Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Percutaneous Closure of the Left Atrial Appendage a Valid Alternative to Oral Anticoagulation

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) has risen in parallel with increased life expectancy and cardiovascular risk factors. Atrial fibrillation produces a fivefold increase in the risk of stroke and one out of five strokes is estimated to be a consequence of AF. Atrial fibrillation is probably associated with an unknown number of “cryptogenic strokes”. (1) A significant proportion of these strokes in patients with AF may be prevented with anticoagulation therapy. Therefore, the prevention of stroke is an important aspect in the management of patients with AF from a social, economic and clinical point of view. Oral anticoagulation with warfarin and more recently with the new oral anticoagulants which do not need therapeutic dose monitoring is the treatment of choice to reduce the risk of thromboembolism in patient with non-valvular AF. A significant proportion of patients with high risk of bleeding cannot receive oral anticoagulants. The risk of major bleeding in patients receiving oral anticoagulants is about 3% per year and the annual risk of minor bleeding is 13-15%. (2) The balance between the risk of thromboembolism and the risk of bleeding is crucial for the management of oral anticoagulation in patients with AF. About 90% of thrombi in patients with non-valvular AF originate in the left atrial appendage. (3, 4) This has led to the development of alternative therapies to isolate the left atrial appendage from the rest of the left atrium. The WATCHMANTM device was developed to occlude the left atrial appendage more than 10 years ago. The device is introduced by a percutaneous intervention via the femoral vein and requires a transseptal approach, the use of fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography guidance. The procedure is associated with adverse events, which may be severe, as cardiac tamponade or even stroke. (5) The PROTECT AF randomized trial demonstrated that implantation of the WATCHMANTM device was possible in 91% of the patients undergoing the procedure, and was not inferior to warfarin anticoagulation
A Stereo Vision through Creating a Virtual Image Using Affine Transformation

We propose a new approach for stereo vision. In human vision one percept can arise from two retinal images as a result of the process called "fusion". We try to create a virtual image from two images of stereo cameras. Optical axes of the cameras intersect on an attention point locating on the surface of an object. By Affine transformation of the respective images, the two images are transformed to a virtual image that is seen from the middle point between two cameras. By superimposing two transformed pictures, one fusion picture of virtual image is reduced. Excepting for around the attention point, two transformed pictures do not coincide with each other. Finding correspondence between two pictures, we can determine Sdimentional depth information.
Evaluation of tumor hypoxia and proliferation in canine spontaneous solid tumors

Azuma, Chieko. Evaluation of tumor hypoxia and proliferation in canine spontaneous solid tumors (Under the direction of Donald E. Thrall) Tumor hypoxia and proliferation have been shown to be related to malignant tumor progression and treatment resistance. Studying tumor hypoxia and proliferation is important to address the biology of tumors and problems which may limit successful therapy. Tumor oxygenation is directly affected by oxygen consumption of tumors. Oxygen consumption is increased in actively proliferating cells. In this study the primary aim was to study the relationship between tumor hypoxia and proliferation in canine spontaneous solid tumors using immunohistochemical methods. Hypoxia was determined by detecting exsogenous hypoxia marker, pimonidazole adducts and proliferation was determined by the fraction of cells labeled with proliferating cell nuclear antigen. We hypothesized that hypoxia may be more pronounced in rapidly proliferating tumors due to increased oxygen consumption. Pimonidazole adduct formation occurred within 20 minutes after intravenous administration and cells with adducts were stable for several days in canine spontaneous tumors. Rapid and stable adduct formation in vivo are the important characteristics of using pimonidazole as a clinically useful hypoxia marker. There was no association between tumor hypoxia and proliferation evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The clinical outcome of the dogs studied in the project is unknown at this time, but these results to date suggest that tumor hypoxia and proliferation measurements are independent and may be potentially complementary predictive factors in canine spontaneous tumors. Classic diffusion limited hypoxia may be more related to intensive areas of pimonidazole labeling and transient perfusion limited hypoxia may not have been detected with our technique. Perfusion limited hypoxia being related to proliferation might be more complex because the areas of hypoxia are transient and such areas still might be actively proliferating under the transient hypoxic conditions. Methods need to be developed to differentiate acute versus chronic hypoxia to know the true hypoxic fractions and their effects on tumor biology. The type of cells may affect estimates of hypoxia by pimonidazole labeling and it is necessary to evaluate histologic features before designing a study. The hypoxia marker pimonidazole is a powerful tool that can be used in a clinical setting to study tumor biology with minimum invasiveness. EVALUATION OF TUMOR HYPOXIA AND PROLIFERATION IN CANINE SPONTANEOUS SOLID TUMORS
The Impact of Expanded General Practice-Based Student Teaching: The practices’ Story

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THIS AREA . Community based teaching for student doctors has expanded and continues to do so. Students appear to learn as effectively in general practice as in hospital settings and may experience pastoral benefits. The impact of community based teaching on those involved is beginning to be understood. GPs derive many benefits from, and are generally supportive of, greater involvement in teaching. Patients are largely supportive of student teaching and reap altruistic benefits from involvement with students. However, few studies have examined the impact of community based teaching on practice staff.
Absconding of patients detained in an english special hospital

Abstract Absconding by Special Hospital patients frequently precipitates alarmist media reporting or internal inquiries, yet available studies indicate that absconding is rare and the risk to the public is minimal. The present study set out to examine the significance of previously identified clinical factors and specific absconder profiles in risk assessment, by comparing the frequency of key variables in a group of Special Hospital absconders and non-absconders. The results confirmed that absconding was rare with minimal risk to the public. The majority of absconding incidents occurred from trips outside the hospital. Factors predictive of a high risk of absconding were a previous history of absconding, acting-out behaviour and a previous history of assault. Clinical teams correctly identified 61% of cases as high risk prior to the absconding episode, but the false positive rate was 20%. More detailed databases with larger sample sizes and systematic data collection should assist in the development of a.
Value-based distribution system reliability planning

Society is becoming increasingly dependent on a cost-effective reliable electric power supply. Unreliable electric power supplies can be extremely costly to electric utilities and their customers. Predictive reliability assessment combines historical outage data and mathematical models to estimate the performance of specific network and system configurations [e.g., IEEE Std. 493-1990]. This paper is concerned with the value-based assessment of proposed modifications to an existing industrial distribution system configuration to minimize the costs of interruptions to both the utility and its industrial customers. This paper presents a series of case studies of an actual industrial load area supplied by two feeder circuits originating from two alternate substations. Each case study reveals the impact on the cost of industrial load point interruptions and the frequency and duration of industrial load point interruptions when various system constraints (e.g., ideal and nonideal protection coordination schemes, substation capacity restrictions, etc.) are imposed on the distribution system. The paper discusses in some detail the variance in reliability performance indices and their impact on the cost of load point interruptions. A basic conclusion of this paper is that expansion plans of an industrial distribution system can be optimized in terms of reliability by using an economic criterion in which the sum of both the industrial facility interruptions and the utility system costs are minimized.
[Ovarian cryopreservation in girls with cancer: new challenges].

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cortex cryopreservation (OCC) for future autotransplant represents a treatment alternative for those paediatric cancer survivors affected of ovarian failure and fertility disorders. METHODS: Patients with high gonadotoxic risk are included in the Oncology Paediatric Fertility Preservation Programme: those receiving pelvic radiotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, high doses of cranial radiotherapy or alquilating agents, or those with bilateral ovarian pathology. Prior to the oncological treatment, the ovarian tissue is harvested laparoscopically. At the same time, other invasive procedures are done. Once malignancy is ruled out of the specimen and the presence of primordial follicles is confirmed, the multidisciplinary team of oncologist, paediatric surgeon and fertility specialist coordinate the processing and delivery of the ovarian cortex to the Comunidad Valenciana Tissue Bank. RESULTS: From July 2008 to May 2010 eight patients have been included in the programme, aged between 8-18 years old and with diagnosis of: Hodgkin's lymphoma (n= 2), Acute Myeloblastic and Lymphoblastic leukaemia (n= 2), pelvic Ewing's sarcoma, bilateral ovarian Teratoma and Meduloblastoma. Five patients underwent non gonadotoxic chemotherapy before OCC. Six additional procedures were done using the same anaesthetic event. Partial oophorectomy was performed in half the cases, total oophorectomy in the rest of them, and an ovarian pexia was once associated. All taken samples were found to be valid. CONCLUSIONS: OCC of selected patients was performed safely, with neither postoperative complications nor delay of the oncological treatment. Therefore, the first national experience in this procedure has been satisfactorily achieved.
Sexuality & dementia: An eLearning resource to improve knowledge and attitudes of aged-care staff

ABSTRACT Expression of sexuality by older people, particularly those with dementia, can be challenging and confronting for aged-care staff. Education on this topic is often a low priority area for aged-care organizations, and there appears to be limited training programs available. Results from our study highlighted the value of an eLearning education intervention that significantly increased aged-care staff and nursing students’ level of knowledge relating to older people’s sexuality. It also improved their attitudes and permissiveness towards late life sexuality and the expression of sexuality by people with dementia. Furthermore, respondents reported the importance of existing workplace policy (if any) on the expression of sexuality, the overall signs of wellbeing and ill-being exhibited by people with dementia, and the need for guided discussions with family members. Significant improvements in staff understanding and response towards the expression of sexuality by people with dementia may enable the facilitation of a care environment that is supportive of the verbalization and expression of sexual preference, need, and desire by people with dementia. This can, in turn, improve quality of life, health, and wellbeing for people with dementia as well as reduce potential tensions between staff-resident-family when sexual expression is considered to be inappropriate.
Evaluation of the PhaSeal Hazardous Drug Containment System

PhaSeal is a containment system designed to ensure the safe preparation and administration of cytostatic drugs and thus reduce environmental contamination to work areas and to medical and support staff. The PhaSeal system was tested in an outpatient setting in Sweden for 1 year during the preparation and administration of cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, and similar cytostatic drugs. The study was designed to determine the effectiveness of PhaSeal in preventing the leakage of cytostatic drugs frequently reported in a number of studies. Cytostatic drugs were prepared and administered using standard safety procedures, except that a biological safety cabinet was not used. At the conclusion of the study period, environmental contamination was determined from wiping samples of objects and surfaces in the drug preparation room. Neither cyclophosphamide nor fluorouracil was found in any of these samples. Results show that use of the PhaSeal system alone is sufficient to prevent environmental contamination during the preparation of cytostatic drugs.
Students’ knowledge about the care of newborns treated with the Infant Flow method

Neonates are naturally prone to respira-tory problems which may potentially lead to life-threatening con-ditions. The causes are usually disturbances in the adaptation to life outside the uterus. The clinical findings made so far indicate that the Infant Flow method is promising and its high effective-ness reduces the likelihood of pulmonary complications. New-borns treated with the Infant Flow method require special care by the medical personnel.
Recall Screening for MRSA Prevention - an innovative approach from the Netherlands

Background: The Dutch Search & Destroy strategy against the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has proven to be successful with a MRSA prevalence still below 1 %. However there are MRSA outbreaks, caused by MRSA carriers, who are missed in screenings and remain unrecognized. It was the aim of the present work to develop and test further innovative MRSA screening approaches with respect to their ability to detect unknown MRSA carriers. Methods: From 2001 to 2005 three different screening approaches were implemented in the Atrium Medical Center in Parkstad Limburg. Strategy 1: patients had to fill in a questionnaire concerning an earlier stay in a foreign hospital, strategy 2: admission screening on ICUs, strategy 3: recall screening of discharged patients. Results: The questionnaire helped to identify 227 patients from foreign hospitals, eight of whom were MRSA positive. From nearly 7000 patients who were screened for MRSA carriage on admission to the ICU 15 patients were MRSA positive. But none of the MRSA strains were related to any outbreak on the ward. Within the recall screening 37 further MRSA carriers could be detected among 1781 patients and those strains were indeed found to be associated with the respective outbreaks. Seven more strains were identified which were not involved in any outbreak. Discussion: With respect to identifying previously unknown MRSA carriers recall screening yielded the best results. Therefore this approach is a fundamental tool for detecting unrecognized MRSA carriers, who do not belong to the usual patients at risk. By identifying previously unknown MRSA carriage, the recall screening prevents MRSA outbreaks, which could be induced by such unrecognized MRSA carriers on readmission to the hospital.
Bronchial Necrosis Following Bevacizumab and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer

Bevacizumab is an emerging therapy with widespread use in the treatment of advanced malignancies. We describe a young female with metastatic breast cancer that underwent stereotactic body radiation during treatment with bevacizumab after the discovery of a new metastatic focus within the lung parenchyma. Approximately one year later she presented with a progressive foul smelling cough and dyspnea. Bronchoscopy revealed extensive necrotic destruction of the bronchus intermedius. Airway necrosis may be a rare adverse event associated with the use of bevacizumab, especially with concomitant radiotherapy.
Infections à Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile est un bacille a Gram positif anaerobie, sporule, responsable de 15 a 25 % des diarrhees post-antibiotiques et de plus de 95 % des cas de colites pseudo-membraneuses. Les principaux facteurs de risque d’infections liees a C. difficile sont l’âge superieur a 65 ans, l’administration d’antibiotiques (notamment de cephalosporines de troisieme generation, de l’association amoxicilline et acide clavulanique, de clindamycine et de fluoroquinolones dont le role semble de plus en plus preponderant) et les antecedents d’hospitalisation. Ces dernieres annees ont ete marquees par l’apparition de formes plus severes d’infections liees a la dissemination rapide, en Amerique du Nord et en Europe, d’un clone epidemique de PCR-ribotype 027 particulierement virulent.
MENINGITIS: THE QUIET BEFORE THE STORM? (SIMULATION OF AN ON-CAMPUS OUTBREAK)

Bacterial meningitis is a very serious life-threatening illness; that left untreated has a fatality rate of 70 percent. It is an especially serious illness on college campuses where the infection rate is approximately four times greater than the rate for the general population of 18-23 year olds. In 2008, the University of Central Florida (UCF) implemented an inoculation and education policy. This research was interested in determining the effect of the meningitis policy with respect to safeguarding the UCF community. In order to research this issue, deterministic models for meningitis outbreaks on the UCF campus were created and run as simulations using base and alternate input variables. Results from the simulations showed significant benefits could be achieved when inoculation and education programs are combined. More importantly, it demonstrated that simulation could be an effective tool for analyzing healthcare issues and formulating healthcare policy.
Couple therapy following prostate cancer surgery: a manual to guide treatment

Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Ten-year survival is high; consequently a service priority is addressing survivorship issues to support men living with the longer-term consequences of the disease and its treatments. This paper presents a treatment manual which has been tested with couples following prostate cancer surgery to decrease distress in sexual functioning, and improve relational functioning. The content of the manual is described alongside a fictionalized case vignette that illustrates the content and process of sessions. The paper presents the RIPSToP Model (RelatIonal PSychosexual Treatment for couples with Prostate cancer). The manual was developed and piloted in a mixed-method feasibility and acceptability randomized pilot control trial. Qualitative interviews with clinicians delivering the intervention indicate that the manual was acceptable. Practitioner points A systemic manual for supporting couples after prostate cancer surgery has been developed The manual presents a new model, derived from the literature, focusing on family context and the couple dynamic The model impacts psychological wellbeing, relationship functioning and distress related to sexual functioning Practitioners reported positive views of the manual and adhered to its content and structure
The Political Economy of Growth, Inequality, the Size and Composition of Government Spending

This paper develops a dynamic general-equilibrium political-economy model for the optimal size and composition of public spending. An analytical solution is derived from majority voting for three government spending categories: public consumption goods and transfers (valued by households), as well as productive government services (complementing private capital in an endogenous-growth technology). Inequality is reflected by a discrete distribution of infinitely-lived agents that differ by their initial capital holdings. In contrast to the previous literature that derives monotonic (typically negative) relations between inequality and growth in one-dimensional voting environments, this paper establishes conditions, in an environment of multi-dimensional voting, under which a non-monotonic, inverted U-shape relation between inequality and growth is obtained. This more general result – that inequality and growth could be negatively or positively related – could be consistent with the ambiguous or inconclusive results documented in the empirical literature on the inequality-growth nexus. The paper also shows that the political-economy equilibrium obtained under multi-dimensional voting for the initial period is time-consistent.
Global Reactions to the Cambridge Analytica Scandal: An Inter-Language Social Media Study

Currently, there is a limited understanding of how data privacy concerns vary across the world. The Cambridge Analytica scandal triggered a wide-ranging discussion on social media about user data collection and use practices. We conducted an inter-language study of this online conversation to compare how people speaking different languages react to data privacy breaches. We collected tweets about the scandal written in Spanish and English between April and July 2018. We used the Meaning Extraction Method in both datasets to identify their main topics. They reveal a similar emphasis on Zuckerberg’s hearing in the US Congress and the scandal’s impact on political issues. However, our analysis also shows that while English speakers tend to attribute responsibilities to companies, Spanish speakers are more likely to connect them to people. These findings show the potential of inter-language comparisons of social media data to deepen the understanding of cultural differences in data privacy perspectives.
Major Qualifying Projects ( All Years ) Major Qualifying Projects April 2018 Models for automatic learner engagement estimation

Automatic estimation of student engagement [1–6] can help computer-based learning systems adapt to individual learners [7]. Linear models trained on Gabor features established cutting-edge yet sub-human accuracy on this task [1], while convolutional neural networks (CNNs) [8, 9] overfit [10] to the dataset’s few subjects [9, 11]. We found that transfer learning [12–14] enabled linear ridge regression to leverage CNN features learned for image recognition [15, 16] and face re-identification [17, 18] tasks. Our best model achieved a four-fold crossvalidated correlation of r = 0.581, significantly outperforming [1] (r = 0.522). Our information strength metric correlated with model accuracy (FaceNet, r = 0.755; ImageNet, r = 0.077), inviting future study of feature utility prediction.
Upregulation of ZBTB 7 A exhibits a tumor suppressive role in gastric cancer cells

Gastric cancer presents as a complex solid tumor and is the third leading cause of global cancer-associated mortality. The genetic alterations in gastric cancer remain unclear and deserve further investigation. Mining The Cancer Genome Atlas gastric adenocarcinoma dataset identified a frequent loss of the zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7A) gene locus and a significant correlation between low ZBTB7A expression and poor patient survival. ZBTB7A belongs to the POZ/BTB and Kruppel transcription factor family. In the present study, overexpression of ZBTB7A in a gastric cancer cell line induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase. Upregulation of ZBTB7A also promoted apoptosis and repressed cell migration. The results of the present study indicated that ZBTB7A functions as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer cells. Understanding the role of ZBTB7A in gastric cancer may provide important clinical insight for treatment.