Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A national profile of caregiver challenges among more medically complex children with special health care needs.

OBJECTIVES To profile the national prevalence of more medically complex children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and the diversity of caregiver challenges that their families confront. DESIGN Secondary analysis of the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs (unweighted n = 40 723). SETTING United States-based population. PARTICIPANTS National sample of CSHCN. MAIN EXPOSURE More complex CSHCN were defined by incorporating components of child health and family need, including medical technology dependence and care by 2 or more subspecialists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Caregiver challenges were defined by family-reported care burden (including hours providing care coordination and home care), medical care use (on the basis of health care encounters in the last 12 months), and unmet needs (defined by 15 individual medical care needs and a single nonmedical service need). RESULTS Among CSHCN, 3.2% (weighted n = 324 323) met criteria for more complex children, representing 0.4% of all children in the United States. Caregivers of more complex CSHCN reported a median of 2 (interquartile range, 1-6) hours per week on care coordination and 11 to 20 (interquartile range, 3->21) hours per week on direct home care. More than half (56.8%) reported financial problems, 54.1% reported that a family member stopped working because of the child's health, 48.8% reported at least 1 unmet medical service need, and 33.1% reported difficulty in accessing nonmedical services. CONCLUSIONS Extraordinary and diverse needs are common among family caregivers of more complex CSHCN. Enhanced care coordination support, respite care, and direct home care may begin to address the substantial economic burden and the multiple unmet needs that many of these families face.
A graph approach to placement of Service Functions Chains

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is a new network architecture concept which leverages virtualization technologies to make the management of network functions like firewalls, load balancers, WAN optimizers more flexible and cost effective. In this approach, traditional middlebox appliances are replaced by virtual machines embedding Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). One of the main challenges of NFV orchestration is to appropriately deploy and instantiate sequences of VNFs that form Service Functions Chains (SFC). In this paper, we propose a general cost-driven Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation of this problem. We then propose a graph-based heuristic that combines graph centrality and multi-stage graphs. We evaluate our heuristic by comparing to optimal solutions provided by the ILP, showing that it is 1000 times faster and very close in terms of costs (less than 1.15% of difference). Then, we evaluate our heuristic on larger instances and compare it to one of the best suited state of the art approach. The evaluation results show that our heuristic scales well and outperforms the related approach, especially when VNF deployment costs are higher than link bandwidth usage costs.
A novel tri-axial capacitive-type skin sensor

This paper introduces a novel tri-axial capacitive force sensor. The sensor can measure the force vector, is embedded in soft 7 mm-thick silicone skin, enables temperature sensitivity compensation and has digital output. To measure the force vector, tilted capacitive sensor elements are used which are facing in different directions to differentiate the tangential forces. The sensor is intended for distributed contact sensing in a robotic skin, but could be also used for other applications such as novel haptic user interfaces in wearable devices. A series of experiments was performed and showed good sensor characteristics. The concept of the tilted force transducers has been proven to have the capability of detecting the force vector acting on the local sensor surface. Graphical Abstract
Transgenerational Glucose Intolerance With Igf2/H19 Epigenetic Alterations in Mouse Islet Induced by Intrauterine Hyperglycemia

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been shown to be associated with high risk of diabetes in offspring. However, the mechanisms involved and the possibilities of transgenerational transmission are still unclear. We intercrossed male and female adult control and first-generation offspring of GDM (F1-GDM) mice to obtain the second-generation (F2) offspring in four groups: C♂-C♀, C♂-GDM♀, GDM♂-C♀, and GDM♂-GDM♀. We found that birth weight significantly increased in F2 offspring through the paternal line with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Regardless of birth from F1-GDM with or without IGT, high risk of IGT appeared as early as 3 weeks in F2 offspring and progressed through both parental lineages, especial the paternal line. IGT in male offspring was more obvious than that in females, with parental characteristics and sex-specific transmission. In both F1 and F2 offspring of GDM, the expression of imprinted genes Igf2 and H19 was downregulated in pancreatic islets, caused by abnormal methylation status of the differentially methylated region, which may be one of the mechanisms for impaired islet ultrastructure and function. Furthermore, altered Igf2 and H19 gene expression was found in sperm of adult F1-GDM, regardless of the presence of IGT, indicating that changes of epigenetics in germ cells contributed to transgenerational transmission.
Gestational weight gain: influences on the long-term health of the child

Purpose of reviewTo address the recent evidence which suggests that inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) may have consequences that extend to the longer term health of the child. Recent findingsInadequate GWG is associated with low birthweight, and excessive GWG to delivery of large for gestational age infants . Recent studies report relationships between excessive GWG and neonatal adiposity, and with childhood and adult obesity. These appear to be independent of confounders such as socioeconomic status and a shared family environment, or hereditary traits for obesity, supporting the ‘developmental origins of disease’ hypothesis. SummaryBecause of periods of developmental plasticity, the early life metabolic environment may contribute to the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease in later life. The mechanisms which explain the relationships between maternal GWG and later life obesity remain unknown. Large, well conducted, intervention randomized controlled trials in pregnant women are required to address relationships between GWG and offspring risk of disease, including characterization of potential mediators. These should lead to more targeted and effective intervention strategies.
A Vaccine Encoding Conserved Promiscuous HIV CD4 Epitopes Induces Broad T Cell Responses in Mice Transgenic to Multiple Common HLA Class II Molecules

Current HIV vaccine approaches are focused on immunogens encoding whole HIV antigenic proteins that mainly elicit cytotoxic CD8+ responses. Mounting evidence points toward a critical role for CD4+ T cells in the control of immunodeficiency virus replication, probably due to cognate help. Vaccine-induced CD4+ T cell responses might, therefore, have a protective effect in HIV replication. In addition, successful vaccines may have to elicit responses to multiple epitopes in a high proportion of vaccinees, to match the highly variable circulating strains of HIV. Using rational vaccine design, we developed a DNA vaccine encoding 18 algorithm-selected conserved, “promiscuous” (multiple HLA-DR-binding) B-subtype HIV CD4 epitopes - previously found to be frequently recognized by HIV-infected patients. We assessed the ability of the vaccine to induce broad T cell responses in the context of multiple HLA class II molecules using different strains of HLA class II- transgenic mice (-DR2, -DR4, -DQ6 and -DQ8). Mice displayed CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses of significant breadth and magnitude, and 16 out of the 18 encoded epitopes were recognized. By virtue of inducing broad responses against conserved CD4+ T cell epitopes that can be recognized in the context of widely diverse, common HLA class II alleles, this vaccine concept may cope both with HIV genetic variability and increased population coverage. The vaccine may thus be a source of cognate help for HIV-specific CD8+ T cells elicited by conventional immunogens, in a wide proportion of vaccinees.
Flow cytometric analysis of the uptake of low‐density lipoprotein by endothelial cells in microfluidic channels

Acceptance of microfluidic technology in everyday laboratory practice by biologists is still low. One of the reasons for this is that the technology combines poorly with standard cell biological and biochemical analysis tools. Flow cytometry is an example of a conventional analytical tool that is considered to be incompatible with microfluidic technology and its inherent small sample sizes. In this study, it is shown that properly designed microfluidic devices contain cell populations that are large enough to be analyzed by flow cytometry. To illustrate this, the uptake of fluorescent human low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) by human endothelial cells that were cultured in a microfluidic channel was analyzed. It was found that the uptake of LDL by the cells increased linearly over time. Moreover, the uptake decreased when cells were pretreated with fluid shear stress inside the microfluidic devices. This study shows that microfluidic technology can be combined with conventional flow cytometry, while retaining the advantages of working with microfluidics such as low reagent use and dynamic cell culture conditions. This approach of combining microfluidic technology with conventional laboratory tools may contribute to greater acceptance of microfluidic devices in biological research. © 2010 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
A Molecular Jump Mechanism of Water Reorientation

Despite long study, a molecular picture of the mechanism of water reorientation is still lacking. Using numerical simulations, we find support for a pathway in which the rotating water molecule breaks a hydrogen bond (H-bond) with an overcoordinated first-shell neighbor to form an H-bond with an undercoordinated second-shell neighbor. The H-bond cleavage and the molecular reorientation occur concertedly and not successively as usually considered. This water reorientation mechanism involves large-amplitude angular jumps, rather than the commonly accepted sequence of small diffusive steps, and therefore calls for reinterpretation of many experimental data wherein water rotational relaxation is assumed to be diffusive.
Review Paper: Does Computerized Provider Order Entry Reduce Prescribing Errors for Hospital Inpatients? A Systematic Review

Previous reviews have examined evidence of the impact of CPOE on medication errors, but have used highly variable definitions of "error". We attempted to answer a very focused question, namely, what evidence exists that CPOE systems reduce prescribing errors among hospital inpatients? We identified 13 papers (reporting 12 studies) published between 1998 and 2007. Nine demonstrated a significant reduction in prescribing error rates for all or some drug types. Few studies examined changes in error severity, but minor errors were most often reported as decreasing. Several studies reported increases in the rate of duplicate orders and failures to discontinue drugs, often attributed to inappropriate selection from a dropdown menu or to an inability to view all active medication orders concurrently. The evidence-base reporting the effectiveness of CPOE to reduce prescribing errors is not compelling and is limited by modest study sample sizes and designs. Future studies should include larger samples including multiple sites, controlled study designs, and standardized error and severity reporting. The role of decision support in minimizing severe prescribing error rates also requires investigation.
In Vivo Confocal Microscopy of the Human Cornea in the Assessment of Peripheral Neuropathy and Systemic Diseases

In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) of the living human cornea offers the ability to perform repeated imaging without tissue damage. Studies using corneal IVCM have led to significant contributions to scientific and clinical knowledge of the living cornea in health and pathological states. Recently the application of corneal IVCM beyond ophthalmology to wider clinical and research fields has been demonstrated. Abnormalities of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus have been associated with many forms of peripheral neuropathy and Langerhans cells correlate with systemic inflammatory states. There is a rapidly growing evidence base investigating the use of corneal IVCM in many systemic conditions and a well-established evidence base for IVCM imaging of the corneal subbasal plexus in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This paper reviews the potential use of corneal IVCM in general clinical practice as a noninvasive method of assessing peripheral neuropathies, monitoring inflammatory states and clinical therapeutic response.
Nonnegative Matrix Tri-Factorization with Graph Regularization for Community Detection in Social Networks

Community detection on social media is a classic and challenging task. In this paper, we study the problem of detecting communities by combining social relations and user generated content in social networks. We propose a nonnegative matrix tri-factorization (NMTF) based clustering framework with three types of graph regularization. The NMTF based clustering framework can combine the relations and content seamlessly and the graph regularization can capture user similarity, message similarity and user interaction explicitly. In order to design regularization components, we further exploit user similarity and message similarity in social networks. A unified optimization problem is proposed by integrating the NMTF framework and the graph regularization. Then we derive an iterative learning algorithm for this optimization problem. Extensive experiments are conducted on three real-world data sets and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Time intervals and counting in point processes

Time point processes can be analyzed in two different ways: by the number of points in arbitrary time intervals or by distance between points. This corresponds to two distinct physical devices: counting or time-interval measurements. We present an explicit calculation, valid for arbitrary regular processes, of the statistical properties of time intervals such as residual or life time in terms of counting probabilities. For this calculation, we show that these intervals must be considered as random variables defined by conditional distributions.
Activating and inactivating mutations in the human GNAS1 gene

GNAS1 on chromosome 20 is a complex locus, encoding multiple proteins, of which Gsα, the α‐subunit of the heterotrimeric stimulatory G protein Gs, is of particular interest clinically. Amino acid substitutions at two specific codons lead to constitutive activation of Gsα. Such gain‐of‐function mutations are found in a variety of sporadic endocrine tumors and in McCune‐Albright syndrome, a sporadic condition characterized by multiple endocrine abnormalities. Heterozygous loss of Gsα function results in the dominantly inherited condition, Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO). Here we present a review of published GNAS1 mutations and report 19 additional mutations, of which 15 are novel. A diverse range of inactivating mutations has been detected, scattered throughout the gene but showing some evidence of clustering. Only one, a recurring 4 bp deletion in exon 7, could be considered common among AHO patients. The parental origin of the mutation apparently determines whether or not the patient shows end‐organ resistance to hormones such as parathyroid hormone. Gsα is biallelically expressed in all tissues studied to date and thus there is no direct evidence that this transcript is imprinted. However, the recent identification of other imprinted transcripts encoded by GNAS1 and overlapping Gsα, together with at least one imprinted antisense transcript, raises intriguing questions about how the primary effect of mutations in GNAS1 might be modulated. Hum Mutat 16:183–189, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Mental Health Needs and Access to Care of Older Adults in California

Little is known about the unmet mental health needs of minority older adults. Racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence rates of psychological distress and reported need and use of mental health services were examined in a population‐based sample of older adults using the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. The sample comprised 16,974 people aged 55 and older, with 13,974 non‐Hispanic whites, 719 African Americans, 1,215 Asians, and 1,066 Latinos. Respondents were compared in terms of prevalence of symptoms of mental distress and serious mental illness, reported need for help, and access to mental health services. African Americans, Asians, and Latinos were more likely to have mental distress than whites (21.2–24.2% vs 14.4%, P<.001) and a higher prevalence of serious mental illness (4.1–7.7% vs 2.5%, P<.001). After adjustment for age, sex, birthplace, marital status, education, limited English proficiency, chronic health conditions, and insurance status, older African‐American (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.04–1.81) and Asian (aOR=1.50, CI=1.13–2.00) adults still had greater odds of mental distress than whites. Furthermore, all three groups had worse access to mental health services than whites (African American aOR=0.64, 95% CI=0.43–0.96; Asian aOR=0.32, CI=0.16–0.63; Latino aOR=0.35, CI=0.17–0.70). Clinicians caring for older individuals should be aware of their high risk for mental health needs. Given that minorities' access to mental health services is worse than whites', even after adjusting for health insurance status, providing insurance alone will not eliminate this disparity. Innovative clinical and systemic strategies are needed to better identify individuals at risk and to provide needed services.
Autonomous Ground Vehicles

This book describes how vehicles will be designed with the ability of providing drivers with many advanced safety and performance assistance features in the near future. Autonomous technology applied to ground vehicles will provide capabilities such as intersection collision warning, safe lane changing and merge warning and assistance, lane departure warning and correction, parking assistance, and active advanced cruise control and forward collision avoidance. Fully autonomous vehicles are likely to follow with capabilities for route planning, self-driving, and safely interacting with other vehicles and complex traffic scenarios. The book focuses on providing professionals with a practical understanding of relevant technologies in this area, including presenting the basic autonomous control and feedback techniques for vehicle velocity control and car following, steering and lane following, obstacle avoidance, lane change, and parking operations. Covering the sensors, estimation, and sensor fusion technologies necessary to perceive vehicle motions and external objects, this book explains the aspects that make autonomous vehicle behavior possible. Practitioners will find detailed examples of data fusion and Kalman filtering. From maps, path planning, and obstacle avoidance sensors to cooperative mobility among autonomous vehicles, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, this book presents the most critical topics in the field today.
Advances in QTL Mapping in Pigs

Over the past 15 years advances in the porcine genetic linkage map and discovery of useful candidate genes have led to valuable gene and trait information being discovered. Early use of exotic breed crosses and now commercial breed crosses for quantitative trait loci (QTL) scans and candidate gene analyses have led to 110 publications which have identified 1,675 QTL. Additionally, these studies continue to identify genes associated with economically important traits such as growth rate, leanness, feed intake, meat quality, litter size, and disease resistance. A well developed QTL database called PigQTLdb is now as a valuable tool for summarizing and pinpointing in silico regions of interest to researchers. The commercial pig industry is actively incorporating these markers in marker-assisted selection along with traditional performance information to improve traits of economic performance. The long awaited sequencing efforts are also now beginning to provide sequence available for both comparative genomics and large scale single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association studies. While these advances are all positive, development of useful new trait families and measurement of new or underlying traits still limits future discoveries. A review of these developments is presented.
Off-Line Writer Verification Using Shape and Pen Pressure Information

This paper proposes an off-line writer verification method which uses a new hybrid feature. The characteristics of this new feature are the combination of shape and pen pressure information. For shape information, we use the Weighted Direction code Histogram (WDH), which is often used in Japanese handwriting recognition and writer verification methods. For pen pressure information, we use the texture features of infrared (IR) images obtained from a multi-band image scanner. Although the simple use of pen pressure information encoded in the infrared image can not improve verification error rate, the use of second order statistics and the clipping process can decrease the verification error rate from 4.8% to 3.7%.
Analysis of the current harmonics injected into the power grid by dimmable LED lamps

In recent years, the world has experienced a new revolution in the lighting technology with the advent of LED lamps, which are based on the use of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The LED technology is a viable solution for lighting together to the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) technology, and it is steadily in development. Accordingly, the quality of the LED lamps is going to improve since lately LED devices are more powerful and brighter. The two types of lamps in many fields of applications work with dimmer devices, which allow adjusting the flux. However, the CFL lamps are subject to many problems related to compatibility with the dimmers, which in turn considerably limit their flux control. The two technologies introduce a high harmonic content in the power line, which perhaps increases in case of the flux control with dimmers. In this paper, the harmonic content introduced by dimmable LED lamps of different brands is experimentally investigated and analyzed. The experimental tests aim to evaluate the variations of the performances, according to the Standard IEC 61000-3-2.