Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coronary Morphologic andClinical Determinants ofProcedural OutcomeWith Angioplasty forMultivessel Coronary Disease Implications forPatient Selection

To assess the likelihood of procedural success in patients with multivessel coronary disease undergoing percutaneous coronary angioplasty, 350 consecutive patients (1,100 stenoses) from four clinical sites were evaluated. Eighteen variables characterizing the severity and morphology of each stenosis and 18 patient-related variables were assessed at a core angiographic laboratory and at the clinical sites. Most patients had Canadian Cardiovascular Society class III or IV angina (72%) and two-vessel coronary disease (78%). Left ventricular function was generally well preserved (mean ejection fraction, 58±12%; range, 18-85%) and 1.9+1.0 stenoses per patient had attempted percutaneous coronary angioplasty. Procedural success (c50% final diameter stenosis in one or more stenoses and no major ischemic complications) was achieved in 290 patients (82.8%), and an additional nine patients (2.6%) had a reduction in diameter stenosis by 20%o or more with a final diameter stenosis 51-60% and were without major complications. Major ischemic complications (death, myocardial infarction, or emergency bypass surgery) occurred in 30 patients (8.6%). In-hospital mortality was 1.1%. Stepwise regression analysis determined that a modified American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force (ACC/AHA) classification of the primary target stenosis (with type B prospectively divided into type Bi [one type B characteristic] and type B2 [>two type B characteristics]) and the presence of diabetes mellitus were the only variables independently predictive of procedural outcome (targetstenosis modified ACC/AHA score: p<0.001 for both success and complications; diabetes mellitus: p =0.003 for success and p =0.016 for complications). Analysis of success and complications on a per stenosis dilated basis showed, for type A stenoses, a 92% success and a 2% complication rate; for type Bi stenoses, an 84% success and a 4% complication rate; for type B2 stenoses, a 76% success and a 10% complication rate; and for type C stenoses, a 61% success and a 21% complication rate. The subdivision into types Bi and B2 provided significantly more information in this clinically importantintermediate risk group than did the standard ACC/AHA scheme. The stenosis characteristics of chronic total occlusion, highgrade (80-99% diameter) stenosis, stenosis bend of more than 60°, and excessive tortuosity were particularly predictive of adverse procedural outcome. This improved scheme may improve clinical decision making and provide a framework on which to base meaningful subgroup analysis in randomized trials assessing the efficacy of percutaneous coronary angioplasty. T he clinical and anatomic heterogeneity of short-and long-term outcomes with percutaneous patients with multivessel coronary artery dis-coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Previous …
Une nouvelle architecture de compensation du bruit pour la reconnaissance robuste de la parole

We present a novel noise compensation architecture which makes no assumptions on how the noise sources alter the speech data and which do not rely on clean speech models. Rather, this new architecture makes the (realistic) assumption that speech databases recorded under different background noise conditions are available. Its main principle is to process individually each database and to construct a parametric representation which describes the variation of acoustic models w.r. t. noise models. This representation is then used during recognition to estimate the acoustic models in the new environment. We evaluate the performance of this new compensation scheme on a connected digits recognition task and show that it can perform significantly better than multi-conditions training, which is the most widely used technique in these kind of scenarios.
Conditional Inactivation of HIF-1 Using Intrabodies

Hypoxia is a hallmark of solid cancers and triggers the transcription of genes responsible for cell survival. The transcription factor Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 (HIF-1) is a key regulator in this response and frequently activated in human cancer. HIF-1 activation is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome and, therefore, may provide an attractive therapeutic target. Here we provide a novel approach for HIF-1 targeted therapy using single-domain llama antibodies directed against the HIF-1α oxygen dependent degradation domain which encompass the N-terminal transactivation domain. Conditional expression of HIF intrabodies in mammalian cells interfered with binding to pVHL and inhibited hypoxia induced activation of endogenous target genes. Inducible intrabody targeting is a highly specific strategy for temporal protein inactivation and may have applications for disease treatment.
HETEROGENEITY IN COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS:

Cost-effectiveness analysis is increasingly being used to support decisions about the allocation of resources in health systems. However, decisions based on cost-effectiveness are usually made under imperfect and incomplete information. This thesis examines the value of understanding and characterizing heterogeneity for decision-making in healthcare. It proposes a methodological framework for a systematic cost-effectiveness subgroup analysis, providing guidance for identification and selection of subgroups. It suggests that the value of heterogeneity should be examined considering two dimensions: the value of making different decisions in different subgroups with current information (here termed static value); and the value of resolving parameter uncertainty conditional to a particular level of heterogeneity (here termed dynamic value). Finally, it provides empirical demonstration of such a framework through its implementation with a real case study. The study of heterogeneity for decision-making led to an examination of the policy agenda for individualization of care. This thesis also presents a conceptual framework to address two aspects of the implementation of individualized decisions. First, the implementation of unrestricted choices for treatment responds to a positive value judgement, which is based on the expected health loss (or gain) associated to it. This chapter presents a novel analytical approach to estimating this magnitude, based on the characterization of the joint distribution of potential outcomes. Second, it is acknowledged that implementing individualized decisions also requires a normative judgement. This refers to a broader question in economic evaluation in health, which is the type of values that society seeks to maximise. Three categories are proposed here (paternalist, altruistic and welfarist) that define alternative normative positions. The positive and normative elements of this framework are illustrated with a real case study. In conclusion, this thesis is a contribution to the development of methods for economic evaluation in healthcare, in particular, for understanding, characterizing and accounting for heterogeneity between members of the population.
Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on j\fachine Learning and Cybernetics , GuiJin , 10-13 July , 2011 MIKM : A Mutual Information-based K-Medoids Approach for Feature Selection

We propose a mutual information-based K-medoids approach (MIKM) for unsupervised and supervised fea­ ture selection. MIKM adopts mutual information (M! ) to measure similarity between two features and ap­ plies K-medoids clustering to find representatives of feature clusters. The method partitions the original feature set into some distinct subsets or clusters such that the features within a cluster are highly similar to each other while those in different clusters are dis­ similar. Each obtained representative is one of the original features. Consequently, The obtained repre­ sentatives form a subset of the original features. Ex­ perimental results show that our proposed method can work more effectively than other methods.
UNIBA: Exploiting a Distributional Semantic Model for Disambiguating and Linking Entities in Tweets

This paper describes the participation of the UNIBA team in the Named Entity rEcognition and Linking (NEEL) Challenge. We propose a knowledge-based algorithm able to recognize and link named entities in English tweets. The approach combines the simple Lesk algorithm with information coming from both a distributional semantic model and usage frequency of Wikipedia concepts. The algorithm performs poorly in the entity recognition, while it achieves good results in the disambiguation step.
Design of multicast protocol for underwater multimedia data transmission

In this paper, we investigate the multimedia data transmission in underwater sensor networks. With the development of underwater sensor networks, a large number of marine multimedia data, including audio, image and video, has been generated, which brings great pressure to the underwater sensor network. Although the researchers have optimized the underwater protocol in physical layer, data link layer, network layer and transport layer to improve the network bandwidth. The existing underwater routing protocols still cannot well solve the problems such as high energy consumption, low transmission reliability, high transmission delay, etc. Then a novel protocol is presented in this paper to achieve efficient multimedia data transfer in underwater sensor network scenarios, called load balanced routing protocol (LBRP). LBRP is essentially a hybrid approach of LBMRP and SDRT. It adopts the concept of network stratification, transferring multimedia data packets block by block and layer by layer. Simulation results show that the proposed LBRP can balance energy consumption of each node, effectively prolong the network lifetime and reduce transmission delay of marine multimedia data.
Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Gastric Cancer

AbstractAssociation between coffee consumption and gastric cancer risk remains controversial. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate and quantify the potential dose–response association between long-term coffee consumption and risk of gastric cancer.Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase from January 1996 through February 10, 2015 and by reviewing the reference lists of retrieved publications. Prospective cohort studies in which authors reported effect sizes and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of gastric cancer for 3 or more categories of coffee consumption were eligible. Results from eligible studies were aggregated using a random effect model. All analyses were carried out using the STATA 12.0 software.Nine studies involving 15 independent prospective cohorts were finally included. A total of 2019 incident cases of gastric cancer were ascertained among 1,289,314 participants with mean follow-up periods ranging from 8 to 18 years. No nonlinear relationship of coffee consumption with gastric cancer risk was indentified (P for nonlinearity = 0.53; P for heterogeneity = 0.004). The linear regression model showed that the combined relative risk (RR) of every 3 cups/day increment of total coffee consumption was 1.07 (95% CI = 0.95–1.21). Compared with the lowest category of coffee consumption, the RR of gastric cancer was 1.18 (95% CI = 0.90–1.55) for the highest (median 6.5 cups/day) category, 1.06 (95% CI = 0.85–1.32) for the second highest category (median 3.5 cups/day), and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.79–1.20) for the third highest category (median 1.5 cups/day). Subgroup analysis showed an elevated risk in the US population (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.06–1.75) and no adjustment for smoking (RR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.08–2.59) for 6.5 cups/day.Current evidence indicated there was no nonlinear association between coffee consumption and gastric cancer risk. However, high coffee consumption (more than 6.5 cups/day) might increase the risk of gastric cancer in the US population. More high quality studies were warranted to further investigate the association.
Applying a parametric approach for the task of nonstationary noise removal with missing information

The image capturing process still today introduces degradations that are unavoidable. The research community is compromised with this issue developing algorithms for the noise removal task. Most of the existing approaches in the literature are parametric, i.e. some information from the underlying model is required. However, there are situations in which this information cannot be captured accurately and the use of these approaches is dismissed. Therefore, we propose an approach where averaging functions are applied over different realizations of a parametric filter. Then, the required information for the parametric filter is extracted and combined from the different parameter configurations used. So, we give the possibility to use parametric approaches in situations where some information is missing. Results show that the averaging functions present promising outcomes for the nonstationary noise removal task.
Optimal Resource Allocation and Performance Comparison of Half-Duplex Relay Strategies

Although the established capacity results for the classic three-node relay channel rely on the assumption of fullduplex relay nodes, it's practically difficult for radio transceivers to support simultaneous signal transmission and reception. Timedivision half-duplex relay strategies have thus been proposed to address this limitation. Amplify-and-forward (AF) and decode-and-forward (DF) are two well-known half-duplex relay strategies in the literature. Later, DF approach was extended by the so-called variable-rate two-phase relay strategy, in which the transmission rates for both phases are not necessarily the same. More recently, a novel half-duplex relay strategy based on the information theoretical concepts of broadcast channel (BC) and multiple access channel (MAC) models is proposed. In this approach, the source broadcasts distinct data flows to the destination and the relay respectively during the first phase, and in the second phase the relay forwards the received information whereas the source sends another data flow to the destination. In this paper, we will first develop optimal resource allocation, in terms of power and time, for these half- duplex relay strategies, and then compare their performance under various link conditions.
Training primary care physicians to offer their patients faecal occult blood testing and colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening on an equal basis: a pilot intervention with before–after and parallel group surveys

Objectives Primary care physicians (PCPs) should prescribe faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) or colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening based on their patient's values and preferences. However, there are wide variations between PCPs in the screening method prescribed. The objective was to assess the impact of an educational intervention on PCPs’ intent to offer FIT or colonoscopy on an equal basis. Design Survey before and after training seminars, with a parallel comparison through a mailed survey to PCPs not attending the training seminars. Setting All PCPs in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Participants Of 592 eligible PCPs, 133 (22%) attended a seminar and 106 (80%) filled both surveys. 109 (24%) PCPs who did not attend the seminars returned the mailed survey. Intervention A 2 h-long interactive seminar targeting PCP knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding offering a choice of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening options. Outcome measures The primary outcome was PCP intention of having their patients screened with FIT and colonoscopy in equal proportions (between 40% and 60% each). Secondary outcomes were the perceived role of PCPs in screening decisions (from paternalistic to informed decision-making) and correct answer to a clinical vignette. Results Before the seminars, 8% of PCPs reported that they had equal proportions of their patients screened for CRC by FIT and colonoscopy; after the seminar, 33% foresaw having their patients screened in equal proportions (p<0.001). Among those not attending, there was no change (13% vs 14%, p=0.8). Of those attending, there was no change in their perceived role in screening decisions, while the proportion responding correctly to a clinical vignette increased (88–99%, p<0.001). Conclusions An interactive training seminar increased the proportion of physicians with the intention to prescribe FIT and colonoscopy in equal proportions.
An approach to automatic input sequence generation for GUI testing using ant colony optimization

Testing applications with a graphical user interface (GUI) is an important, though challenging and time consuming task. The state of the art in the industry are still capture and replay tools, which greatly simplify the recording and execution of input sequences, but do not support the tester in finding fault-sensitive test cases. While search-based test case generation strategies, such as evolutionary testing, are well researched for various areas of testing, relatively little work has been done on applying these techniques to an entire GUI of an application. This paper presents an approach to finding input sequences for GUIs using ant colony optimization and a relatively new metric called maximum call stacks for use within the fitness function.
Classification of urban and industrial soils in the world reference base for soil resources : working document

Background, Aims, and Scope. Historically, built areas were ignored in soil mapping and in studies of soil formation and behaviour. It is now recognized that these areas, and therefore their soils, are of prime importance to human populations. Another trend is the large increase in reclaimed lands and new uses for old industrial areas. In several countries there are active projects to map such areas, either with locally-developed classification systems or ad-hoc names. Soil classification gives unique and reproducible names to soil individuals, thereby facilitating correlation of soil studies; this should be possible also for urban soils. The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is the soil classification system endorsed by the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS). The 2006 edition has important enhancements which allow urban and industrial soils to be described and mapped, most notably a new reference group, the Technosols. Main Features. Urban soils are first defined, followed by the philosophical basis of soil classification in general and the WRB in particular. WRB 2006 added a new Technosols reference soil group for soils whose properties and function are dominated by technical human activity as evidenced by either a substantial presence of artefacts, or an impermeable constructed geomembrane, or technic hard rock. Technosols are one of Ekranic, Linic, Urbic, Spolic or Garbic; further qualifiers are added to show intergrades to other groups as well as specific soil properties. Soils from fill are recognized as Transportic Regosols or Arenosols. Toxic soils are specifically recognized by a qualifier. Discussion. The limit between Technosols and other groups may be difficult to determine, because of the requirement that the technic nature dominate any subsequent pedogenesis. Recommendations and Perspectives. The WRB should certainly be used in all urban soil studies to facilitate communication and correlation of results. In the period leading up to the next revision in 2010, the quantitative results from urban soil studies should be used to refine class definitions.
A Formal Treatment of UML Class Diagrams as an Efficient Method for Configuration Management

The concept of a configuration describes the arrangement of functional units according to their nature, number, and chief characteristics. Functional units may be software or hardware components like computer programs, electronic circuits, or parts of a machine. Configuration management is concerned with the specification of admissible arrangements in a natural way and with setting them up according to certain criteria of optimality. Typical problems to solve are the satisfiability of specifications and the minimality of computed configurations. The steady increase in the size of specifications and the demand for real-time computations require efficient methods to attack these problems. The Unified Modeling Language has become a widely accepted standard in industry and offers features capable of modelling real-world situations in configuration management. Many (software) engineers are already acquainted with UML. Therefore we use UML as basis for our considerations and define a formal semantics and the notions of consistency and minimality. We present efficient methods for checking the consistency of UML class diagram specifications and for finding minimal solutions of UML configurations. We discuss both binary association types with uniqueness constraints and association types of higher arity which need special treatment due to the special UML semantics. We also discuss the problem of updating UML configurations incrementally.
Effect of temperature on diatom volume, growth rate, and carbon and nitrogen content: Reconsidering some paradigms

We examined the response of diatoms to naturally experienced temperatures and tested these hypotheses: (1) diatoms follow the rule that organism size decreases with increasing temperature; (2) diatom growth rate follows a Q10‐like response; (3) diatom carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content per unit volume (V) decrease with increasing size, and changes in temperature affect this relationship; and (4) diatom C:V is the same as that of other phytoplankton. We also present, as predictive equations, relationships between (1) growth rate, temperature, and size; (2) C content and V; and (3) N content and V. Eight diatoms and two flagellates were acclimated for approximately five generations and grown for approximately five more generations at five temperatures (9–25°deg;C) on a 14 : 10 light : dark cycle at ~50 µmol photons m−2 s−1. Growth rate, cell V, and C and N content per cell were measured; relationships between these parameters and temperature were determined. For five diatoms and both flagellates, cell V decreased with increasing temperature; cells decrease by ~4% of their mean V per °C. Growth rate appeared to increase linearly with temperature in all cases. The literature suggests that a linear response is the rule, not the exception. Temperature did not significantly affect C or N per V of diatom species. When all diatoms were considered, both C and N per V decreased with increasing cell size; our data support the argument that diatoms differ from other protists in this respect, but the difference is less pronounced than stated in previous reports.
Speech enhancement combining spectral subtraction and beamforming techniques for microphone array

In all speech communication settings the quality and intelligibility of speech is of utmost importance for ease and accuracy of information exchange. The Spectral Subtraction Technique is one of the methods to reduce stationary noise but the non stationary noise still passes through it. Spectral Subtraction also introduces a musical noise which is very annoying to human ears. Beamforming is another possible method of speech enhancement that can be used. Beamforming by itself, however, does not appear to provide enough improvement. Further, the performance of Beamforming becomes worse if the noise source comes from many directions or the speech has strong reverberation. A combined technique using the advantages of Spectral Subtraction and Beamforming Techniques is proposed where the Spectral Subtraction Technique followed by Beamforming Technique reduces stationary as well as residual, musical noise. It can be observed that the Spectral Subtraction followed by Beamforming gives better SNR value as compared to that of individual techniques, thereby improving the quality of speech. Numerous simulation results are used to illustrate the reasoning.