Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hospital-acquired pneumonia among pediatric trauma patients treated at national trauma centers

BACKGROUND Injury is the leading cause of hospitalization in children, and as many as 5% of hospitalized injured children require mechanical ventilation. Despite this, little is known about the complications associated with mechanical ventilation, including pneumonia. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of trauma patients younger than 19 years from the National Trauma Data Bank from 2009 to 2011. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the patient population. Baseline characteristics were compared between subgroups using t tests and &khgr;2 tests. Generalized linear models were used to identify risk factors for hospital-acquired pneumonia adjusting for clustering of patients by hospital. RESULTS A total of 252,187 patients were eligible for analysis, and 1,915 patients were diagnosed with pneumonia. Most patients were male (66.3%), were white (54.2%), had no comorbidities (88.9%), and were not considered severely injured (85.5% with an Injury Severity Score [ISS] < 16). The mean (SD) length of stay was 2.9 (5.2) days. Patients who developed pneumonia were older (16–18 years, 61.7% vs. 31.1%, p < 0.0001), had an increased length of stay (20.9 days vs. 2.8 days, p < 0.0001), more intensive care days (13.9 days vs. 0.7 days, p < 0.0001), and more ventilation days (9.5 days vs. 0.3 days, p < 0.0001) compared with those who did not develop pneumonia. The rate of pneumonia nearly doubled in patients spending 2 days on a ventilator (odds ratio [OR], 5.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.45–8.84), doubled again for patients spending 3 days (OR, 10.59; 95% CI, 6.38–17.61), and doubled again for patients spending 5 days (OR, 23.72; 95% CI, 13.36–42.15) mechanically ventilated. The presence of two comorbid conditions was associated with twice the odds of developing pneumonia (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.47–1.78). CONCLUSION Prolonged mechanical ventilation, increased injury severity, older age, and presence of multiple comorbid conditions all increase the risk of pneumonia in injured children. Preventive measures should be aggressively used in injured children at high risk for the development of pneumonia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic study, level III.
Three Statistical Approaches to Sessionizing Network Flow Data

The network traffic generated by a computer, or a pair of computers, is often well modelled as a series of sessions. These are, roughly speaking, intervals of time during which a computer is engaging in the same, continued, activity. This article explores a variety of statistical approaches to re-discovering sessions from network flow data using timing alone. Solutions to this problem are essential for network monitoring and cyber-security. For example overlapping sessions on a computer network can be evidence of an intruder 'tunnelling'.
New method for evaluation of cutaneous sensibility in diabetic feet: preliminary report.

UNLABELLED Diabetic neuropathy is an important complication of the disease, responsible for ulceration and amputation of the foot. Prevention of these problems is difficult mainly because there is no method to correctly access sensibility on the skin of the foot. The introduction of the Pressure-Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) in the last decade made possible the measurement of pressure thresholds sensed by the patient, such as touch, both static and in movement, on a continuous scale. This paper is the first in Brazil to report the use of this device to measure cutaneous sensibility in 3 areas of the foot: the hallux pulp, the calcaneus, and the dorsum, which are territories of the tibial and fibular nerves. METHOD Non-diabetic patients were measured as controls, and 2 groups of diabetic patients - with and without ulcers - were compared. The PSSD was used to test the 3 areas described above. The following were evaluated: 1 PS (1-point static), 1 PD (1-point dynamic), 2 PS (2-points static), 2 PD (2-points dynamic). RESULTS The diabetic group had poorer sensibility compared to controls and diabetics with ulcers had poorer sensibility when compared to diabetics without ulcers. The differences were statistically significant (P <.001). CONCLUSION Due to the small number of patients compared, the results should be taken as a preliminary report.
ICT COMPETENCE-BASED LEARNING OBJECT RECOMMENDER SYSTEM FOR TEACHERS

Recommender Systems (RS) have been applied in the Technology enhanced Learning (TeL) field for facilitating, among others, Learning Object (LO) selection and retrieval. Most of the existing approaches, however, aim at accommodating the needs of learners and teacher-oriented RS are still an under-investigated field. Moreover, the systems that focus on teachers, do not explicitly exploit their ICT competence profiles when providing LO recommendations. This is a significant drawback, since it can result in LO recommendations that are beyond the teachers' competence to use. Towards tackling this issue, this paper extends previous work and proposes a teacher ICT Competence-based RS that considers teachers' ICT Competence Profiles when recommending Learning Objects. Moreover, the results of its accuracy evaluation are presented. The results indicate that the proposed approach provides high predictive accuracy and outperforms commonly used, existing RS approaches.
Test Reviews : Hammill, D. D., Bryant, B. R., & Pearson, N. A. (1998). Hammill Multiability Intelligence Test (HAMIT). Austin, TX: PRO-ED

The Hammill Multiability Intelligence Test (HAMIT) is an individually administered measure of general ability for students aged 6-0 to 17-11. The HAMIT is a &dquo;special use version of the DTLA-4 [Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-4; Hammill, 1998]. This version of the test, which compromises 8 of the 10 DTLA-4 subtests, is shorter than the DTLA-4 but is still comprehensive enough to yield valuable Verbal and Nonverbal Quotients as well as an overall
On the aesthetic dimension of humor

From school, we are taught to appreciate art äs something serious. Have you ever been in a museum? It is like a funeral. However, humor is one of the vehicles for the aesthetic experience to manifest itself in one of its purestforms. This is so because humor: L Relativizes the value of conscious reasoning in thought and introduces the activity ofemotion in it; 2. Liberales usfrom the unidirectionality ofthe conventional (but naturalized) order of things; and 3. Places the individual äs center of the worid äs promoter ofnew ways to understand it. It is getting harder and harder to find within its institutional circuits the aesthetic effect that art is supposed to promote. Humor, sometimes considered äs a side-effect, äs a residual, even stränge aspect of art, is one of the vehicles for the nature of the aesthetic experience to manifest itself in one of its most uncontaminated forms. This is so, not because humor constitutes an absolute requirement of art, but because a humorous Situation or communication relies on an extreme equilibrium between its components and its participants that reflects the gist of the aesthetic reaction with the utmost transparency.
BMP2 Regulates Osterix through Msx2 and Runx2 during Osteoblast Differentiation*

Osterix/Sp7, a member of the Sp1 transcription factor family, plays an essential role in bone formation and osteoblastogenesis. Although Osterix has been shown to be induced by BMP2 in a mesenchymal cell line, the molecular basis of the regulation, expression and function of Osterix during osteoblast differentiation, is not fully understood. Thus we examined the role of BMP2 signaling in the regulation of Osterix using the mesenchymal cell lines C3H10T1/2 and C2C12. Osterix overexpression induced alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin expression in C2C12 cells and stimulated calcification of murine primary osteoblasts. Considering that Runx2 overexpression induces Osterix, these results suggest that Osterix functions as downstream of Runx2. Surprisingly, BMP2 treatment induced Osterix expression and alkaline phosphatase activity in mesenchymal cells derived from Runx2-deficient mice. Furthermore, overexpression of Smad1 and Smad4 up-regulated Osterix expression, and an inhibitory Smad, Smad6, markedly suppressed BMP2-induced Osterix expression in the Runx2-deficient cells. Moreover, overexpression of a homeobox gene, Msx2, which is up-regulated by BMP2 and promotes osteoblastic differentiation, induced Osterix expression in the Runx2-deficient cells. Knockdown of Msx2 clearly inhibited induction of Osterix by BMP2 in the Runx2-deficient mesenchymal cells. Interestingly, microarray analyses using the Runx2-deficient cells revealed that the role of Osterix was distinct from that of Runx2. These findings suggest that Osterix is regulated via both Runx2-dependent and -independent mechanisms, and that Osterix controls osteoblast differentiation, at least in part, by regulating the expression of genes not controlled by Runx2.
Mid-depth South Atlantic Ocean circulation and chemical stratification during MIS-10 to 12: implications for atmospheric CO2

A detailed record of benthic foraminifera car- bon isotopes from the intermediate-depth South East Atlantic margin shows little glacial-interglacial variability between MIS-12 to MIS-10, suggesting that Northern Atlantic deep- waters consistently penetrated to at least 30 S. Millennial- scale increases in either the mass or flux of northern-sourced deepwaters over the core site occurred alongside reductions in Lower North Atlantic Deep Water recorded in North At- lantic sediment cores and show that the lower and intermedi- ate limb of the Atlantic deepwater convective cell oscillated in anti-phase during previous glacial periods. In addition, a 500 yr resolution record of the Cape Basin intermediate-deep 13 C gradient shows that a reduction in deep Southern Ocean ventilation at the end of MIS-11 was consistent with a mod- elled CO2 drawdown of 21-30 ppm. Further increases in the Southern Ocean chemical divide during the transition into MIS-10 were completed before minimum CO2 levels were reached, suggesting that other mechanisms such as alkalinity changes were responsible for the remaining 45 ppm draw- down.
Efficacy and Safety of Once Daily Fluticasone Furoate Nasal Spray for Treatment of Irritant (Non-allergic) Rhinitis

Introduction: The safety and efficacy of fluticasone furoate nasal spray (FFNS) for the symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis have been previously demonstrated in several clinical studies. The objective of this pilot study was to compare the efficacy and safety of FFNS 110 mcg once daily with placebo in patients with irritant (non-allergic) rhinitis triggered predominantly by air pollution. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 4-week study of subjects in Thailand with irritant rhinitis who received either FFNS 110 mcg (N=53) or placebo (N=49) once-daily. Subjects with a ≥2 year history of air pollution as their predominant rhinitis trigger, negative skin test to local seasonal/perennial allergens, positive histamine skin test, and normal sinus radiograph were enrolled if they met minimum reflective total nasal symptom score (rTNSS) ≥4.5 (maximum=9) and a nasal congestion score of ≥2 (maximum =3). All were assessed for nasal eosinophilia at study entry and completion. Air quality was monitored throughout the study. The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change from baseline over the treatment period in daily rTNSS, the average of the morning and evening rTNSS. The key secondary measure was the mean change from baseline over the entire treatment period in morning pre-dose instantaneous total nasal symptom score (iTNSS). Results: The Air Quality Index (AQI) during the study generally did not reach unhealthy levels. Baseline daily rTNSS scores were similar between treatment groups (FFNS=6.7; placebo=6.4). The least square mean change from baseline in rTNSS was -2.17 and -2.10 for FFNS and placebo, respectively, with a difference of -0.065 (p=0.845). Gradual improvements were seen in both treatment groups for iTNSS; however, the treatment difference (-0.075) was not statistically significant (p=0.827). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups for AM and PM rTNSS, individual nasal symptoms, daily reflective, AM and PM reflective and AM pre-dose instantaneous total ocular symptom scores (TOSS) or individual ocular symptom scores. Nasal cytology at baseline found more than two-thirds of subjects had <20% eosinophils. Adverse events were few and similar between groups and noted as mild in intensity. Conclusion: Subjects receiving FFNS had similar improvement to placebo in their rhinitis symptoms. The lack of a treatment effect may be in part due to the overall good air quality present throughout the study or an insufficient dose or duration of FFNS. The safety findings showed FFNS 110 mcg once daily to be well tolerated.
Approaches to Cognitive Modeling Letting Structure Emerge: Connectionist and Dynamical Systems Approaches to Cognition

Connectionist and dynamical systems approaches explain human thought, language and behavior in terms of the emergent consequences of a large number of simple noncognitive processes. We view the entities that serve as the basis for structured probabilistic approaches as abstractions that are occasionally useful but often misleading: they have no real basis in the actual processes that give rise to linguistic and cognitive abilities or to the development of these abilities. Although structured probabilistic approaches can be useful in determining what would be optimal under certain assumptions, we propose that connectionist, dynamical systems, and related approaches, which focus on explaining the mechanisms that give rise to cognition, will be essential in achieving a full understanding of cognition and development. Emergence of structure in cognition Emergence is ubiquitous in nature: consider the complex structure of an anthill. It can have a complex architecture, with a complex network of passageways leading from deep underground to 7.5 m into the sky. One might suppose that ants possess a blueprint for creating such structures, but something far simpler is in play [1]. Ants are sensitive to certain gasses within their nests; when these gasses build up they move grains of dirt to the outside. This activity lets the gasses escape and has the byproduct of creating the elaborate structure of the nest. Likewise, human thoughts and utterances have a rich and complex structure that, in our view, is also the emergent consequence of the interplay of much simpler processes. The emergentist view contrasts with the approach advocated in the companion article [2], in which cognizing agents are viewed as optimal inferencing machines, coming to cognitive tasks with a structured hypothesis space and a prior probability distribution over hypotheses. Observations provide a means of evaluating the hypotheses and selecting the one that has the highest posterior probability. Work within the structured probabilistic framework is often thought to address an abstract level of analysis akin to Marr's computational level [3], with consideration of the actual cognitive Opinion Glossary Connectionism: An approach to modeling cognition based on the idea that the knowledge underlying cognitive activity is stored in the connections among neurons. In connectionist models, knowledge is acquired by using an experience-driven connection adjustment rule to alter the strengths of connections among neuron-like processing units. Dynamical field theory: Originally formulated as a theory of movement preparation, in which movement parameters are represented by distributions of activation defined …
Crossroads: A Practical Data Sketching Solution for Mining Intersection of Streams

The explosive increase in cellular network traffic, users, and applications, as well as the corresponding shifts in user expectations, has created heavy needs and demands on cellular data providers. In this paper we address one such need: mining the logs of cellular voice and data traffic to rapidly detect network performance anomalies and other events of interest. The core challenge in solving this problem is the issue that it is impossible to predict beforehand where in the traffic the event may appear, requiring us to be able to query arbitrary subsets of the network traffic (e.g., longer than usual round-trip times for users in a specific urban area to connect to FunContent.com using a particular model of phone). Since it is infeasible to store all combinations of such data, especially when it is collected in real-time, we need to be able to summarize the traffic data using succinct sketch data structures to answer these queries. The major contribution of this paper is the introduction of a scheme, called Crossroads, that can be used to compute the intersection of the measurements between two overlapping streams. For instance, in the above example, it is possible to compute the intersection of all the data going between the downtown area and FunContent.com with all the data generated by the model of phone to detect anomalous RTT behavior. In effect, this gives us a way to essentially "square root" the number of sketches that we need to maintain, transforming a prohibitively expensive problem to one that is tractable in practice. We provide rigorous analysis of our sketch and the trade-offs between memory footprint and accuracy. We also demonstrate the efficacy of our solution via simulation on data collected at a major cellular service carrier in the US.
PKO: alternative method for isolating mycobacteria from sputum

We elaborated an alternative culture method, which we denominated PKO (initials in tribute of respect to Petroff, Kudoh and Ogawa), for isolating Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and to compare its performance with the Swab and Petroff methods. For the technique validation, sputum samples from patients suspected of pulmonary TB cases were examined by acid-fast microscopy (direct and concentrated smear), PKO, Swab and Petroff methods. We found that Petroff and PKO methods have parity in the effectiveness of M. tuberculosis isolation. However, by the PKO method, 65% of isolated strains were detected in a period of ≤15 days, while by the Petroff method the best detection was in an interval of 16-29 days (71%). In positive smear samples, the average time of PKO isolation is only superior to the one related for Bactec 460TB. In conclusion, the exclusion of the neutralization stage of pH in the PKO reduces the manipulation of the samples, diminishes the execution time of the culture according to the Petroff method and facilitates the qualification of professionals involved in the laboratorial diagnosis of Tuberculosis.
Foreign Students, Immigrants, Domestic Minorities and Admission to Texas' Selective Flagship Universities Before and After the Ban on Affirmative Action

A growing body of research examines the effects of state affirmative action bans on domestic minority students’ application and admission rates. This study expands previous research, considering how Texas's implementation of a race-neutral percent plan influenced admission opportunities for two understudied groups: foreign students and in-state Black and Hispanic immigrants. Using a census of all applicants to Texas's flagship universities—University of Texas-Austin (UT) and Texas A&M (A&M)—between 1992 and 2002, descriptive analysis and logistic regressions help examine how the passage of the Top Ten Percent Plan influenced selectivity in terms of observed admission rates and counterfactual admission probabilities for students of varying SAT scores and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) versus non-STEM-proposed majors for foreign students compared to a variety of in- and out-of-state Black and Hispanic immigrants and domestic minorities. Findings point to salient institutional differences in selectivity for foreign applicants. The surge in UT's foreign applicant numbers post–Top Ten led to significant decreases in admission rates and increases in average SAT score and STEM foreign admits. Post–Top Ten A&M, on the other hand, maintained numbers of foreign admits on par with UT by accepting a significantly larger percentage of less selective foreign applicants.
Po-faced receipts of teases

This paper concerns the verbal activity of 'teasing'; that is, mocking but playful jibes against someone. The particular phenomenon investigated is that of 'po-faced' responses to teasing. In a large collection of teases occurring in natural conversations, recipients of teases recurrently respond quite seriously to the teasing proposal. Even where there is evidence that they recognize that the tease was meant humorously, recipients nevertheless usually deny and correct the tease: in only a small minority of cases do they play along with it. This paper first documents a continuum of responses, the most common of which are patterns of serious responses to teases. The analysis proceeds, using the conversation analytic approach, to account for the phenomenon of 'po-faced' responses, by first identifying the sequential environment in which teasing occurs: namely, one in which recipient has been complaining, extolling, bragging, etc., in a somewhat overdone or exaggerated fashion. Thus teasing can be a form of social control of minor conversational transgressions. Also teasing jokingly attributes certain deviant actions! identities which are mapped onto (an) identity (s) which recipient actually possesses; insofar as recipients see themselves as conceivably portrayed as deviant, teasing is 'close to the bone'. Recipients respond to these 'social control' and 'deviance attribution' properties defensively, hence in a po-faced manner.
Randomization in Backtrack Search: Exploiting Heavy-Tailed Profiles for Solving Hard Scheduling Problems

We study the runtime profiles of complete backtrack-style search methods applied to hard scheduling problems. Such search methods often exhibit a large variability in performance due to the non-standard nature of their underlying cost distributions. The distributions generally exhibit very long tails or "heavy tails" and are best characterized by a general class of distributions that have no moments (i.e., an infinite mean, variance, etc.). We show how one can exploit the special nature of such distributions to significantly improve upon deterministic complete search procedures.