Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An information model for automated assessment of concordance between advance care preferences and care delivered near the end of life

OBJECTIVE To develop an information model for automating evaluation of concordance between patient preferences and end-of-life care. METHODS We modeled and validated 15 end-of-life care preference option domains, to which we mapped preferences recorded in standardized advance care planning documents and 232 end-of-life care events defined by procedure and medication codes. Patient preferences and end-of-life care events were available in electronic health records. Data from Kaiser Permanente Southern California modeling and testing populations were evaluated for concordance between patients' preferences and the end-of-life care events they experienced. RESULTS The information model successfully assessed concordance between patient preferences and end-of-life care events. Among 388 expired patients in the modeling population, 4164 care events occurred, 4100 (98%) of which were preference-concordant, and 64 (2%) of which were preference-discordant. Including end-of-life care events that did not occur increased the number of observations to 6029; 99% were preference-concordant. At the level of individuals, 72% (278) of patients experienced only preference-concordant care events, 13% (50) experienced at least one preference-discordant care event, and 15% (60) experienced no preference-related care events. DISCUSSION Model limitations pertain to assumptions that are required to match advance care planning documents with patient preference options and exclusion of preferred care that did not occur. Further research is required to apply the model to larger populations and to investigate the need for additional preference options. CONCLUSION An information model for automating the assessment of the concordance between patients' advance care planning preferences and the end-of-life care they received was effective in a small population and has the potential to assess population-level preference-concordance on an ongoing basis.
News Feature Extraction for Events on Social Network Platforms

Microblog-based social network platforms like Twitter and Sina Weibo have been important sources for news event extraction. However, existing works on microblog event extraction, which usually use keywords, entities, or selected microblogs to represent events, are not able to extract details of an event. Based on the view of news report, an event should present detailed news features, i.e., when, where, who, whom, and what. Such news features are helpful for conducting deeply data analysis on microblogs, e.g., competitor monitoring and public crisis discovery. However, the challenge is that the news features of an event on microblogs are usually distributed among different posts because of the short-text property of microblogs. This is much different from extracting news events from Web news pages that usually contain most details of an event. In this paper, we propose a new framework to extract events together with their news features from microblogs. We first extract a set of events from microblogs. Each event is represented as a distribution over four kinds of named entities including location, person name, organization, and time. In addition, the type of each event, i.e., location-related, person-related, or organization-related, is determined by a machine-learning method. In order to obtain the news features of an event, we propose an event-clustering approach that puts together all the relevant events into a cluster. For each cluster, we propose different algorithms to extract the news features of the event reported in the cluster. We conduct experiments on two microblog datasets crawled from a commercial microblogging platform to evaluate the performance of the proposed framework. The results suggest the effectiveness of our proposal.
Evaluation and management implications of uncertainty in a multispecies size-structured model of population and community responses to fishing

Implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries requires advice on trade‐offs among fished species and between fisheries yields and biodiversity or food web properties. However, the lack of explicit representation, analysis and consideration of uncertainty in most multispecies models has limited their application in analyses that could support management advice. We assessed the consequences of parameter uncertainty by developing 78 125 multispecies size‐structured fish community models, with all combinations of parameters drawn from ranges that spanned parameter values estimated from data and literature. This unfiltered ensemble was reduced to 188 plausible models, the filtered ensemble (FE), by screening outputs against fish abundance data and ecological principles such as requiring species' persistence. Effects of parameter uncertainty on estimates of single‐species management reference points for fishing mortality (FMSY, fishing mortality rate providing MSY, the maximum sustainable yield) and biomass (BMSY, biomass at MSY) were evaluated by calculating probability distributions of estimated reference points with the FE. There was a 50% probability that multispecies FMSY could be estimated to within ±25% of its actual value, and a 50% probability that BMSY could be estimated to within ±40% of its actual value. Signal‐to‐noise ratio was assessed for four community indicators when mortality rates were reduced from current rates to FMSY. The slope of the community size spectrum showed the greatest signal‐to‐noise ratio, indicating that it would be the most responsive indicator to the change in fishing mortality F. Further, the power of an ongoing international monitoring survey to detect predicted responses of size spectrum slope was higher than for other size‐based metrics. Synthesis and applications: Application of the ensemble model approach allows explicit representation of parameter uncertainty and supports advice and management by (i) providing uncertainty intervals for management reference points, (ii) estimating working values of reference points that achieve a defined reduction in risk of not breaching the true reference point, (iii) estimating the responsiveness of population, community, food web and biodiversity indicators to changes in F, (iv) assessing the performance of indicators and monitoring programmes and (v) identifying priorities for data collection and changes to model structure to reduce uncertainty.
Progesterone Induces Hyperpolarization after a Transient Depolarization Phase in Human Spermatozoa1

Abstract Progesterone (P4) induces a membrane depolarization and various ion fluxes (chloride efflux, sodium and calcium influxes), which are required for the human sperm acrosome reaction (AR). By use of the potentiometric fluorescent dye DiSC3(5) and two different technical approaches, the present study aimed to quantify and further analyze P4-induced modifications in membrane potential in capacitated human spermatozoa. Spectrofluorimetric analysis revealed that the mean resting membrane potential of sperm was −58 ± 2 mV (n = 12). When 10 μM P4 was added, the sperm membrane depolarized by ∼+15 mV, partly driven by a Cl− efflux. It subsequently repolarized to reach a significant lower potential than the initial resting potential in two thirds of the tested samples. The flow cytometry analysis showed a heterogeneous resting membrane potential and revealed that the depolarization-hyperpolarization events concerned only subpopulations, between 3% and 40% of the sperm cells according to the samples (n = 7). We hypothesize that P4 has a beneficial effect on the ability of zona pellucida to promote the AR in a sperm subpopulation by increasing the number of hyperpolarized cells presenting a membrane potential that is compatible with the opening of T-type calcium channels by subsequent zona pellucida-induced depolarization.
Correlation between leukocytosis and necropsy findings in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia: 34 cases (1994-1999).

OBJECTIVE To determine whether severity of leukocytosis correlates with severity of postmortem lesions in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). DESIGN Retrospective study. ANIMALS 34 dogs with IMHA that had CBC performed within 48 hours prior to death and complete necropsy examinations. PROCEDURE Dogs were independently assigned to 4 leukocytosis groups (within reference range; mild leukocytosis, moderate leukocytosis, marked leukocytosis) and 3 lesion severity groups (mild lesions, moderate lesions, severe lesions). RESULTS Moderate to marked leukocytosis correlated with moderate to severe postmortem lesions. Ischemic necrosis within liver, kidney, heart, lung, and spleen attributable to thromboembolic disease or anemic hypoxia were the most common important lesions found at necropsy. None of the dogs with mild lesions had moderate or marked leukocytosis. Four of 14 severely affected dogs had WBC counts within reference range, but all 4 had neutrophilic left shifts. Three of these 4 dogs had toxic change in neutrophils. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Moderate to marked leukocytosis, neutrophilic left shift, and toxic change in neutrophils in dogs with IMHA should alert clinicians to the potential for moderate to severe tissue injury, which could complicate treatment and worsen prognosis. Lesions appear to be secondary to anemic hypoxia, thromboembolic disease, or both; therefore, treatment objectives should focus on improving blood oxygen-carrying capacity and monitoring for thromboembolic disease.
Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma: Mechanisms, Clinical Significance, and Treatment

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation are key pathophysiological features of asthma. Bronchial provocation tests (BPTs) are objective tests for AHR that are clinically useful to aid in the diagnosis of asthma in both adults and children. BPTs can be either “direct” or “indirect,” referring to the mechanism by which a stimulus mediates bronchoconstriction. Direct BPTs refer to the administration of pharmacological agonist (e.g., methacholine or histamine) that act on specific receptors on the airway smooth muscle. Airway inflammation and/or airway remodeling may be key determinants of the response to direct stimuli. Indirect BPTs are those in which the stimulus causes the release of mediators of bronchoconstriction from inflammatory cells (e.g., exercise, allergen, mannitol). Airway sensitivity to indirect stimuli is dependent upon the presence of inflammation (e.g., mast cells, eosinophils), which responds to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Thus, there is a stronger relationship between indices of steroid-sensitive inflammation (e.g., sputum eosinophils, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide) and airway sensitivity to indirect compared to direct stimuli. Regular treatment with ICS does not result in the complete inhibition of responsiveness to direct stimuli. AHR to indirect stimuli identifies individuals that are highly likely to have a clinical improvement with ICS therapy in association with an inhibition of airway sensitivity following weeks to months of treatment with ICS. To comprehend the clinical utility of direct or indirect stimuli in either diagnosis of asthma or monitoring of therapeutic intervention requires an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of AHR and mechanisms of action of both stimuli.
The sense of agency is action–effect causality perception based on cross-modal grouping

Sense of agency, the experience of controlling external events through one's actions, stems from contiguity between action- and effect-related signals. Here we show that human observers link their action- and effect-related signals using a computational principle common to cross-modal sensory grouping. We first report that the detection of a delay between tactile and visual stimuli is enhanced when both stimuli are synchronized with separate auditory stimuli (experiment 1). This occurs because the synchronized auditory stimuli hinder the potential grouping between tactile and visual stimuli. We subsequently demonstrate an analogous effect on observers' key press as an action and a sensory event. This change is associated with a modulation in sense of agency; namely, sense of agency, as evaluated by apparent compressions of action–effect intervals (intentional binding) or subjective causality ratings, is impaired when both participant's action and its putative visual effect events are synchronized with auditory tones (experiments 2 and 3). Moreover, a similar role of action–effect grouping in determining sense of agency is demonstrated when the additional signal is presented in the modality identical to an effect event (experiment 4). These results are consistent with the view that sense of agency is the result of general processes of causal perception and that cross-modal grouping plays a central role in these processes.
Multi-agent plan adaptation using coordination patterns in team adversarial games

One issue with learning effective policies in multi-agent adversarial games is that the size of the search space can be prohibitively large when the actions of all the players are considered simultaneously. In most team games, players need to coordinate to accomplish tasks, either in a preplanned or emergent manner. An effective team policy must generate the necessary coordination, yet considering all possibilities for creating coordinating subgroups is computationally infeasible. I propose that reusable coordination patterns can be identified from successful training exemplars and used to guide multi-agent policy search. Experiments are conducted within the Rush 2008 football simulator and show how an analysis of mutual information and workflow can be used to identify subgroups of players that frequently coordinate within a particular formation. Using a K* classifier we devised a system to learns a ranking of the impact of subgroups on offensive performance. Results show how we can use knowledge of the top-ranked subgroup to focus search using two different policy generation methods 1) play adaptation and 2) UCT Monte Carlo (MC) planning. Our method produces superior plans which doubles the offensive team's performance in the Rush 2008 football simulator over prior methods.
Reliability of the Berg Balance Scale as a Clinical Measure of Balance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE To measure test-retest and interrater reliability of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) in community-dwelling adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease (AD). Method : A sample of 15 adults (mean age 80.20 [SD 5.03] years) with AD performed three balance tests: the BBS, timed up-and-go test (TUG), and Functional Reach Test (FRT). Both relative reliability, using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and absolute reliability, using standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC95) values, were calculated; Bland-Altman plots were constructed to evaluate inter-tester agreement. The test-retest interval was 1 week. Results : For the BBS, relative reliability values were 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85-0.98) for test-retest reliability and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.31-0.91) for interrater reliability; SEM was 6.01 points and MDC95 was 16.66 points; and interrater agreement was 16.62 points. The BBS performed better in test-retest reliability than the TUG and FRT, tests with established reliability in AD. Between 33% and 50% of participants required cueing beyond standardized instructions because they were unable to remember test instructions. Conclusions : The BBS achieved relative reliability values that support its clinical utility, but MDC95 and agreement values indicate the scale has performance limitations in AD. Further research to optimize balance assessment for people with AD is required.
Assessment of Tissue Damage due to Mechanical Stresses

While there are many benefits to minimally invasive surgery (MIS), force feedback or touch sensation is limited in the currently available MIS tools, such as surgical robots, creating the potential for excessive force application during surgery and unintended tissue injury. The goal of this work was to develop a methodology with which to identify stress magnitudes and durations that can be safely applied with a MIS grasper to di ferent tissues, potentially improving MIS device design and reducing potentially adverse clinically relevant consequences. Using the porcine model, stresses typically applied in MIS were applied to liver, ureter and small bowel using a motorized endoscopic grasper. Acute indicators of tissue damage including cellular death and infiltration of inflammatory cells were measured using histological and image analysis techniques. Finite element analysis was used to identify approximate stress distributions experienced by the tissues. Parameters used in these finite element models specifically reflected the properties of liver, which served as an initial proxy for all tissues, as stress distributions rather than absolute values were desired. Local regions predicted to have uniform stress by the computational models were mapped to and analyzed in the tissue samples for acute damage. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc analyses were used to detect stress magnitudes and durations that caused significantly increased tissue damage with the goal to ultimately identify safe stress `thresholds' during grasping of the studied tissues. Preliminary data suggests a graded non-linear response between applied stress magnitude and apoptosis in liver and small bowel as well as neutrophil infiltration in the small bowel. The ureter appeared to be more resistant to injury at the tested stress levels. By identifying stress magnitudes and durations within the range of grasping loads applied in MIS, it may be possible for researchers to create a `smart' surgical robot that can guide a surgeon to manipulate tissues with minimal resulting damage. In addition, surgical simulator design can be improved to reflect more realistic tissue responses and evaluate trainees' tissue handling skills.
A MEMS Based Electrochemical Vibration Sensor for Seismic Motion Monitoring

This paper presents a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based electrochemical vibration sensor for seismic detection. Simulations were conducted to analyze the effect of the insulating spacers thickness on the sensitivity of the devices. Then, devices with different insulating spacers thicknesses were fabricated based on MEMS processes. The devices sensitivity was confirmed by a customized experimental platform, verifying the simulation results. In addition, the device performance was characterized with a quantified bandwidth of 0.2-5 Hz with sensitivity of 30.2 V/(m/s2) and a linear voltage output as a function of the input vibration amplitude (up to 10 mg). The devices noise was determined as -140 dB at 1 Hz. A random-vibration testing in the laboratory environment was conducted, where response correlations among seven devices were calculated as 0.976±0.017, suggesting high device repeatability. A field test was conducted right above a subway line to detect the seismic motion caused by the train and test results showed that the performance of the proposed devices was comparable with that of the commercial product MET-1001. A field test was also conducted in a prairie to monitor natural seismic motions and experimental results indicated that the proposed electrochemical sensors can detect seismic motions in a lower frequency domain with an energy peak at around 0.3 Hz compared with conventional moving-coil seismic sensors with an energy peak at 3 Hz. This newly proposed vibration sensor may function as a promising seismic motion detecting device in the field of geophysical prospecting where low-frequency seismic motion detection is requested.
Neural Mechanisms for Dual-Process Reasoning: Evidence from the Belief-Bias Effect

Recent neuroimaging studies have increasingly focused on the neural mechanisms of human deductive reasoning (see Goel, 2006 for recent review). Deductive reasoning is the cognitive process of drawing valid conclusions from a given set of premises. Although it should be performed independently of prior knowledge and intuitive beliefs, actual human reasoning often relies on them. Sometimes such beliefs provide valid solutions to problems, though they can also bias our judgment. This tendency toward bias in human reasoning has been experimentally studied through the demonstration of belief-bias effect in syllogistic reasoning (De Neys, 2006a, 2006b; Tsujii et al., 2006).
Unphysical Moment-Method Solutions of an Approximate Integral Equation of Electrostatics [Open Problems in Computational EM]

The electrostatic charge distribution on a conducting cylindrical wire exactly satisfies an integral equation. Many textbooks discuss an approximate form of this equation and solve it using the method of moments (MoM). This approximate electrostatics equation admits MoM solutions that are unphysical, and we will explain why such solutions occur and propose several remedies. We include a rigorous theorem pertinent to the solvability of the equation. Our approach has parallels in recent works on Hall&#x000E9;n's and Pocklington's equations (HE/PE), in particular, because we use the wire of infinite length as a means of deducing information about the actual (finite-length) wire. Our analysis of the infinite wire has particular difficulties that are not present in the works on HE/PE.
Control of in vitro organogenesis by cyclin-dependent kinase activities in plants

Little is known concerning the mechanisms by which auxin and cytokinin exert their effects on proliferation and differentiation. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are major regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle, thus they are assumed to control cell differentiation as well as proliferation in response to phytohormone signals. Here, we overexpressed rice R2 cDNA, which encodes a CDK-activating kinase, in tobacco leaf explants by using the glucocorticoid-mediated transcriptional induction system. Transient expression of R2 during the first 7 days of culture triggered callus formation in the absence of cytokinin. This phenotype was enhanced by higher expression of R2 or coexpression of cyclin H, and suppressed by treatment with roscovitine, a CDK inhibitor. R2 expression at a later stage did not prevent cells from differentiation into roots, suggesting a restricted period for sensing CDK activities that control differentiation fate of cells during organogenesis.