Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost effectiveness of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

An investigation was undertaken to determine whether hospital charges for laparoscopic cholecystectomy are higher than those for traditional open cholecystectomy. Thirty consecutive cases of successfully completed laparoscopic procedures in a single surgeon's experience were compared to 30 open cases performed within the previous calendar year. Patients undergoing open cholecystectomy were excluded if coexisting medical problems or complications prolonged hospitalization beyond 7 days. Mean patient age was comparable (open cholecystectomy = 47.3 +/- 2.9, laparoscopic cholecystectomy = 46.5 +/- 2.7 years), as was the incidence of other significant medical problems. Average duration of hospitalization was significantly longer for open cholecystectomy (3.6 = 0.2 days) than for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (1.0 +/- days, p less than .001). Average hospital charges for open cholecystectomy were $5606 +/- 496 and for laparoscopic cholecystectomy $4726 +/- 98. Hospital charges from operating room and recovery room charges alone were $2684 +/- 131 for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and $2196 +/- 113 for open cholecystectomy. These operating room charges represent a significantly higher percentage of total hospital charges for laparoscopic cholecystectomy than open cholecystectomy patients (laparoscopic cholecystectomy = 56.3 +/- 1.9%, open cholecystectomy = 41.2 +/- 1.5%, p less than .05). Average time for return to work or normal activity was significantly shorter for laparoscopic cholecystectomy 8.6 +/- 9 days) than for open cholecystectomy (32.4 +/- 3.6 days, p less than .001). The authors conclude that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a cost effective procedure for the treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis, and that increased operative costs more than offset the significantly decreased length of hospitalization.
Concept-Based Lexical Selection*

We present a concept-based approach to the problem of lexical selection which allows us to deal precisely with lexicalization gaps or mismatches in mapping from a source language into a target language. We adopt a linguistically motivated scheme that makes use of a decompositional representation which can be classified in terms of a KR ontology. A main contribution of our representation scheme is the ability to handle cases where two concepts overlap, but neither subsumes the other. We have demonstrated the utility of our approach for mismatched verbs in English and German.
Le modèle social / environnemental du handicap: un outil pour sensibiliser les enseignantes et les enseignants en formation.

Les arguments de deux modeles du handicap (social/environnemental et individuel/medical) ont ete utilises afin de tester leurs effets sur les attitudes des futur-e-s enseignant-e-s vis-a-vis de l’integration scolaire et des personnes en situation de handicap. Les arguments ont ete presentes sous forme de textes persuasifs. Les participant-e-s ont ete questionne-e-s a trois reprises (pretest/post-test1/post-test2). Des differences positives significatives sont apparues suite a la lecture de textes du modele social/environnemental. Pour certains facteurs, ces differences etaient toujours presentes apres quatre mois. Ces resultats demontrent qu’un texte persuasif base sur des arguments du modele social/environnemental du handicap peut avoir un effet positif durable sur les representations des futur-e-s enseignant-e-s.
Talking Points in Metaphor: A Concise Usage-based Representation for Figurative Processing

An effective speaker can use metaphor to communicate a wealth of propositions and affective attitudes with a single juxtaposition of ideas [12,8,6,10,7,3,15]. But as such, an effective metaphor requires effective communication, which in turn requires that the speaker has a clear idea of the content to be communicated, and an equally clear understanding of which conceptual vehicles best communicate this content. We present here a concise corpusderived meaning representation for metaphor processing that captures the most widely-used talking points that are evoked in everyday metaphors and similes. We illustrate how these talking points can be acquired by harvesting the web, and further show how comparable but discretely different talking points can be reconciled during metaphor processing. Finally, by replicating the clustering experiments of [1], we show that talking points yield an especially concise representation of concepts in general.
The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test: test-retest reliability and preliminary psychometric properties of the German version

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (short Eyes test) is a widely used instrument assessing theory of mind abilities in adults. The present study for the first time assesses its testretest reliability and provides initial data on the psychometric properties of a German version. 132 nonclinical participants completed the German Eyes test, a test of facial emotion recognition, and a measure of verbal skills. 40 of the 132 participants completed the Eyes test twice, three weeks apart. Results suggest that overall, the German Eyes test is a reliable instrument. No systematic learning effects occurred with repeated testing and measurement precision was evenly distributed across different ranges of performance. Moreover, a significant correlation between Eyes test scores and a related construct, the Facially Expressed Emotion Labeling (FEEL) test, supports the construct validity of the German translation. However, analyses of individual items (item difficulty, testretest agreement) suggest that psychometric properties of certain items could be improved. Examining the psychometric qualities and clinical usefulness of a short version might thus prove fruitful. Furthermore, future research should assess whether the clinical strengths of the original version (in particular, the differentiation between individuals with autism spectrum disorders and nonclinical controls) also apply to the German version.
The microprocessor component, DGCR8, is essential for early B‐cell development in mice

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important posttranscriptional regulators during hematopoietic lineage commitment and lymphocyte development. Mature miRNAs are processed from primary miRNA transcripts in two steps by the microprocessor complex, consisting of Drosha and its partner DiGeorge Critical Region 8 (DGCR8), and the RNAse III enzyme, Dicer. Conditional ablations of Drosha and Dicer have established the importance of both RNAses in B‐ and T‐cell development. Here, we show that a cre‐mediated B‐cell specific deletion of DGCR8 in mice results in a nearly complete maturation block at the transition from the pro‐B to the pre‐B cell stage, and a failure to upregulate Ig μ heavy chain expression in pro‐B cells. Furthermore, we found that the death of freshly isolated DGCR8‐deficient pro‐B cells could be partially prevented by enforced Bcl2 expression. We conclude from these findings that the microprocessor component DGCR8 is essential for survival and differentiation of early B‐cell progenitors.
Comparison of thermistor linearization techniques for accurate temperature measurement in phase change materials

Alternate energy technologies are developing rapidly in the recent years. A significant part of this trend is the development of different phase change materials (PCMs). Proper utilization of PCMs requires accurate thermal characterization. There are several methodologies used in this field. This paper stresses the importance of accurate temperature measurements during the implementation of T-history method. Since the temperature sensor size is also important thermistors have been selected as the sensing modality. Two thermistor linearization techniques, one based on Wheatstone bridge and the other based on simple serial-parallel resistor connection, are compared in terms of achievable temperature accuracy through consideration of both, nonlinearity and self-heating errors. Proper calibration was performed before T-history measurement of RT21 (RUBITHERM® GmbH) PCM. Measurement results suggest that the utilization of serial-parallel resistor connection gives better accuracy (less than ±0.1°C) in comparison with the Wheatstone bridge based configuration (up to ±1.5°C).
Self-Concepts and Locus of Control of Learning Disabled Children.

Abstract Studies of the self concept and locus of control of learning disabled children indicate that learning disabled children are more likely than nondisabled children to have negative self concepts, to believe that their successes are the result of luck or other people; and that their failures are insurmountable. Furthermore it has been found that these maladaptive attitudes and attributions are established by about nine years and become increasingly more negative with age. In addition, parents and teachers hold more negative expectations for the future achievements of learning disabled children than of non‐disabled children; their expectations are even more negative than the learning disabled hold for themselves. The results suggest that parent and teacher attributions toward learning disabled children be systematically examined for both empirical and therapeutic reasons; and that intervention programs include teaching the learning disabled to cope with failure.
Game Theoretic Analysis of Auction Mechanisms Modeled by Constrained Optimization Problems

This paper focuses on reverse auction mechanisms that may involve continuum values of different types of goods, general nonconvex constraints, and second stage costs. Our analysis seeks to address the payment rules and the conditions under which the coalitions of participants cannot influence the auction outcome in order to obtain higher collective utility. Under the dominant-strategy incentive-compatible VCG mechanism, coalition-proof outcomes are achieved if the derived conditions on the submitted bids and the constraint set are satisfied. By relaxing the property of incentive-compatibility, we investigate further payment rules that are coalition-proof, but without any extra conditions. Among the coalition-proof mechanisms, we pick the one that minimizes the participants’ ability to benefit from strategic manipulations in order to incentivize truthful bidding. Since calculating the payments for these mechanisms is computationally very difficult for auctions involving many participants, we present two computationally efficient methods. Our results are verified with several case studies based on electricity market data.
Formation of Microvascular Networks: Role of Stromal Interactions Directing Angiogenic Growth

In the adult, angiogenesis leads to an expanded microvascular network as new vessel segments are added to an existing microcirculation. Necessarily, growing neovessels must navigate through tissue stroma as they locate and grow toward other vessel elements. We have a growing body of evidence demonstrating that angiogenic neovessels reciprocally interact with the interstitial matrix of the stroma resulting in directed neovascular growth during angiogenesis. Given the compliance and the viscoelastic properties of collagen, neovessel guidance by the stroma is likely due to compressive strain transverse to the direction of primary tensile forces present during active tissue deformation. Similar stromal strains control the final network topology of the new microcirculation, including the distribution of arterioles, capillaries, and venules. In this case, stromal‐derived stimuli must be present during the post‐angiogenesis remodeling and maturation phases of neovascularization to have this effect. Interestingly, the preexisting organization of vessels prior to the start of angiogenesis has no lasting influence on the final, new network architecture. Combined, the evidence describes interplay between angiogenic neovessels and stroma that is important in directed neovessel growth and invasion. This dynamic is also likely a mechanism by which global tissue forces influence vascular form and function.
Cognitive assessment of USAF pilot training candidates.

BACKGROUND Most intellectual and cognitive assessment of pilots is done with locally developed assessment devices. The United States Air Force currently uses the recently developed CogScreen (Aeromedical Edition) to assess these areas. HYPOTHESES There will be differences on the CogScreen across USAF student pilot candidates and commercial pilots. METHODS This paper presents the test scores of 512 USAF pilot training candidates who were tested with this commercially available, "off-the-shelf" product. Comparison data was abstracted from the test manual on commercial pilots. RESULTS Data from the new CogScreen (Aeromedical Edition) is provided and shows consistent differences between pilot training candidates and commercial pilots across reaction time, accuracy, throughput, and process measures. DISCUSSION The new CogScreen appears to be an appropriate device for the assessment of pilot candidates, student pilots, and pilots.
Physiological Uterine Involution in Primiparous and Multiparous Women: Ultrasound Study

Purpose To examine the uterine involution period after uncomplicated delivery in primiparous and multiparous women. Methods Longitudinal prospective study. Repeated parameters were measured and endometrial contents and diastolic notch were observed. Measurements of primiparous and multiparous women were carried out after labour on the 1st, 3rd, 10th, 30th, 42nd, and 60th postpartum days. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. Results The median uterus parameters are bigger in multiparous group in physiological puerperium, but the decreasing trend is the same. The endometrial cavity on the 10th day was significantly wider in multiparous women and mainly echo-negative view of the uterine cavity was observed. The evaluation of the uterine angle deviation changes from an extremely retroverted position to a more anteverted position. RI of the uterine artery in both groups was low immediately after labour and significantly increased one month postpartum. Notching of the uterine artery undergoes changes, but diastolic notch does not appear in all postpartum women even after two months following labour. Conclusions The puerperium period after normal vaginal delivery depends on parity. The trend of involution in primiparous and multiparous women follows a similar pattern, yet, it lasts longer in the multiparous women. Ultrasound of uterine is certainly a useful tool after labour and may be important in facilitating an early detection of postpartum uterine complications.
Specific Antibody Responses to Three Schistosome-Related Carbohydrate Structures in Recently Exposed Immigrants and Established Residents in an Area of Schistosoma mansoni Endemicity

ABSTRACT By the use of surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass and IgM antibodies against three schistosome-derived carbohydrate structures, FLDN (Fucα1-3GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galα1), LDN-DF [GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-2Fucα1-3)GlcNAcβ1], and LDNF [GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAcβ1-3Galα1], were measured in 184 previously unexposed Kenyan immigrants who moved into the Masongaleni area, where Schistosoma mansoni is endemic. They were sampled within their first year of exposure and again 2 years later. A cohort selected out of the original residents of the area, who had been exposed for many years, served as controls. Associations with responses to S. mansoni worm, egg (SEA), and cercarial (CERC) antigens were examined. In addition, we measured responses to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, a glycoprotein which carries glycan epitopes that are also expressed by schistosomes. Specific IgG1 responses were most pronounced against FLDN and LDN-DF and strongly associated with those previously measured to SEA and CERC. Similarly to previously published age profiles of IgG1 and IgG2 responses to SEA, levels of IgG1 against LDN-DF decreased with age. In contrast, specific IgM responses against the three schistosome-derived carbohydrate structures were most marked against LDNF. Our results indicate that, of the three glycan structures tested, the acute response against schistosome glycoconjugate antigens in young children is mainly directed against the LDN-DF epitope. The response to LDN-DF in older individuals and the responses to the two other epitopes were similar in the two cohorts, suggesting that these antigens are recognized in the early stages of infection and that the immune response persists. The biological significance of these observations needs further elucidation.
Time and space efficient spectral clustering via column sampling

Spectral clustering is an elegant and powerful approach for clustering. However, the underlying eigen-decomposition takes cubic time and quadratic space w.r. t. the data set size. These can be reduced by the Nyström method which samples only a subset of columns from the matrix. However, the manipulation and storage of these sampled columns can still be expensive when the data set is large. In this paper, we propose a time- and space-efficient spectral clustering algorithm which can scale to very large data sets. A general procedure to orthogonalize the approximated eigenvectors is also proposed. Extensive spectral clustering experiments on a number of data sets, ranging in size from a few thousands to several millions, demonstrate the accuracy and scalability of the proposed approach. We further apply it to the task of image segmentation. For images with more than 10 millions pixels, this algorithm can obtain the eigenvectors in 1 minute on a single machine.
Intelligent Computer Feedback for Second Language Instruction

IN THE PAST FEW DECADES, COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE Instruction (CALI), or Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), has been of interest because of its potential for providing individualized instruction. Interactivity between the computer and the learner is one of the important elements in CALI. Compared to a traditional textbook or workbook, a CALI program can provide immediate feedback on the correctness of the learner's response. One obstacle, however, has been the relatively primitive state of the existing CALI systems, many of which possess only limited capabilities for analyzing learners' responses, diagnosing their errors, and providing feedback. Garrett (p. 174) addresses the problem with existing CALI programs as follows: "Most students learn no more from grammar on the computer than they do from grammar in the workbooks, because much of the commercially available offerings are of the 'wrong, try again' model, which only indicates whether student-produced bits of language match the target language model stored in computer memory (sometimes also showing the correct answer) without indicating how or why the student input does not match. " If the potential of computer-assisted language instruction as individualized supervised learning is to be realized, we must develop programs that support detailed error analysis and feedback targeted to specific deficiencies in the student’s performance.
Metallic stents for airway complications after lung transplantation: long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVES Bronchial stenosis is still a significant source of morbidity and mortality following lung transplantation (LTX) and often mandating placement of a bronchial stent. It has been suggested that although self-expanding metal stents offer excellent early palliation, their long-term complication rates are unacceptably high, and hence, their usage in many transplantation centres has been nearly abandoned. The aim of the study was to assess short- and long-term complication rates and survival in LTX patients with bronchial stenosis treated with insertion of self-expanding metal stents. METHODS From January 1997 to March 2013, 435 patients underwent LTX (325 single-LTX and 110 bilateral LTX). Of 503 actual anastomoses at risk (derived by subtracting the number of anastomoses in 30 patients who died within 30 days of LTX), 60 airway complications (11.9%) in 47 patients required self-expanding metal stent insertion. We assessed the early results and long-term outcomes and survival compared with LTX patients in whom stents were not required. RESULTS The median follow-up period ranged from 1 to 132 (median 54) months. Immediate relief of symptoms was achieved in the vast majority of patients (95%). One-, three- and five-year survival in patients who required self-expanding metal stent placement were 77.7, 66.6 and 55.5%, respectively. The corresponding survival rates in LTX patients without stents were 69, 64.9 and 61.1% (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Self-expanding metal stents are safe and effective tools in the management of airway complications post-LTX and provide immediate improvement in symptoms and pulmonary function tests in the vast majority of cases. The long-term complication rate is low, and mortality is similar to that in LTX patients who did not require stent insertion.
Working memory : developmental differences, component processes and improvement mechanisms

Preface Working Memory & Childrens Scholastic Attainment from 7 to 15 Years of Age: Developmental Differences & the Contribution of Speed of Processing Difficulty of Children with Normal but Relatively Poor Working Memory at Japanese & Mathematics Classes The Role of Working Memory & Inhibition in the Development of Motor Planning between 7 & 10 Years of Age Contribution of Working Memory to Implicit Motor Learning in Children: A Preliminary Report The Development of Visuo-spatial Working Memory in Children Aging & Visual Feature Binding in Working Memory Interactions between Cognitive Load Factors on Working Memory Performance in Laboratory & Field Studies Affective Words Influence Processing in Visual & Auditory Working Memory Verbal & Visuo-spatial Processes in Spatial Orientation & Navigation Working Memory Improvement by the Differential Outcomes Procedure Bilateral Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Enhances Verbal Working Memory & Promotes Episodic Memory After-Effects Cognitive Remediation of Working Memory in ADHD A Dual-Component Analysis of Working Memory Training Index.
Performance of BICM-Based QAM-SIM OWC Over Gamma-Gamma Turbulence Channels

We derive a series expression for the pair-wise error probability (PEP) of bit interleaved coded modulation (BICM)-based subcarrier intensity modulation (SIM) optical wireless communication (OWC) system employing M2 -ary quadrature amplitude modulation ( M2-QAM) over the Gamma-Gamma turbulence channels. Using this expression, we develop an upper bound (UB) to predict the bit-error rate performance of such system. Simulation results are presented to verify the analytical results. We also develop an asymptotic UB which reveals that the diversity order depends on the smaller channel parameter and the free distance of the convolutional code.
N-(2,4,6-Trimethylphenyl)succinamic acid

The amide bond in the title compound {systematic name: 3-[(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)aminocarbonyl]propionic acid}, C13H17NO3, has a trans conformation. In the crystal, two molecules form a centrosymmetric dimer connected by pairs of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the dimers into a three dimensional network.