Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome and attributable cost of ventilator-associated pneumonia among intensive care unit patients in a suburban medical center*

ObjectiveTo determine the attributable cost of ventilator-associated pneumonia from a hospital-based cost perspective, after adjusting for potential confounders. DesignPatients admitted between January 19, 1998, and December 31, 1999, were followed prospectively for the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Hospital costs were defined by using the hospital cost accounting database. SettingThe medical and surgical intensive care units at a suburban, tertiary care hospital. PatientsPatients requiring >24 hrs of mechanical ventilation. InterventionsNone. Measurements and Main ResultsWe measured occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, in-hospital mortality rate, total intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay (LOS), and total hospital cost per patient. Ventilator-associated pneumonia occurred in 127 of 819 patients (15.5%). Compared with uninfected, ventilated patients, patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia had a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score on admission (p < .001) and were more likely to require multiple intubations (p < .001), hemodialysis (p < .001), tracheostomy (p < .001), central venous catheters (p < .001), and corticosteroids (p < .001). Patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia were more likely to be bacteremic during their ICU stay (36 [28%] vs. 22 [3%];p < .001). Patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia had significantly higher unadjusted ICU LOS (26 vs. 4 days;p < .001), hospital LOS (38 vs. 13 days;p < .001), mortality rate (64 [50%] vs. 237 [34%];p < .001), and hospital costs ($70,568 vs. $21,620, p < .001). Multiple linear regression, controlling for other factors that may affect costs, estimated the attributable cost of ventilator-associated pneumonia to be $11,897 (95% confidence interval = $5,265–$26,214;p < .001). ConclusionsPatients with ventilator-associated pneumonia had significantly longer ICU and hospital LOS, with higher crude hospital cost and mortality rate compared with uninfected patients. After we adjusted for underlying severity of illness, the attributable cost of ventilator-associated pneumonia was approximately $11,897.
Recognition of on-line handwritten mathematical formulas in the E-chalk system

In this article, we present a system for the recognition ofon-line handwritten mathematical formulas which is usedin the electronic chalkboard (E-chalk), a multimedia systemfor distance-teaching. We discuss the classification of symbolsand the construction of the tree of spatial relationshipsamong them. The classification is based on support vectormachines and the construction of formulas is based onbaseline structure analysis.
Video analysis by means of major face determination

This paper studies the possibility of intelligent video analysis by means of major face determination in video. To deal with this problem, efficient and effective methods of face tracking, face chopping, face matching, graph partitioning, and temporal relation analysis are proposed. Our system is used to analyze many TV programs and reports promising results.
Active learning for multiple sensorimotor coordination based on state confidence

For a complex autonomous robotic system such as a humanoid robot, motor-babbling-based sensorimotor learning is considered an effective method to develop an internal model of the self-body and the environment autonomously. However, learning process requires much time for exploration and computation. In this paper, we propose a method of sensorimotor learning which explores the learning domain actively. Our approach discovers that the embodied learning system can design its own learning process actively, which is different from the conventional passive data-access machine learning. The proposed model is characterized by a function we call the “confidence”, and is a measure of the reliability of state control. The confidence for the state can be a good measure to bias the exploration strategy of data sampling, and to direct its attention to areas of learning interest. We consider the confidence function to be a first step toward an active behavior design for autonomous environment adaptation. The approach was experimentally validated in typical sensorimotor coordination such as arm reaching and object fixation, using the humanoid robot James and the iCub simulator.
Early Neurodegeneration Progresses Independently of Microglial Activation by Heparan Sulfate in the Brain of Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB Mice

Background In mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB, a lysosomal storage disease causing early onset mental retardation in children, the production of abnormal oligosaccharidic fragments of heparan sulfate is associated with severe neuropathology and chronic brain inflammation. We addressed causative links between the biochemical, pathological and inflammatory disorders in a mouse model of this disease. Methodology/Principal Findings In cell culture, heparan sulfate oligosaccharides activated microglial cells by signaling through the Toll-like receptor 4 and the adaptor protein MyD88. CD11b positive microglial cells and three-fold increased expression of mRNAs coding for the chemokine MIP1α were observed at 10 days in the brain cortex of MPSIIIB mice, but not in MPSIIIB mice deleted for the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 or the adaptor protein MyD88, indicating early priming of microglial cells by heparan sulfate oligosaccharides in the MPSIIIB mouse brain. Whereas the onset of brain inflammation was delayed for several months in doubly mutant versus MPSIIIB mice, the onset of disease markers expression was unchanged, indicating similar progression of the neurodegenerative process in the absence of microglial cell priming by heparan sulfate oligosaccharides. In contrast to younger mice, inflammation in aged MPSIIIB mice was not affected by TLR4/MyD88 deficiency. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate priming of microglia by HS oligosaccharides through the TLR4/MyD88 pathway. Although intrinsic to the disease, this phenomenon is not a major determinant of the neurodegenerative process. Inflammation may still contribute to neurodegeneration in late stages of the disease, albeit independent of TLR4/MyD88. The results support the view that neurodegeneration is primarily cell autonomous in this pediatric disease.
Pneumocystis pneumonia in HIV-positive patients in Spain: epidemiology and environmental risk factors

Specific environmental factors may play a role in the development of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in HIV‐positive patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the PCP incidence and mortality in hospitalized HIV‐positive patients in Spain during the combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era (1997 to 2011), as well as to analyze the climatological factors and air pollution levels in relation to hospital admissions and deaths.
An Improved A* Algorithm for Traffic Navigation in Real-Time Environment

With the development of car industry, the number of vehicles traveling on the roads is ever increasing, leading to traffic congestion problem which causes air pollution, driver frustration and meaningless fuel consumption. Excellent navigation algorithm is urgently needed and some solutions have been put forward to tackle the problem. However, existing studies are mostly devised for static networks. They are not effective when they are applied in real dynamic environments. This paper presents an improved A* algorithm in dynamic urban traffic to give an optimal path in real-time traffic environment. This algorithm not only tackles the congestion problem, but also solves the problem more efficiently.
Identification of Genetic Variation on the Horse Y Chromosome and the Tracing of Male Founder Lineages in Modern Breeds

The paternally inherited Y chromosome displays the population genetic history of males. While modern domestic horses (Equus caballus) exhibit abundant diversity within maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, no significant Y-chromosomal sequence diversity has been detected. We used high throughput sequencing technology to identify the first polymorphic Y-chromosomal markers useful for tracing paternal lines. The nucleotide variability of the modern horse Y chromosome is extremely low, resulting in six haplotypes (HT), all clearly distinct from the Przewalski horse (E. przewalskii). The most widespread HT1 is ancestral and the other five haplotypes apparently arose on the background of HT1 by mutation or gene conversion after domestication. Two haplotypes (HT2 and HT3) are widely distributed at high frequencies among modern European horse breeds. Using pedigree information, we trace the distribution of Y-haplotype diversity to particular founders. The mutation leading to HT3 occurred in the germline of the famous English Thoroughbred stallion “Eclipse” or his son or grandson and its prevalence demonstrates the influence of this popular paternal line on modern sport horse breeds. The pervasive introgression of Thoroughbred stallions during the last 200 years to refine autochthonous breeds has strongly affected the distribution of Y-chromosomal variation in modern horse breeds and has led to the replacement of autochthonous Y chromosomes. Only a few northern European breeds bear unique variants at high frequencies or fixed within but not shared among breeds. Our Y-chromosomal data complement the well established mtDNA lineages and document the male side of the genetic history of modern horse breeds and breeding practices.
Interactive privacy via the median mechanism

We define a new interactive differentially private mechanism --- the median mechanism --- for answering arbitrary predicate queries that arrive online. Given fixed accuracy and privacy constraints, this mechanism can answer exponentially more queries than the previously best known interactive privacy mechanism (the Laplace mechanism, which independently perturbs each query result). With respect to the number of queries, our guarantee is close to the best possible, even for non-interactive privacy mechanisms. Conceptually, the median mechanism is the first privacy mechanism capable of identifying and exploiting correlations among queries in an interactive setting. We also give an efficient implementation of the median mechanism, with running time polynomial in the number of queries, the database size, and the domain size. This efficient implementation guarantees privacy for all input databases, and accurate query results for almost all input distributions. The dependence of the privacy on the number of queries in this mechanism improves over that of the best previously known efficient mechanism by a super-polynomial factor, even in the non-interactive setting.
Magnesio-hornblende from Lüderitz, Namibia: mineral description and crystal chemistry

ABSTRACT Magnesio-hornblende (IMA2017-059) has been characterized in a specimen collected in the sand dunes of Lüderitz, Karas Region, Namibia. The empirical formula derived from electron microprobe analysis and single-crystal structure refinement is A(□0.73Na0.22K0.05)Σ1. 00B(Ca1.79Fe2+0.10Mg0.04Mn2+0.03Na0.04)Σ2. 00 C(Mg3.48Fe2+0.97Al0.28Fe3+0.23Cr3+0.01Ti0.03)Σ5. 00T(Si7.18Al0.82)Σ8. 00O22W[(OH)1.93F0. 05Cl0.02]Σ2. 00. Magnesio-hornblende is biaxial (–), with α = 1.640(2), β = 1.654(2), γ = 1.666(2) (measured with gel-filtered Na light, λ = 589.9 nm), 2V (meas.) = 82(1)° and 2V (calc.) = 84.9°. The unit-cell parameters are a = 9.8308(7), b = 18.0659(11), c = 5.2968(4) Å, β = 104.771(6)° and V = 909.64 (11) Å3 with Z = 2 and space group C2/m. The strongest eight reflections in the X-ray powder pattern [d values (in Å), I, (hkl)] are: 2.709, 100, (151); 8.412, 74, (110); 3.121, 73, (310); 2.541, 58, ($\bar{2}$02); 3.386, 49, (131); 2.596, 45, (061); 2.338, 41, ($\bar{3}$51); and 2.164, 39, (261).
Probing the kinesin reaction cycle with a 2D optical force clamp

With every step it takes, the kinesin motor undergoes a mechanochemical reaction cycle that includes the hydrolysis of one ATP molecule, ADP/Pi release, plus an unknown number of additional transitions. Kinesin velocity depends on both the magnitude and the direction of the applied load. Using specialized apparatus, we subjected single kinesin molecules to forces in differing directions. Sideways and forward loads up to 8 pN exert only a weak effect, whereas comparable forces applied in the backward direction lead to stall. This strong directional bias suggests that the primary working stroke is closely aligned with the microtubule axis. Sideways loads slow the motor asymmetrically, but only at higher ATP levels, revealing the presence of additional, load-dependent transitions late in the cycle. Fluctuation analysis shows that the cycle contains at least four transitions, and confirms that hydrolysis remains tightly coupled to stepping. Together, our findings pose challenges for models of kinesin motion.
Local wave activity budgets of the wintertime Northern Hemisphere: Implication for the Pacific and Atlantic storm tracks

A recently developed finite‐amplitude local wave activity (LWA) diagnostic framework quantifies eddy‐mean flow interaction on regional scales. Here we examine the column budgets of LWA for the winter Northern Hemisphere with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts ERA‐Interim product, with an eye toward quantifying the maintenance and variability of the Pacific and Atlantic storm tracks. The budget is governed by (i) low‐level meridional eddy heat flux, (ii) horizontal convergence of the LWA flux, and (iii) nonconservative (diabatic) sources‐sinks. In both regions, the low‐level meridional heat flux fuels LWA on seasonal timescales but the zonal LWA flux convergence and diabatic effects dominate the synoptic variability. Cospectral analysis shows that the interplay between barotropic zonal wind and column‐averaged LWA through the meridional eddy momentum flux convergence is significant over the Pacific but not the Atlantic. A first attempt at partitioning LWA into stationary and transient eddy contributions is also discussed.
The Application of the Ultrasound Technique in the Production of Rosé and Red Wines

The application of the ultrasound technique (US) in the production of rosé and red wines has demonstrated that the aromatic composition of rose wine can be affected and that it contributes to increasing the color of red wines without increasing the extraction of astringent tannins. The ultrasound treatment has favored the extraction of anthocyanins, which has had an impact on the increase in color density (C.D.) and has allowed greater color stability over time. Moreover, significant differences have been found between the two US systems applied, with continuous treatment being more effective in the extraction of phenolic compounds than pulsed treatment. The application system of the US also affects the aromatic composition of the wines. These results are of interest, as some esters have been described as important odorants in wines.
Exploring partners’ perspectives on participation in heart failure home care: a mixed‐method design

AIM To describe the partners' perspectives on participation in the care for patients with heart failure receiving home care. BACKGROUND Partners are often involved in care of patients with heart failure and have an important role in improving patients' well-being and self-care. Partners have described both negative and positive experiences of involvement, but knowledge of how partners of patients with heart failure view participation in care when the patient receives home care is lacking. DESIGN A convergent parallel mixed-method design was used, including data from interviews and questionnaires. METHODS A purposeful sample of 15 partners was used. Data collection lasted between February 2010 - December 2011. Interviews were analysed with content analysis and data from questionnaires (participation, caregiving, health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms) were analysed statistically. Finally, results were merged, interpreted and labelled as comparable and convergent or as being inconsistent. RESULTS Partners were satisfied with most aspects of participation, information and contact. Qualitative findings revealed four different aspects of participation: adapting to the caring needs and illness trajectory, coping with caregiving demands, interacting with healthcare providers and need for knowledge to comprehend the health situation. Results showed confirmatory results that were convergent and expanded knowledge that gave a broader understanding of partner participation in this context. CONCLUSION The results revealed different levels of partner participation. Heart failure home care included good opportunities for both participation and contact during home visits, necessary to meet partners' ongoing need for information to comprehend the situation.
Detection of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Enterobacteriaceae from Diseased Broiler Chickens in Lusaka District, Zambia

Poultry products in Zambia form an integral part of the human diet in many households, as they are cheap and easy to produce. The burden of poultry diseases has, however, remained a major challenge. Growing consumer demand for poultry products in Zambia has resulted in non-prudent antimicrobial use on farms, intending to prevent and treat poultry diseases for growth optimisation and maximising profits. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the different types of bacteria causing diseases in chickens in Lusaka and to detect the extended-spectrum lactamase (ESBL)-encoding genes. We collected 215 samples from 91 diseased chickens at three post-mortem facilities and screened them for Gram-negative bacteria. Of these samples, 103 tested positive for various clinically relevant Enterobacteriaceae, including Enterobacter (43/103, 41.7%), Escherichia coli (20/103, 19.4%), Salmonella (10/103, 9.7%), and Shigella (8/103, 7.8%). Other isolated bacteria included Yersinia, Morganella, Proteus, and Klebsiella, which accounted for 21.4%. E. coli, Enterobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The results revealed that E. coli, Enterobacter, and Shigella were highly resistant to tetracycline, ampicillin, amoxicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, while Salmonella showed complete susceptibility to all tested antibiotics. The observed resistance patterns correlated with antimicrobial usage estimated from sales data from a large-scale wholesale and retail company. Six (6/14, 42.9%) E. coli isolates tested positive for blaCTX-M, whilst eight (8/14, 57.1%) Enterobacter samples tested positive for blaTEM. Interestingly, four (4/6, 66.7%) of the E. coli isolates carrying blaCTX-M-positive strains were also positive for blaTEM. Sanger sequencing of the PCR products revealed that five (5/6, 83.3%) of the abovementioned isolates possessed the blaCTX-M-15 allele. The results suggest the presence of potentially pathogenic ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in poultry, threatening public health.
Mechanical life prognosis of high voltage circuit breakers based on support vector machine

Mechanical fault is one of the main faults occurring during the life cycle of high-voltage circuit breakers (HVCBs), which has a significant influence on the reliability of the electrical power system. In this paper, the mechanical prediction algorithm for HVCBs based on support vector machine (SVM) was studied. Firstly, we used a sliding time window (STW) method to extract features of the travel curves of the movable contacts and coil current curves of HVCBs. Then the historic data were used to learn a support vector regression machine and finally to predict the new curves. In the end, the mechanical life experiment data of a HVCB were applied to validate the feasibility of the algorithm. The results showed that the proposed algorithm could predict the mechanical condition of HVCBs successfully.
A unified statistical framework for sequence comparison and structure comparison.

We present an approach for assessing the significance of sequence and structure comparisons by using nearly identical statistical formalisms for both sequence and structure. Doing so involves an all-vs.-all comparison of protein domains [taken here from the Structural Classification of Proteins (scop) database] and then fitting a simple distribution function to the observed scores. By using this distribution, we can attach a statistical significance to each comparison score in the form of a P value, the probability that a better score would occur by chance. As expected, we find that the scores for sequence matching follow an extreme-value distribution. The agreement, moreover, between the P values that we derive from this distribution and those reported by standard programs (e.g., BLAST and FASTA validates our approach. Structure comparison scores also follow an extreme-value distribution when the statistics are expressed in terms of a structural alignment score (essentially the sum of reciprocated distances between aligned atoms minus gap penalties). We find that the traditional metric of structural similarity, the rms deviation in atom positions after fitting aligned atoms, follows a different distribution of scores and does not perform as well as the structural alignment score. Comparison of the sequence and structure statistics for pairs of proteins known to be related distantly shows that structural comparison is able to detect approximately twice as many distant relationships as sequence comparison at the same error rate. The comparison also indicates that there are very few pairs with significant similarity in terms of sequence but not structure whereas many pairs have significant similarity in terms of structure but not sequence.
Phosphodiesterases Regulate BAY 41-2272-Induced VASP Phosphorylation in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

BAY 41-2272 (BAY), a stimulator of soluble guanylyl cyclase, increases cyclic nucleotides and inhibits proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this study, we elucidated mechanisms of action of BAY in its regulation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) with an emphasis on VSMC phosphodiesterases (PDEs). BAY alone increased phosphorylation of VASPSer239 and VASPSer157, respective indicators of PKG and PKA signaling. IBMX, a non-selective inhibitor of PDEs, had no effect on BAY-induced phosphorylation at VASPSer239 but inhibited phosphorylation at VASPSer157. Selective inhibitors of PDE3 or PDE4 attenuated BAY-mediated increases at VASPSer239 and VASPSer157, whereas PDE5 inhibition potentiated BAY-mediated increases only at VASPSer157. In comparison, 8Br-cGMP increased phosphorylation at VASPSer239 and VASPSer157 which were not affected by selective PDE inhibitors. In the presence of 8Br-cAMP, inhibition of either PDE4 or PDE5 decreased VASPSer239 phosphorylation and inhibition of PDE3 increased phosphorylation at VASPSer239, while inhibition of PDE3 or PDE4 increased and PDE5 inhibition had no effect on VASPSer157 phosphorylation. These findings demonstrate that BAY operates via cAMP and cGMP along with regulation by PDEs to phosphorylate VASP in VSMCs and that the mechanism of action of BAY in VSMCs is different from that of direct cyclic nucleotide analogs with respect to VASP phosphorylation and the involvement of PDEs. Given a role for VASP as a critical cytoskeletal protein, these findings provide evidence for BAY as a regulator of VSMC growth and a potential therapeutic agent against vasculoproliferative disorders.