Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intramuscular Lorazepam for Status Epilepticus in Children With Complex Medical and Physical Disabilities

Background: A protocol was developed to achieve status epilepticus (SE) resolution: step 1, intramuscular (IM) lorazepam; step 2, repeat IM lorazepam; step 3, rectal diazepam. Objective: The primary objective was to identify the number of patients with SE resolution after step 1. Secondary objectives included categorization of mean number of IM doses per episode and patient factors associated with SE resolution. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients <21 years old with complex medical and physical disabilities admitted over 5 years. For analysis, IM dosing was categorized as high dose (>0.05 mg/kg/dose) and low dose (≤0.05 mg/kg/dose). A generalized linear mixed-model regression was used to assess the relationship with SE resolution at step 1 and patient characteristics. Results: A total of 44 patients were included (n = 162 episodes). SE resolution was noted in 68.5% of episodes after step 1. Models were stratified by gender to present odds of SE resolution at step 1 versus step 2/3. For women, no covariate was significant. For men, the odds of SE resolution at step 1 were 14.9 times higher in those receiving 2 versus 4 maintenance antiepileptics, adjusting for covariates. Additionally, odds of resolution at step 1 was 3.1 times higher for high-dose versus low-dose lorazepam in males, adjusting for covariates, but was not statistically significant. Conclusions: SE resolution was noted in 68.5% after step 1. Unadjusted, females had a higher odds of SE resolution at step 1 than males. In males, high-dose lorazepam had higher odds of SE resolution at step 1 than low-dose lorazepam, though not significantly different.
EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FFA CHAPTER RECOGNITION: A MODEL FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

This article presents a strategy for integrating community service learning with community development. It builds upon two methods in rural development: needs assessment and incorporating public schools in the development process. The strategy provides a way to have a valid needs assessment using survey research and at the same time keep costs low and involvement of local people high. It also provides students an opportunity to have classroom and experiential learning on community development and needs assessment. This strategy has been pilot tested in Florida. Opportunities abound for agricultural education programs and their respective FFA chapter if they choose to lead in such an endeavor.
Sunscreen use and failures — on site observations on a sun-holiday

With this observation study we aimed to determine how and when sunscreen was used. 20 sun seekers were observed during a one-week sun holiday in Hurghada, Egypt. The sunscreen application thickness was related to part of body, time outdoors, exposure to ultraviolet radiation and to sunburning. Skin sites with sunscreen were exposed to UVR significantly longer and received significantly higher UVR doses than skin sites without sunscreen. They received an average of 0.62 SED [0.0–9.3 SED] (13% of their MED) before the first sunscreen application of the day. The average sunscreen used was SPF15 and the sunscreen application thickness was in average 0.79 mg cm^−2 giving an approximated effect of SPF3. For different body parts either the total UVR exposure dose or the UVR exposure time and UVR exposure dose before the first sunscreen application were higher for sunburned than non-sunburned skin sites. In the final model gender, skin type and UVR to skin (adjusted for SPF and sunscreen application thickness) were significant predictors of sunburning. The sunscreen application thickness of 0.79 mg cm^−2 was less than the 2 mg cm^−2 used for testing SPF. The late start of sunscreen use and improper application thickness was ineffective in preventing sunburn, and therefore could not compensate for the risk of prolonged UVR exposure and high UVR doses. Our results lead us to suspect that the protective effect of sunscreen use against DNA-damage, and thereby skin cancer, is minimal the way sunscreen is used under real sun holiday conditions.
Adaptive power system hybrid state estimation

This paper presents a method for real time adaptive hybrid state estimation of the power system states using the SCADA as well as limited synchronous phasor measurements. The proposed method can track the power system dynamics by periodically updating the sensitivities to the unobservable buses during the intervals between successive outputs of state estimator with SCADA measurements. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on a number of standard test systems for different sets of un-observability. Simulation result shows that the proposed method can track the electromechanical dynamics of the system during the large disturbances in the system, it also improves the accuracy of the estimates and enhances the numerical stability of the estimation.
Modeling and simulation of microburst wind shear in the flight simulator

Microburst wind shear, which is a special type of atmospheric phenomena, has been widely investigated for the interference it would bring to the aircraft navigation. In this paper, we construct a three-dimensional microburst model as an extension of the traditional vortex ring theory based model. It is shown that the singular problems at the vortex filament are thoroughly improved considering the new damping factor in our model. We build multiple vortex ring models to match the characteristics of real wind field of the microburst. An application to the flight simulator to obtain the response of the microburst wind field with variable parameter demonstrates the validity of our model. Our results indicate that this new model should provide an important basis for the designing of the flight simulator.
Energysim: an energy consumption simulator for web search engine processors

This paper presents a simulation method to estimate the energy consumption of Web search engine processors. Web search engines are complex systems operating over large clusters of processors devised manage highly dynamic and unpredictable user query bursts. However, their computations present well defined patterns which makes it possible to predict performance in an accurate manner. The proposed method is based on the Multi-BSP model to capture the hardware costs and it includes an energy consumption model which considers hardware parameters, dominant cost operations and user queries.
Early Changes in the Ultrastructure of Streptococcus faecalis After Amino Acid Starvation

Thin sections of Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 9790) starved of one essential amino acid (threonine or valine) initially show rapid increases in (i) cell wall thickness, (ii) the apparent size of the central nucleoid region, and (iii) mesosomal membranes. The most rapid increases in all three variables occurred during the first 1 to 2 hr of starvation. After this initial period, the rates progressively decreased over the 20-hr observation period. During threonine starvation, the mesosomal membrane that accumulated in the first hour was subsequently degraded and reached a level similar to that found in exponential-phase cells after 20 hr. With valine starvation, mesosomal membrane continued to slowly accumulate over the entire 20-hr observation period. The mesosomes of the starved cells retained the same “stalked-bag” morphology of those in exponential-phase cells. These cytological observations agree with previously published biochemical data on membrane lipid and wall content after starvation.
Prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria in surgically treated chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In order to assess the potential impact of bacterial eradication on recurrence rates, the prevalence of various enteropathogenic bacteria and toxins in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (CIBD) was prospectively examined. METHODOLOGY Stool, sera and gut tissue samples from a total of 59 patients (33 males, 26 females; mean age: 42 years +/- 14; 21 Crohn's disease, 14 ulcerative colitis, 24 controls) were examined for the presence of enteropathogenic bacteria by culture, immunoblotting and PCR. RESULTS Conventional cultures failed to detect obligate pathogenic bacteria. By PCR, mycobacteria were found in 85% of all groups, with mycobacterium paratuberculosis not detected. Yersinia species were observed in 63% of patients with Crohn's disease, in 46% of patients with ulcerative colitis, and in 36% of the control patients. Pathogenic E. coli were identified in stool samples of three patients with ulcerative colitis (21%) by amplifying the EAE-gene, one of whom exhibited shiga-like-toxin as well. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that mycobacteria do not play a causative role in CIBD. Yersinia species seem to persist in intestinal tissue in CIBD patients without adequate immune response and might, thus, contribute to tissue destruction. E. coli infections contribute to the disease process in a small group of patients with ulcerative colitis and their eradication might eliminate the need for immediate surgical intervention.
Cloning of a DNA fragment encoding a heme-repressible hemoglobin-binding outer membrane protein from Haemophilus influenzae

Haemophilus influenzae is able to use hemoglobin as a sole source of heme, and heme-repressible hemoglobin binding to the cell surface has been demonstrated. Using an affinity purification methodology, a hemoglobin-binding protein of approximately 120 kDa was isolated from H. influenzae type b strain HI689 grown in heme-restricted but not in heme-replete conditions. The isolated protein was subjected to N-terminal amino acid sequencing, and the derived amino acid sequence was used to design corresponding oligonucleotides. The oligonucleotides were used to probe a Southern blot of EcoRI-digested HI689 genomic DNA. A hybridizing band of approximately 4.2 kb was successfully cloned into pUC19. Using a 1.9-kb internal BglII fragment of the 4.2-kb clone as a probe, hybridization was seen in both typeable and nontypeable H. influenzae but not in other bacterial species tested. Following partial nucleotide sequencing of the 4.2-kb insert, a putative open reading frame was subcloned into an expression vector. The host Escherichia coli strain in which the cloned fragment was expressed bound biotinylated human hemoglobin, whereas binding of hemoglobin was not detected in E. coli with the vector alone. In conclusion, we hypothesize that the DNA fragment encoding an approximately 120-kDa heme-repressible hemoglobin-binding protein mediates one step in the acquisition of hemoglobin by H. influenzae in vivo.
Acute Versus Chronic Pain

The management of pain in dentistry encompasses a number of procedural issues, including the delivery of anesthetic and the management of postprocedural pain, as well as pain diagnosis, management strategies for orofacial conditions that cause pain in the face and head, and the management of pain in special populations. Given the extensive nature of the topic, this article reviews pain definitions and mechanisms, acute versus chronic pain, and focuses on management strategies related to anesthetic delivery and the control of pain following dental procedures.
Chronic otitis media in the southwestern American Indian. I. Prevalence.

TO MANY people the American Indian is a legendary figure persisting only in Western lore. In certain areas of this country, however, he is very much a part of the scene. The health problems of the Indian are a major concern of the 315 physicians who staff 51 hospitals, 53 health centers, and over 300 smaller Public Health Service medical facilities for Indians and Alaska natives.1,2 Since the US Public Health Service assumed responsibility for the Indian's health care in 1955, there have been major improvements in the quality and quantity of medical services. Included in this increased activity is the initiation of a program for the care of chronic otitis media, long recognized as a major disability. The three medical centers currently equipped for specialty care of chronic ear disease are the PHS Indian Hospitals in Anchorage, Alaska; Gallup, NM, and Phoenix, Ariz; each functioning as a
Multipath Routing in ( Mobile ) Mesh Networks

In drahtlosen Mesh-Netzwerken wird der Verkehr im Wesentlichen in Richtung der Internet-Gateways und von diesen in Richtung der Clients geroutet. Dadurch werden einige Verbindungen und Knoten im Netzwerk unter Umständen bis zur Verstopfung überlastet. Darüber hinaus haben drahtlose Netze auf Grund der Unzuverlässigkeit des Mediums mit verschiedenen Problemen zu kämpfen. Multipath-Routing hat sich als ein vielversprechender Ansatz herausgestellt einige dieser Probleme zu lösen. Des Weiteren kann Multipath-Routing für eine Verteilung des Verkehrsaufkommens mit dem Ziel des Lastausgleiches oder der Bandbreitenaggregation sorgen. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Überblick über die Grundlagen des Multipath-Routing gegeben. Es werden einige in der Literatur vorgeschlagene reaktive Multipath-Routing-Protokolle vorgestellt und hinsichtlich ihrer Eigenschaften, ihrer Leistungsfähigkeit und ihrer Grenzen diskutiert.
Self-Reported Health Status Predictors of Healthcare Services Utilization and Charges in Elderly Asthmatic Patients

This study examined the associations between self-reported health status predictors and healthcare service utilization in a cohort of elderly asthmatic patients. The results of the study showed a strong association among self-reported prior healthcare utilization, comorbidities, patient's perception of health status, and self-reported quality of life with healthcare service utilization and charges. A large amount of variance in healthcare service utilization and charges in this population was explained by these factors. Patient's self-reported health status could be important in earlier detection of high-risk older adults with asthma, and targeting them for disease management interventions.
Master-slave manipulator based on virtual internal model following control concept

This paper presents a new control method of master-slave manipulators based on the concept of Virtual Internal Model Following Control, which realizes the master-slave manipulator system with various functions which assist operators as well as bilateral feedback based on external information from sensors or others. In the proposed control system, the virtual internal model is introduced to describe a desired relation between the motion of a master and that of a slave. The external information detected by sensors or others are applied to this model, and the motions of master and slave arms are controlled based on the model. The proposed algorithm is experimentaly applied to the master-slave manipulator with force sensors, and desired response to the external information as well as bilateral feedback is realized.
Review of Electric Spring: A new smart grid device for efficient demand dispatch and active and reactive power control

This paper deals with theory, modeling, applications and limitations of an Electric Spring (ES) by reviewing the published literature in this area. An ES, a custom power device (power electronic converter), is gradually emerging as an eminent member of smart grid. It provides stability to the grid, by controlling real and reactive power so as to regulate voltage of the grid and is considered to be operating under the influence of intermittent and unpredictable renewable energy sources (RES). ES is connected in between grid and load and hence it can damp out the oscillations of the grid. Load is bifurcated into groups based on its tolerable voltage range. Critical load is required to have constant voltage profile with no tolerance to voltage variation and non-critical load can have this tolerance in a widely specified band so as to swing along the power pattern of RES. Optimally dispersed Electric Springs throughout the grid can provide stability while acting in unison. Operation of ES effectively caters the requirement of demand side management.
Efficacy of polishing kits on the surface roughness and color stability of different composite resins

Objective: Different polishing kits may have different effects on the composite resin surfaces. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness and color stability of four different composites which was applied different polishing technique. Materials and Methods: Thirty specimens were made for each composite resin group (nanohybrid, GrandioSo-GS; nanohybrid, Clearfil Majesty Esthetic-CME; hybrid, Valux Plus-VP; micro-hybrid, Ruby Comp-RC; [15 mm in diameter and 2 mm height]), with the different monomer composition and particle size from a total of 120 specimens. Each composite group was divided into three subgroups (n = 10). The first subgroup of the each composite subgroups served as control (C) and had no surface treatment. The second subgroup of the each composite resin groups was polished with finishing discs (Bisco Finishing Discs; Bisco Inc., Schaumburg, IL, USA). The third subgroup of the each composite resin was polished with polishing wheel (Enhance and PoGo, Dentsply, Konstanz, Germany). The surface roughness and the color differences measurement of the specimens were made and recorded. The data were compared using Kruskal–Wallis test, and regression analysis was used in order to examine the correlation between surface roughness and color differences of the specimens (α = 0.05). Results: The Kruskal–Wallis test indicated significant difference among the composite resins in terms of ΔE (P < 0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference among composite resins in terms of surface roughness (P > 0.05). Result of the regression analysis indicated statistically significant correlation between Ra and ΔE values (P < 0.05, r2 = 0.74). Conclusion: The findings of the present study have clinical relevance in the choice of polishing kits used.
Food allergy–getting more out of your skin prick tests

Skin prick testing has been used for over a 100 years [1] and is of fundamental importance in the practice of clinical allergy. While it is an important tool in the context of a clinical history, there are limits to its value. We are therefore often unable to establish de®nitive diagnoses of food allergy without resorting to food challenges. In this issue of the Journal, Sporik et al. [2] present a case series of 467 children, aged 1 month to 16 years, evaluated for suspected food allergy in a tertiary paediatric allergy clinic. They correlate skin prick weal sizes with the results of open food challenges to cows milk, egg or peanut. Their data demonstrate that if the traditional 3 mm weal is used as the lower limit for de®ning allergy, there are many falsepositive and -negative results (Fig. 1a). This creates a large immunological grey area where we cannot make a de®nitive diagnoses on the basis of the test result. Their paper demonstrates how this problem can be overcome by increasing the cut-off value, thereby reducing the immunological grey area (Fig. 1b). They identify skin weal diameters at and above which negative reactions do not occur on food challenge: cow's milk, 8 mm; egg, 7 mm; and peanut, 8 mm. The need for a corroborative food challenge to make the diagnosis could have been avoided in 33%, 56% and 68%, respectively, of the children in this population. Such an approach has great clinical signi®cance, considerably reducing the need for costly and time-consuming food challenges. The concept of a cut-off value, above which a test has a very high positive predictive value for food allergy, is not entirely new. Speci®c IgE values, generated by the Pharmacia Cap system, have been correlated with the results of double-blinded food challenges [3]. Speci®c IgE results giving positive predictive values of at least 95% were: egg, 6 kUA/L; milk, 32 kUA/L; peanut, 15 kUA/L; and ®sh, 20 kUA/L. Skin prick testing has considerable advantages in terms of cost and the time taken for a result to be available. How applicable are these skin prick cut-off values [2] to other patients in different clinical settings? Cutaneous reactivity is known to vary with age. The histamine-induced wheal diameter increases by 125% from 4 days to 24 months [4] with further 50% increase over the childhood and teenage years [5]. Similar changes with age occur in response to codeine, a mast cell degranulator [4]. There is also data to suggest that time of day [6], season [7] and patient's sex [8] affect cutaneous reactivity. Together, these data suggest that
Alignment of the c-Type Cytochrome OmcS along Pili of Geobacter sulfurreducens

ABSTRACT Immunogold localization revealed that OmcS, a cytochrome that is required for Fe(III) oxide reduction by Geobacter sulfurreducens, was localized along the pili. The apparent spacing between OmcS molecules suggests that OmcS facilitates electron transfer from pili to Fe(III) oxides rather than promoting electron conduction along the length of the pili.
Investigation into the Elastic Properties of ex vivo Porcine Corneas Subjected to Inflation Test after Cross-Linking Treatment

Background The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of cross-linking (CXL) on ex vivo porcine corneal elastic properties, using an inflation procedure. Methods Twelve corneas were subjected to standard CXL (370 nm, 3 mW/cm2, 30 minutes), while 12 were used as controls. Corneal thickness was measured by Visante optical coherence tomography, before and immediately after treatment, and before inflation test. Both intraocular pressure and radial apical cornea displacement were measured during inflation. Stress-strain curves were obtained by applying the linear shell theory. The elastic modulus was evaluated by calculating the slope of the stress-strain curves. Results Results showed a statistically significant increase in elastic modulus (p<0.0001), with a mean of 3,868 ± 502 kPa for cross-linked corneas and 2,727 ± 238 kPa for untreated corneas, when subjected to high pressure (40-60 kPa). CXL significantly increased porcine cornea stiffness by about 42%. Findings did not show any significant difference within the physiological range of pressure (2-4 kPa). Conclusions The inflation test has been proven to be a valuable tool for the investigation of corneal biomechanics, maintaining both integrity and geometry of corneal tissue.
Conditional Pten knock‐out mice: a model for metastatic phaeochromocytoma

Phaeochromocytomas (PCCs) are neuro‐endocrine tumours of the adrenal medulla that are usually benign, but approximately 10% of patients develop metastases. Malignant PCCs can only be diagnosed with certainty if metastases are present. Here we describe adrenal tumours generated in a Pten conditional knock‐out (KO) mouse model. We characterized the molecular alterations in these tumours and compared them with human PCC. Thirty‐two of 41 (78%) male Psa‐Cre;Pten‐loxP/loxP mice presented adrenal tumours that were shown to be PCC by histology and by immunohistochemical staining for enzymes in the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway. In 6 of 17 investigated mice, histological and immunohistochemical evidence was obtained for the presence of PCC lung metastases. Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis of the primary tumours showed loss of chromosomes 6 and 19, which are syntenic to human 3p and 11q. Another frequent alteration found was gain of chromosome 15, which is syntenic to human chromosome 5. The molecular aberrations in the mouse model corresponded to the alterations found in a subtype of human PCC, suggesting that the PCC of the Pten KO mice might be representative of human PCC. The mouse model should allow further studies into the pathogenesis of human malignant PCCs and into therapeutic strategies for these tumours. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.