Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The epidemiology of brain arteriovenous malformations.

OBJECTIVE Common estimates of the prevalence rate for pial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain vary widely, and their accuracy is questionable. Our objective was to critically review the original sources from which these rates were derived and to establish best estimates for both the incidence and prevalence of the disease. METHODS We reviewed all of the relevant original literature: autopsy series, the Cooperative Study of Intracranial Aneurysms and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and related analyses, and other population-based studies. We also modeled the confidence intervals of estimates for a process of low prevalence such as AVMs. RESULTS Many of the prevalence estimates (500-600/100,000 population) were based on autopsy data, a source that is inherently biased. Other estimates (140/100,000 population) originated from an inappropriate analysis of data from the Cooperative Study. The most reliable information comes from a population-based study of Olmsted County, MN, but prevalence data specific to AVMs was not found in that study. CONCLUSION The estimates for AVM prevalence that are published in the medical literature are unfounded. Because of the rarity of the disease and the existence of asymptomatic patients, establishing a true prevalence rate is not feasible. Owing to variation in the detection rate of asymptomatic AVMs, the most reliable estimate for the occurrence of the disease is the detection rate for symptomatic lesions: 0.94 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 0.57-1.30/100,000 person-years). This figure is derived from a single population-based study, but it is supported by a reanalysis of other data sources. The prevalence of detected, active (at risk) AVM disease is unknown, but it can be inferred from incidence data to be lower than 10.3 per 100,000 population.
Locality and Word Order in Active Dependency Formation in Bangla

Research on filler-gap dependencies has revealed that there are constraints on possible gap sites, and that real-time sentence processing is sensitive to these constraints. This work has shown that comprehenders have preferences for potential gap sites, and immediately detect when these preferences are not met. However, neither the mechanisms that select preferred gap sites nor the mechanisms used to detect whether these preferences are met are well-understood. In this paper, we report on three experiments in Bangla, a language in which gaps may occur in either a pre-verbal embedded clause or a post-verbal embedded clause. This word order variation allows us to manipulate whether the first gap linearly available is contained in the same clause as the filler, which allows us to dissociate structural locality from linear locality. In Experiment 1, an untimed ambiguity resolution task, we found a global bias to resolve a filler-gap dependency with the first gap linearly available, regardless of structural hierarchy. In Experiments 2 and 3, which use the filled-gap paradigm, we found sensitivity to disruption only when the blocked gap site is both structurally and linearly local, i.e., the filler and the gap site are contained in the same clause. This suggests that comprehenders may not show sensitivity to the disruption of all preferred gap resolutions.
Revisiting Metric Learning for SPD Matrix Based Visual Representation

The success of many visual recognition tasks largely depends on a good similarity measure, and distance metric learning plays an important role in this regard. Meanwhile, Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) matrix is receiving increased attention for feature representation in multiple computer vision applications. However, distance metric learning on SPD matrices has not been sufficiently researched. A few existing works approached this by learning either d2 &#xd7; p or d &#xd7; k transformation matrix for d&#xd7; d SPD matrices. Different from these methods, this paper proposes a new member to the family of distance metric learning for SPD matrices. It learns only d parameters to adjust the eigenvalues of the SPD matrices through an efficient optimisation scheme. Also, it is shown that the proposed method can be interpreted as learning a sample-specific transformation matrix, instead of the fixed transformation matrix learned for all the samples in the existing works. The optimised d parameters can be used to massage the SPD matrices for better discrimination while still keeping them in the original space. From this perspective, the proposed method complements, rather than competes with, the existing linear-transformation-based methods, as the latter can always be applied to the output of the former to perform distance metric learning in further. The proposed method has been tested on multiple SPD-based visual representation data sets used in the literature, and the results demonstrate its interesting properties and attractive performance.
Inhibition of neointimal smooth muscle accumulation after angioplasty by an antibody to PDGF

Approximately 30 to 40 percent of atherosclerotic coronary arteries treated by angioplasty or by bypass surgery occlude as a result of restenosis. This restenosis is due principally to the accumulation of neointimal smooth muscle cells, which is also a prominent feature of the advanced lesions of atherosclerosis. The factors responsible for the accumulation of intimal smooth muscle cells have not been identified. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent smooth muscle chemoattractant and mitogen. It is present in platelets and can be formed by endothelium, smooth muscle, and monocyte-derived macrophages. The development of an intimal lesion in the carotid artery of athymic nude rats induced by intraarterial balloon catheter deendothelialization was inhibited by a polyclonal antibody to PDGF. These data demonstrate that endogenous PDGF is involved in the accumulation of neointimal smooth muscle cells associated with balloon injury and may be involved in restenosis after angioplasty, and perhaps in atherogenesis as well.
Genetic Disorders of Vision Revealed by a Behavioral Screen of 400 Essential Loci in Zebrafish

We examined optokinetic and optomotor responses of 450 zebrafish mutants, which were isolated previously based on defects in organ formation, tissue patterning, pigmentation, axon guidance, or other visible phenotypes. These strains carry single point mutations in >400 essential loci. We asked which fraction of the mutants develop blindness or other types of impairments specific to the visual system. Twelve mutants failed to respond in either one or both of our assays. Subsequent histological and electroretinographic analysis revealed unique deficits at various stages of the visual pathway, including lens degeneration (bumper), melanin deficiency (sandy), lack of ganglion cells (lakritz), ipsilateral misrouting of axons (belladonna), optic-nerve disorganization (grumpy and sleepy), inner nuclear layer or outer plexiform layer malfunction (noir,dropje, and possibly steifftier), and disruption of retinotectal impulse activity (macho andblumenkohl). Surprisingly, mutants with abnormally large or small eyes or severe wiring defects frequently exhibit no discernible behavioral deficits. In addition, we identified 13 blind mutants that display outer-retina dystrophy, making this syndrome the single-most common cause of inherited blindness in zebrafish. Our screen showed that a significant fraction (∼5%) of the essential loci also participate in visual functions but did not reveal any systematic genetic linkage to particular morphological traits. The mutations uncovered by our behavioral assays provide distinct entry points for the study of visual pathways and set the stage for a genetic dissection of vertebrate vision.
Simplified nutritional screening tools for patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is a prevalent complication in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Nutritional screening tools may be useful to identify those patients at nutritional risk from among hundreds of hemodialysis patients in a large facility. OBJECTIVE We tested several simplified nutritional screening tools on hemodialysis patients to validate the potential application of the tools. DESIGN The simplified nutritional screening tools were chosen from references published between 1985 and 2005. Nutritional assessments, including history taking, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed on 422 hemodialysis patients. These results were applied to obtain the score of each nutritional screening tool and the malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS), a comprehensive nutritional assessment tool, as the reference standard. The usefulness of each nutritional screening tool for identifying nutritional risk was assessed by comparison with the MIS value and various individual nutritional measures. RESULTS Five reliable nutritional screening tools were found by the literature search. Among them, the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was considered to be the most accurate in identifying hemodialysis patients at nutritional risk, because the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve generated with the MIS value was the largest. The GNRI showed a significantly negative correlation with the MIS (r=-0.67, P<0.0001), and the most accurate GNRI cutoff to identify a malnourished patient according to the MIS was <91.2. The GNRI's sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of <91.2 in predicting malnutrition according to the MIS were 0.730, 0.819, and 0.787, respectively. CONCLUSION The GNRI was the simplest and most accurate risk index for identifying hemodialysis patients at nutritional risk according to the MIS.
Identification of a Specific Antigenic Region of the P82 Protein of Babesia equi and Its Potential Use in Serodiagnosis

ABSTRACT The efficacy of the Be82 gene product fused with glutathione S-transferase (GST/Be82) in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of Babesia equi infection was reported previously (H. Hirata et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 40:1470-1474, 2002). However, the ELISA with the GST/Be82 antigen cross-reacted with Babesia caballi-infected horse sera, despite the high rate of detection of B. equi. These results suggested that GST/Be82 has an antigen in common with B. caballi or antigenicity similar to that of B. caballi. In the present study, we constructed a series of five clones with deletions in the Be82 gene product, each of which was fused with GST, and used them in ELISAs in order to overcome the cross-reactivity seen with B. caballi. One of the deletion clones, a clone with a deletion of the Be82 gene from positions 236 to 381 (Be82/236-381), specifically and sensitively detected B. equi-infected horse sera without cross-reactivity with B. caballi-infected horse sera. Assays with clones from which other gene products were deleted showed decreased sensitivities or remained nonspecific for the detection of B. equi-infected horse sera. These results suggest that the Be82/236-381 gene product is a novel antigen for the diagnosis of B. equi infection in horses.
Introducing attribute features to foreign accent recognition

We propose a hybrid approach to foreign accent recognition combining both phonotactic and spectral based systems by treating the problem as a spoken language recognition task. We extract speech attribute features that represent speech and acoustic cues reflecting foreign accents of a speaker to obtain feature streams that are modeled with the i-vector methodology. Testing on the Finnish Language Proficiency exam corpus, we find our proposed technique to achieve a significant performance improvement over the state-of-the-art systems using only spectral based features.
Assessment of the Pacific ocean perch stock in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands

Changes in the Input Data 1) Catch data was updated through 2015, and total catch for 2016 was projected. 2) The 2016 AI survey biomass estimate and length composition was included in the assessment. 3) The 2014 AI survey age composition was included in the assessment. 4) The eastern Bering Sea slope survey biomass estimates, age compositions (through 2012) and length composition (for 2016) were included in the assessment. 5) The 2014 and 2015 fishery length compositions were included in the assessment. 6) The 1968-1979 Fishery CPUE indices were not used in the assessment. 7) The fishery age and length composition data were recomputed to weight the length composition within subareas by the observed subarea catch. 8) The length-at-age, weights-at-age, and age-to-length conversion matrix were updated based on data from the NMFS AI trawl survey beginning in 1991.
Design activism in the HCI classroom

In HCI, design activism has been practiced but has not been well articulated or discussed. There are examples of activism in the HCI classroom, opening a new avenue of discussion and investigation for the role of design activism in HCI. We present two case studies that show design activism in the classroom as examples from which to learn. We highlight themes and observations to encourage future articulation and practice of design activism in HCI and HCI education.
U.S. Food Commodity Availability by Food Source, 1994-2008

ERS’ Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data and Federal dietary intake surveys supply key data for monitoring Americans’ food and nutrient consumption. The LAFA data provide estimates for more than 200 food commodities back to 1970. The data are for the Nation as a whole and are not disaggregated by food source (at home and away from home). The dietary intake surveys, conducted by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in conjunction with the National Center for Health Statistics, provide detailed data on food obtained and eaten by Americans at various locations. ARS has developed databases, in conjunction with ERS, to translate foods reported in dietary intake surveys into ERS food commodities. These databases enable ERS researchers to disaggregate LAFA availability data by demographics and by food source in this study. Consistent with ERS data indi - cating that the at-home market accounts for 58 percent of food expenditures and 68 percent of caloric intake, over half of all food commodities acquired over 1994-2008 were for at-home use. On average, over 80 percent of total fruits, dairy, and nuts—and 61 percent of all meats and fish—were acquired for at-home use. The at-home share of some commodi - ties (e.g., berries, fluid milk, caloric sweeteners, and nuts) rose over 1994-2008 while the share for others (e.g., chicken and wheat flour) declined.
The role of cytokines and chemokines in the T‐cell‐mediated autoimmune process in alopecia areata

The aetiology of alopecia areata (AA) is still not fully understood. However, recent clinical and experimental studies have provided insights into the pathomechanisms of AA and revealed that it is an organ‐specific and cell‐mediated autoimmune disease. Some triggers, such as viral infections, trauma, hormones and emotional/physical stressors, may cause activation of autoreactive T cells that target hair follicle (HF) autoantigens. In these immunological responses, cytokines and chemokines are regarded as key players that mediate the autoimmune inflammation. This results in the collapse of HF immune privilege, which is central to the pathogenesis of AA. This essay will focus on how cytokines and chemokines contribute to the immunological aspects of AA. The management of AA often remains difficult in a number of cases. Our review suggests that novel therapies for AA may involve targeting cytokines and chemokines.
Controlling Politeness in Neural Machine Translation via Side Constraints

Many languages use honoriﬁcs to express politeness, social distance, or the relative social status between the speaker and their ad-dressee(s). In machine translation from a language without honoriﬁcs such as English, it is difﬁcult to predict the appropriate honoriﬁc, but users may want to control the level of politeness in the output. In this paper, we perform a pilot study to control honoriﬁcs in neural machine translation (NMT) via side constraints , focusing on English → German. We show that by marking up the (English) source side of the training data with a feature that en-codes the use of honoriﬁcs on the (German) target side, we can control the honoriﬁcs produced at test time. Experiments show that the choice of honoriﬁcs has a big impact on translation quality as measured by B LEU , and oracle experiments show that substantial im-provements are possible by constraining the translation to the desired level of politeness.
An Evaluation of the Java-based Approaches to Web Database Access

Given the undeniable popularity of the Web, providing efficient and secure access to remote databases using a Web browser is crucial for the emerging cooperative information systems and applications. In this paper, we evaluate all currently available Java-based approaches that support persistent connections between Web clients and database servers. These approaches include Java applets, Java Sockets, Servlets, Remote Method Invocation, CORBA, and mobile agents technology. Our comparison is along the dimensions of performance and programmability. Our findings point out that best performance is not always achievable with high programmability and low resource requirements. Moreover, the mobile agent technology needs to improve its programmability while giving particular emphasis on its infrastructure.
The membership problem in aperiodic transformation monoids

The problem of testing membership in aperiodic or “group-free” transformation monoids is the natural counterpart to the well-studied membership problem in permutation groups. The class <bold>A</bold> of all finite aperiodic monoids and the class <bold>G</bold> of all finite groups are two examples of <italic>varieties</italic>, the fundamental complexity units in terms of which finite monoids are classified. The collection of all varieties <bold>V</bold> forms an infinite lattice under the inclusion ordering, with the subfamily of varieties that are contained in <bold>A</bold> forming an infinite sublattice. For each <bold>V</bold> <inline-equation> <f> ⊆ </f> </inline-equation> <bold>A</bold>, the associated problem MEMB(<bold>V</bold>) of testing membership in transformation monoids that belong to <bold>V</bold>, is considered. Remarkably, the computational complexity of each such problem turns out to look familiar. Moreover, only five possibilities occur as <bold>V</bold> ranges over the whole aperiodic sublattice: With one family of NP-hard exceptions whose exact status is still unresolved, any such MEMB(<bold>V</bold>) is either PSPACE-complete, NP-complete, P-complete or in AC<supscrpt>0</supscrpt>. These results thus uncover yet another surprisingly tight link between the theory of monoids and computational complexity theory.
Faculty and Male Football and Basketball Players on University Campuses

In past years, a substantial amount of research has been conducted in an effort to determine significant predictor variables, such as demographic and educational criteria of student athletes’ academic achievement (Lang, Dunham, & Alpert, 1988; Sellers, 1992; Walter, Smith, Hoey, & Wilhem, 1987). Although these studies yield a considerable amount of information relative to selected predictors of academic performance among college student athletes (Siegel, 1994), few investigators have been concerned with the environmental influence on student athletes (Edwards, 1989; Godley, 1999; Sellers, 1992). The college environment encompasses all that happens to student athletes during their educational programs which may affect and influence the intellectual desired outcome— to matriculate and graduate (Astin, 1993b). One facet of the environmental experience involves student athletes’ interaction with faculty members, which often influences their educational success in negative ways (Engstrom, Sedlacek, & McEwen, 1995; Sailes, 1993). Unappealing, negative attitudes toward student athletes on college campuses have endured since organized sports were associated with American higher education (Smith, 1988; Thelin, 1996). While previous research has explored the negative beliefs and perceptions about student athletes, information is limited regarding environmental predictors of their academic success as they relate to faculty members (Comeaux and Harrison, 2001; Sellers, 1992). Although some coaches and athletes often believe student athletes’ athletic role supersedes their academic integration on campus, many students revere and even idolize faculty members, and, consequently, faculty develop and cultivate meaningful relationships with many college students (Adler & Adler, 1991; Eitzen, 1999; Light, 2001). The “intellectual” as mentor is the basic process of university faculty members performing the role of “intellectual coach. ” This study explores the relationship between student athletes and faculty and the impact of specific forms of student athlete and faculty interaction on academic achievement. Specifically, this study examines selected faculty interaction measures of academic achievement among student athletes in the revenue-producing sports of men’s basketball and football. The authors felt it necessary to recognize and explore a group within the college community, such as faculty who frequently interact with and influence student athletes’ personal and academic development.
Salivary duct carcinoma: A clinicopathologic study of three cases with a review of the literature

Three cases of salivary duct carcinoma are presented. They occurred in a 60 year old man, a 66 year old man and a 57 year old woman. All of the lesions were located In the parotid gland. The tumor size ranged from 3 to 5 cm across the largest diameter. Facial paralysis was observed in two cases. Histologically, intreductal and invasive adenocarcinoma showing papillary, cribriform, and solid patterns with comede like necrosis was observed. lmmunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for keratin and epithelial membrane antigen. No myoepithelial cells were demonstrated within the tumor by staining for S‐100 protein, α‐smooth muscle actin or muscle specific actin. Ultrastncturally, intracytoplasmic lumina with microvilli, a moderate number of mltochrondria, lysosomes, and tight junctions were found. Regional lymph node metastasis was observed in one case, and distant metastasis developed in two cases. All of me patients were treated with adjuvant postoperative irradiation. One patient died of disease at 11 months after the initial diagnosis, another was alive with disease at 8 months, and the third patient was alive without disease at 2 years and 3 months. Salivary duct carcinoma should be ditterentiated from low‐grade salivary gland carcinomas using morphologic and clinical criteria because of its poor prognosis even with aggressive therapy.