Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perioperative Computed Tomography Assessments of the Pancreas Predict Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease After Pancreaticoduodenectomy

AbstractNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has become a clinically important issue. Although pancreatic exocrine insufficiency has been reported to be a main cause of NAFLD after PD, a clinically practical examination to assess the pancreatic exocrine function has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for NAFLD after PD with a focus on perioperative computed tomography (CT) assessments of the pancreas.A retrospective review of 245 patients followed for more than 6 months after PD was conducted. We evaluated several pancreatic CT parameters, including the pancreatic parenchymal thickness, pancreatic duct-to-parenchymal ratio, pancreatic attenuation, and remnant pancreatic volume (RPV) on pre- and/or postoperative CT around 6 months after surgery. The variables, including the pancreatic CT parameters, were compared between the groups with and without NAFLD after PD.The incidence of NAFLD after PD was 19.2%. A multivariate analysis identified 5 independent risk factors for NAFLD after PD: a female gender (odds ratio [OR] 5.66, P < 0.001), RPV < 12 mL (OR 4.73, P = 0.001), preoperative pancreatic attenuation of <30 Hounsfield units (OR 4.50, P = 0.002), dissection of the right-sided nerve plexus around the superior mesenteric artery (OR 3.02, P = 0.017) and a preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19–9 level of ≥70 U/mL (OR 2.58, P = 0.029). Our results showed that 2 pancreatic CT parameters, the degree of preoperative pancreatic attenuation and RPV, significantly influence the development of NAFLD after PD. Perioperative CT assessments of the pancreas may be helpful for predicting NAFLD after PD.
Sleep Duration Trajectories and Body Composition in Adolescents: Prospective Birth Cohort Study

We aimed to estimate the association between sleep duration trajectories and body composition in adolescents. We used data from participants of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study who were later followed up at age 18 years (response rate of 81.3%). At the time, 3974 adolescents had complete data on body composition, which was assessed by air displacement plethysmography. Sleep duration was self-reported by participants at ages 11 and 18 years. Analyses were sex-stratified. The mean sleep duration at 11 years was 9.7 (SD 1.4) and 8.4 (SD 1.9) at 18 years. Sleep duration was dichotomized as inadequate (<8 hours/day) or adequate (≥8 hours/day). Mean body mass, fat mass, and fat-free mass indices at 18 years were 23.4 kg/m2 (SD 4.5), 6.1 kg/m2 (SD 3.9) and 17.3 kg/m2 (SD 2.5), respectively. Girls who reported inadequate sleep duration at 11 years of age, but adequate sleep duration at 18, on average experienced an increase in body mass index (β = 0.39 z-scores; 95% CI 0.13, 0.65), fat mass index (β = 0.30 z-scores; 95% CI 0.07, 0.53), and fat-free mass index (β = 0.24 z-scores; 95% CI 0.08, 0.39) compared to those who had adequate sleep duration at both time points. The results suggest that changes in sleep duration across adolescence may impact body composition in later adolescence and that this may differ by sex.
Behavioral Issues and IDEA: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and the Functional Behavioral Assessment in the Disciplinary Context

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBS) is the federal law's preferred strategy for dealing with challenging behavior by students with disabilities. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that PBS be considered in all cases of students whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others, reflecting IDEA's preference for use of state-of-the-art technology in special education. We believe that when schools take disciplinary actions against students with disabilities, PBS requirements will nearly always be at issue. This article describes the ramifications of IDEA's PBS requirements in the context of disciplinary situations, including the interplay of PBS issues with functional behavioral assessment and behavioral intervention plans.
COOPERATIVE QUERY REWRITING FOR DECISION MAKING SUPPORT AND RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS

This article presents a new technology called interactive query management (IQM), designed for supporting flexible query management in decision support systems and recommender systems. IQM aims at guiding a user to refine a query to a structured repository of items when it fails to return a manageable set of products. Two failure conditions are considered here, when a query returns either too many products or no product at all. In the former case, IQM uses feature selection methods to suggest some features that, if used to further constrain the current query, would greatly reduce the result set size. In the latter case, the culprits of the failure are determined by a relaxation algorithm and explained to the user, enumerating the constraints that, if relaxed, would solve the “no results” problem. As a consequence, the user can understand the causes of the failure and decide what is the best query relaxation. After having presented IQM, we illustrate its empirical evaluation. We have conducted two types of experiments, with real users and offline simulations. Both validation procedures show that IQM can repair a large percentage of user queries and keep alive the human computer interaction until the user information goals are satisfied.
Calculation of the Electronic Parameters of an Al/DNA/p-Si Schottky Barrier Diode Influenced by Alpha Radiation

Many types of materials such as inorganic semiconductors have been employed as detectors for nuclear radiation, the importance of which has increased significantly due to recent nuclear catastrophes. Despite the many advantages of this type of materials, the ability to measure direct cellular or biological responses to radiation might improve detector sensitivity. In this context, semiconducting organic materials such as deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA have been studied in recent years. This was established by studying the varying electronic properties of DNA-metal or semiconductor junctions when exposed to radiation. In this work, we investigated the electronics of aluminium (Al)/DNA/silicon (Si) rectifying junctions using their current-voltage (I-V) characteristics when exposed to alpha radiation. Diode parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance were determined for different irradiation times. The observed results show significant changes with exposure time or total dosage received. An increased deviation from ideal diode conditions (7.2 to 18.0) was observed when they were bombarded with alpha particles for up to 40 min. Using the conventional technique, barrier height values were observed to generally increase after 2, 6, 10, 20 and 30 min of radiation. The same trend was seen in the values of the series resistance (0.5889–1.423 Ω for 2–8 min). These changes in the electronic properties of the DNA/Si junctions could therefore be utilized in the construction of sensitive alpha particle detectors.
Non-local total variation method for despeckling of ultrasound images

Despeckling of ultrasound images, as a very active topic research in medical image processing, plays an important or even indispensable role in subsequent ultrasound image processing. The non-local total variation (NLTV) method has been widely applied to denoising images corrupted by Gaussian noise, but it cannot provide satisfactory restoration results for ultrasound images corrupted by speckle noise. To address this problem, a novel non-local total variation despeckling method is proposed for speckle reduction. In the proposed method, the non-local gradient is computed on the images restored by the optimized Bayesian non-local means (OBNLM) method and it is introduced into the total variation method to suppress speckle in ultrasound images. Comparisons of the restoration performance are made among the proposed method and such state-of-the-art despeckling methods as the squeeze box filter (SBF), the non-local means (NLM) method and the OBNLM method. The quantitative comparisons based on synthetic speckled images show that the proposed method can provide higher Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structure similarity (SSIM) than compared despeckling methods. The subjective visual comparisons based on synthetic and real ultrasound images demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other compared algorithms in that it can achieve better performance of noise reduction, artifact avoidance, edge and texture preservation.
Estimating Class Priors in Domain Adaptation for Word Sense Disambiguation

Instances of a word drawn from different domains may have different sense priors (the proportions of the different senses of a word). This in turn affects the accuracy of word sense disambiguation (WSD) systems trained and applied on different domains. This paper presents a method to estimate the sense priors of words drawn from a new domain, and highlights the importance of using well calibrated probabilities when performing these estimations. By using well calibrated probabilities, we are able to estimate the sense priors effectively to achieve significant improvements in WSD accuracy.
Challenges of identifying asian women for breast cancer screening.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To emphasize the need for multiple data sources to develop a comprehensive list of potential respondents for a study of breast cancer screening behavior among Asian American women. DESIGN Descriptive, pilot. SETTING An urban Michigan county. SAMPLE 616 Chinese women age 40 and older. METHODS Comparison of multiple data sources, including lists from membership directories of local Chinese organizations, a commercial survey company, health promotion events, and brief telephone interviews. FINDINGS Of the 616 eligible women, 32% were identified through the membership directories of local Chinese organizations, 28% from a list obtained from the survey company, 22% from telephone directories, 10% from the attendance lists of health promotion events, and 8% from more than one source. CONCLUSIONS Multiple sources are required to obtain a comprehensive list for specialized populations. Every data source has its advantages and disadvantages. The use of diverse sources helps to offset the limitations of each individual one. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Identifying potential participants from specialized populations represents a major issue for clinicians and researchers in nursing and other health-related disciplines. Strategies exist to facilitate the process.
A Multivariate Approach to Assessing Anaerobic Power Following a Plyometric Training Program

This study used a multivariate approach to assess anaerobic power in 20 athletes and 20 nonathletes undergoing 6 weeks of plyometric training, and 20 controls. A 3 × 2 mixed model MANOVA was done to analyze the pre- and posttest scores of vertical jump, 50-m dash, and Margaria-Kalamen stairclimbing test. The Group × Test interaction was significant (p < 0.001). Both groups that underwent plyometric training improved significantly (p < 0.01) on all tests of anaerobic power. Of the dependent measures, the Margaria-Kalamen test was the most influential in the development of a multivariate composite of anaerobic power. It appears that plyometrics is effective for increasing lower body anaerobic power for both athletes and nonathletes, and the Margaria-Kalamen stairclimbing test is a better tool for assessing this power than either the vertical jump or the 50-m dash.
The heritage obsession: the battle for England's past

By Ben Cowell, Stroud, UK, Tempus Publishing, 2008, 160 pp., 38 illustrations in black and white, 12 in colour, £16.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-7524-4096-5 In his introductory acknowledgements, Ben .
Locating facial features for age classification

In this paper, we outline computations for visual age classification from facial images. For now, input images can only be classified into one of three age-groups: babies, adults, and senior adults. The computations are based on cranio-facial development theory, and wrinkle analysis. In the implementation, first primary features of the face are found, followed by secondary feature analyses. Preliminary results with real data are presented.
Primary mediastinal germ cell tumors in children and adolescents: results of the German cooperative protocols MAKEI 83/86, 89, and 96.

PURPOSE To evaluate children and adolescents with primary mediastinal teratoma and malignant germ cell tumors (GCTs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-seven patients from the German nontesticular GCT studies were analyzed (median age, 2.5 years; range, neonate to 17 years). Teratoma (n = 21) were resected, and no adjuvant treatment was given. Malignant GCTs (n = 26) were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy and resection. Three of 26 patients underwent radiotherapy. RESULTS In all patients with teratoma, tumor markers were normal. Surgery of teratoma was complete in 17 of 21 patients and microscopically incomplete in four of 21 patients, and we observed no relapse after a median follow-up of 29 months. In 23 of 26 patients with malignant GCTs, alpha-fetoprotein and/or beta-human chorionic gonadotropin were elevated. Twelve of 26 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy after initial resection, which was complete in six of 12 patients, whereas delayed resection after preoperative chemotherapy was complete in 10 of 11 patients (P =.03). Four of six patients underwent second-look thoracotomy after incomplete primary surgery. Three of 26 patients did not undergo tumor resection. The final completeness of resection was the strongest prognostic indicator (event-free survival ¿EFS, 0.94 +/- 0.06 v 0.42 +/- 0.33; P <.002). Local stage and distant metastases were not prognostically significant at the.05 level. For all malignant GCTs, the 5-year survival rate was 0.87 +/- 0.05 (median follow-up, 51 months), with an EFS of 0.83 +/- 0.05. CONCLUSION The prognosis of mediastinal teratoma is excellent after complete or microscopically incomplete resection. In children with malignant GCT, the prognosis is favorable with a therapeutic strategy of delayed resection after preoperative chemotherapy. In most children, the diagnosis can be based on elevated tumor markers and imaging. Biopsy is indicated in nonsecreting GCT.
A 38% Tuning Bandwidth Low Phase Noise Differential Voltage Controlled Oscillator Using a 0.5  $\mu$m E/D-PHEMT Process

This paper presents a 38% tuning bandwidth low phase noise differential voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) using a 0.5 mum enhancement/depletion-pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (E/D-PHEMT) process. The proposed VCO is based on a differential topology with two common-gate transistors. To achieve a wide tuning range with low phase noise, varactor in the VCO core employs the E-mode PHEMT device. The frequency of the VCO is from 18.8 to 27.5 GHz with a tuning bandwidth of 38% and an output power of higher than 5 dBm. The VCO demonstrates a phase noise of -109 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency. This circuit can be compared with the VCOs fabricated using the advanced InP HBT technologies.
The balance between proximity and diversity in multiobjective evolutionary algorithms

Over the last decade, a variety of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have been proposed for solving multiobjective optimization problems. Especially more recent multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) have been shown to be efficient and superior to earlier approaches. An important question however is whether we can expect such improvements to converge onto a specific efficient MOEA that behaves best on a large variety of problems. In this paper, we argue that the development of new MOEAs cannot converge onto a single new most efficient MOEA because the performance of MOEAs shows characteristics of multiobjective problems. While we point out the most important aspects for designing competent MOEAs in this paper, we also indicate the inherent multiobjective tradeoff in multiobjective optimization between proximity and diversity preservation. We discuss the impact of this tradeoff on the concepts and design of exploration and exploitation operators. We also present a general framework for competent MOEAs and show how current state-of-the-art MOEAs can be obtained by making choices within this framework. Furthermore, we show an example of how we can separate nondomination selection pressure from diversity preservation selection pressure and discuss the impact of changing the ratio between these components.
Progressive transmission of images over memoryless noisy channels

An embedded source code allows the decoder to reconstruct the source progressively from the prefixes of a single bit stream. It is desirable to design joint source-channel coding schemes which retain the capability of progressive reconstruction in the presence of channel noise or packet loss. Here, we address the problem of joint source-channel coding of images for progressive transmission over memoryless bit error or packet erasure channels. We develop a framework for encoding based on embedded source codes and embedded error correcting and error detecting channel codes. For a target transmission rate, we provide solutions and an algorithm for the design of optimal unequal error/erasure protection. Three performance measures are considered: the average distortion, the average peak signal-to-noise ratio, and the average useful source coding rate. Under the assumption of rate compatibility of the underlying channel codes, we provide necessary conditions for progressive transmission of joint source-channel codes. We also show that the unequal error/erasure protection policies that maximize the average useful source coding rate allow progressive transmission with optimal unequal protection at a number of intermediate rates.
Psychological stress reactivates dextran sulfate sodium-induced chronic colitis in mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition with alternating active and quiescent phases of inflammation. Stress has been suggested as a factor triggering a relapse of IBD. We investigated the role of repetitive psychological stress [water avoidance stress (WAS)] in reactivating colonic inflammation in a murine model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced chronic colitis. Colitis was induced in C57BL/6 female mice by exposure to 3% DSS (5 days). During chronic inflammation (day 34), mice underwent repetitive WAS (1 h/day/7 days) and were given a sub-threshold concentration of DSS (1%, 5 days) or normal water to drink. At euthanasia (day 40), inflammatory parameters were assessed (colon inflammatory score, levels of inflammatory markers and histology). Mice with chronic colitis exposed to WAS had higher macroscopic and microscopic colonic inflammatory scores and levels of inflammatory markers (mainly IL-1β, IL12p40 and CCL5) than non-stressed mice. Inflammatory responses were further enhanced by the presence of a sub-threshold concentration of DSS (1%). In mice without chronic inflammation, neither WAS nor 1% DSS, individually or in combination, elicited any inflammation. Hence stress, per se, reactivates a quiescent chronic inflammation, but does not initiate inflammation in healthy mice. Stress should be regarded as an environmental factor triggering IBD relapses in humans.
A cognitive and an affective dimension of alexithymia in six languages and seven populations

The Dutch Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) is translated into various languages. The aim of this research was to establish the factor structure of subscales on seven cultural groups. The BVAQ consists of five subscales of eight items each: Emotionalising, Fantasising, Analysing, Identifying, and Verbalising emotions. The BVAQ was administered to a group of Dutch students (n=375), a group of English students (n=175), a group of Australian students, university employees and visitors (n=216), a group of French speaking Belgian students (n=175), a group of Italian people (n=791; a mix of various clinical groups), a group of Polish people (n=427; also a mix of various clinical groups) and a group of Russian people (n=141; general population). The hypothesised two-factor structure of an affective alexithymia dimension (Emotionalising, Fantasising) and a cognitive alexithymia dimension (Insight and Verbalising), with “Analysing emotions” loading on both factors, was clearly supported by confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Both orthogonal and oblique principal components analyses (PCA), without restriction concerning the number of factors, provided the same two-factor solution in all groups explaining between 55% and 64% of the variance. Oblique rotation further demonstrated that the correlations between these two factors were low in all populations. The combined CFA and PCA results, therefore, indicated that a model with two independent factors has to be preferred over the model assuming two correlated factors.
Posttraumatic Growth Moderates the Association Between Violent Revictimization and Persisting PTSD Symptoms in Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Six-Month Follow-Up Study

The current study was developed to investigate whether posttraumatic growth (PTG) moderates the association between violent revictimization and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of 202 Dutch victims of interpersonal violence who had filed a claim for state compensation between January 1st and December 31st, 2006. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that PTG buffers against symptom increase due to revictimization. A six-month prospective study design was employed to enable adjustment for PTSD symptom severity before revictimization. Regression results indicated that symptom severity at initial assessment predicted symptom severity six months later. No main effects were found for revictimization and PTG. An interaction effect was found between revictimization and PTG. Post hoc probing of the interaction suggested that those with low PTG experienced more severe PTSD symptom levels after revictimization compared to those without subsequent victimization exper.
Association between psychological status with perceived social support in pregnant women referring to Tabriz health centers

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the psychological status of pregnant women with perceived social support. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 372 Iranian women were selected randomly via a two-stage cluster sampling method at the third trimester of pregnancy in healthcare centers of Tabriz-Iran. Data were collected using the socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, perceived social support (PRQ-85) and the short form of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21). The statistical tests including Spearman’s correlation, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and linear regression model were used for data. Results: The mean (SD) score of perceived social support 131.5 (18.9) with a range of 25–175 was achieved. In terms of the scale of mental health, median (25–75 percentile) of the score of anxiety 4.0 (3.0–7.0), depression 1.0 (0.0–6.0), and stress 8.0 (0.6–10.0) was achieved. There was a significant negative correlation between perceived social support with anxiety (r = −.355, p < .001), depression (r = −.541, p < .001), and stress in women (r = −.302, p < .001). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that social support affects the mental state of women in the third trimester of pregnancy and the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress decrease in pregnant women with increasing of social support.