Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peritoneal lavage in peritonitis: a preliminary evaluation.

Despite advances in therapy based on increasing understanding of the attendant haemodynamic and metabolic derangements, together with the use of antibiotics, diffuse peritonitis remains a life-endangering condition. The mortality rate of diffuse faecal and biliary peritonitis is still about 50% (Dawson, 1964; Means, 1964). Some surgeons believe in cleansing the peritoneal cavity at operation with antibiotic-containing solutions, but the value of this is uncertain and still controversial. Yet experience with the successful management of peritonitis complicating peritoneal dialysis by continuance of peritoneal lavage with the addition of antibiotics suggests that efficient continuous lavage might prove a valuable additional therapeutic technique in generalized peritonitis. This paper reports a controlled evaluation of continuous peritoneal lavage in rats with faecal and biliary peritonitis.
Refining the Use of Linkage Disequilibrium as a Robust Signature of Selective Sweeps

During a selective sweep, characteristic patterns of linkage disequilibrium can arise in the genomic region surrounding a selected locus. These have been used to infer past selective sweeps. However, the recombination rate is known to vary substantially along the genome for many species. We here investigate the effectiveness of current (Kelly’s ZnS and ωmax) and novel statistics at inferring hard selective sweeps based on linkage disequilibrium distortions under different conditions, including a human-realistic demographic model and recombination rate variation. When the recombination rate is constant, Kelly’s ZnS offers high power, but is outperformed by a novel statistic that we test, which we call Zα. We also find this statistic to be effective at detecting sweeps from standing variation. When recombination rate fluctuations are included, there is a considerable reduction in power for all linkage disequilibrium-based statistics. However, this can largely be reversed by appropriately controlling for expected linkage disequilibrium using a genetic map. To further test these different methods, we perform selection scans on well-characterized HapMap data, finding that all three statistics—ωmax, Kelly’s ZnS, and Zα—are able to replicate signals at regions previously identified as selection candidates based on population differentiation or the site frequency spectrum. While ωmax replicates most candidates when recombination map data are not available, the ZnS and Zα statistics are more successful when recombination rate variation is controlled for. Given both this and their higher power in simulations of selective sweeps, these statistics are preferred when information on local recombination rate variation is available.
Development of Véda, a Prototyping Tool for Distributed Algorithms

The development of a simulator, called Veda, is described. Veda is a software tool to help designers in protocol modeling and validation. It is oriented towards the rapid prototyping of distributed algorithms. Algorithms are described using an ISO (International Organisation for Standardization) formal description technique, called Estelle. The development of Veda and its internal structure is presented, emphasizing the use of Prolog as a software engineering tool. Typical uses of Veda are discussed. >
An improved incremental algorithm for mining weighted class-association rules

Constructing fast and accurate classifiers for large data sets is an important task in data mining. Associative classification can produce more efficient and accurate classifiers than traditional classification techniques. Weighted class association rule (WCAR) mining reflects significance of items by considering their weight. Moreover, real time databases are dynamic. This influences the need for incremental approach for classification. Existing incremental classification algorithms suffer from issues like longer execution time and higher memory usage. This paper proposes an algorithm which uses hash structure to store weighted frequent items and the concept of difference of object identifiers to compute the support faster. For mining incremental databases, pre-large concept is used to reduce the number of re-scans over the original database. The proposed algorithm was implemented and tested on experimental data sets taken from UCI repository. The results show that proposed algorithm for mining WCARs gives better results compared to existing algorithm.
Time-, Energy-, and Monetary Cost-Aware Query * Processing in a Mobile-Cloud Database Environment

Growing demand for more mobile access to data is only matched by the growth of large and complex data. The availability and scalability of cloud resources when combined with techniques of caching and distributed computation provide tools to address these problems, but bring up new multi-dimensional optimization challenges such as execution time, monetary cost, and power consumption. The plethora of various cloud providers with varying pricing schemes only further complicates the user’s problem. To address these issues we present a three-tier model that formalizes the query planning and execution between mobile users, data owners and cloud providers, allowing state holders to impose constraints on time, money and energy consumption and understand the possible tradeoffs between them.
Ca2+ regulation by cryopreserved bull spermatozoa in response to A23187.

The regulation of intracellular Ca2+ by fresh and cryopreserved bull spermatozoa from the same ejaculates (n = 5) was investigated using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, indo-1. Relative internal Ca2+ levels of the spermatozoa were monitored for 30 min prior to the addition of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), 1 mM Ca2+, the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (0.1 microM), or Ca2+ + A23187; during the additions the levels of intracellular Ca2+ were observed in detail. After these additions, changes in internal Ca2+ levels were monitored for 120 min. The initial intracellular Ca2+ levels in the cryopreserved spermatozoa were greater than those in fresh (1.05 +/- 0.03 vs 0.97 +/- 0.03 Ca2+ units, P = 0.0001). The addition of Ca2+ + A23187 induced elevated cellular Ca2+ in both fresh (P = 0.0177) and cryopreserved spermatozoa (P < or = 0.0588) within 5 s. Ca2+ alone did not differ from Ca2+ + A23187 in increasing Ca2+ in cryopreserved spermatozoa (P = 0.2225); fresh spermatozoa were slower to respond to exogenous Ca2+ alone (P = 0.0438). At the start of the post-treatment 120 min, cryopreserved spermatozoa had more internal Ca2+ than the corresponding fresh samples (P < or = 0.0088) except for those exposed to both Ca2+ + A23187 (P = 0.2918). All spermatozoa increased internal Ca2+ over the post-treatment time except for the cryopreserved PBS controls, and these cryopreserved controls differed from the fresh controls in accumulation of Ca2+ (P = 0.0620). None of the Ca2+/A23187 treatments induced different rates of change in internal Ca2+ over time in fresh cells (P = 0.3142). The rate of Ca2+ accumulation by cryopreserved spermatozoa in the presence of exogenous Ca2+ exceeded controls (23.12 +/- 6.75 vs 8.11 +/- 6.75, P = 0.0005), but A23187, with or without Ca2+, had no effect (P > or = 0.0907). Following Ca2+ measurements, the viability of the cryopreserved samples was reduced (P < or = 0.015) in all but the Ca(2+)-treated spermatozoa (P = 0.1474); no viability differences were noted for fresh spermatozoa (P > or = 0.2298). The cryopreservation process did not affect acrosomal morphology of the indo-1-exposed spermatozoa (P > or = 0.1147). These data indicate that Ca2+ regulation by Ca(2+)- and A23187-challenged bull spermatozoa differs following cryopreservation procedures, possibly relating to the reduced fertilization capacity of commercially cryopreserved semen.
Evolving Behaviors in the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma

Evolutionary programming experiments are conducted to investigate the conditions that promote the evolution of cooperative behavior in the iterated prisoner's dilemma. A population of logical stimulus-response devices is maintained over successive generations with selection based on individual fitness. The reward for selfish behavior is varied across a series of trials. Simulations indicate three distinct patterns of behaviors in which mutual cooperation is inevitable, improbable, or apparently random. The ultimate behavior can be reliably predicted by examining the payoff matrix that defines the reward for alternative joint behaviors.
The Choosing Wisely campaign to reduce harmful medical overuse: its close association with Patient Blood Management initiatives

Eliminating unnecessary diagnostic procedure and treatments in medicine is a cornerstone of doing no harm, improving patient care and outcomes and allocating resources appropriately. A recent report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges argued that doctors have an ethical responsibility to reduce this wastage of clinical resource because, in a healthcare system with finite resources, one doctor’s waste is another patient’s delay (Academy of Royal Medical Colleges, 2014). It has always been difficult to engage clinicians in stopping familiar or ingrained practices and procedures as it requires a different approach to that for introducing new treatments. A new initiative developed in the United States and Canada called Choosing Wisely (www.choosingwisely.org) aims to change doctors’ practice to align with best practice by getting them to stop using various interventions that are not supported by evidence, free from harm and truly necessary, including those that duplicate tests or procedures already received and it will soon be applied to transfusion medicine.
Heteronanojunctions with atomic size control using a lab-on-chip electrochemical approach with integrated microfluidics

A versatile tool for electrochemical fabrication of heteronanojunctions with nanocontacts made of a few atoms and nanogaps of molecular spacing is presented. By integrating microfluidic circuitry in a lab-on-chip approach, we keep control of the electrochemical environment in the vicinity of the nanojunction and add new versatility for exchanging and controlling the junction’s medium. Nanocontacts made of various materials by successive local controlled depositions are demonstrated, with electrical properties revealing sizes reaching a few atoms only. Investigations on benchmark molecular electronics material, trapped between electrodes, reveal the possibility to create nanogaps of size matching those of molecules. We illustrate the interest of a microfluidic approach by showing that exposure of a fabricated molecular junction to controlled high solvent flows can be used as a reliability criterion for the presence of molecular entities in a gap.
Joint Investigating the Roles of Anticipated Regret, Experienced Regret and Satisfaction on Service Retention

This paper investigates the interplay among anticipated regret, experienced regret and satisfaction in a service retention context. Results from an online service patronization decision making experiment show that the higher consumers' anticipated regret before a service visit, the lower their visit intention for the same alternative when they experience regret after the decision. Furthermore, a forward looking perspective in regret context has been advocated, in specific, the impact of experienced regret on next visit intention is partially through adjusting anticipated regret and partially mediated through satisfaction.
Optimal Channel Probing and Transmission Scheduling for Opportunistic Spectrum Access

In this study, we consider optimal opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) policies for a transmitter in a multichannel wireless system, where a channel can be in one of multiple states. In such systems, the transmitter typically does not have complete information on the channel states, but can learn by probing individual channels at the expense of certain resources, e.g., energy and time. The main goal is to derive optimal strategies for determining which channels to probe, in what sequence, and which channel to use for transmission. We consider two problems within this context and show that they are equivalent to different data maximization and throughput maximization problems. For both problems, we derive key structural properties of the corresponding optimal strategy. In particular, we show that it has a threshold structure and can be described by an index policy. We further show that the optimal strategy for the first problem can only take one of three structural forms. Using these results, we first present a dynamic program that computes the optimal strategy within a finite number of steps, even when the state space is uncountably infinite. We then present and examine a more efficient, but suboptimal, two-step look-ahead strategy for each problem. These strategies are shown to be optimal for a number of cases of practical interest. We examine their performance via numerical studies.
Sex, aggression and impulse control: An integrative account

There is evidence that the male sex and a personality style characterized by low self-control/high impulsivity and a propensity for negative emotionality increase the risk for impulsive aggressive, antisocial and criminal behavior. This article aims at identifying neurobiological factors underlying this association. It is concluded that the neurobiological correlates of impulsive aggression act through their effects on the ability to modulate impulsive expression more generally, and that sex-related differences in the neurobiological correlates of impulse control and emotion regulation mediate sex differences in direct aggression. A model is proposed that relates impulse control and its neurobiological correlates to sex differences in direct aggression.
Characterisation of Infant Food Modifications in the European Union

Improvements in the understanding of human milk composition, in dietetic effects on physiological outcomes in infants, and in food technology have lead to modifications in infant formulas and other dietetic products for infants. In Europe, new ingredients may be added to infant formula and follow-on formulas if their suitability for particular use by infants from birth has been established by generally accepted scientific data. However, there is uncertainty as to the nature of the evaluation needed to evaluate whether modifications in dietetic products for infants can be regarded as suitable and safe. Moreover, there is no agreement on the nature of evidence required to justify the scientific validity of potential effects on infant health and well-being, which might provide the basis for the communication of such effects to health professionals and consumers. Therefore, a scientific workshop was held under the auspices of the Child Health Foundation, Munich, Germany, and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition to discuss issues arising in this area among participants representing academia, infant food industry, consumer organisations, the European Commission, and food regulatory bodies of some European Union member states. This article summarises the outcomes of this workshop. The participants agreed on general concepts of evaluation of innovations and on establishing evidence for benefits, but felt that further discussion would be necessary on the principles and practicalities involved in setting up a central register of clinical trials and of a central repository of trial data.
Computer-Assisted Colonoscopy (The NeoGuide Endoscopy System): Results of the First Human Clinical Trial (“PACE Study”)

OBJECTIVES:Unsedated colonoscopy is an uncomfortable procedure for most patients. Discomfort during colonoscopy is largely related to looping of the colonoscope, which displaces the colon from its native configuration and stretches attachments to the mesentery. A novel computer-assisted colonoscope utilizes a fully articulated, computer-controlled insertion tube. On manual insertion of the colonoscope, the position and angle of the scope's tip are encoded into a computer algorithm. As the colonoscope is advanced, the computer directs each successive segment to take the same shape that the tip had at a given insertion depth. The insertion tube thus changes its shape at different insertion depths in a “follow-the-leader” manner.METHODS:This initial clinical trial with this novel colonoscopy system was designed as a prospective, nonrandomized, unblinded, feasibility study. Three physicians of varying levels of experience participated in the study.RESULTS:Eleven consecutive patients (seven men, four women, age range 19–80) meeting inclusion criteria for screening or diagnostic colonoscopy were enrolled in the study. The cecum was reached in 10 consecutive patients (100%). Findings included diverticular disease in two cases and multiple colonic polyps in two cases. Postprocedure assessment at discharge, 48 h, and 30 days revealed no complications or adverse effects. Physician satisfaction and patient acceptance of this new technique were high.CONCLUSIONS:In this limited, first of its kind feasibility study, the computer-assisted colonoscope was shown to perform colonoscopy safely and effectively. The colonoscope's unique design limited loop formation during colonoscopy. Large-scale clinical trials are indicated.
Dynamics of placodal lineage development revealed by targeted transgene expression

Examination of the expression pattern of the winged‐helix transcription factor BF‐1 outside of the neural tube in mouse embryos suggests that BF‐1 is restricted to a population of cells that gives rise to the ectodermal placodes and their derivatives. Within the sensory cranial nerve ganglia, the expression of BF‐1 distinguishes cells that arise from the placodes from those derived from the neural crest. Expression of a lacZ transgene targeted to the BF‐1 locus was used to follow the placodal lineage during mouse development. Analysis of placodal development in mice with a targeted deletion of BF‐1 reveals that, although BF‐1 is required for proliferation of the cells arising from the nasal placode, it is not required for the proliferation, survival, or both, of placode‐derived cells in the sensory cranial nerve ganglia. Dev Dyn 1999;215:332–343. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intraoperative Detection of Carcinoid Tumor of the Ovary by Gamma Probe

Purpose: To demonstrate the detection of carcinoid tumor of the ovary by gamma probe during surgery in a patient in whom the exact location of a metastatic tumor was uncertain. Methods: Twenty-four hours after injection of 350 MBq (9.5 mCi) I-123, an anterior image of the abdomen was acquired before surgery to demonstrate MIBG accumulation. Holding the ovary in the hand during the operation, a surgical gamma probe indicated the exact location of highest radioactivity. Results/Conclusions: Intraoperative MIBG scanning is a useful noninvasive detection method to localize metastases of carcinoid in the ovary. This method should be used only when it is not clear where the area of increased activity is located in the body because there are certain costs involved.
Balancing the Risk: Increasing Inpatient Ambulation Without Increasing Falls

In 2012, a healthcare group of 21 medical centers embarked on a project to prevent hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) in nonventilated patients. The project included the introduction of an intervention bundle, which targeted out of bed mobility and ambulation. In 2013, the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery project, which also encompassed early and frequent patient ambulation, was implemented at the same group of medical centers. Many of the nursing staff expressed concerns that by increasing their patients’ mobility, there would be an increase the number of patient falls. A balancing measure was added to these projects to track the number of falls against the increased rates in ambulation. Many authors have cited fear of patient falls as a limiting factor to patient ambulation.
BARCODING LIFE , ILLUSTRATED Goals , Rationale , Results

The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) is an international collaboration of natural history museums, herbaria, biological repositories, and biodiversity inventory sites, together with academic and commercial experts in genomics, taxonomy, electronics, and computer science. The mission of CBOL is to speed compilation of DNA barcodes of known and newly discovered animal and plant species, establish a public library of sequences linked to named specimens, and promote development of portable devices for DNA barcoding. More information is available at:
Integration of Conjunctive Queries over Description Logics into HEX-Programs

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