Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semantic Relations in Bioscience Text

Semantic analysis is one of the most important areas in the field of natural language processing. Semantic analysis is devoted to the study of the meaning of linguistic utterances. This book describes algorithms that extract semantics from bioscience text using statistical machine learning techniques. In particular this book is concerned with the identification of concepts of interest ("entities") and the identification of the relationships that hold between them. Novel machine learning algorithms are proposed for the problems of classifying the semantic relations between nouns in noun compounds, of distinguishing among several relation types that can occur between the entities "treatment" and "disease" and the problem of identifying the interactions between proteins. The results described in this book represent first steps on the way to a comprehensive strategy of exploiting machine learning algorithms for the analysis of bioscience text.
Serum homocysteine and folate levels as a predictor of materno-fetal outcome in preeclamptic women

Background: To study the role of serum homocysteine and serum folate levels in prediction of materno-fetal outcome in preeclamptic women, especially in early onset preeclampsia.Methods: This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India. 60 preeclamptic women (Group A) that were matched with 60 normotensive pregnant women (Group B), with singleton pregnancy and gestational age between 24-32 weeks attending antenatal clinics were included in the study. Maternal blood was collected twice first at time of enrolment and second at delivery. Serum homocysteine and serum folate levels were analyzed using enzymatic assay and chemiluminescent immunoassay. Mean rise in serum homocysteine and folate levels were calculated individually in all patients.Results: Mean homocysteine levels were significantly higher in Group A as compared to Group B both at enrolment and delivery (p <0.05). Women with higher rise in mean homocysteine levels were associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal complications (p <0.05). Mean rise in homocysteine levels were significantly higher in women who developed abruption and perinatal death (p <0.05) while no correlation was found with the mean change in serum folate levels (p >0.05). Conclusions: Serum homocysteine can be used as a reliable marker for predicting the severity of preeclampsia and adverse pregnancy (both maternal and fetal) outcome thus helps in reducing maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, especially in women with early onset preeclampsia.
TREATMENT OF TINNITUS AND DIZZINESS ASSOCIATED VERTEBROBASILAR INSUFFICIENCY WITH A FIXED COMBINATION OF CINNARIZINE AND DIMENHYDRINATE

Seventy-eight consecutive subjects, 43 males and 35 females, ranging from 43 to 87 years of age suffering from dizziness and/or tinnitus due to vertebrobasilar insufficiency without other central nervous system diseases were treated with fixed combination of cinnarizine and dimenhydrinate two times a day and for two months. Data were collected considering the following parameters: age, sex, vestibular symptoms (unsteadiness, staggering, tendency to fall, swaying, vertigo due to change of position, bowing, walking, eye movements), headache, tinnitus, impaired hearing and aural fullness. Patients evaluated their vertigo symptoms and/or tinnitus intensities using a graded 3point visual analog scale ranging from 1 (no symptoms) to 3 (strong symptoms) and their impact of life with classical tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) at first appointment, during the treatment and after therapy. The results of THI and DHI evidenced a statistical significant improvement either for tinnitus (t = 3.57; p<0.001) and for vestibular symptoms (t = 4.12; p<0.001); in particular at the final examination, of the 62 patients suffered from tinnitus, the 38.71% (24 cases) did not present the disorder while of the vestibular symptoms; unsteadiness and staggering both evidenced in 65/78 subjects (83.33%) at the beginning of the therapy, disappeared in the 43.08%. In conclusion dual action of the treatment showed improvement of tinnitus and dizziness symptoms, which was confirmed either by symptoms’ reduction and by THI and DHI score.
Cancer survival outcomes in Ontario, Canada: Significant unexplained variation.

36 Background: Cancer-specific outcomes are critical for assessing quality of care, and are key quality indicators for cancer control programs. Previous analyses of Ontario (Canada) data show that regional survival differences at the Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) level exist for relative survival, overall survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and mortality rates.We sought to describe: 5-year cancer-specific survival (5Y-CSS) rates among Ontario LHINs; the impact of adjusting for known patient factors; and 5Y-CSS rates among patients diagnosed at Ontario's 50 largest cancer diagnosing hospitals. Methods: Newly diagnosed cases (colorectal, lung, breast, or prostate cancer) were identified in the Ontario Cancer Registry. Records were linked to data from CIHI and Statistics Canada, to identify date of diagnosis, cause-specific vital status, diagnosing hospital, and other reported variables. Cox regression models were used, and all models were adjusted for age and sex. Results: N = 498,382 incident cases (2007-2013) were included. 5Y-CSS varied across LHINs for all patients combined (range 62%-72%; p < 0.0001). Considering colorectal cancer cases as illustrative (N = 57,927), 5Y-CSS varied among LHINs from 58.4%-66.4% (p < 0.0001). Further adjusting for socioeconomic and urban-rural status minimally reduced that variation. Limiting the analysis cohort to patients diagnosed in one of Ontario's 50 largest hospitals (N = 43,245), 5Y-CSS ranged from 52% to 72% (p < 0.0001) among hospitals, and from 55% to 63% (p < 0.0001) among the hospitals affiliated with regional cancer centres. Comparable findings were seen for patients diagnosed with lung, breast, or prostate cancer. Collaborative staging data were available for a subset of patients; 5Y-CSS within all stage III patients (N = 5,360) ranged from 72% to 87%. Conclusions: Important, highly significant differences in cancer survival outcomes exist across Ontario. These are of great interest to patients, health-care providers, system administrators, and policy makers, and are not explained by adjusting for the variables included in these analyses.
A study on influence of iron deficiency anaemia over HbA1c levels

Background: Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a glycated form of haemoglobin reflects average plasma glucose over the previous 8 to 12 weeks. HbA1c can be affected by multiple non-glycaemic parameters. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is one among them which is the most common type of anaemia in India. However, reports on the effects of iron deficiency anaemia on HbA1c levels are inconsistent. Hence we conducted a study to find out the influence of iron deficiency anaemia over HbA1c levels. Methods: 120 patients confirmed to have iron deficiency anaemia were enrolled in this study. HbA1c levels were measured at baseline and 3 months after treatment, and these values were compared with those in the control population.Results: The mean baseline HbA1c level in anaemic patients (4.62%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (5.45%, P<0.001). A significant increase was observed in the patients HbA1c levels at 3 months after treatment (5.82%, P<0.001). There was a significant correlation observed between haemoglobin and HbA1c level (Coefficient of correlation=0.26, P<0.01) in the study group before correction.Conclusions: In contrast to the observations of previous studies, ours showed that HbA1c levels increased with treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. This could be attributable to nutritional deficiency, racial-ethnic variations and/or certain unknown variables. Further studies are warranted.
Enhanced Depression Screening in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Setting An Evidence-Based Project

Depression is common amongst patients with cardiovascular disease. This evidence-based project was designed to evaluate the impact of a practice improvement intervention for screening and referrals in cardiac patients with depression. The American Heart Association Advisory Council recommends depression screening, treatment, and support to provide adequate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up to patients. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a coordinated effort of structured treatments with physical, mental, and social components, to favorably influence cardiac healing and resume optimal functioning. The problem is current depression screening and referrals are not being documented electronically in the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) setting limiting real-time communication amongst the healthcare team. Descriptive data (number of patients screened, positive screens documented, and number of appropriate referrals completed electronically) will be collected and evaluated. This project successfully implemented a new electronic Patient Health Questionnaire 2-9 (PHQ2-9) depression and referral screening document flowsheet. A 30-day post intervention chart audit revealed a 97% documentation improvement rate for PHQ2-9 surveys. 11% of the patients screened positive for moderate depression. 27% of those patients received a documented referral. Improving the current charting system to an electronic charting system should enhance communication between members of cardiac multidisciplinary team to improve patient care. Further research and staff education need to occur to align patients with moderate to severe depression with a referral. The overall goal of this project was to provide the best evidence for practice improvement in depression care for patients with cardiac disease.
Reviewing the Case for an Environmental Cause of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects mobility and muscle control. Although this is a disorder that generally affects people over the age of 60, there is a subset of the disease called ‘‘early onset’’ PD that is usually detected in people between the ages of 40 and 60. The outward symptoms of PD include a stiffness of the body and facial expressions, tremors (usually of the hands), and difficulty in walking. Progression of the disease causes further loss of muscle control. Parkinsonians (the term for people affected by the disease) often experience difficulty in speaking as the disease progresses because these muscles become weak and they find themselves unable to project their voices as they finish their sentences. PD was first discovered by James Parkinson in 1817 in Great Britain. Researchers still debate whether this is when the disease first appeared or if this was the first time a scientist was able to pull the disparate symptoms of the disease together into a diagnosis (Tanner and Langston, 1990). This will be a particularly relevant fact in the discussion of environmental causes. It is now known that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are caused by death of cells in the substantia nigra section of the brain. These cells produce dopamine which controls muscle movement. Most treatments for PD involve the prescription of drugs like Sinamet, Selegiline, and Bromocriptine, whose
Age and sex-specific risk factors for non-communicable diseases among adults in Namibia: a case study of diabetes and hypertension

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries. In Namibia, NCDattributable deaths are increasing; estimated at about 43% of all the deaths. Mapping context-specific risk factors of NCDs is critical for public health interventions. This study aimed to determine the age and sex-specific prevalence and associated factors of NCDs, particularly diabetes and high blood pressure among the adult population in Namibia. Using the 2013 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, we generate agerelated charts for both women and men, and fitted separate multiple logistic regression models for men and women, controlling for age. Our findings show that, for both women and men, the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure increased by age. However, older men were more likely to have high blood pressure than women. Equally, for both women and men, the risk of diabetes and hypertension disease increase with body mass index and wealth index. Evidently, implementation of gender and age-specific interventions may accelerate reduction of disparities in non-communicable diseases burden. These may include interventions that encourage change of lifestyle like engaging in physical activities, eating healthy and regular check-ups.
A study of skin sensitivity to various allergens by skin prick test in patients of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis

Background: Bronchial asthma (BA) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are among the most common allergic disorders. Identification of specific causative allergens is of paramount importance for further management. Aims: This study aims (1) to find out the prevalence of various allergens leading to AR and/or BA through skin prick test (SPT), (2) to identify the trigger factors in these patients, (3) to study correlations of allergens and seasonal variations in patients suffering from AR and/or BA. Materials and Methods: A total of 134 patients were collected from outpatient department and inpatient department of Respiratory Medicine Department of Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, from January 2016 to December 2017. The diagnosis of BA and AR was made according to the GINA and ARIA guidelines, respectively. SPT was done with 78 different types of aeroallergens, which included 23 types of pollens, 6 types of fungi, 10 types of insects, 6 types of dusts, 6 types of dander, 3 fabrics, 2 feathers, and 22 food allergens. Patients who had taken short-acting oral antihistaminics, beta-blockers, steroids, tricyclic antidepressants or any other drug that could affect the test within one week prior to testing were excluded. Also, patients on long-acting oral antihistaminics within four weeks of testing and pregnant women were excluded. Results: A total of 134 patients consisting of 73 (54.48%) males and 61 (45.52%) females, in the age group of 5–65 years, were included in the study. The maximum numbers of patients (50; 37.31%) were between the age group of 20 and 35 years. The maximum number of patients (94; 70.15%) had a duration of suffering from >1 years. AR was found in 60 (44.78%), BA associated with AR was found in 39 (29.1%), while BA alone was found in 35 (26.12%). In 54% of patients, triggers were found for exacerbation of their symptoms, the most common being air pollution (48%) followed by cold exposure (20%), physical activity (12%), irritants (9%), smoke (7%), and fumes and odors (4%). A total of 10,452 SPTs were done, out of which 265 (%) showed positive reactions. The positivity for pollens was seen in 116 (43.77%) patients followed by insects [79 (29.81%)], fungi [22 (8.3%)], house dust mite [15 (5.66%)], dusts [11 (4.15%)], fabrics [10 (3.77%)], danders [9 (3.4%)], and feathers [3 (1.13%)], respectively. Food allergens showed no significant reactions to SPT. Conclusions: Our study showed that insects were the most common allergen in BA patients, while pollens were the most common allergen in patients of AR with or without BA. Intermittent symptoms were common with pollen allergy.
Calprotectin as new sensitive marker of neutrophilic inflammation in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans

Introduction. Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a chronic disease in which persistent inflammation leads to obstruction and obliteration of the small airways. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of calprotectin as an inflammatory marker in induced sputum. Methods. Twenty-eight patients suffering from BO and 18 healthy controls were examined. Lung function was measured by spirometry, body plethysmography, and lung clearance index (LCI). The induced sputum was obtained, cell counts were performed, and cytokines were measured using cytometric bead array (CBA). Calprotectin was quantified in the sputum and serum samples using commercially available sandwich ELISA. Results. Spirometry parameters including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and maximum expiratory flow rate at 25% vital capacity (MEF25) were significantly lower in BO patients than in healthy controls, whereas the reserve volume (RV), RV to total lung capacity ratio (RV/TLC), and LCI were significantly increased. In sputum, calprotectin levels, neutrophils, and IL-8 were significantly elevated. Calprotectin levels correlated strongly with IL-8 and other biomarkers, neutrophils FEV1 and MEF25. In serum, calprotectin was significantly diminished in BO patients compared to controls. Conclusion. Lung function is severely impaired in BO patients. Calprotectin is significantly elevated in the sputum of BO patients and reflects ongoing neutrophilic inflammation.
Review of the Anthrenus pimpinellae species group from Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Anthrenini)

Three new species Anthrenus (Anthrenus) hoberlandti sp. n. , A. (A.) similaris sp. n. and A. (A.) warchalowskii sp. n. all from Iran, are described, illustrated and compared with all known taxa belong to the Anthrenus pimpinellae species group. Lectotype of A. (A.) dorsatus MulsAnt et Rey, 1868 is here designated. New synonymy is proposed: Anthrenus (A.) delicatus kiesenWetter, 1851 (= Anthrenus armstrongi MroczkoWski, 1952 syn. n.). A. mroczkowskii kAlík, 1954 stat. n. , is raised to species. New faunistic records are provided for: Anthrenus (A.) munroi hinton, 1943 (Macedonia); A. (A.) delicatus kiesenWetter, 1851 (Andorra).
Etiology of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome – How animal models guide understanding of the syndrome

There remains a limited understanding of the etiology of CPPS. Given the diffuse nature of the symptoms and the heterogeneous nature of the patient population this is not surprising. Of the information that exists it is possible that further subdividing the patient population based on certain inflammatory criteria might be useful in basic research on CPPS going forward. Our laboratory and others have begun to understand and regard CPPS as an underlying autoimmune defect that is exacerbated by damage to the prostate resulting in a chronic symptomology. Much of this robust information on the emergence of CPPS has come from research performed in murine models of the disease.
SENSITIVITY OF FOUR SIMPLE METHODS TO SCREEN CHINESE PATIENTS FOR DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY.

Context Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication associated with long-term type 2 diabetes mellitus, although early diagnosis can improve prognosis. Objective Our objective was to develop a simple protocol for early diagnosis of DPN in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. Subjects and Methods A total of 209 type 2 diabetic patients were included; these patients were categorized as symptomatic and asymptomatic group based on their symptoms. Clinical data of these patients were recorded and they were screened for DPN by vibration perception threshold test (VPT), 10-G nylon monofilament test, temperature identification, and the tendon reflex test. Results The total combined rate of patients who were tested positive for DPN with all four screening methods was 68.7%. Patients tested positive for DPN were significantly older and had a longer disease duration than those who were tested negative (p<0.01); however, glycated hemoglobin levels, presence of hypertension, and gender did not differ significantly between them (p>0.05). Among screening methods, the highest positive rate observed among patients screened with the VPT test was 63.64% as compared to other tests. The total positive rate for temperature discrimination, 10-G monofilament and tendon reflex test were 26.79%, 11.96 % and 17.22 % respectively. In asymptomatic group VPT showed the highest positive rate for DPN (48.41%). Conclusions The combination of four simple methods can improve the detection rate of DPN and identify subclinical cases. Abnormal vibration perception was the most common feature of DPN and it was associated with both disease duration and the age of the patient.
AUTOMATING BACKHOE OPERATION USING FUZZY LOGIC

During the past decade, automation has significantly increased in all forms of engineering. With the fast-paced research and development in automation, it is expected that automation will be commonplace and many operations will be performed using robots. Automation of heavy construction equipment is in its early stages. Attempts are persistently made to push the frontiers of science and technology to automate heavy equipment but, limited progress has been made. This research presents a fuzzy logic modeling approach for moving a back-hoe bucket from a fill point to a dump point. The fuzzy logic model is designed to accept all feasible points formed by boom and stick movements in 3D space. Inputs to the model are coordinates of fill and dump spots, as well as stick and boom dimensions. The model provides output signals to automate the bucket movement by swinging the bucket, lowering (or raising) boom, and stretching (or retracting) stick. The paper also includes three site scenarios to demonstrate the performance of the model. The three scenarios are varied from a very basic to a very complex maneuver. All three scenarios are tested for error, and the errors are within acceptable limits.
Nature of Attractive Multiplayer Games: Case Study on China's Most Popular Card Game - DouDiZhu

DouDiZhu, a multiplayer game with incomplete information, is the most popular card game in China. Although there are many DouDiZhu card games in the world, the specific characteristics of classical DouDiZhu card games are a harmonious combination of player numbers, player characters (landlords and peasants), deck numbers, and scoring systems. However, research on the complexity and attractiveness of DouDiZhu has not established. Therefore, in this paper, artificial intelligence (AI) players of different levels of DouDiZhu game were constructed for research, self-game simulation was conducted for DouDiZhu AI players, and game refinement measures were used to evaluate and identify the best Settings of the game. The results show that classical DouDiZhu provides the most complex game setup for all types of DouDiZhu AI players, while also clarifying its popularity.
Picking the high hanging fruit : automated ways to annotate awkward genes

57 Background . 58 Results . 61 Orthologous genomic segments . 61 Automation and cycling . 65 Automated SearchDOGS results . 66 Examples of genes discovered by SearchDOGS . 69 Application of SearchDOGS to CTG group yeasts and integration into the YGAP pipeline . 73 Discussion . 74 Conclusions: . 76 Methods . 77