Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sort-merge-join: an idea whose time has(h) passed?

Matching two sets of data items is a fundamental operation required in relational, extensible, and object-oriented database systems alike. However, the pros and cons of sort- and hash-based query evaluation techniques in modern query processing systems are still not fully understood. After our earlier research clarified strengths and weaknesses of sort- and hash-based query processing techniques and suggested remedies for the shortcomings of hash-based algorithms, the present paper outlines a number of further differences between sort-merge-join and hybrid hash join that traditionally have been ignored in such comparisons and render sort-merge-join mostly obsolete. We consolidate old and raise new issues pertinent to the comparison of sort- and hash-based query evaluation techniques and stir some thought and discussion among both academic and industrial database system builders. <<ETX>>
Distributed Downlink Power Control by Message-Passing for Very Large-Scale Networks

Downlink power control is revisited by assuming very large-scale networks. In very large-scale networks, conventional centralized power control schemes quickly become impractical owing to the huge computational burden and limited backhaul capacity. Alternative distributed power control schemes have been proposed; however, these schemes suffer from poor performance when compared with the centralized power control. In this work, a completely new approach to distributed downlink power control is proposed using a belief-propagation (BP) framework. The proposed BP approach includes two tasks: first, the sum rate maximizing power control problem is modeled as a factor graph representation. Second, a message-passing algorithm is constructed on the basis of the factor graph, which efficiently computes a near-optimal solution in a distributed manner. The practical issues for implementing the proposed BP approach are extensively discussed in terms of the computational complexity, signaling overhead, convergence, and latency. Surprisingly, the simulation results verify that the average sum rate performance of the proposed BP-based power control is nearly equivalent to that of centralized power control schemes. The proposed BP-based power control even outperforms the centralized binary on/off power control and approaches the performance of geometric programming power control, which is the best-known centralized power control, within only 0.8% of the average sum rate.
FOXE1 polymorphisms are associated with familial and sporadic nonmedullary thyroid cancer susceptibility

FOXE1 is a transcription factor required for thyroid differentiation and function. FOXE1 locus polymorphisms (chromosome 9q22.33) were recently associated with increased sporadic thyroid cancer risk. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of FOXE1 variants with nonmedullary thyroid cancer (NMTC), in both sporadic and familial (FNMTC) cases from the Portuguese population.
Preclinical safety evaluation of moxifloxacin, a novel fluoroquinolone.

The toxicity of moxifloxacin (BAY 12-8039), a novel fluoroquinolone with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, was evaluated in a comprehensive programme of toxicological studies that included single and multiple dose toxicity studies in rats, mice, dogs and monkeys, reproductive system toxicity studies in rats and monkeys and in-vitro and in-vivo mutagenicity assays. Although moxifloxacin is not intended for long-term clinical use, an accelerated bioassay in target organs to assess carcinogenesis was performed in rats. In addition to the routine toxicological programme required for the development of a drug intended for short-term administration, a major part of the preclinical programme for moxifloxacin comprised studies designed specifically to address the safety issues known to be features of fluoroquinolones, i.e. adverse effects on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, phototoxicity, arthrotoxicity and oculotoxicity. The results of the toxicological investigations confirmed that the safety profile of moxifloxacin is comparable to those of other fluoroquinolones.
Probing luminescence from nonspherical bubble collapse

The luminescence from single laser produced cavitation bubbles for varying degrees of asphericity is investigated temporally, spatially, and spectrally. The degree of asphericity is controlled with an adjustable rigid boundary near the bubble. Temporally, single and multiple light emission events happen during a time interval of 80 ns. The luminescence duration increases with increasing asphericity. Spatially, the emissions from nonspherically collapsing bubbles display a pronounced halo around the central spot several times larger than the luminescence from spherical collapse. Spectrally, the ratio of the line to continuum emission of the sodium doublet is enhanced, whereas the total emitted energy decreases by four orders of magnitude as compared to the spherical collapse. These findings point towards emission not only from the bubble interior but also from the liquid surrounding the bubble.
-1/+0.8/spl deg/C error, accurate temperature sensor using 90nm 1V CMOS for on-line thermal monitoring of VLSI circuits

This paper proposes quite accurate four-transistor temperature sensor designed and developed for thermal testing and monitoring of VLSI circuits. The sensor is featured with an extremely small area of 11.6/spl times/4.1/spl mu/m/sup 2/ and low power consumption of about 25/spl mu/W. The performance of the sensor is highly linear and the predicted temperature error is merely -1.0/spl sim/+0.8/spl deg/C using two-point calibration within the range of 50/spl sim/125/spl deg/C. The sensor is implemented in ASPLA CMOS 90nm 1P6M process, operated at supply voltage of 1V, and tested successfully.
SEROLOGIC SURVEY FOR TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN SELECTED WILDLIFE SPECIES FROM ALASKA

Blood was collected from selected wildlife species in specific areas of Alaska (USA) during 1976–96. A modified agglutination test was used to test sera for evidence of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii. Serum antibody prevalence was 43% (62 positive of 143 tested) for black bears (Ursus americanus), 9% (11/125) for wolves (Canis lupus), 7% (22/319) for Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), 6% (14/241) for caribou (Rangifer tarandus), 1% (3/240) for moose (Alces alces), and 1% (2/241) for bison (Bison bison). A predictive model was developed to determine the effect of sex, age, location, and year of collection on antibody prevalence for each species. Prevalence was higher in older black bears, caribou, and wolves. For black bears, prevalence was highest in the southeast region of the state. For caribou, prevalence was lowest on the Alaska Peninsula.
Casimir's entropy

The classical `Kirchhoff's theorem' (the energy density of the radiation at equilibrium at high temperature, T, is a function of T only) is used to obtain the Casimir energy at zero temperature without recourse to regularization. The validity of `Kirchhoff's theorem' at the high-temperature limit for the case at hand is confirmed. The Casimir entropy is defined and its temperature dependence is displayed. The Casimir entropy at high temperatures is shown to approach a positive geometry-dependent but temperature-independent constant.
Treatment of Femur Fractures in Young Children: A Multicenter Comparison of Flexible Intramedullary Nails to Spica Casting in Young Children Aged 2 to 6 Years

Background: Spica casting is the standard of care for femur fractures in children up to 6 years of age. The indications for surgery are controversial. We sought to compare immediate spica casting (Spica) and flexible intramedullary nailing [titanium elastic nailing (TEN)] in a group of children ages 2 to 6 years. We hypothesized that young children can be successfully treated with flexible nails, resulting in faster return to ambulation and an equivalent complication rate when compared with spica casting. Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective review of 215 patients, 141 treated with immediate spica casting, and 74 treated with elastic nails. Patient demographics, fracture characteristics, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, outcomes, and complications were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. Results: Patients in the elastic nailing group were more likely to be injured as a pedestrian struck by an automobile (Spica 8% vs. TEN 26%, P=0.001), and had increased rates of associated injuries (P<0.001). Time to fracture union was similar between the 2 groups (P=0.652). The TEN group had shorter time to independent ambulation (Spica 51±14 vs. TEN 29±14 d, P<0.001) and return to full activities (Spica 87±19 vs. TEN 74±28 d, P=0.023). Conclusions: TEN is a reasonable option for treatment of femur fractures in young children when compared with spica casting with shorter time to independent ambulation and full activities. Fractures associated with a high-energy mechanism are especially appropriate for consideration of treatment with TEN. Level of Evidence: Level III, this was a retrospective comparative study.
Faculty Mentoring Practices in Academic Emergency Medicine

BACKGROUND Mentoring is considered a fundamental component of career success and satisfaction in academic medicine. However, there is no national standard for faculty mentoring in academic emergency medicine (EM) and a paucity of literature on the subject. OBJECTIVES The objective was to conduct a descriptive study of faculty mentoring programs and practices in academic departments of EM. METHODS An electronic survey instrument was sent to 135 department chairs of EM in the United States. The survey queried faculty demographics, mentoring practices, structure, training, expectations, and outcome measures. Chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare metrics of mentoring effectiveness (i.e., number of publications and National Institutes of Health [NIH] funding) across mentoring variables of interest. RESULTS Thirty-nine of 135 departments completed the survey, with a heterogeneous mix of faculty classifications. While only 43.6% of departments had formal mentoring programs, many augmented faculty mentoring with project or skills-based mentoring (66.7%), peer mentoring (53.8%), and mentoring committees (18%). Although the majority of departments expected faculty to participate in mentoring relationships, only half offered some form of mentoring training. The mean number of faculty publications per department per year was 52.8, and 11 departments fell within the top 35 NIH-funded EM departments. There was an association between higher levels of perceived mentoring success and both higher NIH funding (p = 0.022) and higher departmental publications rates (p = 0.022). In addition, higher NIH funding was associated with mentoring relationships that were assigned (80%), self-identified (20%), or mixed (22%; p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS Our findings help to characterize the variability of faculty mentoring in EM, identify opportunities for improvement, and underscore the need to learn from other successful mentoring programs. This study can serve as a basis to share mentoring practices and stimulate conversation around strategies to improve faculty mentoring in EM.
Distribution of Amyloid-Like and Oligomeric Species from Protein Aggregation Kinetics.

Amyloid fibrils and soluble oligomers are two types of protein aggregates associated with neurodegeneration. Classic therapeutic strategies try to prevent the nucleation and spread of amyloid fibrils, whilst diffusible oligomers have emerged as promising drug targets affecting downstream pathogenic processes. We developed a generic protein aggregation model and validate it against measured compositions of fibrillar and non-fibrillar assemblies of ataxin-3, a protein implicated in Machado-Joseph disease. The derived analytic rate-law equations can be used to 1) identify the presence of parallel aggregation pathways and 2) estimate the critical sizes of amyloid fibrils. The discretized population balance supporting our model is the first to quantitatively fit time-resolved measurements of size and composition of both amyloid-like and oligomeric species. The new theoretical framework can be used to screen a new class of drugs specifically targeting toxic oligomers.
Too close to home? Experiences of Kurdish refugee interpreters working in UK mental health services

Background Despite their essential role in the National Health Service, there is limited research on the experiences of refugee interpreters. Aims To explore Kurdish refugee interpreters’ experiences of working in UK mental health services. Method Six participants were interviewed and data collected were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results The results showed that interpreters often felt overwhelmed by the emotional impact of interpreting in mental health services, particularly at the beginning of their careers. Interpreters struggled to negotiate complex and unclear roles and responsibilities. Interpreting for refugees with shared histories was particularly challenging. Conclusions The study recommends that interpreters working in mental health services receive training on mental health issues and self-care and are assisted by frameworks to help make sense of the impact of the work, such as supervision.
Correlations between pharmacokinetics of IgG antibodies in primates vs. FcRn-transgenic mice reveal a rodent model with predictive capabilities

Transgenic mice expressing human neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) instead of mouse FcRn are available for IgG antibody pharmacokinetic (PK) studies. Given the interest in a rodent model that offers reliable predictions of antibody PK in monkeys and humans, we set out to test whether the PK of IgG antibodies in such mice correlated with the PK of the same antibodies in primates. We began by using a single research antibody to study the influence of: (1) different transgenic mouse lines that differ in FcRn transgene expression; (2) homozygous vs. hemizygous FcRn transgenic mice; (3) the presence vs. absence of coinjected high-dose human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and (4) the presence vs. absence of coinjected high-dose human serum albumin (HSA). Results of those studies suggested that use of hemizygous Tg32 mice (Tg32 hemi) not treated with IVIG or HSA offered potential as a predictive model for PK in humans. Mouse PK studies were then done under those conditions with a panel of test antibodies whose PK in mice and primates is not significantly affected by target binding, and for which monkey or human PK data were readily available. Results from the studies revealed significant correlations between terminal half-life or clearance values observed in the mice and the corresponding values reported in humans. A significant relationship in clearance values between mice and monkeys was also observed. These correlations suggest that the Tg32 hemi mouse model, which is both convenient and cost-effective, can offer value in predicting antibody half-life and clearance in primates.
Functional identification of a neurocircuit regulating blood glucose

Significance Hypoglycemia is an important and frequently encountered complication of diabetes treatment. Here, we identify a subset of neurons located in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, activation of which is both necessary and sufficient to mediate adaptive counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia that return low blood glucose levels into the normal range. These neurons receive ascending input from neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus and in turn control blood glucose levels via projections to the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Together, this work identifies a previously unrecognized functional neurocircuit involved in glycemic control. Previous studies implicate the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN) in glycemic control. Here, we report that selective inhibition of the subset of VMN neurons that express the transcription factor steroidogenic-factor 1 (VMNSF1 neurons) blocks recovery from insulin-induced hypoglycemia whereas, conversely, activation of VMNSF1 neurons causes diabetes-range hyperglycemia. Moreover, this hyperglycemic response is reproduced by selective activation of VMNSF1 fibers projecting to the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST), but not to other brain areas innervated by VMNSF1 neurons. We also report that neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN), a brain area that is also implicated in the response to hypoglycemia, make synaptic connections with the specific subset of glucoregulatory VMNSF1 neurons that project to the aBNST. These results collectively establish a physiological role in glucose homeostasis for VMNSF1 neurons and suggest that these neurons are part of an ascending glucoregulatory LPBN→VMNSF1→aBNST neurocircuit.
Follow-up Angiography of Intracranial Aneurysms Treated with Endovascular Placement of Guglielmi Detachable Coils

OBJECTIVE The success of endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) is dependent on the long-term exclusion of the aneurysm from the circulation. We reviewed our experience with the long-term angiographic follow-up monitoring of aneurysms that had been treated with GDCs. METHODS All patients whose aneurysms had been treated with GDCs between January 1995 and August 1999 and who subsequently underwent follow-up angiography at 6 months or more were included in this study. We reviewed all of the angiographic findings, to determine the percentage of aneurysm occlusion on the initial angiograms and on the last available follow-up angiograms. The categories of aneurysm occlusion used were 100%, ≥95%, and less than 95% occlusion. RESULTS One hundred thirty patients with 141 aneurysms underwent 143 endovascular coiling procedures and subsequently underwent angiographic follow-up monitoring of 6 months or more. There were 102 female and 28 male patients. The mean angiographic follow-up period was 16.7 months (range, 6–62 mo). The initial rates of occlusion were 100% for 56 aneurysms (39%), ≥95% for 65 aneurysms (46%), and less than 95% for 22 aneurysms (15%). Recurrence of one aneurysm (1.8%) was observed. Of the 87 aneurysms that were incompletely occluded initially, there was progressive thrombosis in 40 (46%), stable neck remnants in 23 (26%), and enlargement of the residual neck in 24 (28%). The final occlusion rates, determined on the last available angiograms, were 100% for 88 aneurysms (61%), ≥95% for 31 aneurysms (22%), and less than 95% for 24 aneurysms (17%). No patient experienced repeat or new subarachnoid hemorrhage more than 6 months after the initial treatment. CONCLUSION Late angiographic follow-up monitoring of aneurysms that have been treated with GDCs demonstrates the durability of the treatment. Aneurysms with large residual neck remnants were subjected to further treatment, whereas aneurysms with small residual neck remnants remain under observation.
Suggestive evidence for linkage of schizophrenia to markers at chromosome 15q13-14 in Taiwanese families.

In order to evaluate the linkage of schizophrenia to loci at chromosome 15q, we genotyped six microsatellite markers at chromosome 15q11-14 in 52 Taiwanese schizophrenic families. Two phenotype models (narrow: DSM-IV schizophrenia only; and broad: including schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and other nonaffective psychotic disorders) were used to define the disease phenotype. Maximum nonparametric linkage scores (NPL scores) of 3.33 (P = 0.0003) and 2.96 (P = 0.0008) were obtained at the marker D15S976 under broad and narrow models, respectively. Positive linkage results were also observed at the marker D15S1360, previously reported to have significant linkage to a neurophysiological deficit of schizophrenia, with NPL scores of 2.71 (P = 0.003) and 2.78 (P = 0.002) under broad and narrow models, respectively. The results provide suggestive linkage evidence of schizophrenia to loci at chromosome 15q13-14 in an ethnically distinct Taiwanese sample.
Investigating the determinants of e-book adoption

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that affect users’ adoption of e-books using an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) that includes the following factors: environmental concerns, perceived benefits, and benevolence trust. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed survey responses from 343 participants using structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships in this research model. Findings The results show that users’ adoption of e-books is determined by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust. Research limitations/implications The authors restricted this study to consumers’ adoption of e-books. Further studies could examine consumer’s adoption of other mediums, such as cutting-edge information technologies. Practical implications The results suggest that marketers should consider altering their methods of promoting e-books to attract consumers and further affect their usage intention. Originality/value This study proposes and tests an extended UTAUT model that includes the additional factors of environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust in order to examine the influence of these factors on e-book adoption. The findings are particularly useful for assisting managers to increase e-book adoption.
[Radiofrequency-assisted liver resection. Analysis of a group of consecutive patients treated at a single centre].

AIM To evaluate clinical experience with radiofrequency (RF)-assisted liver resection in patients with metastatic liver disease. METHODS A group of consecutive patients who underwent liver resection using the RF-assisted technique were prospectively followed. RESULTS Between July 2005 and September 2006, 65 liver resections were performed, among these, 40 procedures were performed using the RF technique for metastatic disease. The mean operative time was 141 (range 64-233) minutes, and the mean duration of RF parenchyma coagulation of the resected surface was 17.5 (range 2-32.5) minutes; mean 10 (range 9-12) minutes in the case of right hemihepatectomy. Blood transfusions associated with the operation were administered in 3 (7.5%) patients. The mean number of transfusion units of red blood cells administered was 0.2 (range 0-3). Liver resection was complicated by biliary fistula in 1 patient (2.5%) after mesohepatectomy, hepatic abscess was observed in 1 patient (2.5%) and subdiaphragmatic abscess was observed in 2 patients (5%). CONCLUSION This study indicates that RF-assisted resection may have a benefit in decreasing perioperative blood loss and the volume of transfused blood, without a higher incidence of wound and infectious complications. An increased incidence of pleural effusions that required evacuation was noted.