Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the International Crowding Measure in Emergency Departments (ICMED) and the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Score (NEDOCS) to measure emergency department crowding: pilot study

Introduction There is uncertainty about the best way to measure emergency department crowding. We have previously developed a consensus-based measure of crowding, the International Crowding Measure in Emergency Departments (ICMED). We aimed to obtain pilot data to evaluate the ability of a shortened form of the ICMED, the sICMED, to predict senior emergency department clinicians’ concerns about crowding and danger compared with a very well-studied measure of emergency department crowding, the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Score (NEDOCS). Methods We collected real-time observations of the sICMED and NEDOCS and compared these with clinicians’ perceptions of crowding and danger on a visual analogue scale. Data were collected in four emergency departments in the East of England. Associations were explored using simple regression, random intercept models and models accounting for correlation between adjacent time points. Results We conducted 82 h of observation in 10 observation sets. Naive modelling suggested strong associations between sICMED and NEDOCS and clinician perceptions of crowding and danger. Further modelling showed that, due to clustering, the association between sICMED and danger persisted, but the association between these two measures and perception of crowding was no longer statistically significant. Conclusions Both sICMED and NEDOCS can be collected easily in a variety of English hospitals. Further studies are required but initial results suggest both scores may have potential use for assessing crowding variation at long timescales, but are less sensitive to hour-by-hour variation. Correlation in time is an important methodological consideration which, if ignored, may lead to erroneous conclusions. Future studies should account for such correlation in both design and analysis.
VPS36-Dependent Multivesicular Bodies Are Critical for Plasmamembrane Protein Turnover and Vacuolar Biogenesis1[OPEN]

Arabidopsis VPS36, an ESCRT-II component with ubiquitin-binding activity, is critical for MVB-mediated degradation of plasma membrane proteins. Most eukaryotic cells target ubiquitinated plasma membrane (PM) proteins for vacuolar degradation in response to environmental and developmental cues. This process involves endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT). However, little is known about the cellular mechanisms of ESCRTs in plants. Here, we studied the function of one ESCRT-II component, VPS36, which shows ubiquitin-binding activity and may form a putative ESCRT-II with VPS22 and VPS25 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Recessive mutation of the ubiquitously expressed VPS36 causes multiple defects, including delayed embryogenesis, defective root elongation, and limited expansion of cotyledons, and these effects can be complemented by its genomic DNA. Abnormal intracellular compartments containing several membrane transporters, including members of the PIN-FORMEDs, AUXIN RESISTANT 1, and PIP1 families, were found in vps36-1 plants. Employing a genetic approach to cross vps36-1/+ with transgenic plants harboring various fluorescent protein-tagged organelle markers, as well as fluorescent probe and ultrastructural approaches, revealed PM proteins in microsomal fractions from vps36-1 seedlings and demonstrated that VPS36 is critical for forming multivesicular bodies and vacuolar biogenesis for protein degradation. Our study shows that functional VPS36 is essential for a proper endosomal sorting pathway and for vacuolar biogenesis in Arabidopsis.
Sleep- and wake-dependent changes in neuronal activity and reactivity demonstrated in fly neurons using in vivo calcium imaging

Significance Sleep in fruit flies shares all the essential features of mammalian sleep. Here, by using in vivo calcium imaging, we show for the first time, to our knowledge, that neuronal activity and reactivity decline during sleep and increase during wake simultaneously in many cells of the fly brain. Furthermore, we show that long wake reduces baseline and evoked neural activity and causes neurons to respond inconsistently to stimuli. The latter finding is reminiscent of the phenomenon of “local sleep in wake” described in rats, in which single cortical neurons unpredictably go “offline” during extended wake, leading to performance errors. Thus, these findings open the way to use Drosophila to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the cognitive deficits caused by sleep loss. Sleep in Drosophila shares many features with mammalian sleep, but it remains unknown whether spontaneous and evoked activity of individual neurons change with the sleep/wake cycle in flies as they do in mammals. Here we used calcium imaging to assess how the Kenyon cells in the fly mushroom bodies change their activity and reactivity to stimuli during sleep, wake, and after short or long sleep deprivation. As before, sleep was defined as a period of immobility of >5 min associated with a reduced behavioral response to a stimulus. We found that calcium levels in Kenyon cells decline when flies fall asleep and increase when they wake up. Moreover, calcium transients in response to two different stimuli are larger in awake flies than in sleeping flies. The activity of Kenyon cells is also affected by sleep/wake history: in awake flies, more cells are spontaneously active and responding to stimuli if the last several hours (5–8 h) before imaging were spent awake rather than asleep. By contrast, long wake (≥29 h) reduces both baseline and evoked neural activity and decreases the ability of neurons to respond consistently to the same repeated stimulus. The latter finding may underlie some of the negative effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance and is consistent with the occurrence of local sleep during wake as described in behaving rats. Thus, calcium imaging uncovers new similarities between fly and mammalian sleep: fly neurons are more active and reactive in wake than in sleep, and their activity tracks sleep/wake history.
Optimal Filtering for Polynomial Systems with Partially Measured States and Multiplicative Noises

In this paper, the optimal filtering problem for polynomial systems with partially measured linear part and polynomial multiplicative noise over linear observations is treated proceeding from the general expression for the stochastic Ito differential of the optimal estimate and the error variance. As a result, the Ito differentials for the optimal estimate and error variance corresponding to the stated filtering problem are first derived. The procedure for obtaining a closed system of the filtering equations for any polynomial state with partially measured linear part and polynomial multiplicative noise over linear observations is then established, which yields the explicit closed form of the filtering equations in the particular case of a bilinear system state with bilinear multiplicative noise. In the example, the designed optimal filter is applied to solution of the optimal cubic sensor filtering problem, assuming a Gaussian initial condition for the cubic state. The resulting filter yields a reliable and rapidly converging estimate
Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide enhances glucose-evoked insulin secretion in the canine pancreas in vivo.

OBJECTIVE To study a local effect of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP(1-27)) on glucose-evoked insulin release under in vivo conditions. INTERVENTION Glucose and PACAP(1-27) were locally infused to the pancreas via the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery without interrupting the blood supply. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Plasma insulin and glucose concentrations were determined in samples obtained from the superior pancreaticoduodenal vein and the aorta. Superior pancreaticoduodenal venous blood flow was measured to compute the net output of insulin. RESULTS PACAP(1-27) (0.005-5 microg) increased the basal insulin secretion by about 15 folds in a dose-dependent manner. Local infusion of either glucose (5%) or PACAP(1-27) (0.05 microg) resulted in a significant increase in the basal insulin output to about 300 microU x min(-1)g(-1), which was highly reproducible upon the second administration of the same dose with an interval of 30 min. When PACAP(1-27) was simultaneously given during glucose infusion, the increased insulin output due to glucose was further enhanced to about 600 microU x min(-1)g(-1). The net increase in PACAP(1-27)-induced insulin output in the presence of glucose was significantly greater than that obtained with PACAP(1-27) alone. There exists a strong and highly significant correlation between changes in glucose level and those in insulin output when both glucose and PACAP(1-27) were administered simultaneously. CONCLUSION The results indicate that PACAP(1-27) directly enhances the glucose-evoked insulin secretion in the endocrine pancreas in anesthetized dogs. The study suggests that PACAP may play a local facilitating role in insulin secretion in response to glucose loading.
Oocyte competence in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients suffering from endometriosis and its possible association with subsequent treatment outcome: a matched case–control study

Endometriosis affects up to 15% of women of reproductive age. There is an obvious lack of studies dealing with morphological parameters of oocyte morphology in endometriosis patients in assisted reproduction. One aim of the study is to describe oocyte morphology in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection suffering from endometriosis. In addition, the impact of endometriosis on in vitro fertilization results is analyzed. Both in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients are then matched with an endometriosis‐free control group for highlighting the possible association of endometriosis with pregnancy outcome.
First-Order Perturbation Analysis of the SECSI Framework for the Approximate CP Decomposition of 3-D Noise-Corrupted Low-Rank Tensors

The Semi-Algebraic framework for the approximate Canonical Polyadic (CP) decomposition via SImultaneaous matrix diagonalization (SECSI) is an efficient tool for the computation of the CP decomposition. The SECSI framework reformulates the CP decomposition into a set of joint eigenvalue decomposition (JEVD) problems. Solving all JEVDs, we obtain multiple estimates of the factor matrices and the best estimate is chosen in a subsequent step by using an exhaustive search or some heuristic strategy that reduces the computational complexity. Moreover, the SECSI framework retains the option of choosing the number of JEVDs to be solved, thus providing an adjustable complexity-accuracy trade-off. In this work, we provide an analytical performance analysis of the SECSI framework for the computation of the approximate CP decomposition of a noise corrupted low-rank tensor, where we derive closed-form expressions of the relative mean square error for each of the estimated factor matrices. These expressions are obtained using a first-order perturbation analysis and are formulated in terms of the second-order moments of the noise, such that apart from a zero mean, no assumptions on the noise statistics are required. Simulation results exhibit an excellent match between the obtained closed-form expressions and the empirical results. Moreover, we propose a new Performance Analysis based Selection (PAS) scheme to choose the final factor matrix estimate. The results show that the proposed PAS scheme outperforms the existing heuristics, especially in the high SNR regime.
Nucleolar stress in Drosophila melanogaster

Nucleolar stress results when ribosome biogenesis is disrupted. An excellent example is the human Treacher Collins syndrome in which the loss of the nucleolar chaperone, Treacle, leads to p53-dependent apoptosis in embryonic neural crest cells and ultimately to craniofacial birth defects. Here, we show that depletion of the related nucleolar phosphoprotein, Nopp140, in Drosophila melanogaster led to nucleolar stress and eventual lethality when multiple tissues were depleted of Nopp140. We used TEM, immuno-blot analysis and metabolic protein labeling to show the loss of ribosomes. Targeted loss of Nopp140 in larval wing discs caused Caspase-dependent apoptosis which eventually led to defects in the adult wings. These defects were not rescued by a p53 gene deletion, as the craniofacial defects were in the murine model of TCS, thus suggesting that apoptosis caused by nucleolar stress in Drosophila is induced by a p53-independent mechanism. Loss of Nopp140 in larval polyploid midgut cells induced premature autophagy as marked by the accumulation of mCherry-ATG8a into autophagic vesicles. We also found elevated phenoloxidase A3 levels in whole larval lysates and within the hemolymph of Nopp140-depleted larvae vs. hemolymph from parental genotype larvae. Phenoloxidase A3 enrichment was coincident with the appearance of melanotic tumors in the Nopp140-depleted larvae. The occurrence of apoptosis, autophagy and phenoloxidase A3 release to the hemolymph upon nucleolar stress correlated well with the demonstrated activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in Nopp140-depleted larvae. We propose that JNK is a central stress response effector that is activated by nucleolar stress in Drosophila larvae.
Ability to return to work without restrictions in workers compensation patients undergoing hip arthroscopy

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of worker’s compensation (WC) patients to return to work without restrictions after hip arthroscopy. Twenty-nine WC patients along with age and gender matched controls who underwent hip arthroscopy were retrospectively reviewed after achieving maximum medical improvement (MMI) status at minimum 1 year postoperatively. Patient demographic factors were evaluated, along with the Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living and Sports-Specific subscales, and the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS). The majority of WC patients were able to return to work without restrictions after reaching MMI (20/29, 69.0%). WC patients who failed to return to work without restrictions had a prolonged time from injury to surgery (3.01 ± 2.16 months versus 6.36 ± 4.16 months; P = 0.0079), more concomitant orthopedic injuries (4/20, 20.0% versus 9/9, 100%; P = 0.0001), and higher body mass index (BMI) (26.61 ± 3.52 versus 29.54 ± 3.43; P = 0.047) than those who returned to work without restrictions. WC patients had significant improvement of patient-reported outcome scores following hip arthroscopy (P < 0.0001), but WC patients who returned to work without restrictions had higher scores than those who failed to do so (HOD-ADL: P < 0.0001; HOS-SS: P = 0.004; mHHS: P = 0.009). The majority of WC patients are able to return to work without restrictions when they reach MMI status following hip arthroscopy. Factors associated with failure to return to work without restrictions include prolonged time course between injury and surgical treatment, concomitant orthopaedic injuries, and a higher BMI. Level III, retrospective case-control study
Metabolic syndrome: prevalence and risk factors in Korean gout patients

Background/Aims We performed this study to investigate associations between metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and gout. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 151 patients with gout at the Department of Rheumatology in Korea University Ansan Hospital. The following measures were examined: waist circumference, blood pressure, alcohol consumption, and levels of triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting serum glucose, serum uric acid (SUA), creatinine, insulin, and C-peptide. We assessed metabolic syndrome by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and renal function by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation; patients were classified according to World Health Organization Asia-Pacific obesity criteria. Results The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in gout patients (50.8%) was higher than in non-gout patients. The mean SUA level was significantly higher in gout patients with metabolic syndrome (9.13 ± 3.15 mg/dL) than in gout patients without metabolic syndrome (8.14 ± 2.07 mg/dL). The mean SUA level was also significantly higher in patients with gout and CKD (9.55 ± 2.86 mg/dL) than in patients with gout but no CKD (7.74 ± 2.27 mg/dL). In gout patients, HOMA-IR was positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.409, p = 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with gout was 50.8%, which is higher than the prevalence in the general Korean population. Hyperuricemia in gout patients was correlated with metabolic syndrome and CKD. Insulin resistance may provide clues to better understand the relationship between metabolic syndrome, CKD, and gout.
Automatic classification of prostate cancer Gleason scores from multiparametric magnetic resonance images

Significance Gleason scores and ultimately the aggressiveness of prostate cancers determined using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy procedures could result in incorrect diagnosis in addition to patient discomfort. The Gleason scores determined from TRUS-guided biopsies often differ from immediate repeat biopsies and the biopsies determined following whole excision of the prostate. Our approach presents a highly accurate and automated method for differentiating between the high ≥7 and low Gleason score 6(3+3), as well as between 7(3+4) and 7(4+3) Gleason score cancers through multiparametric MRI combined with texture features computed on the same images. Noninvasive and accurate techniques such as ours can benefit patient care without subjecting them to unnecessary interventions. Noninvasive, radiological image-based detection and stratification of Gleason patterns can impact clinical outcomes, treatment selection, and the determination of disease status at diagnosis without subjecting patients to surgical biopsies. We present machine learning-based automatic classification of prostate cancer aggressiveness by combining apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MRI-based texture features. Our approach achieved reasonably accurate classification of Gleason scores (GS) 6(3+3) vs. ≥7 and 7(3+4) vs. 7(4+3) despite the presence of highly unbalanced samples by using two different sample augmentation techniques followed by feature selection-based classification. Our method distinguished between GS 6(3+3) and ≥7 cancers with 93% accuracy for cancers occurring in both peripheral (PZ) and transition (TZ) zones and 92% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. Our approach distinguished the GS 7(3+4) from GS 7(4+3) with 92% accuracy for cancers occurring in both the PZ and TZ and with 93% for cancers occurring in the PZ alone. In comparison, a classifier using only the ADC mean achieved a top accuracy of 58% for distinguishing GS 6(3+3) vs. GS ≥7 for cancers occurring in PZ and TZ and 63% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. The same classifier achieved an accuracy of 59% for distinguishing GS 7(3+4) from GS 7(4+3) occurring in the PZ and TZ and 60% for cancers occurring in PZ alone. Separate analysis of the cancers occurring in TZ alone was not performed owing to the limited number of samples. Our results suggest that texture features derived from ADC and T2-w MRI together with sample augmentation can help to obtain reasonably accurate classification of Gleason patterns.
The effects of policies concerning teachers’ wages on students’ performance = A tanári bérek alakulásának hatásaa tanulói teljesítményekre

Using country panel data of student achievement from PISA, 2003-2012 combined with national-level teacher salary data from the OECD; this study investigates if relatively short term -5-years - changes in the level and structure of statutory teacher salaries affect student performance in the European countries. Our results show that there are marked differences between subjects and by the experience of teachers. Higher statutory teacher salaries and larger growth of teacher salaries at the first part of teachers’ career increase students’ maths and science performance, while the effect was less pronounced on reading performance and at the second part of teacher career. Nevertheless, the reason for the lack of the effect of teacher salaries at the second part of teachers’ career may be the result of the lack of data on teachers’ actual salaries.
Effect of long-term mild hypothermia therapy in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: 1-year follow-up review of 87 cases.

OBJECT The goal of this study was to investigate the protective effects of long-term (3-14 days) mild hypothermia therapy (33-35 degrees C) on outcome in 87 patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Glasgow Coma Scale score < or = 8). METHODS In 43 patients assigned to a mild hypothermia group, body temperatures were cooled to 33 to 35 degrees C a mean of 15 hours after injury and kept at 33 to 35 degrees C for 3 to 14 days. Rewarming commenced when the individual patient's intracranial pressure (ICP) returned to the normal level. Body temperatures in 44 patients assigned to a normothermia group were maintained at 37 to 38 degrees C. Each patient's outcome was evaluated 1 year later by using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. One year after TBI, the mortality rate was 25.58% (11 of 43 patients) and the rate of favorable outcome (good recovery or moderate disability) was 46.51% (20 of 43 patients) in the mild hypothermia group. In the normothermia group, the mortality rate was 45.45% (20 of 44 patients) and the rate of favorable outcome was 27.27% (12 of 44 patients) (p < 0.05). Induced mild hypothermia also markedly reduced ICP (p < 0.01) and inhibited hyperglycemia (p < 0.05). The rates of complication were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS The data produced by this study demonstrate that long-term mild hypothermia therapy significantly improves outcomes in patients with severe TBI.
Faecal contamination and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in street-vended chili sauces in Mexico and its public health relevance

The street-vended food industry provides employment and cheap ready-to-eat meals to a large proportion of the population in developing countries like Mexico, yet little is known about its role in the transmission of food borne diseases (FBD). Because of its wide consumption, street-vended chili sauces in Mexico are potential vehicles of FBD. An observational study was performed in Mexico City collecting 43 street-vended chili sauces. These sauces were prepared under poor hygienic conditions of handling and selling. Consumers add 4–8 ml of chili sauce per taco, ingest 2–5 tacos per meal and on average, 50 consumers frequent a stall per day. Seventeen (40%) samples were faecally contaminated and 2(5%) sauces harboured sufficient enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to cause disease. We estimate that the consumption of only one of these chili sauces could result in ETEC disease in at least 21000 consumers per year, making them important potential vehicles of FBD.