Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors for Intraoperative and Postoperative Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks in Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Sellar Surgery

Objective To determine the factors associated with intra- and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in setting of endoscopic transsphenoidal sellar surgery. Study Design Retrospective cohort. Setting Tertiary referral center. Subjects and Methods This study included 806 patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal sellar surgery between 2004 and 2016. The associations between CSF leaks (intra- and postoperative) and patient demographics, medical history, tumor characteristics, and intraoperative repair techniques were analyzed. Results In sum, 205 (25.4%) patients had a CSF leak: 188 (23.3%) intraoperative leaks and 38 (4.7%) postoperative leaks. Twenty-one (2.6%) patients had postoperative leaks after having repair of an intraoperative leak; 55% of patients with a postoperative leak had an intraoperative leak repaired. On multivariate analysis, body mass index (BMI), hydrocephalus, suprasellar extension, and craniopharyngioma significantly predicted intraoperative CSF leaks, while only BMI and hydrocephalus predicted postoperative CSF leaks. Patients having septal flap repairs of CSF leaks had a higher postoperative leak rate relative to other repair techniques (odds ratio, 6.37; P = .013). Rigid reconstruction did not correlate with leaks. Conclusion For this large cohort of patients undergoing endoscopic transsphenoidal sellar surgery, BMI and hydrocephalus were identified as predictors of postoperative CSF leaks, including those occurring after repair of intraoperative leak. These variables may put stress on the surgical repair of sellar defects, and consideration of these risk factors may help counsel patients and guide perioperative decision making in regard to repair strategies and CSF diversion techniques.
Unexpected relationships and valuable mistakes: non‐myrmecochorous Prosopis dispersed by messy leafcutting ants in harvesting their seeds

Ants generally disperse seeds while feeding on fruits or structures attached to the seed. Seed dispersal as a by-product of seed predation (dyszoochory) was recognized in specialized harvester ants, but not in ants predating seeds opportunistically. Leafcutting ants are the main herbivores in much of the Neotropics, and they have been reported to remove fruits and seeds, but their role as seed predators and dispersers has not been acknowledged. Prosopis flexuosa D.C. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) is the most abundant tree species in the central Monte Desert, Argentina, and it is likely to depend on secondary animal dispersal. Mammalian frugivores are usually considered its main dispersers, but the opportunity for dispersal may be small since the removal of fruits and seeds by seed predators is very intense. The objective of this study was to identify which ant species interact with P. flexuosa fruits and to evaluate their relative importance as seed predators and dispersers. In a field experiment, whole and segmented pods were offered and several ant species exploiting the fruits were identified. Additionally, all pod segments remaining around nests of the three ant species able to remove them (the leafcutters Acromyrmex lobicornis Emery and Acromyrmex striatus Roger, and Pheidole bergi Mayr) were examined during and after the P. flexuosa primary dispersal season. Up to 753 pod segments and 90 sound seeds were found accumulated in a circle of 1 m radius over nests of A. lobicornis , and even more in an examined trail. Acromyrmex striatus left a smaller proportion of sound seeds and P. bergi left a smaller number of pod segments. All tendencies were similar during shorter known periods of accumulation. Leafcutting ants are acting as important seed predators, and 'by mistake' may be dispersing a key non-myrmecochorous tree. This is an unexplored path in the seed dispersal cycle of P. flexuosa that challenges the tendency to predict interactions based on classifications made with other goals.
Glucocorticoids Induce Cardiac Fibrosis via Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Oxidative
Stress: Contribution of Elongation Factor Eleven-Nineteen Lysine-Rich Leukemia (ELL)

BACKGROUND Cardiac fibrosis is considered to be a crucial factor in the development of heart failure. Blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) attenuated cardiac fibrosis and improved the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure but the ligand for MR and the regulatory mechanism of MR pathway in the diseased heart are unclear. Here, we investigated whether glucocorticoids can promote cardiac fibrosis through MR in oxidative stress and the involvement of elongation factor eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia (ELL), a co-activator of MR, in this pathway. METHODS AND RESULTS The MR antagonist eplerenone attenuated corticosterone-induced collagen synthesis assessed by [(3)H]proline incorporation in rat neonatal cultured cardiac fibroblasts in the presence of H2O2, as an oxidative stress but not in the absence of H2O2. H2O2 increased the ELL expression levels and MR-bound ELL. ELL expression levels and MR-bound ELL were also increased in the left ventricle of heart failure model rats with significant fibrosis and enhanced oxidative stress. Eplerenone did not attenuate corticosterone-induced increase of [(3)H]proline incorporation in the presence of H2O2 after knockdown of ELL expression using small interfering RNA in cardiac fibroblasts. CONCLUSION Glucocorticoids can promote cardiac fibrosis via MR in oxidative stress, and oxidative stress modulates MR response to glucocorticoids through the interaction with ELL. Preventing cardiac fibrosis by modulating glucocorticoid-MR-ELL pathway may become a new therapeutic strategy for heart failure.
A Quantum Algorithm for Finding the Minimum

Let T[0.N−1] be an unsorted table of N items, eachholding a value from an ordered set. For simplicity,assume that all values are distinct. The minimumsearchingproblem is to ﬁnd the index ysuch that T[y]is minimum. This clearly requires a linear number ofprobes on a classical probabilistic Turing machine.Here, we give a simple quantum algorithm whichsolves the problem using O(√N) probes. The mainsubroutine is the quantum exponential searching al-gorithm of [2], which itself is a generalization ofGrover’s recent quantum searching algorithm [3]. Due to a general lower bound of [1], this is withina constant factor of the optimum.
HBV A1762T, G1764A Mutations Are a Valuable Biomarker for Identifying a Subset of Male HBsAg Carriers at Extremely High Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVES:Surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can detect small tumors for resection but at a huge cost of health resources. The challenge is to reduce the surveillance population. We reported that 96% of HCC patients but only 24% of controls were infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) with A1762T, G1764A mutations in Guangxi, China. It is likely to be extremely beneficial in terms of cost and resources if a significant number of tumors can be detected early by screening this selected population. Our aim is to test this hypothesis.METHODS:A cohort of 2,258 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive subjects aged 30–55 yr was recruited in Guangxi. Following evaluation of virological parameters at baseline, HCC is diagnosed by 6-monthly measurements of serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and ultrasonographic examinations.RESULTS:Sixty-one cases of HCC were diagnosed after 36 months of follow-up. The HCC rate was higher in the mutant than wild-type group (P < 0.001, rate ratio [RR] 6.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.83–13.68). The HCC rate in the male mutant group was higher than that in the male wild-type group (P < 0.001, RR 11.54, 95% CI 3.58–37.24). Specifically, 93.3% of male cases are infected with the mutant. Multivariate analyses showed that in men, increasing age and A1762T, G1764A double mutations are independently associated with developing HCC.CONCLUSIONS:HBV A1762T, G1764A mutations constitute a valuable biomarker to identify a subset of male HBsAg carriers aged >30 yr at extremely high risk of HCC in Guangxi, and likely elsewhere.
A perceptual model for disparity

Binocular disparity is an important cue for the human visual system to recognize spatial layout, both in reality and simulated virtual worlds. This paper introduces a perceptual model of disparity for computer graphics that is used to define a metric to compare a stereo image to an alternative stereo image and to estimate the magnitude of the perceived disparity change. Our model can be used to assess the effect of disparity to control the level of undesirable distortions or enhancements (introduced on purpose). A number of psycho-visual experiments are conducted to quantify the mutual effect of disparity magnitude and frequency to derive the model. Besides difference prediction, other applications include compression, and re-targeting. We also present novel applications in form of hybrid stereo images and backward-compatible stereo. The latter minimizes disparity in order to convey a stereo impression if special equipment is used but produces images that appear almost ordinary to the naked eye. The validity of our model and difference metric is again confirmed in a study.
Bridging the Gap Between Home and School—Perceptions of Classroom Teachers and Principals: Case Studies of Two Jamaican Inner-City Schools

Within the past 5 years, the island of Jamaica has aimed to address social issues through the development of a National Parenting Program. Schools too have taken on this task and have sought to bridge the gap between home and school by working with parents in meaningful and sustainable ways. This small-scale study highlights how two inner-city schools have worked to do this. The data for this study were collected over 4 years during visits to the school for the teaching practice in the final year for students in their teacher education bachelor’s degree programs. Two research questions were used: (a) How has a partnership program between home and school benefited you and your students? And (b) What are the strategies that can be employed by the school to facilitate a smooth, successful reciprocal relationship? From the data collected, three dominant themes emerged from the findings: (a) home–school relations matter, (b) parent empowerment and teacher validation, and (c) understanding diverse cultures.
On the finite length scaling of ternary polar codes

The polarization process of polar codes over a ternary alphabet is studied. Recently it has been shown that the scaling of the blocklength of polar codes with prime alphabet size scales polynomially with respect to the inverse of the gap between code rate and channel capacity. However, except for the binary case, the degree of the polynomial in the bound is extremely large. In this work, it is shown that a much lower degree polynomial can be computed numerically for the ternary case. Similar results are conjectured for the general case of prime alphabet size.
Aesthetics of stock investments

Although there has been an increasing interest in the links between aesthetics and the market economy, researchers have largely ignored the aesthetics related to one class of economic behavior, i.e., individuals’ investments. The purpose of this article is to explicate what roles aesthetics may play in people’s evaluations of companies’ stocks as investment objects. First, the author explains that investment decisions are partly based on aesthetic intuition, which emerges as a counterpart to the logical‐epistemic analysis of company stocks. Second, it is explained that investment decisions are affected by the apprehended beauty of stocks in the sense of subjectively grasped “unity in variety” or “familiarity in the unfamiliar” which one may encounter when assessing a company and its earnings figures. Third, the author explains how an individual may actually have investment motives that go beyond the extrinsic/instrumental objective of maximizing expected financial returns. Such extra motives will be expressions of one’s ego or self and reflect the intrinsic appreciation of things represented by a company.
Intrapopulation variation in Abutilon theophrasti seed mass and its relationship to seed germinability

Abstract The relationship between seed mass variation and germinability in ten Abutilon theophrasti Medic. plants from a single agricultural population was examined under controlled environmental conditions. Seeds were collected in the autumn of 1995 and dry-stored in paper bags at 4°C until the start of trials in the spring of 1998. For each plant, between 549 and 1000 randomly selected seeds were separated into seven mass fractions based on individual seed mass, with classes ranging from <6.0 to >11.0mg. Subjecting the seeds to a cold stratification (4°C) period for 7d followed by a 21-d alternating day/night (25/14°C) temperature and 14-h photoperiod regime, resulted in 75% overall germination, 24% dormancy and 1% non-viable seeds. The majority of the seeds germinated within 7d of being exposed to the alternating temperature/light regimes. There was a significant (P < 0.001) difference in mean seed mass between the ten plants, with mean mass ranging from 8.8 to 9.6mg. For nine of the ten plants, the greatest proportion of seeds occurred in the 9.0–9.9mg mass fraction, while the lowest proportion of seeds was generally found within the 6.0–6.9mg mass fraction. Most seeds (96%) having a mass below 6.0mg were non-viable and, of the viable seeds, none germinated. There was a significant (P < 0.0001) relationship between seed mass and total germination, but not rate of germination. Germination peaked for seed mass fractions comprising the greatest proportion of total seeds (8.0–9.9mg) and was lowest for seeds with high or low mass. There was a weak trend of lower germinability for heavier seeds (>10.0mg) compared with lighter seeds. Maternal source had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on total germination and germination rate. Findings from this study suggest that intrapopulation variation in Abutilon theophrasti seed mass and its influence on germinability of seeds may play a significant role in maintaining a variable germination pattern and persistent seed bank in this troublesome annual agricultural weed
Density functional theory in materials science

Materials science is a highly interdisciplinary field. It is devoted to the understanding of the relationship between (a) fundamental physical and chemical properties governing processes at the atomistic scale with (b) typically macroscopic properties required of materials in engineering applications. For many materials, this relationship is not only determined by chemical composition, but strongly governed by microstructure. The latter is a consequence of carefully selected process conditions (e.g., mechanical forming and annealing in metallurgy or epitaxial growth in semiconductor technology). A key task of computational materials science is to unravel the often hidden composition–structure–property relationships using computational techniques. The present paper does not aim to give a complete review of all aspects of materials science. Rather, we will present the key concepts underlying the computation of selected material properties and discuss the major classes of materials to which they are applied. Specifically, our focus will be on methods used to describe single or polycrystalline bulk materials of semiconductor, metal or ceramic form. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Explicit and Implicit Self-Evaluations in Social Anxiety Disorder

Cognitive models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) emphasize the role of explicit and implicit self-evaluations (SEs) in the etiology and maintenance of this condition. Whereas individuals with SAD consistently report lower explicit SEs as compared with nonanxious individuals, findings concerning implicit SEs are mixed. To gain a more nuanced understanding of the nature of SEs in SAD, we examined explicit and implicit SEs in two significant interpersonal domains: social rank and affiliation. Consistent with cognitive theorizing, we predicted that, compared to nonclinical controls (NCCs), individuals with SAD would exhibit lower explicit and implicit SEs in both domains. Guided by evolutionary theories we also predicted that the differences in SEs between the groups would be greater in the social rank, as compared to the affiliation, domain. Individuals diagnosed with SAD (n = 38) and NCCs)n = 40) performed two variants of the Self Implicit Association Test: one concerning social rank, and the other concerning affiliation. They also rated themselves on social-rank and affiliation traits. We found that, as compared to NCCs, individuals with SAD exhibited lower social-rank and affiliation SEs. Moreover, differences between the groups in social-rank SEs were greater than in affiliation SEs. Importantly, this pattern was evident in implicit SEs, as much as in explicit SEs. Our findings dovetail with evolutionary accounts highlighting the centrality of the social-rank system in SAD, and refine central tenets of cognitive theories of SAD. A multidomain, multimethod approach to the understanding of the self may broaden our conceptualization of SAD and related disorders.
CDMA with interference cancellation for multiprobe missions

Code division multiple-access spread spectrum has been proposed for use in future multiprobe/multispacecraft missions. This article considers a general parallel interference-cancellation scheme that significantly reduces the degradation effect of probe (user) interference but with a lesser implementation complexity than the maximum-likelihood technique. The scheme operates on the fact that parallel processing simultaneously removes from each probe (user) the total interference produced by the remaining most reliably received probes (users) accessing the channel. The parallel processing can be done in multiple stages. The proposed scheme uses tentative decision devices with different optimum thresholds at the multiple stages to produce the most reliably received data for generation and cancellation of probe/spacecraft interference. The one-stage interference cancellation was analyzed for two types of tentative decision devices, namely, hard and null zone decisions. Simulation results are given for one- and two-stage interference cancellation for equal as well as unequal received power probes.
Genetic Loci associated with C-reactive protein levels and risk of coronary heart disease.

CONTEXT Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are independently associated with risk of coronary heart disease, but whether CRP is causally associated with coronary heart disease or merely a marker of underlying atherosclerosis is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To investigate association of genetic loci with CRP levels and risk of coronary heart disease. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We first carried out a genome-wide association (n = 17,967) and replication study (n = 13,615) to identify genetic loci associated with plasma CRP concentrations. Data collection took place between 1989 and 2008 and genotyping between 2003 and 2008. We carried out a mendelian randomization study of the most closely associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CRP locus and published data on other CRP variants involving a total of 28,112 cases and 100,823 controls, to investigate the association of CRP variants with coronary heart disease. We compared our finding with that predicted from meta-analysis of observational studies of CRP levels and risk of coronary heart disease. For the other loci associated with CRP levels, we selected the most closely associated SNP for testing against coronary heart disease among 14,365 cases and 32,069 controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Risk of coronary heart disease. RESULTS Polymorphisms in 5 genetic loci were strongly associated with CRP levels (% difference per minor allele): SNP rs6700896 in LEPR (-14.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -17.6% to -12.0%; P = 6.2 x 10(-22)), rs4537545 in IL6R (-11.5%; 95% CI, -14.4% to -8.5%; P = 1.3 x 10(-12)), rs7553007 in the CRP locus (-20.7%; 95% CI, -23.4% to -17.9%; P = 1.3 x 10(-38)), rs1183910 in HNF1A (-13.8%; 95% CI, -16.6% to -10.9%; P = 1.9 x 10(-18)), and rs4420638 in APOE-CI-CII (-21.8%; 95% CI, -25.3% to -18.1%; P = 8.1 x 10(-26)). Association of SNP rs7553007 in the CRP locus with coronary heart disease gave an odds ratio (OR) of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.01) per 20% lower CRP level. Our mendelian randomization study of variants in the CRP locus showed no association with coronary heart disease: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.02; per 20% lower CRP level, compared with OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.94 to 0.95; predicted from meta-analysis of the observational studies of CRP levels and coronary heart disease (z score, -3.45; P < .001). SNPs rs6700896 in LEPR (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.09; per minor allele), rs4537545 in IL6R (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.97), and rs4420638 in the APOE-CI-CII cluster (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.21) were all associated with risk of coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION The lack of concordance between the effect on coronary heart disease risk of CRP genotypes and CRP levels argues against a causal association of CRP with coronary heart disease.
Evaluation of Physiologic Alterations during Prehospital Paramedic-Performed Rapid Sequence Intubation

Abstract Objective: Physiologic alterations during rapid sequence intubation (RSI) have been studied in several emergency airway management settings, but few data exist to describe physiologic alterations during prehospital RSI performed by ground-based paramedics. To address this evidence gap and provide guidance for future quality improvement initiatives in our EMS system, we collected electronic monitoring data to evaluate peri-intubation vital signs changes occurring during prehospital RSI. Methods: Electronic patient monitor data files from cases in which paramedic RSI was attempted were prospectively collected over a 15-month study period to supplement the standard EMS patient care documentation. Cases were analyzed to identify peri-intubation changes in oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure. Results: Data from 134 RSI cases were available for analysis. Paramedic-assigned prehospital diagnostic impression categories included neurologic (42%), respiratory (26%), toxicologic (22%), trauma (9%), and cardiac (1%). The overall intubation success rate (95%) and first-attempt success rate (82%) did not differ across diagnostic impression categories. Peri-intubation desaturation (SpO2 decrease to below 90%) occurred in 43% of cases, and 70% of desaturation episodes occurred on first-attempt success. The incidence of desaturation varied among patient categories, with a respiratory diagnostic impression associated with more frequent, more severe, and more prolonged desaturations, as well as a higher incidence of accompanying cardiovascular instability. Bradycardia (HR decrease to below 60 bpm) occurred in 13% of cases, and 60% of bradycardia episodes occurred on first-attempt success. Hypotension (systolic blood pressure decrease to below 90 mmHg) occurred in 7% of cases, and 63% of hypotension episodes occurred on first-attempt success. Peri-intubation cardiac arrest occurred in 2 cases, one of which was on first-attempt success. Only 11% of desaturations and no instances of bradycardia were reflected in the standard EMS patient care documentation. Conclusions: In this study, the majority of peri-intubation physiologic alterations occurred on first-attempt success, highlighting that first-attempt success is an incomplete and potentially deceptive measure of intubation quality. Supplementing the standard patient care documentation with electronic monitoring data can identify unrecognized physiologic instability during prehospital RSI and provide valuable guidance for quality improvement interventions.