Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcome and Prognostic Factors in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Experience

Patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with hematologic malignancies have a poor prognosis, although outcomes have improved in recent years. This study analyzed ICU mortality, short- and long-term survival, and prognostic factors for 100 consecutive critically ill patients with a hematologic malignancy who were admitted to our polyvalent ICU from January 2000 to May 2006. The median age was 55 years (range, 15-75 years; male-female ratio, 60:40). The main acute life-threatening diseases precipitating ICU transfer were respiratory failure (45 patients, 45%) and septic shock (33 patients, 33%). Forty-two patients (42%) were discharged from the ICU.The ICU mortality rate from 2004 to 2006 was lower than from 2000 to 2003 (49% versus 69%,P < .047). The 1- and 2-year probabilities of survival for patients discharged from the ICU were 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51%-84%) and 54% (95% CI, 34%-73%), respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed hemodynamic instability (odds ratio, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.17-3.83;P = .014) and mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 4.27; 95% CI, 1.70-10.74;P = .002) to be the main predictors of a poor survival prognosis. Almost half of patients with hematologic malignancy and life-threatening complications can be discharged from the ICU. Age and underlying disease characteristics do not influence ICU outcome, which is mainly determined by hemodynamic and ventilatory status.
Propensity Score Analysis

The Problem Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have long been heralded as antecedent to numerous positive organizational attitudes and outcomes. However, results on FWAs benefits are mixed which may be due to differences in employee characteristics. Not all individuals may desire such arrangements. This can confound group comparisons and may bias the results used in the development of human resource development (HRD) theory. The Solution Propensity score analysis is a statistical approach that utilizes covariates to match participants (e.g., FWAs vs. non-FWAs) on their likelihood of group assignment. Once matched, these differences are mitigated thus improving the ability to more precisely estimate program effects. The Stakeholders The intended audience for this article includes HRD scholars and scholar-practitioners interested in reducing non-equivalent group design bias in the context of flexible working arrangements and other HRD-related theory.
Propensity score analysis : fundamentals and developments

I. Fundamentals of Propensity Score Analysis 1. Propensity Score Analysis: Concepts and Issues, Wei Pan & Haiyan Bai 2. Overview of Implementing Propensity Score Analysis in Statistical Software, Megan Schuler II. Propensity Score Estimation, Matching, and Covariate Balance 3. Propensity Score Estimation with Boosted Regression, Lane F. Burgette, Daniel F. McCaffrey, & Beth Ann Griffin 4. Methodological Considerations in Implementing Propensity Score Matching, Haiyan Bai 5. Evaluating Covariate Balance, Cassandra W. Pattanayak III. Weighting Schemes and Other Strategies for Outcome Analysis after Matching 6. Propensity Score Adjustment Methods, M. H. Clark 7. Propensity Score Analysis with Matching Weights, Liang Li, Tom H. Greene, & Brian C. Sauer 8. Robust Outcome Analysis for Propensity-Matched Designs, Scott F. Kosten, Joseph W. McKean, & Bradley E. Huitema IV. Propensity Score Analysis on Complex Data 9. Latent Growth Modeling of Longitudinal Data with Propensity-Score-Matched Groups, Walter L. Leite 10. Propensity Score Matching on Multilevel Data, Qiu Wang 11. Propensity Score Analysis with Complex Survey Samples, Debbie L. Hahs-Vaughn V. Sensitivity Analysis and Extensions Related to Propensity Score Analysis 12. Missing Data in Propensity Scores, Robin Mitra 13. Unobserved Confounding in Propensity Score Analysis, Rolf H. H. Groenwold & Olaf H. Klungel 14. Propensity-Score-Based Sensitivity Analysis, Lingling Li, Changyu Shen, & Xiaochun Li 15. Prognostic Scores in Clustered Settings, Ben Kelcey & Christopher M. Swoboda Author Index Subject Index About the Editors Contributors
Sloan School of Management Working Paper 4389-02 April 2002 SOLVING REAL-LIFE LOCOMOTIVE SCHEDULING PROBLEMS

The locomotive scheduling problem (or the locomotive assignment problem) is to assign a consist (a set of locomotives) to each train in a pre-planned train schedule so as to provide them sufficient power to pull them from their origins to their destinations. Locomotive scheduling problems are among the most important problems in railroad scheduling. In this paper, we report the results of a study of the locomotive scheduling problem faced by CSX Transportation, a major US railroad company. We consider the planning version of the locomotive scheduling model (LSM), where there are multiple types of locomotives and we need to decide the set of locomotives to be assigned to each train. We present an integrated model that determines the set of active and deadheaded locomotives for each train, light traveling locomotives from power sources to power sinks, and train-to-train connections (specifying which inbound train and outbound trains can directly connect). An important feature of our model is that we explicitly consider consist-bustings and consistency. A consist is said to be busted when the set of locomotives coming on an inbound train is broken into subsets to be reassigned to two or more outbound trains. A solution is said to be consistent over a week with respect to a train, if the train gets the same locomotive assignment each day it runs. We give a mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation of the problem that contains about 197 thousand integer variables and 67 thousand constraints. An MIP of this size cannot be solved to optimality or near-optimality in acceptable running times using commercially available software. Using problem decomposition, integer programming, and very large-scale neighborhood search, we developed a solution technique to solve this problem within 30 minutes of computation time on a Pentium III computer. When we compared our solution with the solution obtained by the software in-house developed by CSX, we obtained a savings of over 400 locomotives, which translates into savings of over one hundred million dollars annually. 1 Ravindra K. Ahuja, Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. 2 Jian Liu, Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. 3 James B. Orlin, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. 4 Dushyant Sharma, Operations Research Center, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. 5 Larry Shughart, CSX Transportation, Jacksonville, FL 32202, USA.
Non-specific

based on an understanding of the pathophysiology of myofascial pain syndrome, to develop an optimal scheme of rehabilitation measures for the effective treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Materials and methods. Physical therapy, exercise therapy, therapeutic and acupressure massage of painful muscle knots, reflexology, osteopathy. Obtained results. Elimination of pain syndrome in the lower back of patients. Conclusions . Nonspecific myofascial pain syndrome is an actual problem that needs attention and further study. The complex effect on myofascial pain syndrome of medicinal drugs, methods of physical therapy and massage in combination with the use of a physiotherapeutic component and osteopathy leads to faster elimination of the pain syndrome than in the case of using standard therapy. That is why this article examines the problems of diagnosis and treatment of back pain syndrome, analyzes existing data on its physical therapy and risk factors for its occurrence, describes methods that were once used to help patients with this problem. An attempt was also made to find new approaches to the therapy of back pain syndrome and to integrate them into the general care system using a rehabilitation approach.
Comparing neutron and helium ion irradiation damage of REBa2Cu3O 7−δ coated conductor using x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Understanding the effects of high energy neutron damage on REBa2Cu3O 7−δ (REBCO) coated conductor is of vital importance for the design of the magnetic confinement systems for compact nuclear fusion power plants. However, neutron irradiation campaigns can only be carried out in a few facilities, and the experiments are very slow and expensive partly because the samples become radioactive. Ion irradiation provides an easily accessible alternative route to studying the effects of radiation on high temperature superconductors, which not only increases the volume of technical data that can be obtained but also enables more complex experiments such as in situ cryogenic irradiation. The question is, does ion damage offer a good proxy for neutrons? Here we use high energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption spectroscopy to probe the effects of fast neutron irradiation on the local environment around the copper ions in the REBCO layer of coated conductor tapes. We find that the spectral changes are similar to those induced by helium ion irradiation, suggesting that both projectiles produce the same types of structural defect in the REBCO lattice, although there is some evidence of an additional type of defect present in the sample heavily damaged by He+ ion irradiation. It is also shown that the linear degradation of superconducting transition temperature (T c ) of coated conductors with the calculated number of displacements per atom occurs at the same rate for neutrons and helium ions. Together these results provide new evidence suggesting that helium ions can emulate neutron point defect damage in REBCO high temperature superconductor reasonably well, increasing confidence that helium ions could be used as a useful proxy for neutrons in future experiments.
The viral origin of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

ME/CFS is a disabling and often severe disease, so-far incurable, that has long been associated with discrete outbreaks and sporadic incidents of viral-like illness. First, a word about the controversial name. The designation “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis” (abbreviated ME) originated following an outbreak at London’s Royal Free Hospital in 1955. More than 200 members of the hospital staff became disabled [1]. Melvin Ramsay, MD, eventually published important case descriptions in Lancet [2]. He coined “ME” based on predominant symptoms of muscle pain (myalgia) and effects on the brain (encephalo), spinal cord (myel), and inflammation (itis). For 32 years, “ME” was deemed acceptable until, in 1987, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) convened an extramural committee to change the name. CDC did so in response to a series of outbreaks of a similar, if not identical, illness in the United States, introducing “chronic fatigue syndrome” in 1988 [3]. Because the CDC name trivializes the serious nature of the disease, the patient community and many medical professionals prefer ME, which continues to be widely used in the United Kingdom and Europe. In 2015, a US Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee recommended yet another name, Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease [4], which has been largely ignored. Should inflammation of the brain and spinal cord be definitively shown with modern methods, the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis will finally be vindicated. The compromise name ME/ CFS is now used most frequently and will be used here despite its faults.
Weather Effects on Daily Traffic Accidents and Fatalities: Time Series Count Data Approach

The impact of weather conditions on traffic safety is a topic that has attracted considerable interest in the literature. In this research, an integer autoregressive model (INAR) is used to estimate the effects of weather conditions on four traffic safety categories: vehicle accidents, vehicle fatalities, pedestrian accidents and pedestrian fatalities, using 21 years of daily count data for Athens, Greece. The results suggest that the most consistently significant and influential variable is mean daily precipitation height along with its lagged value. It is found that, contrary to much previous research, increases in rainfall reduce the total number of accidents and fatalities as well as the pedestrian accidents and fatalities, a finding that may be attributed to the safety offset hypothesis resulting from more cautious and less speedy driver behavior. Similarly, temperature increase was found to lead to increased accidents.
Highly reproducible rat arterial injury model of neointimal hyperplasia

Models of arterial injury in rodents have been invaluable to our current understanding of vessel restenosis and play a continuing role in the development of endovascular interventions for cardiovascular disease. Mechanical distention of the vessel wall and denudation of the vessel endothelium are the two major modes of vessel injury observed in most clinical pathologies and are critical to the reproducible modelling of progressive neointimal hyperplasia. The current models which have dominated this research area are the mouse wire carotid or femoral injury and the rat carotid balloon injury. While these elicit simultaneous distension of the vessel wall and denudation of the luminal endothelium, each model carries limitations that need to be addressed using a complementary injury model. Wire injuries in mice are highly technical and procedurally challenging due to small vessel diameters, while rat balloon injuries require permanent blood vessel ligation and disruption of native blood flow. Complementary models of vascular injury with reproducibility, convenience, and increased physiological relevance to the pathophysiology of endovascular injury would allow for improved studies of neointimal hyperplasia in both basic and translational research. In this study, we developed a new surgical model that elicits vessel distention and endothelial denudation injury using sequential steps using microforceps and a standard needle catheter inserted via arteriotomy into a rat common carotid artery, without requiring permanent ligation of branching arteries. After 2 weeks post-injury this model elicits highly reproducible neointimal hyperplasia and rates of re-endothelialisation similar to current wire and balloon injury models. Furthermore, evaluation of the smooth muscle cell phenotype profile, inflammatory response and extracellular matrix within the developing neointima, showed that our model replicated the vessel remodelling outcomes critical to restenosis and those becoming increasingly focused upon in the development of new anti-restenosis therapies.
Validation of the Norwegian version of the Parents’ Evaluation of Aural/ Oral Performance of Children (PEACH+) for children with typical hearing aged 12–72 months

Background The Parents’ Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children (PEACH+) is a parent reported questionnaire. It was first developed in Australia (2007) to assess the effectiveness of hearing devices in young children, and to register how oral children under the age of five hear and communicate with others. Objective No validated version of the Norwegian translation of PEACH+ exists. This study therefore aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of a back-translated Norwegian version of the PEACH+, from a sample of Norwegian children with typical hearing. Methods Parents of 255 children with typical hearing between 12 and 72 months were recruited through kindergartens and social media platforms. Participants were asked to fill in the PEACH+ questionnaire on behalf of their child, in a digital format. Results High internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = .917) and satisfactory item-total correlation were found (.342-.678). Conclusion The Norwegian translation of PEACH+ shows good psychometric properties that are similar to the original version (Ching and Hill, 2007) and that of other translations. The PEACH+ questionnaire is therefore valid to use in a Norwegian context.
Modeling the intention and usage of medicine vending machine: Using partial least squares-structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis

Objective This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use and actual usage of medicine vending machines (MVMs) in China and to close the existing literature gap by examining the relationship between perceived convenience (PC), perceived trust, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, on the intention to use MVM in a comprehensive manner. The impact of facilitating conditions on MVM adoption was also examined. Finally, customer age was tested as a moderator. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that used data collected through a self-administered questionnaire. A combination of partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) technique was used to analyze and discuss the 308 valid questionnaires, test the hypotheses, and conduct an in-depth analysis. Results The results showed that PC, perceived trust, and performance expectancy were significantly related to the intention to use MVM. Effort expectancy was a non-significant predictor of intention to use MVM. Social influence was a significant negative predictor of the intention to use MVM. More importantly, performance expectancy was found to be a necessary factor for MVM intention, providing new marketing ideas for MVM owners. Age had a significant moderating effect on the facilitating conditions and intention to use vending machines. The relatively young population is more conscious of the facilitating conditions. Conclusions The findings of this study are of considerable importance as a guide for the main user group of vending machines. The combined analysis and discussion of PLS-SEM and NCA provide a sound theoretical basis for the practical implications of this study. In the future, we will attempt to use this technique in other areas of study. In terms of theoretical implications, this study provides technical references for future research.
Kinematics of the East African Rift from GPS and earthquake slip vector data

Abstract Although the East African Rift (EAR) System is often cited as the archetype for models of continental rifting and break-up, its present-day kinematics remains poorly constrained. We show that the currently available GPS and earthquake slip vector data are consistent with (1) a present-day Nubia-Somalia Euler pole located between the southern tip of Africa and the Southwest Indian ridge and (2) the existence of a distinct microplate (Victoria) between the Eastern and Western rifts, rotating counter-clockwise with respect to Nubia. Geodetic and geological data also suggest the existence of a (Rovuma) microplate between the Malawi rift and the Davie ridge, possibly rotating clockwise with respect to Nubia. The data indicate that the EAR comprises at least two rigid lithospheric blocks bounded by narrow belts of seismicity (<50 km wide) marking localized deformation rather than a wide zone of quasi-continuous, pervasive deformation. On the basis of this new kinematic model and mantle flow directions interpreted from seismic anisotropy measurements, we propose that regional asthenospheric upwelling and locally focused mantle flow may influence continental deformation in East Africa.
Stretch-activated ion channel TMEM63B associates with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies and progressive neurodegeneration

By converting physical forces into electrical signals or triggering intracellular cascades, stretch-activated ion channels (SACs) allow the cell to respond to osmotic and mechanical stress. Knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying associations of SACs with human disease is limited. Here we describe 16 unrelated patients, with severe early onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), intellectual disability, and severe motor and cortical visual impairment, associated with progressive neurodegenerative brain changes carrying ten distinct de novo variants of TMEM63B. Variants were missense, including the recurrent V44M in 7/16 patients, or in-frame, and affected highly conserved residues located in transmembrane regions of the protein. In 12 patients, haematological abnormalities co-occurred, such as macrocytosis and haemolysis, requiring blood transfusions in some. We modelled V44M, R443H, and T481N in transfected Neuro2a cells and demonstrated leak inward cation currents across the mutated channel even in isotonic conditions, while the response to hypo-osmotic challenge was impaired, as were the Ca2+ transients generated under hypo-osmotic stimulation. Ectopic expression of the V44M and G580C variants in Drosophila resulted in early death. TMEM63B-associated DEE represents a novel clinicopathological entity in which altered cation conductivity results in a severe neurological phenotype with progressive brain damage and early onset epilepsy, associated with haematological abnormalities in most patients.
Communication efficacy of South African National Parks : a case study of the Karoo National Park

According to the literature review, communication is the key to managing and building relationships in an organisation. To communicate holistically, an organisation needs to communicate internally and externally. Hargie, Dickson & Tourish (1999) state that effective communication is central to business success and Tjosvold (1991) further affirms that communication within and among groups is necessary for innovation. Lubbe & Puth (1994:94) declare that an organisation has its own particular set of role-players with whom it comes into contact. Research indicates that South African National Parks has the following role-players, namely the local community, the government, non-governmental organisation, tourists, donors and sponsors, honorary rangers, farmers, the media, the research community, SANParks' Head Office, other parks and their staff. The effectiveness of communication among the various role-players can be defined as the mutual acceptance of the message by the sender and receiver with minimal blockages to achieve organisational goals. A comprehensive literature review revealed that no research on effective communication in the tourism industry in South Africa could be found; this included research on national parks. This dissertation attempts to address the problem of assessing the effectiveness of the internal and external communication of the Karoo National Park. The reasons being that SANParks is a major tourism-related organisation and that legislation dictates South African National Parks' main functions, of which community relations is a significant one. The literature study was conducted on communication from a business perspective, the examination of effective communication, the role and function of South African National Parks (SANParks), and community tourism as a key function of SANParks. Quantitative and qualitative research was conducted on the internal and external communication of the Karoo National Park. The internal surveys include: a) interviews with members of SANParks' Head Office in Pretoria, b) interviews with members of the Karoo National Park's management team, and c) an internal communication audit of the staff of the Karoo National Park by a structured questionnaire. The external communication survey was conducted on the local community of Beaufort West situated adjacent to the Karoo National Park via a structured questionnaire; 240 questionnaires were collected. Data was captured in Microsoft Excel and data results were presented by descriptive, factor analysis and