Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergence and rapid regional spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

UNLABELLED Exposure network analysis and molecular epidemiologic methods were used to analyze the emergence and regional spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae over a 1-year period. Although 40 patients and 26 health care facilities were affected, 1 long-term acute care hospital played a critical role in the convergence of patients at high risk, amplification by cross-infection, and dissemination of these multidrug-resistant bacteria. BACKGROUND Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are an emerging antibiotic resistance threat with demonstrated epidemic potential. METHODS We conducted an outbreak investigation of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae among patients of acute and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) in 4 adjacent counties in Indiana and Illinois from 1 January 2008 through 31 December 2008 (cases). The study used traditional and molecular epidemiologic methods and an adaptation of social network analysis ("exposure network analysis"). RESULTS Clinical records for 40 (95%) of 42 patients were available. Patients were mostly older with multiple comorbid conditions. Eleven patients (27.5%) died during the index hospitalization or were discharged to hospice; 23 (57.5%) were discharged to a nursing home, and 4 (10.0%) were discharged to home. One LTACH (LTACH-A) was central to the regional outbreak: 24 (60%) of 40 cases were linked to LTACH-A, and at least 10 patients (25%) acquired KPC there. Of 16 cases not linked to LTACH-A, 12 (75%) were linked to 3 nursing homes. Only 4 patients (10%) definitely acquired KPC during an acute care hospital stay. Molecular typing revealed the 31 available KPC-positive K. pneumoniae isolates to be similar and to cluster with epidemic multilocus sequence type 258; 2 KPC-positive Escherichia coli isolates were unique. CONCLUSIONS We observed extensive transfer of KPC-positive patients throughout the exposure network of 14 acute care hospitals, 2 LTACHs, and 10 nursing homes. Although few cases were identified at most institutions, many facilities were affected. Successful control of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae will require a coordinated, regional effort among acute and long-term health care facilities and public health departments.
The Successful Conference Venue: Perceptions of Conference Organizers and Hotel Managers

Within the conference industry there are differences in the needs and requirements of those who organize conferences and those who provide venues for them. Focusing on the situation in Korea, this article investigates the prior attributes required of a venue by Conference Organizers, the demand side of the industry, and by Hotel Managers, the supply side. This research is also aimed at identifying the common operational problems in hotels used as conference venues, and investigating if there is any correlation between these problems and the hotel attributes highly valued by the buyers in the conference industry. According to the results of this study, there are significant disparities between the attributes and common problems in the hotel conference industry from the perspectives of Conference Organizers and Hotel Managers.
Blood Corticosterone Concentration Reaches Critical Illness Levels Early During Acute Malnutrition in the Weanling Mouse

Acute (i.e., wasting) pediatric malnutrition consistently elevates blood glucocorticoid levels, but neither the magnitude of the rise in concentration nor its kinetics is clear. Male and female C57BL/6J mice, initially 19 days old, and CBA/J mice, initially 23 days old, consumed a complete purified diet either ad libitum (age-matched control) or in restricted daily quantities (mimicking marasmus), or they consumed a purified isocaloric low-protein diet ad libitum (mimicking incipient kwashiorkor). Serum levels of corticosterone were assessed by double antibody radioimmunoassay after 3, 6, and 14 days (C57BLV6J strain) or after 6 and 14 days in the genetically distant CBA/J strain. Age-matched control groups of both strains exhibited mean corticosterone levels of 5–30 ng/ml, whereas the acutely malnourished groups exhibited mean levels of this hormone that were elevated by more than an order of magnitude as early as 3 days after initiation of weight loss. This outcome was confirmed in a second experiment in which the serum corticosterone level of C57BL/6J weanlings was examined by competitive binding enzyme immunoassay 3 and 14 days after initiation of the dietary protocols. Therefore, deficits of protein and/or energy in weanling murine systems relevant to acute pediatric malnutrition elicit early elevations in blood glucocorticoid levels to a magnitude reminiscent of critical illness and multiple trauma. The key to this novel finding was an exsanguination method that permitted accurate assessment of the blood corticosterone level of the healthy, quiescent mouse. Overall, the results of this investigation provide a new perspective on the glucocorticoids as part of the early hormonal response to acute weanling malnutrition coincident with the shift toward catabolic metabolism and the initiation of depression in cellular immune competence.
EVALUATING PROBABILITY FORECASTS : Calibration Isn ’ t Everything

Abstract: Using evaluation methodologies for rare events from meteorology and psychology, we examine the value of probability forecasts of real GDP declines during the current and each of the next four quarters using data from the Survey of Professional Forecasters. We study the quality of these probability forecasts in terms of calibration, resolution, the relative operating characteristic (ROC), and alternative variance decompositions. We find that even though QPS and the calibration tests suggest the forecasts for all five horizons to be useful, the other approaches clearly identify the longer-term forecasts (Q3-Q4) having no skill relative to a naïve baseline forecast. For a given hit rate of (say) 90%, the associated high false alarm rates for the longer-term forecasts make these unusable in practice. We find conclusive evidence that the shorterterm forecasts (Q0-Q1) possess significant skill in terms of all measures considered, even though they are characterized by considerable excess variability.
mRNA expression profiles obtained from microdissected pancreatic cancer cells can predict patient survival

Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most devastating malignancies in developed countries because of its very poor prognosis and high mortality rates. By the time PDAC is usually diagnosed only 20-25% of patients are candidates for surgery, and the rate of survival for this cancer is low even when a patient with PDAC does undergo surgery. Lymph node invasion is an extremely bad prognosis factor for this disease. Methods We analyzed the mRNA expression profile in 30 PDAC samples from patients with resectable local disease (stages I and II). Neoplastic cells were isolated by laser-microdissection in order to avoid sample ‘contamination’ by non-tumor cells. Due to important differences in the prognoses of PDAC patients with and without lymph node involvement (stage IIB and stages I-IIA, respectively), we also analyzed the association between the mRNA expression profiles from these groups of patients and their survival. Results We identified expression profiles associated with patient survival in the whole patient cohort and in each group (stage IIB samples or stage I-IIA samples). Our results indicate that survival-associated genes are different in the groups with and without affected lymph nodes. Survival curves indicate that these expression profiles can help physicians to improve the prognostic classification of patients based on these profiles.
Anesthetic techniques and complications in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing percutaneous ethanol injection.

AIM The aim of this study was to analyze anesthetic techniques and complications found in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have undergone percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI). METHODS A retrospective study was performed on 67 patients with HCC who underwent 120 sessions of ultrasound-guided PEI between January 2004 and April 2006. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 56.4 (25-77) years. Males accounted for the majority of the patients (75%). The ASA classifications were from ASA class I (2.5%), class II (82.5%), and class III (15%). Premedication with benzodiazepines was given to 68.3% of the patients. In 81.7% of the procedures, the patients received total intravenous anesthesia with 13.3%, 4.2%, and 0.8% undergoing general anesthesia with either an endotracheal tube, general anesthesia with mask, or monitored anesthesia care, respectively. Most (95.8%) patients were given propofol. Thiopental and ketamine (1.7% each) were used as an induction agent. In only 0.8% of the sessions did the patient receive morphine as an intraprocedural analgesic, while 99.2% of the sessions received fentanyl. Isoflurane was delivered to all of the patients receiving general anesthesia. Bradycardia, hypotension, bradycardia plus hypotension and hypotension plus hypoxemia occurred in 0.8%, 6%, 0.8% and 0.8% of the sessions, respectively. A single patient (1.5% of the patients or 0.8% of the sessions) had cardiovascular collapse during the procedure. The mean duration of anesthesia was 34.7 (10-105) min and the patients were observed in a recovery room for a mean duration of 51.7 (0-175) min. The majority of the recovery room admissions (89.2%) did not have any complications. A minority of the cases (9.2%) received fentanyl in the recovery room as a means of pain management. CONCLUSION Various kinds of anesthesia are suitable for patients with HCC scheduled for ultrasound-guided PEI. Although PEI is not commonly associated with serious complications, it is not entirely risk-free and careful monitoring and prompt resuscitation are essential for the safety of the patients as the procedure is performed in an interventional radiology suite, which is considered to be a remote area.
Type of Earnings Management and the Effects Debt Contracts, Future Earnings Growth Forecast and sales Growth: Evidence From Iran

The purpose of this study is to investigate the type of earnings management in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) in terms of opportunisticor efficient earnings management. In addition, in this research we investigate the effect of three variables including debt contracts, future earnings growth forecast and sales growth on the type of earnings management in companies listed on the TSE. For this purpose, we develop and test four hypotheses in four different modes by using multiple regressions. The results of testing first hypothesis show that type of earnings management selected by TSE listed firms tends toward efficient earnings management. Also, results of the other hypothesis tests indicate that efficient earnings management has a positive and significant relationship withdebt contracts and growth of firm’s sales; and a negative and significant relationship with future earnings growth forecast. Key words: Management Discretions, Type of Earnings Management, Firm’s Future Profitability. Jel Classification Codes: G10, M41.
Mycotic endocarditis due to candida albicans.

During the past decade there has been an increasing interest manifested in systemic fungus disease as evidenced by the large number of reports in the literature. Actinomycosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, torulosis, moniliasis, sporotrichosis, and aspergillosis represent a group of mycotic diseases that occur in the United States and that may become disseminated, often terminating fatally.1However, endocarditis due to fungi is exceedingly rare2and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been described in infancy and has been reported only once in a child under 15 years of age.3 Twenty-four cases of mycotic endocarditis have been found in the literature.4Among these, the organism was identified in 19 instances. In four cases an unidentified fungus was present, and in one case a fungus was identified in a blood culture but no autopsy was performed. In nine of the 24 cases, the disease was caused by
The effect of all-trans-retinoic acid on the synthesis of epidermal cell-surface-associated carbohydrates.

1. all-trans-Retinoic acid at concentrations greater than 10(-7)m stimulated the incorporation of d-[(3)H]glucosamine into 8m-urea/5% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulphate extracts of 1m-CaCl(2)-separated epidermis from pig ear skin slices cultured for 18h. The incorporation of (35)SO(4) (2-), l-[(14)C]fucose and U-(14)C-labelled l-amino acids was not significantly affected. 2. Electrophoresis of the solubilized epidermis showed increased incorporation of d-[(3)H]glucosamine into a high-molecular-weight glycosaminoglycan-containing peak when skin slices were cultured in the presence of 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid. The labelling of other epidermal components with d-[(3)H]glucosamine, (35)SO(4) (2-), l-[(14)C]fucose and U-(14)C-labelled l-amino acids was not significantly affected by 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid. 3. Trypsinization dispersed the epidermal cells and released 75-85% of the total d-[(3)H]glucosamine-labelled material in the glycosaminoglycan peak. Thus most of this material was extracellular in both control and 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid-treated epidermis. 4. Increased labelling of extracellular epidermal glycosaminoglycans was also observed when human skin slices were treated with all-trans-retinoic acid, indicating a similar mechanism in both tissues. Increased labelling was also found when the epidermis was cultured in the absence of the dermis, suggesting a direct effect of all-trans-retinoic acid on the epidermis. 5. Increased incorporation of d-[(3)H]-glucosamine into extracellular epidermal glycosaminoglycans in 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid-treated skin slices was apparent after 4-8h in culture and continued up to 48h. all-trans-Retinoic acid (10(-5)m) did not affect the rate of degradation of this material in cultures ;chased' with 5mm-unlabelled glucosamine after 4 or 18h. 6. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis at pH7.2 revealed that hyaluronic acid was the major labelled glycosaminoglycan (80-90%) in both control and 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid-treated epidermis. 7. The labelling of epidermal plasma membranes isolated from d-[(3)H]glucosamine-labelled skin slices by sucrose density gradient centrifugation was similar in control and 10(-5)m-all-trans-retinoic acid-treated tissue. 8. The results indicate that increased synthesis of mainly extracellular glycosaminoglycans (largely hyaluronic acid) may be the first response of the epidermis to excess all-trans-retinoic acid.
Complementary medicine use in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVES:We examined the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease.METHODS:After validation of a questionnaire and completion of a pilot survey, children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease were enrolled in three centers of pediatric gastroenterology (Boston, Detroit, and London). RESULTS:Two hundred eight questionnaires were completed in total (Boston, 120; Detroit, 37; London, 51). Ages ranged from 3.8 to 23.0 yr, 58% were male, 57% had Crohn's disease, and 35% had ulcerative colitis. The frequency of CAM use was 41%. The most common CAMs were megavitamin therapy (19%), dietary supplements (17%), and herbal medicine (14%). Parental CAM use and the number of adverse effects from conventional medicines were predictors of CAM use (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1, p = 0.02; odds ratio = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.2–1.5, p < 0.001, respectively). The most important reasons respondents gave for using CAM were side effects from prescribed medicines, prescribed medicines not working as well as they had hoped, and hoping for a cure. Fifty-nine percent of respondents not taking CAM were interested in learning more about it.CONCLUSIONS:In our survey over 40% of children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease used complementary medicine in addition to conventional therapies. Parental CAM use and number of adverse effects from conventional therapies were the only independent predictors of CAM use. Some complementary therapies have potential for adverse effects and for drug interactions with conventional treatments. Physicians should take a thorough history of CAM use in children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Impact of Trust on Communication in Global Virtual Teams

This study aims to research the impact of impersonal and interpersonal trust on communication among virtual teams. A multi-method case study was conducted, with data provided by 94 organisation members in a global telecommunication company with a long history of virtual ways of working. The case study consisted of semi-structured interviews, an electronic survey, focus group interviews and document reviews. The main finding is that impersonal trust is essential for the development of interpersonal trust in virtual teams VTs and for communication among VTs. Furthermore, strong interpersonal affective trust among employees within each site negatively affects VTs' communication. This study suggests that the role of impersonal trust is more significant in virtual organisations than in regular organisations because impersonal trust acts as an enabler for the development of interpersonal trust and affects communication in VTs at a fundamental level. Results from previous studies are contradictory. Theoretically, the field of communication and trust in virtual teams is still in its infancy. This paper is a thorough multi-method study about the impact of impersonal and interpersonal trust on communication.
Allogeneic islet transplantation

Significant progress has been made in the field of β-cell replacement therapies by islet transplantation in patients with unstable Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Recent clinical trials have shown that islet transplantation can reproducibly lead to insulin independence when adequate islet numbers are implanted. Benefits include improvement of glycemic control, prevention of severe hypoglycemia and amelioration of quality of life. Numerous challenges still limit this therapeutic option from becoming the treatment of choice for T1DM. The limitations are primarily associated with the low islet yield of human pancreas isolations and the need for chronic immunosuppressive therapies. Herein the authors present an overview of the historical progress of islet transplantation and outline the recent advances of the field. Cellular therapies offer the potential for a cure for patients with T1DM. The progress in β-cell replacement treatment by islet transplantation as well as those of emerging immune interventions for the restoration of self tolerance justify great optimism for years to come.
Revisiting structure graphs: Applications to CBC-MAC and EMAC

Abstract In [2], Bellare, Pietrzak and Rogaway proved an O ⁢ ( ℓ ⁢ q 2 / 2 n ) ${O(\ell q^{2}/2^{n})}$ bound for the PRF (pseudorandom function) security of the CBC-MAC based on an n-bit random permutation Π, provided ℓ < 2 n / 3 ${\ell<2^{n/3}}$ . Here an adversary can make at most q prefix-free queries each having at most ℓ ${\ell}$ many “blocks” (elements of { 0 , 1 } n ${\{0,1\}^{n}}$ ). In the same paper an O ⁢ ( ℓ o ⁢ ( 1 ) ⁢ q 2 / 2 n ) ${O(\ell^{o(1)}q^{2}/2^{n})}$ bound for EMAC (or encrypted CBC-MAC) was proved, provided ℓ < 2 n / 4 ${\ell<2^{n/4}}$ . Both proofs are based on structure graphs representing all collisions among “intermediate inputs” to Π during the computation of CBC. The problem of bounding PRF-advantage is shown to be reduced to bounding the number of structure graphs satisfying certain collision patterns. In the present paper, we show that [2, Lemma 10], stating an important result on structure graphs, is incorrect. This is due to the fact that the authors overlooked certain structure graphs. This invalidates the proofs of the PRF bounds. In [31], Pietrzak improved the bound for EMAC by showing a tight bound O ⁢ ( q 2 / 2 n ) ${O(q^{2}/2^{n})}$ under the restriction that ℓ < 2 n / 8 ${\ell<2^{n/8}}$ . As he used the same flawed lemma, this proof also becomes invalid. In this paper, we have revised and sometimes simplified these proofs. We revisit structure graphs in a slightly different mathematical language and provide a complete characterization of certain types of structure graphs. Using this characterization, we show that PRF security of CBC-MAC is about σ ⁢ q / 2 n ${\sigma q/2^{n}}$ provided ℓ < 2 n / 3 ${\ell<2^{n/3}}$ where σ is the total number of blocks in all queries. We also recover tight bound for PRF security of EMAC with a much relaxed constraint ( ℓ < 2 n / 4 ${\ell<2^{n/4}}$ ) than the original ( ℓ < 2 n / 8 ${\ell<2^{n/8}}$ ).
An innovative performance measurement method for supply chain management

Supply chain management has become such a popular topic in modern business management and researches. It brings the revolutionary philosophy and approach to manage the business with the sustained competitiveness. However, the existing performance measurement theory fails to provide its necessary support in strategy development, decision making, and performance improvement. This paper attempts to propose an innovative performance measurement method to contribute to the development of supply chain management. A process‐based systematic perspective is employed to build an effective model to measure the holistic performance of complex supply chains. Fuzzy set theory is introduced to address the real situation in judgment and evaluation processes. The main framework of this method is outlined with some suggestions and a simple example.
Iterative recovery of controllability via maximum matching

Controllability is significant for dynamical systems, and iterative recovery of controllability is indispensable sometimes. We consider any large, sparse Erdós-Rényi random digraph with a linear time-invariant control model as an input graph, obtained by adding one node to an original random digraph, and we seek to recover its controllability via efficiently identifying a maximum matching of it rather than recomputation. Particularly, we assume that any input graph contains a known matching that is a maximum matching of the original random digraph. In our solution, we depend on a bipartite graph one-to-one mapped by an input digraph to find its augmenting paths relative to a matching corresponding to the known matching of the input graph. By finding augmenting paths within this mapped bipartite graph, we eventually find a maximum matching and recover the controllability of this input digraph in linear time as a result.
Mammalian basal metabolic rate is proportional to body mass2/3

The relationship between mammalian basal metabolic rate (BMR, ml of O2 per h) and body mass (M, g) has been the subject of regular investigation for over a century. Typically, the relationship is expressed as an allometric equation of the form BMR = aMb. The scaling exponent (b) is a point of contention throughout this body of literature, within which arguments for and against geometric (b = 2/3) and quarter-power (b = 3/4) scaling are made and rebutted. Recently, interest in the topic has been revived by published explanations for quarter-power scaling based on fractal nutrient supply networks and four-dimensional biology. Here, a new analysis of the allometry of mammalian BMR that accounts for variation associated with body temperature, digestive state, and phylogeny finds no support for a metabolic scaling exponent of 3/4. Data encompassing five orders of magnitude variation in M and featuring 619 species from 19 mammalian orders show that BMR ∝ M2/3.