Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retrograde Transarterial Implantation of a Nonmetallic Aortic Valve Prosthesis in High–Surgical-Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis: A First-in-Man Feasibility and Safety Study

Background—To assess the feasibility and safety of retrograde transarterial implantation of a novel nonmetallic aortic valve prosthesis (Direct Flow Medical Inc, Santa Rosa, Calif), a prospective single-center study was performed in patients with severe aortic stenosis at high risk for open-heart surgery. Methods and Results—Fifteen patients (intention-to-treat cohort) with an aortic valve area ≤0.8 cm2, a ≥35-mm Hg mean transvalvular pressure gradient, and a logistic EuroSCORE ≥20% were enrolled. Percutaneous aortic valve replacement was performed with the patient under general anesthesia. Hemodynamic parameters were assessed before and after implantation by transesophageal echocardiography. Clinical follow-up and transthoracic echocardiographic assessment were obtained at 30 days. Procedural success was achieved in 12 patients (80%). Surgical conversion became necessary at day 2 in 1 patient; 11 patients (73%) were discharged with a permanent implant. In these patients, implantation resulted acutely in a significant increase in aortic valve area (median, 1.64 [interquartile range, 1.27 to 1.74] versus 0.60 [0.46 to 0.69] cm2; P=0.0033) and a concomitant reduction in the mean pressure gradient (14.0 [13.2 to 16.5] versus 54.0 [43.2 to 59.8] mm Hg; P=0.0033). At 30 days, 1 cardiac death (6.7%; 95% CI, 0.2% to 32.0%) and 1 major stroke were observed. The 10 surviving patients with a permanent implant showed marked hemodynamic and clinical improvement at this time point. Conclusions—In this small series of patients, percutaneous implantation of the Direct Flow Medical aortic valve prosthesis in high–surgical-risk patients was feasible and associated with a reasonably low safety profile.
Optimisation of the Localisation Performance of Irregular Ambisonic Decoders for Multiple Off-Centre Listeners

This paper presents a method for optimising the performance of irregular Ambisonic decoders for multiple offcentre listeners. New off-centre evaluation criteria are added to a multi-objective fitness function, based on auditory localization theory, which guides a heuristic search algorithm to derive decoder parameter sets for the ITU 5-speaker layout. The new evaluation criteria are based upon Gerzon’s Metatheory of Auditory Localisation and have been modified to take into account off-centre listening positions. The derived decoders exhibit improved theoretical localisation performance for off-centre listeners. The theoretical results are supported by initial listening test results.
A Review: Exome Sequencing in Tumors

The next-generation sequencing (NGS) is very important for genetics. One of the most popular sequencing approaches is exome sequencing, which is a lower cost and high-throughput sequencing method. Here, this study first reviews the history of next-generation sequencing and exome sequencing. And then, it illustrates four genetic variants in tumor as well as the application of the exome sequencing for cancer research. Finally, it discusses the current analysis methods for exome sequencing and related tools.
Geographic and seasonal variations of the number of B chromosomes and external morphology in Psathyropus tenuipes (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Psathyropus tenuipes (= Metagagrella tenuipes) is a harvestman that harbors B chromosomes with extremely high frequency (individuals without Bs are only 1% of the total number of specimens so far examined) and high numbers (mean number of Bs per individual is about 4). Geographic variations of the number of Bs and external morphology of the species and the relationship between them were studied. A northward increase in the number of Bs was detected throughout the Japanese Islands, though the number also varied considerably locally. Latitudinal gradients were also found in some external characters, while there were no correlations between those external morphologies and the number of Bs. Principal component analysis using eight morphological data for 21 populations revealed four geographical groups that reflect actual location of the populations. Populations along the Seto Inland Sea were characterized by a lower number of Bs than those in other areas. Seasonal change was also found in a population (Yatsukami in western Honshu) in both 1994 and 1995 for the number of Bs, though the number in the same population was stable at least throughout later postembryonic stages in both 1997 and 1998. Embryos contained fewer numbers of Bs than adults, suggesting that females of the species tend to lay eggs with fewer numbers of Bs.
Tools and experiments supporting a testing-based theory of component composition

Development of software using off-the-shelf components seems to offer a chance for improving product quality and developer productivity. This article reviews a foundational testing-based theory of component composition, describes tools that implement the theory, and presents experiments with functional and nonfunctional component/system properties that validate the theory and illuminate issues in component composition. The context for this work is an ideal form of Component-Based Software Development (CBSD) supported by tools. Component developers describe their components by measuring approximations to functional and nonfunctional behavior on a finite collection of subdomains. Systems designers describe an application-system structure by the component connections that form it. From measured component descriptions and a system structure, a CAD tool synthesizes the system properties, predicting how the system will behave. The system is not built, nor are any test executions performed. Neither the component sources nor executables are needed by systems designers. From CAD calculations a designer can learn (approximately) anything that could be learned by testing an actual system implementation. The CAD tool is often more efficient than it would be to assemble and execute an actual system. Using tools that support an ideal separation between component- and system development, experiments were conducted to investigate two related questions: (1) To what extent can unit (that is, component) testing replace system testing? (2) What properties of software and subdomains influence the quality of subdomain testing?
Long-term fluctuations in environmental conditions, plankton and macrophytes in a humic lake, Valkea-Kotinen

The water of lake Valkea-Kotinen has become acidified to pH ca. 5. In agreement with the decreased deposition of acidifying compounds, the results for 1990-96 indicated no further acidification. However, coverage of the bottom surface by underwater Sphagnum moss still increased markedly between 1990 and 1994, possibly due to its slow colonisation and slow recovery of the lake. Phytoplankton primary production, chlorophyll and phytoplankton biomass seemed to respond to factors linked with varying weather conditions. Water inflow from the catchment area and the extent of spring circulation were identified as major factors causing the observed changes. The high dominance of Gonyostomum semen (Raphidophyceae) in late summer suggested that, in addition to environmental variables, the behavioural strategies of individual species may also have a strong influence on the diversity and biomass of phytoplankton. Among zooplankton there was a dramatic change in 1993 when a rotifer, Kellicottia bostoniensis, suddenly became the most abundant species. This cannot be attributable to the other measured variables and may have been a random occurrence. Overall, the results suggest that 7-year time series may be too short to draw definite conclusions about possible trends. On the other hand the results demonstrated that weekly observations are, in most cases, necessary for finding interrelationships between hydrological and biological factors in small headwater lakes.
Ultrafast memory loss and relaxation processes in hydrogen-bonded systems

Abstract Structural memory of aqueous systems, such as neat water and biomolecules, in an aqueous environment is strongly influenced by hydrogen bond dynamics. Vibrational spectroscopy in the femtosecond (fs) time domain is applied to map structural dynamics in real-time and identify underlying molecular interactions. Neat liquid water displays an ultrafast loss of structural memory with the fastest decay of structural correlations occurring in the sub-100 fs regime. Both OH stretching and bending excitations of water molecules decay on a subpicosecond time scale, followed by dissipation of excess energy in the hydrogen bond network within a few picoseconds. Water shells around fully hydrated DNA show similar although slightly slower dynamics. A detailed study of hydration shells around ionic phosphate groups in the DNA backbone demonstrates a strong phosphate-water coupling and a subpicosecond rearrangement of hydrogen bonds upon energy disposal. Hydration shells serve as primary heat sinks for excess energy.
On the Pair-Wise Error Probability of a Multi-Cell MIMO Uplink System With Pilot Contamination

In this paper, a multi-cell multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) uplink system is considered. For uplink transmission, to implement decoding, the base station (BS) generally needs to estimate channels with the aid of training sequences. Obviously, for full frequency reuse systems, training also suffers from inter-cell interference, namely pilot contamination. In this paper, the impact of pilot contamination on the performance of the considered system is studied based on the maximum likelihood (ML) decoder. Specifically, an exact analytical expression of pair-wise error probability (PEP) is derived, and then, a lower bound and an upper bound of PEP are given, to explicitly show the impact of pilot contamination. With the detailed analysis of these bounds, we can discover: (1) pilot contamination can result in error floor, provided that the number of BSs in the considered system is larger than the length of a frame; and (2) if the length of a frame is larger than or equal to the number of BSs, and an appropriate coding scheme is applied, error floor can be removed. Finally, a coding design criterion is proposed. Based on this criterion, it can be shown that the considered system can achieve the same diversity to what can be achieved by a single isolated cell system.
Molecular features of giant-cell carcinoma of the lung: a case report and literature review

Giant-cell carcinoma of the lung (GCCL) is a rare histological form of poorly differentiated non-small-cell lung cancer, which is classified as a subtype of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinomas. In this case report, we describe the case of a 50-year-old Chinese male who presented with a pulmonary nodule in the right upper lobe of his lung. After thoracoscopic lobectomy, a histopathologic diagnosis of GCCL was made. He did well postoperatively, showing no local recurrence or distal disease in a 7-year follow-up period. Furthermore, for this case, we also analyzed 295 tumor-related driver genes with high-throughput sequencing technology. We found that treatment using MEK inhibitor, CDK 4/6 inhibitor, and TP53 inhibitor may provide a new therapeutic direction for GCCL. Therefore, complete tumor excision is the best choice of treatment strategy at the early stage of GCCL and gene target therapy may be a new therapeutic option for this disease.
Modeling Cache Sharing on Chip Multiprocessor Architectures

As CMPs are emerging as the dominant architecture for a wide range of platforms (from embedded systems and game consoles, to PCs, and to servers) the need to manage on-chip resources, such as shared caches, becomes a necessity. In this paper we propose a new statistical model of a CMP shared cache which not only describes cache sharing but also its management via a novel fine-grain mechanism. Our model, called StatShare, accurately describes the behavior of the sharing threads using run-time information (reuse-distance information for memory accesses) and helps us understand how effectively each thread uses its space. The mechanism to manage the cache at the cache-line granularity is inspired by cache decay, but contains important differences. Decayed cache-lines are not turned-off to save leakage but are rather "available for replacement. " Decay modifies the underlying replacement policy (random, LRU) to control sharing but in a very flexible and non-strict way which makes it superior to strict cache partitioning schemes (both fine and coarse grained). The statistical model allows us to assess a thread's cache behavior under decay. Detailed CMP simulations show that: i) StatShare accurately predicts the thread behavior in a shared cache, ii) managing sharing via decay (in combination with the StatShare run time information) can be used to enforce external QoS requirements or various high-level fairness policies
A new class of constraints for constrained frequent pattern mining

Most of the frequent pattern mining algorithms search for all frequent patterns. However, there are many real-life situations in which users are interested in only some tiny portions of the mined frequent patterns. For mining of constrained frequent patterns, several classes of user constraints---such as anti-monotone constraints---have been proposed and their properties have been exploited. In this paper, we introduce a new class of constraints called mixed monotone constraints. We exploit its property for effective mining of frequent patterns satisfying user constraints that sum both positive and negative numerical values.
Extracellular matrix proteomics identifies molecular signature of symptomatic carotid plaques

BACKGROUND. The identification of patients with high-risk atherosclerotic plaques prior to the manifestation of clinical events remains challenging. Recent findings question histology- and imaging-based definitions of the “vulnerable plaque,” necessitating an improved approach for predicting onset of symptoms. METHODS. We performed a proteomics comparison of the vascular extracellular matrix and associated molecules in human carotid endarterectomy specimens from 6 symptomatic versus 6 asymptomatic patients to identify a protein signature for high-risk atherosclerotic plaques. Proteomics data were integrated with gene expression profiling of 121 carotid endarterectomies and an analysis of protein secretion by lipid-loaded human vascular smooth muscle cells. Finally, epidemiological validation of candidate biomarkers was performed in two community-based studies. RESULTS. Proteomics and at least one of the other two approaches identified a molecular signature of plaques from symptomatic patients that comprised matrix metalloproteinase 9, chitinase 3-like-1, S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8), S100A9, cathepsin B, fibronectin, and galectin-3-binding protein. Biomarker candidates measured in 685 subjects in the Bruneck study were associated with progression to advanced atherosclerosis and incidence of cardiovascular disease over a 10-year follow-up period. A 4-biomarker signature (matrix metalloproteinase 9, S100A8/S100A9, cathepsin D, and galectin-3-binding protein) improved risk prediction and was successfully replicated in an independent cohort, the SAPHIR study. CONCLUSION. The identified 4-biomarker signature may improve risk prediction and diagnostics for the management of cardiovascular disease. Further, our study highlights the strength of tissue-based proteomics for biomarker discovery. FUNDING. UK: British Heart Foundation (BHF); King’s BHF Center; and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London in partnership with King’s College Hospital. Austria: Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT); Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW); Wirtschaftsagentur Wien; and Standortagentur Tirol.
Thermophysical Properties of GRCop-84

Abstract The thermophysical properties and electrical resistivity of GRCop-84 (Cu - 8 at.% Cr-4 at.% Nb) weremeasured from cryogenic temperatures to near its melting point. The data were analyzed using weighted regressionto determine the properties as a function of temperature and assign appropriate confidence intervals.The results showed that the thermal expansion of GRCop-84 was significantly lower than NARIoy-Z(Cu-3 wt.% Ag-0.5 wt.% Zr), the currently used thrust cell liner material. The lower thermal expansion is expectedto translate into lower thermally induced stresses and increases in thrust cell liner lives between 2X and 4IX overNARloy-Z. The somewhat lower thermal conductivity of GRCop-84 can be offset by redesigning the liners toutilize its much greater mechanical properties. Optimized designs are not expected to suffer from the lower thermalconductivity. Electrical resistivity data, while not central to the primary application, show that GRCop-84 haspotential for applications where a combination of good electrical conductivity and strength is required.
A Study of Ground Deformation in the Guangzhou Urban Area with Persistent Scatterer Interferometry

The Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) technique and Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images acquired over Hong Kong from 2007–2008 were used to detect ground deformation in the urban area of Guangzhou city in South China. A ground deformation rate map with scattered distribution of point targets shows the maximum subsidence (rise) rate as high as -26 to -20 mma-1 (16–21 mma-1), implying that the study area is an active zone for ground deformation. Based on the point target map, a contour ground deformation rate map is generated. The map shows three major subsidence zones located in the middle-west, the east, and the southwest of the study area, respectively. All the six ground collapse accidents that occurred in 2007–2008 fall within the subsidence zones, qualitatively validating the IPTA results. Ground subsidence and geological conditions on Datansha Island are examined. The results indicate that the local geological conditions, such as limestone Karst geomorphology as well as silt layers characterized by high water content, high void ratio, high compressibility, low bearing capacity and low shear strength, and underground engineering projects are responsible for ground subsidence and ground collapse accidents occurred there.
Bayesian Nonparametric Models for Multiway Data Analysis

Tensor decomposition is a powerful computational tool for multiway data analysis. Many popular tensor decomposition approaches—such as the Tucker decomposition and CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP)—amount to multi-linear factorization. They are insufficient to model (i) complex interactions between data entities, (ii) various data types (e.g., missing data and binary data), and (iii) noisy observations and outliers. To address these issues, we propose tensor-variate latent nonparametric Bayesian models for multiway data analysis. We name these models InfTucker. These new models essentially conduct Tucker decomposition in an infinite feature space. Unlike classical tensor decomposition models, our new approaches handle both continuous and binary data in a probabilistic framework. Unlike previous Bayesian models on matrices and tensors, our models are based on latent Gaussian or $t$ processes with nonlinear covariance functions. Moreover, on network data, our models reduce to nonparametric stochastic blockmodels and can be used to discover latent groups and predict missing interactions. To learn the models efficiently from data, we develop a variational inference technique and explore properties of the Kronecker product for computational efficiency. Compared with a classical variational implementation, this technique reduces both time and space complexities by several orders of magnitude. On real multiway and network data, our new models achieved significantly higher prediction accuracy than state-of-art tensor decomposition methods and blockmodels.
Large-Scale Markov Decision Problems with KL Control Cost and its Application to Crowdsourcing

We study average and total cost Markov decision problems with large state spaces. Since the computational and statistical cost of finding the optimal policy scales with the size of the state space, we focus on searching for near-optimality in a low-dimensional family of policies. In particular, we show that for problems with a Kullback-Leibler divergence cost function, we can recast policy optimization as a convex optimization and solve it approximately using a stochastic subgradient algorithm. This method scales in complexity with the family of policies but not the state space. We show that the performance of the resulting policy is close to the best in the low-dimensional family. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by optimizing a policy for budget allocation in crowd labeling, an important crowdsourcing application.
Serotonin Modulates Behavioral Reactions to Unfairness

Serotonin (5-HT) has long been implicated in social behavior and impulsivity, but the mechanisms through which it modulates self-control remain unclear. We observed the effects of manipulating 5-HT function on behavior in the ultimatum game, where players must decide whether to accept or reject fair or unfair monetary offers from another player. Participants with depleted 5-HT levels rejected a greater proportion of unfair offers, but not fair offers, without showing changes in mood, fairness judgment, basic reward processing, or response inhibition. Our results suggest that 5-HT plays a critical role in regulating emotion during social decision-making.
Impact of T and N stage and treatment on survival and relapse in adjuvant rectal cancer: a pooled analysis.

PURPOSE To determine survival and relapse rates by T and N stage and treatment method in five randomized phase III North American rectal adjuvant studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data were pooled from 3,791 eligible patients enrolled onto North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) 79-47-51, NCCTG 86-47-51, US Gastrointestinal Intergroup 0114, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) R01, and NSABP R02. Surgery alone (S) was the treatment arm in 179 patients. The remaining patients received adjuvant treatment as follows: irradiation (RT) alone (n = 281), RT + fluorouracil (FU) +/- semustine bolus chemotherapy (CT; n = 779), RT + protracted venous infusion CT (n = 325), RT + FU +/- leucovorin or levamisole bolus CT (n = 1,695), or CT alone (n = 532). Five-year follow-up was available in 94% of surviving patients, and 8-year follow-up, in 62%. RESULTS Overall (OS) and disease-free survival were dependent on TN stage, NT stage, and treatment method. Even among N2 patients, T substage influenced 5-year OS (T1-2, 67%; T3, 44%; T4, 37%; P <.001). Three risk groups of patients were defined: (1) intermediate (T1-2/N1, T3/N0), (2) moderately high (T1-2/N2, T3/N1, T4/N0), and (3) high (T3/N2, T4/N1, T4/N2). For intermediate-risk patients, those receiving S plus CT had 5-year OS rates of 85% (T1-2/N1) and 84% (T3/N0), which was similar to results with S plus RT plus CT (T1-2/N1, 78% to 83%; T3/N0, 74% to 80%). For moderately high-risk lesions, 5-year OS ranged from 43% to 70% with S plus CT, and 44% to 80% with S plus RT plus CT. For high-risk lesions, 5-year OS ranged from 25% to 45% with S plus CT, and 29% to 57% with S plus RT plus CT. CONCLUSION Different treatment strategies may be indicated for intermediate-risk versus moderately high- or high-risk patients based on differential survival rates and rates of relapse. Use of trimodality treatment for all patients with intermediate-risk lesions may be excessive, since S plus CT resulted in 5-year OS of approximately 85%; however, 5-year disease-free survival rates with S plus CT were 78% (T1-2/N1) and 69%(T3/N0), indicating room for improvement.