Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Event extraction from corefering mentions to enrich semantic web metadata

Since an enormous amount of information is available on the web and much time is needed to find and read the desired information, users require precise information from the documents. More specifically, most users are interested in precise information about events occurring in different parts of the world, such as when and where the event has occurred and who was involved in the event. The task of finding such information is called event extraction. Event extraction from text documents is an important task in the field of natural language processing, as it helps improve information retrieval and summarisation, as well as enriching the semantic web with event-based metadata. This paper provides a method to extract event arguments from corefering sentences of a particular event instance using rule learning based on rough sets. It also provides a metadata adoption strategy to exploit the results in the semantic web environment as metadata.
Endothelial Glycocalyx: Basic Science and Clinical Implications

The classic Starling principle proposed that microvascular fluid exchange was determined by a balance of hydrostatic and oncotic pressures relative to the vascular wall and this movement of water was regulated by gaps in the intercellular spaces. However, current literature on the endothelial glycocalyx (a jelly-like protective layer covering the luminal surface of the endothelium) has revised Starling's traditional concepts. This article aims to summarise the literature on the glycocalyx related to its basic science, clinical settings inciting injury, protective strategies and clinical perspectives. Perioperative damage to the glycocalyx structure can increase vascular permeability leading to interstitial fluid shifts, oedema, and increased surgical morbidity. Pathological shedding of the glycocalyx occurs in response to mechanical cellular stress, endotoxins, inflammatory mediators, atrial natriuretic peptide, ischaemia–reperfusion injury, free oxygen radicals and hyperglycaemia. Increased understanding of the endothelial glycocalyx may change perioperative fluid management, and therapeutic strategies aimed at its preservation may improve patient outcomes.
Targeting Suboptimal Prescribing in the Elderly: A Review of the Impact of Pharmacy Services

Objective To review the currently available literature on the impact of interventions by pharmacists on suboptimal prescribing in the elderly. Data Sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases were searched for studies published between January 1992 and December 2008. Key words included medication review, drug regimen review, pharmaceutical services, pharmaceutical care, pharmacists, medications, appropriateness, suboptimal, underuse, aged, elderly, randomized controlled trial, inappropriate, prescribing, and intervention. Study Selection And Data Extraction To be included in the review, studies must have been conducted in patients 65 years or older, published in English, randomized and controlled, and must have included an intervention delivered by a pharmacist or had a pharmacist as a member of the intervention team. From each relevant study, the following data were extracted: study duration, country, number of patients, year of publication, objective, type and impact of the intervention, method used to assess suboptimal prescribing, and data concerning the quality of the study. Data Synthesis A total of 38 articles were identified, of which 12 matched our inclusion criteria. Seven articles included interventions initiated by pharmacists, and the remaining 5 described interventions in which the pharmacist was a part of the multidisciplinary team. A broad range of tools was used to measure prescribing appropriateness; we found that a consensus on the best approach has not been reached. Most of the studies involving pharmacists showed significant improvement in suboptimal prescribing at one or more time points. However, most of these interventions were directed toward reducing the overuse or misuse of medications. Conclusions Pharmacy services to reduce suboptimal prescribing have shown promising and noteworthy improvements. More research is needed to address the underutilization of medications in the elderly and healthcare impact of reducing suboptimal prescribing.
Effectiveness of corticosteroid injections in adhesive capsulitis of shoulder

Background: Primary adhesive capsulitis is mainly characterized by spontaneous chronic shoulder pain and the gradual loss of shoulder motion. The main treatment for adhesive capsulitis is a trial of conservative therapies, including analgesia, exercise, physiotherapy, oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammation drugs, and intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Previously, it was reported that intra-articular corticosteroid lead to fast pain relief and improvement of range of motion (ROM). The objective of this study was to determine whether corticosteroid injections would lead to better pain relief and greater improvement in ROM. Methods: We searched PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane library. We included 5 articles of the 1166 articles identified. Totally injection group included 115 patients and placebo group included 110 patients. We calculated the weighted mean differences to evaluate the pain relief as the primary outcome. We determined the ROM as the secondary outcome. Study quality was evaluated using the 12-item scale. We also used the criteria of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to evaluate the quality of evidence. Results: In total, 5 studies were included, 4 of which were randomized clinical trials, with a sample size of 225 patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulders. The overall pooled data demonstrated that, compared with placebo as control treatment, intra-articular corticosteroid injections were more effective in reducing the pain score at 0 to 8 weeks, but there was no difference between the injection group and the control group at 9 to 24 weeks. Improvement of ROM in the injection group was greater than that of the control group both at 0 to 8 and 9 to 24 weeks. Conclusions: Intra-articular corticosteroid injections were more effective in pain relief in the short term, but this pain relief did not sustain in the long term. Intra-articular corticosteroid injection resulted in greater improvement in passive ROM both in the short and the long terms.
Alopecia Universalis in a Patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Abstract: A 12‐year‐old boy with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) who developed severe alopecia is presented. His sister also had alopecia and recurrent infections and died of lung infection at the age of 7 years. The loss of hair in both children was total; the pathology of a scalp skin biopsy specimen was typical for alopecia areata. The boy was subjected to clinical and immunologic evaluation and the results were compatible with common variable immunodeficiency.
SCA Functional Index

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of functional measures in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). Methods: We assessed three functional measures—8 m walking time (8MW), 9-hole peg test (9HPT), and PATA repetition rate—in 412 patients with autosomal dominant SCA (genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 6) in a multicenter trial. Results: While PATA rate was normally distributed (mean/median 21.7/20.5 per 10 s), the performance times for 8MW (mean/median 10.8/7.5 s) or 9HPT (mean/median 47.2/35.0 s in dominant, 52.2/37.9 s in nondominant hand) were markedly skewed. Possible learning effects were small and likely clinically irrelevant. A composite functional index (SCAFI) was formed after appropriate transformation of subtest results. The Z-scores of each subtest correlated well with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), the Unified Huntington's disease Rating Scale functional assessment, and disease duration. Correlations for SCAFI with each of these parameters were stronger (Pearson r = −0.441 to −0.869) than for each subtest alone. Furthermore, SCAFI showed a linear decline over the whole range of disease severity, while 9HPT and 8MW had floor effects with respect to SARA. Analysis of possible confounders showed no effect of genotype or study site and only minor effects of age for 8MW. Conclusion: The proposed functional measures and their composite SCAFI have favorable properties to assess patients with spinocerebellar ataxia.
"Where's Pinky?": The Effects of a Reduced Number of Fingers in Virtual Reality

The hands of one's avatar are possibly the most visible aspect when interacting in virtual reality (VR). As video games in VR proliferate, it is important to understand how the appearance of avatar hands influence the user experience. Designers of video games often stylize hands and reduce the number of fingers of game characters. Previous work shows that the appearance of avatar hands has significant effects on the user's presence - the feeling of `being' and `acting' in VR. However, little is known about the effects of missing fingers of an avatar in VR. In this paper, we present a study (N=24) that investigated the effect of hand representations by parametrically varying the number of fingers of abstract and realistically rendered hands. We show that decreasing the number of fingers of realistic hands leads to significantly lower levels of presence, which is not the case for abstract hands. Qualitative feedback collected through think-aloud and video revealed potential reasons for the different assessment of realistic and abstract hands with fewer fingers in VR. We contribute design implications and recommend considering the human-likeness when a reduction of the number of fingers of avatar hands is desired.
Detection of Mycobacteria and Chlamydiae in Granulomatous Inflammation of Reptiles: A Retrospective Study

A retrospective study on reptile tissues presenting with granulomatous inflammation was performed to detect the possible presence of mycobacteria and chlamydiae in these lesions. Ninety cases including 48 snakes, 27 chelonians, and 15 lizards were selected. Mycobacteria were detected by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining and a broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing. To detect chlamydiae, immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a Chlamydiales order-specific PCR and sequencing were applied. Acid-fast bacilli were found in 14 cases (15.6%) by ZN staining and in 23 cases (25.6%) by PCR. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of Mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MOTT). Chlamydial LPS antigen was observed within granulomas from five samples (5.6%), whereas the PCR screen revealed 58 positive cases (64.4%). Of these, 9 cases (10%) showed 98–99% similarity to Chlamydophila (Cp.) pneumoniae and 49 cases (54.4%) displayed a high similarity (88–97%) to the newly described “Chlamydia-like” microorganisms Parachlamydia acanthamoebae and Simkania negevensis. Results from this study confirm, on the one hand, that MOTT are probably the most important infectious etiology for granulomatous inflammation in reptiles. On the other hand, they indicate that chlamydia infects reptiles and that Cp. pneumoniae should be considered an etiological agent of granulomatous lesions of reptiles. Because both MOTT and Cp. pneumoniae are human pathogens, the potential of zoonotic transmission from reptiles to humans has to be considered. In contrast, the significance of Chlamydia-like isolates remains completely open, and further studies are needed to evaluate their role.
Emergence of Reduced Susceptibility and Resistance to Fluoroquinolones in Escherichia coliin Taiwan and Contributions of Distinct Selective Pressures

ABSTRACT A survey of 1,203 Escherichia coli isolates from 44 hospitals in Taiwan revealed that 136 (11.3%) isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones and that another 261 (21.7%) isolates had reduced susceptibility. Resistance was more common in isolates responsible for hospital-acquired (mostly in intensive care units) infections (17.5%) than in other adult inpatient (11.4%; P = 0.08) and outpatient isolates (11.9%; P > 0.1). Similarly, reduced susceptibility was more common in isolates responsible for hospital-acquired infections (30.9%) than in other adult inpatient (21.0%; P = 0.04) and outpatient (21.4%; P = 0.06) isolates. Isolates from pediatric patients were less likely to be resistant (1.3 versus 12.0%; P < 0.01) but were nearly as likely to have reduced susceptibility (17.7 versus 21.9%;P > 0.1) as nonpediatric isolates. There was an inverse relationship in the proportion of isolates that were resistant versus the proportion that had reduced susceptibility among isolates from individual hospitals (R = 0.031; P < 0.05). In an analysis of isolates from two hospitals, all 9 resistant strains possessed double point mutations ingyrA and all 19 strains with reduced susceptibility strains had single point mutations; no mutations were found among fully susceptible strains. Risk factors for resistance included underlying cancer (odds ratio [OR], 83; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 7.3 to 2,241; P < 0.001), exposure to a quinolone (OR, undefined; P = 0.02), and exposure to a nonquinolone antibiotic (OR, 20; CI95, 2.2 to 482; P < 0.001); underlying cancer was the only independent risk factor (OR, 83; CI95, 8.6 to 807; P < 0.001). There were no significant associations between any of these factors and reduced susceptibility. Whereas acute and chronic quinolone use in cancer patients is a major selective pressure for resistance, other undetermined but distinct selective pressures appear to be more responsible for reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones in E. coli.
Obesity-associated severe asthma represents a distinct clinical phenotype: analysis of the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry Patient cohort according to BMI.

BACKGROUND Obesity has emerged as a risk factor for the development of asthma and it may also influence asthma control and airway inflammation. However, the role of obesity in severe asthma remains unclear. Thus, our objective was to explore the association between obesity (defied by BMI) and severe asthma. METHODS Data from the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry were used to compare patient demographics, disease characteristics, and health-care utilization among three BMI categories (normal weight: 18.5-24.99; overweight: 25-29.99; obese: 30) in a well-characterized group of adults with severe asthma. RESULTS The study population consisted of 666 patients with severe asthma; the group had a median BMI of 29.8 (interquartile range, 22.5-34.0). The obese group exhibited greater asthma medication requirements in terms of maintenance corticosteroid therapy (48.9% vs 40.4% and 34.5% in the overweight and normal-weight groups, respectively), steroid burst therapy, and short-acting b 2 -agonist use per day. Significant differences were seen with gastroesophageal reflux disease (53.9% vs 48.1% and 39.7% in the overweight and normal weight groups, respectively) and proton pump inhibitor use. Bone density scores were higher in the obese group, while pulmonary function testing revealed a reduced FVC and elevated carbon monoxide transfer coefficient. Serum IgE levels decreased with increasing BMI and the obese group was more likely to report eczema, but less likely to have a history of nasal polyps. CONCLUSIONS Patients with severe asthma display particular characteristics according to BMI that support the view that obesity-associated severe asthma may represent a distinct clinical phenotype.
Clinical Pharmacodynamics of Cannabinoids

ABSTRACT Our knowledge of the pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids, that is, “the study of the biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action” (The Merck Manual), has considerably increased within the past decade due to the detection of an endogenous cannabinoid system with specific receptors and their endogenous ligands. THC (δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main source of the pharmacological effects caused by the use of cannabis including the medicinal benefits of the plant, is an agonist to both the CB1 and the CB2 subtype of these receptors. Its acid metabolite THC-COOH (11-nor-9-carboxy-THC), the non-psychotropic cannabidiol (CBD), analogues of these natural compounds, antagonists at the cannabinoid receptors and modulators of the endogenous cannabinoid system are also promising candidates for clinical research and therapeutic uses. Cannabinoid receptors are distributed in the central nervous system and many peripheral tissues (spleen, leukocytes; reproductive, urinary and gastr.
Towards a meta-model to utilize the measuring of competence

Motivation -- To support subjects performing knowledge-intensive processes and to predict their performance, it is necessary to describe and measure the subject's competence (trait) in suitable dimensions. Research approach -- By combining different aspects of process modeling, knowledge modeling and educational competence, a Meta-Model-Map (M3) has been developed. Findings/Design -- A Meta-Model-Map combining the different aspects seems to be a possible approach to combine the different aspects and allow adapting different models for the single areas. Research limitations/Implications -- So far only some parts of the M3 have been tested by populating the model with real data. The statistical evaluation may lack from insufficient number of data. Originality/Value -- So far the idea of competence (trait) has not been widely introduced to process modeling. While the concept is familiar in educational science and human resource management, few work has been done to try a fine-grained, explanatory approach. Take away message -- To evaluate competence for further use, a Meta-Model along with statistics is a possible approach.
Ergebnisse und Erfahrungen in der klinischen Anwendung des Fibrin­ Klebers bei der Wiederherstellung durchtrennter peripherer Nerven

Seit dem Herbst 1970 wird im Unfallkrankenhaus Lorenz Bohler in Wien in der uber­ wiegenden Mehrzahl der Falle durchtrennter peripherer Nerven fur deren Wiederher­ stellung die interfasciculare autologe Nerventransplantation in der von Millesi [4] an­ gegebenen Technik angewendet. Die guten Erfahrungen mit der Fibrinklebung von Nervenanastomosen in Tierexperimenten von Matras 1972 [2] veranlaste uns, unsere Technik insofern zu modifizieren, das wir im Februar 1974 begannen, auf die peri­ neuralen Nahte ganzlich zu verzichten und an ihrer Stelle die Anastomosen mit Fibrin zu kleben. Dabei wird nach exakter Adaptation des Perineuriums zwischen Faszikel­ stumpf und Transplantat auf einer unterlegten Aluminiumfolie hochkonzentriertes Fibrinogen aufgetropft und durch Thrombin zum Gerinnen gebracht, wobei ein man­ schettenformiger Clot entsteht. Der Grundgedanke fur die Verwendung dieser Tech­ nik war, das dadurch die einmal erreichte optimale Adaptation besser bewahrt wurde, als durch einzelne perineurale Nahte und zugleich intrafasciculare Fremdkorper ver­ mieden wurden. Histologische Untersuchungen perineural genahter Nervenanasto­ mosen haben gezeigt, das das Perineurium auf der Gegenseite der Naht oft aufklafft, wodurch es zum Aussprossen von Neuriten kommt. Intraneural finden sich um jedes Nahtmaterial stets Fremdkorperreaktionen. Die Fibrinklebung erschien als ein dem naturlichen Heilungsvorgang naherkommendes Verfahren als die Naht.
Psychological Correlates of Stress‐Induced Cortisol and Growth Hormone Releases in Neurotic Patients

&NA; The mirror drawing test was performed in 23 neurotic patients and plasma cortisol (Fk) and growth hormone (GH) were measured serially throughout the test. The patient's personality was assessed by the Minnesota Multiphastic Personality Inventory and related to the endocrine findings. The results indicated that 1) Fk and GH have different personality correlates; 2) the Fk responders tend to be more “defensive” trying to maintain good “self‐control” over inner mental processes; 3) high GH level seems to be associated with personality features such as exaggeration, hostility, and a distorted thinking process; 4) psychoendocrine control mechanisms for Fk and GH tend to offset, rather than enhance, each other.
The effect of socio-demographic and genetic factors on head indices

A representative sample of Hungarian conscripts were taken from the cohorts of the 18-year-old young males in 1998 (n=8,000). Anthropometric, medical and socio-demographic data were collected in the sample. In this study only the effects of some socio-demographic factors on the cephalic and the morphological facial indices were analysed, but the effects of genetic factors were also observed. A rapid debrachycephalisation and the tendency of the face to become narrower and higher were also found in the sample.
Beating Level-Set Methods for 5-D Seismic Data Interpolation: A Primal-Dual Alternating Approach

Acquisition cost is a crucial bottleneck for seismic workflows, and low-rank formulations for data interpolation allow practitioners to “fill in” data volumes from critically subsampled data acquired in the field. Tremendous size of seismic data volumes required for seismic processing remains a major challenge for these techniques. Residual-constrained formulations require less parameter tuning when the target noise floor is known. We propose a new approach to solve residual constrained formulations for interpolation. We represent the data volume in a compressed manner using low-rank matrix factors, and build a block-coordinate algorithm with constrained convex subproblems that are solved with a primal-dual splitting scheme. The develop optimization framework works on the whole seismic temporal frequency slices and does not require windowing or nontrivial sorting of seismic data. The new approach is competitive with state of the art level-set algorithms that interchange the role of objectives with constraints. We use the new algorithm to successfully interpolate a large scale 5-D seismic data volume (upto $10^{10}$ data points), generated from the geologically complex synthetic 3-D Compass velocity model, where 80% of the data have been removed. We also develop a robust extension of the primal-dual approach to deal with the outliers (or noise) in the data.
Extensive Retraction Artifact Correlates With Lymphatic Invasion and Nodal Metastasis and Predicts Poor Outcome in Early Stage Breast Carcinoma

Retraction artifact resulting in clear spaces around tumor cell nests is frequently seen in histologic material and may present difficulty in their differentiation from lymphovascular invasion. We noticed that retraction artifact seemed to be more common around groups of breast cancer cells compared with benign acini, and when extensively present, metastasis to axillary lymph nodes was often seen. Thus, we performed a study of 304 cases of stage pT1 and pT2 breast carcinomas to test our hypothesis that extensive retraction artifact in tumors correlates with lymphatic spread and outcome. Tumors were evaluated to determine the presence and extent of retraction artifact around tumor cell nests and the presence of lymphatic invasion. Lymphatic invasion was confirmed by D2-40 immunostaining. The extent of retraction artifact in tumors was correlated with clinicopathologic tumor features and patient outcome. Variable degree of retraction artifact was present in 183 of 304 (60%) invasive carcinomas, with its extent ranging from 0% to 90% (median 5%). The extent of retraction artifact showed a significant correlation with tumor size, histologic type, histologic grade, presence of lymphovascular invasion, and nodal metastasis. Further, extensive retraction artifact was significantly associated with poor overall and disease-free survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses. We propose that the apparent retraction of the stroma from cells of invasive breast carcinoma on routine histologic sections is not a phenomenon merely due to inadequate fixation as currently believed. Rather, it likely signifies important biologic changes that alter tumor-stromal interactions and contribute to lymphatic spread and tumor progression.