Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distinguishing Ménétrier's disease from its mimics

Objective Ménétrier's disease (MD) is a rare hypertrophic gastropathy characterised by giant rugal folds, hypochlorhydria, protein loss and a classic constellation of symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and peripheral oedema). It is considered a clinical diagnosis that may at times be difficult to establish. Firm diagnostic criteria for MD are proposed by delineating the clinicopathological features that best differentiate MD from its mimics. Method 48 patients referred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for consideration of enrolment in a clinical trial of treatment of patients with MD with cetuximab were evaluated for a definitive diagnosis by assessing the clinical presentation, pertinent laboratory values and histopathological features. Results MD was confirmed in 25 of the 48 patients (52%). The remaining 23 patients were considered to be mimics of MD, the most common diagnoses being gastric polyps or polyposis syndromes (13/23, 57%). Gastric slides were available from 40 of the 48 patients for detailed histological analysis (22/25 MD and 18/23 non-MD). Foveolar hyperplasia, glandular tortuosity and dilation, and a marked reduction in parietal cell number were present in all 22 cases of MD. Lamina propria smooth muscle hyperplasia and oedema characterised most cases (18/22 and 19/22, respectively). More than half had prominent eosinophils (11/22) and/or plasma cells (12/22) in the lamina propria. The clinical presentation of patients with MD was characterised by significantly younger age of onset, male predominance and increased vomiting compared with non-MD patients, and a lower prevalence of anaemia compared with MD patients with polyps. There was a trend towards increased frequency of peripheral oedema in patients with MD compared with non-MD patients. Conclusions MD is most accurately diagnosed by clinicohistopathological analysis including oesophagogastroduodenoscopy with gastric pH, appropriate laboratory tests (complete blood count, serum albumin, serum gastrin, Helicobacter pylori and cytomegalovirus serology) and full-thickness mucosal biopsy of the involved gastric mucosa.
Efficacy and Safety of Lumbar Epidural Dexamethasone Versus Methylprednisolone in the Treatment of Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Comparison of Soluble Versus Particulate Steroids

IntroductionThe literature is limited in the comparative efficacy and safety of dexamethasone phosphate (DP) compared with methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) in the treatment of lumbar radiculopathy by epidural injection. This study attempts to test the hypothesis that 2 corticosteroids are equivalent in efficacy and side effects. MethodsPatients with lumbar radicular symptoms for at least 6 months were randomized to equipotent doses of MPA 80 mg or DP 15 mg by lumbar translaminar epidurals administered under fluoroscopy. The epidurals were administered by different nonblinded practitioners other than the authors. Preprocedure Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores by preoperative pain clinic nursing staff not involved in the study. On follow-up for the second epidural at 1 to 2 months, VAS scores and any reports of adverse side effects were obtained by pain clinic nursing staff who were blinded to the type of corticosteroid used. Electronic records were also reviewed for intervening changes in medication, additional therapeutic modalities, emergency room visits, and any other complications missed on nursing follow-up. ResultsThere were no significant demographic differences between the DP group (N=30) and MPA group (N=30). The mean days to follow-up was less for the DP group (41.1) versus the MPA group (51.1), although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.4284). Comparing the DP group and MPA group, there was a smaller mean decrease in VAS for the DP group (−19.7%) versus the MPA group (−27.2%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.3672). Eighty-seven percent of patients in the MPA group and 90% in the DP group had decreases in postprocedure VAS with no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P=0.999). Thirteen percent of the MPA group and 10% of the DP group had increases in postprocedure VAS with no significant difference between the 2 groups (P=0.999). The percentage increase in postprocedure VAS for those who had increase in pain was 34.3% and 31.7% for the MPA and DP group, respectively with no statistically significant difference noted (P=0.8657). Review of electronic medical records showed no change in pain medication prescribed, emergency room visits for pain, or any new treatments for pain in either group. No complications were reported by patients on nursing follow-up or seen in review of medical records including new neurological symptoms or new areas of pain. ConclusionsNonparticulate DP seems to be close to the safety and effectiveness of particulate MPA in the treatment of lumbar radiculopathy. There is, however, a statistically nonsignificant trend toward less pain relief and shorter duration of action that may be clarified in a larger and longer duration study.
Improved categorical winter precipitation forecasts through multimodel combinations of coupled GCMs

A new approach to combine precipitation forecasts from multiple models is evaluated by analyzing the skill of the candidate models contingent on the forecasted predictor(s) state. Using five leading coupled GCMs (CGCMs) from the ENSEMBLES project, we develop multimodel precipitation forecasts over the continental United States (U.S) by considering the forecasted Nino3.4 from each CGCM as the conditioning variable. The performance of multimodel forecasts is compared with individual models based on rank probability skill score and reliability diagram. The study clearly shows that multimodel forecasts perform better than individual models and among all multimodels, multimodel combination conditional on Nino3.4 perform better with more grid points having the highest rank probability skill score. The proposed algorithm also depends on the number of years of forecasts available for calibration. The main advantage in using this algorithm for multimodel combination is that it assigns higher weights for climatology and lower weights for CGCM if the skill of a CGCM is poor under ENSO conditions. Thus, combining multiple models based on their skill in predicting under a given predictor state(s) provides an attractive strategy to develop improved climate forecasts.
Terahertz bound-to-continuum quantum-cascade lasers based on optical-phonon scattering extraction

In this paper we present a new QC THz laser with a design that combines the advantages of the bound-to-continuum approach together with the use of an LO phonon resonance to enable fast scattering of the carriers out of the lower miniband. As compared to the previous bound-to-continuum design the large energy separation significantly reduces the lower state lifetime by allowing optical phonon scattering from electrons with very small in-plane kinetic energy and reduces the thermal backfilling of the lower state. Processing of the devices has been performed using both single plasmon and double metal waveguides. Laser emission takes place at an energy of 14.9 meV just after threshold, in good agreement with the designed photon energy. Pulsed operation could be observed up to an heatsink temperature of 116 K in a 1.5 mm-long. 110 /spl mu/m wide laser ridge with HR backfacet coating. CW operation is possible in narrow stripes because of the high lateral mode confinement provided by the double-metal waveguide and maximum operating temperature rises up to 53 K in a 0.75 mm-long, 70 /spl mu/m wide laser ridge.
A comparison of four PDE-spatial denoising systems for molecular images

Partial differential équation (PDE)-based denoising methods are suitable to preserve image edges and describe intrinsic geometry. Besides, spatial filter based image denoising methods are suitable to describe texture while removing noise. In this work, we compare four hybrid filters that combine two spatial based denoising methods, namely the Wiener filter or the first order local statistics (FOLS), and the fourth-order PDE. The noisy image is processed by the Wiener or FOLS filter in the first step, and the result is further processed by PDE. Alternatively, the order of operations is reversed. Each hybrid denoising system was tested on three images corrupted with four types of noise at different levels: Gaussian, Poisson, Salt and Pepper, and speckle. Based on the peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) metric, the obtained experimental results show that Wiener-PDE denoising system offers the best performance.
Efficient connected-index finite-length arithmetic codes

In this paper, we propose a connected-index approach to construct efficient finite-length arithmetic codes by splitting the information of the last nonfitting symbol into the current and subsequent codewords. The proposed arithmetic codes, which limit the error propagation in about one block, require neither a post-appended end-of-block symbol, nor pre-affixed side-information, to characterize the number of encoded symbols. Hence, the proposed finite-length arithmetic codes can nearly achieve the coding efficiency attained by infinite-length arithmetic codes. With high coding efficiency, limited error-propagation, and the regular process, the proposed coding approach is suitable for information exchange with small packets in modern high-speed network systems.
Application of ground-based LIDAR for fine-scale forest fuel modeling

Frequent (1 to 5 year) low intensity fire regimes of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas of the Southeastern United States create a continuous fuelbed of understory grasses, forbs, flammable pine needle litter, with interstitial hardwood shrubs. Measuring the spatial heterogeneity of these fine-fuels can be difficult, requir- ing intensive field sampling. Ground-based LIDAR (LIght Detection and Ranging) may prove useful in this aspect, collecting accurate three-dimensional point-clouds of objects at the sub-centimeter level. Here we present the methods and discuss the applicability of using a ground-based LIDAR system, the Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scan- ner (MTLS), to measure variation in fuelbed structure. The MTLS consists of Optech's ILRIS 36D ground based laser scanner mounted on a lift atop a mobile platform, which increases its versatility in capturing details about the terrain at multiple angles, vertically and horizontally. We recorded sub-meter, spatially explicit fuel characteristics using the MTLS and manual point-intercept sampling techniques in multiple plots within a longleaf pine woodland. The LIDAR data required additional processing to make it comparable to the field data. This process involved merging individual scans of a plot taken at different angles and cropping out the areas of interest from the point clouds. Preliminary results illustrate that the fuelbeds can be classified into distinct categories with distinct characteristics, such as bulk density. The MTLS may be applicable for measuring spatially explicit plot-to-stand level fuel structure, continuity, and volume. Coupling MTLS derived fuel maps with fire behavior, through thermal imagery and modeling, combine to produce a promising strategy to connect fuels and fire at much finer scales than attempted before. This approach is particularly well suited to pine savannas with high frequency, low intensity fire regimes and other fuel types with fuel heights <10 m. Our purpose was to introduce a new approach to measuring fine-scale fuelbed structure in forested ecosystems. Our first objective was to provide a detailed background of the technology used; the Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanner (MTLS), a ground-based LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system. Our second objective was to present the field data collection proce- dures and beginning stages of the data processing methodology. Our third objective was to provide a brief discussion of the possible applicability of the MTLS in forest fuel, fire behavior, and fire effects modeling.
Intracranial aneurysms: MR angiographic screening in 400 asymptomatic individuals with increased familial risk.

PURPOSE To evaluate the accuracy and limitations of magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic screening for incidental intracranial aneurysms (IAs) in healthy individuals with a family history of IA. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four hundred asymptomatic individuals in 68 families with a history of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage underwent MR angiography. Six families also had a history of polycystic kidney disease. A multislab, three-dimensional, time-of-flight sequence was used. Conventional angiography was performed to confirm positive MR angiographic findings. RESULTS IAs were detected with MR angiography in 37 individuals, 32 of whom underwent conventional angiography. Intraobserver consistency was excellent (kappa = 0.96), and interobserver reproducibility was good to excellent (kappa = 0.59-0.82). Both techniques showed similar results in the evaluation of size, localization, and orientation of aneurysms and visibility of the aneurysm neck. CONCLUSION MR angiography is an accurate and feasible method of noninvasive screening for IAs in individuals at high risk. Conventional angiography is still necessary before operative treatment.
Classification of Livebus arrivals user behavior

ABSTRACT With the increasing use of Intelligent Transport Systems, large amounts of data are created. Innovative information services are introduced and new forms of data are available, which could be used to understand the behavior of travelers and the dynamics of people flows. This work analyzes the requests for real-time arrivals of bus routes at stops in London made by travelers using Transport for London's LiveBus Arrivals system. The available dataset consists of about one million requests for real-time arrivals for each of the 28 days under observation. These data are analyzed for different purposes. LiveBus Arrivals users are classified based on a set of features and using K-Means, Expectation Maximization, Logistic regression, One-level decision tree, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) by Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO). The results of the study indicate that the LiveBus Arrivals requests can be classified into six main behaviors. It was found that the classification-based approaches produce better results than the clustering-based ones. The most accurate results were obtained with the SVM-SMO methodology (Precision of 97%). Furthermore, the behavior within the six classes of users is analyzed to better understand how users take advantage of the LiveBus Arrivals service. It was found that the 37% of users can be classified as interchange users. This classification could form the basis of a more personalized LiveBus Arrivals application in future, which could support management and planning by revealing how public transport and related services are actually used or update information on commuters.
A versatile nonlinear switched reluctance motor model in Simulink using realistic and analytical magnetization characteristics

This paper presents the design and implementation of a versatile nonlinear model of switched reluctance motors for use in Simulink environment (SimPowerSystems). The nonlinear model is based on the motor magnetization curves which can be provided as experimental data or calculated using finite-element method or calculated from normally available parameters. An application example using the developed SRM block is presented to validate the model and to illustrate its use.
The ctf13-30/CTF13 Genomic Haploinsufficiency Modifier Screen Identifies the Yeast Chromatin Remodeling Complex RSC, Which Is Required for the Establishment of Sister Chromatid Cohesion

ABSTRACT The budding yeast centromere-kinetochore complex ensures high-fidelity chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis by mediating the attachment and movement of chromosomes along spindle microtubules. To identify new genes and pathways whose function impinges on chromosome transmission, we developed a genomic haploinsufficiency modifier screen and used ctf13-30, encoding a mutant core kinetochore protein, as the reference point. We demonstrate through a series of secondary screens that the genomic modifier screen is a successful method for identifying genes that encode nonessential proteins required for the fidelity of chromosome segregation. One gene isolated in our screen was RSC2, a nonessential subunit of the RSC chromatin remodeling complex. rsc2 mutants have defects in both chromosome segregation and cohesion, but the localization of kinetochore proteins to centromeres is not affected. We determined that, in the absence of RSC2, cohesin could still associate with chromosomes but fails to achieve proper cohesion between sister chromatids, indicating that RSC has a role in the establishment of cohesion. In addition, numerous subunits of RSC were affinity purified and a new component of RSC, Rtt102, was identified. Our work indicates that only a subset of the nonessential RSC subunits function in maintaining chromosome transmission fidelity.
Systematic classification of the His-Me finger superfamily

Abstract The His-Me finger endonucleases, also known as HNH or ββα-metal endonucleases, form a large and diverse protein superfamily. The His-Me finger domain can be found in proteins that play an essential role in cells, including genome maintenance, intron homing, host defense and target offense. Its overall structural compactness and non-specificity make it a perfectly-tailored pathogenic module that participates on both sides of inter- and intra-organismal competition. An extremely low sequence similarity across the superfamily makes it difficult to identify and classify new His-Me fingers. Using state-of-the-art distant homology detection methods, we provide an updated and systematic classification of His-Me finger proteins. In this work, we identified over 100 000 proteins and clustered them into 38 groups, of which three groups are new and cannot be found in any existing public domain database of protein families. Based on an analysis of sequences, structures, domain architectures, and genomic contexts, we provide a careful functional annotation of the poorly characterized members of this superfamily. Our results may inspire further experimental investigations that should address the predicted activity and clarify the potential substrates, to provide more detailed insights into the fundamental biological roles of these proteins.
Heterogeneity in the Multiple Myeloma Tumor Clone

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy which is characterized by a very heterogeneous disease outcome. Heterogeneity in plasma cell characteristics, including morphology, maturation status, immunophenotype and genetic abnormalities partly account for the variable disease outcome. Although the plasma cell is the predominant cell type in MM, several studies have shown that less mature B cells, which are clonally related to the malignant plasma cells, are present in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of MM patients. The significance of these so-called myeloma clonotypic B cells in the disease process remains largely unknown. In this review the role of myeloma clonotypic B cells and myeloma tumor clone heterogeneity in relation to prognosis and clinical outcome are discussed.
PR-OWL 2 RL : um formalismo para tratamento de incerteza na web semântica

Semantic Web (SW) adds semantic information to the traditional Web, allowing computers to understand content before accessible only by human beings. The Web Ontology Language (OWL), main language for building ontologies in SW, allows a formal modeling of a knowledge domain based on description logics. OWL, however, does not support uncertainty. This restriction motivated the creation of several extensions of this language. Probabilistic OWL (PR-OWL) improves OWL with the ability to treat uncertainty using Multi-Entity Bayesian Networks (MEBN). MEBN is a first-order probabilistic logic. Its inference consists of generating a Situation Specific Bayesian Network (SSBN). PR-OWL 2 extends the PR-OWL offering a better integration with OWL and its underlying logic, allowing the creation of ontologies with deterministic and probabilistic parts. PR-OWL, however, does not deal with very large assertive bases. This is due to the high computational complexity of the description logic of OWL. Another fact is that reasoners used in PR-OWL implementation require that the data be fully load into memory at the time of inference. To address this issue, this work proposes PR-OWL 2 RL, a scalable version of PR-OWL based on OWL 2 RL profile and on triplestores. OWL 2 RL allows reasoning in polynomial time for the main reasoning tasks. Triplestores can store RDF (Resource Description Framework) triples in databases optimized to work with graphs. To allow the generation of SSBNs for databases with large evidence base, this work proposes a new algorithm that is scalable because it instantiates an evidence node only if it influence a target node. A plug-in for the UnBBayes framework was developed to allow an empirical evaluation of the new algorithms proposed. A case study over frauds into procurements was carried on.
Human Uveal Melanoma Cells Produce Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factor to Prevent Lysis by NK Cells1

Human uveal melanoma arises in an immune privileged ocular environment in which both adaptive and innate immune effector mechanisms are suppressed. Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular tumor in adults and is derived from tissues in the eye that produce macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF), a cytokine that has recently been demonstrated to produce immediate inhibition of NK cell-mediated lytic activity. Although NK cell-mediated lysis of uveal melanomas is inhibited in the eye, melanoma cells that disseminate from the eye are at risk for surveillance by NK cells. Moreover, uveal melanoma cells demonstrate a propensity to metastasize to the liver, an organ with one of the highest levels of NK activity in the body. Therefore, we speculated that uveal melanomas produced MIF as a means of escaping NK cell-mediated lysis. Accordingly, seven primary uveal melanoma cell lines and two cell lines derived from uveal melanoma metastases were examined for their production of MIF. MIF was detected in melanoma culture supernatants by both ELISA and the classical bioassay of macrophage migration inhibition. Melanoma-derived MIF inhibited NK cell-mediated lysis of YAC-1 and uveal melanoma cells. Cell lines derived from uveal melanoma metastases produced approximately twice as much biologically active MIF as cultures from primary uveal melanomas. Inhibition of NK cell-mediated killing by uveal melanoma-derived MIF was specifically inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by anti-MIF Ab. The results suggest that human uveal melanoma cells maintain a microenvironment of immune privilege by secreting active MIF that protects against NK cell-mediated killing.