Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduction in diversity of the colonic mucosa associated bacterial microflora in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease

Background and aims: The intestinal bacterial microflora plays an important role in the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As most of the colonic bacteria cannot be identified by culture techniques, genomic technology can be used for analysis of the composition of the microflora. Patients and methods: The mucosa associated colonic microflora of 57 patients with active inflammatory bowel disease and 46 controls was investigated using 16S rDNA based single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) fingerprint, cloning experiments, and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Full length sequencing of 1019 clones from 16S rDNA libraries (n = 3) revealed an overall bacterial diversity of 83 non-redundant sequences—among them, only 49 known bacterial species. Molecular epidemiology of the composition of the colonic microflora was investigated by SSCP. Diversity of the microflora in Crohn’s disease was reduced to 50% compared with controls (21.7 v 50.4; p<0.0001) and to 30% in ulcerative colitis (17.2 v 50.4; p<0.0001). The reduction in diversity in inflammatory bowel disease was due to loss of normal anaerobic bacteria such as Bacteroides species, Eubacterium species, and Lactobacillus species, as revealed by direct sequencing of variable bands and confirmed by real time PCR. Bacterial diversity in the Crohn’s group showed no association with CARD15/NOD2 status. Conclusions: Mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease is associated with loss of normal anaerobic bacteria. This effect is independent of NOD2/CARD15 status of patients.
Surgical Process Improvement

The absence of standardization in surgical care process, exemplified in a “solution shop” model, can lead to unwarranted variation, increased cost, and reduced quality. A comprehensive effort was undertaken to improve quality of care around indwelling bladder catheter use following surgery by creating a “focused factory” model within the cardiac surgical practice. Baseline compliance with Surgical Care Improvement Inf-9, removal of urinary catheter by the end of surgical postoperative day 2, was determined. Comparison of baseline data to postintervention results showed clinically important reductions in the duration of indwelling bladder catheters as well as marked reduction in practice variation. Following the intervention, Surgical Care Improvement Inf-9 guidelines were met in 97% of patients. Although clinical quality improvement was notable, the process to accomplish this—identification of patients suitable for standardized pathways, protocol application, and electronic systems to support the standardized practice model—has potentially greater relevance than the specific clinical results.
The evaluation of reproductive health PhD program in Iran: The input indicators analysis

Background: Appropriate quality achievement of a PhD program requires frequent assessment and discovering the shortcomings in the program. Inputs, which are important elements of the curriculum, are frequently missed in evaluations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the input indicators of reproductive health PhD program in Iran based on the Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and evaluative study based on the CIPP evaluation model. It was conducted in 2013 in four Iranian schools of nursing and midwifery of medical sciences universities. Statistical population consisted of four groups: heads of departments (n = 5), faculty members (n = 18), graduates (n = 12), and PhD students of reproductive health (n = 54). Data collection tools were five separate questionnaires including 37 indicators that were developed by the researcher. Content and face validity were evaluated based on the experts’ indications. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated in order to obtain the reliability of the questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentage, and standard deviation), and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and least significant difference (LSD) post hoc tests to compare means between groups. Results: The results of the study indicated that the highest percentage of the heads of departments (80%), graduates (66.7%), and students (68.5%) evaluated the status of input indicators of reproductive health PhD program as relatively appropriate, while most of the faculties (66.7%) evaluated that as appropriate. Conclusions: It is suggested to explore the reasons for relatively appropriate evaluation of input indicators by further academic researches and improve the reproductive health PhD program accordingly.
The Choice between Bank Debt, Non-Bank Private Debt and Public Debt: Evidence from New Corporate Borrowings

Using a sample of 1,560 new debt financings, we examine the choice among bank debt, non-bank private debt, and public debt. The primary determinant of the debt source is the credit qualit y of the issuer. Firms with the highest credit quality borrow from public sources, firms with medium credit quality borrow from banks, and firms with the lowest credit quality borrow from non-bank private lenders. Non-bank private debt thus plays a unique role in accommodating the financing needs of firms with low credit quality. In addition, the choice of debt source is (weakly) influenced by managerial discretion.
Presynaptic Mechanism Underlying cAMP-Induced Synaptic Potentiation in Medial Prefrontal Cortex Pyramidal Neurons

cAMP, a classic second messenger, has been proposed recently to participate in regulating prefrontal cortical cognitive functions, yet little is known about how it does so. In this study, we used forskolin, an adenylyl cyclase activator, to examine the effects of cAMP on excitatory synaptic transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from visually identified layer II-III or V pyramidal cells in vitro. We found that bath application of forskolin significantly increased the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in a concentration- and age-dependent manner. This enhancement was completely abolished by coapplication of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor and p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase inhibitor, but not application of either drug alone. The membrane-permeable cAMP analog adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphorothioate, Sp-isomer, triethylammonium salt, or activation of β-adrenergic receptor by isoproterenol mimicked the effect of forskolin to potentiate EPSCs. However, neither exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac) inhibitor brefeldin A nor hyperpolarization and cyclic nucleotide-activated channel blocker 4-ethylphenylamino-1,2-dimethyl-6-methylaminopyrimidinium chloride (ZD7288) affected forskolin response. The augmentation of EPSCs by forskolin was accompanied by a reduction of the synaptic failure rate, coefficient of variation and paired-pulse ratio of EPSCs, and an increase in release probability and number of releasable synaptic vesicles. Forskolin also significantly increased the frequency of miniature EPSCs without altering their amplitude distribution. These results indicate that cAMP acts presynaptically to elicit a synaptic potentiation on the layer V pyramidal neurons of mPFC through converging activation of PKA and p42/p44 MAPK signaling pathways.
Angiodysplasia Detection and Localization Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Accurate detection and localization for angiodysplasia lesions is an important problem in early stage diagnostics of gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia. Gold-standard for angiodysplasia detection and localization is performed using wireless capsule endoscopy. This pill-like device is able to produce thousand of high enough resolution images during one passage through gastrointestinal tract. In this paper we present our winning solution for MICCAI 2017 Endoscopic Vision SubChallenge: Angiodysplasia Detection and Localization its further improvements over the state-of-the-art results using several novel deep neural network architectures. It address the binary segmentation problem, where every pixel in an image is labeled as an angiodysplasia lesions or background. Then, we analyze connected component of each predicted mask. Based on the analysis we developed a classifier that predict angiodysplasia lesions (binary variable) and a detector for their localization (center of a component). In this setting, our approach outperforms other methods in every task subcategory for angiodysplasia detection and localization thereby providing state-of-the-art results for these problems. The source code for our solution is made publicly available at https://github.com/ternaus/angiodysplasia-segmentation
Immediate and follow-up results for 44 consecutive cases of small (<10 mm) internal carotid artery aneurysms treated with the pipeline embolization device

Background: The pipeline embolization device (PED) provides effective, durable and safe endovascular reconstruction of large and giant intracranial aneurysms. However, 80% of all cerebral aneurysms found in the general population are less than 10 mm in size. Treatment of small aneurysms (<10 mm) with flow diverters may be advantageous over endosaccular modalities that carry risks of procedural rupture during aneurysm access or coil placement. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a prospective, single-center aneurysm database to identify all patients with small (<10 mm) internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms who underwent endovascular treatment using the PED. Patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, procedural details, complications, and technical and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Forty-four cases were performed in 41 patients (age range 31-78 years). PED was successfully implanted in 42 cases. A single PED was used in 37/42 (88%) cases. Mean postprocedure hospital stay was 1.7 ± 0.3 days and 98% of patients were discharged home. Major complication occurred in one patient (2.3%), who died of early subarachnoid hemorrhage. Transient neurological deficit, delayed intracerebral hemorrhage (asymptomatic), and delayed groin infection occurred in one patient each. Follow-up rate was 91.8% (45 aneurysms in 35 patients) with a mean follow-up of 4.0 ± 1.9 months. By 6 months post-PED implantation, angiographic success (complete or near complete aneurysm occlusion) was observed in 80%. Mild (<50%), asymptomatic, nonflow limiting in-stent stenosis was observed in 5.4% (2/37 cases). All the 35 patients with follow-up remained at preprocedure neurological baseline. Conclusion: Small (<10 mm) ICA aneurysm treatment with PED implantation is safe and carries a high rate of early angiographic success.
Testing k-wise and almost k-wise independence

In this work, we consider the problems of testing whether adistribution over (0,1<sup>n</sup>) is <i>k</i>-wise (resp. (ε,k)-wise) independentusing samples drawn from that distribution. For the problem of distinguishing <i>k</i>-wise independent distributions from those that are δ-far from <i>k</i>-wise independence in statistical distance, we upper bound the number ofrequired samples by Õ(n<sup>k</sup>/δ<sup>2</sup>) and lower bound it by Ω(n<sup>k-1/2</sup>/δ) (these bounds hold for constant<i>k</i>, and essentially the same bounds hold for general <i>k</i>). Toachieve these bounds, we use Fourier analysis to relate adistribution's distance from <i>k</i>-wise independence to its biases, a measure of the parity imbalance it induces on a setof variables. The relationships we derive are tighter than previouslyknown, and may be of independent interest. To distinguish (ε,k)-wise independent distributions from thosethat are δ-far from (ε,k)-wise independence in statistical distance, we upper bound thenumber of required samples by O(k log n / δ<sup>2</sup>ε<sup>2</sup>) and lower bound it by Ω(√ k log n / 2<sup>k</sup>(ε+δ)√ log 1/2<sup>k</sup>(ε+δ)). Although these bounds are anexponential improvement (in terms of <i>n</i> and <i>k</i>) over thecorresponding bounds for testing <i>k</i>-wise independence, we give evidence thatthe time complexity of testing (ε,k)-wise independence isunlikely to be poly(n,1/ε,1/δ) for k=Θ(log n),since this would disprove a plausible conjecture concerning the hardness offinding hidden cliques in random graphs. Under the conjecture, ourresult implies that for, say, k = log n and ε = 1 / n<sup>0.99</sup>,there is a set of (ε,k)-wise independent distributions, and a set of distributions at distance δ=1/n<sup>0.51</sup> from (ε,k)-wiseindependence, which are indistinguishable by polynomial time algorithms.
Modeling the Extremely Lightweight Zerodur Mirror (ELZM) thermal soak test

Exoplanet science requires extreme wavefront stability (10 pm change/10 minutes), so every source of wavefront error (WFE) must be characterized in detail. This work illustrates the testing and characterization process that will be used to determine how much surface figure error (SFE) is produced by mirror substrate materials’ CTE distributions. Schott’s extremely lightweight Zerodur mirror (ELZM) was polished to a sphere, mounted, and tested at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in the X-Ray and Cryogenic Test Facility (XRCF). The test transitioned the mirror’s temperature from an isothermal state at 292K to isothermal states at 275K, 250K and 230K to isolate the effects of the mirror’s CTE distribution. The SFE was measured interferometrically at each temperature state and finite element analysis (FEA) has been completed to assess the predictability of the change in the mirror’s surface due to a change in the mirror’s temperature. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) distribution in the ELZM is unknown, so the analysis has been correlated to the test data. The correlation process requires finding the sensitivity of SFE to a given CTE distribution in the mirror. A novel hand calculation is proposed to use these sensitivities to estimate thermally induced SFE. The correlation process was successful and is documented in this paper. The CTE map that produces the measured SFE is in line with the measured data of typical boules of Schott’s Zerodur glass.
Self-correcting LRU replacement policies

L1 caches must be fast and have a good hit rate at the same time. To be fast, they must remain small. To have a good hit rate, they must be set-associative. With wider associativity the replacement algorithm becomes critical. The wide performance gap between OPT, the optimum off-line algorithm, and LRU suggests that LRU still makes too many mistakes. One way to improve L1 cache behavior is to manage actively the replacement policy to correct these mistakes on the fly.We introduce Self-correcting LRU (SCLRU) which is based on LRU augmented with a feedback loop to constantly monitor and correct replacement mistakes. It relies on several mechanisms to detect, predict, and correct bad replacement decisions. We identify three types of mistakes made by LRU and associate them with memory-access instructions. Our goal is to prevent a mistake to occur more than once. Based on evaluations using a set of seven SPEC95 benchmarks, we show that our approach achieves significant and reliable miss rate improvements, sometimes close to that of OPT, for 2-way and 4-way L1 caches and can do this at a low implementation cost and without affecting the hit cycle time.
Defining and Predicting the Localness of Volunteered Geographic Information using Ground Truth Data

Many applications of geotagged content are predicated on the concept of localness (e.g., local restaurant recommendation, mining social media for local perspectives on an issue). However, definitions of who is a "local" in a given area are typically informal and ad-hoc and, as a result, approaches for localness assessment that have been used in the past have not been formally validated. In this paper, we begin the process of addressing these gaps in the literature. Specifically, we (1) formalize definitions of "local" using themes identified in a 30-paper literature review, (2) develop the first ground truth localness dataset consisting of 132 Twitter users and 58,945 place-tagged tweets, and (3) use this dataset to evaluate existing localness assessment approaches. Our results provide important methodological guidance to the large body of research and practice that depends on the concept of localness and suggest means by which localness assessment can be improved.
Journal of Systems and Information Technology Interpreting the success and failure of regional internet community portals in promoting e-commerce adoption by SMEs : A cultural perspective

Interpreting the success and failure of regional internet community portals in promoting e-commerce adoption by SMEs : A cultural perspective Denise E. Gengatharen Article information: To cite this document: Denise E. Gengatharen, (2008),"Interpreting the success and failure of regional internet community portals in promoting e-commerce adoption by SMEs ", Journal of Systems and Information Technology, Vol. 10 Iss 1 pp. 56 71 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi. org/10.1108/13287260810876894
Spatial heterogeneity in the carrying capacity of sika deer in Japan

Carrying capacity is 1 driver of wildlife population dynamics. Although in previous studies carrying capacity was considered to be a fixed entity, it may differ among locations due to environmental variation. The factors underlying variability in carrying capacity, however, have rarely been examined. Here, we investigated spatial heterogeneity in the carrying capacity of Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon) from 2005 to 2014 in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan (mesh with grid cells of 5.5 x 4.6 km) by state-space modeling. Both carrying capacity and density dependence differed greatly among cells. Estimated carrying capacities ranged from 1.34 to 98.4 deer/km2. According to estimated population dynamics, grid cells with larger proportions of artificial grassland and deciduous forest were subject to lower density dependence and higher carrying capacity. We conclude that population dynamics of ungulates may vary spatially through spatial variation in carrying capacity and that the density level for controlling ungulate abundance should be based on the current density level relative to the carrying capacity for each area.
Towards Pleasant Touch: Vibrotactile Grids for Social Touch Interactions

In this paper, we realize a wearable tactile device that delivers smooth pleasant strokes, those resemble of caressing and calming sensations, on the forearm. In Study 1, we develop a psychophysical model of continuous illusory motion on a discrete vibrotactile array. We use this model to generate a variety of tactile strokes that vary in frequency (quality), amplitude (strength) and duration (speed), and test them on a hedonic scale of pleasant-unpleasant in Study 2. Our results show that low frequency (<40 Hz) strokes at low amplitude (light touch) are felt pleasant, while high frequency strokes are unpleasant. High amplitude strokes are biased towards unpleasantness. Our results are useful for artificial means to enhance social presence among individuals in virtual and augmented settings.
Uncertainty Visualization Influences how Humans Aggregate Discrepant Information

The number of sensors in our surroundings that provide the same information steadily increases. Since sensing is prone to errors, sensors may disagree. For example, a GPS-based tracker on the phone and a sensor on the bike wheel may provide discrepant estimates on traveled distance. This poses a user dilemma, namely how to reconcile the conflicting information into one estimate. We investigated whether visualizing the uncertainty associated with sensor measurements improves the quality of users' inference. We tested four visualizations with increasingly detailed representation of uncertainty. Our study repeatedly presented two sensor measurements with varying degrees of inconsistency to participants who indicated their best guess of the "true" value. We found that uncertainty information improves users' estimates, especially if sensors differ largely in their associated variability. Improvements were larger for information-rich visualizations. Based on our findings, we provide an interactive tool to select the optimal visualization for displaying conflicting information.
Near-Surface Electronic Contribution to Semiconductor Elasticity

The inﬂuence of the carrier concentration on the elasticity is measured for a microscale silicon resonator. UV radiation is used to generate a surface charge that gates the underlying carrier concentration, as indicated by the device resistance. Correlated with the carrier concentration change is a drop in the resonant frequency that persists for 60 hours following exposure. Model calculations show that the change in resonant frequency is due to the modiﬁcation of the elastic modulus in the near-surface region. This eﬀect becomes increasingly important as device dimensions are reduced to the nanometer scale, and contributes an important source of instability for micro and nano scale electro mechanical devices operating in radiation environments.
Kinetic Comparison of the Power Development Between Power Clean Variations

Abstract Suchomel, TJ, Wright, GA, Kernozek, TW, and Kline, DE. Kinetic comparison of the power development between power clean variations. J Strength Cond Res 28(2): 350–360, 2014—The purpose of this study was to compare the power production of the hang clean (HC), jump shrug (JS), and high pull (HP) when performed at different relative loads. Seventeen men with previous HC training experience, performed 3 repetitions each of the HC, JS, and HP at relative loads of 30, 45, 65, and 80% of their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) HC on a force platform over 3 different testing sessions. Peak power output (PPO), peak force (PF), and peak velocity (PV) of the lifter plus bar system during each repetition were compared. The JS produced a greater PPO, PF, and PV than both the HC (p < 0.001) and HP (p < 0.001). The HP also produced a greater PPO (p < 0.01) and PV (p < 0.001) than the HC. Peak power output, PF, and PV occurred at 45, 65, and 30% 1RM, respectively. Peak power output at 45% 1RM was greater than PPO at 65% (p = 0.043) and 80% 1RM (p = 0.004). Peak force at 30% was less than PF at 45% (p = 0.006), 65% (p < 0.001), and 80% 1RM (p = 0.003). Peak velocity at 30 and 45% was greater than PV at 65% (p < 0.001) and 80% 1RM (p < 0.001). Peak velocity at 65% 1RM was also greater than PV at 80% 1RM (p < 0.001). When designing resistance training programs, practitioners should consider implementing the JS and HP. To optimize PPO, loads of approximately 30 and 45% 1RM HC are recommended for the JS and HP, respectively.
The effect of organobentonites from spent bleaching earth (SBE) and commercial bentonite on nanocomposite properties

This paper concerns on synthesis of nanocomposites consisting of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and clays. Two types of clays were regenerated organobentonite and commercial organobentonite. PLA and clays were melt extruded using single-screw extruder. The extruded compound was pelletized, then hot pressed using compression molding machine. Regenerated organobentonite was obtained from regeneration of spent bleaching earth (SBE) using solvent extraction and oxidation method. Afterwards, regenerated SBE modified by organic compound. While, commercial organobentonite was directly modified of commercial bentonite using organic compound. In this study, nanocomposites were prepared with varying compositions of clays from 0% to 5% (by weight). Experimental results show that partially exfoliated nanocomposites structure was shown by X-ray diffraction analyses. In addition, the effect of clays on morphology structure, mechanical, barrier, and biodegradable properties were analyzed. The utilization of clays in nanocomposite increases mechanical properties at low clay compositions. Furthermore, PLA-clay nanocomposites show better barrier and biodegradable properties compared to that of the neat PLA.