Dysfunction With Pulmonary Hypertension: Part 1 Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Definitions

The worsening heart failure (HF) epidemic and the associated healthcare costs pose a major burden to public health and the healthcare system.1 Despite significant therapeutic advances, outcomes for patients with HF remain suboptimal.2–4 Importantly, most clinical trials with novel agents in HF during the past decade have yielded neutral or modest results.5 The reasons for these unfavorable trends are complex.6 One issue gaining wide acceptance is that the one-size-fits-all approach to HF therapies is unlikely to be beneficial, especially when new therapies are given on top of comprehensive neurohormonal blockade. Thus, it is crucial for the development of novel therapies to better understand the various HF phenotypes and their pathophysiology and subsequently target relevant pathways in such subgroups of patients. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous entity with different causes leading to increased pressures in the pulmonary circulation. PH is a major and frequent consequence of left-sided HF, irrespective of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or presence of valvular disease.7–9 The presence of PH is associated with worse HF outcomes, regardless of LVEF and stage of HF,7,8 and prognosis is further aggravated when right ventricular (RV) dysfunction ensues, posing a number of diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas that influence decision making.10,11 A combination of elevated LV filling pressures, reactive pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction, and pulmonary vascular remodeling results in PH secondary to left heart disease.12 Abnormal hemodynamic parameters indicative of PH in HF patients receiving optimal therapy may represent a potential therapeutic target. In this 2-part review, we summarize the current opinions and evidence related to PH in HF. In the first part, we describe the definitions and classification, cause, and epidemiology of PH in HF. In the second part, we discuss its prognostic impact, the …
Hypergraph Lifting for Structure Learning in Markov Logic Networks

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in combining statistical and relational learning approaches (Getoor & Taskar, 2007), driven by the realization that many applications require both. Recently, Richardson and Domingos (2006) introduced Markov logic networks (MLNs), a statistical relational language combining first-order logic (Genesereth & Nilsson, 1987) and Markov networks (Pearl, 1988). An MLN consists of weighted first-order logic formulas, viewed as templates for Markov network features. Learning MLN structure is an important but challenging task, and to date only a few approaches have been proposed (Kok & Domingos, 2005; Mihalkova & Mooney, 2007; Biba et al., 2008b; etc.).
Effect of semicircular canal stimulation on the perception of the visual vertical.

UNLABELLED The subjective visual vertical (SVV) is usually considered a measure of otolith function. Herewith we investigate the influence of semicircular canal (SCC) stimulation on the SVV by rotating normal subjects in yaw about an earth-vertical axis, with velocity steps of +/- 90 degrees /s, for 60 s. SVV was assessed by setting an illuminated line to perceived earth vertical in darkness, during a per- and postrotary period. Four head positions were tested: upright, 30 degrees backward (chin up) or forward, and approximately 40 degrees forward from upright. During head upright/backward conditions, a significant SVV tilt (P < 0.01) in the direction opposite to rotation was found that reversed during postrotary responses. The rotationally induced SVV tilt had a time constant of decay of approximately 30 s. Rotation with the head 30 degrees forward did not affect SVV, whereas the 40 degrees forward tilt caused a direction reversal of SVV responses compared with head upright/backward. Spearman correlation values (Rho) between individual SCC efficiencies in different head positions and mean SVV tilts were 0.79 for posterior, 0.34 for anterior, and - 0.80 for horizontal SCCs. Three-dimensional video-oculography showed that SVV and torsional eye position measurements were highly correlated (0.83) and in the direction opposite to the slow phase torsional vestibuloocular reflex. IN CONCLUSION 1) during yaw axis rotation without reorientation of the head with respect to gravity, the SVV is influenced by SCC stimulation; 2) this effect is mediated by the vertical SCCs, particularly the posterior SCCs; 3) rotationally induced SVV changes are due to torsional ocular tilt; 4) SVV and ocular tilts occur in the "anticompensatory," fast phase direction of the torsional nystagmus; and 5) clinically, abnormal SVV tilts cannot be considered a specific indication of otolith system dysfunction.
Coastal modelling for flood defence

This paper reviews practices and trends in hydrodynamic and statistical analyses and modelling in the Netherlands with regard to the risk of coastal flooding. We restrict ourselves to the physical phenomena of tides, storm surges and wind waves. We first give a brief outline of established policy in the Netherlands regarding accepted levels of risk of flooding, and current changes therein. This is followed by a summary of a statistical reanalysis of historical storm–surge data combined with numerical hydrodynamic modelling, aimed at improved estimates of probabilities of occurrence of extreme water levels along the Dutch coast. Recent developments concerning the physical and numerical modelling of inundation of low–lying areas are presented. State–of–the–art modelling of wind waves in coastal areas is also reviewed. Research issues in the area of coastal modelling for flood defence are indicated.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study

Although often clinically indistinguishable in the early stages, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) have distinct neuropathological changes. The aim of the current study was to identify white matter tract neurodegeneration characteristic of each of the three syndromes. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used to perform a whole-brain automated analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data to compare differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between the three clinical groups and healthy control subjects. Further analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between these putative indices of white matter microstructure and clinical measures of disease severity and symptoms. In PSP, relative to controls, changes in DTI indices consistent with white matter tract degeneration were identified in the corpus callosum, corona radiata, corticospinal tract, superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, superior cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, retrolenticular and anterior limb of the internal capsule, cerebral peduncle and external capsule bilaterally, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule and the right posterior thalamic radiation. MSA patients also displayed differences in the body of the corpus callosum corticospinal tract, cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, anterior and superior corona radiata, posterior limb of the internal capsule external capsule and cerebral peduncle bilaterally, as well as the left anterior limb of the internal capsule and the left anterior thalamic radiation. No significant white matter abnormalities were observed in the PD group. Across groups, MD correlated positively with disease severity in all major white matter tracts. These results show widespread changes in white matter tracts in both PSP and MSA patients, even at a mid-point in the disease process, which are not found in patients with PD.
Reversible Data Hiding Using Controlled Contrast Enhancement and Integer Wavelet Transform

The conventional reversible data hiding (RDH) algorithms pursue high Peak-Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (PSNR) at the certain amount of embedding bits. Recently, Wu et al. deemed that the improvement of image visual quality is more important than keeping high PSNR. Based on this viewpoint, they presented a novel RDH scheme, utilizing contrast enhancement to replace the PSNR. However, when a large number of bits are embedded, image contrast is over-enhanced, which introduces obvious distortion for human visual perception. Motivated by this issue, a new RDH scheme is proposed using the controlled contrast enhancement (CCE) and Haar integer wavelet transform (IWT). The proposed scheme has large embedding capacity while maintaining satisfactory visual perception. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Trends of body mass index (BMI) by age and sex percentile among Arab-American fifth graders in southeastern Michigan schools.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in developed and developing countries and a pressing public health concern. In the United States, obesity has gained prominence on the public health agenda because it is now one of the most common health problems facing children. It is a problem because it is a known risk factor for many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and breathing problems, and some types of cancers.1
Current End-of-Life Care Needs and Care Practices in Acute Care Hospitals

A descriptive-comparative study was undertaken to examine current end-of-life care needs and practices in hospital. A chart review for all 1,018 persons who died from August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009 in two full-service Canadian hospitals was conducted. Most decedents were elderly (73.8%) and urbanite (79.5%), and cancer was the most common diagnosis (36.2%). Only 13.8% had CPR performed at some point during this hospitalization and 8.8% had CPR immediately preceding death, with 87.5% having a DNR order and 30.8% providing an advance directive. Most (97.3%) had one or more life-sustaining technologies in use at the time of death. These figures indicate, when compared to those in a similar mid-1990s Canadian study, that impending death is more often openly recognized and addressed. Technologies continue to be routinely but controversially used. The increased rate of end-stage CPR from 2.9% to 8.8% could reflect a 1994+ shift of expected deaths out of hospital.
QoS Model of WSNs Communication in Smart Distribution Grid

This paper presents an integrated modeling method providing superior Quality of Service (QoS) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) which is suitable for smart distribution grid (SDG) communication. Traditional QoS model based on IEEE802.15. 4 protocol cannot meet the communication requirements of multipriority data in smart distribution grid. In order to meet the specification of power system communication, a new QoS-enabled medium access control (MAC) model based on unfair competition channel access mechanism (UCCAM) is developed in this paper. The proposed model can ensure that the communication system of WSN provides different Qualities of Service for different priority data. According to different requirements for the communication time, the data of SDG are divided into three types: high priority, middle priority, and low priority data. The state transition of buffering queue data in node is described by a three-dimensional Markov chain model. Delay time, effective throughput rate, and channel collision rate models are developed, respectively, to evaluate communication performance of WSN applied in smart distribution grid. The simulation results show that the proposed model can provide different Qualities of Service for different priority data and is more efficient than the IEEE802.15. 4e standard and the traditional methods.
Dexmedetomidine reduces intraocular pressure, intubation responses and anaesthetic requirements in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery.

We studied the effects of a single i.v. dose of dexmedetomidine, a highly selective and specific alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonist, on intraocular pressure (IOP), haemodynamic and sympathoadrenal responses to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation, and on anaesthetic requirements in ophthalmic surgery. Thirty ASA I-II patients undergoing cataract surgery were allocated randomly to receive either dexmedetomidine 0.6 microgram kg-1 or saline placebo i.v. 10 min before induction of anaesthesia in a double-blind design. After dexmedetomidine there was a 34% (95% confidence interval (CI) 27-43%) reduction in IOP (P less than 0.001) and 62% (CI 57-68%) decrease in plasma noradrenaline concentrations (P less than 0.001). After intubation, maximum heart rate was 18% (CI 3-33%, P = 0.036) and the maximum IOP 27% (CI 11-43%, P = 0.005) less in the dexmedetomidine group compared with the patients treated with placebo. Within 10 min after intubation, maximum systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were also significantly (P = 0.013 and P = 0.020) smaller in the dexmedetomidine group. The induction dose of thiopentone was smaller (23% (CI 20-26%) P = 0.012), and the use of isoflurane or fentanyl supplements during anaesthesia was less frequent in the dexmedetomidine group. The patients premedicated with dexmedetomidine recovered faster from anaesthesia (P = 0.042). These results suggest that dexmedetomidine may be a useful anaesthetic adjunct in ophthalmic surgery.
Distribution of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in infected animals and efficacy against experimental infections

The therapeutic effects produced by formulations of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (BRL 25 000A and BRL 25 000G) were compared with those of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid separately against a variety of infections produced by amoxicillin-susceptible and beta-lactamase-producing (amoxicillin-resistant) bacteria. The infection models studied included intraperitoneal infections, a mouse pneumonia, experimental pyelonephritis, and local lesions caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Bacteroides fragilis. The distribution of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in infected animals after the administration of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was evaluated by measurement of the concentrations of the substances present in specimens collected at the sites of infection. The results showed that both amoxicillin and clavulanic acid were well distributed in the animal body after the administration of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid formulations, being present in significant concentrations at various sites of infection, e.g., peritoneal washings, pleural fluid, pus, and infected tissue homogenates. In a number of cases, the amoxicillin concentrations measured after the administration of BRL 25000 were higher than those found after treatment with amoxicillin alone, presumably as a result of inhibition of bacterial beta-lactamases by clavulanic acid at the site of infection. The ability of clavulanic acid to protect amoxicillin in vivo was confirmed by the efficacy of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid formulations in the treatment of the infections studied, most of which were refractory to therapy with amoxicillin.
More to learn about: periodontitis-related knowledge and its relationship with periodontal health behaviour.

AIM To assess periodontitis-related knowledge and its relation to oral health behaviour on a community level and to identify target groups and major topics for health education interventions. MATERIAL AND METHODS By means of a multistratified, stochastic telephone survey, 1001 interviews with Germans older than 14 years were carried out. Participants answered questions on the definition, aetiology, and risk factors of periodontal disease and on the risks associated with and measures to prevent them. They also reported on their current oral health behaviour. RESULTS Severe knowledge deficits were found with respect to all topics. No consistent relationships with age or education were found, although less educated and very young and old people tended to show the greatest deficits. Knowledge of preventive measures was most strongly related to current oral health behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Health education on periodontal diseases must be improved on a community level, although schoolchildren, older citizens and the less educated are the groups most in need. Interventions should focus on preventive measures.