Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HEALTHCARE STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY: KEY FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE IN CONVERTING INPATIENT TO OUTPATIENT FACILITIES

Healthcare strategic sustainability seeks to integrate in a cost effective manner sustainable development and design practices with health care facilities that are holistic places of healing for patients; and a safe, efficient, and effective environment for staff. This study focused on six United States Army military healthcare facilities involving conversion from inpatient to outpatient facilities. Data was collected in an intensive interview process from twenty-nine participants representing three stakeholder categories: planners (design and construction), operators (facility management and information technology), and users (clinical staff). The specific research questions addressed what design/building changes were made to accommodate the change from an inpatient to an outpatient care business model; and which existing design/building elements generated significant constraints or benefits when implementing the desired new design concept? The research also explored whether any desired design/building changes were not made, and why; and the extent to which social (quality of care and/or quality of life), economic (cost), or environmental (adaptable and sustainable) factors were considered? The findings confirm the impact of certain design elements on the conversion and adaptability of hospitals; and suggest the need to educate organizations on which design elements to invest in that not only meet cost and environmental quality goals, but also contribute positively to staff quality of life.
How Do Inventory Costs Affect Dealer Behavior in the US Corporate Bond Market?

I show that dealer behavior in the US corporate bond market is consistent with dealers bearing a time-varying cost of holding inventory. Liquidity is worse when inventory costs increase, especially for bonds with lower credit ratings, customers with lower bargaining power, and larger trades. When inventory costs increase, dealers sell more high yield bonds, but sell less investment grade, suggesting a flight to quality. Inventory costs don't affect dealers' trades immediately unwound in the inter-dealer market, but do affect the rate at which these trades occur, as dealers' willingness and ability to risk-share in the inter-dealer market change.
Regulated plasma levels of colony‐stimulating factors, interleukin‐6 and interleukin‐10 in patients with acute leukaemia and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma undergoing cytoreductive chemotherapy

Endogenous plasma levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF), granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), IL‐6 and IL‐10 were measured in a total of 70 patients undergoing cytoreductive chemotherapy for treatment of acute leukaemia or non‐Hodgkin’s lymphomas. The diagnoses were acute myeloid leukaemia (AML; n = 30), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL; n = 6), non‐Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL; n = 11) and other malignant haematological disorders including myelodysplastic syndromes (n = 23). After chemotherapy, plasma G‐CSF was elevated (mean 5.6 ng/ml; range 1.2–10 ng/ml), and was inversely correlated with white blood cell counts (WBC) (r = −0.7, P < 0.001). Occurrence of fever (T>38.0°C) during severe myelosuppression (WBC<1 × 109/l) was associated with an additional increase of G‐CSF levels (P < 0.001). Plasma IL‐6 correlated significantly with fever (range <1 to 1100 pg/ml, mean 130 pg/ml; r = 0.5, P < 0.001) but revealed only a weak association with WBC or platelet counts. In patients treated with recombinant G‐CSF (n = 9), an association between IL‐6 and fever was still observed after chemotherapy. During the nonfebrile status (total n = 242; AML n = 124), IL‐6 levels remained <9 pg/ml in 90% of cases, whereas G‐CSF increased with leucopenia (r = −0.72; P < 0.001). In contrast, endogenous GM‐CSF remained normal and IL‐10 showed only a slight increase (21% of samples; maximum 22 pg/ml) in severe leucopenia. In particular, IL‐10 levels did not correlate with G‐CSF or IL‐6 levels.
Peridural Methylprednisolone and Wound Infiltration With Bupivacaine for Postoperative Pain Control After Posterior Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial

Study Design. A randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial in multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain was conducted. Objective. To examine whether combination of corticosteroid and bupivacaine administered in patients undergoing posterior lumbosacral spine surgery reduces postoperative morphine consumption, back and leg pain relief, and improves functional disability and general health status. Summary of Background Data. Patients with lumbar spine surgery had moderate to severe postoperative pain. Administration of corticosteroid or injection of local anesthetic agent has been additive treatment methods for opioid drugs. There is uncertainty as to whether corticosteroid and bupivacaine combination improves outcomes in lumbosacral spine surgery. Methods. A total of 103 patients who were scheduled to undergo elective posterior lumbar discectomy, decompressive laminectomy with or without instrumented fusion for degenerative spinal diseases, received either methylprednisolone locally applied to the affected nerve roots (and bupivacaine was infiltrated into the wound) or injected placebo. Morphine consumption and pain scores were recorded at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. Oswestry Index and Short Form SF-36 scores were recorded before surgery and at 1 and 3 months later. Results. Demographic data between the 2 groups were comparable. The cumulative morphine dose and postoperative pain was significantly lower in the study group than in the placebo group (P = 0.01 and P = 0.001, respectively). When performing subgroup analyses, the beneficial effects were found in all groups of surgery but could not demonstrated statistically significant difference for all subgroup comparisons. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to pain on cough, Oswestry Index, and SF-36 scores. No complications were associated with the perioperative use of methylprednisolone or bupivacaine. Conclusions. Administration of methylprednisolone-bupivacaine provided a favorable effect immediately after posterior lumbosacral spine surgery for discectomy, decompression, and/or spinal fusion without complication.
Hepatitis B virus–DNA level and basal core promoter A1762T/G1764A mutation in liver tissue independently predict postoperative survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major etiological factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the postoperative prognostic value of the virological factors assayed directly from liver tissue has never been investigated. To address this issue, 185 liver samples obtained from the noncancerous part of surgically removed HBV‐associated HCC tissues were subjected to virological analysis. Assayed factors included the amount of HBV‐DNA in the liver tissues; genotype; and the presence of the HBV precore stop codon G1896A mutation, basal core promoter A1762T/G1764A mutation, and pre‐S deletions/stop codon mutation. All virological factors and clinicopathological factors were subjected to Cox proportional hazard model analysis to estimate postoperative survival. It was found that an HBV‐DNA level >3.0 × 107 copies/g of liver tissue and the presence of the basal core promoter mutation independently predicted disease‐free (adjusted hazard ratio 1.641 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.010‐2.667] and 2.075 [95% CI 1.203‐3.579], respectively) and overall (adjusted hazard ratio 2.807 [95% CI 1.000‐7.880] and 5.697 [95% CI 1.678‐19.342], respectively) survival. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis indicated that in‐frame, short stretch (<100 bp) pre‐S deletions, but not large fragment (>100 bp) pre‐S deletions, were significantly associated with poorer disease‐free (P = 0.005) and overall (P = 0.020) survival. A hot deletion region located between codons 107 and 141 of the pre‐S sequence was identified for the short stretch pre‐S deletion mutants. Conclusion: The amount of HBV‐DNA in liver tissue and the presence of the basal core promoter mutation were two independent predictors for postoperative survival in HCC. A short stretch pre‐S deletion located between codons 107 and 141 was strongly associated with a poorer postoperative prognosis. (Hepatology 2010)
The Pricing of Derivatives in Illiquid Markets

This paper develops a parametric model for liquidity effects due to trading. The liquidity parameterisation is defined to consist of a transaction cost effect and a price slippage effect, the latter felt by all participants in the market. The model is based on the CRR binomial trees and is applied to the pricing and hedging of options. It can be used to derive natural bid-ask spreads for an option given the liquidity in the underlying. The paper also mentions further applications to portfolio trading, liquidity options and strike detection.
Fluid Flow Induces Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis Polysaccharide Intracellular Adhesin-Positive Clinical Isolates

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus epidermidis is a common cause of catheter-related bloodstream infections, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality and increased hospital costs. The ability to form biofilms plays a crucial role in pathogenesis; however, not all clinical isolates form biofilms under normal in vitro conditions. Strains containing the ica operon can display significant phenotypic variation with respect to polysaccharide intracellular adhesin (PIA)-based biofilm formation, including the induction of biofilms upon environmental stress. Using a parallel microfluidic approach to investigate flow as an environmental signal for S. epidermidis biofilm formation, we demonstrate that fluid shear alone induces PIA-positive biofilms of certain clinical isolates and influences biofilm structure. These findings suggest an important role of the catheter microenvironment, particularly fluid flow, in the establishment of S. epidermidis infections by PIA-dependent biofilm formation.
Comparison of Bacteriological Profile & Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Community Acquired & Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infection

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious disease diagnosed both in community and in hospital. As antibiotic resistance is on the rise among uropathogens, it is important to have local community and hospital based knowledge of the organisms causing UTI and their sensitivity pattern to choose correct treatment regimen. Aims & objectives: The study was done with the objective to compare the prevalence &antibiogram among the bacterial isolates of both the community acquired UTI and nosocomial UTI. Materials & Methods: It was a cross sectional study carried out in the Department of Microbiology, SUT Medical College during Dec 2015 to Nov 2016.A total of 1500 urine samples 750 from community acquired and 750 from hospitalized patients were cultured aerobically. All those isolates were identified by standard microbiological techniques and their antibiotic susceptibility was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: In both cases females were more affected with a male: female ratio 1:1.6 & major age group was 2040 years. Culture positivity was 850(56.66%) in which Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate 245 (54.44%) in community acquired & 212(53%) in nosocomial UTI. There was remarkably high level of resistance with Ampicillin & Co-trimoxazole in both study groups. Aminoglycosides were found effective in both groups.Third generation Cephalosporins were found more sensitive in community acquired UTI.Nitrofurantoin was found equally effective in both community& hospital acquired UTI.In our study all the isolates in both study groups were sensitive to Carbapenems. Conclusion: Uropathogen resistance rates of several antibiotics are higher for urinary specimens obtained from inpatients than outpatients. These differences should be considered when empirically treating patients who present with urinary tract symptoms and awaiting culture reports.
The Moderating Effect of Switching Costs on the Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in an Industrial Context: An Empirical Analysis

This research examines the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in an industrial context. The purpose of the research is to understand and explain better the antecedents of customer loyalty as well as an under-studied moderating effect, namely, switching costs. Toward this end, the extant literature is drawn upon to establish a conceptual model as well as seven hypotheses which are subsequently empirically tested using especially collected data from the European animal feed industry. Significant support is found for the model and hypotheses, suggesting important theoretical as well as managerial implications for establishing greater customer loyalty in an industrial context.
Proposing a KMS Success Model for Healthcare

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) have been employed by organizations to facilitate knowledge sharing. However, previous studies have found that the implementation of KMS is often unsuccessful due to the reluctance of employees to use these systems to share knowledge. This study is intended to examine the factors potentially influencing knowledge sharing which may also affect the success of knowledge management systems (KMS), and to explore the relationships between these factors. The focus of this study is the success of KMS in healthcare, since there is little research in this area. The research model is proposed as an improvement to the existing KMS Success Model by considering some external factors that may influence knowledge sharing. A better understanding of the factors that motivate knowledge sharing would encourage more use of KMS and would provide better development of KMS in healthcare. Further empirical research will be conducted to test and validate the model.
Effects of Chronic Ethanol Consumption and Aging on Dopamine, Serotonin, and Metabolites

Abstract: This study examined the hypothesis that chronic ethanol consumption results in significant abnormalities in both the dopaminergic and the serotonergic system of aged rats. Levels of dopamine (DA), serotonin [5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT)], 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid (5‐HIAA) were determined in brain areas of both the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic DA systems in 5‐, 14‐, and 24‐month‐old male Fischer 344 rats. Aging was associated with a reduced concentration of DA in the striatum (ST), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and ventral pallidum (VP) and an increased concentration of 5‐HIAA in the ST, globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens, frontal cortex, and VP. In addition, there was an increase in the 5‐HIAA/5‐HT ratio in all brain areas analyzed. Six weeks of ethanol consumption was accompanied by significant changes in mesocorticolimbic brain areas. In the VTA of 5‐month‐old ethanol‐fed rats DA content was decreased to the levels found in aged rats, e.g., 24 months of age. Ethanol also significantly lowered 5‐HT and 5‐HIAA contents in the VTA and reduced DOPAC and 5‐HIAA levels in the VP. In addition, ethanol blunted the normal age‐related increase in 5‐HIAA/5‐HT ratio in the VTA, VP, and substantia nigra. It is interesting that although the age‐related changes were found in both nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic brain areas, the ethanol‐associated effects were found only in brain areas of the mesocorticolimbic system. The changes in DA and 5‐HT function that accompany aging and ethanol consumption may contribute to the problems in motor function and ethanol abuse found in the aged.
Endothelin receptor A blockade alters hemodynamic response to nitric oxide inhibition in rats.

We examined the extent to which the systemic and renal vasoconstriction induced by nitric oxide (NO) inhibition in vivo is mediated by endothelin (ET). We examined the effects of BQ-610, a specific ETA-receptor antagonist, after NO inhibition with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in the anesthetized rat. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased after L-NAME infusion from 107 +/- 2 to 133 +/- 3 mmHg (P < 0.05 vs. baseline period) then fell to 115 +/- 3 mmHg after administration of BQ-610 (P < 0.05 vs. L-NAME and baseline periods). Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) increased from 1.26 +/- 0.06 to 2.17 +/- 0.18 mmHg.ml-1.min.300 g after L-NAME (P < 0.05 vs. baseline period) then fell to 1.69 +/- 0.12 mmHg.ml-1.min.300 g after BQ-610 (P < 0.05 vs. L-NAME and baseline periods). The increase in renal vascular resistance (RVR) from 6.4 +/- 0.4 to 13.7 +/- 1.4 mmHg.ml-1.min.300 g induced by L-NAME (P < 0.05 vs. baseline period) was reduced to 11.1 +/- 1.0 mmHg.ml-1.min.300 g by BQ-610 (P < 0.05 vs. L-NAME and baseline periods). The extent to which BQ-610 reversed the L-NAME-induced increases in RVR and SVR was comparable (RVR by 40 +/- 9%; SVR by 52 +/- 7%). Glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow were both reduced by L-NAME, but neither value increased after BQ-610, possibly because the renal vasodilation induced by ETA blockade was offset by the concomitant reduction in MAP and renal perfusion pressure. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Emphysema discrimination from raw HRCT images by convolutional neural networks

Emphysema is a chronic lung disease that causes breathlessness. HRCT is the reliable way of visual demonstration of emphysema in patients. The fact that dangerous and widespread nature of the disease require immediate attention of a doctor with a good degree of specialized anatomical knowledge. This necessitates the development of computer-based automatic identification system. This study aims to investigate the deep learning solution for discriminating emphysema subtypes by using raw pixels of input HRCT images of lung. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is used as the deep learning method for experiments carried out in the Caffe deep learning framework. As a result, promising percentage of accuracy is obtained besides low processing time.
Severe Sepsis Due to Chryseobacterium indologenes in an Immunocompetent Adventure Traveler

ABSTRACT Chryseobacterium indologenes is an environmental organism which is usually an opportunistic pathogen, most usually associated with nosocomial or device-related infections. This case, affecting a fit and well adventure traveler, demonstrates that it may be an agent of severe sepsis in otherwise healthy humans.
Shaping Proto-Value Functions Using Rewards

In reinforcement learning (RL), an important sub-problem is learning the value function, which is chiefly influenced by the architecture used to represent value functions. is often expressed as a linear combination of a pre-selected set of basis functions. These basis functions are either selected in an ad-hoc manner or are tailored to the RL task using the domain knowledge. Selecting basis functions in an ad-hoc manner does not give a good approximation of value function while choosing functions using domain knowledge introduces dependency on the task. Thus, a desirable scenario is to have a method to choose basis functions that are task independent, but which also provide a good approximation for the value function. In this paper, we propose a novel task-independent basis function construction method that uses the topology of the underlying state space and the reward structure to build the reward-based Proto Value Functions (RPVFs). The approach we propose gives good approximation for the value function and enhanced learning performance. The performance is demonstrated via experiments on grid-world tasks.
Protected Areas and the Management of Fisheries: An Institutional Perspective

Marine protected areas have been advocated as a useful tool in fisheries management. However, as protected areas they are a ‘blunt’ tool to manage fishery operations; in the sense that they do not alter the incentives of individual fishers, the outcomes from protected area creation are likely to be dependent on other management mechanisms which alter incentives. Implementing protected area management of fisheries has also been viewed as beneficial in the sense that they provide a low cost management tool. In this paper, the optimal fishery management structure, in light of transaction costs, and which integrates protected areas and effort controls as a mechanism used to control the extraction of fishery resources, is explored. The policy implications of the results are also discussed.
NMR Properties of Formamide: A First Principles and Experimental Study

The tensors corresponding to the second-rank NMR observables, nuclear shielding, quadrupole coupling, and spin-spin coupling of formamide (HCONH2, FA) were determined using several first principles quantum chemical methods. The changes induced on the shielding and quadrupole coupling tensors by intermolecular hydrogen bonding were examined computationally. Liquid crystal NMR experiments were performed for dissolved FA in the SDS and CTAB lyotropic mesophases and their isotropic phases and in the gas phase. We report experimental data on shielding, quadrupole coupling, and spin-spin coupling constants. The convergence of the calculations with the basis set completeness and the treatment of electron correlation were investigated. The calculated and experimental data on the anisotropic properties of the C, N, and O shielding tensors are found to be in good agreement, given the large error limits of the latter caused by the low degree of order of FA in these systems. The medium effects on the observables are found to be readily understood by comparison of structurally relaxed FA monomer and chain trimer calculations. The calculated spin-spin coupling constants are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The anisotropic properties of the corresponding tensors are calculated to be small enough to prevent experimental detection and not to disturb structure determinations by using experimental dipolar couplings. The principal components and the orientation of the principal axis systems of each of the NMR tensors are specified.
Interleukin 22 serum levels are associated with radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives To study the role of interleukin 22 (IL-22) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods IL-22 serum levels were measured in patients with early, treatment-naive RA (n=49) and in 45 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as controls. Patients were assessed clinically and radiographically at baseline and followed up for 2 years. Correlations of IL-22 serum levels were sought with parameters of disease activity, serological markers, demographic factors and the incidence of erosions. IL-22 production by peripheral blood T cells was investigated by intracellular flow cytometry. Results 24 of 49 patients with RA demonstrated elevated IL-22 levels compared with the range of healthy controls. At baseline, a high percentage of these patients (8/24, 33%) demonstrated bone erosions, whereas only one patient (4%) from the group with normal IL-22 had erosions. During the 2 years of follow-up, six additional patients with increased IL-22 at baseline developed erosions. In contrast, none of the patients in whom IL-22 levels were normal developed erosions despite similar treatment regimens. Multivariate regression analysis accounting for other parameters predictive for erosions, such as the presence of rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and disease activity, showed that elevated IL-22 baseline levels were independently and significantly associated with erosive RA. Cellular analysis demonstrated enhanced expression of IL-22 from CD4 T cells in RA. Conclusion IL-22 is elevated in the serum of half of the patients with RA. Elevated serum IL-22 allows discrimination between patients with different radiographic progression and indicates a possible involvement of IL-22 in the pathophysiology of RA.