Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key quality indicators in colonoscopy

Abstract Many quality indicators have been proposed for colonoscopy, but most colonoscopists and endoscopy groups focus on measuring the adenoma detection rate and the cecal intubation rate. Use of proper screening and surveillance intervals is another accepted key indicator but it is seldom evaluated in clinical practice. Bowel preparation efficacy and polyp resection skills are areas that are emerging as potential key or priority indicators. This review summarizes and provides an update on key performance indicators for colonoscopy quality.
Mechanical energy on anaerobic capacity during a supramaximal treadmill running in men: Is there influence between runners and active individuals?

This study verified whether mechanical variables influence the anaerobic capacity outcome on treadmill running and whether these likely influences were dependent of running experience. Seventeen physical active and 18 amateur runners, males, performed a graded exercise test and constant load exhaustive running efforts at 115% of intensity associated to maximal oxygen consumption. During the constant load were determined the metabolic responses (i.e., gas exchange and blood lactate) to estimate the energetic contribution and anaerobic capacity as well as kinematic responses. The runners showed higher anaerobic capacity (16.6%; p = 0.005), but lesser time to exercise failure (−18.8%; p = 0.03) than active subjects. In addition, the stride length (21.4%; p = 0.00001), contact phase duration (−11.3%; p = 0.005), and vertical work (−29.9%; p = 0.015). For actives, the anaerobic capacity did not correlate significantly with any physiologic, kinematic, and mechanical variables and no regression model was fitted using the stepwise multiple regression, while to runners the anaerobic capacity was significantly correlated with phosphagen energetic contribution (r = 0.47; p = 0.047), external power (r = −0.51; p = 0.031), total work (r = −0.54; p = 0.020), external work (r = −0.62; p = 0.006), vertical work (r = −0.63; p = 0.008), and horizontal work (r = −0.61; p = 0.008), and the vertical work and phosphagen energetic contribution presented a coefficient of determination of 62% (p = 0.001). Based on findings, it is possible to assume that for active subjects, the mechanical variables have no influence over the anaerobic capacity, however, for experienced runners, the vertical work and phosphagen energetic contribution have relevant effect over anaerobic capacity output.
Personnel Selection Fuzzy Model

The paper presents a two-level personnel selection fuzzy model: short list and hiring decision. The model is an attempt to minimize subjective judgment in the process of distinguishing between an appropriate employee and an inappropriate employee for a job vacancy. The model comprises an analytic hierarchy process of three levels. The lowest level relates to the preliminary selection or shortlist procedure. Modifying multi-objective models of decision-making, the main decision elements are assumed as linguistic fuzzy variables. The problem is considered broad, since the worth values of the variables are calculated as expected values of the fuzzy variables. The second level relates to the hiring decision or selection of a final candidate for an employment opportunity. The selector assesses his/her own expectations of the short-listed job applicants. The expectations are treated by a probabilistic–possibilistic approach. The top level is the expected utility of hiring the successful candidate. Compared to the traditional way of selecting an appropriate short-listed job applicant this model minimizes individual judgment at both short-listed and hiring decision levels. The model is illustrated by a case study.
Design of a planar array of sensors for 3D location using genetic algorithms

Ultrasonic pulse echo systems are widely used to detect and locate targets within a specific region. A classical direction-of-arrival technique is the so-called triangulation method. This scheme uses the geometrical information provided by the time-of-flight measurements. Based on this information the bearing of the oncoming energy to a planar array of sensors can be computed. The cosine director of the target can be written as function of the time-of-flight readings, receiving elements position and speed of sound in the medium of propagation. There are two important sources of error in the cosine director calculation: random and the systematic types. A formulation based on the random error of the cosine director leads to a combinatorial expression as a function of receiver positions. Then to minimise the random error, an optimum receivers position must be computed, by evaluating this combinatorial expression. Genetic algorithms, using sub-set and binary representation, were developed to evaluate and to find optimum position of the receivers, producing minimum random errors.
Mutations in DARS2 result in global dysregulation of mRNA metabolism and splicing

Leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation (LBSL) is a rare neurological disorder caused by the mutations in the DARS2 gene, which encodes the mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. The objective of this study was to understand the impact of DARS2 mutations on cell processes through evaluation of LBSL patient stem cell derived cerebral organoids and neurons. We generated human cerebral organoids (hCOs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of seven LBSL patients and three healthy controls using an unguided protocol. Single cells from 70-day-old hCOs underwent SMART-seq2 sequencing and multiple bioinformatic analysis tools were applied to high-resolution gene and transcript expression analyses. To confirm hCO findings, iPSC-derived neurons (iNs) were generated by overexpressing Neurogenin 2 using lentiviral vector to study neuronal growth, splicing of DARS2 exon 3 and DARS2 protein expression. Global gene expression analysis demonstrated dysregulation of a number of genes involved in mRNA metabolism and splicing processes within LBSL hCOs. Importantly, there were distinct and divergent gene expression profiles based on the nature of the DARS2 mutation. At the transcript level, pervasive differential transcript usage and differential spliced exon events that are involved in protein translation and metabolism were identified in LBSL hCOs. Single-cell analysis of DARS2 (exon 3) showed that some LBSL cells exclusively express transcripts lacking exon 3, indicating that not all LBSL cells can benefit from the “leaky” nature common to splice site mutations. Live cell imaging revealed neuronal growth defects of LBSL iNs, which was consistent with the finding of downregulated expression of genes related to neuronal differentiation in LBSL hCOs. DARS2 protein was downregulated in iNs compared to iPSCs, caused by increased exclusion of exon 3. At the gene- and transcript-level, we uncovered that dysregulated RNA splicing, protein translation and metabolism may underlie at least some of the pathophysiological mechanisms in LBSL. The scope and complexity of our data imply that DARS2 is potentially involved in transcription regulation beyond its canonical role of aminoacylation. Nevertheless, our work highlights transcript-level dysregulation as a critical, and relatively unexplored, mechanism linking genetic data with neurodegenerative disorders.
A moving fluid interface. Part 2. The removal of the force singularity by a slip flow

If the no-slip condition is used to determine the flow produced when a fluid interface moves along a solid boundary, a non-integrable stress is obtained. In part 1 of this study (Hocking 1976), it was argued that, when allowance was made for the presence of irregularities on the solid boundary, an effective slip coefficient could be found, which might remove the difficulty. This paper examines the effect of a slip coefficient on the flow in the neighbourhood of the contact line. Particular cases which are solved in detail are liquid–gas interfaces at an arbitrary angle, and normal contact of fluids of arbitrary viscosity. The contribution of the vicinity of the contact line to the force on the boundary is obtained. The inner region, near the contact line, must be matched with an outer flow, in which the no-slip condition can be applied, in order to obtain the total value of the force on the boundary. This force is determined for the flow of two fluids between parallel plates and in a pipe, with a plane interface. The enhanced resistance produced by the presence of the interface is calculated, and it is shown to be equivalent to an increase in the length of the column of fluid by a small multiple of the pipe radius.
Stochastic nonlinear minimax filtering in continuous-time

This paper discusses nonlinear stochastic minimax games in which the minimizing player is the state estimate while the maximizing players are square-integrable stochastic disturbances. A pathwise optimization method is considered, and an information state is introduced which is governed by a second-order Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. The HJB equation is subsequently employed to characterize the dissipation properties of the estimator error with respect to the stochastic disturbances and to introduce a certainty equivalence estimator.
The evolution of the Galápagos mantle plume

The lavas associated with mantle plumes may sample domains throughout Earth’s mantle and probe its dynamics. However, plume studies are often only able to take snapshots in time, usually of the most recent plume activity, leaving the chemical and geodynamic evolution of major convective upwellings in Earth’s mantle poorly constrained. Here, we report the geodynamically key information of how the lithology and density of a plume change from plume head phase to tail. We use iron stable isotopes and thermodynamic modeling to show that the Galápagos plume has contained small, nearly constant, amounts of dense recycled crust over its 90-million-year history. Despite a temporal evolution in the amount of recycled crust-derived melt in Galápagos-related lavas, we show that this can be explained by plume cooling alone, without associated changes in the plume’s mantle source; results are also consistent with a plume rooted in a lower mantle low-velocity zone also sampling primordial components.
Inhibitory Learning with Bidirectional Outcomes: Prevention Learning or Causal Learning in the Opposite Direction?

Influential models of causal learning assume that learning about generative and preventive relationships are symmetrical to each other. That is, a preventive cue directly prevents an outcome from occurring (i.e., “direct” prevention) in the same way a generative cue directly causes an outcome to occur. However, previous studies from our lab have shown that many participants do not infer a direct prevention causal structure after feature-negative discrimination (A+/AB–) with a unidirectional outcome (Lee & Lovibond, 2021). Melchers et al. (2006) suggested that the use of a bidirectional outcome that can either increase or decrease from baseline, encourages direct prevention learning. Here we test an alternative possibility that a bidirectional outcome encourages encoding of a generative relationship in the opposite direction, where B directly causes a decrease in the outcome. Thus, previous evidence of direct prevention learning using bidirectional outcomes may instead be explained by some participants inferring an “Opposite Causal” structure. In two experiments, participants did indeed report an opposite causal structure. In Experiment 1, these participants showed the lowest outcome predictions when B was combined with a novel cause in a summation test, and lowest outcome predictions when B was presented alone. In Experiment 2, B successfully blocked learning to a novel cue that was directly paired with a reduction in the outcome, and this effect was strongest among participants who endorsed an Opposite Causal structure. We conclude that previous evidence of direct prevention learning using bidirectional outcomes may be a product of excitatory rather than inhibitory learning.
100-fs pulse generation and amplification in Ti:Al 2 O 3

We have constructed a self-mode-locked Ti:Al2O3 laser that produces 100-fs pulses at 750 nm. These pulses are then amplified in a Ti:Al2O3 regenerative amplifier to the millijoule energy level. 105-fs, 10-GW pulses have been produced.
Optimum design of tapered slot antenna profile

The optimum design of the tapered slot antenna (TSA) profile and geometry is achieved through its modeling by a stepline terminated in free space intrinsic impedance. The impedance matching of the TSA input impedance (obtained by the transmission matrix properties) to the generator impedance is achieved by minimizing an error criterion constructed as the magnitude squared of the difference between the generator and input impedances over the desired bandwidth. The attenuation constant of the stepline is computed by the broadside radiation of TSA (which is an endfire antenna) and the longitudinal power flow. The spectral domain immitance approach is used to compute the broadside radiation, by first determining the electric field components in the slot by the Galerkin's method and then obtaining the equivalent magnetic surface current densities. The power flow in the endfire direction of TSA may be computed by the Poynting's vector in the substrate. The attenuation constant is calculated for various values of slot width. Finally, the minimization procedure gives the slotline widths and lengths.
Enhancing the sensitivity and robustness of label-free imaging systems via stimulated Raman adiabatic passage

We show that the sensitivity and robustness of a label-free optical imaging technique based on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) can be enhanced by using resonant optical transitions in a Raman adiabatic passage scheme. Our approach is based on the consideration that any enhancement of the flow of energy between two light beams involved in the SRS process is related to an increase in atomic population transfer between the energy levels of interest. One can thus profit from techniques developed in quantum optics to maximize such atomic population transfer for enhancing the sensitivity and robustness of optical imaging techniques.
Localization of step changes in multitemporal SAR images

Deals with multitemporal sequences of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images with regions possibly affected by step reflectivity patterns of change. Specifically, it addresses the problems of detecting a temporal step pattern with small reflectivity change against a constant pattern and of estimating the transition instant for the step. The statistically optimized signal processing techniques proposed in this work are most appropriate for the new generation of SAR systems with high revisit time that are currently under development. We propose two different techniques, based on the maximum likelihood (ML) approach, that make different use of prior knowledge on the radar cross section (RCS) levels of the searched pattern. They process the whole sequence to achieve optimal discrimination capability between regions affected and not affected by a step change and optimal estimation accuracy for the step transition instant. The first technique (known step pattern (KSP)-detector) assumes complete knowledge of the RCS levels of the searched pattern of change, while the second one (USP-detector) is based on the assumption of totally unknown step pattern.
A Case Study of the Development of Contrail Clusters over the Great Lakes

Abstract Widespread persistent contrails over the western Great Lakes during 9 October 2000 were examined using commercial flight data, coincident meteorological data, and satellite remote sensing data from several platforms. The data were analyzed to determine the atmospheric conditions under which the contrails formed and to measure several physical properties of the contrails, including areal coverage, spreading rates, fall speeds, and optical properties. Most of the contrails were located between 10.6 and 11.8 km in atmospheric conditions consistent with a modified form of the Appleman contrail formation theory. However, the Rapid Update Cycle-2 analyses have a dry bias in the upper-tropospheric relative humidity with respect to ice (RHI), as indicated by persistent contrail generation during the outbreak where RHI ≥ 85%. The model analyses show that synoptic-scale vertical velocities affect the formation of persistent contrails. Areal coverage by linear contrails peaked at 30 000 km2, but the maximum.
Source separation of baseband signals in Post-Nonlinear mixtures

Usually, source separation in Post-Nonlinear (PNL) models is achieved via one-stage methods, i.e. the two parts (linear and nonlinear) of a PNL model are dealt with at the same time. However, recent works have shown that the development of two-stage techniques may simplify the problem. Indeed, if the nonlinear stage can be compensated separately, then, in a second moment, one can make use of the well-established source separation algorithms for the linear case. Motivated by that, we propose in this work a novel two-stage PNL method relying on the assumption that the sources are bandlimited signals. In the development of our method, special care is taken in order to make it as robust as possible to noise. Simulation results attest the effectiveness of the proposal.
Analysis of Discrete-Time Single Server Queue with Balking and Multiple Working Vacations

Abstract This paper analyzes a discrete-time single server queueing system with balking and multiple working vacations. The arriving customers balk (that is, do not join the queue) with a probability. The inter-arrival times of customers are assumed to be independent and geometrically distributed. The server works at a different rate rather than completely stopping service during vacations. The service times during a service period, service times during a vacation period and vacation times are assumed to be geometrically distributed. We obtain the closed form expressions for the steady-state probabilities at arbitrary and outside observer’s observation epochs. Computational experiences with a variety of numerical results are discussed in the form of tables and graphs. Moreover, some queueing models discussed in the literature are derived as special cases of our model.
Assessing the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms in Wingless signaling pathway genes and sella turcica morphology

Sella turcica development involves molecular factors and genes responsible for ossification. It is possible that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in key genes are involved in morphological variation of sella turcica. Genes belonging to the WNT signaling pathway are involved in the ossification process and are candidates of sella turcica morphology. This study aimed to evaluate if SNPs in WNT6 (rs6754599) and WNT10A (rs10177996 and rs3806557) genes are associated with the calcification and patterns of the sella turcica. Nonsyndromic individuals were included in the research. Cephalometric radiographs were examined and the sella calcification was evaluated and classified according to the calcification of the interclinoid ligament (no calcification, partial calcification, and incomplete calcification) and sella turcica pattern (normal sella turcica, bridge type A—ribbon‐like fusion, bridge type B—extension of the clinoid processes, incomplete bridge, hypertrophic posterior clinoid process, hypotrophic posterior clinoid process, irregularity in the posterior part, pyramidal shape of the dorsum, double contour of the floor, oblique anterior wall, and oblique contour of the floor). DNA samples were used to evaluate SNPs in the WNT genes (rs6754599, rs10177996, and rs3806557) using real‐time PCR. Chi‐square test or Fisher's exact test were used to compare the allele and genotype distributions according to sella turcica phenotypes. The alpha was set as 5% for all comparisons. A total of 169 individuals were included, 133 (78.7%) present sella turcica partially or completely calcified. Sella turcica anomalies were found in 131 individuals (77.5%). Sella turcica bridge type A (27.8%), posterior hypertrophic clinoid process (17.1%), and sella turcica bridge type B (11.2%) were the most prevalent morphological patterns observed. Individuals carrying the TT genotype in rs10177996 (TT vs. CT + CC) had higher chance to present a partially calcified sella turcica (p = 0.047; Odds ratio = 2.27, Confidence Interval 95% 1.01–5.13). In conclusion, the SNP in WNT10A is associated with the calcification phenotype of the sella turcica, the pleiotropic effect of this gene should be taken into consideration in future studies.
Efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in patients with severe COVID‐19: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

We conducted this systematic review and meta‐analysis to evaluate the existing evidence and to quantitatively synthesise evidence on the impact of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) on severe COVID‐19 patients. This systematic review and meta‐analysis protocol was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022316331). We systemically searched six electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, clinicaltrial.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception until 1 June 2022. We included studies comparing patients who received TPE versus those who received the standard treatment. For risk of bias assessment, we used the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool, the ROBINS1 tool, and the Newcastle Ottawa scale for RCTs, non‐RCTs, and observational studies, respectively. Continuous data were pooled as standardized mean difference (SMD), and dichotomous data were pooled as risk ratio in the random effect model with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Thirteen studies (one randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 12 non‐RCTs) were included in the meta‐analysis, with a total of 829 patients. There is a moderate‐quality evidence from one RCT that TPE reduces the lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (SMD −1.09, 95% CI [−1.59 to −0.60]), D‐dimer (SMD −0.86, 95% CI [−1.34 to −0.37]), and ferritin (SMD −0.70, 95% CI [−1.18 to −0.23]), and increases the absolute lymphocyte count (SMD 0.54, 95% CI [0.07–1.01]), There is low‐quality evidence from mixed‐design studies that TPE was associated with lower mortality (relative risk 0.51, 95% CI [0.35–0.74]), lower IL‐6 (SMD −0.91, 95% CI [−1.19 to −0.63]), and lower ferritin (SMD −0.51, 95% CI [−0.80 to −0.22]) compared to the standard control. Among severely affected COVID‐19 patients, TPE might provide benefits such as decreasing the mortality rate, LDH, D‐dimer, IL‐6, and ferritin, in addition to increasing the higher absolute lymphocyte count. Further well‐designed RCTs are needed.
A typical dynamical system is not simple or semisimple

We study the structure of two-fold self-joinings for a typical transformation of the standard non-atomic Borel space $(X,\mu)$. We prove that the typical automorphism is not simple and semisimple. This is an answer to questions posed by del Junco, Rudolph, Lemanczyk and Mentzen. In order to answer these questions we proved that for a typical transformation there exists an ergodic self-joining concentrated on two fibers, i.e. there exists the simplest non-trivial ergodic self-joining.