Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ranking Paragraphs for Improving Answer Recall in Open-Domain Question Answering

Recently, open-domain question answering (QA) has been combined with machine comprehension models to find answers in a large knowledge source. As open-domain QA requires retrieving relevant documents from text corpora to answer questions, its performance largely depends on the performance of document retrievers. However, since traditional information retrieval systems are not effective in obtaining documents with a high probability of containing answers, they lower the performance of QA systems. Simply extracting more documents increases the number of irrelevant documents, which also degrades the performance of QA systems. In this paper, we introduce Paragraph Ranker which ranks paragraphs of retrieved documents for a higher answer recall with less noise. We show that ranking paragraphs and aggregating answers using Paragraph Ranker improves performance of open-domain QA pipeline on the four open-domain QA datasets by 7.8% on average.
Audio-visual encoding of multimedia content for enhancing movie recommendations

We propose a multi-modal content-based movie recommender system that replaces human-generated metadata with content descriptions automatically extracted from the visual and audio channels of a video. Content descriptors improve over traditional metadata in terms of both richness (it is possible to extract hundreds of meaningful features covering various modalities) and quality (content features are consistent across different systems and immune to human errors). Our recommender system integrates state-of-the-art aesthetic and deep visual features as well as block-level and i-vector audio features. For fusing the different modalities, we propose a rank aggregation strategy extending the Borda count approach. We evaluate the proposed multi-modal recommender system comprehensively against metadata-based baselines. To this end, we conduct two empirical studies: (i) a system-centric study to measure the offline quality of recommendations in terms of accuracy-related and beyond-accuracy performance measures (novelty, diversity, and coverage), and (ii) a user-centric online experiment, measuring different subjective metrics, including relevance, satisfaction, and diversity. In both studies, we use a dataset of more than 4,000 movie trailers, which makes our approach versatile. Our results shed light on the accuracy and beyond-accuracy performance of audio, visual, and textual features in content-based movie recommender systems.
Demographic Trends in the Use of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring for Scoliosis Surgery in the United States

ABSTRACT Background: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (ION), such as motor-evoked potential (MEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), and electromyography (EMG), is used to detect impending neurological injuries during spinal surgery. To date, little is known about the trends in the use of ION for scoliosis surgery in the United States. Methods: A retrospective review was performed using the PearlDiver Database to identify patients that had scoliosis surgery with and without ION from years 2005 to 2011. Demographic information (such as age, gender, region within the United States) and clinical information (such as type of ION and rates of neurological injury) were assessed. Results: There were 3618 patients who had scoliosis surgery during the study period. Intraoperative neuromonitoring was used in 1361 (37.6%) of these cases. The number of cases in which ION was used increased from 27% in 2005 to 46.9% in 2011 (P < .0001). Multimodal ION was used more commonly than unimodal ION (64.6% versus 35.4%). The most commonly used modality was combined SSEP and EMG, while the least used modality was MEP only. Neurological injuries occurred in 1.8 and 2.0% of patients that had surgery with and without ION, respectively (P = .561). Intraoperative neuromonitoring was used most commonly in patients <65 years of age and in the Northeastern part of the United States (age P = .006, region P < .0001). Conclusions: The use of ION for scoliosis surgery gradually increased annually from 2005 to 2011. Age and regional differences were noted with neuromonitoring being most commonly used for scoliosis surgery in nonelderly patients and in the Northeastern part of the United States. No differences were noted in the risk of neurological injury in patients that had surgery with and without ION. Although the findings from this study may seem to suggest that ION may not influence the risk of neurologic injury, this result must be interpreted with caution as inherently riskier surgeries may utilize ION more, leading to an actual reduction in injuries more dramatic than observed in this study.
High‐production dairy cattle exhibit different rumen and fecal bacterial community and rumen metabolite profile than low‐production cattle

Our aim was to simultaneously investigate the gut bacteria typical characteristic and conduct rumen metabolites profiling of high production dairy cows when compared to low‐production dairy cows. The bacterial differences in rumen fluid and feces were identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The metabolite differences were identified by metabolomics profiling with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS). The results indicated that the high‐production dairy cows presented a lower rumen bacterial richness and species evenness when compared to low‐production dairy cows. At the phylum level, the high‐production cows increased the abundance of Proteobacteria and decreased the abundance of Bacteroidetes, SR1, Verrucomicrobia, Euryarchaeota, Planctomycetes, Synergistetes, and Chloroflexi significantly (p < 0.05). At the genus level, the rumen fluid of the high‐production group was significantly enriched for Butyrivibrio, Lachnospira, and Dialister (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, rumen fluid of high‐production group was depleted for Prevotella, Succiniclasticum, Ruminococcu, Coprococcus,YRC22, CF231, 02d06, Anaeroplasma, Selenomonas, and Ruminobacter significantly (p < 0.05). A total of 92 discriminant metabolites were identified between high‐production cows and low‐production cows. Compared to rumen fluid of low‐production dairy cows, 10 differential metabolites were found up‐regulated in rumen fluid of high‐production dairy cows, including 6alpha‐Fluoropregn‐4‐ene‐3,20‐dione, 3‐Octaprenyl‐4‐hydroxybenzoate, disopyramide, compound III(S), 1,2‐Dimyristyl‐sn‐glycerol, 7,10,13,16‐Docosatetraenoic acid, ferrous lactate, 6‐Deoxyerythronolide B, vitamin D2, L‐Olivosyl‐oleandolide. The remaining differential metabolites were found down‐regulated obviously in high‐production cows. Metabolic pathway analyses indicated that most increased abundances of rumen fluid metabolites of high‐yield cows were related to metabolic pathways involving biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, steroid biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid‐quinone biosynthesis. Most down‐regulated metabolic pathways were relevant to nucleotide metabolism, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism and biosynthesis of some antibiotics.
Benchmarks of ResNet Architecture for Atrial Fibrillation Classification

In this work we apply variations of ResNet architecture to the task of atrial fibrillation classification. Variations differ in number of filter after first convolution, ResNet block layout, number of filters in block convolutions and number of ResNet blocks between downsampling operations. We have found a range of model size in which models with quite different configurations show similar performance. It is likely that overall number of parameters plays dominant role in model performance. However, configuration parameters like layout have values that constantly lead to better results, which allows to suggest that these parameters should be defined and fixed in the first place, while others may be varied in a reasonable range to satisfy any existing constraints.
A JSON/HTTP communication protocol to support the development of distributed cyber-physical systems

Cyber physical systems are often built using networks of components containing physical and computational resources, enabling the design of distributed applications that collect data from remote sensors and manipulate remote actuators, located on local networks or on far away locations. The communication protocol presented in this paper was designed to support the communication between components of distributed applications. In addition, it includes remote debug and monitoring capabilities, to support the detection and resolution of errors and design mistakes on nodes running on remote locations. Employing the JSON/HTTP standards, the proposed protocol is Web browser friendly, suitable for the creation of Web based applications and user interfaces, but it may be employed on most programming environments that offer libraries to support those standards. As it is based on HTTP, it can easily traverse most firewall configurations and used through proxies. Development of the proposed protocol started on the IOPTTools framework, but the current version was implemented as part of the IOPT-Flow framework, aiming the development of distributed CPS applications based on graphical formalism combining Petri nets and dataflows. Both tool frameworks are available at http://gres.uninova. pt.
Erythrocyte Saturated Fatty Acids and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Chinese Men and Women: A Prospective Cohort Study

The association between circulating saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) is reported in Western populations with inconsistent results, while evidence from Asian populations is scarce. We aimed to examine the associations between erythrocyte SFAs and incident T2D in a Chinese population. Between 2008 and 2013, a total of 2683 participants, aged 40–75 years, free of diabetes were included in the present analyses. Incident T2D cases were ascertained during follow-up visits. Gas chromatography was used to measure erythrocyte fatty acids at baseline. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During 13,508 person years of follow-up, 216 T2D cases were identified. Compared with the first quartile, multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of the fourth quartile were 1.20 (0.82–1.76; p = 0.242) for myristic acid (14-carbon tail, zero double bonds; 14:0), 0.69 (0.48–0.99; p = 0.080) for palmitic acid (16:0), 1.49 (1.02–2.19; p = 0.047) for stearic acid (18:0), 1.46 (1.00–2.12; p = 0.035) for arachidic acid (20:0), 1.48 (0.99–2.22; p = 0.061) for behenic acid (22:0), and 1.08 (0.74–1.56; p = 0.913) for lignoceric acid (24:0). Our findings indicate that individual erythrocyte SFAs are associated with T2D in different directions, with 18:0 and 20:0 SFAs positively associated with the risk, whereas no convincing inverse association for 16:0 SFAs.
Comparing recommender systems using synthetic data

In this work, we propose SynRec, a data protection framework that uses data synthesis. The goal is to protect sensitive information in the user-item matrix by replacing the original values with synthetic values or, alternatively, completely synthesizing new users. The synthetic data must fulfill two requirements. First, it must no longer be possible to derive certain sensitive information from the data, and, second, it must remain possible to use the synthetic data for comparing recommender systems. SynRec is a step towards making it possible for companies to release recommender system data to the research community for the development of new algorithms, for example, in the context of recommender system challenges. We report the results of preliminary experiments, which provide a proof-of-concept, and also describe the future research directions, i.e., the challenges that must be addressed in order to make the framework useful in practice.
Cordycepin in Anticancer Research: Molecular Mechanism of Therapeutic Effects.

BACKGROUND Cordycepin is a nucleotide analogue from Cordyceps mushrooms, which have a notable place in traditional medicine. OBJECTIVE In this review article, we have discussed the recent findings on the molecular aspects of cordycepin interactions with its recognized cellular targets, and possible mechanisms of its anticancer activity. METHOD We have explored databases like pubmed, google scholar, scopus and web of science for the update information on cordycepin and mechanisms of its anticancer activity, and reviewed in this study. RESULTS Cordycepin has been widely recognized for its therapeutic potential against many types of cancers by various mechanisms. More specifically, cordycepin can induce apoptosis, resist cell cycle and cause DNA damage in cancer cells, and thus kill or control cancer cell growth. Also cordycepin can induce autophagy and modulate immune system. Furthermore, cordycepin also inhibits tumor metastasis. Although many success stories of cordycepin in anticancer research in vitro and in animal model, and there is no successful clinical trial yet. CONCLUSION Ongoing research studies have reported highly potential anticancer activities of cordycepin with numerous molecular mechanisms. The in vitro and in vivo success of cordycepin in anticancer research might influence the clinical trials of cordycepin, and this molecule might be used for development of future cancer drug.
Impact of item consumption on assessment of recommendations in user studies

In user studies of recommender systems, participants typically cannot consume the recommended items. Still, they are asked to assess recommendation quality and other aspects related to user experience by means of questionnaires. Without having listened to recommended songs or watched suggested movies, however, this might be an error-prone task, possibly limiting validity of results obtained in these studies. In this paper, we investigate the effect of actually consuming the recommended items. We present two user studies conducted in different domains showing that in some cases, differences in the assessment of recommendations and in questionnaire results occur. Apparently, it is not always possible to adequately measure user experience without allowing users to consume items. On the other hand, depending on domain and provided information, participants sometimes seem to approximate the actual value of recommendations reasonably well.
Health Information Discrepancies Between Internet Media and Scientific Papers Reporting on Omega-3 Supplement Research: Comparative Analysis

Background Dietary supplements are the most used complementary and alternative health modality in the United States, and omega-3 supplements continue to be the most popularly used nonvitamin or nonmineral supplements by adults. Users of dietary supplements report that they obtain health guidance from internet media resources, but there is question as to whether or not these resources provide the necessary evidence to guide health decisions. Current evidence suggests that there is a mistranslation occurring somewhere between researchers and the media. Objective The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative cross-sectional analysis to identify areas of discordance created when science is translated from the laboratory to Web-based news media. Methods A Google news search provided our convenience sample of 40 omega-3 supplement–based media reports stratified by the years 2009 to 2012. Media reports (n=17) were compared with the corresponding scientific papers for content. Report and scientific paper content were extracted using commonly accepted reporting guideline domains, and domains were then compared for detecting underlying omissions or mistranslations in reporting. Mean scores for all of the scientific papers and media reports were assessed for each domain. Results Scientific papers (n=14) generally maintained a mean close to complete for each reporting domain. The only domain where there was not a significant difference between media and scientific reporting match was within the objectives domain (χ21= 0.8, P=.36). Media reports (n=17) more frequently reported potential caveats and warnings for consumers with a mean domain for caveat reporting of 0.88, with possible scores falling between 0 and 1. Conclusions There are inherent differences in the intended audience, structure, and goals in scientific and media communications. These differences should be explored further, and consumers should be made aware of them. Additional considerations for balanced reporting and reader accessibility are also necessary to take into account and are explored further in this analysis.
Analysis of the Association of Polymorphisms rs5743708 in TLR2 and rs4986790 in TLR4 with Atopic Dermatitis Risk

ABSTRACT Background: We carried out a meta-analysis to assess whether Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) rs5743708 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) rs4986790 polymorphisms are associated with the risk of atopic dermatitis. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed to identify eligible case–control studies on the association of rs5743708 and rs4986790 with the risk of atopic dermatitis. Statistical analyses of the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and p value were performed using STATA software. Results: Our meta-analysis included a total of nine case–control studies, all involving Caucasian populations. With respect to the TLR2 rs5743708 G/A polymorphism, there was a statistically significant difference in the overall risk of atopic dermatitis between the case and control groups [OR = 2.07, p value of association test, p(association) = 0.001 in allele (A vs. G) model; OR = 1.93, p(association) = 0.004 in carrier (A vs. G) model; OR = 2.07, p(association) = 0.001 in heterozygote (GA vs. GG) model; OR = 1.99, p(association) = 0.001 in dominant (GA+ AA vs. GG) model]. Similar positive results were observed in the subgroup analysis of “population-based control. ” For the TLR4 rs4986790 A/G polymorphism, an increased atopic dermatitis risk was detected in the case group under the allele [OR = 1.78, p(association) = 0.013], carrier [OR = 1.69, p(association) = 0.027] and heterozygote [OR = 1.74, p(association) = 0.020] models, but not the dominant [OR = 1.44, p(association) = 0.070] model, in comparison to the population-based control group. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis revealed a novel finding that the heterogeneous “GA” genotype of the TLR2 rs5743708 and “AG” genotype of the TLR4 rs4986790 may be associated with increased susceptibility to atopic dermatitis in Caucasians.
Epsin15 Homology Domains: Role in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Intersectin-1s (ITSN) deficiency and expression of a biologically active ITSN fragment, result of granzyme B cleavage under inflammatory conditions associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), are characteristics of lung tissue of human and animal models of PAH. Recently, we have shown that this ITSN fragment comprising two Epsin15 homology domains (EHITSN) triggers endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and the plexiform arteriopathy in PAH. Limited evidence also indicates that the EH domains of endocytic proteins such as ITSN, upregulate compensatory endocytic pathways in cells with impaired vesicular trafficking. Thus, we sought to investigate whether the EHITSN may be involved in this compensatory mechanism for improving the EC endocytic dysfunction induced by ITSN deficiency and possibly contribute to PAH pathogenesis. We used stably-transfected human pulmonary artery ECs expressing the Myc-EHITSN (ECEH-ITSN) and ITSN knockout heterozygous mice (K0ITSN+/-) transduced with the Myc-EHITSN, in conjunction with functional assays: the biotin assay for caveolae internalization and 8 nm gold (Au)- and dinitrophenylated (DNP)-albumin perfusion of murine lung microvasculature. Pulmonary artery ECs of PAH patients (ECPAH), ITSN knockdown ECs (ECKD-ITSN), the monocrotaline (MCT)-induced mouse and rat models of PAH, as well as untreated animals, served as controls. ELISA via streptavidin-HRP or anti-DNP antibody (Ab), applied on ECs and lung lysates indicated greater than 30% increase in biotin internalization in ECEH-ITSN compared to ECCtrl. Despite their endocytic deficiency, ECPAH internalized biotin similar to ECCtrl which is twofold higher compared to ECKD-ITSN. Moreover, the lung microvascular bed of Myc-EHITSN-transduced mice and MCT-treated animals showed greater than twofold increase in DNP-BSA transendothelial transport, all compared to untreated controls. Electron microscopy (EM) revealed the increased occurrence of non-conventional endocytic/transcytotic structures (i.e., caveolae clusters, tubulo-vesicular and enlarged endocytic structures, membranous rings), usually underrepresented. Most of these structures were labeled by Au-BSA, consistent with their involvement in the transendothelial transport. Furthermore, ITSN deficiency and EHITSN expression alter the subcellular localization of the EH-binding protein 1 (EHBP1) and cortical actin organization, altogether supporting the increase occurrence/trafficking of the alternative endocytic structures. Thus, the EHITSN by shifting the physiological vesicular (caveolae) transport toward the alternative endocytic pathways is a significant contributor to the dysfunctional molecular phenotype of ECPAH.
A Prospective Study Investigating Fistula Rate Following Primary Palatoplasty Using Acellular Dermal Matrix

Background: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) has been described as an adjunct in primary cleft palate repair to reduce the fistula rate in several retrospective studies (level III or lower); however, current data are insufficient to definitively conclude its efficacy for this purpose. The goal of the present study was to provide prospective, higher level of evidence data investigating the effect of ADM on fistula rate following primary palatoplasty. Methods: A prospective clinical trial was conducted in which ADM was used uniformly in all primary cleft palate repairs that met inclusion criteria. For comparison, a matched control group was identified (retrospectively) from the same center/surgeon’s database. Primary outcome was the rate of palatal fistula formation. Secondary outcomes included bleeding, infection, and delayed healing. Results: A total of 130 patients were included in the analysis consisting of 65 in both the study and control groups. There were no statistically significant differences in patient demographics or cleft /surgical characteristics. The results demonstrated a fistula rate of 1.5% in the study group versus 12.3% in the control group (P = 0.03). The other complications (infection, bleeding, delayed healing) were similar between the groups. Conclusion: The study provides the highest level of evidence currently available (level II, prospective data) investigating the effect of ADM on fistula rate following primary palatoplasty. The results demonstrate a low overall fistula rate (1.5%) and suggest there may be a clinically significant reduction in fistula formation associated with the routine use of ADM in all primary palate repairs.