Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Hermite Spectral Method for Gaussian-Type Functions

Although Hermite functions were widely used for many practical problems, numerical experiments with the standard (normalized) Hermite functions $\psi _n (v)$ worked poorly in the sense that too many Hermite functions are required to solve differential equations. In order to obtain accurate numerical solutions, it is necessary to choose a scaling factor $\alpha $ and use $\psi _n (\alpha v)$ as the basis functions. In this paper the scaling factors are given for functions that are of Gaussian type, which have finite supports $[ - M,M]$. The scaling factor used is $\max _{0 \leqq j \leqq N} \{ \gamma _j \} / M$, where $\{ \gamma _j \} _{j = 0}^N $ are the roots of $\psi _{N + 1} (v)$ and $N + 1$ is the number of the truncated terms used. The numerical results show that after using this scaling factor, only reasonable numbers of the Hermite functions are required to solve differential equations.
Ambulatory morning report

We assessed the ability of a novel ambulatory morning report format to expose internal medicine residents to the breadth of topics covered by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) exam. Cases were selected by the Ambulatory Assistant Chief Residents and recorded in a logbook to limit duplication. We conducted a retrospective review of 406 cases discussed from July 1998 to July 2000 and cataloged each according to the primary content area. The percentage of cases in each area accurately reflected that covered by the ABIM exam, with little redundancy or over-selection of esoteric diseases. Our data suggest that a general medicine clinic is capable of exposing house staff to the wide breadth of internal medicine topics previously thought to be unique to subspecialty clinics.
The Relationship Between Learning Style, Self-Directed in Learning and Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Academic Achievement in Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS)

Background: Self-Directed in Learning has been emphasized nursing education settings based on many factors such as changing in learning teaching methods, nursing professions development, etc. Awareness and identification of the students learning and their academic achievement are important factors in nursing Course. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between self-directed in learning and undergraduate nursing students’ academic achievement in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran. Method: The cross sectional study with 232 sample size was conducted. The subjects of this study were 232 undergraduate nursing students from school grades of years attending to school of nursing and midwifery of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data was collected from students through an anonymous self-administrated questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections including (a) demographic profile(b)Fisher’s Self-Directed in Learning Readiness questionnaire, (d) academic achievement. Data analysis was carried out by using the latest version of the statistical software package SPSS (Version-21). Descriptive and analytical statistical test were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 232 participated in study of relationship between learning styles, Self-directed in learning and undergraduate nursing students’ academic achievement. One hundred –Forty three participants were female (61.6%), and 89 respondents were male (38.4%); 60.8% were between 20 and 25 years, 33.6% were 25 years old. The most frequency learning style of students was AC (37.5%). The majority of subjects (90.52%) SDLR were in the level of Self-Control (Score >150). The majority of subjects (52.8%) their academic achievements were at level of Good (the Median score were between (13-16). There was no significant relationship between Learning styles and Academic Achievement (P> 0.05). Conclusion: Not all students are self-directed, and this study suggests that mature students are more self-directed than that entering nurse education direct from high school. Nurses’ educators need to assess the Learning style and preferences of their students in order to determine the appropriateness of Self-Directed in learning. It is important to acknowledge that Self-Directed in Learning is only one teaching method that can be used to meet the learning needs of all students.
Acceleration of growth in two children treated with human growth hormone-releasing factor.

Two growth hormone-deficient children were treated with growth hormone-releasing factor for six months. The pattern of administration--1 to 3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, given subcutaneously over one minute every three hours by infusion pump--was chosen to simulate growth hormone secretion in normal children. During the first week of therapy, both children had evidence of the metabolic effects of increased growth hormone secretion--i.e., nitrogen retention, demonstrated by decreased nitrogen excretion (P less than 0.05), and increased urinary calcium excretion (P less than 0.01). Growth hormone secretion was increased after pulses of growth hormone-releasing factor during the entire six-month period, and growth was accelerated. One child grew at a rate of 7.1 cm per year, as compared with 4.6 cm per year before therapy; the other grew at a rate of 13.7 cm per year, as compared with 2.1 cm per year before therapy, and had increased serum levels of somatomedin C. Growth hormone--releasing factor can restore growth hormone secretion and its biologic effects, including an increase in nitrogen retention, an increase in serum somatomedin C, and acceleration of linear growth in children with growth hormone deficiency. It is premature to speculate how useful this agent will prove to be in the treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency.
Pathways to gene identification in rheumatoid arthritis: PTPN22 and beyond

Summary: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), like other autoimmune diseases, has a complex genetic basis. Rapid technical advances in high‐throughput genotyping and analysis have now reached a point where genes of low‐to‐moderate risk can be identified using a variety of study designs, including whole genome association studies. The availability of large, well‐characterized populations of cases and controls are critical to the success of these efforts. A functional variant (R620W) of the intracellular protein tyrosine phosphatase N22 (PTPN22) has now been conclusively shown to confer approximately two‐fold risk for seropositive RA as well as several other autoimmune disorders. PTPN22 appears to act primarily by setting thresholds for T‐cell receptor signaling, and the current data suggest that the PTPN22 620W allele is likely to be a general risk factor for the development of humoral autoimmunity. PTPN22 is expressed widely in hematopoietic cells, but other than in T cells, its role is unknown. These results provide strong evidence for the longstanding hypothesis that common genes underlie different autoimmune phenotypes and emphasize that finding genes of only moderate risk can provide important insights into disease pathogenesis.
Using Akaike Information Criterion for Selecting the Field Distribution in a Reverberation Chamber

Previous studies on modeling the random field (amplitude) in a reverberation chamber (RC) were conducted either by fitting a given distribution to measured data or by comparing different distributions using goodness-of-fit (GOF) tests. However, the GOF tests are inappropriate for comparing different distribution candidates in that they are meant to check if a given distribution provides an adequate ht for a set of data or not and they cannot provide correct relative fitness between different candidate distributions in general. A fair comparison of different distributions in modeling the RC held is missing in the literature. In this paper, Akaike's information criterion (AIC), which allows fair comparisons of different distributions, is introduced. With Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami, Bessel K, and Weibull distributions as the candidate set, the AIC approach is applied to measured data in an RC. Results show that the Weibull distribution provides the best ht to the held in an undermoded RC and that the Rayleigh distribution provides the best approximation of the held in an overmoded RC. In addition, it is found that both the Rician and Weibull distributions provide improved approximations of the held in an RC loaded with lossy objects. This study provides correct complementary results to the previous RC studies.
Ultrasonography of acute flank pain: a focus on renal stones and acute pyelonephritis

Ultrasonography is a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of acute flank pain. Renal stones appear as a focal area of echogenicity with acoustic shadowing on ultrasonography. In acute pyelonephritis (APN), the kidneys may be enlarged and have a hypoechoic parenchyma with loss of the normal corticomedullary junction. However, clinical and laboratory correlations are essential for the diagnosis of renal stones and APN through imaging studies. This review describes the typical ultrasonography features of renal stones and APN. Moreover, in daily practice, cross-sectional imaging is essential and widely used to confirm renal stones and APN and to differentiate them from other diseases causing flank pain. Other diseases causing acute flank pain are also described in this review.
Interaction Effects of Acute Kidney Injury, Acute Respiratory Failure, and Sepsis on 30-Day Postoperative Mortality in Patients Undergoing High-Risk Intraabdominal General Surgical Procedures

BACKGROUND:Acute kidney injury (AKI), acute respiratory failure, and sepsis are distinct but related pathophysiologic processes. We hypothesized that these 3 processes may interact to synergistically increase the risk of short-term perioperative mortality in patients undergoing high-risk intraabdominal general surgery procedures. METHODS:We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study of data (2005–2011) from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, a high-quality surgical outcomes data set. High-risk procedures were those with a risk of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis greater than the average risk in all intraabdominal general surgery procedures. The effects of AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis on 30-day mortality were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Additive interactions were assessed with the relative excess risk due to interaction. RESULTS:Of 217,994 patients, AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis developed in 1.3%, 3.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The 30-day mortality risk with sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and AKI were 11.4%, 24.1%, and 25.1%, respectively, compared with 0.85% without these complications. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for a single complication (versus no complication) on mortality were 7.24 (6.46–8.11), 10.8 (8.56–13.6), and 14.2 (12.8–15.7) for sepsis, AKI, and acute respiratory failure, respectively. For 2 complications, the adjusted hazard ratios were 30.8 (28.0–33.9), 42.6 (34.3–52.9), and 65.2 (53.9–78.8) for acute respiratory failure/sepsis, AKI/sepsis, and acute respiratory failure/AKI, respectively. Finally, the adjusted hazard ratio for all 3 complications was 105 (92.8–118). Positive additive interactions, indicating synergism, were found for each combination of 2 complications. The relative excess risk due to interaction for all 3 complications was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:In high-risk general surgery patients, the development of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis is independently associated with an increase in 30-day mortality. In addition, the development of 2 complications shows significant positive additive interactions to further increase the risk of mortality. Our findings suggest that interactions between these 3 perioperative complications increase the risk of mortality more than would be expected by the independent effects of each complication alone.
Cell cycle regulators control mesoderm specification in human pluripotent stem cells

The mesoderm is one of the three germ layers produced during gastrulation from which muscle, bones, kidneys, and the cardiovascular system originate. Understanding the mechanisms that control mesoderm specification could inform many applications, including the development of regenerative medicine therapies to manage diseases affecting these tissues. Here, we used human pluripotent stem cells to investigate the role of cell cycle in mesoderm formation. To this end, using small molecules or conditional gene knockdown, we inhibited proteins controlling G1 and G2/M cell cycle phases during the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into lateral plate, cardiac, and presomitic mesoderm. These loss-of-function experiments revealed that regulators of the G1 phase, such as cyclin-dependent kinases and pRb (retinoblastoma protein), are necessary for efficient mesoderm formation in a context-dependent manner. Further investigations disclosed that inhibition of the G2/M regulator cyclin-dependent kinase 1 decreases BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) signaling activity specifically during lateral plate mesoderm formation while reducing fibroblast growth factor/extracellular signaling-regulated kinase 1/2 activity in all mesoderm subtypes. Taken together, our findings reveal that cell cycle regulators direct mesoderm formation by controlling the activity of key developmental pathways.
Primary Cutaneous Malignancies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cutaneous malignancies are the most common malignancies in Whites; traditionally considered rare among Blacks, their occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa is yet to be fully characterized.Data on specimens submitted between 1992 and April 2008 on all histologically proven primary cutaneous malignancies were collected from the Pathology Department, including patient age, sex, anatomic site of malignancy, and histologic diagnosis. There were 1900 patients with primary cutaneous malignancies, aged between 8 months and 110 years, with a mean age of 49 years. There were 14 different types of malignancies found, with squamous cell carcinoma representing 45% of the total. A number of the rarer types have not been reported previously, from this region.Cutaneous malignancies in Africa present a number of management challenges including the following: difficulties in early diagnosis in the dark skin, late presentation, access to treatment, and the ability to pay for the appropriate treatment. The current human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome scourge on the continent may lead a significant increase in cutaneous malignancies, posing even bigger challenges.
The Z curve database: a graphic representation of genome sequences

MOTIVATION Genome projects for many prokaryotic and eukaryotic species have been completed and more new genome projects are being underway currently. The availability of a large number of genomic sequences for researchers creates a need to find graphic tools to study genomes in a perceivable form. The Z curve is one of such tools available for visualizing genomes. The Z curve is a unique three-dimensional curve representation for a given DNA sequence in the sense that each can be uniquely reconstructed given the other. The Z curve database for more than 1000 genomes have been established here. RESULTS The database contains the Z curves for archaea, bacteria, eukaryota, organelles, phages, plasmids, viroids and viruses, whose genomic sequences are currently available. All the 3-dimensional Z curves and their three component curves are stored in the database. The applications of the Z curve database on comparative genomics, gene prediction, computation of G+C content with a windowless technique, prediction of replication origins and terminations of bacterial and archaeal genomes and study of local deviations from the Chargaff Parity Rule 2 etc. are presented in detail. The Z curve database reported here is a treasure trove in which biologists could find useful biological knowledge.
Learning directed acyclic graphical structures with genetical genomics data

MOTIVATION Large amount of research efforts have been focused on estimating gene networks based on gene expression data to understand the functional basis of a living organism. Such networks are often obtained by considering pairwise correlations between genes, thus may not reflect the true connectivity between genes. By treating gene expressions as quantitative traits while considering genetic markers, genetical genomics analysis has shown its power in enhancing the understanding of gene regulations. Previous works have shown the improved performance on estimating the undirected network graphical structure by incorporating genetic markers as covariates. Knowing that gene expressions are often due to directed regulations, it is more meaningful to estimate the directed graphical network. RESULTS In this article, we introduce a covariate-adjusted Gaussian graphical model to estimate the Markov equivalence class of the directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) in a genetical genomics analysis framework. We develop a two-stage estimation procedure to first estimate the regression coefficient matrix by [Formula: see text] penalization. The estimated coefficient matrix is then used to estimate the mean values in our multi-response Gaussian model to estimate the regulatory networks of gene expressions using PC-algorithm. The estimation consistency for high dimensional sparse DAGs is established. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate our theoretical results. The method is applied to a human Alzheimer's disease dataset in which differential DAGs are identified between cases and controls. R code for implementing the method can be downloaded at http://www.stt. msu.edu/∼cui. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION R code for implementing the method is freely available at http://www.stt. msu.edu/∼cui/software.html.
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF AMIODARONE AND LIDOCAINE WITH MAGNESIUM SULFATE ON OCCURRENCE OF REPERFUSION VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION AFTER AORTIC CROSS CLAMP RELEASE ON AORTIC VALVE SURGERY.

Background :Reperfusion ventricular fibrillation (VF) after aortic cross-clamp (ACC) release is one of the most common complications after Aortic valve surgery. normal by a 3 release. protocol cardiopulmonary were the General anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 5µg/kg, midazolam 0.1-0.2 mg/kg, and atracurium 0.5 mg/kg, and anesthesia was maintained using fentanyl 2 µg/kg before sternal incision, isoflurane 1 vol %, and atracurium 5 µg/kg/min. The operation was performed through a standard median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (Sorin C5) machine with a flow rate of 2.4-4.2 l/m 2 and moderate hypothermia at 30°C. CPB was instituted with a standard kit and a hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator (Sorin). The CPB circuit was primed with Ringer’s acetate and carefully de-aired. Standard cannulation consisted of arterial cannulation in the distal part of the ascending aorta and a 2-stage venous cannula inserted into the right atrium and the inferior vena cava. Myocardial preservation consisted of either anterograde or intermittent antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia. Cardioplegia was repeated every 20 to 30 minutes or on the return of electrical activity of the heart. normal way of minutes before aortic cross clamp
Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Enterococci and Occurrence of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in Raw Minced Beef and Pork in Germany

ABSTRACT The food chain, especially raw minced meat, is thought to be responsible for an increase in the incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in human nosocomial infections. Therefore, 555 samples from 115 batches of minced beef and pork from a European Union-licensed meat-processing plant were screened for the occurrence of VRE. The processed meat came from 45 different slaughterhouses in Germany. Enterococci were isolated directly from Enterococcosel selective agar plates and also from Enterococcosel selective agar plates supplemented with 32 mg of vancomycin per liter. In addition, peptone broth was used in a preenrichment procedure, and samples were subsequently plated onto Enterococcosel agar containing vancomycin. To determine resistance, 209 isolates from 275 samples were tested with the glycopeptides vancomycin, teicoplanin, and avoparcin and 19 other antimicrobial substances by using a broth microdilution test. When the direct method was used, VRE were found in 3 of 555 samples (0.5%) at a concentration of 1.0 log CFU/g of minced meat. When the preenrichment procedure was used, 8% of the samples were VRE positive. Our findings indicate that there is a low incidence of VRE in minced meat in Germany. In addition, the resistance patterns of the VRE isolates obtained were different from the resistance patterns of clinical isolates. A connection between the occurrence of VRE in minced meat and nosocomial infections could not be demonstrated on the basis of our findings.
Susceptibility testing of macrolide antibiotics against Haemophilus influenzae and correlation of in vitro results with in vivo efficacy in a mouse septicemia model

There is poor correlation between the MICs and zone sizes obtained for erythromycin against Haemophilus influenzae. The effect of two media, Mueller-Hinton medium supplemented with 3% lysed horse blood and 10 micrograms of NAD per ml (MHA + LYHB) and Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with 1% bovine hemoglobin and 1% IsoVitaleX (MHA + HGB), on the MICs and zone sizes of erythromycin against H. influenzae was determined. The effect of three different methods for inoculum preparation on the susceptibility of H. influenzae was also determined. The MICs were independent of the method of inoculum preparation, but the zone sizes were smaller if the inoculum was carefully adjusted to contain approximately 10(8) CFU/ml. MICs were higher and zone sizes were smaller when MHA + HGB was used instead of MHA + LYHB. Good correlation was found when MHA + LYHB was used for determining the MIC and MHA + HGB was used for determining susceptibility by the disk method. When the inoculum was adjusted to match a McFarland 0.5 standard, the viable counts had to be approximately 10(8) CFU/ml for good correlation between MICs and zone sizes. A-56268, a new macrolide antibiotic, was tested against H. influenzae, and its MICs and tentative breakpoints against this organism were determined. The MICs obtained by various methods were correlated with in vivo efficacy by using a mouse septicemia model. MICs obtained on MHA + HGB or MHA + LYHB incubated without a 5% CO2 atmosphere showed the best correlation with in vivo efficacy.