Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of oral nutrition supplements on hospital outcomes in pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND Nutrition deficiency is common among hospitalized children. Although oral nutrition supplements (ONS) may improve malnutrition in this population, the benefits and healthcare costs associated with their use have not yet been fully explored. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ONS use on inpatient length of stay (LOS) and episode cost in hospitalized children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of 557,348 hospitalizations of children aged 2-8 years in the Premier Research Database. The effect of ONS use on LOS and episode cost in a propensity score- matched sample was estimated in analyses with and without the use of instrumental variables (IVs) to reduce confounding from unobserved variables. RESULTS ONS were prescribed in 6066 of 557,348 inpatient episodes (1.09%). In IV analysis, using a matched sample of 11,031 episodes, hospitalizations with ONS use had 14.8% shorter LOS (6.4 vs 7.5 days; 1.1 days [95% CI, 0.2-2.4]). Hospitalizations with ONS use had 9.7% lower cost ($16,552 vs $18,320; $1768 [95% CI, $1924-$1612]). CONCLUSIONS ONS use was associated with lower LOS and episode cost among pediatric inpatients. ONS use in hospitalized pediatric patients may provide a cost-effective, evidence-based approach to improving pediatric hospital care.
BIM-GIS INTEGRATED GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION MODEL USING SEMANTIC WEB AND RDF GRAPHS

Abstract. In recent years, 3D virtual indoor/outdoor urban modelling becomes a key spatial information framework for many civil and engineering applications such as evacuation planning, emergency and facility management. For accomplishing such sophisticate decision tasks, there is a large demands for building multi-scale and multi-sourced 3D urban models. Currently, Building Information Model (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are broadly used as the modelling sources. However, data sharing and exchanging information between two modelling domains is still a huge challenge; while the syntactic or semantic approaches do not fully provide exchanging of rich semantic and geometric information of BIM into GIS or vice-versa. This paper proposes a novel approach for integrating BIM and GIS using semantic web technologies and Resources Description Framework (RDF) graphs. The novelty of the proposed solution comes from the benefits of integrating BIM and GIS technologies into one unified model, so-called Integrated Geospatial Information Model (IGIM). The proposed approach consists of three main modules: BIM-RDF and GIS-RDF graphs construction, integrating of two RDF graphs, and query of information through IGIM-RDF graph using SPARQL. The IGIM generates queries from both the BIM and GIS RDF graphs resulting a semantically integrated model with entities representing both BIM classes and GIS feature objects with respect to the target-client application. The linkage between BIM-RDF and GIS-RDF is achieved through SPARQL endpoints and defined by a query using set of datasets and entity classes with complementary properties, relationships and geometries. To validate the proposed approach and its performance, a case study was also tested using IGIM system design.
Long-term investment and asset allocation strategies in defined contribution pension plans

Submitted by Ke Wang, to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance in December 2012. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from this thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University.
Evaluation of Random cDNA Clones as Probes for Human Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms

We constructed two human cDNA libraries and selected clones hybridizing with more than five fragments of digested genomic DNA. We assume that these cDNAs detect sequences belonging to gene families. Compared with cDNAs derived from mRNAs of other tissues, the cDNAs of lymphocytes contained a higher proportion of these selected species of cDNA. We assume that these extra cDNAs are tissue-specific. In parallel tests, cDNAs belonging to gene families detected more restriction fragment length polymorphisms than did genomic probes, due to the larger number of restriction sites that can be checked using one probe. However, the chromosomal assignment of these polymorphisms often proved to be very difficult. In addition, we noticed that the mean length of EcoRI fragments hybridizing with our cDNAs is greater than the mean length of fragments hybridizing with randomly chosen genomic probes, possibly due to methylation connected with the inactivation of related active gene sequences.
Adjusting Nonresponse Bias at Subdomain Levels using Multiple Response Phases

When a sampling unit doesn't respond to a survey it is termed unit nonresponse. Unit nonresponse may have a dramatic affect on estimation results of interest. Using only those who responded to the survey to calculate the estimate may bias the estimate, known as nonresponse bias. Many approaches have been created in order to account for nonresponse. One such approach is to resample those nonrespondents in a second response “phase” (or more). We build a Bayesian hierarchical model that uses information from multiple response “phases” to estimate the phase specific response rates from I subdomains. This information is simultaneously used to estimate the success rates in those I subdomains. Conditional success rates are then estimated for the first phase respondents, second phase respondents, and nonrespondents (the third response phase). A relationship between these three sets of conditional success rates is incorporated into the model. This is done through a spatially dependent structure. The 1998 Missouri Turkey Hunting Survey is used to illustrate this methodology. The success rate estimates from nonrespondents have a significant impact on the overall success rate. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
System Identification of a Quad-rotor in X Configuration from Experimental Data

Quad-rotors have been a very popular topic for research in the current literature because of its capability to perform diﬀerent tasks autonomously. This paper focuses on the modeling of a quad-rotor aircraft dynamics based on experimental data. It will be demonstrated that a linear model could represent its dynamics despite of quadrotor ' s strong nonlinearities. Also, it will be shown how a quad-rotor aircraft system works, its typical mathematical model according with literature and a brief history of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
Field trial of timed bright light exposure for jet lag among airline cabin crew

Objectives. Commercial airlines' flight crew members on transmeridian long-haul flights are constantly exposed to rapid changes in external time. Following rapid changes in circadian rhythm may lead to several symptoms known as jet lag. Our aim was to alleviate jet-lag symptoms by timed exposure to bright light (natural sunlight if present, otherwise artificial bright light). Study Design. Observational field trial with bright light against jet lag. Methods. Information on the effects of bright lights on health was delivered through corporate level wellness programs. Volunteer study subjects were cabin crew members on long-haul flights. Subjects filled in a 16-Item Columbia Jet Lag Scale (maximum score 64) before the flight (expected symptoms based on previous flights), on the third day at the destination and again on the third day after returning home. Changes in scores were compared relative to the timed exposure to bright light, and to flights eastwards or westwards, and in summer or winter. Results. Out of 75 subjects, 15 returned the questionnaires for a total of 28 flights. The mean estimated effect of bright light was a decrease of 5.3 points on the symptom scale. The difference was not significant (SE = 3.4, df = 11, t = -1.6, p = 0.15). The flight had no influence on the estimate. Conclusions. The results do not give support to the hypothesis that timed exposure to bright light would alleviate jet lag symptoms, although the small sample size was a problem. More field studies are needed to establish the feasibility of bright light for reducing jet lag.
Zone of Tolerance – How to Determine whether it is “Narrow” or “Broad”?

The increased significance of the services sector to the global economy has led to a heightened concern by practitioners, as well as consumers, regarding the quality of services being offered [1]. Specially, the delivery of service quality is increasingly being seen as central to service providers’ efforts to position themselves effectively in the marketplace. As a result, the concept of quality and its relationship with the service industries has become a major preoccupation of many businesses within this sector [2]. Leading service organizations strive to maintain a superior quality of service in an effort to gain customer loyalty [3]. Thus, a service organization’s long-term success in a market is essentially determined by its ability to expand and maintain a large and loyal customer base. In addition, leveraging service quality has been shown to contribute to both the retention and expansion of the existing customer base [4].
Smart Led Lighting System for Street Lights

------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT------------------------------------------------------An intelligent household LED lighting system considering energy efficiency and user satisfaction is proposed here. The proposed system utilises multi sensors and wireless communication technology in order to control LED light according to the user state and surrounding. The proposed LED lighting system can automatically adjust the light intensity values by sensing the intensity of sunlight to enhance energy efficiency. Here the PIR sensor and LDR sensors are used to control the brightness of the LEDs. Also a PC is used to monitor the whole operation using zigbee transceivers. In addition to that an android application is installed in smart phones to adjust the brightness of the light for user satisfaction. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employing the cyclophosphate to accelerate the degradation of nano-hydroxyapatite/poly(amino acid) (n-HA/PAA) composite materials

Abstract Owing to the good degradability and biocompatibility of polyphosphoesters (PPEs), the aim of the current study was to investigate a novel degradable composite of nano-hydroxyapatite/poly(amino acid) (n-HA/PAA) with cyclophosphate (CPE) via in situ melting polymerization to improve the degradation of n-HA/PAA. The structure of each composite was characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The degradation properties were studied in terms of the weight loss and pH in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, while the surface morphology was examined using a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) after soaking the surface in simulated body fluid (SBF). The cell proliferation, cell adhesion, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were used for the analysis of cytocompatibility. The weight loss results showed that the n-HA/PAA composite was 9.98 wt%, weighed after soaking in the PBS solution for 12 weeks, whereas the nano-hydroxyapatite/polyphosphoester-amino acid (n-HA/PPE-AA) composite was 46.94 wt%. The pH of the composites was in a suitable range between 6.64 to 7.06 and finally stabilized at 7.39. The SEM and EDS results revealed the formation of an apatite-like layer on the surface of the n-HA/PPE-AA composites after soaking in SBF for one week. The cell counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay of the cell culture in the leaching liquid of the n-HA/PPE-AA composites exhibited non-cytotoxicity and high-proliferation, and the cell adhesion showed the well spreading and normal phenotype extension of the cells on the n-HA/PPE-AA composites surface. Concurrently, the co-culture results of the composites and cells confirmed that the n-HA/PPE-AA composites exhibited a higher ALP activity. In summary, the results demonstrated that the n-HA/PPE-AA composites had a controllable degradation property, good bioactivity, and cytocompatibility.
Toward Integrative Corporate Citizenship: Research Advances in Corporate Social Performance

PART I: THEORIES OF CORPORATE SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: TOWARD A NEW VISION OF THEORETICAL INTEGRATION OF VALUE-BASED BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Addressing a Lack of Theoretical Integration in Corporate Social Performance Toward an Integrative Theory of Value-Based Leadership Value Attunement: Exploring the Potential for Responsible Executive Decision Making PART II: EMPIRICAL RESEARCH INTEGRATION: BUSINESS SOCIAL PERFORMANCE, RISK, AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Corporate Social and Financial Performance: An Integrative Review Corporate Social Performance and Business Risk Organizational Size, Corporate Social Performance, and Business Performance Doing Well by Doing Good: Objective Findings, Subjective Assumptions, or Selective Amplification? PART III: IMPLICATIONS FOR MEASUREMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION: TOWARD AN INTEGRATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON CORPORATE SOCIAL PERFORMANCE Corporate Social Performance, Stakeholder Satisfaction, and Generalizability Theory Normative Myopia, Executives' Personality, and Preference for Pay Dispersion: Implications for Corporate Social Performance Prospects for Integrative Citizenship in Research and Practice
Widespread Bronchogenic Dissemination Makes DBA/2 Mice More Susceptible than C57BL/6 Mice to Experimental Aerosol Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT We have used the murine model of aerosol-induced experimental tuberculosis to assess the effects of four clinical isolates and a reference strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on resistant C57BL/6 mice and susceptible DBA/2 mice. Histological studies and detection of 25 cytokines potentially involved in the infection were carried out. DBA/2 mice showed higher concentrations of bacilli in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue. Furthermore, these mice evidenced a larger granulomatous infiltration in the parenchyma due to an increased rate of emigration of infected foamy macrophages from the granulomas to the neighboring pulmonary alveolar spaces. The better control of bacillary concentrations and pulmonary infiltration observed in C57BL/6 mice from week 3 postinfection could result from their higher RANTES, ICAM-1, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA levels. On the other hand, the higher MIP-2 and MCP-3 mRNA levels seen in DBA/2 mice would result in stronger lung recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils. Additionally, DBA/2 mice showed increased inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, induced by the larger number of foamy macrophages, at weeks 18 and 22. This increment was a consequence of phagocytosed bacillary debris, was independent of IFN-γ expression, and could exert only a bacteriostatic effect. The results of the study suggest that DBA/2 mice are more susceptible than C57BL/6 mice to M. tuberculosis infection due to a higher bronchial dissemination of bacilli inside poorly activated foamy macrophages.
Lipophilic regulator of a developmental switch in Caenorhabditis elegans

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the decision to develop into a reproductive adult or arrest as a dauer larva is influenced by multiple pathways including insulin‐like and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)‐like signalling pathways. It has been proposed that lipophilic hormones act downstream of these pathways to regulate dauer formation. One likely target for such a hormone is DAF‐12, an orphan nuclear hormone receptor that mediates these developmental decisions and also influences adult lifespan. In order to find lipophilic hormones we have generated lipophilic extracts from mass cultures of C. elegans and shown that they rescue the dauer constitutive phenotype of class 1 daf‐2 insulin signalling mutants and the TGFβ signalling mutant daf‐7. These extracts are also able to rescue the lethal dauer phenotype of daf‐9 mutants, which lack a P450 steroid hydroxylase thought to be involved in the synthesis of the DAF‐12 ligand; extracts, however, have no effect on a DAF‐12 ligand binding domain mutant that is predicted to be ligand insensitive. The production of this hormone appears to be DAF‐9 dependent as extracts from a daf‐9;daf‐12 double mutant do not exhibit this activity. Preliminary fractionation of the lipophilic extracts shows that the activity is hydrophobic with some polar properties, consistent with a small lipophilic hormone. We propose that the dauer rescuing activity is a hormone synthesized by DAF‐9 that acts through DAF‐12.
Modeling Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Local Governments in Nigeria

This paper considers the Time Series Modeling of Internally Generated Revenue of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. Data for this work are monthly internally generated revenue collected from the Budget, Planning, Research and Statistics (BPRS) department of the Local Government from 1998 to 2012. Box and Jenkins method of time series analysis is used to analyse the series. From the analysis, ARIMA (2, 1, 2) is identified as appropriate model for the series and Theil Coefficient indicates that the model is adequate for a good forecast.Keywords: Time series model, internally generated revenue, Theil coefficient, forecast, Local Government Revenue.
An economic dispatching and stability control approach for demand side management

The wind-solar-battery hybrid system is widely used in modern communities. As the wind and solar resources could compensate each others power output, continuous energy generation can be used to supply the demand-side loads, and its surplus can be stored in the battery. In the paper, a switching wind-solar-battery hybrid system with grid connection is studied. The hybrid system model is simplified in the form of power flow, and use the Lyapunov theory to do the stability analysis. Optimal switching control is used to control power flows from wind/ solar/battery to the loads for minimizing the electricity cost under the time-of-use program. The results show that the promising cost savings can be achieved via optimal operation of the hybrid system.
Speaker diarization for meeting room audio

This paper describes a speaker diarization system in 2007 NIST Rich Transcription (RT07) Meeting Recognition Evaluation for the task of Multiple Distant Microphone (MDM) in meeting room scenarios. The system includes three major modules: data preparation, initial speaker clustering and cluster purification/merging. The data preparation consists of the raw data Wiener filtering and beamforming, Time Difference of Arrival estimate and speech activity detection. Based on the initial processed data, two-stage histogram quantization has been used to perform the initial speaker clustering. A modified purification strategy via high-order GMM clustering method is proposed. BIC criterion is applied for cluster merging. The system achieves a competitive overall DER of 8.31% for RT07 MDM speaker diarization task.
Developing Knowledge-enhanced Chronic Disease Risk Prediction Models from Regional EHR Repositories

Precision medicine requires the precision disease risk prediction models. In literature, there have been a lot well-established (inter-)national risk models, but when applying them into the local population, the prediction performance becomes unsatisfactory. To address the localization issue, this paper exploits the way to develop knowledge-enhanced localized risk models. On the one hand, we tune models by learning from regional Electronic Health Record (EHR) repositories, and on the other hand, we propose knowledge injection into the EHR data learning process. For experiments, we leverage the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE, as recommended in ACC/AHA guidelines to estimate the risk of ASCVD) to develop a localized ASCVD risk prediction model in diabetes. The experimental results show that, if directly using the PCE algorithm on our cohort, the AUC is only 0.653, while our knowledge-enhanced localized risk model can achieve higher prediction performance with AUC of 0.723 (improved by 10.7%).
Analytical calculation of magnetic field distribution in the slotted air gap of a surface permanent-magnet motor using complex relative air-gap permeance

We present an analytical method for calculation of no-load magnetic field distribution in the slotted air gap of a surface permanent-magnet (PM) motor with radial or parallel magnetization. The method introduces the notion of complex relative air-gap permeance, calculated from the conformal transformation of the slot geometry, to take into account the effect of slotting. As a result, an accurate solution of both radial and tangential components of the flux density can be obtained which shows excellent agreement with the results of finite-element simulations. As an example of the effectiveness of the model, we present calculations of the back electromotive force and the cogging torque waveforms in a surface PM motor.
Second-generation monoclonal antibodies to intestinal MUC2 peptide reactive with colon cancer.

BACKGROUND Antitumor antibodies have traditionally been made to whole tumors or tumor extract. The use of defined synthetic antigens would be desirable for producing monoclonal antibodies. PURPOSE Our purpose was to determine if antipeptide antibody to MUC2 had antitumor activity and specificity. METHODS A 29-amino-acid peptide to MUC2 was synthesized and monoclonal antibodies were produced after immunizing BALB/c mice with peptide-keyhole-limpet hemocyanin in complete Freund's adjuvant, and the monoclonal antibodies were tested on peptides and human tissues. RESULTS CCP31, CCP37, and CCP58 monoclonal antibodies were produced using MUC2 MI-29 (KYPTTTPISTTTMVTPTPTPTGTQTPTTT) containing one repeat unit of 23 amino acids and part of the next repeat of four amino acids. These antibodies reacted with the MUC2-derived peptide but not with MUC1- or MUC3-derived peptides. One of the monoclonal antibodies, CCP58, reacted strongly with human colon cancer and normal intestine in both fresh and formalin-fixed tissues; two other antibodies, CCP37 and CCP31, reacted only with fresh human tissues of normal colon and malignant colon tumors by immunoperoxidase staining. In addition, CCP37 and CCP58 reacted strongly with human gastric cancer; all antibodies reacted weakly with human salivary gland, and none reacted with tissues from normal human lung, kidney, stomach, pancreas, or endometrium. By analysis of mucin molecules by Western blotting, the antigen detected by monoclonal antibodies CCP37 and CCP58 was found to be of a high relative molecular mass (520 kd). CONCLUSIONS Anti-MUC2 peptide antibodies appear to be relatively tissue specific and represent a new method of producing antitumor antibodies.
Credit Card Usage and Debt among College and University Students. ERIC Digest.

ABSTRACT Holub, Tamara Credit Card Usage and Debt among College and University Students. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, Washington, DC. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. EDO-HE-2002-01 2002-01-00 4p. ; Contains small print. ED-99-CO-0036 ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, Institute for Education Policy Studies, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036-1183. Tel: 800-956-7739 (Toll Free); e-mail: eric-heaeric-he.edu. For full text: http://www.eriche. org/digests/2OO2-l.pdf. ERIC Publications (071) ERIC Digests in Full Text (073) MFOI/PCO~ Plus Postage. *College Students; *Credit Cards; Credit (Finance); *Debt (Financial); Higher Education; School Responsibility; Student Responsibility ERIC Digests