Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hospital teaching status and outcomes of complex surgical procedures in the United States.

HYPOTHESIS Complex operations performed in teaching hospitals have similar outcomes as those performed in nonteaching hospitals. DESIGN Observational cohort study with clinical patient data obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample data were linked to the American Hospital Association hospital survey data for 1997 to determine hospital characteristics. Hospitals were considered high volume if they performed more than the median (50th percentile) number of procedures per year. SETTING Nationally representative sample of hospitals during 1996 and 1997. PATIENTS Individuals undergoing esophageal resection (n = 1247), hepatic resection (n = 2073), or pancreatic resection (n = 3337) in Nationwide Inpatient Sample hospitals during 1996 and 1997 were included. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES Unadjusted and adjusted in-hospital mortality and prolonged length of stay (>75th percentile). RESULTS None of the procedures had higher operative mortality rates at teaching hospitals. In unadjusted analyses, pancreatic resection (4.0% vs 8.8%; P<.001), hepatic resection (5.3% vs 8.0%; P =.03), and esophageal resection (7.7% vs 10.2%; P =.10) had lower operative mortality rates at teaching compared with nonteaching hospitals. However, after adjusting for hospital volume in the multivariate analysis, hospital teaching status was no longer a predictor of operative mortality. CONCLUSIONS Teaching hospitals have lower operative mortality rates for complex surgical procedures. However, the lower mortality rates at teaching hospitals can be explained by higher procedural volume.
Unsupervised Models of Text Structure

Models of text structure are necessary for applications that generate te xt. These models provide information about what content fits together and how to organize the conten t as coherent text. In some domains such as newswire, biographies and stories for children, texts tend to have similar content and structure. Such regularities have allowed the development of unsupervised methods to learn text structure using human-written examples from such domains. We survey some of the recently proposed approaches in this area and review their use in differ ent text generation tasks. First, we consider approaches with a focus on computational semantics. We review work aiming to discover patterns of related events from news articles and children’s s tories. We consider one application of such knowledge‐an automatic story-telling system. Next, we move to methods which focus on coherence and organization. We describe these in the context of two generation tasks‐sentence ordering and the creation of long articles. In view of the sentence ordering problem, we survey approaches targeted at learning properties of coherent transitions between adjacent sentences in texts. Then, we consider the generation of long biographical descriptions. Here we survey recent work on automatically generating such articles using higher level patterns in text structure such as subtopics and their or ganization.
Making induction manifest in modular ACL2

ACL2, a Common Lisp-based language for programming and theorem proving, has enjoyed industrial success despite lacking modern language features such as a module system. In previous work, we equipped ACL2 with modules, interfaces, and explicit linking and measured our system with a series of experiments. One experiment revealed a serious lack of expressivity; the interfaces cannot describe the induction schemes necessary to reason about exported functions with nontrivial patterns of recursion. In this paper we revise our language, Modular ACL2, to overcome this weakness. The first novelty is the inclusion of manifest function definitions in interfaces from which ACL2 can infer induction schemes. The second novelty consists of the first proofs of soundness and expressivity for Modular ACL2; we also reaffirm the usefulness of our system with updated benchmarks.
Premature Discontinuation of Randomized Trials in Critical and Emergency Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives:Randomized clinical trials that enroll patients in critical or emergency care (acute care) setting are challenging because of narrow time windows for recruitment and the inability of many patients to provide informed consent. To assess the extent that recruitment challenges lead to randomized clinical trial discontinuation, we compared the discontinuation of acute care and nonacute care randomized clinical trials. Design:Retrospective cohort of 894 randomized clinical trials approved by six institutional review boards in Switzerland, Germany, and Canada between 2000 and 2003. Setting:Randomized clinical trials involving patients in an acute or nonacute care setting. Subjects and Interventions:We recorded trial characteristics, self-reported trial discontinuation, and self-reported reasons for discontinuation from protocols, corresponding publications, institutional review board files, and a survey of investigators. Measurements and Main Results:Of 894 randomized clinical trials, 64 (7%) were acute care randomized clinical trials (29 critical care and 35 emergency care). Compared with the 830 nonacute care randomized clinical trials, acute care randomized clinical trials were more frequently discontinued (28 of 64, 44% vs 221 of 830, 27%; p = 0.004). Slow recruitment was the most frequent reason for discontinuation, both in acute care (13 of 64, 20%) and in nonacute care randomized clinical trials (7 of 64, 11%). Logistic regression analyses suggested the acute care setting as an independent risk factor for randomized clinical trial discontinuation specifically as a result of slow recruitment (odds ratio, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.72–9.31) after adjusting for other established risk factors, including nonindustry sponsorship and small sample size. Conclusions:Acute care randomized clinical trials are more vulnerable to premature discontinuation than nonacute care randomized clinical trials and have an approximately four-fold higher risk of discontinuation due to slow recruitment. These results highlight the need for strategies to reliably prevent and resolve slow patient recruitment in randomized clinical trials conducted in the critical and emergency care setting.
Melatonin reduces disseminate neuronal death after mild focal ischemia in mice via inhibition of caspase‐3 and is suitable as an add‐on treatment to tissue‐plasminogen activator

Abstract: The effects of i.p. melatonin (4 + 4 mg/kg, after induction of ischemia and at reperfusion onset) administered either alone or in combination with the thrombolytic tissue‐plasminogen activator (t‐PA, 10 mg/kg), on cerebral laser Doppler flow (LDF) and ischemic injury were studied after 30 min of middle cerebral artery (MCA) thread occlusion in male C57BL/6 mice. Thread occlusions resulted in reproducible focal ischemias, followed by hyperperfusion reactions immediately after thread withdrawal, as revealed by LDF measurements. Compared with animals receiving normal saline (peak LDF after reperfusion: 172.0 ± 24.2%), postischemic LDF was significantly attenuated in animals treated with melatonin (105.1 ± 6.7%, P < 0.05). Delivery of t‐PA (132.8 ± 22.3%) or t‐PA plus melatonin (164.7 ± 36.7%), on the contrary, did not influence postischemic LDF recordings. Twenty‐four hours after reperfusion, melatonin treated mice had significantly increased neuronal survival and decreased disseminate cell injury in the ischemia‐vulnerable striatum, as investigated by cresyl violet and terminal transferase biotinylated‐dUTP nick end labeling stainings. The protective effects were associated with inhibition of caspase‐3 activity. Melatonin administration also increased neuronal survival after 30 min MCA occlusion in animals treated with t‐PA, although t‐PA itself already decreased the degree of injury in a significant manner. Our data demonstrate that melatonin reduces disseminated neuronal injury in the striatum after mild focal ischemia. Brain protection is independent of hemodynamic changes and involves inhibition of caspase‐3.
Observation of Two Distinct Superconducting Phases in CeCu2Si2

We report the presence of two disconnected superconducting domes in the pressure-temperature phase diagram of partially germanium-substituted CeCu2Si2. The lower density superconducting dome lies on the threshold of antiferromagnetic order, indicating magnetically mediated pairing, whereas the higher density superconducting regime straddles a weakly first-order volume collapse, suggesting a pairing interaction based on spatially extended density fluctuations. Two distinct pairing mechanisms thus appear to operate in the single, wide, superconducting range of stoichiometric CeCu2Si2, both of which might apply more generally to other classes of correlated electron systems.
Reducing TNF Receptor 2+ Regulatory T Cells via the Combined Action of Azacitidine and the HDAC Inhibitor, Panobinostat for Clinical Benefit in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Purpose: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) provides an environment that enables immune suppression, resulting in functionally defective effector T cells; regulatory T cells (Treg) are significant contributors to the impaired antitumor immune response. As TNF is present at high levels in AML and TNF receptor-2 (TNFR2)–expressing Tregs identify highly functional Tregs, we examine the hypothesis that TNFR2+ Tregs are a relevant Treg subset in this cancer. We also determine the effect of the novel combinatorial therapy of the demethylating agent, azacitidine with the histone deacetylase inhibitor, panobinostat on Tregs, particularly TNFR2+ Tregs. Experimental Design: Thirty healthy donors and 14 patients with AML were enrolled in this study. Patients were treated with azacitidine and panobinostat for 28-day cycles. The frequency and functional relevance of TNFR2+ Tregs were analyzed subsequently. Results: We report that TNFR2+ Tregs are increased in AML and have a high migration potential toward the bone marrow. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the level of TNFR2+ Tregs in the peripheral blood and the bone marrow of patients are decreased in vivo after exposure to panobinostat and azacitidine. Reductions in TNFR2+ Tregs were associated with increases in Interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-2 production by effector T cells within the bone marrow and beneficial clinical responses. In vitro mechanistic studies indicated panobinostat as the primary driver for the reduction of Tregs. Conclusions: Our study provides for the first time, in vivo validation of the ability of panobinostat in combination with azacitidine to suppress prevalent TNFR2+ Tregs, resulting in clinical benefits within patients with AML. Clin Cancer Res; 20(3); 724–35. ©2013 AACR.
Free Fatty Acids Link Metabolism and Regulation of the Insulin-Sensitizing Fibroblast Growth Factor-21

OBJECTIVE Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 improves insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism in obese or diabetic animal models, while human studies revealed increased FGF-21 levels in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Given that FGF-21 has been suggested to be a peroxisome proliferator–activator receptor (PPAR) α–dependent regulator of fasting metabolism, we hypothesized that free fatty acids (FFAs), natural agonists of PPARα, might modify FGF-21 levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The effect of fatty acids on FGF-21 was investigated in vitro in HepG2 cells. Within a randomized controlled trial, the effects of elevated FFAs were studied in 21 healthy subjects (13 women and 8 men). Within a clinical trial including 17 individuals, the effect of insulin was analyzed using an hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and the effect of PPARγ activation was studied subsequently in a rosiglitazone treatment trial over 8 weeks. RESULTS Oleate and linoleate increased FGF-21 expression and secretion in a PPARα-dependent fashion, as demonstrated by small-interfering RNA–induced PPARα knockdown, while palmitate had no effect. In vivo, lipid infusion induced an increase of circulating FGF-21 in humans, and a strong correlation between the change in FGF-21 levels and the change in FFAs was observed. An artificial hyperinsulinemia, which was induced to delineate the potential interaction between elevated FFAs and hyperinsulinemia, revealed that hyperinsulinemia also increased FGF-21 levels in vivo, while rosiglitazone treatment had no effect. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here offer a mechanism explaining the induction of the metabolic regulator FGF-21 in the fasting situation but also in type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Consent biometrics

Biometrics identifies/verifies a person using his/her physiological or behavioral characteristics. It is becoming an important ally for law enforcement and homeland security. However, there are some safety and privacy concerns: biometrics guarded system can be accessed when users are under threat, reluctant or even unconscious states. For future consumer biometric applications (such as biometric ATM machines or biometric credit cards), the biggest concern is user safety: criminals may intimidate or even hurt users to get into their accounts. In this paper, we propose a new concept, Consent Biometrics, which incorporates a consent signature into biometric systems. We introduce two schemes that can realize the Consent Biometrics idea and an example design for consent iris recognition. The proposed consent biometrics can not only detect the willingness of users, but also improve recognition accuracy.
Selective Plating Underestimates Abundance and Shows Differential Recovery of Bifidobacterial Species from Human Feces

ABSTRACT The aim of the present work was to compare the efficacies and levels of selectivity of different culture-dependent and -independent methods for analyzing bifidobacteria in human stool samples. The three different culture media used here significantly differed from each other, particularly with regard to the recovery of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Bifidobacterium medium failed to recover B. adolescentis; Beerens medium recovered some B. adolescentis organisms (17% of total bifidobacteria), whereas tomato-Eugon medium recovered mainly B. adolescentis organisms (58% of total bifidobacteria). A culture-independent method that combines GC fractionation of bacterial community DNA and 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that B. adolescentis organisms accounted for 85% of all bifidobacteria. Methodological biases, such as those described in this paper, should be taken into account in interpreting earlier studies and designing future experiments.
Mitochondrial haplotype distribution, seed dispersal and patterns of postglacial expansion of ponderosa pine

Maternally inherited mtDNA in a secondary contact zone of ponderosa pine revealed a cline less than 10 km wide — much narrower than previously described. A survey of 76 populations gave no evidence either of intermixing or of a mosaic contact zone. Such sharp contact zones are consistent with diffusive range expansion, rather than long distance colonization. However, evidence for long distance seed dispersal events was found in two populations where haplotypes were observed far from their main area of occurrence. The results suggest a small number of long distance colonists with diffusive dispersal from these centres.
Adverse Events of Auricular Therapy: A Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the literature on adverse events associated with auricular therapy (AT). Case reports, case series, surveys, and all types of clinical trials reporting adverse events of AT were included. Relevant articles were mainly retrieved from 13 electronic databases and seven Chinese journals on complementary medicine. AT-related adverse events were reported in 32 randomized controlled trials, five uncontrolled clinical trials, four case reports, and two controlled clinical trials. For auricular acupuncture, the most frequently reported adverse events were tenderness or pain at insertion, dizziness, local discomfort, minor bleeding and nausea, and so forth. For auricular acupressure, local skin irritation and discomfort, mild tenderness or pain, and dizziness were commonly reported. Skin irritation, local discomfort, and pain were detected in auricular electroacupuncture, and minor infection was identified in auricular bloodletting therapy. Most of these events were transient, mild, and tolerable, and no serious adverse events were identified. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that AT is a relatively safe approach. Considering the patient's safety, prospective or retrospective surveys are needed in future research to gather practitioner-reported and patient-reported adverse events on AT, and the quality of adverse events reporting in future AT trials should be improved.
A Block-sorting Lossless Data Compression Algorithm

Authors’ abstract We describe a block-sorting, lossless data compression algorithm, and our implementation of that algorithm. We compare the performance of our implementation with widely available data compressors running on the same hardware. The algorithm works by applying a reversible transformation to a block of input text. The transformation does not itself compress the data, but reorders it to make it easy to compress with simple algorithms such as move-to-front coding. Our algorithm achieves speed comparable to algorithms based on the techniques of Lempel and Ziv, but obtains compression close to the best statistical modelling techniques. The size of the input block must be large (a few kilobytes) to achieve good compression.
Modeling, Identification, and Control of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle

This paper describes planar motion modeling for an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), including a comparative evaluation of several experimentally identified models over a wide range of speeds and planing conditions. The modeling and identification objective is to determine a model that is sufficiently rich to enable effective model‐based control design and trajectory optimization, sufficiently simple to allow parameter identification, and sufficiently general to describe a variety of hullforms and actuator configurations. We focus, however, on a specific platform: a modified rigid hull inflatable boat with automated throttle and steering. Analysis of experimental results for this vessel indicates that Nomoto's first‐order steering model provides the best compromise between simplicity and fidelity at higher speeds. At low speeds, it is helpful to include a first‐order lag model for sideslip. Accordingly, we adopt a multiple model approach in which the model structure and parameter values are scheduled based on the nominal forward speed. The speed‐scheduled planar motion model may be used to generate dynamically feasible trajectories and to develop trajectory tracking control laws. The paper describes the development, analysis, and experimental implementation of two trajectory tracking control algorithms: a cascade of proportional‐derivative controllers and a nonlinear controller obtained through backstepping. Experimental results indicate that the backstepping controller is much more effective at tracking trajectories with highly variable speed and course angle. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Theoretical Analysis of Feature Pooling in Visual Recognition

Many modern visual recognition algorithms incorporate a step of spatial 'pooling', where the outputs of several nearby feature detectors are combined into a local or global 'bag of features', in a way that preserves task-related information while removing irrelevant details. Pooling is used to achieve invariance to image transformations, more compact representations, and better robustness to noise and clutter. Several papers have shown that the details of the pooling operation can greatly influence the performance, but studies have so far been purely empirical. In this paper, we show that the reasons underlying the performance of various pooling methods are obscured by several confounding factors, such as the link between the sample cardinality in a spatial pool and the resolution at which low-level features have been extracted. We provide a detailed theoretical analysis of max pooling and average pooling, and give extensive empirical comparisons for object recognition tasks.
Diagnostic Modalities in Sarcoidosis: BAL, EBUS, and PET

Advances have been made in minimally invasive diagnostic procedures in sarcoidosis, including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), endobronchial ultrasonography-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), and positron emission tomography (PET). Several independent groups found almost identical predictive values of the CD4:CD8 ratio in BAL for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. A CD4:CD8 ratio greater than 3.5 shows a high specificity of 93 to 96% for sarcoidosis, but the sensitivity is low (53 to 59%). EBUS-TBNA is a safe and useful tool for diagnosing sarcoidosis stage I and II with a sensitivity of 83 to 93% and a specificity of 100%. Novel imaging techniques have been explored, such as PET using L-[3- (18)F] fluoro-alpha-methyltyrosine ( (18)F-F MT), which is more specific for malignancy than (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( (18)F-FDG)-PET. The combined modality of FMT-PET with FDG-PET could successfully discriminate sarcoidosis from malignancy. These recent developments including novel biopsy procedures and novel imaging techniques could be of value to diagnosing sarcoidosis.
A Comparison and Evaluation of Architecture Recovery in Data-intensive Systems Using Focus

Architecture recovery is an emerging practice in which the architecture of a software system is extracted from relevant available information including source code, documentation and observations of system's runtime behavior. Typically architecture recovery has been performed on statically linked software systems which have well-defined architectural configurations (arrangements of software components and software connectors). Recently, dynamically linked software applications which rely on middleware implementation facilities have become critical to facilitate source code reuse, dynamic binding and system heterogeneity. Data-Intensive software systems rely heavily on middleware implementation facilities for the aforementioned properties. These systems are becoming an important research area as data-volumes approach the near petabyte scale and little or no reuse of architecture, design or code exists at this point in time. Our study centers on the architectural recovery of two such data-intensive software systems, OODT and the Globus Toolkit using the Focus architecture recovery approach. We present our recovered architectures, provide insight with regards to architecture recovery of middleware systems and finally we conclude by evaluating the architecture recovery method itself. Further, our work can be used to drive architecture recovery in the data-intensive system domain.
Movement-Based Incentive for Crowdsourcing

Most of the research on the incentive mechanism design in crowdsourcing has focused on how to allocate sensing tasks to participants to maximize the social welfare. However, none of them consider the coverage holes created by the uneven distribution of participants. As a result, most of the participants in some popular areas compete for tasks, while many tasks in unpopular areas cannot be completed due to the lack of participants. In this paper, we design a movement-based incentive mechanism for crowdsourcing, where participants are stimulated to move to the unpopular areas and complete the sensing tasks in these areas, which benefits both participants and the platform. We formulate a task allocation problem considering controlled mobility. Since the task allocation problem is NP-hard, we propose a greedy algorithm to solve it and design a critical payment policy to guarantee that participants declare their cost truthfully. Theoretical analysis shows that our proposed incentive mechanism satisfies the desired properties of truthfulness, individual rationality, platform profitability, and computational efficiency. Evaluation results show that the proposed movement-based incentive mechanism outperforms the existing solution under various conditions.