Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in hospitalization associated with traumatic brain injury.

CONTEXT Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with more than 50000 deaths in the United States each year, and recent observations suggest a substantial decline in TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths. OBJECTIVE To analyze long-term trends in TBI-related hospitalization in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Analysis of existing data from 1980 through 1995 from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, an annual survey representing the US general population. The number of participating hospitals ranged from 400 to 494. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Annual rates of TBI-related hospitalization, stratified by age, sex, severity of injury, and outcome. RESULTS The annual number of TBI cases identified from the sample during the study period ranged from 1611 to 3129. Overall rates of hospitalization for TBI declined an estimated 51%, from 199 to 98 per 100000 per year. When analyzed by severity of injury, mild TBIs declined most during this period, from 130 to 51 hospitalizations per 100000 per year (61% decline; P<.001 compared with intermediate and severe TBI). The decline was greatest among those aged 5-14 years (-66%) and least among those aged 65 years or older (-9%). The ratio of male to female rates showed little variation during the study period (ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-2.0), as did the in-hospital mortality rate (mean, 5.3 per 100000; 95% CI, 3.6-7.1). CONCLUSIONS Changes in hospital practices may be a major factor in the declining rates of TBI-related hospital admissions. These practices increasingly appear to exclude persons with less severe TBI from hospital admission and shift their care to outpatient settings.
Synthesis, characterization and mechanical behavior of Al 3003 - TiO2 surface composites through friction stir processing

ABSTRACT Aluminum 3003 alloy used in the gas turbine and aerospace applications possesses medium bearing capacity. This technical paper reports the fabrication of Al 3003 alloy/TiO2 composites using friction stir processing. The weight fraction of reinforced TiO2 particles is varied between 0% and 6% with the increment of 1.5% in sequence. The fabricated specimens have been characterized by optical microscopy (OM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD) and electron backscattered diagram (EBSD). Composite weld zone has witnessed the homogeneous distribution of TiO2 particles. The formation of such composite by reinforcement exhibits increase in the hardness and tensile strength of the weld. Corresponding strengthening mechanism is illustrated and correlated with the characterization studies. Fractography study shows brittle to ductile transformation with the addition of TiO2 particles.
A Novel Online Charging Algorithm for Electric Vehicles Under Stochastic Net-Load

In this paper, we propose a novel charging algorithm for electric vehicles (EVs) in smart grids. Unlike traditional charging methods, this algorithm is designed to exploit the flexibility of the EVs’ load to absorb the unforeseen fluctuations in the net-load caused mainly by the intermittency of the renewable energy sources (RES) (wind energy). In this paper, we first formulate the problem with traditional charging algorithms in the presence of RESs. Second, we show that the overall energy consumed by the overall load in the system can be estimated ahead of time despite the stochastic behavior of the net-load. Third, a detailed description of our online algorithm shows how EVs’ charging decision is taken by the utility server in real time—not ahead of time—according to the current situation of the net-load. Also, unlike most of the charging algorithms in literature, our proposed algorithm considers keeping the charging current constant, thus, imposing less technical and engineering requirements and complexity on the EVs’ charging infrastructure. Finally, to test the performance of our online charging algorithm, a tool has been developed in Java to simulate our algorithm. A comprehensive performance evaluation of our algorithm against a traditional ahead-of-time charging algorithm shows clear improvements achieved by our algorithm in absorbing the unexpected fluctuations in the net-load caused mainly by the stochastic behavior of the produced wind power.
Topography of photosynthetic activity of leaves obtained from video images of chlorophyll fluorescence.

The distribution of photosynthetic activity over the area of a leaf and its change with time was determined (at low partial pressure of O(2)) by recording images of chlorophyll fluorescence during saturating light flashes. Simultaneously, the gas exchange was being measured. Reductions of local fluorescence intensity quantitatively displayed the extent of nonphotochemical quenching; quench coefficients, q(N), were computed pixel by pixel. Because rates of photosynthetic electron transport are positively correlated with (1 - q(N)), computed images of (1 - q(N)) represented topographies of photosynthetic activity. Following application of abscisic acid to the heterobaric leaves of Xanthium strumarium L. , clearly delineated regions varying in nonphotochemical quenching appeared that coincided with areoles formed by minor veins and indicated stomatal closure in groups.
Chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2) antagonists in asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction More than 20 orally bioavailable chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2) antagonists have moved forward to clinical development in recent years for the treatment of asthma. However, evidence from individual randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has demonstrated inconsistent results in their efficacy and safety. Methods and analysis PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Global Index Medicus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus will be searched from inception to 30 December 2017 for eligible RCTs, with additional studies being identified by manual searches. The study eligibility, data extraction and quality appraisal will be performed by two independent reviewers. Studies deemed fit for inclusion will be assessed using Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. To generate more accurate analyses, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation will be used to grade the evidence. We will use the χ2 test and the I2 statistic to assess heterogeneity. The metaregression and subgroup analyses will be undertaken in the presence of heterogeneity. The potential for publication bias will be examined using funnel plots. Ethics and dissemination The current study is based on published data, thus ethical approval is not a requirement. The results of this study will be reported in an open-access peer-reviewed publication or will be disseminated as conference proceedings. This systematic review will increase the understanding of the application of CRTH2 antagonists in patients with asthma, which may help to establish and identify specific gaps in the evidence informing a future agenda for asthma research, policy and practice. Trial registration number CRD42017079342.
Common-ground transformerless inverter for solar photovoltaic module

This paper presents a new single-phase transformerless inverter providing common ground for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. It consists of 5 switches, one diode, one capacitor, one small inductor and a small filter at the output stage. A simple Unipolar Sinusoidal Pulse-Width Modulation (SPWM) technique is used to operate the proposed inverter to minimize losses, output current ripple, filter requirements and improve its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). The proposed topology shares a common ground with the grid and a capacitor is utilized as a virtual DC bus to provide the negative power cycle of the inverter. The capacitor is charged regardless of any switching cycle using a dedicated switch which can in turn reduce the size of capacitor in relation to the switching frequency. The peak ac output voltage is equal to the input DC voltage which reduces the requirement of the high input DC voltages. Simulation and experimental results for a 1 kW prototype are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed topology.
Advanced Sentiment Classification of Tibetan Microblogs on Smart Campuses Based on Multi-Feature Fusion

Sentiment analysis is an important problem in natural language processing, which plays an important role in many fields, such as information forecasting, knowledge classification, and product review. Because Tibetan microblogs have their own unique form, particularly the heterogeneous features, such as the emoticons, the grammatical relations, and the speech, the existing sentiment analysis method has difficulty in analyzing the emotions that such microblogs express. In this paper, we propose a sentiment classification method for Tibetan microblogs based on multi-feature fusion. To better study the affection of affective features, this paper first determines the theme of Weibo texts and chooses smart campuses as theme of Weibo texts for analyzing the influence of each feature on the sentiment of the microblog. Then, these features are fused as a multi-feature, and the sentiment of the Tibetan microblog is classified according to the multi-feature fusion. The experimental results demonstrated that the sentiment classification algorithm based on feature fusion improved the accuracy of microblog sentiment classification.
A robust MIMO detection algorithm using gravitationally co-ordinated swarm

One of the techniques to fulfill the ever growing demand of high data rates and high spectral efficiency for future wireless networks is to use multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication systems by employing multiple number of transmitting and receiving antennas. However, conventional MIMO detection techniques like zero forcing (ZF), minimim mean square error (MMSE), minimum mean square error succesive interference cancellation (MMSE-SIC), minimum mean square error ordered succesive interference cancellation (MMSE-OSIC) provide sub-optimal detection and their bit error rate (BER) performance degrades under imperfect channel state information (CSI) at the receiver. Hence, new algorithms and techniques are being developed for robust and non-erroneous detection in MIMO communication systems. In this paper, a robust detection algorithm called modified gravitational search algorithm (MGSA) is proposed for MIMO detection. The proposed MGSA detection algorithm exploits the concept of gravitational search algorithm for MIMO detection. The proposed MGSA technique outperforms conventional detection techniques like ZF, MMSE and MMSE-OSIC under both perfect and imperfect CSI at the receiver. Simulation results validate the performance and robustness of the proposed detection algorithm.
A helical air-core transformer with even current distribution for VHF converters

Very High Frequency (VHF) converters allow the use of the air-core transformers owing to small required inductance. The traditional air-core transformers suffer from uneven current distribution caused by the proximity effect, which results in serious AC conduction loss. A new helical air-core transformer structure with even current distribution is proposed. In the proposed structure, all layers of windings with the same size are completely overlapped to reduce eddy current loss. The layer internal distance of overlapping PCB windings is adjusted to realize the desired transformer parameters. A 30 MHz GaN flyback converter with the PCB fabrication air-core transformer was built. With 15 V input and 15 V/ 21 W output, the proposed transformer structure improves the efficiency from 75.9% using the conventional transformer to 82.7% (an improvement of 6.8%). With 15 V input and 15 V/ 24 W output, the efficiency of the proposed transformer realizes 82.7%.
Two New Shrinking-Circle Methods for Source Localization Based on TDoA Measurements

Time difference of arrival (TDoA) measurement is a promising approach for target localization based on a set of nodes with known positions, with high accuracy and low complexity. Common localization algorithms include the maximum-likelihood, non-linear least-squares and weighted least-squares methods. These methods have shortcomings such as high computational complexity, requiring an initial guess position, or having difficulty in finding the optimal solution. From the point of view of geometrical analysis, this study proposes two new shrinking-circle methods (SC-1 and SC-2) to solve the TDoA-based localization problem in a two-dimensional (2-D) space. In both methods, an optimal radius is obtained by shrinking the radius with a dichotomy algorithm, and the position of the target is determined by the optimal radius. The difference of the two methods is that a distance parameter is defined in SC-1, while an error function is introduced in SC-2 to guide the localization procedure. Simulations and indoor-localization experiments based on acoustic transducers were conducted to compare the performance differences between the proposed methods, algorithms based on weighted least-squares as well as the conventional shrinking-circle method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods can realize high-precision target localization based on TDoA measurements using three nodes, and have the advantages of speed and high robustness.
THE KINEROS2 – AGWA SUITE OF MODELING TOOLS

David C. Goodrich, Research Hydraulic Engineer, USDA-ARS, Tucson, AZ, dave.goodrich@ars.usda. gov; Carl L. Unkrich, Hydrologist, USDA-ARS, Tucson, AZ, carl.unkrich@ars.usda. gov; Yoganand Korgaonkar, Graduate Student, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, yoganandk@email.arizona. edu; Shea Burns, Senior Research Specialist, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, shea.burns@ars.usda. gov; Jeff Kennedy, USGS, Tucson, AZ, Hydrologist, USGS, Tucson, AZ, jkennedy@usgs.gov; Gabriel Sidman, GIS Analyst, Winrock International, Washington, D.C., gabriel.sidman@winrock.org; Brian Scott Sheppard, Graduate Student, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, bss1@email.arizona. edu; Mariano Hernandez, Associate Research Scientist, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, mariano.hernandez@ars.usda. gov; Phil Guertin, Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, dpg@email.arizona. edu; Scott N. Miller, Professor, University of Wyoming, snmiller@uwyo.edu; William Kepner, Research Ecologist, EPALEB, Las Vegas, NV, kepner.william@epa.gov; Phil Heilman, Research Leader, USDAARS, Tucson, AZ, phil.heilman@ars.usda. gov; Mark Nearing, Research Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS, Tucson, AZ, mark.nearing@ars.usda. gov
A novel statistical method for assessing effective adherence to medication and calculating optimal drug dosages

Objective We derive a novel model-based metric for effective adherence to medication, and validate it using data from the INhaler Compliance Assessment device (INCATM). This technique employs dose timing data to estimate the threshold drug concentration needed to maintain optimal health. Methods The parameters of the model are optimised against patient outcome data using maximum likelihood methods. The model is fitted and validated by secondary analysis of two independent datasets from two remote-monitoring studies of adherence, conducted through clinical research centres of 5 Irish hospitals. Training data came from a cohort of asthma patients (~ 47,000 samples from 218 patients). Validation data is from a cohort of 204 patients with COPD recorded between 2014 and 2016. Results The time above threshold measure is strongly predictive of adverse events (exacerbations) in COPD patients (Odds Ratio of exacerbation = 0.52 per SD increase in adherence, 95% Confidence Interval [0.34–0.79]). This compares well with the best known previous method, the Area Under the dose-time Curve (AUC) (Odds Ratio = 0.69, 95% Confidence Interval [0.48–0.99]). In addition, the fitted value of the dose threshold (0.56 of prescribed dosage) suggests that prescribed doses may be unnecessarily high given good adherence. Conclusions The resulting metric accounts for missed doses, dose-timing errors, and errors in inhaler technique, and provides enhanced predictive validity in comparison to previously used measures. In addition, the method allows us to estimate the correct dosage required to achieve the effect of the medication using the patients’ own adherence data and outcomes. The adherence score does depend not on sex or other demographic factors suggesting that effective adherence is driven by individual behavioural factors.
Distribution of β-lactamase genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Zhejiang province, China, and regulation of gene expression

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common causative agent of nosocomial infections with a high level of resistance toward β-lactam antibiotics. Our previous study showed that TEM-1 and SHV-11 are the predominant β-lactamase-encoding genes of K. pneumoniae isolates in the Zhejiang area, China. In this study, more clinical K. pneumoniae isolates were collected for detecting their β-lactamase-encoding gene profiles by PCR and sequencing. qRT-PCR was then performed to determine the role of cefotaxime or penicillin in low concentrations to induce the β-lactamase gene expression of K. pneumoniae isolates. Moreover, the K. pneumoniae isolates were pretreated with closantel (CLO), a histidine kinase inhibitor, before antibiotic treatment, and qRT-PCR and the β-lactamase phenotype confirmatory test were then applied to determine the effect of CLO on the expression of the β-lactamase genes. The results showed that, except for KPC-2, the 1/4 MIC cefotaxime or penicillin induced significant mRNA elevation of the TEM-1, CTX-M-14, SHV-11 and OXA-1 β-lactamase genes, but this induction could be inhibited by CLO. After pretreatment with CLO, 78.4~81.4% of the β-lactam-resistant isolates became sensitive and the positive rate of the β-lactamase production phenotype in the isolates was decreased from 100% to 27.1%. The data indicate that TEM-1 (70.7%), SHV-11 (64.2%) and CTX-M-14 (40.5%) are the predominant β-lactamase genes of the K. pneumoniae isolates in Zhejiang and sublethal dosage of β-lactam antibiotics can induce the β-lactamase gene expression of K. pneumoniae through histidine kinase-mediated two-component signaling systems. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS160512112Z Received: May 12, 2016; Revised: July 21, 2016; Accepted: August 15, 2016; Published online: October 31, 2016 How to cite: Zhao JF, Wang Q, Ge YM, Tan PL, Chen YM, Yan Jie. Distribution of β-lactamase genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Zhejiang province, China, and regulation of gene expression. Arch Biol Sci. 2017;69(3):399-407.
A simple in vitro method for evaluating dendritic cell-based vaccinations

Background Dendritic cell (DC) therapy is a promising therapy for cancer-targeting treatments. Recently, DCs have been used for treatment of some cancers. We aimed to develop an in vitro assay to evaluate DC therapy in cancer treatment using a breast cancer model. Methods DCs were induced from murine bone marrow mononuclear cells in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium supplemented with GM-CSF (20 ng/mL) and IL-4 (20 ng/mL). Immature DCs were primed with breast cancer stem cell (BCSC)-derived antigens. BCSCs were sorted from 4T1 cell lines based on aldehyde dehydrogenase expression. A mixture of DCs and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of antigen-primed DCs on BCSCs. BCSC proliferation and doubling time were recorded based on impedance-based cell analysis using the xCELLigence system. The specification of inhibitory effects of DCs and CTLs was also evaluated using the same system. Results The results showed that impedance-based analysis of BCSCs reflected cytotoxicity and inhibitory effects of DCs and CTLs at 72 hours. Differences in ratios of DC:CTL changed the cytotoxicity of DCs and CTLs. Conclusion This study successfully used impedance-based cell analysis as a new in vitro assay to evaluate DC efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. We hope this technique will contribute to the development and improvement of immunotherapies in the near future.
O R I G I N a L a R T I C L E Open Access

That's not what you said the first time: A theoretical account of the relationship between consistency and accuracy of recall Abstract Over multiple response opportunities, recall may be inconsistent. For example, an eyewitness may report information at trial that was not reported during initial questioning—a phenomenon called reminiscence. Such inconsistencies are often assumed by lawyers to be inaccurate and are sometimes interpreted as evidence of the general unreliability of the rememberer. In two experiments, we examined the output-bound accuracy of inconsistent memories and found that reminisced memories were indeed less accurate than memories that were reported consistently over multiple opportunities. However, reminisced memories were just as accurate as memories that were reported initially but not later, indicating that it is the inconsistency of recall, and not the later addition to the recall output, that predicts lower accuracy. Finally, rememberers who exhibited more inconsistent recall were less accurate overall, which, if confirmed by more ecologically valid studies, may indicate that the common legal assumption may be correct: Witnesses who provide inconsistent testimony provide generally less trustworthy information overall. Significance The legal system often asks witnesses to describe an event on multiple occasions and relies on witnesses to recount events consistently each time they are asked. This expectation reflects a misguided perspective on the fragile nature of retrieval. In two experiments, we show that repeated attempts to recall a single list of items leads to many inconsistencies. Such inconsistently reported information is less accurate, a finding that is consistent with the expectations and behavior of lawyers in the courtroom. However, it does not matter whether such inconsistencies are reported on an early test and forgotten on a later one, or omitted on an early test and first introduced on a later one. This fact suggests that details introduced during trial should not be viewed with any greater suspicion than details reported before trial but forgotten during trial. Importantly, people who had more inconsistencies in their recall also exhibited lower accuracy even in the information that they consistently recalled, suggesting that less credence should be placed on an eyewitness's entire account if they produce many inconsistencies. These results, taken together, indicate ways in which certain problems in eyewitness memory can be more profitably addressed with a combination of applied research that is superficially similar to the conditions under study and use-inspired, focused basic research that takes advantages of well-established paradigms and high levels …
A Penny for Your Pain? The Financial Compensation of Social Pain After Exclusion

Research has repeatedly shown that social exclusion is distressful regardless of mitigating circumstances. In three studies we show that financially compensating social exclusion reduces the unpleasant experience and affects subsequent coping. Participants played a game of Cyberball, and either received money when they were excluded or not. Results showed that financially compensating social exclusion reduced self-reported distress and neural activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a region found active during physical and social pain. Finally, participants played a dictator game with those who included them, excluded them, or with new players. Results showed that financial compensation increased offers to sources of exclusion to the amount that was given to sources of inclusion or new players. Hence, financially compensating exclusion helps those who are hurt and those who exclude.