Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of endoleaks after endovascular aneurysm repair with use of technetium-99m sulfur colloid and (99m)Tc-labeled red blood cell scans.

PURPOSE This study was performed to determine whether endoleaks could be detected after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with use of technetium-99m sulfur colloid and (99m)Tc-labeled red blood cell (RBC) nuclear medicine scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS There were 13 patients enrolled in this study: nine with endoleaks seen on computed tomographic (CT) angiography and four with no endoleak on CT angiography. All patients underwent regularly scheduled surveillance CT angiography examination after EVAR to evaluate for endoleak. Endoleak detection was then attempted in each patient with two nuclear medicine scans: a (99m)Tc sulfur colloid scan and a (99m)Tc-labeled RBC scan. Flow images (5 seconds per frame) were obtained for 1 minute after intravenous administration of 555 MBq (15 mCi) (99m)Tc sulfur colloid. Sequential dynamic images were then obtained every minute for 30 minutes. Next, a (99m)Tc-labeled RBC study was performed after the intravenous administration of 370-1,073 MBq (10-29 mCi) in vitro labeled (99m)Tc RBCs. Flow images were obtained, followed by sequential dynamic images obtained every minute for 30 minutes. Single photon emission CT images of the abdomen were then acquired. The nuclear medicine scans were evaluated for the presence or absence of endoleak independent of the CT angiography findings. RESULTS Of the nine patients with endoleaks on CT angiography, seven (78%) had them detected by nuclear medicine examinations. Two of the nine endoleaks seen on CT angiography (22%) were not seen on either scintigraphic examination. All patients with no endoleak on CT angiography had their nuclear medicine scans correctly interpreted as showing no endoleak present (n = 4; 100%). No complications occurred as a result of the nuclear medicine scans. CONCLUSIONS Endoleaks can be detected with (99m)Tc sulfur colloid and (99m)Tc-labeled RBC nuclear medicine scans. This initial work suggests that the sensitivities of these scintigraphic scanning methods for endoleak detection are lower than that of CT angiography.
A reference collection for web spam

We describe the WEBSPAM-UK2006 collection, a large set of Web pages that have been manually annotated with labels indicating if the hosts are include Web spam aspects or not. This is the first publicly available Web spam collection that includes page contents and links, and that has been labelled by a large and diverse set of judges.
Icarus Paradox : the interplay between entrepreneurial cognition and internal stakeholder perception

This thesis focuses on how entrepreneurial cognition interacts with internal stakeholder perception in established entrepreneurial organizations. In addition, the influence of interdependent factors of cognitive biases, temporality, growth and performance on the interaction has been examined. The study is exploratory, phenomenological and framed within an interpretive research paradigm. Primary data was gathered using a qualitative multiple case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted every three months over an eighteen-month period with entrepreneurs and internal stakeholders of nine organizations in Phase I and three organizations in Phase II. This research is original because it focuses exclusively on the interaction between concepts of entrepreneurial cognition and biases, temporality, internal stakeholder perception, organizational factors, growth and performance for established entrepreneurial organizations. The empirical evidence highlights that cognitive diversity and differences in perception and expectations have an impact on entrepreneurial and internal stakeholder interrelationships in established entrepreneurial organizations. Furthermore, entrepreneurial decision-making leads to the Icarus Paradox of confidence-success-attribution cycle that either moderates or mediates organizational growth and performance. The consequence of longer communication chains is limited information flow that results in cognitive dissonance. The research contributes to closing the gap in literature on the interdependent nature of entrepreneurial cognition and internal stakeholder perception on organizational growth and performance. The contribution to practice therefore is that in established entrepreneurial organizations the entrepreneurs and internal stakeholders can focus on performance by understanding the cause and effect influence of their interactions. This sets the foundation for further research on the interaction between entrepreneurial cognition and other organizational concepts.
Structure of the 26S proteasome from Schizosaccharomyces pombe at subnanometer resolution

The structure of the 26S proteasome from Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been determined to a resolution of 9.1 Å by cryoelectron microscopy and single particle analysis. In addition, chemical cross-linking in conjunction with mass spectrometry has been used to identify numerous residue pairs in close proximity to each other, providing an array of spatial restraints. Taken together these data clarify the topology of the AAA-ATPase module in the 19S regulatory particle and its spatial relationship to the α-ring of the 20S core particle. Image classification and variance analysis reveal a belt of high “activity” surrounding the AAA-ATPase module which is tentatively assigned to the reversible association of proteasome interacting proteins and the conformational heterogeneity among the particles. An integrated model is presented which sheds light on the early steps of protein degradation by the 26S complex.
The Ecology of Echo

Echo is a generic ecosystem model in which evolving agents are situated in a resource-limited environment. The Echo model is described, and the behavior of Echo is evaluated on two well-studied measures of ecological diversity: relative species abundance and the species-area scaling relation. In simulation experiments, these measures are used to compare the behavior of Echo with that of a neutral model, in which selection on agent genotypes is random. These simulations show that the evolutionary component of Echo makes a significant contribution to its behavior and that Echo shows good qualitative agreement with naturally occurring species abundance distributions and species-area scaling relations.
Encoding Sequential Information in Vector Space Models of Semantics: Comparing Holographic Reduced Representation and Random Permutation

Encoding information about the order in which words typically appear has been shown to improve the performance of high-dimensional semantic space models. This requires an encoding operation capable of binding together vectors in an order-sensitive way, and efficient enough to scale to large text corpora. Although both circular convolution and random permutations have been enlisted for this purpose in semantic models, these operations have never been systematically compared. In Experiment 1 we compare their storage capacity and probability of correct retrieval; in Experiments 2 and 3 we compare their performance on semantic tasks when integrated into existing models. We conclude that random permutations are a scalable alternative to circular convolution with several desirable properties.
Bivalirudin in Combination with Heparin to Control Mesenchymal Cell Procoagulant Activity

Islet and hepatocyte transplantation are associated with tissue factor-dependent activation of coagulation which elicits instant blood mediated inflammatory reaction, thereby contributing to a low rate of engraftment. The aim of this study was i) to evaluate the procoagulant activity of human adult liver-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (hALPCs), ii) to compare it to other mesenchymal cells of extra-hepatic (bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and skin fibroblasts) or liver origin (liver myofibroblasts), and iii) to determine the ways this activity could be modulated. Using a whole blood coagulation test (thromboelastometry), we demonstrated that all analyzed cell types exhibit procoagulant activity. The hALPCs pronounced procoagulant activity was associated with an increased tissue factor and a decreased tissue factor pathway inhibitor expression as compared with hepatocytes. At therapeutic doses, the procoagulant effect of hALPCs was inhibited by neither antithrombin activators nor direct factor Xa inhibitor or direct thrombin inhibitors individually. However, concomitant administration of an antithrombin activator or direct factor Xa inhibitor and direct thrombin inhibitor proved to be a particularly effective combination for controlling the procoagulant effects of hALPCs both in vitro and in vivo. The results suggest that this dual antithrombotic therapy should also improve the efficacy of cell transplantation in humans.
Developing Learning Technology in Practice

The US West Workshop on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS)1 examined the state of the art of instructional programs, focusing on the design and deployment of systems using Artificial Intelligence programming methods. Our objective was to appraise the progress in bringing advanced research ideas to practice and thus to understand the barriers and opportunities for using ITS technology in industry today.
Cyberbullying among German and Dutch adolescents- research on siblings' influence and factors relevant for prevention and intervention

Cyberbullying has to be considered a substantial risk for schools, with far-reaching consequences on both the individual and social level. Based on this, the goals of the present study were threefold. First, factors that were considered potentially relevant and useful for pre- and interventions against cyberbullying were assessed. Second, the role siblings play in this context was examined in order to find out whether they have a protective function or are rather risk factors. Third, a comparison between the sample of German and Dutch participants was made in order to gain more insight into the international differences in the cyberbullying context. By means of an online survey, data of 386 ninth graders from two schools in Germany and the Netherlands, respectively, were obtained. Analysis yielded that the majority of the chosen factors was of importance in the cyberbullying context and that there are international differences regarding cyberbullying and victimization. Although noteworthy outcomes in terms of siblings’ influence were obtained, the number is still too small to draw a general conclusion concerning their role. In addition, a larger sample size is required to enhance the validity of the results. Suggestions for practical implications of the outcomes for prevention and intervention are included.
Causes of Neonatal Deaths in a Rural Subdistrict of Bangladesh: Implications for Intervention

The study assessed the timing and causes of neonatal deaths in a rural area of Bangladesh. A population-based demographic surveillance system, run by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, recorded livebirths and neonatal deaths during 2003-2004 among a population of 224,000 living in Matlab, a rural subdistrict of eastern Bangladesh. Deaths were investigated using the INDEPTH/World Health Organization verbal autopsy. Three physicians independently reviewed data from verbal autopsy interview to assign the cause of death. There were 11,291 livebirths and 365 neonatal deaths during the two-year period. The neonatal mortality rate was 32.3 per 1,000 livebirths. Thirty-seven percent of the neonatal deaths occurred within 24 hours, 76% within 0-3 days, 84% within 0-7 days, and the remaining 16% within 8-28 days. Birth asphyxia (45%), prematurity/low birthweight (15%), sepsis/meningitis (12%), respiratory distress syndrome (7%), and pneumonia (6%) were the major direct causes of death. Birth asphyxia (52.8%) was the single largest category of cause of death in the early neonatal period while meningitis/sepsis (48.3%) was the single largest category in the late neonatal period. The high proportion of deaths during the early neonatal period and the far-higher proportion of neonatal deaths caused by birth asphyxia compared to the global average (45% vs 23-29%) indicate the lack of skilled birth attendance and newborn care for the large majority of births that occur in the home in rural Bangladesh. Resuscitation of newborns and management of low-birthweight/premature babies need to be at the core of neonatal interventional packages in rural Bangladesh.
Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Approach for Pituitary Adenomas: a Prospective Review of Our Early Experience

Background and Aim: : Pituitary adenomas are part of a dissimilar group of benign neoplasms. The development of endoscopic techniques for surgery of paranasal sinuses has increased the opportunity for an endoscopic approach with regard to the pituitary gland. Minimally invasive endoscopic pituitary surgery, in turn, permits a more thorough tumor resection and fewer associated surgical complications. This study aimed to determine the descriptive outcomes and the complication rates for endoscopic transsphenoidal hypophysectomies. Methods & Materials/Patients : A prospective study was conducted from November 2012 to March 2015. 28 patients with proven symptoms of pituitary adenomas were included in this study, and regularly attended follow-up sessions. Results : In our study, we have operated on 28 patients with hypophysis adenoma with the help of an endoscopic setting. The male to female ratio was 1:2.5, with average age range of 35 to 45 years. Growth hormone (GH) adenoma appeared in 36% (10 patients), prolactinoma in 21% (6 patients), Cushing’s disease in 18% (5 patients) and non-functional adenoma in 18% (5 patients). Gonadotroph adenomas were the least common at about 7%. The most common symptoms in our series were headache and visual defects. 5 patients including 2 with prolactinoma and 3 with GH adenoma presented apoplexy signs and symptoms. Conclusions : Our series demonstrated that the endoscopic approach not only allows well anatomical visualization, and therefore facilitates the full oncological resection of tumors, but also reduces the incidence of pre operative complications.
Do Infants Have a Sense of Fairness?

Two experiments examined infants’ expectations about how an experimenter should distribute resources and rewards to other individuals. In Experiment 1, 19-month-olds expected an experimenter to divide two items equally, as opposed to unequally, between two individuals. The infants held no particular expectation when the individuals were replaced with inanimate objects, or when the experimenter simply removed covers in front of the individuals to reveal the items (instead of distributing them). In Experiment 2, 21-month-olds expected an experimenter to give a reward to each of two individuals when both had worked to complete an assigned chore, but not when one of the individuals had done all the work while the other played. The infants held this expectation only when the experimenter could determine through visual inspection who had worked and who had not. Together, these results provide converging evidence that infants in the 2nd year of life already possess context-sensitive expectations relevant to fairness.
Venture Capital Exits in Canada and the United States

Venture capital exit vehicles enable, to different degrees, mitigation of informational asymmetries and agency costs between the entrepreneurial venture and the new owners of the firm. Different exit vehicles also affect the amount of new capital for the entrepreneurial firm. Based on these factors, we conjecture the efficient pattern of exits depending on the quality of the entrepreneurial venture, the nature of its assets, and the duration of venture capital investment. We empirically assess the significance of these factors using a multinomial logit model. Our comparative results between Canada and the U.S. provide insight into the impact of different institutional and legal constraints, and suggest such constraints have distorted the efficient pattern of exits in Canada.
No Differences of Immune Activation and Microbial Translocation Among HIV-infected Children Receiving Combined Antiretroviral Therapy or Protease Inhibitor Monotherapy

AbstractThis is a cross-sectional study of 15 aviremic chronic HIV-infected children revealing no differences in immune activation (IA; HLA-DR+CD38+ CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and sCD14) and microbial translocation (MT; lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and 16S rDNA) among HIV-infected patients under combined antiretroviral treatment (cART; n = 10) or ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor monotherapy (mtPI/rtv; n = 5). In both cases, IA and MT were lower in healthy control children (n = 32). This observational study suggests that ritonavir boosted protease inhibitor monotherapy (mtPI/rtv) is not associated with an increased state of IA or MT as compared with children receiving cART.
Piecewise smooth surface reconstruction

We present a general method for automatic reconstruction of accurate, concise, piecewise smooth surface models from scattered range data. The method can be used in a variety of applications such as reverse engineering—the automatic generation of CAD models from physical objects. Novel aspects of the method are its ability to model surfaces of arbitrary topological type and to recover sharp features such as creases and corners. The method has proven to be effective, as demonstrated by a number of examples using both simulated and real data. A key ingredient in the method, and a principal contribution of this paper, is the introduction of a new class of piecewise smooth surface representations based on subdivision. These surfaces have a number of properties that make them ideal for use in surface reconstruction: they are simple to implement, they can model sharp features concisely, and they can be fit to scattered range data using an unconstrained optimization procedure.
International Preferences in Selecting Mates

This study sought to identify the effects of culture and sex on mate preferences using samples drawn world-wide. Thirty-seven samples were obtained from 33 countries located on six continents and five islands (N = 9,474). Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed strong effects of both culture and sex, moderated by specific mate characteristics. Chastity proved to be the mate characteristic on which cultures varied the most. The preference ordering of each sample was contrasted with an international complement. Each culture displayed a unique preference ordering, but there were some similarities among all cultures as reflected in a positive manifold of the cross-country correlation matrix. Multidimensional scaling of the cultures yielded a five dimensional solution, the first two of which were interpreted. The first dimension was interpreted as Traditional versus Modern, with China, India, Iran, and Nigeria anchoring one end and the Netherlands, Great Britain, Finland, and Sweden anchoring the other. The second dimension involved valuation of education, intelligence, and refinement. Consistent sex differences in value attached to eaming potential and physical attractiveness supported evolution-based hypotheses about the importance of resources and reproductive value in mates. Discussion emphasizes the importance of psychological mate preferences for scientific disciplines ranging from evolutionary biology to sociology.
Watch me if you can: imagery ability moderates observational learning effectiveness

Recent research has revealed similarities in brain activity during observational learning and motor execution. However, whilst action develops visual, motor and afferent representations during acquisition, action-observation has been proposed to only develop visual-spatial learning via visual representation. In addition, it has been suggested that the vividness of visual representations are determined by imagery ability. Thus, the purpose of the current investigation was to explore the possible moderating role of imagery ability in the effectiveness of observational learning. Participants (n = 40) were assessed on their imagery ability via the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2 (VMIQ-2) and then assigned to one of four groups; high imagery ability and observational learning (HIA-OL), low imagery ability and observational learning (LIA-OL), high imagery ability control (HIA-C) and low imagery ability control (LIA-C). Following group allocation all participants performed a pre-test consisting of five actual practice trials of a novel gymnastics routine. The HIA-OL and LIA-OL groups then participated in a 14 day observational learning intervention whilst the HIA-C and LIA-C groups acted as controls. Following this, participants performed a post test, which was identical in nature to the pre-test, before finally completing the VMIQ-2 again. Performance on both the pre-test and post test was evaluated by two qualified gymnastics judges. Results revealed that gymnastics performance increased from pre-test to post test for both the HIA-OL and LIA-OL groups. However, this effect was greater in the HIA-OL group suggesting that the relationship between observational learning and successful imitation performance is moderated by imagery ability.
On the Foundations of NeuroIS: Reflections on the Gmunden Retreat 2009

This article reflects on the discussions of the fifteen participants (co-authors) of a retreat on the ―Foundations of NeuroIS‖ that took place in Gmunden (Austria) in September 2009. In particular, this article offers initial answers to a set of research questions which are important for the foundations of NeuroIS, an emerging subfield within the IS discipline. The key questions discussed during the retreat that are addressed in this article are: (1) What is NeuroIS, and how does it relate to sister disciplines, such as neuroscience, neuroeconomics, and neuromarketing? (2) Which neuroscience tools are relevant for IS research? (3) What can IS researchers learn from the neuroscience literature, and what do we already know about brain activity? (4) What are possible IS research topics that can be examined with neuroscience tools, and what are some promising research areas for NeuroIS? (5) How can NeuroIS be established as a new subfield in the IS literature, and what are the current challenges for NeuroIS? The article concludes by offering the participants’ outlook on the future of NeuroIS.