Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mortality risk and length of stay associated with self-inflicted burn injury: Evidence from a national sample of 30,382 adult patients*

Objective:Existing studies report contradictory findings regarding characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted with self-inflicted burn injuries. The objective of this study was to report demographic and medical characteristics of patients admitted to burn centers with self-inflicted burn injuries and to assess mortality risk and length of stay compared with patients whose injuries were not self-inflicted. Design:Retrospective, cohort study. Setting:A total of 70 burn centers from the United States that contributed data to the American Burn Association National Burn Repository. Patients:A total of 30,382 adult patients (593 with self-inflicted injuries) who were admitted with a thermal injury from 1995 through 2005. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Demographics, comorbidities, burn injury severity variables (total body surface area burned [TBSA], TBSA burned third degree, inhalation injury), hospital mortality, intensive care length of stay, and total hospital length of stay were ascertained. Patients with self-inflicted injuries had larger TBSA burned (32.0% vs. 12.8%, p < .01) and larger third-degree TBSA burned (20.6% vs. 4.9%, p < .01) and were more likely to incur an inhalation injury (37.3% vs. 12.8%, p < .01). Before matching, patients with self-inflicted injuries were at greater risk of mortality (23.6% vs. 6.8%, p < .01) and required longer intensive care (median of 4 days vs. 0 days, p < .01) and total hospital stays (median of 23 days vs. 8 days, p < .01). After propensity score matching on demographic, medical, and burn injury variables, they were not more likely to die of their injuries (23.6% vs. 23.1%, p = .84), did not require longer intensive care stays (4 days vs. 3 days, p = .75), and did not require longer total hospital stays (23 days vs. 18 days, p = .50). Conclusions:Compared with patients with similar demographic, health, and injury characteristics whose injuries are not self-inflicted, patients with self-inflicted burn injuries are not at greater risk of mortality and do not require longer durations of intensive care or total hospitalization.
Blood cultures: where do we stand?

Septicaemia in hospital patients is common. Its prevalence has increased over the past decade from 10 to around 15 cases/1000 admissions, with a corresponding increase in morbidity and mortality. In this hospital the number of clinically important isolates from blood cultures has doubled in the past four years, with an increasing proportion ofGram positive organisms, especially coagulase negative staphylococci. In cases of suspected septicaemia the culture of blood for bacteria or fungi is mandatory. Early treatment with appropriate antimicrobial agents is essential to reduce mortality. '2 Kreger et al found that the wrong choice ofantibiotics led to an increase in the number of patients who developed "shock" or who died,' irrespective of their underlying clinical condition. ' Weinstein et al found that patients who received the wrong antimicrobial treatment had a mortality three times that of patients receiving appropriate treatment based on in vitro susceptibility results.2 The antibiotics selected for use should therefore have a high probability of being clinically effective when used on a "best guess" basis. Speed and accuracy in providing the relevant information to clinicians is imperative to allow them to select the most appropriate directed spectrum antibiotics. In a case of septicaemia, for example, can the use ofblood cultures help clinicians to do this? It does not seem so at the moment. While a blood culture isolate can provide a result that is clinically definitive and aetiologically specific, this does not necessarily change the management of an acutely ill patient. Often, once a blood culture has been taken, the septicaemic patient is placed promptly and, appropriately, on a "blind" antibiotic regimen. More important, the clinician needs to know what the likely infecting organism is and which antibiotic(s) should be given. The distinction between Gram positive and Gram negative septicaemia is probably not possible, but evidence suggests that the aetiological organism in septicaemia has an independent role in predicting morbidity and mortality.3 Microbiologists should supply this information which will vary between different groups of patients such as the immunocompromised or
Clinical validation of the EORTC QLQ‐OG25 questionnaire for the evaluation of health‐related quality of life in Mexican patients with esophagogastric cancers

Background: Quality of life questionnaires (QLQ) QLQ‐STO22 and QLQ‐OES18 are currently available to measure Health‐related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with Esophageal (EC) or Gastric cancer (GC). The QLQ‐OG25 integrates questions from both questionnaires to be useful for EC, Esophagogastric junction carcinoma (EGJC), and GC. Our aim was to validate the Mexican‐Spanish version.
An asynchronous fusion algorithm of the SINS/GPS/CNS based on factor graph

Integrated navigation system can improve the system accuracy utilizing the redundant information. But in general there are asynchronous problems of multi-sensors which will affect the accuracy of the integrated navigation system significantly. And traditional fusion algorithms usually cast lots of computation consumption. So in this paper a new fusion algorithm based on factor graph and incremental inference was proposed to solve the above problems. Taken the SINS/GPS/CNS integrated navigation system as an example, this new nonlinear fusion algorithm can fuse the measurements of asynchronous sensors using the factor graph effectively. The new algorithm based on the factor graph was simulated to verify its effectiveness. The azimuth misalignment error is convergence to -0.18° in 100s with the proposed algorithm while the azimuth misalignment error is convergence to -0.51° in 250s with the traditional fusion method based on the EKF. The simulation results showed that the initial alignment speed and accuracy of the SINS/GPS/CNS are enhanced greatly compared with the traditional method.
On the optimality of ideal filters for pyramid and wavelet signal approximation

The reconstructed lowpass component in a quadrature mirror filter (QMF) bank provides a coarser resolution approximation of the input signal. Since the outputs of the two QMF branches are orthogonal, the transformation that provides the maximum energy compaction in the lowpass channel is also the one that results in the minimum approximation error. This property is used as a common strategy for the optimization of QMF banks, orthogonal wavelet transforms, and least squares pyramids. A general solution is derived for the QMF bank that provides the optimal decomposition of an arbitrary wide sense stationary process. This approach is extended to the continuous case to obtain the minimum error approximation of a signal at a given sampling rate. In particular, it is shown that the sine-wavelet transform is optimal for the representation at all scales of signals with non-increasing spectral density. >
Population Genetics and Structure of a Global Foxtail Millet Germplasm Collection

Foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. ] is one among the most ancient crops of dryland agriculture. It is the second most important crop among millets grown for grains or forage. Foxtail millet germplasm resources provide reservoirs of novel alleles and genes for crop improvement that have remained mostly unexplored. We genotyped a set of 190 foxtail millet germplasm accessions (including 155 accessions of the foxtail millet core collection) using genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) for rapid single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) characterization to study population genetics and structure, which enable allele mining through association mapping approaches. After filtering a total 350,000 raw SNPs identified across 190 germplasm accessions for minor allele frequency (MAF), coverage for samples and coverage for sites, we retained 181 accessions with 17,714 high‐quality SNPs with ≥5% MAF. Genetic structure analyses revealed that foxtail millet germplasm accessions are structured along both on the basis of races and geographic origin, and the maximum proportion of variation was due to among individuals within populations. Accessions of race indica were less diverse and are highly differentiated from those of maxima and moharia. Genome‐wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed on an average LD extends up to ∼150 kbp and varied with individual chromosomes. The utility of the data for performing genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) was tested with plant pigmentation and days to flowering and identified significant marker–trait associations. This SNP data provides a foundation for exploration of foxtail millet diversity and for mining novel alleles and mapping genes for economically important traits.
Mid-infrared Raman amplification and wavelength conversion in dispersion engineered silicon-on-sapphire waveguides

Raman amplification based on stimulated Stokes Raman scattering (SSRS) and wavelength conversion based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) are theoretically investigated in silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) waveguides in the mid-infrared (IR) region. When the linear phase mismatch Δk is close to zero, the Stokes gain and conversion efficiency drop down quickly due to the effect of parametric gain suppression when the Stokes-pump input ratio is sufficiently large. The Stokes gain increases with the increase of Δk, whereas efficient wavelength conversion needs appropriate Δk under different pump intensities. The conversion efficiency at exact linear phase matching (Δk = 0) is smaller than that at optimal linear phase mismatch by a factor of about 28 dB when the pump intensity is 2 GW cm−2.
The ubiquitous potential Z-forming sequence of eucaryotes, (dT-dG)n . (dC-dA)n, is not detectable in the genomes of eubacteria, archaebacteria, or mitochondria

The potential Z-forming sequence (dT-dG)n . (dC-dA)n is an abundant, interspersed repeat element that is ubiquitous in eucaryotic nuclear genomes. We report that in contrast to eucaryotic nuclear DNA, the genomes of eubacteria, archaebacteria, and mitochondria lack this sequence, since even a single tract of greater than or equal to 14 base pairs in length is not detectable through either hybridization or sequence analysis. Interestingly, the phylogenetic distribution of the (dT-dG)n . (dC-dA)n repeat exhibits a striking parallel to that of (dT-dC)n . (dG-dA)n, but not to other homocopolymeric sequences such as (dC-dG)n . (dC-dG)n or (dT-dA)n . (dT-dA)n.
Risk factors for severe respiratory depression from prescription opioid overdose

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Prescription opioid overdose is a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. We aimed to identify characteristics associated with clinical severity in emergency department patients with prescription opioid overdose. DESIGN This was a secondary data analysis of adult prescription opioid overdoses from a large prospective cohort of acute overdoses. We examined elements of a typical emergency department evaluation using a multivariable model to determine which characteristics were associated with clinical severity, specifically severe respiratory depression (SRD). SETTING This study was conducted at two urban academic emergency departments in New York City, USA. PARTICIPANTS Adult patients who presented with acute prescription opioid overdose between 2009 and 2013 were included in the current study. We analyzed 307 patients (mean age = 44.7, 42% female, 2.0% mortality). MEASUREMENTS Patient demographics, reported substances ingested, suspected intent for ingesting the substance, vital signs, laboratory data, treatments including antidotes and intubation and outcome of death were recorded by trained research assistants. Intent was categorized into four mutually exclusive categories: suicide, misuse, therapeutic error and undetermined. The primary outcome was SRD, defined as administration of either (a) naloxone or (b) endotracheal intubation (ETI). FINDINGS A total of 109 patients suffered SRD with 90 patients receiving naloxone alone, nine ETI alone and 10 both naloxone and ETI. The most common opioids were oxycodone (n = 124) and methadone (n = 116). Mean age was higher in patients with SRD (51.1 versus 41.1, P < 0.001). Opioid misuse was associated with SRD in the multivariable analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.21-3.55]. The unadjusted relative risk of SRD was high for fentanyl (83.3% SRD) and lowest for codeine (3.6% SRD). CONCLUSION In emergency department patients in the United States with prescription opioid overdose, worse clinical severity was associated with opioid misuse, increased with age and was widely variable, depending on the specific opioid medication involved.
Toward More Robust Inferential Procedures for Coefficient Alpha Under Sampling of Both Subjects and Conditions

Barchard and Hakstian (1997b) demonstrated that inferential procedures used with coefficient alpha are not robust under sampling of both subjects and conditions (Type 12 sampling) with measurement data departing from essentially-parallel form. In the first of 2 studies reported here, a sample-based, non-analytical degrees-of-freedom correction factor was empirically developed that correlated almost perfectly with the independently-established correct degrees of freedom for the data. In the second study, application of this correction factor was assessed through a comprehensive simulation study involving Type 12 data sets representing a wide range of design characteristics and manifesting tau-equivalent measurement. Use of the correction factor yielded actual Type I error rates closer to nominal values than were obtained using uncorrected inferential procedures. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Sensitivity-Reduced Design for a Nuclear Pressurized Water Reactor

Application of optimal control theory to a pressurised water reactor is the theme of this paper. The multiinput mathematical model of the H. B. Robinson pressurised water reactor plant, reported by Kerlin et al is simplified to a single-input one. The optimal control problem of the linear model is treated as a regulator problem wherein the given quadratic index of performance including a sensitivity term is minimised in an average sense. An efficient computational procedure based on direct cost optimization using a gradient type algorithm is also reported.
Polypeptide with Broad Biological Activity: Isolation from Small Intestine

A polypeptide, which has potent and diverse biological action—including systemic vasodilation, hypotension, increased cardiac output, respiratory stimulation, and hyperglycemia—was isolated from the small intestine of the hog. The peptide has 28 amino acid residues and is chemically distinct from the kinins, "substance P," glucagon, and secretin.
Nonlinear and Markovian H∞ controls of underactuated manipulators

This paper develops procedures based on H/sub /spl infin// techniques to achieve position control underactuated manipulators. First, in a deterministic approach, we compare two nonlinear H/sub /spl infin// control techniques in order to verify the differences in structure and robustness of controllers based on quasi-linear parameter varying (LPV) representation and game theory. In this case, the use of brakes is necessary when a fault occurs. Secondly, we develop a procedure based on Markov theory, where an H/sub /spl infin// Markovian controller is used to control the position of manipulators subject to abrupt changes in configuration. In this case, the brakes are not necessary to guarantee the stability of the system. The theory developed is tested in an actual manipulator setup.
The perception of positive and negative facial expressions in unilateral brain-damaged patients: A meta-analysis

How the brain is lateralised for emotion processing remains a key question in contemporary neuropsychological research. The right hemisphere hypothesis asserts that the right hemisphere dominates emotion processing, whereas the valence hypothesis holds that positive emotion is processed in the left hemisphere and negative emotion is controlled by the right hemisphere. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess unilateral brain-damaged individuals’ performance on tasks of facial emotion perception according to valence. A systematic search of the literature identified seven articles that met the conservative selection criteria and could be included in a meta-analysis. A total of 12 meta-analyses of facial expression perception were constructed assessing identification and labelling tasks according to valence and the side of brain damage. The results demonstrated that both left and right hemisphere damage leads to impairments in emotion perception (identification and labelling) irrespective of valence. Importantly, right hemisphere damage prompted more pronounced emotion perception impairment than left hemisphere damage, across valence, suggesting right hemisphere dominance for emotion perception. Furthermore, right hemisphere damage was associated with a larger tendency for impaired perception of negative than positive emotion across identification and labelling tasks. Overall the findings support Adolphs, Jansari, and Tranel (2001) model whereby the right hemisphere preferentially processes negative facial expressions and both hemispheres process positive facial expressions.
Relationship of Substance Use by Students with Disabilities to Long-Term Educational, Employment, and Social Outcomes

The study is based on data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988–2000 (NELS: 88). The results indicate that adolescents with disabilities who used either cigarettes or marijuana or who engaged in binge drinking had significantly higher dropout rates, lower high school graduation status, lower college attendance, and lower high school grade point averages, and fewer earned core credit units in English, science, and mathematics than nonusers. In addition, adolescents with disabilities who used either cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs were significantly more likely to engage in sexual activity at a younger age. The findings support the need for improved substance use prevention programming targeting the needs of youth with disabilities.
Side‐necked turtle (Pleurodira, Chelonia, reptilia) hemoglobin: cDNA‐derived primary structures and X‐ray crystal structures of Hb A

Red blood cells of yellow‐spotted river turtles (Podocnemis unifilis, Pleurodira, Chelonia, REPTILIA) have two hemoglobin (Hb) components, Hb A and Hb D. We purified the hemoglobin component homologous to amniote (reptiles, birds, and mammals) adult Hb A which comprises two identical αA‐globin polypeptides and two identical β‐globin polypeptides. To establish the crystal structure of Podocnemis Hb A, we first determined the globin primary structures using cDNA nucleotide sequencing with the assistance of protein sequencing. The purified Podocnemis Hb A produced a different form of crystal for each of the two different buffer systems used: form A, tetragonal crystals (space group, P41212), produced under neutral pH (pH 7–8) conditions; and form B, hexagonal crystals (space group, P6122), produced under high alkaline pH (pH 11–13) conditions. Single crystals of the two forms were examined by Raman microscopy with an excitation of 532 nm, indicating their structural differences. The crystal structures of the two forms were constructed by X‐ray crystallographic diffraction at a resolution of 2.20 Å for form A and 2.35 Å for form B. The differences of the tertiary and quaternary structures of the two forms were marginal; however, one clear difference was found in helix structure. When comparing Podocnemis Hb A with Hb A from specimens in other taxa, such as Anser indicus (birds) and Homo sapiens (mammals) by SHELXPRO, the root mean square deviation (RMSD) between the corresponding Cα atoms of the two globins does not exceed 2.0 Å. These low values indicate the crystal structures resemble each other. Our data on X‐ray crystal structures and Raman spectra not only reveal the first findings on the two crystal forms of Podocnemis unifilis Hb A but also provide the first refined models for reptilian adult Hb A. © 2011 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 63(3): 188–196, 2011
Development and psychometric properties of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for adult patients with growth hormone deficiency.

BACKGROUND Adults with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) may experience physical and psychological disturbances, which can affect their quality of life (QOL). OBJECTIVES To develop and validate a disease-specific module from the previously published QOL measure Questions on Life Satisfaction Modules (QLS(M)): the QLS(M)-H that specifically addressed the needs of patients with hypopituitarism. A second aim was for the questionnaire to be applicable across different cultural backgrounds in order to evaluate the efficacy of therapy in large, international clinical trials, thus providing additional clinical endpoints for these studies. DESIGN A preliminary German language version of the QLS(M)-H was developed from 26 semi-structured interviews of adults with GHD. The questionnaire was then independently translated into five other languages and applied in open, non-controlled, multicentre, longitudinal studies to patient (n=717) and normative populations (n=2700). METHODS A revised, nine-item version of the questionnaire was developed, based on previously defined criteria, and was evaluated for reliability and validity. Sensitivity to detect changes after GH replacement was also assessed. RESULTS The 16 items of the preliminary questionnaire were reduced to nine items on the basis of the correlation of items/factors from initial patient interviews. Psychometric analysis revealed the reliability of the nine-item scale. The Cronbach's alpha scores ranged from 0.81 to 0.89 and the test-retest correlations ranged from 0.76 to 0.88, all of which indicate reliability over time. Mean scores increased significantly during GH replacement therapy, with observed changes greater than those seen with the non-specific modules of the QLS(M), indicating the sensitivity of the scale. CONCLUSIONS The QLS(M)-H questionnaire is concise, easy to complete, and can be effectively applied across different cultural backgrounds. Psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire reveals that it is a valid, reliable and sensitive tool useful for assessing impaired life satisfaction in adult patients with GHD and also for monitoring the efficacy of GH therapy.
Preparing physically educated citizens in physical education. Expectations and practices

espanolDado que la educacion fisica (PE) se convirtio en una asignatura escolar obligatoria, sus objetivos han estado a menudo relacionados con las expectativas de la sociedad. Desde el cambio del nuevo milenio, esto ha dado lugar a que la Educacion Fisica este cada vez mas vinculada a la promocion de estilos de vida fisicamente activos. En este trabajo, tratamos de determinar si los profesionales tienen la capacidad de alcanzar los objetivos recientes para el tema o deben reconsiderar su trabajo en este tema. Ademas, proponemos ampliar el enfoque actual de la alfabetizacion fisica para abarcar el concepto de transferencia de la sociedad, subrayando la necesidad de una autentica pedagogia de la educacion fisica. EnglishSince physical education (PE) became a compulsory school subject, its objectives have often been related to the expectations of society. Since the turn of the new millennium, this has resulted in PE being increasingly linked to the promotion of physically active lifestyles. In this paper, we try to determine whether practitioners have the capacity to reach recent objectives for the subject or should reconsider their work on this issue. Moreover, we propose to extend the current focus on physical literacy to encompass the concept of societal transfer, underlining the need for an authentic pedagogy of PE.