Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Max-Margin Stacking and Sparse Regularization for Linear Classifier Combination and Selection

The main principle of stacked generalization (or Stacking) is using a second-level generalizer to combine the outputs of base classifiers in an ensemble. In this paper, we investigate different combination types under the stacking framework; namely weighted sum (WS), class-dependent weighted sum (CWS) and linear stacked generalization (LSG). For learning the weights, we propose using regularized empirical risk minimization with the hinge loss. In addition, we propose using group sparsity for regularization to facilitate classifier selection. We performed experiments using two different ensemble setups with differing diversities on 8 real-world datasets. Results show the power of regularized learning with the hinge loss function. Using sparse regularization, we are able to reduce the number of selected classifiers of the diverse ensemble without sacrificing accuracy. With the non-diverse ensembles, we even gain accuracy on average by using sparse regularization.
Nutritional status as marker for disease activity and severity predicting mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis

Objective To assess and analyse nutritional status in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and identify possible associations with clinical symptoms and its prognostic value. Methods Body mass index (BMI) and parameters of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were assessed in 124 patients with SSc and 295 healthy donors and matched for sex, age and BMI for comparisons. In patients with SSc, BMI and BIA values were compared with clinical symptoms in a cross-sectional study. In a prospective open analysis, survival and changes in the nutritional status and energy uptake induced by nutritional treatment were evaluated. Results Patients with SSc had reduced phase angle (PhA) values, body cell mass (BCM), percentages of cells, increased extracellular mass (ECM) and ECM/BCM values compared with healthy donors. Malnutrition was best reflected by the PhA values. Of the patients with SSc, 69 (55.7%) had malnutrition that was associated with severe disease and activity. As assessed by multivariate analysis, low predicted forced vital capacity and high N-terminal(NT)-proBNP values discriminated best between good and bad nutritional status. Among different clinical parameters, low PhA values were the best predictors for SSc-related mortality. BMI values were not related to disease symptoms or mortality. Fifty per cent of patients with SSc had a lower energy uptake related to their energy requirement, 19.8% related to their basal metabolism. Nutritional treatment improved the patients' nutritional status. Conclusions In patients with SSc, malnutrition is common and not identified by BMI. BIA parameters reflect disease severity and provide best predictors for patient survival. Therefore, an assessment of nutritional status should be performed in patients with SSc.
A novel speaker binary key derived from anchor models

The approach presented in this paper represents voice recordings by a novel acoustic key composed only of binary values. Except for the process being used to extract such keys, there is no need for acoustic modeling and processing in the approach proposed, as all the other elements in the system are based on the binary vectors. We show that this binary key is able to effectively model a speaker’s voice and to distinguish it from other speakers. Its main properties are its small size compared to current speaker modeling techniques and its low computational cost when comparing different speakers as it is limited to obtaining a similarity metric between two binary vectors. Furthermore, the binary key vector extraction process does not need any threshold and offers the opportunity to set the decision steps in a well defined binary domain where scores and decisions are easy to interpret and implement. Index Terms: binary key, speaker modeling, biometrics
Sex differences among adults presenting to the emergency department with acute asthma. Multicenter Asthma Research Collaboration Investigators.

BACKGROUND Asthma is an increasing problem worldwide, particularly among women. Sex differences in acute asthma presentation, management, or outcome would have important medical and economic implications. OBJECTIVE To compare emergency department (ED) visits for acute asthma among women vs men. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort study as part of the Multicenter Asthma Research Collaboration. Patients in the ED, aged 18 to 54 years, who presented with acute asthma underwent a structured interview in the ED and another by telephone 2 weeks later. The study was performed at 36 EDs in 18 states. Pregnant women with asthma were excluded (n=53). RESULTS Of 1228 patients, 64.3% were women. Women did not differ significantly from men by age or education level, but women were more likely to be insured, have a primary care provider, and use inhaled corticosteroids. Women had a higher mean+/-SD peak expiratory flow rate than men, both early (expressed as percent predicted) (53%+/-21% vs 41%+/-18%; P<.001) and late (77%+/-24% vs 65%+/-21%; P<.001) in the ED stay. Despite this, women were more likely to be admitted to a hospital (multivariate odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval; 1.3-4.0) than men. At 2-week follow-up, women had not experienced more relapse events (odds ratio, 1.1) but were 1.5 times more likely to report an ongoing exacerbation (95% confidence interval; 1.0-2.4). CONCLUSIONS Of adults who presented to the ED with acute asthma, women were almost twice as common as men. Although men received less outpatient care and had worse pulmonary function, women were more likely to be admitted to the hospital and to report an ongoing exacerbation at follow-up. Further studies are needed to better understand the complex relationship between sex and acute asthma.
A Comparison of Dense Region Detectors for Image Search and Fine-Grained Classification

We consider a pipeline for image classification or search based on coding approaches like bag of words or Fisher vectors. In this context, the most common approach is to extract the image patches regularly in a dense manner on several scales. This paper proposes and evaluates alternative choices to extract patches densely. Beyond simple strategies derived from regular interest region detectors, we propose approaches based on superpixels, edges, and a bank of Zernike filters used as detectors. The different approaches are evaluated on recent image retrieval and fine-grained classification benchmarks. Our results show that the regular dense detector is outperformed by other methods in most situations, leading us to improve the state-of-the-art in comparable setups on standard retrieval and fined-grained benchmarks. As a byproduct of our study, we show that existing methods for blob and superpixel extraction achieve high accuracy if the patches are extracted along the edges and not around the detected regions.
Local staging of prostate cancer with endorectal MR imaging: correlation with histopathology.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the accuracy of MR imaging of the prostate with an endorectal surface coil in determining presence, localization, volume, and local stage of prostate carcinoma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS MR images of 34 patients with biopsy-proven cancer were correlated retrospectively with the histologic mappings of radical prostatectomy specimens. The volume and number of tumor lesions of MR images were calculated and compared with the surgical specimens used as the gold standard. Tumor stage based on MR imaging was compared with the pathologic stage according to the TNM classification. Predictive values were calculated separately for all lesions and for the lesions correctly localized with MR imaging. RESULTS MR imaging correctly depicted the location of 67% of the tumors. Twenty percent of the lesions depicted by MR imaging appeared to be false-positive errors. The tumors that were missed were located centrally and ventrally in the prostate. Tumor volume as shown by MR imaging was within a 25% range of the actual tumor volume in 10 cases, overestimated in 16 cases, and underestimated in eight cases. Histopathology showed capsular penetration in 12 of 34 patients (35%) and in 14 of 52 lesions (27%). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were 43%, 84%, and 55%, respectively. Histologically, capsular penetration extended less than 1 mm into the periprostatic adipose tissue in seven patients. Sensitivity for capsular penetration less than 1 mm was 14%. Sensitivity for capsular penetration more than 1 mm was 71%. Accuracy for differentiating a pT2 from a pT3 tumor was 68%. CONCLUSION Results from this study indicate that the accuracy of the technique was not satisfactory for predicting actual tumor volume. Tumor detection and localization was more accurate in the peripheral zone than in the central zone. Accuracy was poor for detecting capsular penetration of less than 1 mm, but accuracy was much better for penetration of more than 1 mm. Because recent reports suggest that capsular penetration of less than 1 mm does not adversely affect surgical cure, MR imaging still may be practical in the selection of patients for radical prostatectomy.
The essence of helping: significant others and nurses in action draw men into nursing

Background: Nurses are ageing placing nursing workforce sustainability under threat. An untapped potential resource of men in nursing exists within Australia. Objective: The aim of the first phase of this longitudinal study was to investigate why men choose nursing. Design: Qualitative methodological approach used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Research question: “What are the experiences of male graduate nurses regarding their career choice? ” Method: The IPA method focused on personal subjective experience where the participants’ own sense-making is important. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a format relevant to IPA. Participants: Purposeful snowball sampling recruited nine nurses. Findings: The “essence of helping” permeated the key theme through significant others and career choice triggers impacting on their decision to enter nursing. Conclusion: Exposure to nurses in action is purported to enhance the awareness of nursing as a career option for men that may contribute to increased recruitment of men into nursing.
Physiological responses of artichoke plants to irrigation and fertilization under special recognition of salinity

Artichoke productivity is strongly affected by the amount of irrigation water and fertilization mode. Likewise, salinity is one of the most severe factors limiting bud yield and its quality. Three studies were conducted: 1) to set the adequate amount of irrigation water with determining the actual crop coefficient of artichokes, 2) to identify the optimal proportion of N and K for maximum yield and quality as well as 3) to alleviate the negative effect of salinity on artichoke productivity. The effect of four irrigation rates was evaluated in northern Egypt on the local vegetatively propagated cultivar Balady during the growing seasons 1998/1999 and 1999/2000. Seed-cultivar Green Globe was fertigated by several proportions of N and K in summer period of 2000 and 2001 in southern Germany. In sand culture, artichoke seedlings were exposed to four NaCl concentrations in the nutrient solution, and the effect of inoculation of salt-stressed plants with Bacillus subtilis, supplemental Ca into saline nutrient R.
Neurotoxicity of intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine into the rat spinal dorsal horn

To investigate the neurotoxicity of intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine, Sprague-Dawley rats were intrathecally injected with dexmedetomidine at doses of 0.75, 1.50 and 3.00 μg/kg into the spinal dorsal horn. We found that c-Fos expression in the rat spinal dorsal horn peaked at 7 hours following the 3.00 μg/kg dexmedetomidine injection, while the levels of c-Fos expression following 0.75 and 1.50 μg/kg dexmedetomidine were similar to those in the spinal dorsal horn of normal rats. At 48 hours following administration, the level of c-Fos expression was similar to normal levels. In addition, the intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine increased paw withdrawal mechanical thresholds and prolonged thermal tail flick latencies. These results indicate that dexmedetomidine has pronounced antinociceptive effects. However, dexmedetomidine appears to have neurotoxic effects in the spinal cord because it increased c-Fos expression in the spinal dorsal horn within 7 hours following administration.
Diuretics and Their Side Effects Dilemma in the Treatment of Hypertension

Diuretics have traditionally been the keystone of antihypertensive therapy. A variety of clinical trials, designed to examine the benefit of blood pressure reduction in decreasing morbidity and mortality from hypertension-related cardiovascular disease, have surprisingly failed to show a decrease in coronary artery disease death rate, although other forms of vascular disease were impressively reduced. These trials have consistently used diuretics as the initial therapeutic choice. Such observations have stimulated a reevaluation of the “stepped-care” approach and a critical appraisal of diuretic effects. This review examines the efficacy of diuretics in reducing blood pressure and attempts to identify individuals most likely to respond to these agents. The side effects of diuretic therapy are reviewed in hemodynamic, cardiac, metabolic, and symptomatic terms, but because some of these aspects of diuretic or antihypertensive therapy are detailed elsewhere in this monograph, the present discussion focuses on cardiac, metabolic, hemodynamic, and symptomatic effects. Finally, alternative therapeutic options and guidelines for therapy are outlined.
Specific regulation of SOD isoforms by NaCl and osmotic stress in leaves of the C3 halophyte Suaeda salsa L.

The halophyte Suaeda salsa L. , exposed to different NaCl concentrations (100 and 400 mmol/L) and polyethylene glycol (isoosomotic to 100 mmol/L NaCl) containing nutrient solutions under normal or K+-deficient conditions for 7 days, was used to study effects of NaCl salinity and osmotic stress on chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, malonedialdehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoform activities. Photosynthetic capacity was not decreased by NaCl treatment, indicating that S. salsa possesses an effective antioxidative response system for avoiding oxidative damage. Seven SOD activity bands were detected in S. salsa leaf extracts, including an Mn-SOD and several isoforms of Fe-SOD and CuZn-SOD. It turned out that NaCl salinity and osmotic stress lead to a differential regulation of distinct SOD isoenzymes. This differential regulation is suggested to play a major role in stress tolerance of S. salsa.
Transformation-deficient mutants of Bacillus subtilis impaired in competence-specific nuclease activities

A comparison of the nucleolytic activities in competent and physiologically low-competent wild-type cultures of Bacillus subtilis in DNA-containing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels revealed the existence of three competence-associated nuclease activities with apparent molecular weights of 13,000, 15,000, and 26,000. The three activities, which were dependent on manganese or magnesium ions, were specifically present in the competent fraction of a competent culture. The competence-associated nucleolytic activities of eight transformation-defective mutant strains were assayed, resulting in the following three classes of mutants: (i) four strains which, according to this assay, were not impaired in any of the nucleolytic activities mentioned above; (ii) one strain which was strongly impaired in the 13,000- and 26,000-molecular-weight activities, but showed a considerable level of the 15,000-molecular-weight activity; and (iii) three strains which were severely impaired in all three activities. The results indicated that the 26,000-molecular-weight activity was a dimer of the 13,000-molecular-weight activity and that this nuclease was involved in the entry of DNA.
A Least Squares Q-Learning Algorithm for Optimal Stopping Problems

We consider the solution of discounted optimal stopping problems using linear function approximation methods. A Q-learning algorithm for such problems, proposed by Tsitsiklis and Van Roy, is based on the method of temporal dierences and stochastic approximation. We propose alternative algorithms, which are based on projected value iteration ideas and least squares. We prove the convergence of some of these algorithms and discuss their properties.
Thoracic Rat Spinal Cord Contusion Injury Induces Remote Spinal Gliogenesis but Not Neurogenesis or Gliogenesis in the Brain

After spinal cord injury, transected axons fail to regenerate, yet significant, spontaneous functional improvement can be observed over time. Distinct central nervous system regions retain the capacity to generate new neurons and glia from an endogenous pool of progenitor cells and to compensate neural cell loss following certain lesions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether endogenous cell replacement (neurogenesis or gliogenesis) in the brain (subventricular zone, SVZ; corpus callosum, CC; hippocampus, HC; and motor cortex, MC) or cervical spinal cord might represent a structural correlate for spontaneous locomotor recovery after a thoracic spinal cord injury. Adult Fischer 344 rats received severe contusion injuries (200 kDyn) of the mid-thoracic spinal cord using an Infinite Horizon Impactor. Uninjured rats served as controls. From 4 to 14 days post-injury, both groups received injections of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to label dividing cells. Over the course of six weeks post-injury, spontaneous recovery of locomotor function occurred. Survival of newly generated cells was unaltered in the SVZ, HC, CC, and the MC. Neurogenesis, as determined by identification and quantification of doublecortin immunoreactive neuroblasts or BrdU/neuronal nuclear antigen double positive newly generated neurons, was not present in non-neurogenic regions (MC, CC, and cervical spinal cord) and unaltered in neurogenic regions (dentate gyrus and SVZ) of the brain. The lack of neuronal replacement in the brain and spinal cord after spinal cord injury precludes any relevance for spontaneous recovery of locomotor function. Gliogenesis was increased in the cervical spinal cord remote from the injury site, however, is unlikely to contribute to functional improvement.
Long-term effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy on cardiovascular outcomes in sleep apnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality, principally from cardiovascular disease, but the impact of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is unclear. METHODS We performed a long-term follow-up study of 168 patients with OSAS who had begun receiving CPAP therapy at least 5 years previously, most of whom had been prospectively followed up, having been the subject of an earlier report on cardiovascular risk factors in OSAS patients. The average follow-up period was 7.5 years. We compared the cardiovascular outcomes of those patients who were intolerant of CPAP (untreated group, 61 patients) with those continuing CPAP therapy (107 patients). RESULTS CPAP-treated patients had a higher median apnea-hypopnea index score than the untreated group (48.3 [interquartile range (IQR), 33.6 to 66.4] vs 36.7 [IQR, 27.4 to 55], respectively; p = 0.02), but age, body mass index, and time since diagnosis were similar. Deaths from cardiovascular disease were more common in the untreated group than in the CPAP-treated group during follow-up (14.8% vs 1.9%, respectively; p = 0.009 [log rank test]), but no significant differences were found in the development of new cases of hypertension, cardiac disorder, or stroke. Total cardiovascular events (ie, death and new cardiovascular disease combined) were more common in the untreated group than in the CPAP-treated group (31% vs 18%, respectively; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The data support a protective effect of CPAP therapy against death from cardiovascular disease in patients with OSAS.
On the origin of high‐velocity runaway stars

We explore the hypothesis that some high-velocity runaway stars attain their peculiar velocities in the course of exchange encounters between hard massive binaries and a very massive star (either an ordinary 50-100 M-circle dot star or a more massive one, formed through runaway mergers of ordinary stars in the core of a young massive star cluster). In this process, one of the binary components becomes gravitationally bound to the very massive star, while the second one is ejected, sometimes with a high speed. We performed three-body scattering experiments and found that early B-type stars (the progenitors of the majority of neutron stars) can be ejected with velocities of greater than or similar to 200-400 km s(-1) (typical of pulsars), while 3-4 M-circle dot stars can attain velocities of greater than or similar to 300-400 km s(-1) (typical of the bound population of halo late B-type stars). We also found that the ejected stars can occasionally attain velocities exceeding the Milky Ways's escape velocity.
Customized atomicity specification for transactional workflows

We introduce a new approach for specifying transaction management requirements for workflow applications. We propose independent models for the specification of workflow and transaction properties. Although we distinguish multiple transaction properties in our approach, we focus on atomicity. We propose an intuitive notation to specify atomicity and provide generic rules to integrate the workflow specification and the atomicity specification into one single model based on Petri nets. The integrated model can be checked for correctness. We call this correctness criterion relaxed soundness as a weaker notion of the existing soundness criterion. We can relax the correctness criterion because we rely on run-time transaction management. A real life example shows the applicability of the concepts.
IGF-1 and growth response to adult height in a randomized GH treatment trial in short non-GH-deficient children.

CONTEXT GH treatment significantly increased adult height (AH) in a dose-dependent manner in short non-GH-deficient children in a randomized, controlled, clinical trial; the mean gain in height SD score (heightSDS) was 1.3 (range 0-3), compared with 0.2 in the untreated group. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between IGF-1SDS, IGF binding protein-3 SDS (IGFBP3SDS), and their ratioSDS with a gain in the heightSDS until AH in non-GH-deficient short children. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a randomized, controlled, multicenter clinical trial. INTERVENTION The intervention included GH treatment: 33 or 67 μg/kg · d plus untreated controls. SUBJECTS One hundred fifty-one non-GH-deficient short children were included in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population and 108 in the per-protocol (PP) population; 112 children in the ITT and 68 children in the PP populations had idiopathic short stature (ISS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Increments from baseline to on-treatment study mean IGF-1SDS (ΔIGF-1SDS), IGFBP3SDS, and IGF-1 to IGFBP3 ratioSDS were assessed in relationship to the gain in heightSDS. RESULTS Sixty-two percent of the variance in the gain in heightSDS in children on GH treatment could be explained by four variables: ΔIGF-1SDS (explaining 28%), bone age delay, birth length (the taller the better), and GH dose (the higher the better). The lower IGF-1SDS was at baseline, the higher was its increment during treatment. For both the AllPP- and the ISSPP-treated groups, the attained IGF-1SDS study level did not correlate with height gain. CONCLUSION In short non-GH-deficient children, the GH dose-related increment in IGF-1SDS from baseline to mean study level was the most important explanatory variable for long-term growth response from the peripubertal period until AH, when IGF-1SDS, IGFBP3SDS, and their ratioSDS were compared concurrently.