Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poor Visualization During Direct Laryngoscopy and High Upper Lip Bite Test Score Are Predictors of Difficult Intubation with the GlideScope® Videolaryngoscope

BACKGROUND:The GlideScope® videolaryngoscope allows equal or superior glottic visualization compared with direct laryngoscopy, but predictive features for difficult GlideScope intubation have not been identified. We undertook this prospective study to identify patient characteristics associated with difficult GlideScope intubation. METHODS:Demographic and morphometric factors were recorded preoperatively for 400 patients undergoing anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. After induction, direct laryngoscopy was performed in all patients to assess the Cormack and Lehane grade of glottic visualization followed by GlideScope intubation. The number of attempts and time needed for intubation were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the characteristics associated with difficult GlideScope intubation. RESULTS:Intubation required 1, 2, and 3 attempts in 342, 48, and 9 participants, respectively, with one failure. Mean time for intubation was 21 ± 14 s. After univariate analysis, the following characteristics were significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with longer time to intubate and/or multiple attempts: older age, male sex, history of snoring, high Mallampati class, small mouth opening, short sternothyroid and manubriomental distances, large neck circumference, high upper lip bite test score, and high Cormack and Lehane grade during direct laryngoscopy. However, after introducing these variables in nominal logistic and proportional hazard multiple regression models, only high Cormack and Lehane grade during direct laryngoscopy, high upper lip bite test score, and short sternothyroid distance were significantly associated with multiple attempts or lengthier intubations. CONCLUSION:Despite a high success rate, intubation with the GlideScope is likely to be more challenging in patients with high Cormack and Lehane grade during direct laryngoscopy, high upper lip bite test score, or short sternothyroid distance.
Extracting transmission lines from airborne LIDAR data

This letter presents an algorithm to aid in the automatic monitoring of high-voltage transmission lines using airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology. LIDAR data are first automatically labeled as transmission line, vegetation, or surface. The extracted transmission line data points are then segmented into individual spans using local affine models of the data. The algorithm correctly identified 86.9% of those data points that lay on transmission lines, and extracted 72.1% of the individual transmission line spans.
Low reverse recovery charge 30-V power MOSFETs for DC-DC converters

Two low reverse recovery charge solutions for 30-V power MOSFETs are proposed. One solution is a device consisting of a MOSFET and a Schottky barrier diode (SBD) in a single chip featuring a double epi structure to enhance the breakdown voltage. The other solution is a device with an integrated SBD in every unit cell that can achieve a high threshold voltage via the P- layer with Schottky contact. Both proposed devices exhibited low reverse recovery currents in simulations. Moreover, the surge voltage of the first device which we fabricated reduced by 58%, which enables the use of a lower voltage device and a reduction of the device loss.
Empirical mode decomposition for dimensionality reduction of hyperspectral data

In this study, a method based on the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is proposed for preliminary dimensionality reduction of hyperspectral data. The goal of the preliminary dimensionality reduction is to construct a lower dimensional space where class statistics tend to be better estimated and can thus be useful for further parametric feature extraction and classification. The proposed approach is tested on hyperspectral data containing agricultural crops that could hardly be discriminated from one to another. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the EMD for preliminary dimensionality reduction. The proposed approach gives a relatively promising performance compared to other methods such as the principal component analysis, the projection pursuit, and the wavelet approach.
Effect of Temperature and Duration Time of Maceration on Nitrate Content of Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less.: Circumscribed Central Composite Design and Method Validation

Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. is a herbal plant in Family Asteraceae. It can be used as a smoking cessation aid due to the fact that it contains nitrate which can induce tongue numbness and cause less favor of cigarette smell and taste. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of maceration temperature and time on the nitrate content of V. cinerea. A circumscribed central composite experimental design was applied in the work. Two factors (temperature and duration time) were investigated and two responses (yield of the extraction and nitrate content) were monitored. The high performance liquid chromatography using for quantitative analysis of nitrate content was validated. The HPLC response was linear (R2 = 1.000) in range of 10-100 μg/mL. The HPLC method was specific, precise, and accurate. The maceration temperature and time were varied from 40 to 100°C and 10 to 60 min, respectively. Results showed that maceration at high temperature and long duration time gave the simultaneous high yield of the extraction and nitrate content. The prediction by the computer software, Design-Expert, was stable, reliable, and accurate. The optimal condition that provided simultaneous high yield of the extraction and nitrate content was achieved when extraction was at 99.5°C for 56.4 min. V. cinerea extracted using the optimal condition gave the yield of the extraction and nitrate content of 15.6% and 0.610%, respectively. In conclusion, maceration temperature and duration time had a positive effect on yield of the extraction and nitrate content of V. cinerea. Furthermore, the optimal condition in this work could be used as a guide for extraction of V. cinerea to obtain the high yield of the extraction as well as nitrate content.
Application of Internet Cache Protocol (ICP), version 2

The disclosure is of an agricultural machine, for example a tedding or swath-turning machine, comprising an articulated frame for towing and rotary implements mounted upon wheels or rollers or sledges or other carrier elements and adapted to be towed by an agricultural tractor or other vehicle, characterized in that the articulated frame has two articulations to permit the machine to follow the contours of the ground and these two articulations are disposed between the two carrier elements which are closest to the middle of the machine.
UAV-Based Gigapixel Panoramic Image Acquisition Planning with Ray Casting-Based Overlap Constraints

Panoramic imaging is information-rich, low-cost, and effective. In panoramic image acquisition, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have a natural advantage that owes to their flexibility and relatively large observation ranges. Using a panoramic gimbal and a single camera may be the most common means of capturing gigapixel panoramas. In order to manage the constraints of UAV power and facilitate the use of a variety of camera lenses, an effective and flexible method for planning UAV gigapixel panorama acquisitions is required. To address this need, a panoramic image acquisition planning method is proposed in this paper. The method defines image overlaps via a ray casting procedure and then generates an acquisition plan according to the constraints of horizontal and vertical overlap thresholds. This method ensures the completeness of the panorama by maintaining the overlap between adjacent images. Two experiments, including simulated and field cases, were performed to evaluate the proposed method through comparisons with an existing panorama acquisition plan. Results showed that the proposed method can capture complete panoramas with fewer images.
Fragment‐Based Design of Novel Quinazolinon Derivatives as Human Acrosin Inhibitors

Human acrosin is a promising target for the male contraceptives. On the basis of the active site of human acrosin, a series of novel quinazolinon compounds were designed by a fragment docking and growing strategy. In vitro anti‐acrosin assay revealed that all the compounds showed potent human acrosin inhibitory activities. In particular, compounds 5c and 5g are more active than the known inhibitors. Molecular docking studies revealed that the quinazolinon inhibitors interacted with human acrosin mainly through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The binding mode was also consistent with the structure–activity relationships. The quinazolinon derivatives in this study can serve as new lead structure for the development of novel male contraceptives.
Prediction analysis of human error probability for mine hoisting systems

Mine hoisting accidents, as common and frequent disasters, the statistics shows 90% of them are caused by human errors. Therefore, studying human reliability of the systems can effectively reduce systems failure due to human errors. Although the significance of human reliability has been widely acknowledged, this technology, currently restricted to aerospace, aviation, nuclear industry, is not prevalent in industrial and mining enterprises. So cognitive reliability and error analysis method which is the typical second generation of human reliability analysis method is utilized to analyze the failure model during mine hoisting operation. It divides the whole process into the basic events which are further divided into basic operation sequences, and analyzes possible failure mode and failure probability of each cognitive activity of operators, and quantitatively calculates the possible failure probability of each basic event. Eventually, according to contribution of each cognitive failure prevention and control measures are put forward from the aspects of management and technology to ensure the reliability of the system by reducing the probability of human error to the minimum acceptable degree.
ShcA regulates neurite outgrowth stimulated by neural cell adhesion molecule but not by fibroblast growth factor 2: evidence for a distinct fibroblast growth factor receptor response to neural cell adhesion molecule activation

Homophilic binding in trans of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) mediates adhesion between cells and leads, via activation of intracellular signaling cascades, to neurite outgrowth in primary neurons as well as in the neuronal cell line PC12. NCAM mediates neurite extension in PC12 cells by two principal routes of signaling: NCAM/Fyn and NCAM/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), respectively. Previous studies have shown that activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases is a pivotal point of convergence in NCAM signaling, but the mechanisms behind this activation are not clear. Here, we investigated the involvement of adaptor proteins in NCAM and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2)‐mediated neurite outgrowth in the PC12‐E2 cell line. We found that both FGFR substrate‐2 and Grb2 play important roles in NCAM as well as in FGF2‐stimulated events. In contrast, the docking protein ShcA was pivotal to neurite outgrowth induced by NCAM, but not by FGF2, in PC12 cells. Moreover, in rat cerebellar granule neurons, phosphorylation of ShcA was stimulated by an NCAM mimicking peptide, but not by FGF2. This activation was blocked by inhibitors of both FGFR and Fyn, indicating that NCAM activates FGFR signaling in a manner distinct from FGF2 stimulation, and regulates ShcA phosphorylation by the concerted efforts of the NCAM/FGFR as well as the NCAM/Fyn signaling pathway.
Is there an association between implementation of a medical team training program and surgical mortality?

Objective: To determine whether an association existed between the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical team training and surgical outcomes. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: 108 VHA hospitals (74 with and 34 without team training). Intervention: Medical team training consisted of a 1-day session with nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists in attendance, followed by 4 quarterly structured telephone interviews. Data sources: VHA Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP), which included 182 409 patients between 2006 and 2008. Main outcome measure: Postoperative mortality. Results: The 74 facilities in the training program experienced an 18% reduction in annual mortality (rate ratio [RR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76–0.91, p = 0.01) compared with a 7% decrease among the 34 facilities that had not yet undergone training (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.80–1.06, p = 0.59). Risk-adjusted mortality at baseline was 17 per 1000 procedures per year for the trained and 15 per 1000 per year for the nontrained facilities. At the end of the study, the rates were 14 per 1000 per year for both groups. Propensity matching of the trained and nontrained groups demonstrated that the decline in risk-adjusted surgical mortality was about 50% greater in the trained (RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.10–2.07, p = 0.01) than in the nontrained group. A dose–response relationship for additional quarters of the training program was also demonstrated: for every quarter of the training program a reduction of 0.5 deaths per 1000 procedures occurred (95% CI 0.2–1.0, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Participation in the VHA Medical Team Training program was associated with lower surgical mortality.
Working memory subsystems and task complexity in young boys with Fragile X syndrome.

BACKGROUND Working memory problems have been targeted as core deficits in individuals with Fragile X syndrome (FXS); however, there have been few studies that have examined working memory in young boys with FXS, and even fewer studies that have studied the working memory performance of young boys with FXS across different degrees of complexity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phonological loop and visual-spatial working memory in young boys with FXS, in comparison to mental age-matched typical boys, and to examine the impact of complexity of the working memory tasks on performance. METHODS The performance of young boys (7 to 13-years-old) with FXS (n = 40) was compared with that of mental age and race matched typically developing boys (n = 40) on measures designed to test the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad across low, moderate and high degrees of complexity. Multivariate analyses were used to examine group differences across the specific working memory systems and degrees of complexity. RESULTS Results suggested that boys with FXS showed deficits in phonological loop and visual-spatial working memory tasks when compared with typically developing mental age-matched boys. For the boys with FXS, the phonological loop was significantly lower than the visual-spatial sketchpad; however, there was no significant difference in performance across the low, moderate and high degrees of complexity in the working memory tasks. Reverse tasks from both the phonological loop and visual-spatial sketchpad appeared to be the most challenging for both groups, but particularly for the boys with FXS. CONCLUSIONS These findings implicate a generalised deficit in working memory in young boys with FXS, with a specific disproportionate impairment in the phonological loop. Given the lack of differentiation on the low versus high complexity tasks, simple span tasks may provide an adequate estimate of working memory until greater involvement of the central executive is achieved.
Promoting Sustainability Transparency in European Local Governments: An Empirical Analysis Based on Administrative Cultures

Nowadays, the transparency of governments with respect to the sustainability of public services is a very interesting issue for stakeholders and academics. It has led to previous research and international organisations (EU, IMF, OECD, United Nations, IFAC, G-20, World Bank) to recommend promotion of the online dissemination of economic, social and environmental information. Based on previous studies about e-government and the influence of administrative cultures on governmental accountability, this paper seeks to identify political actions useful to improve the practices of transparency on economic, social and environmental sustainability in European local governments. We perform a comparative analysis of sustainability information published on the websites of 72 local governments in 10 European countries grouped into main three cultural contexts (Anglo-Saxon, Southern European and Nordic). Using international sustainability reporting guidelines, our results reveal significant differences in local government transparency in each context. The most transparent local governments are the Anglo-Saxon ones, followed by Southern European and Nordic governments. Based on individualized empirical results for each administrative style, our conclusions propose useful policy interventions to enhance sustainability transparency within each cultural tradition, such as development of legal rules on transparency and sustainability, tools to motivate local managers for online diffusion of sustainability information and analysis of information needs of stakeholders.
Solar-Driven Torrefaction of a Lignin-Rich Biomass Residue in a Directly Irradiated Fluidized Bed Reactor

ABSTRACT The share of energy production from renewable sources is continuously increasing and aims at reaching two-thirds of primary energy supply in 2050. In this scenario, the 2009/28/EC Directive requires that at least 10% of the transportation fuel of every EU Country derives from renewable sources by 2020, thus largely encouraging the production of biofuels. The synthesis of second-generation biofuels is characterized by extensive generation of residues with large lignin content. Torrefaction can be applied to sterilize and stabilize this residue, and to upgrade its properties for subsequent utilization in the energy field. In this study, the use of solar energy via concentrating solar power systems is proposed to perform solar-assisted torrefaction of a lignin-rich residue derived from a second-generation bioethanol production plant. The process was carried out in a lab-scale directly irradiated bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) reactor, a system designed so as to simultaneously operate as a solar receiver and a reactor in real applications. Experiments were also performed in a lab-scale conventional (i.e. electrically heated) BFB test reactor. Chemical and physical analyses were performed on the product materials to investigate changes in the elemental composition and volatile matter content as a function of the reaction temperature. Heating values of the torrefied materials were also characterized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed on the torrefied residues to highlight possible differences in the structure of the materials recovered after solar and nonsolar experiments. The influence of operating conditions on the quality of the torrefied biomass has been assessed, with a particular emphasis on the possible overheating of fuel particles under the high radiative flux conditions experienced in solar-driven torrefaction.
A study on the optimal degree-of-freedoms of cellular networks: Opportunistic interference mitigation

We introduce an opportunistic interference mitigation (OIM) protocol for cellular networks, where a user scheduling strategy is utilized in uplink K-cell environments with time-invariant channel coefficients and base stations (BSs) having M receive antennas. In the OIM scheme, each BS opportunistically selects a set of users who generate the minimum interference to the other BSs. We consider two OIM protocols according to the number S of simultaneously transmitting users per cell. Then, their performance is analyzed in terms of degrees-of-freedom (DoFs). As our main result, it is shown that KS DoFs are achievable if and only if the total number N of users in a cell scales at least as SNR(K−1)S. These results indicate that there exists a trade-off between the achievable number of DoFs and the scaling parameter N by tuning the number S of selected users. By showing an upper bound on the DoFs, it is also shown that the OIM scheme with M selected users is DoF-optimal. Finally, numerical evaluation is performed.
Holo‐BtuF stabilizes the open conformation of the vitamin B12 ABC transporter BtuCD

While there is evidence that other ABC transporters can tell between empty and loaded substrate binding protein, reconstitution experiments suggest otherwise for the Escherichia coli vitamin B12 importer BtuCD‐F. Here, we address the question of BtuCD‐F substrate sensitivity in a combined protein–protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation approach. Starting from the BtuCD and holo‐BtuF crystal structures, we model two holo‐BtuCD‐F docking complexes differing by a 180° orientation of BtuF. One of these is similar to the apo‐BtuCD‐F crystal structure. Both docking complexes were embedded in a lipid/water environment to investigate their dynamics and BtuCD's conformational response to the presence and absence of BtuF, vitamin B12, and Mg‐ATP in a series of 28 independent MD simulations. We find holo‐BtuF stabilizing the open conformation of BtuCD, whereas the transporter begins to close again when BtuF or vitamin B12 is removed—suggesting BtuCD‐F is capable of substrate sensitivity. We identified BtuC transmembrane helices 3 and 5, the L‐loops and the adjacent helices comprised of BtuC residues 170–180 as hotspots of conformational change. We propose the latter to act as substrate sensors. BtuF‐Trp44 appears to act as a lid on the vitamin B12 binding cleft in BtuF X‐ray structures and protrudes into the BtuCD transport channel in one of our simulations, which might represent an initial step in vitamin B12 uptake. On an average, we observe subunit motions where the nucleotide binding domains approach each other while the transmembrane domains display an opening trend toward the periplasm. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of Older Urban Drivers by Nurse Practitioners

Thirty-five older urban adults who had forfeited a driver's license and 25 nurse practitioners (NPs) who provided health care to them participated in a qualitative study to (a) explore the perception of NPs regarding their role in assessing the driving abilities of older adults, (b) describe the ways in which NPs assist their clients to cope with the loss of a driver's license, and (c) delineate the NPs influence on the elders' decision to forfeit their license. Findings suggest that most NPs had concerns about their older clients' driving abilities. However, assessment of parameters related to driving safety was not their primary objective. An NPs recommendation to forfeit a license was important to the older driver's decision to do so. Assisting clients with the consequences of no longer driving was difficult for a variety of reasons.