Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early and mid-term clinical experience with extracellular matrix scaffold for congenital cardiac and vascular reconstructive surgery: a multicentric Italian study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this multicentric study was to outline surgical indications and evaluate mid-term outcomes of porcine extracellular matrix (ECM) in surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS The use of ECM was categorized into four major groups: A, valve repair; B, septal reconstruction; C, arterial plasty; D, other use. Primary endpoints of analysis were reintervention (either surgical or interventional) when related to ECM, and functional ECM failure. Secondary endpoints were evidence of calcification and of persistent inflammation at follow-up. RESULTS One hundred and three patients (M/F = 61/42, median age 19.7 months, 1 day-62 years) underwent surgical repair for CHD. Among ECM use categories, 38 patients were in Group A, 16 in Group B, 71 in Group C and 7 in Group D. There were neither complications nor deaths related to ECM. At a median follow-up of 23.3 months (0.3-55.2), 19 patients underwent reoperation (ECM-related in 6); 11 patients underwent interventional cardiology procedures (ECM-related in 8). Reinterventions were significantly more frequent on the aortic valve (surgical, P = 0.0056) and pulmonary arteries (interventional, P = 0.0159). In addition, interventional procedures on pulmonary arteries were significantly more frequent in infants <12 months (P = 0.0474). No calcifications were detected. CONCLUSIONS Surgical use of ECM in CHD repair is characterized by a suboptimal functional late performance on reconstruction of valve leaflet or pulmonary artery wall. Longer follow-up and larger clinical experience may support these preliminary results on mid-term outcomes, so as to assess the optimal indication for an ECM graft.
Public debt management, monetary policy and financial institutions

Despite the large size of the Brazilian debt market, as well the large diversity of its bonds, the picture that emerges is of a market that has not yet completed its transition from the role it performed during the megainflation years, namely that of providing a liquid asset that provided positive real returns. This unfinished transition is currently placing the market under severe stress, as fears of a possible default from the next administration grow larger. This paper analyzes several aspects pertaining to the management of the domestic public debt. The causes for the extremely large and fast growth of the domestic public debt during the seven-year period that President Cardoso are discussed in Section 2. The main culprit is the very high and risky interest rate, with the recognition of old debts (hidden liabilities and state debt renegotiation) coming in second. Section 3 computes Value at Risk and Cash Flow at Risk measures for the domestic public debt. These risk measures show that the current composition of the public debt is very risky. The rollover risk is introduced in a mean-variance framework in Section 4, and the maturity structure evolution is discussed. The increased riskness was the cost to improve the maturity structure. Section 5 discusses a few issues pertaining to the overlap between debt management and monetary policy. Finally, Section 6 wraps up with policy discussion and policy recommendations.
Bmc International Health and Human Rights Indigenous Well-being in Four Countries: an Application of the Undp's Human Development Index to Indigenous Peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States

Background: Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand consistently place near the top of the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI) rankings, yet all have minority Indigenous populations with much poorer health and social conditions than non-Indigenous peoples. It is unclear just how the socioeconomic and health status of Indigenous peoples in these countries has changed in recent decades, and it remains generally unknown whether the overall conditions of Indigenous peoples are improving and whether the gaps between Indigenous peoples and other citizens have indeed narrowed. There is unsettling evidence that they may not have. It was the purpose of this study to determine how these gaps have narrowed or widened during the decade 1990 to 2000.
The decision fusion in the wireless network with fading channels

In wireless sensor networks, the problem of channel fading is attracting more and more attention. In this paper, we consider to get optimal local sensor compression rules that minimize the Bayes cost under the fading channels if the fusion rule and the probabilities of transmission error of fading channels are given. It doesnpsilat require conditional independence between sensor data, so it is quite general and fit for the most distributed sensor network decision fusions under fading channels. The designed numerical examples in this paper illustrate the decision performance by ROC curves.
Attitude toward School and Learning and Academic Achievement of Adolescents

In the paper we highlight the significance of attitudes toward school and learning (ATSL) as a significant predictor of academic achievement. We also looked for an answer to the question whether there are intersexual differences in attitude toward school and learning in adolescents. The sample consisted of 269 adolescents studying at secondary schools (146 girls, 123 boys). Among adolescent boys and girls we noted significant differences in the ATSL in favour of a more positive ATSL for girls (t=-2.862, p=.005). The analysis of the internal components of ATSL shows significant differences between girls and boys in cognitive component (t=-3,044, p=.003) and behavioural component (t=-4,299, p=.000) of ATSL (more positive attitude among girls). We identified a significant relationship between ATSL and GPA (r = -.312**, p =.000), We have found that the more positive is the ATSL of adolescents, the more positive is academic achievement expressed by GPA at the end of the school year. Analysing the relationship of the components of ATSL we have established the identical findings that there is a significant relationship between affective component and GPA (r= -.267**, p=.000), between behavioural component and GPA (r = -.265**, p=.000), and between cognitive component and GPA (r= -.276**, p=.000). In the field of predictive relationship we note that the attitude toward school and learning is an important predictor of academic achievement (R2=.098, beta =-.312, t=-5,373, p=.000). © 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy. org.uk
A global emission inventory of carbonaceous aerosol from historic records of fossil fuel and biofuel consumption for the period 1860–1997

Country by country emission inventories for carbonaceous aerosol for the period 1860 to 1997 have been constructed on the basis of historic fuel production, use and trade data sets published by the United Nation's Statistical Division UNSTAT (1997), Etemad et al. (1991) and Mitchell (1992, 1993, 1995). The inventories use emission factors variable over time, which have been determined according to changes in technological development. The results indicate that the industrialisation period since 1860 was accompanied by a steady increase in black carbon (BC) and primary organic carbon (POC) emissions up to 1910. The calculations show a moderate decrease of carbonaceous aerosol emissions between 1920 and 1930, followed by an increase up to 1990, the year when emissions began to decrease again. Changes in BC and POC emissions prior to the year 1950 are essentially driven by the USA, Germany and the UK. The USSR, China and India become substantial contributors to carbonaceous aerosol emissions after 1950. Emission maps have been generated with a 1°×1° resolution based on the relative population density in each country. They will provide a helpful tool for assessing the effect of carbonaceous aerosol emissions on observed climate changes of the past.
Molecular Detection of Invasive Species in Heterogeneous Mixtures Using a Microfluidic Carbon Nanotube Platform

Screening methods to prevent introductions of invasive species are critical for the protection of environmental and economic benefits provided by native species and uninvaded ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems worldwide remain vulnerable to damage from aquatic species introductions, particularly via ballast water discharge from ships. Because current ballast management practices are not completely effective, rapid and sensitive screening methods are needed for on-site testing of ships in transit. Here, we describe a detection technology based on a microfluidic chip containing DNA oligonucleotide functionalized carbon nanotubes. We demonstrate the efficacy of the chip using three ballast-transported species either established (Dreissena bugensis) or of potential threat (Eriocheir sinensis and Limnoperna fortuneii) to the Laurentian Great Lakes. With further refinement for on-board application, the technology could lead to real-time ballast water screening to improve ship-specific management and control decisions.
Efficacy and Safety of Levetiracetam and Carbamazepine as Monotherapy in Partial Seizures

Introduction. Levetiracetam (LEV) is a newer antiepileptic drug with better pharmacokinetic profile. Currently, it is frequently used for the treatment of partial seizures. The present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy and safety of LEV and Carbamazepine (CBZ) in partial epilepsy. Methods. This was a prospective, open labeled, randomized study. It was conducted in participants suffering from partial seizures after the approval of ethics committee and written informed consent. The first group received Tab LEV (500 to 3000 mg/day) and the second group received Tab CBZ (300 to 600 mg/day). The primary outcomes were efficacy and safety. The secondary outcome was the Quality of Life (QOL). Efficacy was assessed by comparing the seizure freedom rates at the end of 6 months. Safety profile was evaluated by comparing the adverse effects. QOL was assessed by QOLIE-10 scale. Results. The overall seizure freedom rate at the end of 6 months was 71.42% in CBZ group compared to 78.57% in LEV group (p = 0.2529). Both LEV and CBZ reported a similar incidence of adverse reactions. LEV group reported more behavioral changes like increased aggression and anxiety. Also, it showed better QOL compared to the CBZ group. Conclusion. LEV monotherapy and CBZ monotherapy demonstrated similar efficacy for treatment of partial epilepsy and were found to be well tolerated.
Mobile Travel Services: The Effect of Moderating Context Factors

This article has two objectives: (1) to draw an international comparison regarding the acceptance of mobile travel services in three countries with different profiles when it comes to travelling and mobile telecommunications, and (2) to extend relevant literature on mobile applications, more specifically travel services, by including context-related concepts, taking moderating factors like location, mobility of users, physical, and social context into account. Based on surveys that were carried out in 2009, structural equation modelling is used to identify differences in patterns in the use of mobile travel services and in the role of context-related variables. the conclusion of this article is that context-related factors, that is, mobility and (physical and social) context, have an impact on the relationship between the core concepts of technology Acceptance model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) research. many studies on the acceptance and use of mobile services indicate that a deep understanding is needed of individual, context-related, and technological characteristics and the way they interact. this is also highly relevant to the travel industry, which wants to utilize the opportunities provided by mobile technology.
Portably Preventing File Race Attacks with User-Mode Path Resolution IBM Research

LIMITED DISTRIBUTION NOTICE: This report has been submitted for publication outside of IBM and will probably be copyrighted if accepted for publication. It has been issued as a Research Report for early dissemination of its contents. In view of the transfer of copyright to the outside publisher, its distribution outside of IBM prior to publication should be limited to peer communications and specific requests. After outside publication, requests should be filled only by reprints or legally obtained copies of the article (e.g. , payment of royalties). Copies may be requested from IBM T. J. The filesystem API of contemporary systems exposes programs to TOCTTOU (time of check to time of use) race-condition vulnerabilities, which occur between pairs of check/use system calls that involve a name of a file. Existing solutions either help programmers to detect such races (by pinpointing their location) or prevent them altogether (by altering the operating system). But the latter alternative is not prevalent, and the former is just the first step: programmers must still address TOCTTOU flaws within the limits of the existing API with which several important tasks can not be safely accomplished in a portable straightforward manner. The recent " filesystem maze " attack further worsens the problem by allowing adversaries to deterministically win races and thus refuting the common perception that the risk is small. In the face of this threat, we develop a new algorithm that allows programmers to effectively aggregate a vulnerable pair of distinct system calls into a single operation that is executed " atomically ". This is achieved by emulating one kernel functionality in user mode: the filepath resolution. The surprisingly simple resulting algorithm constitutes a portable solution to a large class of TOCTTOU vulnerabilities, without requiring modifications to the underlying operating system. In contrast to our previous work, the new algorithm is deterministic and incurs significantly less overhead. Additional Key Words and Phrases: Race conditions, time of check to time of use, TOCTTOU A preliminary version of parts of this paper appeared in [Tsafrir et al. 2008].
A pixel-level image fusion framework based on structural similarity

This paper introduces a novel pixel-level image fusion framework based on structural similarity (SSIM). SSIM is an image quality assessment metric developed recently through comparing local patterns of pixel intensities from luminance, contrast and structure. In our scheme, the relationship of input images is classified three kinds of cases by contrasting the SSIM value of the original images with two thresholds, a lower limit and an upper limit. Then the fusion rule can be respectively determined as maximum selection, image assimilation, and block selection according to the different relationship. In addition, a image assimilation method is revealed by ascending gradient of SSIM. The proposed scheme is implemented within some different sets of images. Simulation results show that our framework provides promising fusion performance with good perceive.
A Regression Model of Adjective-Noun Compositionality in Distributional Semantics

In this paper we explore the computational modelling of compositionality in distributional models of semantics. In particular, we model the semantic composition of pairs of adjacent English Adjectives and Nouns from the British National Corpus. We build a vector-based semantic space from a lemmatised version of the BNC, where the most frequent A-N lemma pairs are treated as single tokens. We then extrapolate three different models of compositionality: a simple additive model, a pointwise-multiplicative model and a Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model. We propose two evaluation methods for the implemented models. Our study leads to the conclusion that regression-based models of compositionality generally out-perform additive and multiplicative approaches, and also show a number of advantages that make them very promising for future research.
Physiological Responses to Breaks in Presence: A Pilot Study

Introduction A participant in an Immersive Virtual Environment (VE) is subject to two streams of sensory data – from the real world in which the experience is taking place, and also from the virtual world displayed by the virtual reality system. A ‘break in presence’ (BIP) occurs when the participant stops responding to the virtual stream and instead responds to the real sensory stream. We examine whether BIPs correspond to real changes in physiological state that are detectable in physiological time series. We report on the results of an experiment where subjects reported BIPs in the same way as in Slater & Steed (2000) and where Skin Conductance Response (SCR GSR) and heartrate (HR) data were recorded using a ProComp+ device. We find that the evidence does not contradict the hypothesis that BIPs are observable as events in the SCR and HR time series. The evidence was based on 60 subjects for whom heart rate was recorded and 20 for whom SCR was recorded. Results The graphs above show the mean averaged waveforms within 4 seconds of a BIP, for both heart rate and SCR. For both heart rate and SCR there is a spike either just before or just after the BIP, a pattern which is not reflected in various control conditions, except that related with anxiety. Slater, M. & Steed, A.J. (200) A virtual presence counter, Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 9(5): 413–434. Programme Book Page 42 of 78 Abstracts
The dream of statehood and the reality of conflict: local and international coverage of the Palestinian United Nations bid for statehood

ABSTRACT This paper examines whether or not media coverage is biased by the political orientation of the journalists’ country, specifically illustrated by the 2011 bid for statehood by the Palestinian Authority in the United Nations. This bid represents a symbolic step toward international recognition of a Palestinian state, an important event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A quantitative analysis was conducted on 1577 news reports from American, European, and Middle Eastern outlets to determine the differences in media coverage of the Palestinian bid for statehood among the channels. The findings suggest that Israeli channels broadcasted a relatively low number of items in which the Palestinian declaration itself was the main theme. The BBC broadcasted a relatively high rate of such items, and offered balanced coverage of both Israeli and Palestinian positions, while coverage by American FOX News channel reflected a pro-Israel bias. The findings also suggest that media outlets may be biased toward specific leaders. This work builds on a growing body of research on media framing of political conflicts and the effect of the political context of a country on its media outlets’ coverage.
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin in Infections of the Spine and Infections in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

The most widely used inflammatory markers are erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT). A review of the literature was done on their application in spinal infections and spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. ESR, CRP and PCT as markers of infection have their uses in various but specific medical conditions. SCI patients are unique because they are in a chronic state of inflammation. In these patients, CRP >50 mg/L may support the diagnosis of true UTI. In those with chronic infections of the spine/vertebrae, an ESR of >20-30 mm/h appears superior to an elevated CRP for diagnosis, although it is still preferred to do both tests. Serum PCT of >0.4 ng/mL was reported to be highly specific in diagnosing acute osteomyelitis, but evidence was very limited. No study on PCT for chronic osteomyelitis was found. In post-spine surgery patients, CRP is more useful than ESR, while PCT is superior to CRP in detection of post-operative infections because the former does not rise too high, even after major neurosurgery. PCT of >0.5 ng/mL is reasonable evidence to start antibiotics and further investigation, while levels <0.1 ng/mL suggest absence of infection. CRP is inferior to PCT in diagnosing post-spine surgery infections, but it may be used when cost is an issue or when PCT is unavailable. This is the first literature review of the most widely used biomarkers, including PCT, and their application in the diagnosis of infections of the spine and infections in SCI patients.
Union of low-rank subspaces detector

The problem of signal detection using a flexible and general model is considered. Due to applicability and flexibility of sparse signal representation and approximation, it has attracted a lot of attention in many signal processing areas. In this paper, we propose a new detection method based on sparse decomposition in a union of subspaces (UoS) model. Our proposed detector uses a dictionary that can be interpreted as a bank of matched subspaces. This improves the performance of signal detection, as it is a generalization for detectors. Low-rank assumption for the desired signals implies that the representations of these signals in terms of some proper bases would be sparse. Our proposed detector exploits sparsity in its decision rule. We demonstrate the high efficiency of our method in the cases of voice activity detection in speech processing.
Nian Liu * and Benjamin Bergen When do language comprehenders mentally simulate locations ?

Embodied approaches to comprehension propose that understanding language entails performing mental simulations of its content. The evidence, however, is mixed. Action-sentence Compatibility Effect studies (Glenberg and Kaschak 2002) report mental simulation of motor actions during processing of motion language. But the same studies find no evidence that language comprehenders perform spatial simulations of the corresponding locations. This challenges simulation-based approaches. If locations are not represented in simulation, but are still understood, then simulation may be unnecessary for understanding. We conducted a Location-sentence Compatibility experiment, to determine whether understanders mentally simulate locations. People did indeed simulate locations, but only when sentences used progressive (and not perfect) grammatical aspect. Moreover, mental simulations of locations differed for language about concrete versus abstract events. These findings substantiate the role of mental simulation in language understanding, while highlighting the importance of the grammatical form of utterances as well as their content.
Aged garlic extract and coenzyme Q10 have favorable effect on inflammatory markers and coronary atherosclerosis progression: A randomized clinical trial

Background: Aged garlic extract (AGE) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been shown to affect multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The current study evaluates the effect of AGE combined with CoQ10 on inflammatory markers and progression of coronary atherosclerosis compared with placebo. Methods and Results: In this placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial, 65 intermediate risk firefighters (age 55 ± 6 years) were treated with a placebo capsule or a capsule containing AGE and CoQ10 (AGE+CoQ10, 1200 and 120 mg, respectively) daily for 1 year. All participants underwent coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning and C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline and at 12 months. At 1 year, mean CAC progression was significantly lower in AGE+CoQ10 (32 ± 6 vs. 58 ± 8, P = 0.01) than placebo. Similarly, CRP were significantly decreased in AGE+CoQ10 compared with placebo (-0.12 ± 0.24 vs. 0.91 ± 0.56 mg/L, P < 0.05). After adjustment for age, gender, conventional cardiac risk factors, and statin therapy, AGE+CoQ10 was associated with 3.99 fold (95% 1.3–12.2, P = 0.01) lack of CAC progression compared with the placebo. Conclusion: AGE+CoQ10 are associated with beneficial effects on inflammatory markers and reduced progression of coronary atherosclerosis.