Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Clinical Outcome after Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery in Clinical Practice: Still a Controversial Issue

Background. Laparoscopic antireflux surgery has shown to be effective in controlling gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Yet, a universally accepted definition and evaluation for treatment success/failure in GERD is still controversial. The purpose of this paper is to assess if and how the outcome variables used in the different studies could possibly lead to an homogeneous appraisal of the limits and indications of LARS. Methods. We analyzed papers focusing on the efficacy and outcome of LARS and published in English literature over the last 10 years. Results. Symptoms scores and outcome variables reported are dissimilar and not uniform. The most consistent parameter was patient's satisfaction (mean satisfaction rate: 88.9%). Antireflux medications are not a trustworthy outcome index. Endoscopy and esophageal manometry do not appear very helpful. Twenty-four hours pH metry is recommended in patients difficult to manage for recurrent typical symptoms. Conclusions. More uniform symptoms scales and quality of life tools are needed for assessing the clinical outcome after laparoscopic antireflux surgery. In an era of cost containment, objective evaluation tests should be more specifically addressed. Relying on patient's satisfaction may be ambiguous, yet from this study it can be considered a practical and simple tool.
Genetically-defined novel oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines for the development of molecular therapies

Emerging biological and translational insights from large sequencing efforts underscore the need for genetically-relevant cell lines to study the relationships between genomic alterations of tumors, and therapeutic dependencies. Here, we report a detailed characterization of a novel panel of clinically annotated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines, derived from patients with diverse ethnicity and risk habits. Molecular analysis by RNAseq and copy number alterations (CNA) identified that the cell lines harbour CNA that have been previously reported in OSCC, for example focal amplications in 3q, 7p, 8q, 11q, 20q and deletions in 3p, 5q, 8p, 18q. Similarly, our analysis identified the same cohort of frequently mutated genes previously reported in OSCC including TP53, CDKN2A, EPHA2, FAT1, NOTCH1, CASP8 and PIK3CA. Notably, we identified mutations (MLL4, USP9X, ARID2) in cell lines derived from betel quid users that may be associated with this specific risk factor. Gene expression profiles of the ORL lines also aligned with those reported for OSCC. By focusing on those gene expression signatures that are predictive of chemotherapeutic response, we observed that the ORL lines broadly clustered into three groups (cell cycle, xenobiotic metabolism, others). The ORL lines noted to be enriched in cell cycle genes responded preferentially to the CDK1 inhibitor RO3306, by MTT cell viability assay. Overall, our in-depth characterization of clinically annotated ORL lines provides new insight into the molecular alterations synonymous with OSCC, which can facilitate in the identification of biomarkers that can be used to guide diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of OSCC.
Edge Detection of CT scan Spine disc image using Canny Edge Detection Algorithm based on Magnitude and Edge Length

In this paper, a Spinal unit otherwise known as vertebral column consists of 24 separate bony vertebrae together with 5 fused vertebrae, it is the unique interaction between the solid and fluid components that provide the disc the strength and flexibility required to bear loading of the lumbar spine. In this work Magnitude and Edge Length based Canny Edge Detection Algorithm has been proposed to pre processing of boundary detection of the CT scan Spine disc image. To find the correct boundary in noisy image of spine disc is still a difficult one. The proposed Canny Edge Detection algorithm has been used to detect the boundaries of spine disc image from the noisy image. The performance of proposed technique has been verified and validated with the standard medical values. The results show that the proposed technique performs well and produced very near to the optimal solution. This method is robust for all kinds of noisy images.
Detecting and exploiting stability in evolving heterogeneous information spaces

Individuals contribute content on the Web at an unprecedented rate, accumulating immense quantities of (semi-)structured data. Wisdom of the Crowds theory advocates that such information (or parts of it) is constantly overwritten, updated, or even deleted by other users, with the goal of rendering it more accurate, or up-to-date. This is particularly true for the collaboratively edited, semi-structured data of entity repositories, whose entity profiles are consistently kept fresh. Therefore, their core information that remain stable with the passage of time, despite being reviewed by numerous users, are particularly useful for the description of an entity. Based on the above hypothesis, we introduce a classification scheme that predicts, on the basis of statistical and content patterns, whether an attribute (i.e., name-value pair) is going to be modified in the future. We apply our scheme on a large, real-world, versioned dataset and verify its effectiveness. Our thorough experimental study also suggests that reducing entity profiles to their stable parts conveys significant benefits to two common tasks in computer science: information retrieval and information integration.
The gravitational description of coarse grained microstates

In this paper we construct a detailed map from pure and mixed half-BPS states of the D1-D5 system to half-BPS solutions of type IIB supergravity. Using this map, we can see how gravity arises through coarse graining microstates, and we can explicitly confirm the microscopic description of conical defect metrics, the M = 0 BTZ black hole and of small black rings. We find that the entropy associated to the natural geometric stretched horizon typically exceeds that of the mixed state from which the geometry was obtained.
Volume modulus inflation and the gravitino mass problem

The Hubble constant during the last stages of inflation in a broad class of models based on the Kachru–Kallosh–Linde–Trivedi mechanism should be smaller than the gravitino mass, . We point out that in the models with large volume of compactification the corresponding constraint typically is even stronger, , in Planck units. In order to address this problem, we propose a class of models with large volume of compactification where inflation may occur exponentially far away from the present vacuum state. In these models, the Hubble constant during inflation can be many orders of magnitude greater than the gravitino mass. We introduce a toy model describing this scenario, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.
On the combinatorial semantics of noun pairs: Minor and major adjustments

The process of conceptual combination involves accessing two or more concepts and, determining how they fit dogether to form a new concept. In a sense, conceptual combination is very broad in scope, involved in many situations in natural language understanding. For example, understanding a story probably includes the combining of concepts of the individual sentences. Understanding a sentence, in turn, probably ilicludes combining the meanings of-noun, verb, and prepositional phrases. To understand a noun; verb, or preposi-tional phrase, we combine the meanings of individual words. In this chapter, we 1, will focus on how people combine concepts when they attemft to understand complex noun phrases (i.e., noun phrases other than those consisting of a noun or a determiner and a houn). For example, tb understand a phrase like "elephant tie," one might combine the concepts elephant and tie in such a way to mean, "a tie worn by circus elephants" or "a tie with a picture of an elephant on it. "r These are possible interpretations of the phrase "elephant tie. " Recently, there has been a fair amount of psychological research on this kind of conceptual 'combination (e. Besides models of understanding complex noun phrases, there has also been research on how people combine the mebnings of nouns and verbs in understanding sentences (Gentner & Franc-e, 1988). This chapter is organized into three parts. In the first part, we introduce u2 the process of cohceptual and discuss its importance as a topic of investigation. we will outline some e'mpirical results of studies on conceptual combination and general challenges tiat any theory of conceptual combination , must address. In the second part, wg present three psychological models of ,i. conceptual combination and evaluate ihem in terms of the specific psychologi-"- . ,-cal findings and theigeneral challengers outlined in the first part of thi chapier. 'ti")'. The models are the attribute inheritan"ce model (Hampton, 1987), the selective modification model (Smith et al., 1988) and the concept specialization model (Cohen & Murphy, l9&4; Murphy, 1988). In the third part of the chapter, lie examiie one of the major assumptions of two of the conceptual combination'models. Both the-selective modification and concept specialization models prdpose a type of slot filling as the primary mechanism for combining concepts. (A process called elaboration is also very important in the concept specializatioh model.) In these models, concepts are composed of slots and fillers (as in frdmes and schemata). One combines a …
Coordination of dispatchable distributed generation and voltage control devices for improving voltage profile by Tabu Search

Distributed Generation (DG) may bring about voltage violation, especially the ones that are powered by renewable energy resources. In order to cope with this problem, this paper proposes a method to coordinate the dispatchable DG with voltage control devices by using Tabu Search (TS) algorithm. In addition, probabilistic load flow calculation based on Monte Carlo simulations is performed for thorough evaluation of the uncertainties from renewable DG and loads. The proposed method is demonstrated in IEEE 34-bus distribution test system.
Discovering Parameter Setting in 3G Networks via Active Measurements

The behavior and performance of a UMTS network are governed by a number of parameter settings that are configured by the network operator, e.g., timeouts. In this letter we show that the actual value of such parameters can be inferred by a conceptually simple set of end-to-end measurements, without any cooperation with the network operator. In principle, such information can be used by researchers to define realistic network scenarios, e.g., for their simulations. Moreover, it can be used by a malicious attacker to fine-tune a large scale attack against the radio access network, e.g., a paging attack.
Investigation of lexical F0 and duration patterns in French using large broadcast news speech corpora

This work aims at improving our knowledge of links be-tween prosody and pronunciation variants in French. An original methodology is proposed to study prosodic regularities of French words via average f 0 proﬁles, by making use of automatic processing and 13 hours of broadcast news speech. Inves-tigated inﬂuential factors include word syllable length, duration, word-ﬁnal schwa, parts of speech. The following questions are addressed: can speciﬁc lexical f 0 proﬁles be measured automatically using large corpora? If so, how do they vary with respect to the cited inﬂuential factors? Results conﬁrm the known tendency of word-ﬁnal syllable accentuation. They also highlight some word-initial accentuation. Higher average f 0 proﬁles are measured for increasing segment durations (locally decreasing speaking rate), but also for words ending with schwas. Future studies include phrase boundary annotation and the extension to a larger variety of speaking styles and languages.
Detection and molecular characterization of ascarid nematode infection (Toxascaris leonina and Toxocara cati) in captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica)

The objective of this study was to investigate the ascarid infection in Asiatic lions using scat samples, based on microscopic analysis, PCR amplification of the ITS-2 region of ribosomal DNA and sequence analysis of the amplicons. Microscopic analysis indicated the presence of eggs of Toxascaris leonina in eleven of the sixteen scat samples analysed and in one of these eleven scats eggs of Toxocara cati were also detected. In five of the scats eggs were not detectable. The presence of T. leonina in all the infected samples was also confirmed by PCR amplification of the ITS-2 of ribosomal RNA gene and five of these also showed amplicons corresponding to T. cati, respectively. Toxocara canis infection was not observed in any of the scat samples. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the ITS-2 region indicated 97% to 99% similarity with T. leonina and T. cati, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of ascarid infection in captive Asiatic lions from a zoological garden of India. This study also indicates that Asiatic lions are more prone to infection either with T. leonina or T. cati and the parasite is not host specific.
New Methods for the Analysis of Heartbeat Behavior in Risk Stratification

Developing better methods for risk stratification for tachyarrhythmic sudden cardiac remains a major challenge for physicians and scientists. Since the transition from sinus rhythm to ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation happens by different mechanisms in different people, it is unrealistic to think that a single measure will be adequate to provide a good index for risk stratification. We analyze the dynamical properties of ventricular premature complexes over 24 h in an effort to understand the underlying mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmias and to better understand the arrhythmias that occur in individual patients. Two dimensional density plots, called heartprints, correlate characteristic features of the dynamics of premature ventricular complexes and the sinus rate. Heartprints show distinctive characteristics in individual patients. Based on a better understanding of the natures of transitions from sinus rhythm to sudden cardiac and the mechanisms of arrhythmia prior to cardiac arrest, it should be possible to develop better methods for risk stratification.
A low-cost, low-power UHF RFID reader transceiver for mobile applications

A low-cost, low-power UHF RFID reader transceiver for short-distance applications supporting ISO 18000-6C is presented in this paper, which is implemented in 0. 18μm CMOS process. The reader transceiver is composed of a RF transceiver, a digital baseband, a MCU and host interface. In order to be used in consumer products, LDO modules are integrated so that the reader can works with lithium battery. Measured results show that the output power of the transmitter is 21dBm. With the proposed low noise transmitter and baseband low noise amplifier, the sensitivity of RX is -55dBm@-1dBm carrier leakage. The chip occupies 14mm2 and consumes 471mW from 3.3V power supply.
Circle & Search: Attribute-Aware Shoe Retrieval

Taking the shoe as a concrete example, we present an innovative product retrieval system that leverages object detection and retrieval techniques to support a brand-new online shopping experience in this article. The system, called Circle & Search, enables users to naturally indicate any preferred product by simply circling the product in images as the visual query, and then returns visually and semantically similar products to the users. The system is characterized by introducing attributes in both the detection and retrieval of the shoe. Specifically, we first develop an attribute-aware part-based shoe detection model. By maintaining the consistency between shoe parts and attributes, this shoe detector has the ability to model high-order relations between parts and thus the detection performance can be enhanced. Meanwhile, the attributes of this detected shoe can also be predicted as the semantic relations between parts. Based on the result of shoe detection, the system ranks all the shoes in the repository using an attribute refinement retrieval model that takes advantage of query-specific information and attribute correlation to provide an accurate and robust shoe retrieval. To evaluate this retrieval system, we build a large dataset with 17,151 shoe images, in which each shoe is annotated with 10 shoe attributes e.g., heel height, heel shape, sole shape, etc.). According to the experimental result and the user study, our Circle & Search system achieves promising shoe retrieval performance and thus significantly improves the users' online shopping experience.
Chronobiology and mood disorders

The clinical observations of diurnal variation of mood and early morning awakening in depression have been incorporated into established diagnostic systems, as has the seasonal modifier defining winter depression (seasonal affective disorder, SAD). Many circadian rhythms measured in depressive patients are abnormal: earlier in timing, diminished in amplitude, or of greater variability. Whether these disturbances are of etiological significance for the role of circadian rhythms in mood disorders, or a consequence of altered behavior can only be dissected out with stringent protocols (eg, constant routine or forced desynchrony). These protocols quantify contributions of the circadian pacemaker and a homeostatic sleep process impacting on mood, energy, appetite, and sleep. Future studies will elucidate any allelic mutations in “circadian clock” –related or “sleep”-related genes in depression. With respect to treatment, antidepressants and mood stabilizers have no consistent effect on circadian rhythmicity. The most rapid antidepressant modality known so far is nonpharmacological: total or partial sleep deprivation in the second half of the night. The disadvantage of sleep deprivation, that most patients relapse after recovery sleep, can be prevented by coadministration of lithium, pindolol, serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors, bright light, or a subsequent phase-advance procedure. Phase advance of the sleep-wake cycle alone also has rapid effects on depressed mood, which lasts longer than sleep deprivation. Light is the treatment of choice for SAD and may prove to be useful for nonseasonal depression, alone or as an adjunct to medication. Chronobiological concepts emphasize the important role of zeitgebers to stabilize phase, light being the most important, but dark (and rest) periods, regularity of social schedules and meal times, and use of melatonin or its analogues should also be considered. Advances in chronobiology continue to contribute novel treatments for affective disorders.
Study of scalar mesons in chiral Lagrangian frameworks

We review two approaches to studying pseudoscalar meson-meson scattering amplitudes to beyond 1 GeV using non-linear and linear chiral Lagrangians. These approaches use two different unitarisation techniques - a generalised Breit Wigner prescription and K-matrix unitarization respectively. We also report some preliminary findings on K-matrix unitarisation of the I=J=0 pion-pion scattering amplitude in the non-linear chiral Lagrangian approach and make some remarks about the light scalar mesons.
Characterization of ambient aerosols in Mexico City during the MCMA-2003 campaign with Aerosol Mass Spectrometry - Part II: overview of the results at the CENICA supersite and comparison to previous studies

An Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) was deployed at the CENICA Supersite during the Mexico City Metropolitan Area field study from 31 March? 4 May 2003. The AMS provides real time information on mass concentration and composition of the non-refractory species in particulate matter less than 1 µm (NR-PM 1 ) with high time and size-resolution. Measurements of Black Carbon (BC) using an aethalometer, and estimated soil concentrations from Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) analysis of impactor substrates are also presented and combined with the AMS in order to include refractory material and estimate the total PM 2.5 mass concentration at CENICA during this campaign. In Mexico City, the organic fraction of the estimated PM 2.5 at CENICA represents 54.6% of the mass, with the rest consisting of inorganic compounds (mainly ammonium nitrate and sulfate/ammonium salts), BC, and soil. Inorganic compounds represent 27.5% of PM 2.5 ; BC mass concentration is about 11%; while soil represents about 6.9%. The NR species and BC have diurnal cycles that can be qualitatively interpreted as the interplay of direct emissions, photochemical production in the atmosphere followed by condensation and gas-to-particle partitioning, boundary layer dynamics, and/or advection. Bi- and trimodal size distributions are observed for the AMS species, with a small combustion (likely traffic) organic particle mode and an accumulation mode that contains mainly organic and secondary inorganic compounds. The AMS and BC mass concentrations, size distributions, and diurnal cycles are found to be qualitatively similar to those from most previous field measurements in Mexico City.
Towards SLO Complying SSDs Through OPS Isolation

Virtualization systems should be responsible for satisfying the service level objectives (SLOs) for each VM. Performance SLOs, in particular, are generally achieved by isolating the underlying hardware resources among the VMs. In this paper, we show through empirical evaluation that performance SLOs cannot be satisfied with current commercial SSDs. We show that garbage collection is the source of this problem and that this cannot be easily controlled because of the interaction between VMs. To control the effect of garbage collection on VMs, we propose a scheme called OPS isolation. OPS isolation allocates flash memory blocks so that blocks of one VM do not interfere with blocks of other VMs during garbage collection. Experimental results show that performance SLO can be achieved through OPS isolation.
Effect of initially limited resuscitation in a combined model of fluid-percussion brain injury and severe uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock.

OBJECT Studies of isolated uncontrolled hemorrhage have indicated that initial limited resuscitation improves survival. Limited resuscitation has not been studied in combined traumatic brain injury and uncontrolled hemorrhage. In this study the authors evaluated the effects of limited resuscitation on outcome in combined fluid-percussion injury (FPI) and uncontrolled hemorrhage. METHODS Twenty-four swine weighing 17 to 24 kg each underwent FPI (3 atm) and hemorrhage to a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 30 mm Hg in the presence of a 4-mm aortic tear. Group I (nine animals) was initially resuscitated to a goal MAP of 60 mm Hg; Group II (nine animals) was resuscitated to a goal MAP of 80 mm Hg; and Group III (control; six animals) was not resuscitated. After 60 minutes, the aortic hemorrhage was controlled and the animals were resuscitated to baseline physiological parameters and observed for 150 minutes. Mortality rates were 11%, 50%, and 100% for Groups I, II, and III, respectively (Fisher's exact test; p = 0.002). The total hemorrhage volume was greater in Group II (69+/-32 ml/kg), as compared with Group I (41+/-18 ml/kg) and Group III (37+/-3 ml/kg) according to analysis of variance (p < 0.05). In surviving animals, cerebral perfusion pressure, cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral venous O2 saturation (ScvO2), and cerebral metabolic rate of O2 did not differ among groups. Although CBF was approximately 50% of baseline during the period of limited resuscitation in Group I, ScvO2 remained greater than 60%, and arteriovenous O2 differences remained within normal limits. CONCLUSIONS In this model of FPI and uncontrolled hemorrhage, early aggressive resuscitation, which is currently recommended, resulted in increased hemorrhage and failure to optimize cerebrovascular parameters. In addition, a 60-minute period of moderate hypotension (MAP = 60 mm Hg) was well tolerated and did not compromise cerebrovascular hemodynamics, as evidenced by physiological parameters that remained within the limits of cerebral autoregulation.