Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strong ion difference and gap predict outcomes after adult burn injury

BACKGROUND The strong ion difference (SID) (apparent [SIDa] and effective [SIDe]) and strong ion gap (SIG) provide a comprehensive method of evaluating acid-base status in critically ill patients. The SID is the difference between strong cations and strong anions in plasma, while the SIG demonstrates the presence of unmeasured ions. This approach accounts for changes in a patient’s protein status, which is particularly important in those with burn injuries. We hypothesized that the SIDa, SIDe, and SIG during the first 72 hours after admission would be predictive of mortality in burn patients. METHODS This study is a retrospective review of adults with 20% or greater total body surface area burns admitted during a 7-year period to a regional burn center. SIDa, SIDe, and SIG were calculated at admission and for the first 3 days. These results were then compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores. RESULTS A total of 113 patients met the criteria and had full data sets, with mean ± SEM age of 45.4 ± 1.4 years and total body surface area burn of 41.4% ± 1.6%. Mortality was 27.4%. At admission, APACHE II remained most predictive of mortality (p = 0.006). However, admission SIG (SIDa − SIDe) was also predictive of mortality on multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 1.11). Day 1 SIDa (Na+ + K+ + Ca2+ + Mg2+ − Cl−) and SIDe ([1,000 × 2.46 × 10−11 × PaCO2/10−pH] + [[albumin] × (0.123 × pH − 0.631)] + [[PO4] × (0.309) × pH − 0.469)]) were also associated with mortality (odds ratio, 1.16 and 1.13 respectively), and SIDe with length of stay and ventilator days (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The SID and SIG are predictive of mortality, hospital length of stay, and ventilator days in adult burn patients. They also elucidate complex acid-base disorders. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic study, level II.
Increased prevalence and geographic spread of the cardiopulmonary nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum in fox populations in Great Britain

SUMMARY The nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum is becoming more widely recorded globally, and is of increasing concern as a cause of disease in dogs. Apparent geographic spread is difficult to confirm due to a lack of standardized disease recording systems, increasing awareness among veterinary clinicians, and recent improvements in diagnostic technologies. This study examines the hypothesis that A. vasorum has spread in recent years by repeating the methods of a previous survey of the fox population. The hearts and lungs of 442 foxes from across Great Britain were collected and examined by dissection and flushing of the pulmonary circulation and microscopic inspection of tracheal scrapes. Sampling and parasite extraction methods were identical to an earlier survey in 2005 to ensure comparability. Prevalence of A. vasorum was 18·3% (exact binomial confidence bounds 14·9–22·3), compared with 7·3% previously (5·3–9·9, n = 546), and had increased significantly in most regions, e.g. 7·4% in the Northern UK (previously zero) and 50·8% in the south-east (previously 23·2%). Other nematodes identified were Crenosoma vulpis (prevalence 10·8%, CI 8·1–14·2) and Eucoleus aerophilus (31·6%, CI 27·3–36·2). These data support the proposal that A. vasorum has increased in prevalence and has spread geographically in Great Britain.
Exploring the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation in hospitals

Background: Recently, many hospitals have been enthusiastically encouraging nurses to pursue nursing innovation to improve health care quality and increase nursing productivity by proposing innovative training methods, products, services, care skills, and care methods. Purposes: This study tried to explore the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation. Methodology: In our study, 3 to 7 nurses and 1 manager were selected from each nursing team to act as respondents. The questionnaire survey began after the managers of each nursing team and the nurses had been anonymously coded and paired up in Taiwan in 2009–2010. A total of 808 valid questionnaires were collected, including 172 valid teams. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for the analysis. Findings: Nursing innovation is the sum of knowledge creation, innovation behavior, and innovation diffusion displayed by the nurses during nursing care. The level of knowledge creation, as perceived by the nurses, was the highest, whereas the level of innovation diffusion was the lowest. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that only competitor orientation yielded a significant positive influence on knowledge creation, innovation behavior, or innovation diffusion. The values were 0.53, 0.49, and 0.61, respectively. Customer orientation and interfunctional coordination did not have significant effects on nursing innovation. Practice Implications: Hospital nurses exhibited better performance in knowledge creation than in innovation behavior and diffusion. Only competitor orientation had a significantly positive and cross-level influence on nursing innovation. However, competitor orientation was observed to be the lowest dimension of market orientation, which indicates that this factor should be the focus when improving nursing innovations in the future. Therefore, managers should continually understand the strategies, advantages, and methods of their competitors.
The association of immigration and acculturation attributes with oral health among immigrants in New York City.

OBJECTIVES We examined associations between immigration and acculturation attributes and oral disease among immigrants. METHODS We conducted a large cross-sectional study of 1318 immigrants in New York City. We performed comprehensive interviews and oral examinations of the participants and used linear regression models to assess differences in oral disease levels among immigrant subgroups. We also constructed proportional odds models to evaluate the association of oral disease level with length of stay in the United States, age at immigration, and language preference. RESULTS After we controlled for most known risk factors, country of birth and age at immigration were associated with variations in oral disease prevalence and need for oral health care. Length of stay was inversely associated with need for treatment of dental caries but not with any other indicator of oral disease. Language preference was not associated with any indicator of oral disease. CONCLUSIONS Immigrants' country of birth, length of stay in the United States, and age at immigration played important roles in their oral disease prevalence, independently of most known risk factors for oral diseases. Our findings emphasize the need for more studies to elucidate the complex relationships of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and culturally influenced factors that impact immigrants' oral health.
Fingertips-based gesture recognition for interaction

The problem of effectively obtaining the configuration of human hand from image sequence is interesting because of its theoretical importance and it involves with diverse application. A wide range of applications such as Human Computer Interaction (HCI), recognizing fingerspelling, personal verification, etc. can be built that the problem robustly and efficiently solved. At the same time, years of research on Hand Gesture Recognition (HGR), Hand Pose Recovery (HPR) now makes these applications reliably.
Murine macrophage interleukin-1 release by capsularlike serotype-specific polysaccharide antigens of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

Serotype-specific polysaccharide antigens (SPAs) were extracted from whole cells of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans ATCC 29523 (serotype a), Y4 (serotype b), and NCTC 9710 (serotype c) by autoclaving and purified by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 and Sephacryl S-300 columns. Y4 SPA induced interleukin-1 (IL-1) release by P388D1 murine macrophages. Polymyxin B had virtually no effect on the release of IL-1. Rabbit anti-murine IL-1 serum strongly suppressed the proliferation of C3H/HeJ mouse thymocytes induced with the culture supernatants of Y4 SPA-stimulated P388D1 cells and a submitogenic dose of concanavalin A. Gel filtration of the culture supernatants of Y4 SPA-stimulated macrophages on Sephacryl S-200 showed that an IL-1 peak at a point corresponding to approximately 16.5 kDa was eluted. The ability of SPAs from strains ATCC 29523 and NCTC 9710 to induce the release of IL-1 was lower than that of Y4 SPA. The IL-1-releasing ability of serotype a and c antigens was enhanced by deacetylation of both polysaccharides, suggesting that acetyl groups of these antigens might hinder the interaction between the antigens and macrophages.
Effects of strap cushions and strap orientation on comfort and sports bra performance.

PURPOSE This study aimed to quantify bra shoulder strap pressures, to investigate how bra strap cushions moderated this pressure and increased comfort, and to investigate the effects of variations in bra shoulder strap configuration on vertical breast motion, breast discomfort, shoulder pressures, and comfort. METHODS Fourteen healthy women (C+ bra cup size) ran on a treadmill wearing a sports bra under five strap conditions (no straps, traditional vertical alignment, crossed-back alignment, and with and without bra strap cushions inserted under the straps). Bra shoulder strap pressure, vertical breast displacement, breast pain, and shoulder comfort were measured during each trial. RESULTS Maximal pressures from 0.83 to 2.67 N·cm and mean pressures from 0.52 to 1.06 N·cm were recorded during running. The bra strap cushions only reduced maximal shoulder strap pressure in the crossed-back strap orientation. Vertical breast displacement was significantly less in the crossed-back orientation compared with no straps, and breast pain was significantly reduced in both the traditional and crossed-back orientation compared with the no strap condition. No significant between-condition difference was found in shoulder comfort regardless of shoulder strap orientation, although the crossed-back strap orientation resulted in significant increases in shoulder force and mean pressure values compared with the traditional strap orientation. CONCLUSION The bra shoulder strap cushion was not effective in decreasing the bra shoulder strap pressure due to design flaws that prevented it from adequately increasing the strap-shoulder contact area. However, modifying shoulder strap orientation from a traditional to a crossed-back configuration could alleviate the common problem of bra shoulder straps slipping off the shoulders of the wearer, without decreasing the overall efficacy of the sports bra in providing breast support.
Dummy Read Scheme for Lifetime Improvement of MLC NAND Flash Memories

Program/erase cycling endurance is one of the most critical reliability challenges for multi-level NAND flash memories. Deliberately designed delay between cycles is found to extend the endurance of nanoscale NAND flash memory cells. In addition, the effect of chip temperature is extensively investigated. A new dummy read operation scheme is proposed to further enhance cell reliability by effectively suppressing cycling-induced error bits in gigabit memory arrays.
Adaptive annotation using a human-robot interface system PARTNER

We are developing a human-robot interface system, PARTNER, that takes into account the flexibility of the augmented reality approach. The prototype consists of a projector subsystem for information display and a real-time tracking vision subsystem to recognize the environment and the human's action. For teaching robot tasks, three kinds of interaction have been developed: virtual operational panel, interactive image panel and interactive hand pointer. The paper presents the fourth function, adaptive annotation function for teaching and assisting the human's task. Based on a state transition diagram, the system generates annotations adaptively to the situation by monitoring not only changes of the object's geometry but also the operator's action required for achieving the task. To detect changes of the environment, we have implemented structured light rangefinder capabilities using components of the prototype system. Experimental results of an unfolding task of a portable overhead projector device demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed system.
Numerical analysis for the SAR variation due to positioning errors at 2100 MHz

The study analyzes the dosimetric variation due to the misalignment of the device under test (DUT) during numerically evaluation of specific absorption rate (SAR). The novelty of the research is to discuss the individual effect of the six misalignment directions to the SAR variation. In this work, five DUT models are generated. Finite-difference time-domain method is applied according to the specification of IEC 62704. The results indicate that the different misalignment directions have different impacts on the SAR variation. The finding reveals that it may be necessary to assign different weight factors to different misalignment directions in evaluating the uncertainty.
Acute D 3 Antagonist GSK 598809 Selectively Enhances Neural Response During Monetary Reward Anticipation in Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Anna Murphy*, Liam J Nestor, John McGonigle, Louise Paterson, Venkataramana Boyapati, Karen D Ersche, Remy Flechais, Shankar Kuchibatla, Antonio Metastasio, Csaba Orban, Filippo Passetti, Laurence Reed, Dana Smith, John Suckling, Eleanor Taylor, Trevor W Robbins, Anne Lingford-Hughes, David J Nutt, John FW Deakin, Rebecca Elliott and ICCAM Platform Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
A New Minimal Replicon of Bacillus anthracis Plasmid pXO1

ABSTRACT An 8,883-bp mini-pXO1 plasmid containing a replicon from Bacillus anthracis pXO1 (181.6 kb) was identified by making large deletions in the original plasmid using a newly developed Cre-loxP system. Portions of the truncated mini-pXO1 were cloned into an Escherichia coli vector unable to replicate in B. anthracis. A 5.95-kb region encompassing three putative genes was identified as the minimal pXO1 fragment required for replication of the resulting recombinant shuttle plasmid (named pMR) in B. anthracis. Deletion analysis showed that the only genes essential for replication were the pXO1-14 and pXO1-16 genes, which are transcribed in opposite directions and encode predicted proteins of 66.5 and 67.1 kDa, respectively. The ORF14 protein contains a helix-turn-helix motif, while the ORF16 upstream region contains attributes of a theta-replicating plasmid origin of replication (Ori), namely, an exclusively A+T-containing segment, five 9-bp direct repeats, an inverted repeat, and a σA-dependent promoter for the putative replication initiator Rep protein (ORF16). Spontaneous mutations generated in the ORF14, ORF16, and Ori regions of pMR during PCR amplification produced a temperature-sensitive plasmid that is unable to replicate in B. anthracis at 37°C. The efficacy of transformation of plasmid-free B. anthracis Ames and Sterne strains by the original pMR was ∼103 CFU/μg, while Bacillus cereus strains 569 and ATCC 10987 were transformed with efficiencies of 104 and 102 CFU/μg, respectively. Around 95% of B. anthracis cells retained pMR after one round of sporulation and germination.
Caffeic Acid 3,4-Dihydroxy-Phenethyl Ester Induces Cancer Cell Senescence by Suppressing Twist Expression

Compared with traditional cytotoxic cancer therapy, therapy-induced cancer cell senescence attracts much interest because it is similarly effective, has fewer side effects, and is more efficiently cleared by immune cells. In this study, we demonstrate that unlike caffeic acid phenethyl ester, caffeic acid 3,4-dihydroxy-phenethyl ester (CADPE), which is isolated from the medicinal plants Sarcandra glabra and Teucrium pilosum, inhibits human cancer cell growth and colony formation by inducing cancer cell senescence, not apoptosis. CADPE induces cell senescence and morphology changes by increasing cellular size and cytoplasmic granularity, enhancing senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and differentiated embryo-chondrocyte expressed gene 1 expression, and blocking cell-cycle arrest in the G1 phase. To help understand the underlying mechanisms, we show that CADPE significantly suppressed the expression of Twist1 and led to the up-regulation of rat sarcoma, p53, p21WAF1/CIP1, and p16INK4a proteins in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in the hypophosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein. Furthermore, overexpression of Twist1 prevented CADPE-induced cell senescence in tumor cells. Therefore, our studies provide evidence for a novel role of CADPE in cancer cell senescence by targeting the Twist1-dependent senescence signaling pathway.
Fuente sísmica del terremoto de Pisco 2007 a partir de inversión de registros mareográficos

Un terremoto remecio la region centro-sur del Peru, el 15 de agosto del 2007. Como efecto cosismico se produjo un maremoto que inundo algunos poblados y balnearios costeros. Del analisis y el procesamiento de nueve senales mareograficas observadas se puede obtener los parametros que caracterizan la deformacion cosismica inicial mediante un proceso de inversion, en el cual se compara la senal calculada con la senal observada a traves de un proceso de minimos cuadrados no-negativos. El valor maximo del deslizamiento es de 7.0 m ubicado en la parte sur de la geometria de ruptura. El momento sismico escalar calculado es M0 = 1.99 × 10 Nm, lo que equivale a una magnitud de 8.1 Mw. Como resultado se obtiene un modelo heterogeneo de la fuente sismica que es la condicion inicial para simular la propagacion e inundacion del maremoto.
Pneumorrhachis, pneumomediastinum, pneumopericardium and subcutaneous emphysema as complications of bronchial asthma

Pneumorrhachis (PR), or epidural emphysema, denotes the presence of air in the spinal epidural space. It can be associated with a variety of etiologies, including trauma; recent iatrogenic manipulations during surgical, anesthesiological and diagnostic interventions; malignancy and its associated therapy. It usually represents an asymptomatic epiphenomenon but also can be symptomatic by itself as well as by its underlying pathology. The pathogenesis and etiology of PR are varied and can sometimes be a diagnostic challenge. As such, there are no standard guidelines for the management of symptomatic PR, and its treatment is often individualized. Frequently, multidisciplinary approach and regimes are required for its management. PR associated with bronchial asthma is extremely rare, and only very few cases are reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of a 17-year-old Saudi male patient who is a known case of bronchial asthma; he presented with extensive subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, pneumopericardium and pneumorrhachis as complications of an acute exacerbation of his primary ailment.
R Wave Undersensing Caused by an Algorithm Intended to Enhance Sensing Specifity in an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

This article reports on a case of ventricular undersensing despite normal R wave amplitudes during sinus rhythm in an ICD patient. Undersensing of ventricular signals was noted without any evidence of lead dislocation or variation in signal amplitude. Undersensing was due to an exceptionally small R wave signal width and a feature of the Biotronik sensing algorithm designed to avoid oversensing. This algorithm, intended to enhance the sensing specifity of the device, requires registration of two consecutive points above the maximum programmed sensitivity for a ventricular sense event. After modifying the algorithm to a single point registration undersensing disappeared. (PACE 2003; 26:1776–1777)
The Workshop on Computational Personality Recognition 2014

The Workshop on Computational Personality Recognition aims to define the state-of-the-art in the field and to provide tools for future standard evaluations in personality recognition tasks. In the WCPR14 we released two different datasets: one of Youtube Vlogs and one of Mobile Phone interactions. We structured the workshop in two tracks: an open shared task, where participants can do any kind of experiment, and a competition. We also distinguished two tasks: A) personality recognition from multimedia data, and B) personality recognition from text only. In this paper we discuss the results of the workshop.
AFLPMax: a user‐friendly application for computing the optimal number of amplified fragment length polymorphism markers needed in phylogenetic reconstruction

Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) are widely used for phylogenetic inference especially in non‐model species. Frequently, trees obtained with other nuclear or mitochondrial markers or with morphological information need additional resolution, increased branch support, or independent data sources (i.e. unlinked loci). In such cases, the use of AFLPs is a quick and cheap option. Computer simulation has shown that dominant AFLP markers lead to less accurate tree topologies than bi‐allelic codominant markers such as SNPs, but this difference becomes negligible for shallow trees when using AFLP data sets that include a sufficiently large number of characters. Thus, determining how many AFLP characters are required to recover a given phylogeny is a key issue regarding the appropriateness of AFLPs for phylogenetic reconstruction. Here, we present a user‐friendly, java‐based graphical interface, AFLPMax, which executes an automatic pipeline of different programs providing the user with the optimal number of AFLP characters needed to recover a given phylogeny with high accuracy and support. Executables for Windows, linux and MacOS X operating systems, source code and user manual are available from: http://webs.uvigo. es/acraaj/AFLPMax.htm.
Methods of graph network reconstruction in personalized medicine

The paper addresses methods for generation of individualized computational domains on the basis of medical imaging dataset. The computational domains will be used in one‐dimensional (1D) and three‐dimensional (3D)–1D coupled hemodynamic models. A 1D hemodynamic model employs a 1D network of a patient‐specific vascular network with large number of vessels. The 1D network is the graph with nodes in the 3D space which bears additional geometric data such as length and radius of vessels. A 3D hemodynamic model requires a detailed 3D reconstruction of local parts of the vascular network. We propose algorithms which extend the automated segmentation of vascular and tubular structures, generation of centerlines, 1D network reconstruction, correction, and local adaptation. We consider two modes of centerline representation: (i) skeletal segments or sets of connected voxels and (ii) curved paths with corresponding radii. Individualized reconstruction of 1D networks depends on the mode of centerline representation. Efficiency of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated on several examples of 1D network reconstruction. The networks can be used in modeling of blood flows as well as other physiological processes in tubular structures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.