Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of influenza epidemics on mortality: introducing a severity index.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of recent influenza epidemics on mortality in the United States and to develop an index for comparing the severity of individual epidemics. METHODS A cyclical regression model was applied to weekly national vital statistics from 1972 through 1992 to estimate excesses in pneumonia and influenza mortality and all-cause mortality for each influenza season. Each season was categorized on the basis of increments of 2000 pneumonia and influenza excess deaths, and each of these severity categories was correlated with a range of all-cause excess mortality. RESULTS Each of the 20 influenza seasons studied was associated with an average of 5600 pneumonia and influenza excess deaths (range, 0-11,800) and 21,300 all-cause excess deaths (range, 0-47,200). Most influenza A(H3N2) seasons fell into severity categories 4 to 6 (23,000-45,000 all-cause excess deaths), whereas most A(H1N1) and B seasons were ranked in categories 1 to 3 (0-23,000 such deaths). CONCLUSIONS From 1972 through 1992, influenza epidemics accounted for a total of 426,000 deaths in the United States, many times more than those associated with recent pandemics. The influenza epidemic severity index was useful for categorizing severity and provided improved seasonal estimates of the total number of influenza-related deaths.
S-100B in serum and urine after traumatic head injury in children.

BACKGROUND Children with head trauma are frequently seen in many emergency units. The clinical evaluation of these patients is difficult for a number of reasons and improved diagnostic tools are needed. S-100B, a protein found in glial cells, has previously been shown to be a sensible marker for brain damage after head injury in adults, but few studies have focused on its use in children. METHODS In this study, 111 children with head trauma were included and venous blood and urine samples were taken at arrival (S1 and U1) and 6 hours later (S2 and U2). S-100B levels were analyzed. Clinical and radiologic evaluations were performed according to hospital routine. Two groups were identified- group 1: no computed tomography (CT) scan performed ora CT scan without any sign of trauma-related intracranial pathology (n = 105). Group 2: A CT scan with signs of trauma-related intracranial pathology (n = 6). RESULTS In group 1, the median (inter quartile range) serum S-100B value in S1-samples was 0.111 microg/L (0.086-0.153), and in group 2, it was 0.282 microg/L (0.195-1.44) (p < 0.01). Also, S2 values significantly differed between the two groups. Urine values were, however, not significantly differing between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Serum S-100B values within 6 hours after head trauma in children were significantly higher in patients with intracranial pathology compared with those without intracranial complications. Identification of these high-risk patients already in the emergency department is of major importance, and we suggest that S-100B could be a valuable diagnostic tool in addition to those used in clinical practice today.
Mitral Regurgitation and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Comparison of Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement

Abstract Background : The aim of this retrospective study was to determine if there is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between mitral valve repair (MVRp) with concomitant surgical revascularization of the myocardium (CABG) and mitral valve replacement (MVR) with concomitant CABG, considering the duration of surgery, early postoperative morbidity, in-hospital mortality, length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and overall in-hospital stay. Methods : Between January 1st 2006 and December 31st 2008, 75 patients underwent surgery for mitral regurgitation and ischemic heart disease. Patients were divided in two groups determined by the procedure that was performed on the mitral valve (MVRp + CABG group had 34 patients, MVR + CABG group had 41 patients). All the patients were operated by the same surgical team and received the usual anaesthesia protocol. Results : Patients in the MVR + CABG group had statistically significant higher EuroSCORE risk levels, higher NYHA status and higher incidence of postoperative low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS). Neurological complications showed statistically significant higher incidence in the MVRp + CABG group. There was no statistically significant difference in regard to in-hospital mortality between these two groups. Patients in the MVR + CABG group had statistically significant longer in-hospital stay. Conclusions : Mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement are complementary methods considering early postoperative morbidity and mortality. Higher incidence of LCOS and in-hospital stay in the MVR + CABG group was to be expected on behalf of poorer preoperative status.
The JADE-estimated CM array for correlated cochannel signal recovery

This paper proposed to use the joint approximate diagonalisation of eigen matrices (JADE) algorithm for the cascade multistage constant modulus (CM) array in order to recover correlated cochannel signals in the multipath environment. The JADE algorithm was need as the initial-weight estimator. Furthermore, we propose a concept to compromise between the high computational complexity of the JADE algorithm and the degradation of the signal-captured performance of the cascade multistage CM array as well. The experimental results show that this scheme has the signal-captured performance close to MVDR array technique, which is the best, in comparison with our proposed scheme, and the original cascade multistage CM array.
Do consumers’ home buying attitudes explain the behaviour of US home sales?

ABSTRACT This article asks whether consumers’ home buying attitudes explain the behaviour of home sales by focusing on two tranquil and two uncertain periods within 1978–2015. We utilize monthly data to formulate and estimate four augmented autoregressive models with the results indicating that improvements (deteriorations) in consumers’ home buying attitudes lead to higher (lower) home sales. This conclusion remains unchanged when controlling for economic and financial indicators often cited as determinants of home sales. Overall, our article has key implications for future studies aiming to forecast home sales using attitudinal measures.
ARE VIDEOGAMES A WASTE OF TIME? - THE PEDAGOGICAL VALUE OF VIDEOGAMES: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH

Video games can play a significant role in the learning process, being their cognitive potential extensively documented. Nevertheless, their integration in formal educational depends not only on the audiences/learners’ acceptance but on the main stakeholders’ attitudes towards the pedagogical value of games. The present study adopts a quantitative approach to analyse parents, teachers and students attitudes towards videogames in the learning process. An online based survey was conducted aiming to explore the attitudes of the main stakeholders, explicitly regarding four different dimensions: video games as a recreational device, video games as a pedagogical tool, video games creation in general and video games creation as a pedagogical tool. The multiple stakeholder sample approached ( N =106) considered videogames as a possible and feasible pedagogical tool, enabling the promotion of a range of skills and literacies. The recreational potential of video games was the dimension with less positive attitudes, mainly related with higher attributions in items like “Videogames are a waste of time”. Students were the group with the most frequent positive attitudes in all dimensions. A significant and positive correlation ( r = .74, p < .01) between the amount of time using digital media, in a common day, and attitudes towards videogames was also found. In a broad-spectrum, this paper highlights an interesting debate on the attitudes of parents, students and teachers on the use of videogames for learning, mainly in formal schooling contexts. Results from this paper can work as a guide for future research studies and interventions in game-based learning approaches.
Common features of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins specific for Diptera and Lepidoptera.

The complete nucleotide sequence of a cloned gene encoding a 130-kDa crystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) subspecies israelensis has been determined. The recombinant protein (Bt8) was purified and shown to be a mosquito-specific toxin with a LC50 value of 43 ng/ml to third-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. Bt8 is processed by proteases or midgut extracts of mosquito larvae into toxic fragments of 68-78 kDa. Deletion mapping indicated that the active fragment of Bt8 is localized in the N-terminal half of the protoxin molecule. The deduced amino acid sequence of Bt8 has been compared with that of Bt2, a Lepidoptera-specific toxin, previously cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis berliner. Highly homologous amino acid stretches are present in the C-terminal half of the proteins. The N-terminal parts show much less sequence homology but they display a strikingly similar distribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids. In addition, Bt8 and Bt2 show a significant immunological cross-reaction. The data indicate that although these B.t. delta endotoxins exhibit a different insect-host specificity, they are structurally related and might use a similar mechanism to interact with insect cell membranes.
The dynamic specification of the inflation model in Zimbabwe

In order to estimate the inflation function in Zimbabwe we used cointegration and error-correction mechanism (a methodology popularized by Hendry etal (1989)). This approach has received extensive empirical support. Right now the approach seems to have generally settled the long-standing problem over the instability of the inflation model (function). Using the above technique, we managed to come up with a stable inflation model for Zimbabwe. This study also established that one must go beyond a simple monetary account of the inflation process even if inflation will always have a monetary dimension. Other factors that were found to be significant in explaining inflation in Zimbabwe are: real output, budget deficit, exchange rate depreciation and interest rates. The results that we got fitted very well all the theoretical priors, and they also concur with the studies done elsewhere for both the developed and the developing countries. Introduction
Evaluation of trabecular microarchitecture in nonosteoporotic postmenopausal women with and without fracture

This study compared microscopic magnetic resonance imaging (µMRI) parameters of trabecular microarchitecture between postmenopausal women with and without fracture who have normal or osteopenic bone mineral density (BMD) on dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). It included 36 postmenopausal white women 50 years of age and older with normal or osteopenic BMD (T‐scores better than −2.5 at the lumbar spine, proximal femur, and one‐third radius on DXA). Eighteen women had a history of low‐energy fracture, whereas 18 women had no history of fracture and served as an age, race, and ultradistal radius BMD‐matched control group. A three‐dimensional fast large‐angle spin‐echo (FLASE) sequence with 137 µm × 137 µm × 400 µm resolution was performed through the nondominant wrist of all 36 women using the same 1.5T scanner. The high‐resolution images were used to measure trabecular bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, surface‐to‐curve ratio, and erosion index. Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests were used to compare differences in BMD and µMRI parameters between postmenopausal women with and without fracture. Post‐menopausal women with fracture had significantly lower (p < 0.05) trabecular bone volume fraction and surface‐to‐curve ratio and significantly higher (p < 0.05) erosion index than postmenopausal women without fracture. There was no significant difference between postmenopausal women with and without fracture in trabecular thickness (p = 0.80) and BMD of the spine (p = 0.21), proximal femur (p = 0.19), one‐third radius (p = 0.47), and ultradistal radius (p = 0.90). Postmenopausal women with normal or osteopenic BMD who had a history of low‐energy fracture had significantly different (p < 0.05) µMRI parameters than an age, race, and ultradistal radius BMD‐matched control group of postmenopausal women with no history of fracture. Our study suggests that µMRI can be used to identify individuals without a DXA‐based diagnosis of osteoporosis who have impaired trabecular microarchitecture and thus a heretofore‐unappreciated elevated fracture risk. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A GOAL PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUE FOR DECISION MAKING IN THE ETHANOL PRODUCTION PLANNING

There have been significant advances in the theory of goal programming (GP) in recent years, particularly in the area of intelligent production planning and solution analysis. In this paper a supply chain problem involving the production of ethanol and various byproducts. The intention of this paper is to minimize the total production costs within a maximum allowable budget without violating the demand constraints. The secondary objectives are adhering to: given pollution norms and waste minimization constraints. A preemptive goal programming model is developed to solve the ethanol production planning problem.
Recurrence of lethal osteogenesis imperfecta due to parental mosaicism for a mutation in the COL1A2 gene of type I collagen. The mosiac parent exhibits phenotypic features of a mild form of the disease

We have determined that a man, ascertained because he fathered a child with lethal osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) with each of two partners, is mosaic in both his germline and somatic tissues for a mutation in the COL1A2 gene which encodes the proα2(I) chain of type I procollagen. His dermal fibroblasts were previously shown to synthesize a population of cysteine‐containing α2(I) chains that were posttranslationally overmodified. DNA sequence analysis of COL1A2 cDNAs demonstrated that the cysteine‐containing chain resulted from a point mutation (G to T) in the first position of the codon for the glycine at residue 472 of the triple helical domain. Genomic DNA from the one available affected infant contained the mutant and normal COL1A2 alleles in equal proportion. Examination of DNA from several tissues of the father showed that the mutant allele was present in approximately 40% of his sperm, 80% of his lymphocytes, and nearly 100% of his dermal fibroblasts. Despite the high level of mosaicism detected in somatic tissues, the only phenotypic manifestation of OI in the proband was that he was shorter than his unaffected male relatives and had mild dentinogenesis imperfecta. Thermal stability of type I collagen molecules containing the substitution was decreased, but to a lesser extent than for a nonlethal cysteine for glycine substitution at residue 259 of α2(I), indicating that this measure of molecular stability may be of limited use in explaining the pathogenesis of osteogenesis imperfecta. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BROADENING ECONOMIC MODELING FOR BIOSURVEILLANCE ANALYSIS

This research was supported by the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) through the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) under Contract No. HSHQDC-13J-00305. The authors wish to thank Julie Waters, Natasha Hawkins, Tony Cheesebrough, Martin Meltzer, Scott Farrow, Zhenghua Chen for their helpful comments on earlier drafts. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect views of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center or the University of Southern California.
Do parents and physicians differ in making decisions about acute otitis media?

OBJECTIVES We wanted to discover how parents differ from physicians in making decisions about how to treat a child who may have acute otitis media (AOM). STUDY DESIGN We used questionnaires that required participants to judge the probability of AOM or choose treatment for 2 sets of 46 paper scenarios of hypothetical children aged 15 months who might have AOM, and they subsequently rated the importance of individual cues and described their attitudes and opinions related to health care and AOM. POPULATION Convenience samples of 19 US family physicians, 35 French generalists, 21 French pediatricians, 52 US parents, and 86 French parents were included. OUTCOMES MEASURED The primary outcomes were the judgment policies-the weights placed on each of the scenario cues when making decisions-that were derived for each individual and each group by multiple linear regression. RESULTS The mean judged probabilities of AOM were nearly the same for all groups: 50% for the US physicians, 51% for the US parents, 52.5% for the French physicians, and 52% for the French parents. The percentages of cases treated with antibiotics did not differ: 53% for US physicians, 45% for US parents, 53% for French physicians, and 51% for French parents. All groups gave greatest weight to the physical examination cues for decisions about both diagnosis and treatment. The parents paid little attention to the cues that reflected parental concerns. CONCLUSIONS US and French parents were very similar to physicians in their judgments and treatment choices regarding AOM. They appear to be able to adopt the physician's point of view and to be selective in the use of antibiotics.
The association of clinicopathological features and survival in colorectal cancer patients with kras mutation status.

BACKGROUND KRAS mutations have a significant role in the consecutive activation of RAS.RAF. MEK.ERK pathway in colorectal cancer.Approximately 30.35% of sporadic colorectal cancers have KRAS mutation. While the predictive role of KRAS is commonly accepted at the present time, its prognostic role and association with different clinical and histopathological properties are currently unclear and inconsistent. The intent of this study, has been to evaluate the associations between KRAS gene mutations and clinicopathological features and survival times in Turkish colorectal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, the file records of 115 metastatic colorectal cancer patients who applied to the Department of Medical Oncology between 2000 and 2011 were monitored; data on clinicopathological features and survival times were collected. DNA.sequencing method with PCR amplification from archival paraffin blocks were used for KRAS mutation status analysis. The associations between KRAS mutation status and clinicopathological features and survival times were compared statistically. RESULTS While a significant association hadbeen determined between KRAS mutation status and tumor localization, there was no determined significant association with other clinicopathological properties. Similarly, there was no association between KRAS mutation status and survival parameters. CONCLUSIONS As a result, the effect of KRAS mutation status on clinicopathological features, survival time and prognosis is unclear.
Hormonal Induction and Stability of Monosex Populations in the Medaka (Oryzias latipes): Expression of Sex-Specific Marker Genes

Abstract The model teleost medaka (Oryzias latipes, d-rR.YHNI strain) was used to produce offspring of a defined sex (monosex populations) by crossing experimentally produced YY and XX males to normal females. These monosex populations had the predicted chromosomal constitution as shown by a sex chromosome-specific DNA sequence. However, in XX populations the spontaneous development of males without previous exposure to androgens was observed. Differences in the percentage of male offspring from individual XX breeding pairs indicate a possible variation of unknown genetic factors to be responsible for the development of XX males. The expression of two gonadal genes that are involved in sex differentiation, Dmrt1b(Y) and Fig1a (factor in the germ line α), was analyzed in monosex populations. Dmrt1b(Y) expression correlated strictly with the genotype but not the sexual phenotype. When XY juvenile fish were exposed to 17α-ethynylestradiol at concentrations that induce sex reversal, Dmrt1b(Y) expression was not repressed. However, Dmrt1b(Y) was expressed in XY or YY gonads regardless of the sex and could not be detected in XX individuals. In contrast, the expression of Fig1a correlated with the phenotypic sex: Fig1a was expressed in male juvenile fish exposed to 17α-ethynylestradiol and repressed in fish exposed to 17α-methyltestosterone. The Dmrt1b(Y) expression appears to reflect an early and important event in sex determination and lends support to the suggested key regulatory role of the Dmrt1b(Y) gene in sex determination. This process is apparently hormone insensitive, and the expression of further downstream acting genes can be regulated (directly or indirectly) by sex steroids.
Organizational Incentives, Teacher Commitment, Morale, and Job Satisfaction: Is the Program Achieving Its Goals?.

The purposes of this study were to compare firstand second-year career-ladder teachers on the basis of their levels of teacher commitment to schools, faculty morale, and job satisfaction and to analyze the variables that explain commitment, w3rale, and job satisfaction. Five hundred teachers, 250 first-year career-ladder teachers and 250 second-year career-ladder teachers, were selected at random from a midwestern state. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) differences exist between first-year and second-year career-ladder teachers concerning their level of commitment; (2) the variables of commitment, morale, and job satisfaction are predicted by educational level, gender, district size, and age; (3) first-year career-ladder teachers do not exhibit higher levels of morale, job satisfaction, and commitment than second-year career-ladder teachers; and (4) career-ladder programs are not an adequate means to develop teacher commitment, morale, and job satisfction. Appended are six tables and 42 references. (SI) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * *
Cryptotanshinone, an orally bioactive herbal compound from Danshen, attenuates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E‐deficient mice: role of lectin‐like oxidized LDL receptor‐1 (LOX‐1)

Cryptotanshinone (CTS) is a major bioactive diterpenoid isolated from Danshen, an eminent medicinal herb that is used to treat cardiovascular disorders in Asian medicine. However, it is not known whether CTS can prevent experimental atherosclerosis. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of CTS on atherosclerosis and its molecular mechanisms of action.
From architectural policymaking to organic change: revisiting the abolition of the colleges of education

This paper revisits the abolition of the colleges of education in England and Wales, specialist providers of teacher training which were effectively eradicated in the years after Margaret Thatcher’s 1972 White Paper Education: A Framework for Expansion. Its central argument is that the way in which change was enacted thereafter represented a significant break with the model of policymaking which had held sway since the end of World War Two. Whilst more far-reaching change would come after Mrs Thatcher’s ‘conversion’ to neoliberalism later in the decade, the fate of the colleges of education was, I argue, an important if largely overlooked episode in the history of education – especially in terms of violating the collaborative relationship between central government and local authorities which had, until that point, dominated education policy in post-war Britain.