Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneous Vancomycin Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients – A Hospital-Based Comparative Study

Purpose To study the infections caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with emphasis on heterogeneous vancomycin intermediate S. aureus (hVISA) in diabetic and non-diabetic patients and their comparison. Patients and Methods S. aureus strains isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic patients admitted in four tertiary care hospitals in Coastal Karnataka, South India, were tested for methicillin resistance and included in the present study. Demographic and clinical data of the patients were collected using structured proforma. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, and MLSB phenotypes were identified using the D-test. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of vancomycin was determined using agar dilution. MRSA isolates were tested for hVISA using vancomycin screen agar and population analysis profile – area under the curve (PAP-AUC) test. Statistical analysis of the results was done using the chi-square test. SPSS version 29.0 was used for this purpose. Results Out of 665 strains of S. aureus isolated, 220 (33.1%) were MRSA. Of these 220 MRSA strains, 122 (55.5%) and 98 (44.5%) were isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in the antimicrobial resistance patterns of MRSA strains isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Foot infections and osteomyelitis caused by MRSA were significantly more among diabetic patients. Out of 220 strains of MRSA, 14 (6.4%) were hVISA. The rates of hVISA among MRSA isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic were 9.0% and 3.1%, respectively. This difference was statistically not significant. Conclusion The rate of hVISA among all MRSA isolates was 6.4%. The risk of hVISA infection was three times more in diabetic patients. The results emphasize the importance of the detection of hVISA among MRSA isolates especially from diabetic patients.
Inflammatory and Nutritional Scoring System for Predicting Prognosis in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Purpose We aimed to assess the prognostic value of pretreatment inflammatory and nutritional parameters for predicting overall survival (OS) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), and to build a new scoring system using the most important variables. Methods We retrospectively analyzed baseline clinical and laboratory data for patients with NDMM, who were randomly grouped into training and validation cohorts at a ratio of 8:2. The Inflammatory Nutritional Score (INS) was developed based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression. The INS and other independent prognostic factors were entered into a multivariate Cox model and merged to generate a nomogram model for predictive optimization. Performance and predictive accuracy were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), calibration plots, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results In total, 442 eligible patients were enrolled. Six inflammatory/nutritional variables, including the Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), body mass index (BMI), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and albumin-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR), were integrated to construct the INS using the LASSO Cox model. The predictive nomogram constructed following the multivariate Cox analysis included INS, performance status, lactate dehydrogenase, age, and C-reactive protein. The model exhibited good predictive performance, with a C-index of 0.708 in the training cohort and 0.749 in the validation cohort. Moreover, the calibration curves also demonstrated excellent consistency between predicted and observed survival in both cohorts. In the time-dependent ROC analysis, our nomogram model exhibited better performance than other staging systems for multiple myeloma. Conclusion The INS represents an independent prognostic signature in patients with NDMM. Our novel nomogram based on INS may aid in predicting survival probability and stratifying risk.
Advanced techniques for neoclassical tearing mode control in DIII-D

Two techniques were developed at DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 64 (2002)] to tackle ITER-specific aspects of neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) control, namely, (1) the relatively small size of the rotating islands, smaller than the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) deposition region, and (2) the increased tendency of the islands, compared to present devices, to lock to the wall or to the residual error field, in a position not necessarily accessible to ECCD. Modulated ECCD is known to suppress small islands more efficiently, when “broad,” than continuous ECCD. At DIII-D, a NTM of poloidal/toroidal mode numbers m/n=3/2 was completely stabilized by a new technique where oblique electron cyclotron emission acted at the same time as an indicator of good alignment between ECCD and the island, and as a waveform generator, for modulation in synch and in phase with the island O-point. In another experiment, after locking in an unfavorable position, a 2/1 island was steered by externally generated magn.
Quality based approach for adaptive face recognition

Recent advances in biometric technology have pushed towards more robust and reliable systems. We aim to build systems that have low recognition errors and are less affected by variation in recording conditions. Recognition errors are often attributed to the usage of low quality biometric samples. Hence, there is a need to develop new intelligent techniques and strategies to automatically measure/quantify the quality of biometric image samples and if necessary restore image quality according to the need of the intended application. In this paper, we present no-reference image quality measures in the spatial domain that have impact on face recognition. The first is called symmetrical adaptive local quality index (SALQI) and the second is called middle halve (MH). Also, an adaptive strategy has been developed to select the best way to restore the image quality, called symmetrical adaptive histogram equalization (SAHE). The main benefits of using quality measures for adaptive strategy are: (1) avoidance of excessive unnecessary enhancement procedures that may cause undesired artifacts, and (2) reduced computational complexity which is essential for real time applications. We test the success of the proposed measures and adaptive approach for a wavelet-based face recognition system that uses the nearest neighborhood classifier. We shall demonstrate noticeable improvements in the performance of adaptive face recognition system over the corresponding non-adaptive scheme.
Progressive MRI brain volume changes in ovine models of CLN5 and CLN6 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

Abstract Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (Batten disease) are a group of inherited lysosomal storage disorders characterized by progressive neurodegeneration leading to motor and cognitive dysfunction, seizure activity and blindness. The disease can be caused by mutations in 1 of 13 ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal (CLN) genes. Naturally occurring sheep models of the CLN5 and CLN6 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses recapitulate the clinical disease progression and post-mortem pathology of the human disease. We used longitudinal MRI to assess global and regional brain volume changes in CLN5 and CLN6 affected sheep compared to age-matched controls over 18 months. In both models, grey matter volume progressively decreased over time, while cerebrospinal fluid volume increased in affected sheep compared with controls. Total grey matter volume showed a strong positive correlation with clinical scores, while cerebrospinal fluid volume was negatively correlated with clinical scores. Cortical regions in affected animals showed significant atrophy at baseline (5 months of age) and progressively declined over the disease course. Subcortical regions were relatively spared with the exception of the caudate nucleus in CLN5 affected animals that degenerated rapidly at end-stage disease. Our results, which indicate selective vulnerability and provide a timeline of degeneration of specific brain regions in two sheep models of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, will provide a clinically relevant benchmark for assessing therapeutic efficacy in subsequent trials of gene therapy for CLN5 and CLN6 disease.
How do we operate a large monthly red blood cell exchange program

Red blood cell (RBC) exchange for sickle cell disease presents unique difficulties due to RBC phenotyping, complex antibody work‐ups, large number of RBC units required, and vascular access considerations, any of which can delay the procedure. Multidisciplinary coordination and systemic processes ensure that monthly appointments remain on schedule.
Inhibition of the endocannabinoid system reverses obese phenotype in aged mice and partly restores skeletal muscle function.

Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with lipid accumulation and anabolic resistance; phenomena also observed in obesity and worsen when obesity and aging combined. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is overactivated in obesity, but its role in aging obesity-related muscle dysfunction is unknown. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of an inhibition of the ECS by rimonabant (RIM) on the metabolic alterations induced by a high-fat high-sucrose diet, and on skeletal muscle mass/function in aged mice. 18-month old male mice were subjected to a control (CTL) or a high fat high sucrose (HFHS) diet for 24 weeks. Mice were administered with saline or RIM (10 mg/kg/d) for the last 4 weeks of the diet. Skeletal muscle function was evaluated by openfield, rotarod and grip strength tests. Metabolic alterations in liver, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle were investigated by RT-qPCR. Body mass was higher in HFHS mice compared to CTL mice (48.0 ± 1.5 vs. 33.5 ± 0.7 g, p<0.01), as a result of fat accumulation (34.8 ± 1.0 vs. 16.7 ± 0.8 %, p<0.01). RIM reduced body fat mass in both CTL (-16%, p<0.05) and HFHS condition (-40%, p<0.01), without affecting hindlimb skeletal muscle mass. In HFHS mice, grip strength evolution was improved (-0.29 ± 0.06 vs. -0.49 ± 0.06, p<0.05) and rotarod activity was increased by ≈60% in response to RIM (45.9 ± 6.3 vs 28.5 ± 4.6, p<0.05). Lipolysis and b-oxidation genes were up-regulated in the liver as well as genes involved in adipose tissue browning. These results demonstrate that inhibition of the ECS induces metabolic changes in liver and adipose tissue associated with a reversion of the obese phenotype, and that RIM is able to improve motor coordination and muscle strength in aged mice, without affecting skeletal muscle mass.
Ultrasound image deconvolution in symmetrical mirror wavelet bases

Observed medical ultrasound images are degraded representations of true tissue images. The degradation is a combination of blurring due to the finite resolution of the imaging system and the observation noise. This paper presents a new wavelet based deconvolution method for medical ultrasound imaging. We design a new orthogonal wavelet basis known as the symmetrical mirror wavelet basis that can provide more desirable frequency resolution. Our proposed ultrasound image restoration with wavelets consists of an inversion of the observed ultrasound image using the estimated two-dimensional (2-D) point spread function (PSF) followed by denoising in the designed wavelet basis. The tissue image restoration is then accomplished by modelling the tissue structures with the generalized Gaussian density (GGD) function using the Bayesian estimation. Both subjective and objective measures show that the deconvolved images are more appealing in the visualization and resolution gain.
Calculation of nonlinear subsonic characteristics of wings with thickness and camber at high incidence

A new vortex lattice model for the calculation of the flow over delta-shaped wing planforms at high angles of attack in subsonic flow is presented. This model enables the prediction of the aerodynamic coefficients and the pressure distributions for a wide range of wing planforms, in particular for delta-shaped wings with and without camber. The new vortex lattice model is combined with the panel source singularity for the calculation of the aerodynamic characteristics of thick wings having sharp leading edges. The calculated aerodynamic characteristics are in very good agreement with experimental data, while reasonable agreement is obtained in the evaluation of the pressure distributions. A parametric study of the numerical model and some numerical considerations which enable considerable reduction in computer time are also discussed.
Clinical and Demographic Features of 49 Patients With Human Monkeypox Virus–Confirmed Infection in a Tertiary Care Center in Valencia, Spain: A Descriptive Study

This was a study of monkeypox-infected patients in a tertiary care center in Spain describing the epidemiologic, clinical, and microbiologic features of 49 patients. Background Monkeypox is a previously rare viral zoonosis affecting predominantly the African continent. Since May 2022, an increasing number of cases with no known epidemiologic link to Africa have been reported for the first time in the rest of the world. Methods We described the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of all patients attended at our center until August 9 with a confirmed diagnosis of monkeypox. Results Forty-nine patients were included. The mean age was 37.6 years. Ninety-eight percent of patients were male, 96% were men who have sex with men, and 4% were heterosexual. Thirty-one percent of patients had a history of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Ninety-six percent of patients declared a unprotected sexual relationship before the onset of symptoms, and 41% had a history of recent travel. Ninety-eight percent of patients presented with cutaneous involvement affecting the genital (59%), perianal (41%), and perioral (35%) regions. Systemic symptoms were present in 80% of the patients and included lymphadenopathies (71%), asthenia (65%), fever (65%), headache (37%), arthromyalgias (45%), pharyngitis (35%), proctitis (29%), and dysuria (6%). Coinfection by other sexually transmitted infections was detected in 20% of patients. The sensitivity values of polymerase chain reaction test for monkeypox in urethral, anal, and oropharyngeal exudates analyzed were 88%, 79%, and 68%, respectively. Complications included a myopericarditis that represented the only hospitalized patient, edema (8%) and bacterial superinfection (4%). No deaths were reported. Conclusions The findings of this case series support the sexual contact as the main route of transmission of the disease and highlight some atypical clinical presentations not described in endemic cases.
MABAC method for multiple attribute group decision making under single-valued neutrosophic sets and applications to performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending

As an important supplement to my country’s financial institutions, micro-loan companies serve "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", small and micro enterprises, and individuals, to a certain extent, alleviating the financing difficulties of such groups and regulating private finance. However, micro-loan companies only lend but do not deposit. In the process of lending, due to inadequate risk management, the risk problem has become increasingly prominent. With the continuous growth of the loan amount of rural credit and the continuous increase of microfinance groups lending customers, it faces certain problems in its risk management, which increases the risks of the company in all aspects. The performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending is a classical MAGDM issues. In such paper, the Hamming distances of single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs) and maximizing deviation method (MDM) is used to obtain the attribute weights and the single-valued neutrosophic numbers MABAC(SVNN-MABAC) method is structured for MAGDM under SVNSs. Finally, an example about performance evaluation of sustainable microfinance groups lending and some comparative decision analysis are given to proof the SVNN-MABAC.
Strong consistency and other properties of the spectral variance estimator

Consistent estimation of the variance parameter of a stochastic process allows construction, under certain conditions, of a confidence interval for the mean of the process. If the variance estimator is strongly consistent, fixed-width confidence interval construction is valid for large samples. It has long been known that the spectral variance estimator of steady-state simulation output analysis is consistent in the mean-square sense. Here, we provide strong consistency of this estimator, thereby justifying fixed-width confidence interval construction for the spectral method. A characterization of spectral density function estimators is also introduced. This characterization provides insight into the relation between spectral methods and overlapping batch means-type variance estimators. Finally, some of the mathematical conditions provide qualitative insight into the relation between the process correlation and certain parameters of spectral methods.
Validity and reliability of the turkish version of the early activity scale for endurance in preschool children with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT This study presented the Turkish translation of the Early Activity Scale for Endurance (T-EASE) which was developed to evaluate the endurance for physical activity of preschool children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), and its validity and reliability. Fifty-five children with CP aged between 2 and 5 years were included in the study. The Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) were used to determine motor function levels and quality of life of the study population. The T-EASE had good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.996), internal consistency (α = 0.903), higher construct validity approved by confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion validity supported by the weak-to-strong correlations between T-EASE and GMFCS, and PODCI. The T-EASE scores were significantly different between GMFCS levels (p < .05). The T-EASE was found to be valid and reliable to determine the endurance for physical activity of Turkish pre-school children with CP with the sensitivity to changes in motor function levels.
Shock Propagation in a Turbulent Cloud

The effect of internal turbulence of molecular clouds on the shock waves propagating in the clouds is investigated with two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation. We consider a model of a turbulent molecular cloud dynamically interacting with surrounding H II region, which strongly compresses the cloud from the surface. A shock wave is generated from the cloud surface and propagates into the cloud where supersonic random velocity field and large density fluctuation are present. The turbulence strongly affects the propagation of the shock wave to cause a very complex and fragmentary structure in the shocked gas. Behind the distorted shock, many high-density gas clumps are formed
Projecting overall survival in health-economic models: uncertainty and maturity of data

Abstract Objective As lifetime horizons are considered for economic evaluations, the Kaplan–Meier (KM) estimate is used to extrapolate survival in cases of immature overall survival (OS) data. This study estimated the error induced by the choice of distribution when extrapolating different levels of OS maturity. Methods Fifteen phase 3 trials reporting KM estimates of OS where at least 70% maturity (i.e. 70% of the population had died during follow-up) were included and compared to artificially created truncated data (30 and 50% maturity). Individual patient-data were reproduced using the Guyot algorithm based on digitized KM curves. Parametric survival distributions were fit for each arm in each study, for each maturity level, using the same time horizon (equal to the maximum follow-up). For each KM curve, the best distribution was chosen based on visual inspection, Akaike/Bayesian information criteria, and external validity. Outcomes were measured as life expectancy in months (LM) and life months gained (LMG). Results The Weibull (33%), log-logistic (32%) and log-normal (27%) were most often selected as the best fitting distribution. Compared to LM at full maturity, LM was overestimated in 23 and 40% of cases, at 30 and 50% maturity, respectively. Mean absolute error was at 30% maturity, and decreased to at 50% maturity. When comparing to mature data, the mean percentage of error in LMG was and 6 at 30 and 50% maturity, respectively. Conclusion The extent of OS maturity increases the risk of error when projecting long-term life expectancy for economic models. Even marginal gains in OS maturity result in more accurate estimations and should be considered when developing models.
Associations between mortality and exposure to psychotropic medication: A population-based cohort study for depressive disorders

Background: Use of antidepressants and antipsychotics to treat depressive disorders is becoming increasingly prevalent. Methods: This study investigated how the use and cumulative dosage of these medications affect the mortality risk in a Taiwan’s national cohort of individuals ages 15 years and older who were diagnosed with depressive disorders in 2010 and followed up for 5 years. An age- and gender-matched control group was identified. The mean defined daily doses of antidepressants and antipsychotics were calculated, and survival analyses were conducted to examine the effects of exposure dosage on overall mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, in comparison with the control sample. Results: A total of 400,042 individuals (255,288 women; 63.8%) with depressive disorders were identified. A low-to-moderate dosage of antidepressants was associated with a decrease in cardiovascular disease–related mortality risks compared to no exposure for those with depressive disorders. By contrast, a dose-related increase was found when using antipsychotics, with a 1.6-, 2.4- and 2.9-fold risk in the low, moderate and high exposure groups, respectively, for overall mortality, and a 1.2-, 2.4- and 3.5-fold risk in the low, moderate and high exposure groups, respectively, for cardiovascular disease–related mortality, relative to the control sample. Conclusion: For individuals with depression, use of low-to-moderate dosage antidepressants was associated with decreased mortality. However, use of antipsychotics was found to be associated with a dose-related increase in overall and cardiovascular disease–related mortality risks. Adverse health outcomes should be also considered when prescribing psychotropic medications to patients with depressive disorders.