Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANALYZING ONCOLOGY PATIENT HEALTH CARE COSTS USING THE SAS SYSTEM

The advent of managed health care has focused attention on the methodology for analyzing patient health care costs. Standard methods of analysis apply to a varying degree, but there are unique challenges inherent in constructing and analyzing cost data. Adjustments in basic statistical procedures are necessary to account for changes in the value of money over time, marked skewness due to catastrophic costs and censoring from both left and right. A number of authors have developed novel approaches for the analysis of patient cost data (Fenn et al, 1996; Siegel et al, 1996; Zhou et al, 1997; Etzioni et al, 1998). We present an array of alternative statistical machinations for cost data achieved through varied application of the SAS system. We use a recently completed study which compares the relative health care costs of patients who participated in oncology clinical trials to costs for patients who did not enter onto a clinical trial to demonstrate the various methods of analyzing cost data via a series of SAS macros.
Hardware architecture for a visualization classroom: VizClass

Interactive learning, critical thinking, creative problem‐solving, and problem‐based learning are all critical elements for enhancing engineering education. Visualization can provide the much needed computer‐assisted design and analysis environment to foster problem‐based learning, while virtual reality (VR) can provide the environment for hands‐on manipulation, stimulating interactive learning in the engineering classroom. To provide such a space, at the University of California, Irvine a new interactive, spatially balanced learning environment, termed VizClass, has been developed. VizClass incorporates a specially designed lecture room and laboratory integrating both 2‐ and 3‐dimensional spatial learning by coupling a series of interactive projection display boards (touch sensitive whiteboards) and a semi‐immersive 3D wall display. Control of devices integrated with VizClass is supported via a centrally located, easy to activate, touch‐sensitive display. Digital material, including slides, web content, video clips, sound files, numerical simulations, or animations may be loaded and presented by instructors using either 2D or 3D modalities. This environment has already been integrated into both undergraduate and graduate level courses, providing a balanced spatial learning environment for students. This article describes the unique hardware architecture developed to support this new environment and presents the first course activities conducted within the space. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 12: 232–241, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20024
Overview of the NTCIR-11 QA-Lab Task

This paper describes an overview of the first QA Lab (Question Answering Lab for Entrance Exam) task at NTCIR 11. The goal of the QA lab is to provide a module-based platform for advanced question answering systems and comparative evaluation for solving real-world university entrance exam questions. In this task, “world history” questions are selected from The National Center Test for University Admissions and from the secondary exams at 5 universities in Japan. This paper also describes the used data, baseline systems, formal run results, the characteristic aspects of the participating groups’ systems and their contribution.
Radiative transfer modeling of near‐infrared reflectance of lunar highland and mare soils

[1] With near-infrared hyperspectral data sets returned from KAGUYA/SELENE and Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogic Mapper (M3), accurate evaluation and interpretation of lunar data sets with higher spectral resolution has never been more critical. Here we test a new radiative transfer spectral modeling algorithm to determine composition from hyperspectral reflectance spectra of lunar soils. Data for 19 lunar mare and highland soil samples previously characterized by the Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium are used for validation. Spectral fits are made using a goodness of fit metric considering spectral shape, spectral contrast, spectral slope, and iron abundance. High precision fits are achieved for nearly every soil with this algorithm. Using a plot of spectral shape relative to the ratio Mg′ (i.e., molar (Mg/(Mg + Fe)) × 100) determines the winning model and composition. Mg′ is determined with an average difference of ∼11–15 and ∼3–8 units before and after a correction is applied, respectively. Mineralogy is determined with an average difference of ∼5–15 vol% depending upon the mineral constituent.
Loss of Clumping Factor B Fibrinogen Binding Activity byStaphylococcus aureus Involves Cessation of Transcription, Shedding and Cleavage by Metalloprotease*

The fibrinogen-binding protein clumping factor B (ClfB) of Staphylococcus aureus is present on the surface of cells from the early exponential phase of growth in greater amounts than on cells from late exponential phase and is barely detectable on cells from stationary phase. Expression of a clfB-lacZfusion indicated that transcription stopped before the end of exponential phase. Mutations in the global regulators agrand sar had no effect on clfB transcription. The loss of ClfB protein from cells in stationary phase was due to expression ending before cells stopped growing, combined with shedding of some of the protein into the growth medium and dilution of those molecules remaining on the cell surface during the two to three cell division events leading to stationary phase. Two forms of the protein occurred on the cell surface, the smaller of which was generated by loss of a domain from the N terminus. The proportion of the smaller form increased as the cultures grew. The metalloprotease aureolysin was shown to be responsible for cleavage of ClfB. Cleavage was inhibited by EDTA and o-phenanthroline and did not occur in an aureolysin-deficient mutant. Purified aureolysin promoted cleavage of cell surface-located ClfB as well as the recombinant A domain of ClfB. Cleavage was detected at two sites, one located between residues Ser197 and Leu198 and the other between Ala199 and Val200. The truncated form of ClfB did not bind fibrinogen.
Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Access Program for Emergency Physicians, Nurses, and Corpsmen (Technicians) at a Military Hospital.

BACKGROUND Peripheral intravenous (PIV) access is a common procedure in the emergency department (ED). However, conditions such as obesity and hypovolemia can often make access difficult by the traditional landmark technique. The use of ultrasonography has improved the success of PIV placement in this setting. OBJECTIVES A novel Ultrasound (US)-Guided PIV Access program was initiated in our ED to train emergency nurses, U.S. Navy corpsmen, and physicians. METHODS This was an observational study of emergency providers performing US-guided PIV placement. After a training session, all ED providers began utilizing the US for difficult intravenous access patients. All complications, location of access, and previous experience level were recorded. The choice of a transverse, longitudinal, or a combination approach was also recorded. RESULTS We did not observe significant differences in ability with US-guided PIV access when comparing success rates between emergency physicians, nurses, and technicians (p = 0.13). In the novice user, a transverse or a novel combination of a transverse and longitudinal method appears to be the most successful. CONCLUSION ED physicians, nurses, and corpsmen can successfully place US-guided peripheral catheters for venous access. Developing a training program for emergency providers in US-guided venous cannulation is feasible and safe.
Reduction of high-frequency laser noise in resonant fiber optic gyroscope with a phase-modulated feedback loop

The resonant fiber-optic gyroscope (RFOG) based on the Sagnac effect is a high-accuracy rotation sensor. The intermodulation error due to the laser noise at even harmonics of the modulation frequency deteriorates the performance of the RFOG. Aiming at the suppression of high-frequency laser noise, a phase-modulated feedback loop is developed and analyzed. The parameters of the servo loop is optimized to enhance the performance of the gyroscope.
Pronunciation variation modeling for Mandarin with accent

In order to solve the problem of the performance decrease when state-of-art automatic speech recognition (ASR) system facing accent speech, we propose the Pronunciation Variation Model (PVM). Two approaches are proposed to construct the PVM in this paper. 6.38% and 7.78% relative error rate reduction is achieved for Shanghai and Wuhan accent mandarin, respectively. The experiment on these two typical accent mandarin shows it is a possible way to deal with accent speech.
SCCmec types and pvl gene in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from children hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, SCCmec types, presence of the Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene, and susceptibility to antibiotics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from hospitalized children. Methods: From August 2009 to September 2011, 291 S. aureus strains were isolated from normally sterile body sites, of which 190 (65%) were MRSA. One hundred and two of the MRSA strains were genetically evaluated. SCCmec genotypes were identified by M-PCR and the PVL gene (pvl) by end-point PCR. Resistance to erythromycin, rifampicin, clindamycin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (SXT) was assessed by Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines of 2012. Results: Of the 102 strains evaluated, 97 (95%) were SCCmec type II, 5 (5%) were SCCmec type IVa, and all (100%) were pvl-negative. Resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, rifampicin, and SXT was 97%, 95%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of hospital-acquired MRSA was high. SCCmec type II was predominant and the pvl gene appeared not to play any role in the virulence of the MRSA strains from hospitalized children.
Vibrational spectral signature of the proton defect in the three-dimensional H+(H2O)21 cluster

Blackjack water cluster detected Spectroscopy of protonated water clusters has played a pivotal role in elucidating the molecular arrangement of acid solutions. Whereas bulk liquids manifest broad spectral features, the cluster bands tend to be sharper. The 21-membered water cluster has for decades inspired particular interest on account of its stability and its place in the transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network motifs, but the spectral signature of its bound proton has proved elusive. Fournier et al. have now detected this long-sought vibrational feature by applying an innovative ion cooling technique. Science, this issue p. 1009 An ion-cooling technique enables detection of a long-sought motif in the study of acid structure. The way in which a three-dimensional network of water molecules accommodates an excess proton is hard to discern from the broad vibrational spectra of dilute acids. The sharper bands displayed by cold gas-phase clusters, H+(H2O)n, are therefore useful because they encode the network-dependent speciation of the proton defect and yet are small enough to be accurately treated with electronic structure theory. We identified the previously elusive spectral signature of the proton defect in the three-dimensional cage structure adopted by the particularly stable H+(H2O)21 cluster. Cryogenically cooling the ion and tagging it with loosely bound deuterium (D2) enabled detection of its vibrational spectrum over the 600 to 4000 cm−1 range. The excess charge is consistent with a tricoordinated H3O+ moiety embedded on the surface of a clathrate-like cage.
Human cytomegalovirus persists in myeloid progenitors and is passed to the myeloid progeny in a latent form

CD34+ progenitor cells can harbour latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV); however, the mechanisms of HCMV latency remain unclear. We have investigated the effects of the haematopoietic lineage restriction on the establishment and spread of the latent HCMV to progeny cells. In vitro‐infected and latently‐infected haematopoietic progenitor cells derived from HCMV seropositive donors were studied. The presence of HCMV DNA in bone marrow progenitor (BMP) cells was determined by single colony polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The presence of CMV DNA was found to be restricted to myeloid progenitors and the percentage of HCMV‐infected cells was lower in naturally‐infected cells than in in vitro‐infected cells. Erythroid differentiation resulted in an abortive infection with persistence of the viral nucleic acids in red cell precursors. In BMP cells from HCMV seronegative donors, HCMV DNA was localized in the nucleus. Bone marrow progenitors in the presence of granulocyte‐macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) maintained HCMV DNA for extended periods of time. No viral production could be detected throughout the culture but the comparison of the numbers of latently‐infected cells prior to and after the culture suggests that proliferation of haematopoietic progenitor cells may lead to the expansion of latently‐infected cells.
Rate-dependent phase transformations in nanoindented germanium

There is considerable controversy over the deformation behavior of germanium (Ge) under nanoindentation using a sharp diamond tip, with a diverse range of observations that suggest competing mechanisms. Here we show the deformation mechanism of Ge can be controlled by the rate of applied load. Loading rate is varied over three orders of magnitude using depth-sensing nanoindentation. At slow loading rates, shear-induced plasticity is observed. At rapid loading rates (>100 mN s−1), pressure-induced phase transformations are detected by ex situ micro-Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This switch in the deformation mechanism is due to the differing rate sensitivities of the respective deformation modes, shear-induced plasticity or pressure-induced phase transformation.
Ethnic variation in body composition assessment in a sample of adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE To compare body composition assessment by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in a multiethnic sample of adolescent girls. METHOD Data were from a physical activity intervention study among 254 14-20-year-old sedentary American girls, including 69 whites, 74 blacks, 42 Hispanics, and 69 Asians. Height and weight were objectively measured. Body composition was assessed using a foot-to-foot BIA and a fan-beam DXA. We calculated ethnic-specific estimates of percentage body fat (BF%), fat mass (FM), fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) from BIA and DXA. We used Bland-Altman plots to examine ethnic-specific agreement between BIA and DXA, and used linear regression to test whether the BIA-DXA difference varied across the mean. RESULTS Compared to DXA, BIA estimates of fat measures (BF%, FM, and FMI) were lower and lean tissue measures (FFM and FFMI) higher. For example, the BIA-estimated BF% was lower than the DXA estimate by between 4.9% (95% CI: -5.9, -3.9) in blacks and 8.7% (-7.0, -5.0) in Asians, with large limits of agreement (-15.4 to -5.4 in blacks and -16.8 to -0.4 in Asians). Regression analysis showed that BIA-DXA differences were not constant across means for any body composition measure among Asians or for any measure except BF% among whites. CONCLUSION Compared to DXA, BIA yielded lower estimates of adiposity in a multiethnic adolescent sample. BIA-DXA differences varied by ethnicity, and across mean body composition values for some ethnicities.
Low-Cost Highly-Robust Hardened Cells Using Blocking Feedback Transistors

CMOS nanometric technologies are increasingly sensitive to soft errors, including SEUs affecting storage cells and SETs initiated in the combinational logic, and eventually captured by some latches or flip- flops. SEUs affecting latches or flip-flops are by far the largest soft error rate (SER) contributor in logic. Thus, developing cost-efficient hardened storage cells to cope with SEUs in latches and flip-flops (but also in some memories difficult to protect by ECC ) is of increasing importance. This paper proposes a new principle for designing low-cost highly robust storage cells and several transistor level implementations.
Structural Modeling the Relationship of Food Addiction and Eating Attitudes of Young Adults with Emotional Appetite and Self-Esteem

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to examine the relationships among food addiction, eating attitudes, emotional appetite, and self-esteem of young adults aged 18–30 years by using a structural model. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,058 volunteers (male = 307, female = 751). The hypothesis that self-esteem of young adults influences their eating attitudes was supported in the study (β = –0.081, p < .05). Another hypothesis was also supported, so self-esteem had a positive effect on food addiction (β = 0.280, p < .05). Furthermore, eating attitude has mediating effects on the relationships between self-esteem and food addiction and between emotional appetite and food addiction. Individuals’ eating attitude, food addiction, emotional appetite, and self-esteem scores were found to be related to each other. This article provides valuable data for studies of disordered eating attitudes, emotional state, and food addiction that are thought to be important for young adults in the future.
Moving from Tacit Knowledge to Evidence-Based Practice: The Kaiser Permanente Community Partners Study

SUMMARY For several decades both medical and social work practices have failed to consistently include measures to determine the effectiveness of their care and practices. This is especially true of care management practices. With the growth and aging of our population, this is of particular concern when many of our resources for older adults are channeled into services such as geriatric care management. This article describes a randomized controlled trial that tested the effectiveness of four levels of geriatric care management. Results from this study did not support the tacit knowledge of the clinicians in terms of the effectiveness of their practices. This article describes the study methods and results, and how evidence from this study impacted subsequent service provided by geriatric care managers.
The effects of measurement errors on some multivariate procedures.

The effects of random errors of measurement on a variety of basic multivariate procedures are discussed. For some procedures, the effect is one of attenuation (i.e., simply reducing the estimated strength of association). For others, the effect may be to alter the apparent direction of association. Some proposed solutions to the problems caused by errors of measurement are presented, and areas requiring further research are pointed out.
Early diagnosis and prediction of severity in acute pancreatitis using the urine trypsinogen-2 dipstick test: a prospective study.

AIM To evaluate the use of the trypsinogen-2 dipstick (Actim Pancreatitis) test for early diagnosis and prediction of severity in acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS Ninety-two patients with AP were included in this study. The control group was 25 patients who had acute abdominal pain from non-pancreatic causes. Urine trypsinogen-2 dipstick test (UTDT) and conventional diagnostic tests were performed in all patients. Patients were divided by the Atlanta classification into two groups as having mild or severe pancreatitis. RESULTS UTDT was positive in 87 (94.6%) of the AP patients and in two (8%) controls (P < 0.05). Positive UTDT was found in 61 (92.4%) of 66 (71.7%) patients with mild pancreatitis and in all (100%) of the 26 (28.3%) with severe pancreatitis (P > 0.05). UTDT positivity lasted longer in severe pancreatitis compared with that in mild pancreatitis (6.2 +/- 2.5 d vs 2.0 +/- 1.43 d, P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of UTDT were 91%, 72%, 96.6%, 70.4%, 3.4 and 0.1, respectively. CONCLUSION UTDT is a simple, rapid and reliable method for use on admission. It has high specificity and low NLR for early diagnosis and prediction of severity in AP. However, its relatively low NPV does not allow trypsinogen-2 dipstick test to be a stand-alone tool for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis; the use of other conventional diagnostic tools remains a requirement.
Amacrine, ganglion, and displaced amacrine cells in the rabbit retina express nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Acetylcholine (ACh) in the vertebrate retina affects the response properties of many ganglion cells, including those that display directional selectivity. Three β and eight α subunits of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been purified and antibodies have been raised against many of them. Here we describe biochemical and immunocytochemical studies of nAChRs in the rabbit retina. Radioimmunoassay and Western blot analysis demonstrated that many of the nAChRs recognized by a monoclonal antibody (mAb210) contain β2 subunits, some of which are in combination with α3 and possibly other subunits. MAb210-immunoreactive cells in the inner nuclear layer (INL) were 7–14 μm in diameter and were restricted to the innermost one or two tiers of cells, although occasional cells were found in the middle of the INL. At least 60% of the cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in the visual streak displayed mAb210 immunoreactivity; these neurons ranged from 7–18 μm in diameter. The dendrites of cells in both the INL and GCL could sometimes be followed until they entered one of two dense, poorly defined, bands of processes in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) that overlap the arbors of the cholinergic starburst cells. Parvalbumin and serotonin-positive neurons did not exhibit nAChR immunoreactivity. Although the level of receptor expression appeared to be low, mAb210 immunoreactivity was observed in some of the ChAT-positive (starburst) amacrine cells.