Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical and Microbiologic Characteristics of Early-Onset Sepsis Among VLBW Infants: Opportunities for Antibiotic Stewardship.

BACKGROUND Most very-low birth weight (birth weight <1500 grams, VLBW) infants receive empiric antibiotics for risk of early-onset sepsis (EOS). The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of VLBW infants with culture-confirmed EOS at a single center during 25 years, to identify opportunities for antibiotic stewardship. METHODS Retrospective cohort study including VLBW infants admitted from 1990-2015. EOS was defined as isolation of a pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture obtained < 72 hours of age. Clinical and microbiologic characteristics of EOS case infants were obtained by review of medical, laboratory and administrative records. Blood culture, antibiotic initiation, and maternal discharge code data was available for all VLBW infants born 1999-2013. RESULT 109 EOS cases (20.5/1000 VLBW births) occurred during the study period. Preterm labor, preterm rupture of membranes and/or the obstetrical diagnosis of chorioamnionitis were present in 106/109 cases (97%). Obligate anaerobic organisms accounted for 16% of cases. Time to culture positivity was 36 hours for 88% and 48 hours for 98% of cases. From 1999-2013, 97% of VLBW infants were evaluated for EOS and 90% administered empiric antibiotics; 22% of these infants were born by Cesarean section to mothers with pre-eclampsia and without preterm labor or chorioamnionitis and had a 12-fold lower incidence of EOS compared to the remaining infants. CONCLUSION Decisions to initiate and discontinue empiric antibiotics among VLBW infants can be informed by the delivery characteristics of infected infants, and by local microbiologic data.
Older siblings' influence on sexual behavior of high school adolescents in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia

Background: Older siblings are one of the key sources of beliefs about sexual activity, including safe sexual practices, and can even exert pressure to engage in sexual activities. This effect persists beyond parental supervision and peer pressure. Despite this, although a considerable body of research has examined parental and peer influence, comparable data on older sibling influence on younger adolescent sexual behaviors are scant, and this area needs in-depth analysis. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess older siblings' influence on sexual behavior of high school adolescents in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia in 2017–2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, and a total of 285 adolescents who had ever had sex were sampled randomly from selected schools. Data were entered into Epi-info version 07 and exported to and analyzed with SPSS version 22. Means ± SD, frequency, percentage, and cross-tabulation were used to describe the result. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was fitted to compute older sibling influence. Results: Perceiving older sibling sexual behavior as risky increased adolescents’ likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. (AOR 4.52, 95% CI 2.59–7.89) whereas high intimacy with an older sibling (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.17–0.59) decreased the odds of risky sexual behavior (AOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.30–0.92). Conclusion: Older siblings had an influence on the sexual behavior of youngr adolescents. Perceiving older sibling sexual behavior as healthy and high sibling intimacy may serve as protective factors; however, risky sexual behavior of an older sibling can increase high school adolescents' likelihood for same. As such, families should realize that elders can affect their younger siblings' behavior, included the former in family strategies, and give them responsibility to protect their younger siblings.
Board of Commisioners Composition, Governance Committee, and Stock Price Synchronicity

Market returns do not fully explain individual stock return changes, suggesting insynchronous movement between the two types of returns. The phenomena is widely called stock price synchronicity. Stock price synchronicity refers to the extent to which firm-specific information incorporated in stock prices. Prior studies suggest that price synchronicity is negatively associated with information quality. Firms with poor informational environment is likely to produce unreliable financial reports. Hence, it is a necessity for a firm to establish internal mechanisms, reflected in its corporate governance system, to promote conducive informational environment. One pillar of good corporate governance is the existence of effective Board of Commissioner. This study examines the association between Board of Commissioner composition and stock price synchronicity. Board of Commissioners composition includes Board independence, Board size, and gender diversity. In addition, this study also examine the role of Governance Committee in lowering stock price synchronicity. Regression analysis show that Board size and Board independence are negatively associated with stock price synchronicity. But no significant result were found for gender diversity. These findings suggest that larger Board size and more independent Board play significant role in improving the quality of financial reporting. And the presence of female commsioners do not affect financial reporting quality.
Finite Element Analysis of Field Distribution and Characteristic Performance of Squirrel Cage Induction Motor with Broken Bars

This paper develops the foundations of a technique for diagnosis and characterization of effects of broken bars in squirrel-cage induction motors based on the comprehensive presentation of a time-stepping coupled finite element state space modeling approach. These studies are performed using the model to compute healthy and fault case performance data, from this data, the fault signatures are extracted. Theoretical approach together with experimental results derived from a two-pole 1.1 kW induction motor confirms the validity of the proposed method. Furthermore this method which might help to develop diagnostics of broken bars and performance evaluation of induction motor has great potential in future applications
Building a Strong Brand Equity in Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry has begun to exploit the potential of brand management very late compared to other industry. From 2013 to 2017, pharmaceutical companies have worked on the brand rather than on patents, following the example of companies operating in the consumer goods industry. This drives companies to adopt branding strategies that tend to explore the potential of the brand, which until then had remained unexpressed in the pharmaceutical sector. The analysis is focused on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, a category of pharmaceutical products in which companies have managed to better express the brand's potential, also because they are not subject to prescription or strict regulations. The objective of this article is to analyze: a) at first, the levers of creating brand equity for OTC drugs and b) to evaluate subsequently, the impact of the non-conventional communication of this type of drugs on the consumer in the Italian market. The research methodology used was qualitative and quantitative, based on a dual approach. In the first phase through a comparative case studies of companies operating in the pharmaceutical industry. In the second phase with a field research through a consumer questionnaire and analyzing the data with a statistical-descriptive method. The research results show that the traditional drug selection criteria still prevail, such as the experience and the advice of the doctor and pharmacist, but a non-negligible percentage of consumers considers the brand and the way in which it is communicated also important. in the pharmaceutical sector for their choices. Therefore, managers should exploit this important brand awareness on the part of consumers, implementing appropriate strategies of line or brand extention. Lastly, managers should develop unconventional marketing tools for OTC products, which build consumer experiences that go beyond the mere therapeutic functionality of the product.
New fast photomultipliers with a screening grid at the anode

Performances of new fast XP20Y0/DA and XP20Y0Q/DA 8 stage photomultipliers equipped with a screening grid at the anode were studied. The time jitter of the new PMTs was measured using a fast light pulser based on an XP22 light emitting diode. The tinting properties in coincidence experiments were measured with BaF/sub 2/, LSO and LaCl/sub 3/:Ce crystals for /sup 60/Co and /sup 22/Na gamma rays and discussed in terms of the measured photoelectron numbers. Particularly, the normalized time resolutions to the number of photoelectrons measured with BaF/sub 2/ crystals were comparable to that measured in the past with the XP2020Q in a superior dynode-timing mode. A significant improvement of timing up to a factor of 1.2 due to the grid at the anode was shown also in the measurements with LSO and LaCl/sub 3/:Ce crystals.
Rheological properties of lactose-free yoghurt in relation to enzyme concentrations

Lactose-free yoghurt is one of the main sources of useful nutrients for people who have got lactose intolerance. Therefore preparing lactose-free yoghurt is considered as an actual issue in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Many factors can affect the rheological and textural parameters of lactose-free yoghurt, including enzyme concentration, which is used to convert lactose in glucose and galactose. The aim of the study was to evaluate enzyme concentration influence on the rheological properties of lactose-free yoghurt. Yoghurt samples were made from pasteurized milk (fat content 2.5%, Tukuma piens Ltd., Latvia) using commercial frozen yoghurt starter culture FD-DVS YC-X11 (Danisco Ltd., Denmark) containing Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains, and different concentrations of enzyme NOLATM Fit 5500 (Chr Hansen JSC., Denmark) – 0; 500; 1000; 1500 and 2000 BLU L. Milk was pasteurized (95±1 °C, 5 min), cooled down (40±1 °C), inoculated with starter and enzyme, mixed and fermented till pH 4.8±0.1 then samples were mixed and cooled down till 5±1 °C. Textural properties and viscosity of yoghurt samples were analysed using texture analyser TA.HD Plus and DV-III Ultra Programmable Rheometer. Lactose, galactose, glucose contents were measured by HPLC (SHIMADZU, Prominence, USA). The textural properties (such as firmness, consistency, cohesiveness) and viscosity of analysed yoghurt samples were significantly (p<0.05) different for samples with higher enzyme concentration, which showed the lowest viscosity. Rheological properties denote a weaker network of yoghurt gel in samples with full lactose hydrolysis. Results from chromatography provided no lactose presence in any experimental sample with enzyme, the galactose was dominant monosaccharide in each sample treated with enzyme.
Sex Differences in Animal Models of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent and there is currently no adequate treatment. Understanding the underlying mechanisms governing TBI and recovery remains an elusive goal. The heterogeneous nature of injury and individual’s response to injury have made understanding risk and susceptibility to TBI of great importance. Epidemiologic studies have provided evidence of sex-dependent differences following TBI. However, preclinical models of injury have largely focused on adult male animals. Here, we review 50 studies that have investigated TBI in both sexes using animal models. Results from these studies are highly variable and model dependent, but largely show females to have a protective advantage in behavioral outcomes and pathology following TBI. Further research of both sexes using newer models that better recapitulate mild and repetitive TBI is needed to characterize the nature of sex-dependent injury and recovery, and ultimately identifies targets for enhanced recovery.
In Vivo Imaging Study of Angiogenesis in a Channelized Porous Scaffold

The main scientific issue hindering the development of tissue engineering technologies is the lack of proper vascularization. Among the various approaches developed for boosting vascularization, scaffold design has attracted increasing interest over the last few years. The aim of this article is to illustrate a scaffold design strategy for enhancing vascularization based on sacrificial microfabrication of embedded microchannels. This approach was combined with an innovative poly(ether urethane urea) (PEUtU) porous scaffold to provide an alternative graft substitute material for the treatment of tissue defects. Fluorescent and chemiluminescent imaging combined with computed tomography were used to study the behavior of the scaffold composition within living subjects by analyzing angiogenesis and inflammation processes and observing the variation in x-ray absorption, respectively. For this purpose, an IntegriSense 680 probe was used in vivo for the localization and quantification of integrin αvβ3, due to its critical involvement in angiogenesis, and a XenoLight RediJect Inflammation Probe for the study of the decline in inflammation progression during healing. Overall, the collected data suggest the advantages of embedding a synthetic vascular network into a PEUtU porous matrix to enhance in vivo tissue integration, maturation, and regeneration. Moreover, our imaging approach proved to be an efficient and versatile tool for scaffold in vivo testing.
Silicone rubber dielectrics modified by inorganic fillers for outdoor high voltage insulation applications

The paper discusses the mechanisms by which inorganic fillers in silicone rubber dielectrics enhance the properties of thermal conductivity, relative permittivity, and electrical conductivity making them useful in outdoor high voltage insulation applications. The addition of alumina tri-hydrate or silica fillers to silicone elastomers, forming binary composites with enhanced thermal conductivity, is discussed in relation to filler type, particle size, shape, and concentration, and its use as a housing material for non-ceramic insulators to minimize material erosion at dry band arcing sites by lowering hot spot temperature. Also discussed is the enhanced relative permittivity of silicone dielectrics that is obtained through the addition of barium titanate powder which can be further increased with the addition of aluminium powder forming a tertiary composite, resulting in a significant grading of the surface electric field when applied as a housing material to high voltage bushings. Controlled electrical conductivity of silicone dielectrics is discussed through the use of antimony-doped tin oxide filler binary composites and when applied as a housing material to outdoor bushings, the pollution performance is greatly enhanced.
Bivalirudin versus Heparin Monotherapy in Myocardial Infarction.

To the Editor: In the VALIDATE-SWEDEHEART trial, Erlinge et al. (Sept. 21 issue)1 compared bivalirudin with heparin monotherapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction who were undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Treatment included the use of one of the new P2Y12 inhibitors (ticagrelor, cangrelor, or prasugrel), which was given at least 60 minutes before PCI. Patients who received or were planned to receive glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were excluded from enrollment, and the low rates of ischemic events and stent thrombosis are probably attributable to the early administration of the new P2Y12 inhibitors. In the current era, in which immediate reperfusion in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is the goal and has been shown to reduce mortality, the administration of P2Y12 inhibitors more than 60 minutes before PCI may not be desirable in most patients presenting with STEMI. The authors report the time from the administration of P2Y12 inhibitors to PCI (Fig. 2 of the article, available at NEJM.org)1 as being more than 120 minutes in more than 1250 patients (approximately 42%) in each group. Considering that 50% of the patients who were enrolled in the trial had a presentation consistent with STEMI, what was the average door-toballoon time noted in the patients with STEMI in each group?
State Formation in First Millennium Southeast Asia: A Reappraisal

The paper analyses the characteristic features of the emerging ‘Indianized’, or ‘Indic’ kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The paper traces the connections between the power structures and various forms of violence, including warfare. The main sources are inscriptions in Sanskrit, Old Malay, Old Javanese, and Old Khmer. State formation is viewed as the formation of power structures, institutions, and arrangements. Contrary to current scholarly convention stated by Michael Vickery and Dougald O'Reilly that the decisive step to territorial states in Southeast Asia is the origin of the Angkor Empire in 802, the author supposes that the seventh century was crucial for the formation of the territorial polities. The inscriptions of the seventh century issued by the kings of Srivijaya, Chenla (Zhenla), and Campā, do mention territorial units inside the whole kingdom.
An Efficient Implementation of Motion Estimation with Weight Prediction for ITU-T H.264 MPEG-4 AVC

ITU-T H.264 \ MPEG-4 AVC includes weight prediction in inter prediction process to improve coding efficiency when encoding video with a fading scene. Weight prediction, however, increases complexity of motion estimation (ME) process significantly either in terms of additional operation or extra memory requirement. AVC standard performs weight prediction by scaling pixel value of the reference block to match with the fading effect. To follow this approach in ME, scaling operation has to be done at every pixel of all search blocks or pre-calculated before encoding. This paper proposes an efficient implementation method of weight prediction by scaling pixel value of the current block with an inverse of the weight factor instead. The proposed method reduces both the number of operations and memory requirement while sacrificing a negligible loss due to rounding error.
Endogenous modulation of compatibility effects: an Investigation into the temporal dynamics

ABSTRACT Compatibility effects (CEs) arise when multiple stimuli fall within the visual field, providing an indication of stimulus processing. Previous research demonstrated that exogenous factors (e.g., luminance) influence the magnitude of CEs and their time course. The current research investigated the influence of endogenous factors. We used a flanker paradigm with a variable temporal delay (SOA) between a flanker and a subsequent central stimulus appearing. To manipulate endogenous factors, we required responses to the flanker on either half or all of the trials. The results indicate that increasing the task relevance of the flanker strengthened the initial positive CE (measured at short SOAs), consistent with past findings related to exogenous factors. However, at longer SOAs, the CE did not reverse into a negative CE, which stands against findings related to exogenous factors. These results indicate that CEs are subject to endogenous modulation, but the temporal dynamics do not mimic exogenous modulation.
Study of saw-tooth chip in machining of Inconel 718 by metallographic technique

Abstract The present research work aims to understand the chip formation mechanisms in Inconel 718 machining through metallographic technique. The influence of machining speed on shear band and chip shape have been analyzed. Characterization of the shear band has been conducted by analyzing the shear band thickness, strain, strain rate, stress and micro-hardness. Additionally, chip reduction coefficient parameters and chip segmentation ratio parameters have been analyzed to understand the type of chip formation at various machining speeds. The observations and analysis of the same indicated that the formation of the saw-tooth chip is due to high-strain localization within the chip and crack initiation at the free surface of the chip. Thinner shear bands are observed at higher machining speed (120 m/min), and thicker shear bands are observed at lower machining speed (40 m/min). The magnitude of chip segmentation parameters indicates that crack generation increases with increase in machining speed.
Incidence of Le Fort Surgery in a Mature Cohort of Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate.

Primary repair of cleft lip and palate occurs early in life, but ideal timing of these interventions remains controversial. Prior research has indicated that a later palate repair may improve patients' midfacial growth long term, whereas optimal timing of lip repair to maximize midfacial growth has not been identified.The purpose of this study is to analyze a large, diverse cohort of patients with cleft lip and palate to determine whether timing of primary palate repair and primary lip repair contributed significantly to subsequent orthognathic surgery. METHODS Seventy-one nonsyndromic patients with cleft lip and/or palate were followed until age 23 years, and data regarding original diagnosis, surgical procedures, and dates were collected. Within our patient cohort, 12 patients (16.9%) underwent orthognathic surgery. Binary logistic regressions, Fisher exact tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to determine whether timing of primary palate repair and primary lip repair contributed significantly to subsequent orthognathic surgery. RESULTS In our cohort, the association of early lip repair with later orthognathic surgery trended toward significance (P = 0.080). Timing of primary palate repair was not significantly associated with later orthognathic surgery (P= 0.291). When correcting for sex, race, diagnosis, location of care, incidence of lip adhesions, and incidence of lip revisions, patient age at primary lip procedure was a significant predictor of later orthognathic surgery (P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS Inconsistent with prior research, age at primary palate repair in our cohort was not correlated with incidence of orthognathic surgery. Delayed primary lip repair was associated with a significant decrease in the rate of subsequent orthognathic surgery.
Control of Offshore DFIG-Based Wind Farm Grid With Line-Commutated HVDC Connection

The paper considers a control solution for integration of large offshore doubly fed induction generator based wind farms with a common collection bus, controlled by a static compensator, into the main onshore grid, using line-commutated high-voltage direct current connection. The paper's main focus is a mathematically grounded study of the power system interactions. That study produced an appropriate plant model for formal control design. A design procedure is described and the controlled system is validated using power systems computer-aided design/electromagnetic transient program simulations, which confirm the high performance of the proposed control strategy in both normal operation and fault conditions
Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Much of the advice we’ve been told about achievement is logical, earnest…and downright wrong. In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and most importantly, how anyone can achieve it. You’ll learn: • Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength • Whether nice guys finish last and why the best lessons about cooperation come from gang members, pirates, and serial killers • Why trying to increase confidence fails and how Buddhist philosophy holds a superior solution • The secret ingredient to “grit” that Navy SEALs and disaster survivors leverage to keep going • How to find work-life balance using the strategy of Genghis Khan, the errors of Albert Einstein, and a little lesson from Spider-Man By looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them—and find out in some cases why it’s good that we aren’t. Barking Up the Wrong Tree draws on startling statistics and surprising anecdotes to help you understand what works and what doesn’t so you can stop guessing at success and start living the life you want.