Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the evolving management of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome improving survival?*

Objective: The diagnosis and management of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome have changed significantly over the past decade with improved understanding of the pathophysiology and appropriate treatment of these disease processes. Serial intra-abdominal pressure measurements, nonoperative pressure-reducing interventions, and early abdominal decompression for refractory intra-abdominal hypertension or abdominal compartment syndrome are all key elements of this evolving strategy. Design: Prospective, observational study. Setting: Tertiary referral/level I trauma center. Patients: Four hundred seventy-eight consecutive patients requiring an open abdomen for the management of intra-abdominal hypertension or abdominal compartment syndrome. Interventions: Patients were managed by a defined group of surgical intensivists using established definitions and an evidence-based management algorithm. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify patient and management factors associated with improved survival. Measurements and Main Results: Whereas patient demographics and severity of illness remained unchanged over the 6-yr study period, the use of a continually revised intra-abdominal hypertension/abdominal compartment syndrome management algorithm significantly increased patient survival to hospital discharge from 50% to 72% (p = .015). Clinically significant decreases in resource utilization and an increase in same-admission primary fascial closure from 59% to 81% were recognized. Development of abdominal compartment syndrome, prophylactic use of an open abdomen to prevent development of intra-abdominal hypertension/abdominal compartment syndrome, and use of a multi-modality surgical/medical management algorithm were identified as independent predictors of survival. Conclusions: A comprehensive evidence-based management strategy that includes early use of an open abdomen in patients at risk significantly improves survival from intra-abdominal hypertension/abdominal compartment syndrome. This improvement is not achieved at the cost of increased resource utilization and is associated with an increased rate of primary fascial closure.
Results of surgical correction of abnormalities associated with brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome in dogs in Australia.

OBJECTIVES To describe clinical features of brachycephalic airway obstructive disease in dogs, the incidence of laryngeal collapse in dogs presenting for surgery and the outcome after surgery in dogs with laryngeal collapse. METHODS Basic clinical details were reviewed retrospectively in 73 dogs. Presence of laryngeal collapse and short-term outcomes after surgery were determined for 64 dogs with complete medical records. Long-term outcomes were reviewed for 46 dogs by telephone survey between 19 and 77 months following surgery. RESULTS Stenotic nares were present in 31 dogs (42.5 per cent), elongated soft palate in 63 (86.3 per cent) and everted laryngeal saccules in 43 (58.9 per cent). The most common breeds were the pug (19 dogs, 26 per cent), Cavalier King Charles spaniel (15 dogs, 20.5 per cent), British bulldog (14 dogs, 19.2 per cent) and Staffordshire bull terrier (4 dogs, 5.5 per cent). Laryngeal collapse was present in 34 of 64 (53 per cent) dogs. No dogs died perioperatively and only one dog was euthanased as a result of its respiratory disease three years after surgery. Telephone interviews indicated that 26 dogs (56.5 per cent) were much improved after surgery, 15 (32.6 per cent) had some improvement and 5 (10.9 per cent) showed no improvement. Signs that persisted after surgery were snoring during sleep (34 dogs, 73.9 per cent), stertor/stridor while conscious (23 dogs, 50 per cent), excessive panting (13 dogs, 28.3 per cent) and dyspnoea (10 dogs, 21.7 per cent). Long-term outcome was considered good, even in dogs with laryngeal collapse. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Laryngeal collapse is relatively common in dogs presented for surgical correction of brachycephalic airway obstructive disease. Dogs with severe laryngeal collapse often respond well to surgery. Clinical signs rarely resolve completely following surgery.
Pharmaceutical Organizational Change: Redefining Regulatory Science Learning

This paper looks at organizational changes in the pharmaceutical industry’s environment using the classic Kotter (1996) 8 Step model and has made an argument that the model can be used successfully in regulatory science learning. The literature on both change management and regulatory science learning was reviewed to see how both topics related to Kotter’s 8 Step model. The model has been used previously in health professional education but not in regulatory science training. Specifically, Step 1: Establish a sense of change urgency is the rally cry for the sense of urgency to those instructors of regulatory science. Step 2: Form a powerful coalition of people within the environment that can lead the change calls-out to educators of regulatory science to take the lead. Step 3: Create a change vision and strategy and communicate this to the impacted people is the need for regulatory science educational reform. Step 4: Communicate to the people about the change at every opportunity is pertinent and critical for the regulatory science learning initiative. Step 5: Empower the people to get behind the change to give them a sense of ownership stresses the importance of training in the empowerment process to meet the regulatory science educational challenge. Step 6: Enable short-term wins so that there is energy about the change shows that the regulatory science educational change initiative is paying off. Step 7: Put the short-term wins together to keep the change momentum moving forward stresses the importance to organize regulatory science concepts together to represent the discipline. Lastly, Step 8: Make changes part of the organization’s culture for sustainable outcomes develops regulatory science learning modules and institutionalizes the need for the discipline’s teaching.
Current concepts of the cellular and molecular pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease. It poses many challenges both clinically and scientifically. Progress made in understanding the genetics, immunology, and neurobiology of MS to date has positioned the field for further breakthroughs both in understanding the etiology and pathogenesis as well as the development of rationally based therapeutics. This review will cover fundamental aspects of the clinical and pathologic features of MS. Identified genetic markers will be considered as well as the evolving understanding of immunologic and neurobiological aspects of the disease. The development of immune therapy based on this knowledge is already apparent and it is likely that neuroprotective therapies will evolve to complement immune modulation in treating the disease. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2007
Genes For Tfb2, Tfb3, and Tfb4 Subunits of Yeast Transcription/Repair Factor IIH

Genes for the Tfb2, Tfb3, and Tfb4 subunits of yeast RNA polymerase transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) are described. All three genes are essential for cell viability, and antibodies against Tfb3 specifically inhibit transcription in vitro. A C-terminal deletion of Tfb2 caused a defect in nucleotide excision repair, as shown by UV sensitivity of the mutant strain and loss of nucleotide excision repair activity in cell extracts (restored by the addition of purified TFIIH). An interaction between Tfb3 and the Kin28 subunit of TFIIH was detected by the two-hybrid approach, consistent with a role for Tfb3 in linking kinase and core domains of the factor. The deduced amino acid sequence of Tfb2 is similar to that of the 52-kDa subunit of human TFIIH, while Tfb3 is identified as a RING finger protein homologous to the 36-kDa subunit of murine CAK (cyclin-dependent kinase activatingkinase) and to the 32-kDa subunit of human TFIIH. Tfb4 is homologous to p34 of human TFIIH and is identified as the weakly associated 37-kDa subunit of the yeast factor. These and other findings reveal a one-to-one correspondence and high degree of sequence similarity between the entire set of yeast and human TFIIH polypeptides.
Replacing hormone therapy-is the decline in prescribing sustained, and are nonhormonal drugs substituted?

Objectives: After two cautioning landmark studies in 2002 and 2003, a dramatic decrease in hormonal therapy (HT) prescribing for menopausal symptoms was seen. Our objectives were to (1) determine whether this decline in HT prescribing sustained until 2007 and (2) investigate nonhormonal drug prescribing for women who stopped HT. Methods: We analyzed drug dispensing data from community pharmacies in The Netherlands. For the first objective, we analyzed exposure prevalence of HT. For our second objective, we selected all women who were dispensed HT prescriptions between August 2002 and August 2003. From this study cohort, we defined our index group as all women who stopped HT shortly after the studies (n = 1,254) and a reference group as all women who continued HT (n = 839). We calculated the incidence of nonhormonal therapies for both groups, reporting risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI. Kaplan-Meier curves were also constructed. Results: Mean exposure prevalence of HT (per 1,000 women) pre 2002 versus post 2004 was 30.6 versus 15.3 (50.0% decline) for 40 to 49 years, 79.2 versus 25.5 (67.7% decline) for 50 to 59 years, and 28.4 versus 11.6 (59.1% decline) for 60 to 69 years. HT exposure remained low until 2007. HT stoppers receive more clonidine, RR 3.48 (2.36-5.13); anxiolytics or sedatives, RR 1.46 (1.15-1.87); and osteoporosis prophylaxis and treatment, RR 2.04 (1.14-3.66). Young stoppers (40-49 y) received more antidepressants, RR 2.70 (1.41-5.11), whereas older stoppers (60-69 y) received less antidepressants, RR 0.43 (0.18-1.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that nonhormonal drug prescribing occurred soon after HT was stopped. Conclusions: This study shows the dramatic and sustained impact of the cautioning landmark studies on HT prescribing. HT stoppers received more nonhormonal therapies for menopausal symptoms compared with those who continued HT.
The Beckham effect: examining the longitudinal impact of a star performer on league marketing, novelty, and scarcity

ABSTRACT Research question: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) league marketing strategy to make a significant investment in an international star athlete. Soccer star David Beckham’s impact was examined longitudinally to assess changes in consumer preference over time. Novelty seeking behavior and scarcity were two theories used to hypothesize consumer preference during Beckman’s tenure in MLS, and to understand the potential return on this substantial league investment. Research methods: The sampling frame for this study was all MLS games that occurred during David Beckham’s tenure, from 2007 to 2012. A total of 1473 game observations were examined in this investigation. A censored panel regression was estimated using both random and fixed effects models. A total of 25 determinants of attendance were examined, including Beckham’s overall impact, home and road impact, and year-by-year impact. Results and findings: Findings showed David Beckham’s presence had a significant impact on MLS attendance. Specifically the biggest impact was seen in attendance at road games, providing evidence of a return on the marketing investment made by the league. Additionally, when examining the year-by-year impact of Beckham, both a novelty and scarcity effect were present. Implications: These findings contribute to the marketing literature on the impact of star performers in the sport and entertainment industry. The current investigation extends the knowledge on strategic marketing at the league level, particularly for a single-entity ownership model. Additionally, this examination highlights the factors that help to explain consumer preference changes over a prolonged period, such as novelty and scarcity.
An Efficient Parallel Algorithm for the Solution of Large Sparse Linear Matrix Equations

An algorithm for the parallel solution of large sparse sets of linear equations, given their factor matrices, is developed. It is aimed at efficient practical implementation on a processor of the multiple instruction multiple data stream (MIMD) type. The software required to implement the algorithm is described. In addition, the amount of memory necessary for data retention during execution is considered and related to that which is required on single processor systems. Hardware developed for the implementation of the algorithm is described. Bus contention for the system is outlined and shown to be insignificant. Possible bus contention problems for systems differing in the number of processors and speed of processing elements are also considered. A simulator modeling the execution of the algorithm on large systems has been implemented. The performance of the algorithm, in terms of execution speed enhancement relative to the theoretical maximum, is shown to be good.
Modularisation in the German VET system: a study of policy implementation

Abstract Modularisation of vocational training courses is a major issue across many European countries. Germany has been slow to implement modularisation in its VET system: the prevailing view of modular concepts in the country is one of great scepticism, but there is very little empirical data to inform the debate. This exploratory study focuses on the relationship between the regulatory goals that underpin the introduction of modular VET systems and the implementation in practice of two VET programmes (elective skills and training building blocks). Our analysis includes official descriptions of training programmes, research papers, evaluation reports and policy papers. We also conducted a total of 12 interviews with experts at policy level and 25 interviews with practitioners. The findings indicate that Germany’s approach to implementing modularisation is a hybrid, rather than a radical, approach in which differing degrees of emphasis are evident. The hypothesised goals of flexibilisation and specialisation are broadly achieved, but the goal of individualisation is only partially achieved. In this respect, certification and recognition of modules seem to be the greatest challenges.
Serial order reconstruction in Down syndrome: evidence for a selective deficit in verbal short-term memory.

BACKGROUND Individuals with Down syndrome consistently perform less well than appropriately matched comparison groups on tests of verbal short-term memory, despite performing relatively well on non-verbal short-term memory tasks. However, it is not clear whether these findings constitute evidence for a selective deficit in verbal short-term memory, or whether they instead reflect the influence of non-central factors such as speech difficulties or poor number knowledge. METHODS Twenty-six individuals with Down syndrome and 32 typically developing children were tested on a digit reconstruction task in which participants were presented with auditory digit sequences and responded by pressing the corresponding digits on a touch-screen in the correct serial order. Background measures were performance on a closely matched visuo-spatial reconstruction task, reaction time on a simple digit identification task, receptive vocabulary age and non-verbal ability (Raven's matrices). Participants were also tested on a conventional digit recall task. RESULTS All four background measures accounted for significant individual variation in digit reconstruction performance, but there remained a significant effect of group that reflected relatively poor performance of individuals with Down syndrome. Hierarchical regression showed that group membership accounted for unique variation in both digit reconstruction and recall performance, even after all group differences on background measures had been accounted for. CONCLUSIONS The results provide strong evidence that Down syndrome is associated with a selective deficit in verbal short-term memory, and a deficit in verbal serial order memory in particular. Implications for the language difficulties associated with Down syndrome are discussed.
Specificity of Acquired Resistance Produced by Immunization with Mycobacterial Cells and Mycobacterial Fractions

Mice were immunized intraperitoneally with 5.0 mg of living and 5.0 mg of heat-killed H37Ra cells of the attenuated strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis and challenged intraperitoneally with Listeria monocytogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The period of protection provided by the living and heat-killed H37Ra cells against both heterologous infections was the same. When mice were immunized intraperitoneally with graded doses of living and heat-killed H37Ra and challenged intraperitoneally with listeria or klebsiella, the lowest immunizing dose providing protection against both klebsiella and listeria challenge was the same for living and heat-killed cells. Living and heat-killed cells also immunized equally effectively when the routes of immunization and challenge were different. Mice also were immunized intraperitoneally with mycobacterial ribosomal fraction, mycobacterial cell walls, and several nonspecific agents (Escherichia coli endotoxin, mineral oil emulsion, and Freund's incomplete adjuvant). The mice were challenged intraperitoneally with listeria or klebsiella at varying times after immunization. The mycobacterial components and all the nonspecific agents provided transitory protection lasting no longer than 4 days after immunization. Only the mycobacterial cell walls and the endotoxin provided protection against listeria challenge. It was concluded that the protection provided by the mycobacterial ribosomal fraction is specific for tuberculosis infection, since this fraction provided no protection against listeria infection and only transitory protection against klebsiella. It was also concluded that the mycobacterial component providing protection against heterologous infections is heat stable and probably is found in the cell wall.
SquishedNets: Squishing SqueezeNet further for edge device scenarios via deep evolutionary synthesis

While deep neural networks have been shown in recent years to outperform other machine learning methods in a wide range of applications, one of the biggest challenges with enabling deep neural networks for widespread deployment on edge devices such as mobile and other consumer devices is high computational and memory requirements. Recently, there has been greater exploration into small deep neural network architectures that are more suitable for edge devices, with one of the most popular architectures being SqueezeNet, with an incredibly small model size of 4.8MB. Taking further advantage of the notion that many applications of machine learning on edge devices are often characterized by a low number of target classes, this study explores the utility of combining architectural modifications and an evolutionary synthesis strategy for synthesizing even smaller deep neural architectures based on the more recent SqueezeNet v1.1 macroarchitecture for applications with fewer target classes. In particular, architectural modifications are first made to SqueezeNet v1.1 to accommodate for a 10-class ImageNet-10 dataset, and then an evolutionary synthesis strategy is leveraged to synthesize more efficient deep neural networks based on this modified macroarchitecture. The resulting SquishedNets possess model sizes ranging from 2.4MB to 0.95MB (~5.17X smaller than SqueezeNet v1.1, or 253X smaller than AlexNet). Furthermore, the SquishedNets are still able to achieve accuracies ranging from 81.2% to 77%, and able to process at speeds of 156 images/sec to as much as 256 images/sec on a Nvidia Jetson TX1 embedded chip. These preliminary results show that a combination of architectural modifications and an evolutionary synthesis strategy can be a useful tool for producing very small deep neural network architectures that are well-suited for edge device scenarios.
Components and Developmental Differences of Executive Functioning for School-Aged Children

This study examined the developmental differences, components, and underlying factor structure of executive functioning (EF) in school-aged children by utilizing subtests from Test of Everyday Attention for Children and some additional EF tests. The developmental differences identified across age groups between 7 to 14 years for a sample of 185 children support a multistage interpretation of EF development. Structural equation modeling was used to test models with three first-order EF components which included shifting, working memory/updating, and inhibition. Results indicated that the first-order full, three-factor model was the best model among all the alternative first-order and second-order models.
Dependency-Aware Rollback and Checkpoint-Restart for Distributed Task-Based Runtimes

With the increase in compute nodes in large compute platforms, a proportional increase in node failures will follow. Many application-based checkpoint/restart (C/R) techniques have been proposed for MPI applications to target the reduced mean time between failures. However, rollback as part of the recovery remains a dominant cost even in highly optimised MPI applications employing C/R techniques. Continuing execution past a checkpoint (that is, reducing rollback) is possible in message-passing runtimes, but extremely complex to design and implement. Our work focuses on task-based runtimes, where task dependencies are explicit and message passing is implicit. We see an opportunity for reducing rollback for such runtimes: we explore task dependencies in the rollback, which we call dependency-aware rollback. We also design a new C/R technique, which is influenced by recursive decomposition of tasks, and combine it with dependency-aware rollback. We expect the dependency-aware rollback to cancel and recompute less tasks in the presence of node failures. We describe, implement and validate the proposed protocol in a simulator, which confirms these expectations. In addition, we consistently observe faster overall execution time for dependency-aware rollback in the presence of faults, despite the fact that reduced task cancellation does not guarantee reduced overall execution time.
Phase II Study of Fludarabine Phosphate (NSC 312887) in Patients with Advanced Cervical Cancer: A Southwest Oncology Group Study

Twenty evaluable patients with advanced cervical cancer refractory to one prior chemotherapy regimen were treated with a 5-day schedule of fludarabine phosphate. No responses were noted. The major toxicities were anemia and leukopenia. Based on this study, fludarabine phosphate does not appear to be an active agent for patients with chemotherapy refractory cervical cancer.
Big data analytics for mitigating carbon emissions in smart cities: opportunities and challenges

ABSTRACT The paper addresses the growing scepticism around big data use in the context of smart cities. Big data is said to transform city governments into being more efficient, effective and evidence-based. However, critics point towards the limited capacity of government to overcome the siloed structure of data storage and manage the diverse stakeholders involved in setting up a data ecosystem. On the basis of this, the paper investigates the challenges city governments face when dealing with big data in the context of carbon emission reduction. Through the lens of the evidence-based policy and policy capacity literature, the cities of Copenhagen (Denmark), London (UK), Malmö (Sweden), Oxford (UK) and Vienna (Austria) are analysed. The cases reveal that the institutional complexity underlying big data integration limits local government capacity to set up data management structures that would allow further utilization of big data and that current solutions focus on local pilot sites and outsourcing of data analytics.