Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit: Our Clinical Experience

Background and Aim Long hospital days in intensive care unit (ICU) due to life-threatening diseases are increasing in the world. The primary goal in ICU is to decrease length of stay in order to improve the quality of medical care and reduce cost. The aim of our study is to identify and categorize the factors associated with prolonged stays in ICU. Materials and Method We retrospectively analyzed 3925 patients. We obtained the patients' demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and physiologic variables; mortality; lengths of stay by examining the intensive care unit database records. Results The mean age of the study was 61.6 ± 18.9 years. The average length of stay in intensive care unit was 10.2 ± 25.2 days. The most common cause of hospitalization was because of multiple diseases (19.5%). The length of stay was positively correlated with urea, creatinine, and sodium. It was negatively correlated with uric acid and hematocrit levels. Length of stay was significantly higher in patients not operated on than in patients operated on (p < 0.001). Conclusion Our study showed a significantly increased length of stay in patients with cardiovascular system diseases, multiple diseases, nervous system diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases. Moreover we showed that when urea, creatinine, and sodium values increase, in parallel the length of stay increases.
Age-related variations in the in vitro bactericidal activity of human sera against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The human serum is a vital component of the innate immunity of the host that acts as the first line of defence against invading pathogens. A key player in serum-mediated innate immune defence is a system of more than 35 proteins, collectively named as the complement system. After exposure of the pathogen, these proteins are activated in a cascade manner, ultimately forming a membrane attack complex (MAC) on the surface of the pathogen that directly lyses the bacterial cell. Formation of the MAC can be demonstrated in vitro by using serum bactericidal assay (SBA) that works in the absence of cellular components of blood after incubating the serum along with bacteria. Here, we describe the age-related differences in the bactericidal activity of human serum against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen causing an array of hospital and community-acquired infections. We demonstrate that adult sera were highly effective in the in vitro killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as compared to children and the elderly (p < 0.0001). Sera from children were seriously compromised in the killing P. aeruginosa, whereas elderly sera showed a reduced level of killing. Data revealed a positive correlation between age and serum-killing with higher coefficient of determination values of 0.34, 0.27, and 0.58 and p values of < 0.0001, < 0.001, and < 0.0001, respectively, after 60, 90, and 120 minutes of incubation. Hence, our study highlights the age-related difference in the bactericidal activity of human sera. We conclude that sera of children are totally compromised, whereas elderly sera are only partially compromised, in the killing of P. aeruginosa.
Pravastatin improves renal progression in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) progressively results in end-stage renal disease in most patients. It has been suggested that statins may slow the progression of CKD in general. This trial aims to assess the effect of pravastatin treatment on kidney function, urinary protein excretion and inflammation in the patients with diagnosed chronic glomerulonephritis. This is a randomized controlled open-label clinical trial conducted in a teaching hospital in Shanghai. Forty-eight patients with chronic glomerulonephritis were randomized into the control group (n = 23) or to receive oral pravastatin treatment with 20 mg/day for 96 weeks (n = 25). The primary endpoint was absolute estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) alteration. The secondary end points were an eGFR decrease of up to 50%, ESRD requiring RRT, all-cause mortality, number of hospitalization events during the 2-year follow-up or composite secondary endpoints. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences in kidney function and urinary protein excretion between groups over the 2 years and a significant fall in high reactive C-reactive protein and total serum cholesterol in pravastatin-treated patients (P = 0.029). Taking pravastatin (20 mg/day, oral) for 2 years had a significant effect on kidney function and urinary protein excretion in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. Pravastatin could help in improving inflammation in these patients. However, whether such limited improvements can lead to better clinical outcomes requires further investigation.
CD8+ T Cell Cross-Reactivity Profiles and HIV-1 Immune Escape towards an HLA-B35-Restricted Immunodominant Nef Epitope

Antigen cross-reactivity is an inbuilt feature of the T cell compartment. However, little is known about the flexibility of T cell recognition in the context of genetically variable pathogens such as HIV-1. In this study, we used a combinatorial library containing 24 billion octamer peptides to characterize the cross-reactivity profiles of CD8+ T cells specific for the immunodominant HIV-1 subtype B Nef epitope VY8 (VPLRPMTY) presented by HLA-B*35∶01. In conjunction, we examined naturally occurring antigenic variations within the VY8 epitope. Sequence analysis of plasma viral RNA isolated from 336 HIV-1-infected individuals revealed variability at position (P) 3 and P8 of VY8; Phe at P8, but not Val at P3, was identified as an HLA-B*35∶01-associated polymorphism. VY8-specific T cells generated from several different HIV-1-infected patients showed unique and clonotype-dependent cross-reactivity footprints. Nonetheless, all T cells recognized both the index Leu and mutant Val at P3 equally well. In contrast, competitive titration assays revealed that the Tyr to Phe substitution at P8 reduced T cell recognition by 50–130 fold despite intact peptide binding to HLA-B*35∶01. These findings explain the preferential selection of Phe at the C-terminus of VY8 in HLA-B*35∶01+ individuals and demonstrate that HIV-1 can exploit the limitations of T cell recognition in vivo.
Spatial resolution enhancement of hyperspectral images based on redundant dictionaries

Abstract. Spatial resolution enhancement of hyperspectral images is one of the key and difficult topics in the field of imaging spectrometry. The redundant dictionary based sparse representation theory is introduced, and a spatial resolution enhancement algorithm is proposed. In this algorithm, a pixel curve instead of a pixel patch is taken as the unit of processing. A pair of low- and high-resolution respective redundant dictionaries are joint trained, with the constraint that a pair of high- and low-resolution corresponded pixel curves can be sparse represented by same coefficients according to the respected dictionaries. In the process of super-resolution restoration, the low-resolution hyperspectral image is first sparse decomposed based on the low-resolution redundant dictionary and then the obtained coefficients are used to reconstruct the corresponding high-resolution image with respect to the high-resolution dictionary. The maximum a posteriori based constrained optimization is performed to further improve the quality of the reconstructed high-frequency information. Experimental results show that the pixel curve based sparse representation is more suitable for a hyperspectral image; the highly spectral correlations are better used for resolution enhancement. In comparison with the traditional bilinear interpolation method and other referenced super-resolution algorithms, the proposed algorithm is superior in both objective and subjective results.
Particle tracking and extended object imaging by interferometric super resolution microscopy

An interferometric fluorescent microscope and a novel theoretic image reconstruction approach were developed and used to obtain super-resolution images of live biological samples and to enable dynamic real time tracking. The tracking utilizes the information stored in the interference pattern of both the illuminating incoherent light and the emitted light. By periodically shifting the interferometer phase and a phase retrieval algorithm we obtain information that allow localization with sub-2 nm axial resolution at 5 Hz.
Improving the Modelling of Couples Labour Supply

We study work hours of Australian couples using a structural labour-supply model. We introduce model improvements which allow error in wage estimation and unobserved influences on partners' non-market time to be correlated with one another and with own wage. This more realistic model produces wage elasticities - 0.26 (men) and 0.50 (women) - twice as large as those found without these innovations. Australian Government changes to the tax and transfer system between 2004 and 2006 are predicted to have little impact on participation and labour supply. Average weekly family income is predicted to increase by $65 per week. Copyright © 2008 The Economic Society of Australia.
Validity and reliability of the WIMU inertial device for the assessment of the vertical jump

The aim of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the inertial device WIMU (Realtrack Systems SL, Almería, Spain) for the assessment of the vertical jump, counter movement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ). Fifteen soccer players were evaluated in two identical sessions separated by one week. In each session, participants performed three jumps of each type. The flight time was quantified by the inertial device WIMU and by a force platform (Twin Plates; Globus Sport and Health Technologies LLC, Codogné, Italy) at the same time. For the analysis of reliability of the flight time of the CMJ and the SJ, the intraclass correlation coefficient was used. The calculation of the concurrent validity was performed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). This analysis was complemented with the realization of the Bland–Altman plots. For the analysis of reliability, the coefficient of variation and the standard error of the means were calculated. The analysis presented a high validity and reliability of the device. The results show the inertial device WIMU (Realtrack Systems SL, Almería, Spain) as a useful tool for measuring the jump capacity of the athletes, presenting immediate results in real time, on any type of surface and in a simple way since it does not need cables.
Bench to Bedside: The Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program Focused on Biomedical Sciences and Action Research.

A three-year, National Institutes of Health-funded residential project at a southeastern research university immersed 83 secondary science teachers in a summer institute called "Bench to Bedside. " Teachers were provided with knowledge, skills, experiences, and incentives to improve their science teaching and increase their awareness of scientific processes, technologies, and careers by examining the translational medicine continuum of basic to clinical research. This was done with the help of medical school researchers, clinical personnel, biotechnology entrepreneurs, program mentors, and prior year participants. A critical component of the institute was the preparation and implementation of an action research project that reflected teachers' newly acquired knowledge and skills. Action research proposals were critiqued by project team members and feedback provided prior to action research implementation in schools during the following year. Teachers shared their action research with colleagues and project team at a symposium and online as a critical step in networking the teachers. Results of a mixed methods program evaluation strategy indicate that the program produced significant gains in teachers' confidence to explain advanced biosciences topics, development of action research skills, and formation of a statewide biosciences network of key stakeholders. Constraints of time, variation in teacher content and action research background, technology availability, and school-related variables, among others, are discussed.
Limiting behavior of eigenvalues in high-dimensional MANOVA via RMT

In this paper we derive the asymptotic joint distributions of the eigenvalues under the null case and the local alternative cases in the MANOVA model and multiple discriminant analysis when both the dimension and the sample size are large. Our results are obtained by random matrix theory (RMT) without assuming normality in the populations. It is worth pointing out that the null and non-null distributions of the eigenvalues and invariant test statistics are asymptotically robust against departure from normality in high-dimensional situations. Similar properties are pointed out for the null distributions of the invariant tests in multivariate regression model. Some new formulas in RMT are also presented.
Adjunctive therapy for glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by relative or absolute insulin deficiency. Despite treatment with insulin therapy, glycemic goals are not always met, and insulin therapy is sometimes limited by adverse effects, including hypoglycemia and weight gain. Several adjunctive therapies have been evaluated in combination with insulin in patients with T1DM to improve glycemic control while minimizing adverse effects. Pramlintide, an amylin analog, can improve glycemic control, primarily through lowering postprandial blood glucose levels. Patients may experience weight loss and an increased risk of hypoglycemia and require additional mealtime injections. Metformin provides an inexpensive, oral treatment option and may reduce blood glucose, especially in overweight or obese patients with minimal risk of hypoglycemia. Metformin may be more effective in patients with impaired insulin sensitivity. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists reduce primarily postprandial blood glucose and insulin dose and promote weight loss. They are expensive, cause transient nausea, may increase risk of hypoglycemia and require additional injections. Sodium–glucose transport-2 inhibitors improve glycemic control, promote weight loss and have low risk of hypoglycemia with appropriate insulin adjustment; however, these agents may increase the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients with T1DM. Patient-specific characteristics should be considered when selecting adjunctive therapy for patients with T1DM. Close monitoring, insulin dose adjustments and patient education are all important to ensure safe and effective use of these agents.
Multiple Layers of Chimerism in a Single-Stranded DNA Virus Discovered by Deep Sequencing

Viruses with single-stranded (ss) DNA genomes infect hosts in all three domains of life and include many medically, ecologically, and economically important pathogens. Recently, a new group of ssDNA viruses with chimeric genomes has been discovered through viral metagenomics. These chimeric viruses combine capsid protein genes and replicative protein genes that, respectively, appear to have been inherited from viruses with positive-strand RNA genomes, such as tombusviruses, and ssDNA genomes, such as circoviruses, nanoviruses or geminiviruses. Here, we describe the genome sequence of a new representative of this virus group and reveal an additional layer of chimerism among ssDNA viruses. We show that not only do these viruses encompass genes for capsid proteins and replicative proteins that have distinct evolutionary histories, but also the replicative genes themselves are chimeras of functional domains inherited from viruses of different families. Our results underscore the importance of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of ssDNA viruses and the role of genetic recombination in the emergence of novel virus groups.
Learning One-shot Strategic Interactions Among Humans and Robots

As intelligent systems have been increasingly introduced to the everyday lives of people, it becomes important to develop accurate models for the humans. A key component in deploying effective and reliable intelligent systems around humans is to be able to make predictions of the behavior of the humans. Game theory is a framework that models strategic interactions among multiple agents. While the literature has focused on developing and evaluating models in the case where humans are interacting with humans, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of different models when the humans believe that they are playing against robots. We found that when humans believe that they are playing against robots, there are no significant differences in the prediction results of the four models we considered. In addition, we found that these models have on average higher prediction performance when applied to the case where humans believe they are playing against humans based on data in existing literature, although we recognize that the data collection methodology is different and that the significance is not large. Based on these results, we provide directions for future research.
Development and Validation of a Utility Weighting Function for the Patient-Oriented Prostate Utility Scale (PORPUS)

Background. Previously, we developed a prostate cancer (PC)-specific health state classification system, the Patient Oriented Prostate Utility Scale (PORPUS). In this study, we developed a scoring system to allow indirect calculation of utilities from the PORPUS. Methods. We interviewed 234 PC outpatients, including those with newly diagnosed and metastatic disease, to obtain rating scale (RS) values on 4 to 6 levels of each of the 10 attributes of the PORPUS, and on 10 corner states (worst level on 1 attribute, best on 9). Patients also completed standard gamble (SG) and RS tasks on 4 multiattribute states (impotence and pain corner states, mild and severe PC symptoms). We used the RS and SG scores for multiattribute states to determine a risk aversion function for mapping values to utilities. We then tested 15 different strategies to estimate the multiattribute utility function (MAUF), using the single attribute disutilities for each level of the 10 PORPUS attributes, and the disutilities for the corner states. The root mean squared error (RMSE) of prediction of the SG on the 4 multiattribute states was used to identify the optimal strategy and scoring system. Results. The optimal strategy gave an RMSE of 0.06. Comparison of mean MAUF-predicted utilities to directly elicited SG utilities for the 2 multiattribute states from patients in 2 previously published studies (n = 248 and n = 141) supported the validity of the MAUF. Conclusions. The scoring system together with the PORPUS comprise an indirect utility instrument, the PORPUS-U, which can be used in clinical and research settings.
Active nematic emulsions

Droplets of active fluid form a dynamically self-assembled material based on the cross-talk between active and passive defects. The formation of emulsions from multiple immiscible fluids is governed by classical concepts such as surface tension, differential chemical affinity and viscosity, and the action of surface-active agents. Much less is known about emulsification when one of the components is active and thus inherently not constrained by the laws of thermodynamic equilibrium. We demonstrate one such realization consisting in the encapsulation of an active liquid crystal (LC)–like gel, based on microtubules and kinesin molecular motors, into a thermotropic LC. These active nematic emulsions exhibit a variety of dynamic behaviors that arise from the cross-talk between topological defects separately residing in the active and passive components. Using numerical simulations, we show a feedback mechanism by which active flows continuously drive the passive defects that, in response, resolve the otherwise degenerated trajectories of the active defects. Our experiments show that the choice of surfactant, which stabilizes the active/passive interface, allows tuning the regularity of the self-sustained dynamic events. The hybrid active-passive system demonstrated here provides new perspectives for dynamic self-assembly driven by an active material but regulated by the equilibrium properties of the passive component.
Sentiment Analysis of Health Care Tweets: Review of the Methods Used

Background Twitter is a microblogging service where users can send and read short 140-character messages called “tweets. ” There are several unstructured, free-text tweets relating to health care being shared on Twitter, which is becoming a popular area for health care research. Sentiment is a metric commonly used to investigate the positive or negative opinion within these messages. Exploring the methods used for sentiment analysis in Twitter health care research may allow us to better understand the options available for future research in this growing field. Objective The first objective of this study was to understand which tools would be available for sentiment analysis of Twitter health care research, by reviewing existing studies in this area and the methods they used. The second objective was to determine which method would work best in the health care settings, by analyzing how the methods were used to answer specific health care questions, their production, and how their accuracy was analyzed. Methods A review of the literature was conducted pertaining to Twitter and health care research, which used a quantitative method of sentiment analysis for the free-text messages (tweets). The study compared the types of tools used in each case and examined methods for tool production, tool training, and analysis of accuracy. Results A total of 12 papers studying the quantitative measurement of sentiment in the health care setting were found. More than half of these studies produced tools specifically for their research, 4 used open source tools available freely, and 2 used commercially available software. Moreover, 4 out of the 12 tools were trained using a smaller sample of the study’s final data. The sentiment method was trained against, on an average, 0.45% (2816/627,024) of the total sample data. One of the 12 papers commented on the analysis of accuracy of the tool used. Conclusions Multiple methods are used for sentiment analysis of tweets in the health care setting. These range from self-produced basic categorizations to more complex and expensive commercial software. The open source and commercial methods are developed on product reviews and generic social media messages. None of these methods have been extensively tested against a corpus of health care messages to check their accuracy. This study suggests that there is a need for an accurate and tested tool for sentiment analysis of tweets trained using a health care setting–specific corpus of manually annotated tweets first.