Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiologic characteristics of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care units

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common pathogen that causes ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care units (ICUs). Strain typing is a useful tool in tracking the spread of these infections. Primary objective was to study different strains causing VAP in Anesthesia ICUs. Secondary objective was to determine role of health-care workers (HCWs) and ICU environment in the transmission of these strains. Endotracheal aspirates of 60 VAP patients, surveillance samples from the HCWs (18 )and the ICU environment (193)were collected. Antibiogram typing and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) were used for comparison of the isolates from VAP patients and surveillance samples. Antibiogram showed 5 antibiotic susceptibility patterns that were designated A1-A5. ERIC-PCR yielded 1 to 5 amplification bands. All the isolates were typable by ERIC-PCR. Eight ERIC patterns were obtained ERIC(I)-ERIC(VIII). ERIC-PCR typing method gave higher discriminatory index (D) (0.7557) than antibiogram (0.6035). There was sharing of certain ERIC patterns among patient and HCWs or environmental sources. In Conclusion: K.pneumoniae is the most dominant pathogen in anesthesia ICUs. Throats and hands of HCWs are possible sources of pathogen transmission to patients. Surfaces with hand contact of the medical staff are often contaminated and may serve as vectors for cross transmission. Keywords: Ventilator-associated pneumonia, ICU environment, health-care workers, Klebsiella pneumoniae , antibiogram typing, ERIC-PCR
A phase II study of a temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy regimen for high-risk low-grade gliomas: Preliminary results of RTOG 0424.

2008 Background: The primary endpoint of RTOG 0424 was to compare the 3-year survival (OS) of a regimen of concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy (RT) in a high-risk low-grade glioma (LGG) population to the 3 year (yr) OS rate of the high risk EORTC LGG patients (pts) reported by Pignatti et al (J Clin Oncol 2002;20(8):2076-84). Secondary endpoints were: progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity, neurocognitive and quality of life data and molecular analysis. Methods: Pts with LGG's and >=3 high risk factors (age> = 40, astrocytoma dominant histology, tumor crossing midline, tumor > = 6 cm or preoperative neurological function status >1) were eligible and treated with conformal RT (54 Gy/30 fractions) plus concurrent TMZ 75 mg/m2 /day for 6 weeks and post-RT TMZ 150-200 mg/m2/day days 1-5 q28 days for up to 12 cycles. The study was designed to detect a 43% increase in median survival time (MST) from 40.5 to 57.9 months, and a 20% improvement in 3 yr OS rate from 54% to 65%, at a 10% s.
Differences in Characteristics of Farmers who Adopt and Who Do not Adopt a Cattle Business Insurance Program

One government program through the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia is insurance for cattle business as a manifestation of the government's partisanship in an effort to protect cattle farmers from the risk of death and loss of cattle. To support the program, Gowa Regency has implemented a cattle business insurance program. Farmers are a very influential factor in the adoption of cattle business insurance programs that have different characteristics to adopt so as to minimize the risk of their livestock business.This study aims to determine the differences in characteristics of farmers who adopt and who do not adopt a cattle business insurance program. This research was conducted in Bungaya District, Gowa Regency from February to March 2019. The method used is descriptive research using 98 farmers as a sample consisting of 63 people who adopted and 35 people who did not adopt, data collected through interviews and analyzed descriptively statistically. The results showed that differences in the characteristics of farmers who adopted and did not adopt a cattle business insurance program consisting of:(a) the age of farmers is mostly 38 to 54 years with those adopting 35 people and those who do not adopt 16 people; (b) most of them are male, where 51 farmers adopt and 28 farmers who do not adopt; (c) the last level of education of the farmer is mostly elementary school/equivalent who adopted as many as 25 people and those who did not adopt 14 people; (d) the total number of family members of farmers is 4 to 6 in which 29 people adopt and 22 people do not adopt; (e) the scale of the business of most 1 to 7 cattle owned by farmers as many as 54 people who adopted and 32 people who did not adopt; and (f) the experience of raising is mostly in the range of 10 to 23 years where those who adopt as many as 40 people and those who do not adopt 24 people.
Information encountering re-encountered

In order to understand the totality, diversity and richness of human information behavior, increasing research attention has been paid to examining serendipity in the context of information acquisition. However, several issues have arisen as this research subfield has tried to find its feet; we have used different, inconsistent terminology to define this phenomenon (e.g. information encountering, accidental information discovery, incidental information acquisition), the scope of the phenomenon has not been clearly defined and its nature was not fully understood or fleshed-out. ,In this paper, information encountering (IE) was proposed as the preferred term for serendipity in the context of information acquisition. ,A reconceptualized definition and scope of IE was presented, a temporal model of IE and a refined model of IE that integrates the IE process with contextual factors and extends previous models of IE to include additional information acquisition activities pre- and postencounter. ,By providing a more precise definition, clearer scope and richer theoretical description of the nature of IE, there was hope to make the phenomenon of serendipity in the context of information acquisition more accessible, encouraging future research consistency and thereby promoting deeper, more unified theoretical development.
Protease Activated Receptor 2 (PAR-2) Promotes Vascular Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract 375 Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hematologic disorder caused by a single nucleotide mutation of the beta-globin gene. It is associated with increased tissue factor (TF) expression, activation of coagulation and chronic vascular inflammation. Using two mouse models of SCD (BERK and Townes mice), we have recently demonstrated that inhibition of TF with a rat anti-mouse TF (1H1) antibody not only abolishes activation of coagulation (measured by plasma levels of thrombin anti-thrombin (TAT) complexes) but also reduces inflammation and endothelial cell (EC) injury, indicated by attenuation of plasma levels of IL-6 and sVCAM-1, respectively. Furthermore, we showed that EC-specific deletion of TF gene significantly reduced plasma levels of IL-6 but had no effect on activation of coagulation (TAT) or EC injury (sVCAM-1). These data suggest that EC-TF is primarily involved in signaling rather than activation of coagulation. Since TF:factor VIIa complex-dependent activation of protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) has been shown to promote inflammation, we have now investigated the role of PAR-2 expressed by non-hematopoietic cells in the pathology of SCD. PAR-2 +/+ and PAR-2 −/− mice were lethally irradiated and transplanted with bone marrow from BERK SS (sickle cell mice) or BERK AA (non-sickle control) mice(n=6–10). Four months after bone marrow transplantation, mice were sacrificed and the reconstitution of bone marrow was confirmed by electrophoretic analysis of the different forms of hemoglobin. PAR-2 +/+ mice transplanted with bone marrow from BERK SS mice had reduced number of red blood cells and hematocrit compared to PAR-2 +/+ mice transplanted with bone marrow from BERK AA mice. PAR-2 deficiency in all non-hematopoietic cells had no effect on these hematologic parameters. Furthermore, PAR-2 +/+ mice transplanted with bone marrow from BERK SS mice had increased number of monocytes (3.1 fold, p 3 /ul; p Our data demonstrate that vascular inflammation observed in a mouse model of sickle cell disease is mediated, in part, by PAR-2 expressed by non-hematopoietic cells. Activation of EC (sVCAM-1) was not affected by PAR-2 deficiency. Ongoing studies are investigating the possible contribution of the TF-thrombin-PAR1 pathway to the EC activation in SCD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Stock Return Dynamics after Analyst Recommendation Revisions

The study explores the correlation between the immediate and the longer-term stock returns following analyst recommendation revisions. In line with previous studies, documenting that recommendation revisions are followed by significant stock price drifts , I suggest that if a recommendation revision is followed by a relatively large short-term stock price drift, then it may indicate that the new information is more completely reflected by the respective stock's price, creating significantly less reasons for subsequent longer-term price drift, which therefore, should be significantly less pronounced compared to the one following another recommendation revision which is not immediately followed by a significant price drift in a short run. Employing a sample of recommendation revisions, I establish that positive (negative) one-, three- and six-month stock price drifts after recommendation upgrades (downgrades) are significantly more pronounced if the latter are immediately followed by relatively low (high) short-term (5- or 10-day) cumulative abnormal returns. The effect remains robust after accounting for additional company-specific (size, Market-Model beta, historical volatility) and event-specific (number of recommendation categories changed in the revision, analyst experience) factors.
Decision making by relatives of eligible brain dead organ donors

This thesis concerns the decision making process of relatives, who are requested to give consent for organ donation of their beloved brain dead patient. We did a literature review. Proxies are not always satisfied about their decision: 10% of families regrets consent, but over 33% of relatives who refuse donation regret their refusal afterwards. Focus interviews with physicians, ICU-nurses and transplant coordinators show that these caregivers are not aware of this regret. Relatives were approached with in deptht interviews about their decision making (proxies who gave consent as well as who refused donation). Relatives followed always the wish of the patient who was registered in the National Donor Register. If the patient was not registered, families did not always follow his wish –if known. In cases when the wish was not known, relatives mostly refused donation. These relatives are often ambivalent about their decision. Support in decision making is advised for these situations.
Population Dynamics and Spatial Dependence: Evidence from Brazilian Cities

This paper focuses on Brazil's population dynamics between 1970 and 2010. The first objective is to explore the behavior of Brazil's population distribution, revisiting the traditional rank-size rule and Markov chain approaches. To increase the accuracy of the information on the dynamics and evolution of the population distribution, spatial dependence is introduced through spatial Markov chains. The distribution shape may indicate that divergence in population size of minimum comparable areas (MCAs) is decreasing. The Zipf's law estimation indicates that the population distribution is, every decade, moving away from Pareto law. The Markov chain approach indicates, as main evidence, the high persistence of MCAs to remain in their own class size from one decade to another over the entire period, and that different spatial contexts have different effects on regional transitions.
Capacity Utilization and the NAIRCU

Most empirical studies provide evidence that the rate of capacity utilization is stable around a constant Non-accelerating inflation rate of capacity utilization (NAIRCU). Nevertheless , available statistical series of the rate of capacity utilization, which is unobservable, are constructed by assuming that it is stable over time. Hence, the stability of the NAIRCU is an artificial artefact. In this paper, we develop a method to estimate the rate of capacity utilization without imposing stability constraints. Partially inspired to the Production function methodology (PFM), we estimate the parameters of a production function by imposing aggregate correlations between the rate of capacity utilization and a set of macroeconomic variables, namely investment , labor productivity and unemployment. Our results show that the NAIRCU is not a constant rate but a non-stationary time-varying trend, and that chronicle under-utilization of capacity with stable inflation is a plausible equilibrium. Hence, persistent deviations of GDP might reflect persistent shocks to capacity utilization rather than exogenous shocks to total factor productivity. As a corollary, expansionary demand policies do not necessarily create permanent inflationary pressures if the NAIRCU is below full-capacity output, namely in post-crisis periods. Abstract Most empirical studies provide evidence that the rate of capacity utilization is stable around a constant Non-accelerating inflation rate of capacity utilization (NAIRCU). Nevertheless, available statistical series of the rate of capacity utilization, which is unobservable, are constructed by assuming that it is stable over time. Hence, the stability of the NAIRCU is an artificial artefact. In this paper, we develop a method to estimate the rate of capacity utilization without imposing stability constraints. Partially inspired to the Production function methodology (PFM), we estimate the parameters of a production function by imposing aggregate correlations between the rate of capacity utilization and a set of macroeconomic variables, namely investment, labor productivity and unemployment. Our results show that the NAIRCU is not a constant rate but a non-stationary time-varying trend, and that chronicle under-utilization of capacity with stable inflation is a plausible equilibrium. Hence, persistent deviations of GDP might reflect persistent shocks to capacity utilization rather than exogenous shocks to total factor productivity. As a corollary, expansionary demand policies do not necessarily create permanent inflationary pressures if the NAIRCU is below full-capacity output, namely in post-crisis periods.
Momentum and Reversals when Overconfident Investors Underestimate Their Competition

We develop a model in which overconfident investors overestimate their own signal quality but are skeptical of others’ Investors who are initially uninformed believe that early-informed investors have learned little, leading the former investors to provide excess liquidity, which, in turn, causes underreaction and short-run momentum. Skeptical investors can also react to stale information, causing momentum, followed by reversals. Hence, skepticism generates both momentum and reversals; the latter are amplified if investors overassess their own signal precision. We explain how long-run reversals can disappear while shorter-term momentum prevails, provide empirical implications, and link momentum to liquidity and price efficiency.
Characterization of the phenotype with cognitive impairment and protein mislocalization in SCA34

Objective To better characterize the neurologic and cognitive profile of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia 34 (SCA34) caused by ELOVL4 mutations and to demonstrate the presence of ELOVL4 cellular localization and distribution abnormalities in skin-derived fibroblasts. Methods We investigated a 5-generation French-Canadian kindred presenting with a late-onset cerebellar ataxia and recruited age- and education-matched controls to evaluate the presence of neurocognitive impairment. Immunohistochemistry of dermal fibroblasts derived from a patient's skin biopsy was performed. Results Patients had a late-onset slowly progressive cerebellar syndrome (mean age at onset 47 years; range 32–60 years) characterized by truncal and limb ataxia, dysarthria, hypometric saccades, and saccadic pursuits. No patient had past or current signs of erythrokeratodermia variabilis, which had previously been reported. MRI revealed cerebellar atrophy, with pontine atrophy (4 of 6 patients), and cruciform hypersignal in the pons (2 of 6 patients). Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET showed diffuse cerebellar hypometabolism in all 5 tested patients with subtle parietal hypometabolism in 3. Significant cognitive deficits were found in executive functioning, along with apparent visuospatial, attention, and psychiatric involvement. Immunohistochemistry of dermal fibroblasts showed mislocalization of the ELOVL4 protein, which appeared punctate and aggregated, supporting a dominant negative effect of the mutation on protein localization. Conclusions Our findings support the pathogenicity of ELOVL4 mutations in cerebellar dysfunction and provide a detailed characterization of the SCA34 phenotype, with neurocognitive changes typical of the cerebellar cognitive-affective syndrome.
CRISPRLearner: A Deep Learning-Based System to Predict CRISPR/Cas9 sgRNA On-Target Cleavage Efficiency

CRISPRLearner, the system presented in this paper, makes it possible to predict the on-target cleavage efficiency (also called on-target knockout efficiency) of a given sgRNA sequence, specifying the target genome that this sequence is designed for. After efficiency prediction, the researcher can evaluate its sequence and design a new one if the predicted efficiency is low. CRISPRLearner uses a deep convolutional neural network to automatically learn sequence determinants and predict the efficiency, using pre-trained models or using a model trained on a custom dataset. The convolutional neural network uses linear regression to predict efficiency based on efficiencies used to train the model. Ten different models were trained using ten different gene datasets. The efficiency prediction task attained an average Spearman correlation higher than 0.40. This result was obtained using a data augmentation technique that generates mutations of a sgRNA sequence, maintaining the efficiency value. CRISPRLearner supports researchers in sgRNA design task, predicting a sgRNA on-target knockout efficiency.
How Do Listening Comprehension Processes Differ by Second Language Proficiency? Top-Down and Bottom-Up Perspectives

ABSTRACT The present study aims to examine how listening comprehension processes (top-down and bottom-up) differ by second language proficiency. To investigate such differences, experiments (listening tasks) followed by questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants included 18 lower intermediate learners, 19 upper intermediate learners, and 23 advanced learners. Participants listened to materials under two conditions: (a) vocabulary knowledge; no background knowledge and (b) no vocabulary knowledge; background knowledge. Results showed that lower intermediate learners comprehended better in (a), whereas upper intermediate learners performed better in (b). No significant difference was observed between (a) and (b) for advanced learners.
ARTHROSCOPIC TREATMENT OF ANTERIOR IMPINGEMENT IN THE ANKLE

Background. Anterior soft tissue impingement is a common cause of chronic pain in the ankle. The preferred method of operative treatment is an arthroscopic excision of hypertrophic fibrous and synovial tissue in the anterior part of the ankle joint. Methods. We present the results of arthroscopic treatment of anterior ankle impingement in group of 14 patients. Results. Subjective improvement after the procedure was observed in all patients and 13 of them (93%) were without any symptoms after the operation. One patient reported of intermittent pain, especially when walking on uneven grounds. Conclusions. We conclude that arthroscopic excision of hypertrophic synovial tissue in the anterior part of the ankle which causes the symptoms of impingement is a minimally invasive procedure that is both safe and reliable. When used for appropriate indications, an improvement can be expected in over 90% of patients.
Intramembrane protease RHBDL4 induces ER-associated degradation of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex

The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-resident intramembrane rhomboid protease RHBDL4 generates metastable protein fragments and together with the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) machinery provides a clearance mechanism for aberrant and surplus proteins. However, the endogenous substrate spectrum and with that the role of RHBDL4 in physiological ERAD is mainly unknown. Here, we use quantitative proteomics to identify physiological RHBDL4 substrates. This revealed oligosacharyltransferase (OST) complex subunits such as the catalytic active subunit STT3A as substrates for the RHBDL4-dependent ERAD pathway. RHBDL4-catalyzed cleavage inactivates OST subunits by triggering dislocation into the cytoplasm and subsequent proteasomal degradation. RHBDL4-catalyzed cleavage is enhanced by positive charged transmembrane residues, which are recognized by a putative negative-charged docking site at the rhomboid active site gate. RHBDL4 controls the abundance and activity of OST, suggesting a novel link between the ERAD machinery and glycosylation tuning in the ER.
Effects of visual restriction and unstable base dual-task training on balance and concentration ability in persons with stroke

Objective: In the present study, the effects of visual restriction and unstable base dual-task training (VUDT), stable base dual-task training (SDT), and on stroke patients’ balance and concentration abilities were examined. Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: Dual-task training was conducted for thirty persons with chronic stroke who were hospitalized or receiving physical therapy and were randomly assigned to either the VUDT group (n=15) or the SDT group (n=15). The subjects were divided into two groups of 15 participants each, the VUDT group and the SDT group. Dual-task training was administered for 30 minutes per session, three times a week for 8 weeks. The participants’ balance was measured via the center of pressure migration distances, functional reach test (FRT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and attention was measured using the trail-making test and the Stroop test. Results: In comparisons within each group, the two groups showed significant differences before and after the training ( p <0.05). In the comparisons between the groups, the VUDT group showed significant improvements in center of pressure (COP), FRT, and BBS, and TMT compared to the SDT group ( p <0.05). Conclusions: It would be more effective to conduct dual-task training as a rehabilitation training program under vision restriction and unstable supporting surface conditions than to conduct the test under unstable supporting plane conditions to improve balance and attention in chronic stroke patients.
Results on contractions of Reich type in graphical b-metric spaces with applications

The main purpose of this article is to present some results concerning Reich type contractions in the graph structure in the framework of recently introduced graphical b-metric spaces. Our results are significant extensions and generalizations of some pioneer results in the existing theory. Innovative examples along with directed graphs are propounded to support the newfangled results, making the established theory more comprehensible. Final section is devoted to apply our results to the existence of solutions of some nonlinear problems along with some open problems which may be fruitful for the further scope of the study.