Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive, Case-Based Review of Groove Pancreatitis

Abstract Groove pancreatitis is an uncommon form of focal chronic pancreatitis that involves the duodenal wall or "groove" area (between the pancreas, common bile duct, and duodenum). It remains largely an unfamiliar entity to most physicians and is often misdiagnosed as pancreatic malignancy or autoimmune pancreatitis because of its "pseudotumor" formation. In this case series, we present 4 cases of groove pancreatitis which highlight important clinical aspects of this disease entity. We then provide a review of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition. We hope to clarify the salient aspects of this disease process and make groove pancreatitis a more recognized entity to the clinician.
‘Science is really needed—that’s all I know': informed consent and the non-verbal practices of collecting blood for genetic research in northern Sweden

In Va¨sterbotten County in northern Sweden a start-up biotech company has recently gained all commercial rights to one of the worlds largest population based research biobanks. The biobank and the company have publicly emphasized that all donors have given their informed consent to participate, but within the academy it has become debated whether people have been adequately informed. Based on anthropological fieldwork it is shown that many people do not read the information provided. The data do not, however, suggest that donors themselves perceive a lack of information. This article endeavours to make meaningful the apparent lack of interest among donors in the information they are offered. It is argued that the donation of blood should be analysed in its social and historical context rather than as a response to rational assessment of information of research purposes. It implies a conceptualisation of agency more aware of the intersubjective nature of moral negotiation than usually implied in studies of informed consent.
2-D Compression of ECG Signals Using ROI Mask and Conditional Entropy Coding

A novel 2-D compression scheme of ECG signals is proposed, which employs 1-D discrete wavelet transform, the region of interest mask, and the conditional entropy coding based on context models. Experimental results on records selected from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Beth Israel Hospital arrhythmia database show that the proposed method outperforms some existing compression schemes.
Family dissolution, family reconstitution, and children’s educational careers: Recent evidence for Sweden

Both longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses on a large and recent Swedish data set demonstrate that, compared to children in intact families, children who have experienced family dissolution or reconstitution show lower educational attainment at age 16. Time constraints do not seem to be an important mechanism behind the negative effect of separation. Economic deprivation affects children s attainment negatively, but downward social mobility appears to be an even more important causal mechanism: Losing the parent with the higher social position probably reduces social capital and aspirations. When we control for socioeconomic characteristics, a small net effect of separation and reconstitution remains.
Potential is Change Analysis: a Sociotechnical Approach

This paper discusses IS analysis and design as one example of purposeful change in a human activity system, embracing both technical and social aspects of work design. Organizations may be regarded as emergent open systems, subsisting through on-going interactions of the individuals who act within them. It follows that holistic approaches to systems analysis are needed, in which individual actors are empowered to contribute their tacit understandings of contextual dependencies inherent within their work situations. Appropriate tools and techniques are required to surface this contextual knowledge and to support design of total work systems, not just technological solutions. The paper puts forward suggestions for such techniques, and goes on to discuss ways in which holistic, critical and sociotechnical methods may be combined in order to support enhanced systems change processes. An empirical study is reported, which was used to support potential change analysis in 26 companies from a variety of business domains. Our findings further support the conclusion that a socio-technical, change perspective is beneficial in supporting design of useful and usable information systems. Keywords: Information systems analysis, Socio-technical design, Contextual dependencies, Change management
Expression of estrogen receptor beta in human colorectal cancer.

AIM To determine the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) beta in Chinese colorectal carcinoma (CRC) patients. METHODS ERbeta expression in CRC was investigated by immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 40 CRCs, 10 colonic adenomas, and 10 normal colon mucosa biopsies. The percentage of positive cells was recorded, mRNA expression of ERalpha and ERbeta in 12 CRC tissues and paired normal colon tissues were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS Positive ER immunoreactivity was present in part of normal epithelium of biopsy (2/10), adenomas (3/10), and the sections of CRC tissue, most of them were nuclear positive. In CRCs, nuclear ERbeta immunoreactivity was detected in over 10% of the cancer cells in 57.5% of the cases and was always associated with cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. There was no statistical significance between ERbeta positive and negative groups in regard to depth of invasion and nodal metastases. Of the 12 CRC tissues and paired normal colon tissues, the expression rate of ERalpha mRNA in CRC tissue and corresponding normal colon tissue was 25% and 16.6%, respectively. ERbeta mRNA was expressed in 83.3% CRC tissue and 91.7% paired normal colon tissue, respectively. There was no significant difference in ERbeta mRNA level between CRC tissues and paired normal colon tissues. CONCLUSION A large number of CRCs are positive for ERbeta, which can also be detected in normal colonic epithelia. There is a different localization of ERbeta immunoreactivity among normal colon mucosae, adenomas and CRCs. ERalpha and ERbeta mRNA can be detected both in CRC tissue and in corresponding normal colon tissue. A post-transcriptional mechanism may account for the decrease of ERbeta protein expression in CRC tissues.
Adiponectin and carotid intimal medial thickness in subjects with and without glucose intolerance (CURES-82).

OBJECTIVE This study assessed the association of serum adiponectin with carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) in Asian Indians with different grades of glucose intolerance. METHODS Subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 520), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (n = 115), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n = 540) were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, in south India. Adiponectin levels were measured using radioimmunoassay. Carotid IMT was assessed by high resolution B-mode ultrasonography. Insulin resistance was calculated using the homeostasis assessment model. RESULTS Subjects with glucose intolerance (i.e., IGT and T2DM) were older compared to subjects with NGT. Waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and serum triglycerides were higher among subjects with IGT and T2DM compared to subjects with NGT (P < 0.001). Subjects with glucose intolerance had significantly higher mean carotid IMT values and lower adiponectin compared to subjects with NGT (P < 0.001). Serum adiponectin levels were significantly correlated with IMT among NGT (P = 0.005) and IGT (P = 0.005) subjects but not in subjects with diabetes. Linear regression analysis revealed adiponectin to be negatively associated with IMT (P < 0.001) even after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Carotid IMT is associated with lower serum adiponectin levels independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors in urban South Indians.
CpG-oligonucleotides for cancer immunotherapy : review of the literature and potential applications in malignant glioma.

Bacterial DNA and synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODNs) are strong activators of both innate and specific immunity, driving the immune response towards the Th1 phenotype. CpG-ODNs have been successfully used in several experimental models of allergies or infections and are now entering clinical trials for these diseases. In this review, we will focus on their potential applications in cancers. CpG-ODN can be used alone to activate locally the innate immunity and trigger a tumor-specific immune response, overcoming the need for identification of a relevant tumoral antigen. Other promising approaches combined CpG-ODN with tumor antigens, monoclonal antibodies or dendritic cells. Preclinical models have shown impressive results and several clinical trials are on-going worldwide. So far, the toxicity observed in humans appeared limited, and objective responses have been observed in a few patients. In malignant gliomas, intra-tumoral injections of CpG-ODN represent a practical approach. Indeed, human gliomas display a locally invasive pattern of growth and rarely metastasize, making local treatment clinically relevant.
Genetic Polymorphism of DNA repair gene ERCC 2 / XPD ( Arg 156 Arg ) ( A 22541 C ) and Lung Cancer Risk in Northern Romania

Latest studies suggest that polymorphic DNA repair encoding genes could interfere with the etiopathogeny and therefore individual susceptibility to develop lung cancer. Because ERCC2/XPD gene is generally involved in carcinogenesis, certain mutant polymorphism might be important risk factors in exposure to carcinogens. The purpose of this case-control study is to evaluate for the first time in the Romanian population, ERCC2/XPD (A22541C) allele frequency among lung cancer patients. 65 patients with lung cancer (histological diagnosis) were randomly included in the study group, while 107 unrelated individuals served as controls. ERCC2/XPD (A22541C) allele genotyping was performed using the RFLP molecular technique (restriction fragment length polymorphism), preceded by PCR amplification and enzyme restriction digestion. The results of the study suggest that ERCC2/XPD Arg 156Arg (A22541C) null allele frequency in lung cancer patients, compared to the control group has no significant difference (p=0,127), although XPD mutant genotypes vary according to tumor histological type. XPD Arg 156Arg, AA null allele seems to be associated with lung adenocarcinoma. Our major finding suggests that AA mutant genotype could to be associated with lung adenocarcinoma in smokers.
Evaluation of Factors That Have Reduced Mortality From Acute Pancreatitis Over the Past 20 Years

Background The mortality associated with acute pancreatitis varies markedly in different studies, with most frequently reported mortality rates of 10% to 15% for all cases and 15% to 90% for attacks regarded as “severe. ” More recently, various centers have recorded lower mortality rates of 4% to 7% for all attacks of acute pancreatitis and 20% to 50% for those regarded as severe. Goals To investigate whether there has been a reduction in mortality associated with acute pancreatitis over the past 20 years and the reasons for this reduction. Study Intended as a review, this study included the authors' 20-year prospective assessment of mortality as it relates to the severity of the disease, complications, and current therapy. For the mortality results, the study was divided into four 4-year periods from 1977 to 1998 and the past 3 years (i.e., 1998–2001). For comparison, the mortality figures from some other large studies are presented. Results This study showed that the initial reduction in mortality related to acute pancreatitis coincided with the recognition and application of the signs of severity, either Ranson's prognostic signs or Bank's clinical criteria. These signs dictated admission to intensive care unit (ICU) therapy, the intensity of ICU monitoring, and the importance of organ-specific emergent therapy. Further mortality reduction in the 1990s could be attributed to either a more select study sample or earlier and more selective endoscopic or surgical debridement of infected tissue, endoscopic cyst drainage, and angiographic control of gastrointestinal bleeding. Improved nutritional support by jejunal feeding, earlier use of antibiotic therapy, gut sterilization, early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for common bile duct stones and necrosectomy for noninfected necrosis have reduced the overall mortality associated with acute pancreatitis to a mean of 5% (range, 3.8–7%) for all cases and 20% (range, 15–25%) for severe cases. However, it is clear that the greater the number of signs denoting severity of organ failure, the higher the mortality. Conclusions There has been considerable reduction in the mortality associated with acute pancreatitis over the past 20 years. The reasons are multifactorial, but recognition of severity signs, early implementation of organ-specific therapy, and newer endoscopic, surgical, and angiographic therapy for infection cyst and bleeding appear to have been the major factors in reducing mortality.
Pharmacokinetics of (+)-, (-)- and (+/-)-verapamil after intravenous administration.

The pharmacokinetics of (+)-, (-)-, and (+/-)-verapamil were studied in five healthy volunteers following i.v. administration of the drugs. Pronounced differences of the various pharmacokinetic parameters were observed between the (-)- and (+)-isomers. The values for CL, V, Vz, and Vss of the (-)-isomer were substantially higher as compared to the (+)-isomer, whereas terminal t 1/ 2Z was nearly identical for both isomers. No dose dependency of the pharmacokinetics could be observed in two subjects who received 5, 7.5 and 10 mg of (-)- and 5, 25 and 50 mg of (+)-verapamil. Protein binding for the two isomers was also different. The fu of (-)- (0.11) was almost twice as much as that of (+)-verapamil (0.064). Pharmacokinetic parameters of (+/-)-verapamil, which was administered to three subjects who had received (+)- and (-)-verapamil, were very similar to the averaged values of the isomers given separately. Due to the higher CL of (-)-verapamil the extraction ratio of the (-)-isomer is substantially higher. Thus, it can be anticipated that following oral administration of racemic verapamil bioavailability of (-)-verapamil will be substantially less. Since the (-)-isomer is more potent than the (+)-isomer, the present findings could explain the reported differences in the concentration-effect relationship after i.v. and oral administration of racemic verapamil.
Destination memory accuracy and confidence in younger and older adults

ABSTRACT Background/Study Context: Nascent research on destination memory—remembering to whom we tell particular information—suggested that older adults have deficits in destination memory and are more confident on inaccurate responses than younger adults. This study assessed the effects of age, attentional resources, and mental imagery on destination memory accuracy and confidence in younger and older adults. Methods: Using computer format, participants told facts to pictures of famous people in one of four conditions (control, self-focus, refocus, imagery). Results: Older adults had lower destination memory accuracy than younger adults, driven by a higher level of false alarms. Whereas younger adults were more confident in accurate answers, older adults were more confident in inaccurate answers. Accuracy across participants was lowest when attention was directed internally but significantly improved when mental imagery was used. Importantly, the age-related differences in false alarms and high-confidence inaccurate answers disappeared when imagery was used. Conclusion: Older adults are more likely than younger adults to commit destination memory errors and are less accurate in related confidence judgments. Furthermore, the use of associative memory strategies may help improve destination memory across age groups, improve the accuracy of confidence judgments in older adults, and decrease age-related destination memory impairment, particularly in young-old adults.
Efficiency of adeno-associated virus type-2 vectors in non-human primate Schwann cells

Adult macaque Schwann cells were infected using adeno-associated virus type-2-derived vectors expressing the green fluorescent protein reporter gene under the control of the cytomegalovirus, the hybrid cytomegalovirus-&bgr;actin, the myelin basic protein or the tetracycline-inducible promoters. On the basis of green fluorescent protein expression, gene transfer efficiency was compared in resting and dividing conditions following or not following hydroxyurea or etoposide treatment. Hydroxyurea allowed promoter-dependent expression of green fluorescent protein in infected Schwann cells. Etoposide treatment led to a high percentage of green fluorescent protein expressing cells (over 50%) with all promoters tested. When infected cells were grafted into demyelinated nude mice spinal cord, green fluorescent protein expression was only observed with the cytomegalovirus-&bgr;actin and tetracycline-inducible promoters. In addition, adeno-associated virus type-2 infection reduced the grafted cell survival but increased their differentiation.
Seabird and Dolphin Mortality Associated with Underwater Detonation Exercises

We report the details of two wildlife mortality events that were associated with underwater detonations. The detonations occurred as part of military training activities at Silver Strand Training Complex in San Diego, California. In March 2006, an underwater detonation resulted in 70 western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) beingkilledbysubsequentsequentialdetonationsinthesametrainingexercise.Ten of the 70 western grebes impacted were necropsied, verifying cause of death as primary blast injury. In March 2011, a time-delayed underwater detonation resulted in the death of three or possibly four long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis). While these blast events were unlikely to impact these species on a population level, underwater detonations do have the potential for population-level impacts on wildlife. Both events were accidental mortalities and the first ever documented fromNavyunderwaterdetonationtrainingin Hawaii,SouthernCalifornia, andalongtheU.S. EastCoast.TheNavyupdateditsunderwaterexplosivemitigation measures after each of these mortality events to limit the potential of future mortalities by requiring sequential detonations to occur either less than 5 s or more than 30 min apart and by suspending time-delayed detonation training exercises until more robust precautionary measures can be developed.
Machine learning methods for multimedia information retrieval

In this thesis we examined several multimodal feature extraction and learning methods for retrieval and classification purposes. We reread briefly some theoretical results of learning in Section 2 and reviewed several generative and discriminative models in Section 3 while we described the similarity kernel in Section 4. We examined different aspects of the multimodal image retrieval and classification in Section 5 and suggested methods for identifying quality assessments of Web documents in Section 6. In our last problem we proposed similarity kernel for time-series based classification. The experiments were carried over publicly available datasets and source codes for the most essential parts are either open source or released. Since the used similarity graphs (Section 4.2) are greatly constrained for computational purposes, we would like to continue work with more complex, evolving and capable graphs and apply for different problems such as capturing the rapid change in the distribution (e.g. session based recommendation) or complex graphs of the literature work. The similarity kernel with the proper metrics reaches and in many cases improves over the state-of-the-art. Hence we may conclude generative models based on instance similarities with multiple modes is a generally applicable model for classification and regression tasks ranging over various domains, including but not limited to the ones presented in this thesis. More generally, the Fisher kernel is not only unique in many ways but one of the most powerful kernel functions. Therefore we may exploit the Fisher kernel in the future over widely used generative models, such as Boltzmann Machines [Hinton et al., 1984], a particular subset, the Restricted Boltzmann Machines and Deep Belief Networks [Hinton et al., 2006]), Latent Dirichlet Allocation [Blei et al., 2003] or Hidden Markov Models [Baum and Petrie, 1966] to name a few.
RFID Mutual Authentication Protocol based on Synchronized Secret

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, due to their ability to uniquely identify every individual item and low cost, are well suited for supply chain management and are expected to replace barcodes in the near future. However, unlike barcodes, these tags have a longer range in which they are allowed to be scanned, subjecting them to unauthorized scanning by malicious readers and to various other attacks, including cloning attacks. Privacy and security concerns inhibit the fast adaption of RFID technology for many applications. A number of authentication protocols that address these concerns have been proposed but realworld solutions that are secure and maintain low communication cost are still needed and being investigated. Recently, Cho et al. proposed a hash-based RFID mutual authentication protocol using a secret value. However, this paper shows that Cho et al.’s protocol is weak against desynchronization attack and proposes a remedy mutual authentication protocol, which offers a high level of security based on hash operation with synchronized secret. The protocol is applicable to resource, power and computationally constraint platforms such as RFID tags. Our investigation shows that it can provide mutual authentication and untraceability as well as resistance to replay, denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks, while retaining a competitive computation cost.
Roles of Oxidants, Nitric Oxide, and Asymmetric Dimethylarginine in Endothelial Function

Vascular endothelium plays a crucial role in ensuring normal function and morphology of blood vessels, and many risk factors of atherosclerosis act via their effects on endothelial cells. However, endothelial dysfunction is induced by very different pathomechanisms. In principle, it is caused by an impaired bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) due to an inhibited synthesis (eg, by asymmetric dimethylarginine [ADMA]) or increased consumption of formed NO (by reactive oxygen species [ROS]). ROS can be synthesized in the organism (eg, by different enzymes) or can be administered from the environment (eg, by cigarette smoking), whereas ADMA is the subject of endogenous metabolism only. Many studies have elucidated the system of pathomechanisms and targeted some as potential goals for therapeutic interventions. This review demonstrates roles of ROS, NO, ADMA, endothelin, and estrogen in endothelial function and dysfunction focusing on homocysteinemia and diabetes mellitus and provide examples for the medical treatment of endothelial dysfunction.