Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost-Effectiveness of Open Versus Laparoscopic Repair for Primary Inguinal Hernia

Abstract A cost-effectiveness (CE) analysis was performed of Bassini versus laparoscopic repair for primary inguinal hernia. Incremental costs per 1 -year recurrence-free patient were calculated for the societal and hospital perspective. From the hospital perspective, the incremental CE ratio of laparoscopic repair is 5.348 guilders. From the societal perspective, laparoscopic repair is both less costly and more effective than Bassini repair. Results were sensitive to assumptions about recurrence rates, laparoscopic operating time, and return to work. Laparoscopic repair should replace Bassini repair in order to benefit society. From the hospital perspective, the decision to accept laparoscopic repair depends on the willingness to pay.
An Impossibility Result for Reconstruction in a Degree-Corrected Planted-Partition Model

We consider a degree-corrected planted-partition model: a random graph on $n$ nodes with two equal-sized clusters. The model parameters are two constants $a,b > 0$ and an i.i. d. sequence $(\phi_i)_{i=1}^n$, with second moment $\Phi^2$. Vertices $i$ and $j$ are joined by an edge with probability $\frac{\phi_i \phi_j}{n}a$ whenever they are in the same class and with probability $\frac{\phi_i \phi_j}{n}b$ otherwise. We prove that the underlying community structure cannot be accurately recovered from observations of the graph when $(a-b)^2 \Phi^2 \leq 2(a+b)$.
Analysis of C-band Polarimetric Signatures of Arctic Lead Ice using Data from AIRSAR and RADARSAT-1

In December 2004 the JPL airborne synthetic aperture radar (AIRSAR) flown on the NASA DC-8 acquired fully polarimetric data in the Beaufort Sea at C, L and P-band. This work presents the backscatter coefficients (sigmaHH, sigmaVV, sigmaHV), copolarized ratios (sigmaHH/sigmaVV) and copolarized phase differences (phiHH-VV) at C-band from different young sea-ice types formed in recently frozen leads. Two weeks of RADARSAT-1 imagery from the same region as the AIRSAR data were used in order to identify when and where leads were formed and to estimate the age of the newly formed ice contained within the leads. A known empirical relationship based on freezing degree days was used to estimate the sea-ice thickness. The results indicate that some of the identified thin ice types have characteristic signatures.
Impact of integrated upper limb spasticity management including botulinum toxin A on patient-centred goal attainment: rationale and protocol for an international prospective, longitudinal cohort study (ULIS-III)

Objectives Describe the rationale and protocol for the Upper Limb International Spasticity (ULIS)-III study, which aims to evaluate the impact of integrated spasticity management, involving multiple botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection cycles and concomitant therapies, on patient-centred goal attainment. Outline novel outcome assessment methods for ULIS-III and report initial evaluation data from goal setting in early stages of the study. Design Large international longitudinal cohort study of integrated upper limb spasticity management, including BoNT-A. Participants and setting ULIS-III is a 2-year study expected to enrol >1000 participants at 58 study centres across 14 countries. Interventions The study design is non-interventional and intended to reflect real-life clinical practice. It will describe injection practices and additional treatment strategies, and record clinical decision-making in a serial approach to long-term spasticity management. Outcome measures ULIS-III will use a goal-directed approach to selection of targeted standardised measures to capture the diversity of presentation, goals and outcomes. ULIS-III will implement the Upper Limb Spasticity Index, a battery of assessments including a structured approach to goal attainment scaling (Goal Attainment Scaling—Evaluation of Outcomes for Upper Limb Spasticity tool), alongside a limited set of standardised measures, chosen according to patients' selected goal areas. Concomitant therapy inputs, patient satisfaction with engagement in goal setting, health economic end points and health-related quality of life data will also be captured. Results of initial evaluation of goal quality Recruitment started in January 2015. By June 2015, 58 sites had been identified and initial data collected for 79 patients across 13 sites in 3 countries. Goal setting data were quality-checked and centres rated on the basis of function-related and Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed (SMART) characteristics of goal statements. Overall, 11/13 centres achieved the highest rating (A++). Conclusions ULIS-III will provide valuable information regarding treatment of and outcomes from real-life upper limb spasticity management worldwide. Trial registration number NCT02454803; Pre-results.
An Integration of Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Storage: An Holistic Approach

The importance of integrating storage of knowledge with knowledge transfer has been ignored in the knowledge management, particularly knowledge transfer, literatures. Knowledge is regarded as a primary source of value creation in an organization. However, knowledge is distributed asymmetrically in any firm. As a result, distributed knowledge has to be integrated through knowledge transfer process. Moreover, the storage of knowledge repositories is also crucial for future use and reference. After having the transfer of knowledge through social interaction, the Web based technology is a powerful means for communication between organizational members in order to transfer knowledge regardless of their location. Such technology also allows for the storage of the transferred knowledge. Using the insights from the existing studies, this paper addresses an issue relating to the linkage of the knowledge transfer and the knowledge storage. The main contribution of this paper is the adoption of a holistic and integrated approach that supports the connectivity of knowledge transfer and storage through social and technological networks, when developing a framework for the successful accomplishment of knowledge transfer. This discussion is actually taken a first step towards developing some arguments about such interaction in order to broaden our understanding of the notion of knowledge transfer.
A recursive way for sparse reconstruction of parametric spaces

A novel recursive framework for sparse reconstruction of continuous parameter spaces is proposed by adaptive partitioning and discretization of the parameter space together with expectation maximization type iterations. Any sparse solver or reconstruction technique can be used within the proposed recursive framework. Experimental results show that proposed technique improves the parameter estimation performance of classical sparse solvers while achieving Cramér-Rao lower bound on the tested frequency estimation problem.
Regulation of KinI kinesin ATPase activity by binding to the microtubule lattice

KinI kinesins are important in regulating the complex dynamics of the microtubule cytoskeleton. They are unusual in that they depolymerize, rather than move along microtubules. To determine the attributes of KinIs that distinguish them from translocating kinesins, we examined the ATPase activity, microtubule affinity, and three-dimensional microtubule-bound structure of a minimal KinI motor domain. Together, the kinetic, affinity, and structural data lead to the conclusion that on binding to the microtubule lattice, KinIs release ADP and enter a stable, low-affinity, regulated state, from which they do not readily progress through the ATPase cycle. This state may favor detachment, or diffusion of the KinI to its site of action, the microtubule ends. Unlike conventional translocating kinesins, which are microtubule lattice–stimulated ATPases, it seems that with KinIs, nucleotide-mediated modulation of tubulin affinity is only possible when it is coupled to protofilament deformation. This provides an elegant mechanistic basis for their unique depolymerizing activity.
Comparative study on the stem cell phenotypes of C6 cells under different culture conditions.

BACKGROUND Glioma stem cell (GSC) hypothesis posits that a subpopulation of cells within gliomas have true clonogenic and tumorigenic potential. Significantly, a more controversial correlate to GSC is that cells in different culture conditions might display distinct stem cell properties. Considering these possibilities, we applied an approach comparing stem cell characteristics of C6 glioma cells under different culture conditions. METHODS C6 cells were cultured under three different growth conditions, i.e., adherent growth in conventional 10% serum medium, non-adherent spheres growth in serum-free medium, as well as adherent growth on laminin-coated flask in serum-free medium. Growth characteristics were detected contrastively through neurosphere formation assay and cell cycle analysis. Markers were determined by immunofluorescence, relative-quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, Western blotting and flow cytometry. Side population cells were analyzed via flow cytometry. Tumor models were detected by magnetic resonance imaging and hematoxylin & eosin staining. Data analyses were performed with SPSS software (17.0). RESULTS C6 cells (C6-Adh, C6-SC-Sph and C6-SC-Adh) showed distinctive growth patterns and proliferation capacity. Compared to suspending C6-SC-Sph, adherent C6-Adh and C6-SC-Adh displayed higher growth ratio. C6-SC-Sph and C6-SC-Adh showed enhanced capability of neurosphere formation and self-renewal. High side population ratio was detected in C6-SC-Sph and C6-SC-Adh. CD133 was not detected in all three kinds of cells. Conversely, Nestin and β-III-tubulin were demonstrated positive, nonetheless with no statistical significance (P > 0.05). Interestingly, lower expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein was demonstrated in C6-SC-Sph and C6-SC-Adh. C6-Adh, C6-SC-Sph and C6-SC-Adh were all displayed in situ oncogenicity, while statistical difference of survival time was not confirmed. CONCLUSIONS C6 glioma cell line is endowed with some GSC phenotypes that can be moderately enriched in vitro when transferred into stem cell culture condition. The resultant tumor-spheres may be not a prerequisite or sound source of GSCs and adherent culture in stem cell medium is not a growth condition in favor of GSCs expanding in vivo.
Consequences of fisheries-induced evolution for population productivity and recovery potential

Fisheries-induced evolution has become a major branch of the research on anthropogenic and contemporary evolution. Within the conservation context, fisheries-induced evolution has been hypothesized to negatively affect the persistence and recovery potential of depleted populations, but this has not been explicitly investigated. Here, we investigate how fisheries-induced evolution of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) life histories affects per capita population growth rate, a parameter negatively correlated with extinction risk. We simulate the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of a cod population for a 100 year period of size-selective harvesting, followed thereafter by 300 years of recovery. To evaluate the relative importance of harvest-induced evolution, we either allowed life histories to evolve during and after the fishing period, or we assumed that fisheries-induced evolution was absent. Population growth rates did not differ appreciably between the evolutionary and non-evolutionary simulation scenarios, despite the emergence of rather pronounced differences in life histories. The underlying reason was that in the absence of fishing the cumulative lifetime reproductive outputs were very similar among differing life histories. The results suggest that fisheries-induced evolution might not always have as clear-cut an effect on population growth rate as previously anticipated.
Never-Ending Learning

Whereas people learn many different types of knowledge from diverse experiences over many years, most current machine learning systems acquire just a single function or data model from just a single data set. We propose a neverending learning paradigm for machine learning, to better reflect the more ambitious and encompassing type of learning performed by humans. As a case study, we describe the Never-Ending Language Learner (NELL), which achieves some of the desired properties of a never-ending learner, and we discuss lessons learned. NELL has been learning to read the web 24 hours/day since January 2010, and so far has acquired a knowledge base with over 80 million confidenceweighted beliefs (e.g., servedWith(tea, biscuits)). NELL has also learned millions of features and parameters that enable it to read these beliefs from the web. Additionally, it has learned to reason over these beliefs to infer new beliefs, and is able to extend its ontology by synthesizing new relational predicates. NELL can be tracked online at http://rtw.ml. cmu.edu, and followed on Twitter at @CMUNELL.
A spontaneous breathing trial with pressure support overestimates readiness for extubation in children

Objective: To evaluate the performance of an extubation readiness test based on a spontaneous breathing trial using pressure support. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit. Patients: All infants and children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit requiring intubation from July 2007 to December 2008 were eligible for this study. Interventions: Routine use of an extubation readiness test using pressure support set according to endotracheal tube size to determine completion of weaning and readiness for extubation. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 755 extubation readiness tests were performed in 538 patients with a pass rate of 83%. Of 500 children who passed the extubation readiness test and were extubated without planned noninvasive ventilation use, the extubation failure rate was 11.2% (5.8% required reintubation). Extubation failure was defined as need for noninvasive ventilation or reintubation within 24 hrs of planned extubation. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between duration of mechanical ventilation and extubation failure. Children ventilated for over 48 hrs had an 18.5% failure rate despite passing an extubation readiness test before extubation and the extubation readiness test was not a significant predictor of extubation success. Most extubation failures were the result of inadequate gas exchange attributable to lower respiratory tract dysfunction. Conclusions: A spontaneous breathing trial using pressure support set at higher levels for smaller endotracheal tubes overestimates readiness for extubation in children and contributes to a higher failed extubation rate. The objective data obtained during an extubation readiness test may help to identify patients who will benefit from extubation to noninvasive ventilation.
Spatial organization of receptive fields of V1 neurons of alert monkeys: comparison with responses to gratings.

We studied the spatial organization of receptive fields and the responses to gratings of neurons in parafoveal V1 of alert monkeys. Activating regions (ARs) of 228 cells were mapped with increment and decrement bars while compensating for fixational eye movements. For cells with two or more ARs, the overlap between ARs responsive to increments (INC) and ARs responsive to decrements (DEC) was characterized by a quantitative overlap index (OI). The distribution of overlap indices was bimodal. The larger group (78% of cells) was composed of complex cells with strongly overlapping ARs (OI >/= 0.5). The smaller group (14%) was composed of simple cells with minimal spatial overlap of ARs (OI </= 0.3). Simple cells were preferentially located in layers dominated by the magnocellular pathway. A third group of neurons, the monocontrast cells (8%), responded only to one sign of contrast and had more sustained responses to flashed stimuli than other cells. One hundred fourteen neurons were also studied with drifting sinusoidal gratings of various spatial frequencies and window widths. For complex cells, the relative modulation (RM, the ratio of the 1st harmonic to the mean firing rate), ranged from 0.6 +/- 0.4 to 1.1 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SD), depending on the stimulus conditions and the mode of correction for eye movements. RM was not correlated with the degree of overlap of ARs, indicating that the spatial organization of receptive fields cannot reliably be predicted from RM values. In fact, a subset of complex cells had RM > 1, the traditional criterion for identifying simple cells. However, unlike simple cells, even those complex cells with high RM could exhibit diverse nonlinear responses when the spatial frequency or window size was changed. Furthermore, the responses of complex cells to counterphase gratings were predominantly nonlinear even harmonics. These results show that RM is not a robust test of linearity. Our results indicate that complex cells are the most frequently encountered neurons in primate V1, and their behavior needs to receive more emphasis in models of visual function.
The Dynamics of Commodity Spot and Futures Markets: A Primer

I discuss the short-run dynamics of commodity prices, production, ami inventories, as well as the sources and effects of market volatility. I explain how prices, rates of production, and inventory levels are interrelated, and are determined via equilibrium in two interconnected markets: a cash market for spot purchases and sales of the commodity, and a market for storage. I show how equilibrium in these markets affects and is affected by changes in the level of price volatility. I also explain the role and behavior of commodity futures markets, and the relationship between spot prices, futures prices, and inventory behavior. I illustrate these ideas with data for the petroleum complex - crude oil, heating oil, and gasoline - over the past two decades.
Catecholaminergic Control of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling in Paraventricular Neuroendocrine Neurons In Vivo and In Vitro: A Proposed Role during Glycemic Challenges

Paraventricular hypothalamic (PVH) corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neuroendocrine neurons mount neurosecretory and transcriptional responses to glycemic challenges [intravenous 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) or insulin]. Although these responses require signals from intact afferents originating from hindbrain CA (catecholaminergic) neurons, the identity of these signals and the mechanisms by which they are transduced by PVH neurons during glycemic challenge remain unclear. Here, we tested whether the prototypical catecholamine, norepinephrine (NE), can reproduce PVH neuroendocrine responses to glycemic challenge. Because these responses include phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases [extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2)], we also determined whether NE activates ERK1/2 in PVH neurons and, if so, by what mechanism. We show that systemic insulin and 2-DG, and PVH-targeted NE microinjections, rapidly elevated PVH phospho-ERK1/2 levels. NE increased Crh and c-fos expression, together with circulating ACTH/corticosterone. However, because injections also increased c-Fos mRNA in other brain regions, we used hypothalamic slices maintained in vitro to clarify whether NE activates PVH neurons without contribution of inputs from distal regions. In slices, bath-applied NE triggered robust phospho-ERK1/2 immunoreactivity in PVH (including CRH) neurons, which attenuated markedly in the presence of the α1 adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin, or the MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, U0126 (1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio]butadiene). Therefore, at a systems level, local PVH delivery of NE is sufficient to account for hindbrain activation of CRH neuroendocrine neurons during glycemic challenge. At a cellular level, these data provide the first demonstration that MAP kinase signaling cascades (MEK→ERK) are intracellular transducers of noradrenergic signals in CRH neurons, and implicate this transduction mechanism as an important component of central neuroendocrine responses during glycemic challenge.
Institutional Trade Persistence and Long-Term Equity Returns

How does the trading behaviour of institutional money managers affect stock prices? In this paper we document a robust relationship between the net trade patterns of institutional money managers and long term equity returns. Examining quarterly data on US institutional holdings from 1983 to 2004, we find evidence that stocks that have been persistently bought (sold) by institutions in the past 3 to 5 quarters underperform (overperform) the rest of the market in the next 12 to 30 months. Our results are of a similar magnitude to, but distinct from, other known asset pricing anomalies. Furthermore, we find that institutional investors show an aggregate tendency to trade in the direction of past institutional trades, buying stocks that have been persistently bought and selling stocks that have been persistently sold. We present a simple model of career-concerned trading by delegated portfolio managers that generates results consistent with our empirical findings.
Lung transplantation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Correspondence: Theodore G Liou 26 North Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA Tel +1 801 581 7806 Fax +1 801 585 3355 Email ted.liou@utah.edu Abstract: Patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comprise the largest single lung disease group undergoing transplantation. Selection of appropriate candidates requires consideration of specific clinical characteristics, prognosis in the absence of transplantation, and likely outcome of transplantation. Increased availability of alternatives to transplantation for end-stage patients and the many efforts to increase the supply of donor organs have complicated decision making for selecting transplant candidates. Many years of technical and clinical refinements in lung transplantation methods have improved survival and quality of life outcomes. Further advances will probably come from improved selection methods for the procedure. Because no prospective trial has been performed, and because of confounding and informative censoring bias inherent in the transplant selection process in studies of the existing experience, the survival effect of lung transplant in COPD patients remains undefined. There is a lack of conclusive data on the impact of lung transplantation on quality of life. For some patients with end-stage COPD, lung transplantation remains the only option for further treatment with a hope of improved survival and quality of life. A prospective trial of lung transplantation is needed to provide better guidance concerning survival benefit, resource utilization, and quality of life effects for patients with COPD.
Information Theory of Matrix Completion

Matrix completion is a fundamental problem that comes up in a variety of applications like the Netflix problem, collaborative filtering, computer vision, and crowdsourcing. The goal of the problem is to recover a k-by-n unknown matrix from a subset of its noiseless (or noisy) entries. We define an information-theoretic notion of completion capacity C that quantifies the maximum number of entries that one observation of an entry can resolve. This number provides the minimum number m of entries required for reliable reconstruction: m=kn/C. Translating the problem into a distributed joint source-channel coding problem with encoder restriction, we characterize the completion capacity for a wide class of stochastic models of the unknown matrix and the observation process. Our achievability proof is inspired by that of the Slepian-Wolf theorem. For an arbitrary stochastic matrix, we derive an upper bound on the completion capacity.