Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastric Acid Suppressant Prophylaxis in Pediatric Intensive Care: Current Practice as Reflected in a Large Administrative Database*

Objectives: Stress-related gastrointestinal bleeding may occur in PICU patients. Raising gastric pH with acid suppressant medications is the accepted treatment. We describe the use of histamine 2 receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors and associated factors among a national sample of PICU patients. Design: Retrospective cohort analysis using Pediatric Health Information System clinically detailed administrative database. Setting: Forty-two children’s hospitals throughout the United States. Patients: All hospitalizations for all patients 20 years old or younger, admitted directly to a PICU, from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2011. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The exposure of interest was treatment with a histamine 2 receptor blocker, proton pump inhibitor, or both on the first day of PICU admission. Demographics, principal and additional diagnoses, and procedure codes were assessed. For each hospitalization, principal diagnosis, coagulation disorder, head trauma, spinal trauma, severe burns, sepsis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, mechanical ventilation, blood product transfusion, and 10 complex chronic conditions were identified. The frequency of principal diagnoses was determined to identify the most prevalent PICU diseases. Acid suppressant use was categorized as high or low. Three hundred and thirty-six thousand ten inpatient hospitalizations were sampled. Histamine 2 receptor blocker or proton pump inhibitor was used in 60.0%, with histamine 2 receptor blocker alone in 70.4%, proton pump inhibitor alone in 17.8%, and both agents in 11.8%. Use increased over the sample years 2007 through 2011. Gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in 1.32% of hospitalizations with transfusion needed in 0.1%. Among most prevalent diagnoses, histamine 2 receptor blocker and proton pump inhibitor use ranged from 33% to 87%. Sepsis, coagulopathy, and mechanical ventilation identified higher use. Use of histamine 2 receptor blocker or proton pump inhibitor among hospitals varied considerably ranging from 28% to 87%. Conclusions: Histamine 2 receptor blocker and proton pump inhibitor are prescribed in most PICU patients, but significant variation exists across health conditions and hospitals. Institutional preferences likely influence variation. Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is infrequent in the current era. Study data limitations prevent examination of associations between medication use and patient outcomes.
Test of Word Finding

Paper making method in which turbulent suspension under pressure is introduced to a tapering gap between a pair of traveling wires at the speed of the wires, and is dewatered therein by suction applied in a series of zones along the wires in such controlled manner that the quantity of liquid in the suspension decreases from zone-to-zone proportionally to gap width, and the suspension is caused to move through the gap at essentially the speed of the wires and without being subjected to substantial mechanical pressing by the wires.
Multiple robot rearrangement problem using an extended project-scheduling problem solver

In this paper, we address a multiple robot rearrangement problem. We focus on a small working environment composed of narrow corridors. In such an environment, adequate priority settings are required to prevent robots from having collisions. As a result, enormous calculation time is required. We propose a practical method utilizing partitions that divide the entire complicated problem into multiple simple sub-problems. Among these sub-problems, new constraints related to task execution order occur. Therefore, we extend the existing project-scheduling problem solver to cope with these new constraints. The proposed method is tested in a simulated environment with up to 4 mobile robots and 12 movable objects. The simulation results show that our method can be used to obtain a solution in a feasible calculation time.
Distributed adaptive output agreement in a class of multi-agent systems

In this article we consider the distributed output agreement problem in a class of heterogeneous multi-agent dynamic systems composed of agents with nonlinear and uncertain dynamics. We develop a distributed direct adaptive fuzzy control methodology which using only local information guarantees achievement of agreement of the agent outputs despite the uncertainties in the agent dynamics. The performance of the proposed strategy is verified for various neighborhood topologies using representative numerical simulations.
Increased Protection against Pneumococcal Disease by Mucosal Administration of Conjugate Vaccine plus Interleukin-12

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory tract infections, its main entry route being the nasal mucosa. The recent development of pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines has led to a dramatic improvement in protection against invasive disease in infants and children, but these vaccines have been found to be only 50 to 60% protective against bacterial carriage. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of intranasal (i.n.) conjugate vaccine delivery using interleukin-12 (IL-12) as a mucosal adjuvant. Immunized mice treated with IL-12 demonstrated increased expression of lung and splenic gamma interferon and IL-10 mRNAs; high levels of antibody, particularly serum immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) and respiratory IgA; and significantly increased opsonic activity. After intraperitoneal challenge with type 3 pneumococci, there was 75% survival of i.n. vaccinated mice compared to 0% survival of unvaccinated mice. In addition, after i.n. challenge with type 14 pneumococci, vaccinated mice possessed fewer bacterial colonies in the upper respiratory tract than unvaccinated mice. However, no significant difference in type 14 carriage was observed between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups following intramuscular vaccination, the typical route of vaccination in humans. Using mice with a genetic disruption in IgA expression, it was found that pneumococcus-specific IgA played a significant role in the clearance of bacteria from the upper respiratory tract. We conclude that i.n vaccination in the presence of IL-12 is able to enhance systemic and mucosal immune responses to pneumococci and efficiently protect against both invasive infection and bacterial carriage.
A Note on Concepts and Distances

We combine the description logic ALC with the metric logics defined in [15]. Entities that are conceived of as abstract points in the realm of ALC are given a spatial extension via an ‘extension relation,’ connecting abstract points in the domain of an ALC-model to points in a metric space. Conversely, regions in the metric space are connected via the converse ‘extension relation’ to certain points in the ALC-model. We prove the decidability of the satisfiability problem for the resulting hybrid formalism, give a few examples, and discuss further extensions of the ideas introduced.
Myonuclear Addition to Uninjured Laryngeal Myofibers in Adult Rabbits

Objectives: In normal mature limb skeletal muscle, satellite cells are quiescent and myonuclei do not divide after formation of their associated myofibers in the absence of injury. The possibility of myonuclear addition in uninjured laryngeal myofibers of adult rabbits was investigated in an immunohistochemical pilot study. Methods: Bromodeoxyuridine (brdU), a marker for cell division, was administered by intraperitoneal injection over a 12-hour period in rabbits. The number of brdU-positive myonuclei per myofiber was determined on cross sections through the thyroarytenoid (TA) and posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscles. Results: In the TA muscle, 0.13% ± 0.03% (mean ± SEM) of the myofibers counted had a brdU-positive nucleus. In the PCA muscle, 0.13% ± 0.01% of the myofibers counted had a brdU-positive nucleus. Approximately 0.2% and 0.3% of the myofibers of the TA and PCA muscles, respectively, had brdU-positive satellite cells associated with them. Tibialis anterior and pectoralis major muscle controls were negative for brdU-positive myonuclei. Conclusions: These data support the possibility of continuous remodeling in uninjured adult laryngeal myofibers and accentuate the distinct nature of laryngeal muscle relative to limb skeletal muscle in the rabbit model.
Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies by maternal plasma nucleic acid analysis.

BACKGROUND The discovery of circulating cell-free fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma has opened up new possibilities for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. The potential application of this technology for the noninvasive prenatal detection of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies is an aspect of this field that is being actively investigated. The main challenge of work in this area is the fact that cell-free fetal nucleic acids represent only a minor fraction of the total nucleic acids in maternal plasma. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a review of the literature, which revealed that investigators have applied methods based on the physical and molecular enrichment of fetal nucleic acid targets from maternal plasma. The former includes the use of size fractionation of plasma DNA and the use of the controversial formaldehyde treatment method. The latter has been achieved through the development of fetal epigenetic and fetal RNA markers. The aneuploidy status of the fetus has been explored through the use of allelic ratio analysis of plasma fetal epigenetic and RNA markers. Digital PCR has been shown to offer high precision for allelic ratio and relative chromosome dosage analyses. CONCLUSIONS After a decade of work, the theoretical and practical feasibility of prenatal fetal chromosomal aneuploidy detection by plasma nucleic acid analysis has been demonstrated in studies using small sample sets. Larger scale independent studies will be needed to validate these initial observations. If these larger scale studies prove successful, it is expected that with further development of new fetal DNA/RNA markers and new analytical methods, molecular noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of the major chromosomal aneuploidies could become a routine practice in the near future.
Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP), a multi site longitudinal cohort study focused on gene–environment interaction: objectives, sample characteristics, recruitment and assessment methods

A longitudinal focus on gene–environment vulnerability and resilience in both patients, their unaffected family members and non‐related controls offers the opportunity to elucidate etiological and pathogenetic factors influencing the onset and course of psychotic disorders. The current paper delineates the objectives, sample characteristics, recruitment and assessment procedures of the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychoses (GROUP) study.
Adaptive Threshold for Detecting Significant Fold Changes in Microarray Data

To detect significant changes in gene expression, a threshold for fold change, which is a fixed value for all genes, is widely used. However, it is not always guaranteed that a value which is appropriate for highly expressed genes is suitable for genes with low expression. In this study, aiming at detecting significant changes from a wide range of expression levels, we propose an adaptive threshold for fold changes.
Characterization of FRO1, a Pea Ferric-Chelate Reductase Involved in Root Iron Acquisition1

To acquire iron, many plant species reduce soil Fe(III) to Fe(II) by Fe(III)-chelate reductases embedded in the plasma membrane of root epidermal cells. The reduced product is then taken up by Fe(II) transporter proteins. These activities are induced under Fe deficiency. We describe here the FRO1 gene from pea (Pisum sativum), which encodes an Fe(III)-chelate reductase. Consistent with this proposed role, FRO1 shows similarity to other oxidoreductase proteins, and expression of FRO1 in yeast conferred increased Fe(III)-chelate reductase activity. Furthermore,FRO1 mRNA levels in plants correlated with Fe(III)-chelate reductase activity. Sites of FRO1expression in roots, leaves, and nodules were determined.FRO1 mRNA was detected throughout the root, but was most abundant in the outer epidermal cells. Expression was detected in mesophyll cells in leaves. In root nodules, mRNA was detected in the infection zone and nitrogen-fixing region. These results indicate that FRO1 acts in root Fe uptake and they suggest a role in Fe distribution throughout the plant. Characterization of FRO1 has also provided new insights into the regulation of Fe uptake. FRO1expression and reductase activity was detected only in Fe-deficient roots of Sparkle, whereas both were constitutive in brzand dgl, two mutants with incorrectly regulated Fe accumulation. In contrast, FRO1 expression was responsive to Fe status in shoots of all three plant lines. These results indicate differential regulation of FRO1 in roots and shoots, and improper FRO1 regulation in response to a shoot-derived signal of iron status in the roots of thebrz and dgl mutants.
Border Sampling through Coupling Markov Chain Monte Carlo

Recently, progressive border sampling (PBS) was proposed for sample selection in supervised learning by progressively learning an augmented full border from small labeled datasets. However, this quadratic learning algorithm is inapplicable to large datasets. In this paper, we incorporate the PBS to a state of the art technique called coupling Markov chain Monte Carlo (CMCMC) in an attempt to scale the original algorithm up on large labeled datasets. The CMCMC can produce an exact sample while a naive strategy for Markov chain Monte Carlo cannot guarantee the convergence to a stationary distribution. The resulting CMCMC-PBS algorithm is thus proposed for border sampling on large datasets. CMCMC-PBS exhibits several remarkable characteristics: linear time complexity, learner-independence, and a consistent convergence to an optimal sample from the original training sets by learning from their subsamples. Our experimental results on the 33 either small or large labeled datasets from the UCIKDD repository and a nuclear security application show that our new approach outperforms many previous sampling techniques for sample selection.
Molecular cloning and characterization of an extracellular protease gene from Aeromonas hydrophila

A structural gene which codes for an extracellular protease in Aeromonas hydrophilia SO2/2 and D13 was cloned in Escherichia coli C600-1 by using pBR322 as a vector. The gene codes for a temperature-stable protease with a molecular mass of approximately 38,000 daltons. The protein was secreted to the periplasm of E. coli C600-1 and purified by osmotic shock. Cloned protease (P3) was identical in molecular mass and properties to the one purified from A. hydrophila SO2/2 culture supernatant as an extracellular product.
Association between the hsa-mir-27a variant and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION Although a number of studies were published in the past several years on associations between hsa-mir-27a and cancer risk, the findings remain conflicting rather than conclusive. To derive a more precise effect on the association between SNP hsa-mir-27a rs895819 and breast cancer risk, we conducted a meta-analysis for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS Through retrieval from PubMed for the period up to August 2012, a total of four studies were identified with 3,287 cases and 4,298 controls for SNP hsa-mir-27a rs895819.We calculated summary odds ratio (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a fixed effects model (when the heterogeneity was absent, P>0.10). Otherwise, the random-effects model was used. RESULTS We found that hsa-mir-27a rs895819 polymorphism also did not reveal any relationship with breast cancer susceptibility (AG versus AA: OR = 0.98; 95%CI, 0.73-1.32; GG versus AA: OR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72-1.03; AG/GG versus AA: OR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.74-1.14), while significantly decreased risk was found among Europeans in AG versus AA and AG/GG versus AA models tested (AG versus AA: OR = 0.83; 95%CI, 0.72-0.97; GG versus AA: OR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.71-1.05; AG/GG versus AA: OR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75-0.94). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that hsa-mir-27a rs895819 polymorphism may play an important role in breast cancer development.
Neuroprotective Effect of Brasicca Olarecae L. Var. Botrytis (Brassicaceae) Flowers Extract on Memory Deficit in Aged & Young Rats

Learning is defined as acquisition of information and skills. Subsequent retention of this information is called as memory. Any disturbance in dhi (process of learning), dhuti (process of retention) and smriti (process of recall) in Ayurveda results in the loss of cognitive ability [1]. Dementia, an organic disorder refers to several pathological states of brain, leading to disruption of personality and multiple higher cortical functions including memory, reasoning, orientation, comprehension, learning capacity and emotional stability [2]. It is therefore not a normal result of ageing, but rather pathological conditions [3] such as Alzheimer’s disease, Pick’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypoxic and ischemic encephalopathy, Parkinson’s disease, alcoholism, drug abuse, brain tumor and infections like HIV and syphilis [4].
Phase relationship between hippocampal place units and the EEG theta rhythm

Many complex spike cells in the hippocampus of the freely moving rat have as their primary correlate the animal's location in an environment (place cells). In contrast, the hippocampal electroer cephalograph theta pattern of rhythmical waves (7–12 Hz) is better correlated with a class of movements that change the rat's location in an environment. During movement through the place field, the complex spike cells often fire in a bursting pattern with an interburst frequency in the same range as the concurrent electroencephalograph theta. The present study examined the phase of the theta wave at which the place cells fired. It was found that firing consistently began at a particular phase as the rat entered the field but then shifted in a systematic way during traversal of the field, moving progressively forward on each theta cycle. This precession of the phase ranged from 100° to 355° in different cells. The effect appeared to be due to the fact that individual cells had a higher interburst rate than the theta frequency. The phase was highly correlated with spatial location and less well correlated with temporal aspects of behavior, such as the time after place field entry. These results have implications for several aspects of hippocampal function. First, by using the phase relationship as well as the firing rate, place cells can improve the accuracy of place coding. Second, the characteristics of the phase shift constrain the models that define the construction of place fields. Third, the results restrict the temporal and spatial circumstances under which synapses in the hippocampus could be modified.
Gene position within a long transcript as a determinant for stochastic switching in bacteria

How cultures of genetically identical cells bifurcate into distinct phenotypic subpopulations under uniform growth conditions is an important question in developmental biology of relevance even to relatively simple developmental systems, such as spore formation in bacteria. A growing Bacillus subtilis culture consists of either cells that are motile and can swim or cells that are non‐motile and are chained together. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Cozy and Kearns show that the probability of a cell to become motile depends on the position of the sigD gene within the long (27 kb) motility operon. sigD encodes the alternative sigma factor σD that, together with RNA polymerase, drives expression of genes required for cell separation and the assembly of flagella. sigD is the penultimate gene of the B. subtilis motility operon and, in the control strain approximately, 70% of the cells are motile. When sigD was moved upstream within the operon, a larger fraction of cells became motile (up to 100%). This study highlights that the position of a gene within an operon can have a large impact on the control of gene expression. Furthermore, it suggests that RNA polymerase processivity or mRNA turnover can play important roles as sources of noise in bacterial development, and that gene position might be an unrecognized and possibly widespread mechanism to regulate phenotypic variation.
Carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa. A nonrandomized comparison of preoperative radiation and surgery or irradiation alone: Long‐term results

The characteristics and results of therapy in 218 patients with histologically proven epidermoid carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa are reported. Ninety‐eight patients were treated with irradiation alone (5500–7000 rad). One hundred twenty patients were treated with preoperative radiation (2000–3000 rad) and en bloc radical tonsillectomy with ipsilateral lymph node dissection. The actuarial three year survival on patients with T1 tumors was 76%; T2, 40%; T3, 42%; and T4, 25%. The patients with no cervical lymphadenopathy or with a small metastatic lymph node (N1,N2) had better survival (50% at five years) than those with fixed lymph nodes (20%–30%). The primary tumor recurrence rate in the T1–T2 groups was about 20% in the patients treated with preoperative radiation and surgery in contrast to 35% to 40% for those treated with radiation alone. This difference is not statistically significant. The local recurrences in the patients with T3 lesions were 30% with both treatment groups; with T4 lesions recurrences noted in 50% of the patients receiving irradiation alone and 75% in the patients treated with preoperative radiation and surgery. The local recurrence rate in the neck was about 10% for the NO patients, 30% for N1, and 30% for the patients with N2 and N3 cervical lymph nodes. The incidence of contralateral recurrences was about 10% in the various primary tumor or lymph node stage groups. There was no significant difference in the survival or in the frequency of recurrences in the primary or neck in the patients treated with radiation alone or preoperative radiation and surgery. Fatal major complications were noted in eight of the 120 patients treated with preoperative radiation and surgery (6.6%) in contrast to only one in the 98 patients treated with radiation alone. Other less severe complications were noted in 40% of the patients treated with preoperative radiation and surgery and in 32.6% of those treated with radiation therapy alone. Radiation therapy remains the treatment of choice for patients with carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa. In selected cases a combination of both modalities may offer better tumor control, but the possibility of a higher complication rate must be considered.