Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the sentinel lymph node in head and neck cancer.

UNLABELLED In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, staging of the neck cannot rule out occult metastatic disease. An improved staging is necessary to avoid elective neck dissection in patients staged as N0. The study was performed to determine the feasibility of the detection of occult metastatic disease by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USgFNAC) of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). METHODS Sixteen consecutive patients diagnosed with oral, oropharyngeal, or dermal squamous cell carcinoma who had been staged as N0 underwent lymphoscintigraphy in double tracer technique to localize SLNs. A USgFNAC was performed on SLNs before elective neck dissection. The results of USgFNAC were compared with pathohistologic findings, which were regarded as the gold standard. RESULTS Seven of 16 patients were upstaged to N+ after histopathologic examination of the neck dissection specimen. In only 1 of these patients was metastatic disease detected by USgFNAC of the SLN. CONCLUSION The combination of lymphoscintigraphy and USgFNAC of the SLN improves preselection of N+ patients and, thus, the staging procedures. However, based on present results this method does not seem reliable in deciding whether an elective neck dissection can be avoided. A biopsy of the SLN with close histopathologic work-up seems to be mandatory for the detection of occult metastatic disease, because the merely incidental aspiration of micrometastatic material within normal-sized lymph nodes results in a high number of false-negative results by USgFNAC.
The Gemination Effect on Consonant and Vowel Duration in Standard Arabic Speech

In this paper, we expose the results of an experimental study of acoustic properties of geminated consonants in Arabic language. We aim to determinate the temporal relationship between doubled consonant and the length of the vowel preceding them in a VCCV sequence. We compare these values with those measured for a VCV sequence. The results proved that the duration of simple consonant was sensibly different from the geminated one and same for the duration of the vowel preceding it. This work was undertaken to determinate the consonant duration characteristics to distinguish between a simple consonant and the geminated one in standard Arabic speech recognition.
Septic pulmonary embolism caused by a Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess: clinical characteristics, imaging findings, and clinical courses

OBJECTIVES: Septic pulmonary embolism caused by a Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae liver abscess is rare but can cause considerable morbidity and mortality. However, clinical information regarding this condition is limited. This study was conducted to elucidate the full disease spectrum to improve its diagnosis and treatment. METHOD: We reviewed the clinical characteristics, imaging findings, and clinical courses of 14 patients diagnosed with septic pulmonary embolism caused by a K. pneumoniae liver abscess over a period of 9 years. RESULTS: The two most prevalent symptoms were fever and shortness of breath. Computed tomography findings included a feeding vessel sign (79%), nodules with or without cavities (79%), pleural effusions (71%), peripheral wedge-shaped opacities (64%), patchy ground-glass opacities (50%), air bronchograms within a nodule (36%), consolidations (21%), halo signs (14%), and lung abscesses (14%). Nine (64%) of the patients developed severe complications and required intensive care. According to follow-up chest radiography, the infiltrates and consolidations were resolved within two weeks, and the nodular opacities were resolved within one month. Two (14%) patients died of septic shock; one patient had metastatic meningitis, and the other had metastatic pericarditis. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentations ranged from insidious illness with fever and respiratory symptoms to respiratory failure and septic shock. A broad spectrum of imaging findings, ranging from nodules to multiple consolidations, was detected. Septic pulmonary embolism caused by a K. pneumoniae liver abscess combined with the metastatic infection of other vital organs confers a poor prognosis.
Discriminative training of acoustic models for system combination

In discriminative training methods, the objective function is designed to improve the performance of automatic speech recognition with reference to correct labels using a single system. On the other hand, system combination methods, which output refined hypotheses by a majority voting scheme, need to build multiple systems that generate complementary hypotheses. This paper aims to unify the both requirements within a discriminative training framework based on the mutual information criterion. That is, we construct complementary models by optimizing the proposed objective function, which yields to minimize the mutual information with base systems’ hypotheses, while maximize that with correct labels, at the same time. We also analyze that this scheme corresponds to weight the training data of a complementary system by considering correct and error tendencies in the base systems, which has close relationship with boosting methods. In addition, the proposed method can practically construct complementary systems by simply extending a lattice-based parameter update algorithm in discriminative training, and can adjust the degree of how much the complementary system outputs are different from base system ones. The experiments on highly noisy speech recognition (‘The 2 nd CHiME challenge’) show the effectiveness of the proposed method, compared with a conventional system combina
Cannabis and Alcohol: Effects on Simulated Car Driving

The effects of cannabis and alcohol on simulated car driving were studied. Cannabis resin containing 4 percent Δ1-tetrahydrocannabinol was administered orally in three doses equivalent to 8, 12, and 16 milligrams of that component. Alcohol was given orally in one standard dose of 70 grams. Both cannabis and alcohol increased the time required to brake and start, whereas alcohol increased while cannabis decreased the number of gear changes. An effect of dosage on response was observed with cannabis.
Voltage Island Generation under Performance Requirement for SoC Designs

Using multiple supply voltages on a SoC design is an efficient way to achieve low power. However, it may lead to a complex power network and a huge number of level shifters if we just set the cores to operate at their respective lowest voltage levels. We present two formulations for the voltage level assignment problem. The first is exact but takes longer time to compute a solution. The second can be solved much faster with virtually no loss on optimality. In addition, we propose a modification to the traditional floorplanning framework. Unlike previous works (Jingcao Hu et al., 2004) and (Hung et al., 2005), we can optimize the total power consumption, the level shifter overhead, and the power network complexity without compromising the wirelength and the chip area. In the experiments, we obtained 17- 53% power savings with voltage island generation.
Surfactant Protein A Forms Extensive Lattice-Like Structures on 1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/Rough-Lipopolysaccharide- Mixed Monolayers

Due to the inhalation of airborne particles containing bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), these molecules might incorporate into the 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-rich monolayer and interact with surfactant protein A (SP-A), the major surfactant protein component involved in host defense. In this study, epifluorescence microscopy combined with a surface balance was used to examine the interaction of SP-A with mixed monolayers of DPPC/rough LPS (Re-LPS). Binary monolayers of Re-LPS plus DPPC showed negative deviations from ideal behavior of the mean areas in the films consistent with partial miscibility and attractive interaction between the lipids. This interaction resulted in rearrangement and reduction of the size of DPPC-rich solid domains in DPPC/Re-LPS monolayers. The adsorption of SP-A to these monolayers caused expansion in the lipid molecular areas. SP-A interacted strongly with Re-LPS and promoted the formation of DPPC-rich solid domains. Fluorescently labeled Texas red-SP-A accumulated at the fluid-solid boundary regions and formed networks of interconnected filaments in the fluid phase of DPPC/Re-LPS monolayers in a Ca2+-independent manner. These lattice-like structures were also observed when TR-SP-A interacted with lipid A monolayers. These novel results deepen our understanding of the specific interaction of SP-A with the lipid A moiety of bacterial LPS.
Impact of Emergency Colectomy on Survival of Patients With Fulminant Clostridium difficile Colitis During an Epidemic Caused by a Hypervirulent Strain

Objectives:To determine whether emergency colectomy reduces mortality in patients with fulminant Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD), and to identify subgroups of patients more likely to benefit from the procedure. Summary Background Data:Many hospitals in Quebec, Canada, have noted since 2003 a dramatic increase in CDAD incidence and in the proportion of cases severe enough to require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The decision to perform an emergency colectomy remains largely empirical. Methods:Retrospective observational cohort study of 165 cases of CDAD that required ICU admission or prolongation of ICU stay between January 2003 and June 2005 in 2 tertiary care hospitals of Quebec. Multivariate analysis was performed through logistic regression; adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The primary outcome was mortality within 30 days of ICU admission. Results:Eighty-seven (53%) cases resulted in death within 30 days of ICU admission, almost half (38 of 87, 44%) within 48 hours of ICU admission. The independent predictors of 30-day mortality were: leukocytosis ≥50 × 109/L (AOR, 18.6; 95% CI, 3.7–94.7), lactate ≥5 mmol/L (AOR, 12.4; 95% CI, 2.4–63.7), age ≥75 years (AOR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.7–24.3), immunosuppression (AOR, 7.9; 95% CI, 2.3–27.2) and shock requiring vasopressors (AOR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.3–8.7). After adjustment for these confounders, patients who had an emergency colectomy were less likely to die (AOR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07–0.67, P = 0.008) than those treated medically. Colectomy seemed more beneficial in patients aged 65 years or more, in those immunocompetent, those with a leukocytosis ≥20 × 109/L or lactate between 2.2 and 4.9 mmol/L. Conclusion:Emergency colectomy reduces mortality in some patients with fulminant CDAD.
Iminosugars in Combination with Interferon and Ribavirin Permanently Eradicate Noncytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus from Persistently Infected Cells

ABSTRACT We evaluated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) as dual therapy and as part of triple-combination therapies with the iminosugars N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ), N-nonyl-deoxynojirimycin, and N-7-oxanonyl-6-deoxymethyl-galactonojirimycin. The ability of these compounds to clear bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a surrogate model for hepatitis C virus (HCV), from a persistently infected Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells cell line was determined by monitoring the secretion of viral RNA and the infectivity of secreted virions. In the BVDV system, after treatment with IFN-RBV alone, viral rebound was observed immediately after removal of the drugs. In contrast, we demonstrate that a triple drug combination of IFN, RBV, and an iminosugar eradicated the BVDV infection in a time- and a dose-dependent manner, leading to sustained viral clearance. Importantly, in the case of NB-DNJ, the sustained viral clearance was achieved by using physiologically relevant and tolerated drug concentrations. Therefore, the use of a triple-combination therapy that includes an iminosugar may prove to be of greater therapeutic value for the treatment of HCV infection than the use of IFN-RBV alone.
Fit for Practice: Analysis and Evaluation of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

The aim of the authors of this paper is to analyze Watson’s theory of human caring for its usefulness and worth in education, practice, and research. The reason for undertaking this analysis is to evaluate if Watson’s theory would be useful for nursing in those countries where such theories were not an established part of the nursing curriculum. Furthermore, in some European countries, their political past or cultural influences led to an unquestioned adoption of the biomedical model. As their political culture changes, many social structures have had to be revisited, and for nursing, this has meant the introduction of theoretical reasoning, teaching, and practice.
Balance Sheet Recessions with Informational and Trading Frictions

I propose a novel theory to rationalize limited sharing of macroeconomic risk that drives balance sheet recessions as a result of informational and trading frictions in financial markets. I show that borrowers and creditors will find it costly to share macroeconomic risk in environments where creditors value the liquidity of financial claims but where information about the future states of the economy is dispersed and the secondary markets for financial claims feature search frictions. As a result, borrowers will optimally choose to retain disproportionate exposures to macroeconomic risk on their balance sheets, and adverse shocks will be amplified through the balance sheet channel. I show that the magnitude of this amplification becomes closely linked to the level of information dispersion and the severity of search frictions. In this setting, I study the implications of the theory for macro-prudential regulation and find that subsidizing contingent write-downs of borrowersâ€™ liabilities can be welfare improving.
Linear Modeling of Genetic Networks from Experimental Data

In this paper, the regulatory interactions between genes are modeled by a linear genetic network that is estimated from gene expression data. The inference of such a genetic network is hampered by the dimensionality problem. This problem is inherent in all gene expression data since the number of genes by far exceeds the number of measured time points. Consequently, there are infinitely many solutions that fit the data set perfectly. In this paper, this problem is tackled by combining genes with similar expression profiles in a single prototypical 'gene'. Instead of modeling the genes individually, the relations between prototypical genes are modeled. In this way, genes that cannot be distinguished based on their expression profiles are grouped together and their common control action is modeled instead. This process reduces the number of signals and imposes a structure on the model that is supported by the fact that biological genetic networks are thought to be redundant and sparsely connected. In essence, the ambiguity in model solutions is represented explicitly by providing a generalized model that expresses the basic regulatory interactions between groups of similarly expressed genes. The modeling approach is illustrated on artificial as well as real data.
Dopaminergic control of astrocytic calcium dynamics in situ and its potential effect on local synaptic activity

Astrocytes in culture display large cytosolic calcium increases upon stimulation with dopamine, however the mechanism and physiological significance of this calcium response is still unknown. In this thesis, I demonstrate that hippocampal astrocytes in situ respond to dopamine with similar large calcium transients. I also describe a novel astrocyte calcium decrease, which appears specific to dopaminergic stimulation. Dopamine is a potent neuromodulator of hippocampal synaptic activity, as are astrocytes. However, I found no evidence to suggest that dopamine-induced calcium transients in astrocytes affect excitatory synaptic transmission and its short-term plasticity in the hippocampal stratum radiatum. In perforant path - CA1 pyramidal synapses of stratum lacunosum-moleculare, astrocytes were found to lessen the inhibitory effect of dopamine on evoked PTP. This work shows for the first time that astrocytes in situ can robustly respond to dopamine with a complex Ca2+ signal thus may participate in dopaminergic signalling in the brain.
Biosemiotic Entropy of the Genome: Mutations and Epigenetic Imbalances Resulting in Cancer

Biosemiotic entropy involves the deterioration of biological sign systems. The genome is a coded sign system that is connected to phenotypic outputs through the interpretive functions of the tRNA/ribosome machinery. This symbolic sign system (semiosis) at the core of all biology has been termed “biosemiosis”. Layers of biosemiosis and cellular information management are analogous in varying degrees to the semiotics of computer programming, spoken, and written human languages. Biosemiotic entropy — an error or deviation from a healthy state — results from errors in copying functional information (mutations) and errors in the appropriate context or quantity of gene expression (epigenetic imbalance). The concept of biosemiotic entropy is a deeply imbedded assumption in the study of cancer biology. Cells have a homeostatic, preprogrammed, ideal or healthy state that is rooted in genomics, strictly orchestrated by epigenetic regulation, and maintained by DNA repair mechanisms. Cancer is an eminent illustration of biosemiotic entropy, in which the corrosion of genetic information via substitutions, deletions, insertions, fusions, and aberrant regulation results in malignant phenotypes. However, little attention has been given to explicitly outlining the paradigm of biosemiotic entropy in the context of cancer. Herein we distill semiotic theory (from the familiar and well understood spheres of human language and computer code) to draw analogies useful for understanding the operation of biological semiosis at the genetic level. We propose that the myriad checkpoints, error correcting mechanisms, and immunities are all systems whose primary role is to defend against the constant pressure of biosemiotic entropy, which malignancy must shut down in order to achieve advanced stages. In lieu of the narrower tumor suppressor/oncogene model, characterization of oncogenesis into the biosemiotic framework of sign, index, or object entropy may allow for more effective explanatory hypotheses for cancer diagnosis, with consequence in improving profiling and bettering therapeutic outcomes.
Travel Mode Detection with Varying Smartphone Data Collection Frequencies

Smartphones are becoming increasingly popular day-by-day. Modern smartphones are more than just calling devices. They incorporate a number of high-end sensors that provide many new dimensions to smartphone experience. The use of smartphones, however, can be extended from the usual telecommunication field to applications in other specialized fields including transportation. Sensors embedded in the smartphones like GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope can collect data passively, which in turn can be processed to infer the travel mode of the smartphone user. This will solve most of the shortcomings associated with conventional travel survey methods including biased response, no response, erroneous time recording, etc. The current study uses the sensors’ data collected by smartphones to extract nine features for classification. Variables including data frequency, moving window size and proportion of data to be used for training, are dealt with to achieve better results. Random forest is used to classify the smartphone data among six modes. An overall accuracy of 99.96% is achieved, with no mode less than 99.8% for data collected at 10 Hz frequency. The accuracy is observed to decrease with decrease in data frequency, but at the same time the computation time also decreases.
The experience of emotion in Parkinson's disease and normal aging: Assessing the roles of facial expressiveness and cognitive functioning

This study was designed to assess the relationship between facial expression, selfreported emotional experience, and psychophysiological measures of emotion-related action tendencies. A secondary goal was to provide information regarding the relationship between psychophysiological action tendencies and cognitive functioning. Participants included normal elderly controls and individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), a disorder associated with impaired involuntary facial expression and executive functioning. To assess whether decreased involuntary facial expression might alter the experience, actiontendency, or autonomic physiologic components of emotion, responses to emotioneliciting slides were measured. Consistent with previous studies, increased corrugator EMG activity to negative slides and increased zygomatic EMG activity to positive slides were observed among controls. Individuals with PD were divided into two groups ~ "responders" and "non-responders" ~ based on facial EMG activity. "Responders" had a pattern of facial EMG consistent with controls, while "non-responders" were absent of significant involuntary facial emotion expression. Despite these differences in facial EMG activity, no group differences were observed on other measures of emotion components. Thus, compared to positive or neutral slides, negative slides elicited greater self-reported ratings of unpleasantness among control participants and both groups of PD participants. Across both groups, average startle responses were significantly smaller for positive compared to neutral, but not negative, slides. No significant effects of slide type on heart rate or SCR were observed in the primary analyses for any group. Regarding the second
THE RULES OF THE GAME, THE BURDEN OF NARRATIVE

Much of the commercial success that Enter The Matrix has enjoyed is the result of its relationship with the Matrix trilogy, rather than the quality of play it offers. The game was released at the same time as The Matrix Reloaded (May 2003) and immediately became the fastest-selling title in its publisher’s history. The game is part of the Matrix franchise, but whatever its allegiances, it is a computer game. More specifically, it is an action adventure computer game. As is typical with such games, the action in Enter The Matrix centres on a characterised avatar (the game’s playable protagonist). The avatar is viewed primarily from behind as they pass through a series of spaces that are accessed conditionally, and in a particular order, while the player manages a variety of quantifiable resources (health, ammunition) and confronts various obstacles and adversaries. The avatar has a menu of moves – run, climb, drive, throw, shoot, punch, etc. These potential actions are strategically triggered by the player in response to stimuli (acts, events, situations) in the game. The game is made up of levels – sequential chapters, or episodes. Between levels are non-interactive digital animations that elaborate on the game’s narrative, relate background information, or set up the next mission for the player and their avatar. Enter The Matrix also incorporates short, filmed sequences at various points. These scenes are where the game’s close links to the Matrix series are most explicit, because they feature supporting actors and sets from The Matrix Reloaded. The central characters in Enter The Matrix are minor characters in The Matrix Reloaded. Similarly, the events portrayed in Enter The Matrix, play a supporting role to events in The Matrix Reloaded. This suggests that it is possible to trace differences in status between the game and the feature films, at a textual level. If these inequities are not acknowledged or accounted for, an analysis of the franchise’s enlistment of different media for narrative ends will remain incomplete. The borders between the game and the film trilogy are permeable, blurred by the inclusion of filmed sequences into the game, and by ‘game like’ qualities in the feature films, as well as by the memories and associations carried by users as they move between these texts. It is one thing, however, to recognise that these texts share ground, and another to assume that this sharing is unproblematic or that the territory in question is uncontested.