Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurodevelopmental outcomes after biventricular repair of congenital heart defects.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to assess neurodevelopment of children after biventricular repair of congenital heart defects. METHODS Full-scale, performance, and verbal IQs of 69 patients who had undergone biventricular repair were assessed at 5 years of age with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-Revised. The Wide Range Assessment of Visual-Motor Abilities was used to measure visual-motor skills. Regression analyses adjusting for parental IQ and socioeconomic status were used to evaluate outcome predictors. RESULTS Median age at repair was 91 days (range 1-1558 days). Hypothermic circulatory arrest was used in 35 cases (mean duration of hypothermic circulatory arrest 33 +/- 17 minutes). Mean full-scale, performance, and verbal IQs for the entire study population were within the reference range (full-scale 96.9 +/- 15.9, performance 96.6 +/- 16.8, verbal 97.7 +/- 15.2). Anatomic diagnosis, age at operation, and use of hypothermic circulatory arrest did not influence full-scale IQ (P =.66, P =.14, and P =.46, respectively), performance IQ (P =.64, P =.36, and P =.73, respectively), or verbal IQ (P =.74, P =.08, and P =.39, respectively). Among patients subjected to hypothermic circulatory arrest, duration of arrest was evaluated as a predictor of outcome. After adjustment for parental IQ, full-scale (P =.12), performance (P =.07), and verbal (P =.22) IQ scores of patients with more than 39 minutes of hypothermic circulatory arrest were not different from those of patients who had arrest periods of 39 minutes or less. After adjustment for socioeconomic status, however, full-scale (P =.05) and performance (P =.03) IQ scores were lower among patients who had more than 39 minutes of hypothermic circulatory arrest. After adjustment for either parental IQ or socioeconomic status, patients with more than 39 minutes of arrest had lower scores on Wide Range Assessment of Visual-Motor Abilities subtests of visual-motor and fine motor abilities and on several performance IQ subtests. CONCLUSIONS IQs of patients who had undergone biventricular repair of congenital heart defects were within the reference range. However, hypothermic circulatory arrest for longer than 39 minutes was associated with deficits in visual-motor and fine motor skills and possibly in full-scale IQ.
Tighter Bounds on the Gaussian $Q$ Function and Its Application in Nakagami- ${m}$ Fading Channel

In this letter, using the Trapezoidal rule of numerical integration, we propose simpler and tighter approximations for the Gaussian <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${Q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> function. These can be efficiently applied to compute the integrals in symbol error probability (SEP) expressions of various digital modulation schemes over additive white Gaussian noise as well as fading channels. Using the proposed approximations, we present a closed-form solution to these integrals for Nakagami-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> fading channel, which are valid for the entire range of fading parameter (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). To further validate the closed-form solution of these integrals, the SEP of 16-HQAM signal is also analyzed and compared with existing approximations.
Executive functions and linguistic performance in SCD older adults and healthy controls

ABSTRACT Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) might represent the preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease. Given the interest to characterize it, the present study explores (1) if there are differences in lexical retrieval (LexR) and sentence comprehension (SComp) between SCD and matched controls, and (2) the predictive value of demographic variables and executive functions in relation to LexR and SComp in each group. A sample of 135 participants voluntarily took part in this study (66 with SCD). They all completed the Trail Making, the Stroop, the Boston Naming, and the ECCO-Senior tests, as well as verbal fluency tasks (VF). Results show that (1) groups differ in LexR and in inhibition efficiency, and (2) VF is explained by years of formal education, particularly in the control group; SComp in the most complex items seems to rely in different strategies, related to flexibility in controls and to inhibition efficiency in SCD patients.
RECURRENT IDIOPATHIC THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA IN CHILDHOOD

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is usually a benign disease that remits within weeks to years. The literature on recurrent ITP (rITP) is limited. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to retrospectively review patients with rITP who were followed up during the period of 1975–2004. METHODS: We reviewed the outcome of 790 children with rITP RESULTS: Among 790 children with ITP, 47 (5.2%) presented with >1 episode of thrombocytopenia. The median age of the children at onset of the disease was 55.9 ± 35.3 months and at final remission was 94.4 ± 58.9 months. The majority of patients (76.6%) had 1 recurrence, whereas the rest of them had >1 recurrence (up to 4); the total number of recurrences was 63. The interval between 2 episodes was <6 months in 25% of the episodes, 6 to 12 months in 29%, 12 to 24 months in 24%, 24 to 36 months in 8%, and >3 years in 14%. Almost half the patients demonstrated bleeding manifestations at diagnosis, whereas only a minority (5) showed bleeding symptoms during the first recurrence. Hemorrhages occurred at times of severe thrombocytopenia and were, in general, mild; however, 1 patient suffered intracranial hemorrhage. Of the episodes, 28.6% necessitated hospitalization and 17.5% required therapeutic intervention with corticosteroids or/and intravenous immunoglobulin. The long-term outcome of all patients was excellent, and none of them needed splenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: rITP occurs mostly in young children, has a good outcome after >1 to 5 episodes, and a median age that ranges from months to years. The course is more often benign; however, life-threatening hemorrhage may occur in a severely thrombocytopenic patient.
Power System State Estimation Considering Measurement Dependencies

State estimation measurements within a substation are routinely considered Gaussian and independent. In this paper, the questionable independence assumption is dropped and a statistical procedure is proposed to estimate the measurement variance-covariance matrix. The well-known weighted least squares technique for estimation is then modified to take into account measurement dependencies. Two case studies are analyzed and conclusions duly drawn.
SOLVING THE EXCITATION AND CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES IN SHOCKS: THE CASE OF HH 1

We present deep spectroscopic (3600–24700 Å ) X-shooter observations of the bright Herbig–Haro object HH 1, one of the best laboratories to study the chemical and physical modifications caused by protostellar shocks on the natal cloud. We observe atomic fine structure lines, H i and He i recombination lines and H2 ro-vibrational lines (more than 500 detections in total). Line emission was analyzed by means of Non-local Thermal Equilibiurm codes to derive the electron temperature and density, and for the first time we are able to accurately probe different physical regimes behind a dissociative shock. We find a temperature stratification in the range 4000 K ÷ ? > 80,000 K, and a significant correlation between temperature and ionization energy. Two density regimes are identified for the ionized gas, a more tenuous, spatially broad component (density ∼103 cm−3), and a more compact component (density ≥ ? > 105 cm−3) likely associated with the hottest gas. A further neutral component is also evidenced, having a temperature ≲10,000 K and a density >104 cm−3. The gas fractional ionization was estimated by solving the ionization equilibrium equations of atoms detected in different ionization stages. We find that neutral and fully ionized regions co-exist inside the shock. Also, indications in favor of at least partially dissociative shock as the main mechanism for molecular excitation are derived. Chemical abundances are estimated for the majority of the detected species. On average, abundances of non-refractory/refractory elements are lower than solar of about 0.15/0.5 dex. This indicates the presence of dust inside the medium, with a depletion factor of iron of ∼40%.
Rifampicin-Manuka Honey Combinations Are Superior to Other Antibiotic-Manuka Honey Combinations in Eradicating Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms

Chronic wound infections are a major burden to both society and the health care industry. Bacterial biofilms are the major cause of chronic wound infections and are notoriously recalcitrant to treatments with antibiotics, making them difficult to eradicate. Thus, new approaches are required to combat biofilms in chronic wounds. One possible approach is to use drug combination therapies. Manuka honey has potent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and has previously shown synergistic activity in combination with antibiotics against common wound pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, manuka honey exhibits anti-biofilm activity, thereby warranting the investigation of its potential as a combination therapy with antibiotics for the topical treatment of biofilm-related infections. Here we report the first use of MacSynergy II to investigate the response of established S. aureus (strain NCTC 8325) biofilms to treatment by combinations of Medihoney (medical grade manuka honey) and conventional antibiotics that are used for preventing or treating infections: rifampicin, oxacillin, fusidic acid, clindamycin, and gentamicin. Using checkerboard microdilution assays, viability assays and MacSynergy II analysis we show that the Medihoney-rifampicin combination was more effective than combinations using the other antibiotics against established staphylococcal biofilms. Medihoney and rifampicin were strongly synergistic in their ability to reduce both biofilm biomass and the viability of embedded S. aureus cells at a level that is likely to be significant in vivo. Other combinations of Medihoney and antibiotic produced an interesting array of effects: Medihoney-fusidic acid treatment showed minor synergistic activity, and Medihoney-clindamycin, -gentamicin, and -oxacillin combinations showed overall antagonistic effects when the honey was used at sub-inhibitory concentration, due to enhanced biofilm formation at these concentrations which could not be counteracted by the antibiotics. However, these combinations were not antagonistic when honey was used at the inhibitory concentration. Confocal scanning laser microscopy confirmed that different honey-antibiotic combination treatments could eradicate biofilms. Our results suggest that honey has potential as an adjunct treatment with rifampicin for chronic wounds infected with staphylococcal biofilms. We also show that MacSynergy II allows a comprehensive examination of the synergistic effects of honey-antibiotic combinations, and can help to identify doses for clinical use.
Affect, Appraisal, and Consumer Judgment

When consumers receive verbal information about a product's attributes,the influence of the affect they are experiencing on their product evaluations depends on their belief that the product should be judged on the basis of hedonic versus utilitarian criteria. When consumers see the product before they receive attribute information, however, the product's appearance can stimulate them to form an affect-based initial impression that they later use as a basis for judgments independent of the criteria they would otherwise apply. Consequently, the mood that consumers happen to be in has different effects on their judgments than it would otherwise.
Supporting document 1 Risk assessment – Proposal P 1029 Maximum Level for Tutin in Honey Executive summary

Tutin is a plant-derived neurotoxin which is sometimes detected in New Zealand honey. Tutin contamination of honey occurs when bees gather honeydew from an insect that feeds on sap of the shrub Coriaria arborea (“tutu”). Consumption of tutu honeydew honey can result in serious acute adverse health effects. Temporary maximum levels (MLs) for tutin in honey and comb honey of 2 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively, currently exist in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 1.4.1 – Contaminants and Natural Toxicants).
Mechanistic basis for LQT 1 caused by S 3 mutations in the KCNQ 1 subunit of IKs

Long QT interval syndrome (LQTS) is a potentially fatal condition, characterized by a prolonged QT in­ terval (usually defined as longer than 440 ms for males and 460 ms for females on the electrocardiogram; Rossenbacker and Priori, 2007) and the development of serious arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardias and tor­ sade de pointes, which may degenerate into ventricular fibrillation). Hereditary LQTS is predominantly caused by mutations in at least 12 (Lehnart et al., 2007; Tester and Ackerman, 2009) known genes that code for directly or are involved in the function of ion channels in the heart. Recent genome­wide association studies suggest that additional genes with small effects on the QT interval may contribute to the significant phenotypic variation seen in this syndrome (Arking et al., 2006; Newton­Cheh et al., 2009). Of the 12 ion channel or related genes, mutations in KCNQ1 (LQT1), hERG (LQT2), and SCN5A (LQT3) are the most common, comprising 98% of all LQTS cases (Napolitano et al., 2005).
Effectiveness of Occupational Injury Prevention Policies in Spain

Objective. We examined the effectiveness of preventive interventions against occupational injuries (preferential action plans [PAPs]) developed by Spanish regional governments starting in 2000. Methods. We included 3,252,028 occupational injuries with sick leave due to mechanical causes occurring between 1994 and 2004 in manufacturing and private service companies. Time trends for occupational injury rates were estimated before and after implementation of PAPs in each region, with a control group defined for those regions in which no PAPs were implemented (e.g., Galicia, Madrid, and Cataluña). We determined annual change percentages and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) through a negative binomial regression model. Regions were grouped into three categories according to formal quality of their PAPs. Results. The regions with the best PAPs (Andalucia, Aragon, Valencia, and Murcia) showed annually increasing occupational injury rates (2.3%, 95% CI–2.5, 7.4) before implementation of PAPs. After PAPs were implemented, occupational injury rates decreased significantly to −7.4% (95% CI −10.2, −4.5). Similar results were also found for regions with PAPs of lower quality and even for regions that didn't implement a PAP (control group). These results did not vary substantially in stratified analysis by gender, age, type of contract, or length of sick leave. Conclusion. PAPs are not related to a general decline in occupational injury rates in Spain starting in 2000. Reinforcement of Spanish health and safety regulations and labor inspection activities since 2000, resulting from a social agreement between central government and social agents, remains an alternative hypothesis requiring additional research.
Pneumonia in solid organ transplant recipients: a prospective multicenter study

Pneumonia frequently affects solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, with high morbidity and mortality. However, the few studies on pneumonia in this population are mainly retrospective, single‐center, and long‐term studies, or include patients with only one type of SOT or a specific etiology. We performed a point prevalence study to investigate epidemiology, diagnosis, therapy, and outcome of pneumonia in an unselected SOT population.
Coherent free-space optical transmission with diversity combining for Gamma-Gamma atmospheric turbulence

The error rate performance of coherent free-space optical transmission is studied for Gamma-Gamma turbulent environments. The moment generating function of Gamma-Gamma distributed irradiance is obtained, along with a closed-form expression for the characteristic function for the square root of Gamma-Gamma distributed irradiance. Biterror rate expressions are presented for binary phase-shift keying multiple-input multiple-output free-space optical transmission with maximum ratio combining and equal gain combining receptions. These coherent optical systems are shown to greatly improve the system error rate performance.
An Efficient Kinetic Range Query for One Dimensional Axis Parallel Segments

We﻿present﻿a﻿kinetic﻿data﻿structure﻿named﻿Kinetic﻿Interval﻿Graph﻿(KI-Graph)﻿for﻿performing﻿efficient﻿ range﻿search﻿on﻿moving﻿one﻿dimensional﻿axis-parallel﻿segments. ﻿This﻿finds﻿applications﻿in﻿Artificial﻿ Intelligence﻿such﻿as﻿robotic﻿motion. ﻿The﻿structure﻿requires﻿O(n)﻿storage. ﻿The﻿time﻿taken﻿per﻿update﻿ when﻿a﻿critical﻿event﻿occurs﻿is﻿O﻿(1)﻿thereby﻿improving﻿responsiveness﻿when﻿compared﻿to﻿the﻿kinetic﻿ segment﻿trees,﻿while﻿the﻿overall﻿updates﻿across﻿all﻿segments﻿at﻿a﻿time﻿instance﻿is﻿at﻿most﻿n/2. ﻿Also,﻿ range﻿query﻿is﻿performed﻿efficiently﻿in﻿θ(k)﻿time,﻿where﻿k﻿segments﻿are﻿reported. KEywORDS Computational Geometry, Interval Graph, Kinetic Data Structures, Range Search, Segments
Fractures of the Base of the Fifth Metatarsal Distal to the Tuberosity: A Review

Fractures of the proximal part of the fifth metatarsal can be separated into two types: (1) those involving the tuberosity, and (2) those involving the proximal part of the diaphysis distal to the tuberosity. Recently it has been recognized that the latter group, Jones' fractures, may be difficult to treat. Although reports in the literature have indicated the potential difficulties in the treatment of Jones' fractures, prevailing guidelines for their management are ambiguous. Apparently the varied clinical and roentgenographic manifestations of these fractures have not been correlated with their response to treatment. In this paper we describe a classification of these fractures and a plan of treatment based on clinical and roentgenographic criteria that were developed to define acute fractures, delayed unions, and nonunions. The treatment of choice for acute fractures is immobilization of the limb in a toe to knee cast with nonweightbearing. Fractures with delayed union may eventually heal if they are treated conservatively, but an active athlete with delayed union or an established nonunion will benefit from operative intervention. The procedures of choice are (1) medullary curettage and bone grafting, and (2) closed axial intramedullary screw fixation using a 4.0-mm ASIF malleolar screw.
Glucose kinase-dependent catabolite repression in Staphylococcus xylosus

By transposon Tn917 mutagenesis, 16 mutants of Staphylococcus xylosus were isolated that showed higher levels of beta-galactosidase activity in the presence of glucose than the wild-type strain. The transposons were found to reside in three adjacent locations in the genome of S. xylosus. The nucleotide sequence of the chromosomal fragment affected by the Tn917 insertions yielded an open reading frame encoding a protein with a size of 328 amino acids with a high level of similarity to glucose kinase from Streptomyces coelicolor. Weaker similarity was also found to bacterial fructokinases and xylose repressors of gram-positive bacteria. The gene was designated glkA. Immediately downstream of glkA, two open reading frames were present whose deduced gene products showed no obvious similarity to known proteins. Measurements of catabolic enzyme activities in the mutant strains grown in the presence or absence of sugars established the pleiotropic nature of the mutations. Besides beta-galactosidase activity, which had been used to detect the mutants, six other tested enzymes were partially relieved from repression by glucose. Reduction of fructose-mediated catabolite repression was observed for some of the enzyme activities. Glucose transport and ATP-dependent phosphorylation of HPr, the phosphocarrier of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system involved in catabolite repression in gram-positive bacteria, were not affected. The cloned glkA gene fully restored catabolite repression in the mutant strains in trans. Loss of GlkA function is thus responsible for the partial relief from catabolite repression. Glucose kinase activity in the mutants reached about 75% of the wild-type level, indicating the presence of another enzyme in S. xylosus. However, the cloned gene complemented an Escherichia coli strain in glucose kinase. Therefore, the glkA gene encodes a glucose kinase that participates in catabolite repression in S. xylosus.
The Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease Study: Design and Methods

Purpose: To summarize the study design of the Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease Study (MEPEDS). Methods: The objectives of the MEPEDS are to: (1) estimate age- and ethnicity-specific prevalence of strabismus, amblyopia, and refractive error; (2) evaluate the association of selected risk factors with these ocular disorders; and (3) evaluate the association of ocular conditions on limitations in health-related functional status in a population-based sample of 12,000 children aged 6–72 months from four ethnic groups—African-American, Asian-American, Hispanics/Latinos and non-Hispanic White. Each eligible child undergoes an eye examination, which includes an interview with his/her parent. The interview includes an assessment of demographic, behavioral, biological, and ocular risk factors and health-related functional status. The examination includes fixation preference testing, visual acuity, stereoacuity, axial length measurement, cycloplegic refraction, keratometry, eye alignment, and anterior and posterior segment examination.
Boundary Role Ambiguity in Marketing-Oriented Positions: A Multidimensional, Multifaceted Operationalization

Though marketers have begun to use the role ambiguity construct in understanding the boundary role phenomenon, several researchers have noted that extant measures of role ambiguity are deficient because they do not represent the breadth (or multidimensionality) of the underlying construct. Building on previous work, the authors develop a multidimensional, multifaceted, 45-item role ambiguity construct (MULTIRAM) by delineating at a dimensional level the various role ambiguities perceived salient by marketing-oriented boundary spanners such as salespeople and customer service personnel. Using data from multiple samples, they provide evidence for reliability, stability, and convergent and discriminant validity for the seven facets of the MULTIRAM construct. Their analysis further reveals that Rizzo, House, and Lirtzman's global measure of role ambiguity underidentifies the role ambiguities faced by boundary spanners. Finally, the authors examine selected correlates and consequences of the MULTIRAM facets. The findings indicate that the MULTIRAM facets have nomological validity and depict differential relationships with the various correlates and consequences examined. Several implications for managers and researchers are discussed, and directions for future research are provided.
In-plane and out-of-plane anisotropic magnetoresistance in Ni80Fe20 thin films

The anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) has been measured for Ni${}_{80}$Fe${}_{20}$ thin films, with the magnetization vector rotating in the film plane as well as out of the film plane. The out-of-plane (OP) AMR is found to be considerably larger than the in-plane (IP) effect, and strongly dependent on the degree of texture. In untextured films, the difference between the IP- and the OP-AMR is explained in terms of a dimensionality effect, whereas in (111)-textured films an additional contribution to the OP-AMR is found.