Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of metformin in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The Multicenter Metformin Study Group.

BACKGROUND Sulfonylurea drugs have been the only oral therapy available for patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in the United States. Recently, however, metformin has been approved for the treatment of NIDDM. METHODS We performed two large, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, controlled studies in which metformin or another treatment was given for 29 weeks to moderately obese patients with NIDDM whose diabetes was inadequately controlled by diet (protocol 1: metformin vs. placebo; 289 patients), or diet plus glyburide (protocol 2: metformin and glyburide vs. metformin vs. glyburide; 632 patients). To determine efficacy we measured plasma glucose (while the patients were fasting and after the oral administration of glucose), lactate, lipids, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin before, during, and at the end of the study. RESULTS In protocol 1, at the end of the study the 143 patients in the metformin group, as compared with the 146 patients in the placebo group, had lower mean (+/- SE) fasting plasma glucose concentrations (189 +/- 5 vs. 244 +/- 6 mg per deciliter [10.6 +/- 0.3 vs. 13.7 +/- 0.3 mmol per liter], P < 0.001) and glycosylated hemoglobin values (7.1 +/- 0.1 percent vs. 8.6 +/- 0.2 percent, P < 0.001). In protocol 2, the 213 patients given metformin and glyburide, as compared with the 210 patients treated with glyburide alone, had lower mean fasting plasma glucose concentrations (187 +/- 4 vs. 261 +/- 4 mg per deciliter [10.5 +/- 0.2 vs. 14.6 +/- 0.2 mmol per liter], P < 0.001) and glycosylated hemoglobin values (7.1 +/- 0.1 percent vs. 8.7 +/- 0.1 percent, P < 0.001). The effect of metformin alone was similar to that of glyburide alone. Eighteen percent of the patients given metformin and glyburide had symptoms compatible with hypoglycemia, as compared with 3 percent in the glyburide group and 2 percent in the metformin group. In both protocols the patients given metformin had statistically significant decreases in plasma total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, whereas the values in the respective control groups did not change. There were no significant changes in fasting plasma lactate concentrations in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS Metformin monotherapy and combination therapy with metformin and sulfonylurea are well tolerated and improve glycemic control and lipid concentrations in patients with NIDDM whose diabetes is poorly controlled with diet or sulfonylurea therapy alone.
Serous macular detachment as a predictor of resolution of macular edema with intravitreal triamcinolone injection.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To evaluate serous macular detachment as a predictor for response of macular edema to intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixteen eyes (16 patients) with macular edema and serous macular detachment secondary to diabetic retinopathy (n = 11) or branch vein occlusion (n = 5) were prospectively enrolled. After intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection (4 mg/0.1 mL), they were reevaluated at 1 week and 1 and 3 months. The main outcome measure was change in central macular thickness. RESULTS The mean baseline central macular thickness was 651.13 +/- 245.96 microm. One month after intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection, central macular thickness decreased to 255.38 +/- 80.64 microm (P < .0001). After 3 months, central macular thickness increased marginally to 329.69 +/- 161.98 microm, still significantly less than baseline (P < .0001). There was a significant correlation between the height of serous macular detachment and reduction in central macular thickness at 1 (r = .827) and 3 (r = .835) months (P< .0001). CONCLUSION When serous macular detachment coexists with vascular or microvascular macular edema, it responds to intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide in direct proportion to the height of the serous macular detachment. However, the response begins to fade by 3 months.
The Effect of Approaching Vehicles on the Lateral Position of Cars Travelling on a Two‐lane Rural Road

Abstract The lateral position of cars was recorded in the presence of oncoming vehicles on a two-lane rural road. A car-following technique was used to obtain video recordings with a camera mounted unobtrusively on the experimental vehicle. The study investigated lateral positioning over longer segments of such episodes than previously. As vehicles approached from opposite directions, there was a general systematic movement away from the road centre-line in the period immediately prior to meeting. For those vehicles initially travelling closest to the road-edge, this diverging away from the centre-line was preceded by a tendency to move towards it with the smallest lateral displacement occurring at between 5 and 6 seconds before reaching the oncoming vehicle. Three alternative classes of explanation can be invoked to explain such a pattern of driver steering performance. The driver's perception of the straight ahead path may be influenced by the oncoming vehicle as a real-world instance of the Dietzel-Roe.
The Application of Laboratory Formulas to Clinical Voice Management

In this paper, we discuss the application of mathematical formulas to guide the development of clinical interventions in voice disorders. Discussion of case examples includes fundamental frequency and intensity deviations, pitch and loudness abnormalities, laryngeal hyperand hypoadduction, and phonatory effort. The paper illustrates the interactive nature of theoretical and applied work in vocology
Dancing “the management”: on social presence, rhythm and finding common purpose

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the concept of dance as a metaphor for relating to the challenges of management and human relations within the organisational space. It asks in what way can the art‐related concept of dance be applied to the benefit of a dominant science‐led management learning and practice.Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores its topic through counter‐factual argument, drawing on a recently published theory of art‐related management practice. It invokes dance as an application of the theory to further explore that theory's relevance to management and organisational thinking.Findings – The concept of an organisational dance is explored by considering the notions of presence and rhythm. A definition for social presence is derived in order to present an ability of the individual to perceive a socially constructed reality, against which collective movement – aligned within a concept of organisational rhythm – permits a form of dance to emerge. The organisational dance sets up.
Isolation and Characterization ofCampylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni from Macaroni Penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) in the Subantarctic Region

ABSTRACT On Bird Island, South Georgia, albatrosses (n = 140), penguins (n = 100), and fur seals (n = 206) were sampled for Campylobacter jejuni. C. jejuni subsp. jejuni was recovered from three macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus). These isolates, the first reported for the subantarctic region, showed low genetic diversity and high similarity to Northern Hemisphere C. jejuni isolates, possibly suggesting recent introduction to the area.
Improving Vietnamese Dependency Parsing Using Distributed Word Representations

Dependency parsing has become an important line of research in natural language processing in recent years. This is due to its usefulness in a wide variety of real world applications. This paper presents the improvement of Vietnamese dependency parsing using distributed word representations. Our parser achieves an accuracy of 76.29% of unlabelled attachment score or 69.25% of labelled attachment score. This is the most accurate dependency parser for the Vietnamese language in comparison to others which are trained and tested on the same dependency treebank. The distributed word representations are produced by two recent unsupervised learning models, the Skip-gram model and the GloVe model. We also show that distributed representations produced by the GloVe model are better than those produced by the Skip-gram model when being used in dependency parsing. Our dependency parsing system, including software, corpus and distributed word representations, is released as an open source project, freely available for research purpose.
Learning the lexical aspects of a second language at different proficiencies: A neural computational study

We present an original model designed to study how a second language (L2) is acquired in bilinguals at different proficiencies starting from an existing L1. The model assumes that the conceptual and lexical aspects of languages are stored separately: conceptual aspects in distinct topologically organized Feature Areas, and lexical aspects in a single Lexical Network. Lexical and semantic aspects are then linked together during Hebbian learning phases by presenting L2 lexical items and their L1 translation equivalents. The model hypothesizes the existence of a competitive mechanism to solve conflicts and simulate language switching tasks. Results demonstrate that, at the beginning of training, an L2 lexicon must parasitize its L1 equivalent to access its conceptual meaning. At intermediate proficiency, L2 items may evoke their semantics independently of L1, but with a high risk of interference. At higher proficiency, the L2 representation becomes progressively similar to the L1 representation, according to Green's (2003) convergence hypothesis.
Embolus Trajectory Through a Physical Replica of the Major Cerebral Arteries

Background and Purpose— The observed distribution of cerebral infarcts varies markedly from expectations based on blood-flow volume or Doppler embolus detection. In this study, we used an in vitro model of the cerebral arteries to test whether embolus microspheres encountering the circle of Willis are carried proportionally to volume flow or express a preferred trajectory related to arterial morphology or embolus size. Methods— Our model consisted of a patient-specific silicone replica of the cerebral macrocirculation featuring physiologically realistic pulsatile flow of a blood-mimicking fluid at approximately 1000 mL/min and an input pressure of approximately 150/70 mm Hg. Particles of 200, 500, and 1000 &mgr;m diameter with equivalent density to thrombus were introduced to the carotid arteries and counted on exiting the model outlets. Results— The middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) of the replica attracted a disproportionate number of emboli compared with the anterior cerebral arteries; 98%±3% of 1000 &mgr;m and 93%±2% of 500 &mgr;m emboli entered the MCA compared with 82%±5% of the flow. The observed distribution of large emboli was consistent with the ratio of MCA:anterior cerebral artery infarcts, approximately 95% of which occur in territories supplied by the MCA. With decreasing embolus size, the distribution of emboli approaches that of the flow (approximately 89% of 200 &mgr;m emboli took the MCA). Conclusions— Embolus trajectory through the cerebral arteries is dependent on embolus size and strongly favors the MCA for large emboli. The 70:30 ratio of MCA:anterior cerebral artery emboli observed by Doppler ultrasound is consistent with the trajectories of small emboli that tend to be asymptomatic.
Single-Stage AC/DC Converter With Input-Current Dead-Zone Control for Wide Input Voltage Ranges

A single-phase single-stage ac/dc converter with input-current dead-zone control is proposed. It is based on flyback topology operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The current charging into the link capacitor is controlled according to line changes by adjusting the input-current blocking angle to alleviate an excessive increase of the link voltage. The reduced voltage stress can maintain an almost-constant voltage irrespective of load conditions by operating in dc/dc stage in DCM. Experimental results of a 60-W (5-V 12-A output) prototype converter show that the link voltage is limited within 384 V and that the measured power factor is more than 0.91 under universal voltage inputs and entire load conditions. In addition, the maximum efficiency is measured to be about 81% at the rated condition
Portable Green Cloud Services

Although the areas of cloud computing and green IT are amongst the fastest growing markets in the IT industry, until now there are very few opportunities to combine the potential of both areas. In this paper, we present a method to combine the advantages of both to create standardized and energy efficient cloud services. For their description, we will use the emerging cloud computing standard TOSCA(OASIS, 2013). Thereby, it is possible to create standardized and model-based cloud applications which can be deployed in many cloud environments. We will further show how it is feasible to combine policies with TOSCA to realize energy-efficient management of cloud services. To accomplish this, we will provide ideas on how to extend the TOSCA language as well as the cloud operating environment in order to achieve the goal of portable, energy-efficient cloud services. The core of this work is the identification and integration of the underlying system architecture for a common solution concept. For this, the architectures and necessary adjustments are explained.
News From Behind My Hand: Gossip in Organizations

This paper offers an interpretation of the importance of organizational gossip. It draws together theory and research from various disciplines in order to explore four main propositions: that gossip is a phenomenon worthy of serious study/analysis; that gossip in organizations has been under-researched; that ana lysis of gossip reveals important aspects about the social organization of work; and that gossip is a social process that helps to protect and perpetuate organiza tions. It concludes that gossip is intrinsic to organizational life. Gossip offers the individual escapism and social mobility and has been undeservedly avoided in organizational analysis. Consequently, as a subject, it demands greater attention in the future in terms of theory and empirical research.
COMPREHENSIVE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY FOR LATE LIFE DEPRESSION

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has proven efficacy as a treatment for depression in older people. An important debate amongst therapists working with older people is whether CBT needs to be adapted to ensure optimal treatment outcome and, if so, what adaptations are necessary. It is accepted that psychotherapy with older people can differ from psychotherapy with younger people in a number of important respects because of the higher likelihood of chronic conditions, changes in cognitive capacity, potential loss experiences and different cohort belief systems. As psychotherapists are often much less comfortable dealing with physical problems, they may become negatively biased in terms of outcome when patients present with co-morbid health issues. The impact of loss experiences in older people can also be overemphasized in their importance by inexperienced therapists and can result in lowered expectations for therapy outcome. Consequently, there is a need to develop a model that addresses age related issues within a coherent cognitive therapy framework suitable for older people. This paper describes a CBT model that is augmented with applied gerontological knowledge, taking account of cohort beliefs, intergenerational linkages, sociocultural context, health status/beliefs and role investments/transitions. Clinical examples are used throughout to illustrate clinical implications of the model.
Rectally administrated misoprostol as an alternative to intravenous oxytocin infusion for preventing post‐partum hemorrhage after cesarean delivery

With the increasing rate of cesarean delivery (CD) worldwide, there is a need for a revision of practices to prevent post‐partum hemorrhage (PPH) after CD. In search of a safe, cheap and effective alternative to oxytocin for prevention of PPH during the postoperative period of CD, the present study aimed to compare rectally administrated misoprostol with i.v. oxytocin infusion.
Environmentally mediated risks for psychopathology: research strategies and findings.

OBJECTIVE To consider the research design requirements needed to provide a rigorous test of environmental mediation hypotheses and to summarize the main findings from research using such designs. METHOD Selective review of empirical evidence dealing with psychopathology. RESULTS There is robust evidence of environmentally mediated risks for psychopathology. There are major individual differences in people's responses to risk experiences. Effects are often dependent on genetic susceptibility (operating through gene-environment interactions). CONCLUSIONS Many of the risks deriving from adverse experiences are reliant on nature-nurture interplay, and one of the main research needs concerns the diverse effects of the environment on the organism.
Conversational sensing

Recent developments in sensing technologies, mobile devices and context-aware user interfaces have made it pos- sible to represent information fusion and situational awareness for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities as a conversational process among actors at or near the tactical edges of a network. Motivated by use cases in the domain of Company Intelligence Support Team (CoIST) tasks, this paper presents an approach to information collection, fusion and sense-making based on the use of natural language (NL) and controlled nat- ural language (CNL) to support richer forms of human-machine interaction. The approach uses a conversational protocol to facilitate a ow of collaborative messages from NL to CNL and back again in support of interactions such as: turning eyewitness reports from human observers into actionable information (from both soldier and civilian sources); fusing information from humans and physical sensors (with associated quality metadata); and assisting human analysts to make the best use of available sensing assets in an area of interest (governed by man- agement and security policies). CNL is used as a common formal knowledge representation for both machine and human agents to support reasoning, semantic information fusion and generation of rationale for inferences, in ways that remain transparent to human users. Examples are provided of various alternative styles for user feedback, including NL, CNL and graphical feedback. A pilot experiment with human subjects shows that a prototype conversational agent is able to gather usable CNL information from untrained human subjects.
Algorithmic optimizations of a conjugate gradient solver on shared memory architectures

OpenMP is an architecture-independent language for programming in the shared memory model. OpenMP is designed to be simple and powerful in terms of programming abstractions. Unfortunately, the architecture-independent abstractions sometimes come with the price of low parallel performance. This is especially true for applications with an unstructured data access pattern running on distributed shared memory systems (DSM). Here, proper data distribution and algorithmic optimizations play a vital role for performance. In this article, we have investigated ways of improving the performance of an industrial class conjugate gradient (CG) solver, implemented in OpenMP running on two types of shared memory systems. We have evaluated bandwidth minimization, graph partitioning and reformulations of the original algorithm reducing global barriers. By a detailed analysis of barrier time and memory system performance, we found that bandwidth minimization is the most important optimization reducing both L2 misses and remote memory accesses. On a uniform memory system, we get perfect scaling. On a NUMA system, the performance is significantly improved with the algorithmic optimizations leaving the system dependent global reduction operations as a bottleneck.
SLIDING MODE CONTROL OF DC-DC CONVERTERS

The application of the sliding mode control technique to DC-DC converters is addressed in this paper. It is shown that this control approach can give good results in terms of robustness toward load and input voltage variations, while maintaining a dynamic response at least comparable to standard current control techniques. The sliding mode control application to buck and boost converters is analyzed in detail, while general design considerations are given for buck-boost Cuk and Sepic converters. Control refinements, like current limitation, constant switching frequency and output voltage steady-state error cancellation are also discussed.
Interactive Visualization and Mining of Massive Time Series

When large amount of data is collected from complex time-evolving system, interactive time-series visualization showed to be really useful to perform exploratory analysis and form an intuition of the system behavior. The literature proposes several tools, but none of these provides high interactivity, centralized data collection and open experiments sharing. VizTool, the novel time series visualization software we propose, bridges this gap allowing for interactive and exploratory data analysis. When visualizing time series, some sort of data approximation is needed since this is plotted in a viewport with a pixel width typically smaller than the number of points in the series. Many approximation algorithms have been proposed but none of these presents a satisfying trade-off between the compression ratio and the ability to preserve perceptual features in the data. Our work tackles the problem by presenting a method to select a data adaptive hybrid approximation obtained by composing diverse techniques. Finding unknown patterns from time series data, known as motif discovery, resulted to be one of the most relevant topic in the field related to our work. Due to its expensive computational cost, quadratic in the number of points, several algorithms which compute the motifs over data approximation have been proposed. However, such algorithms exclude exact results in any case. Therefore, as additional contribution we propose an anytime motif discovery algorithm which returns a result anytime its termination is invoked, and which progressively converges to the exact result.
Asymmetric Neural Networks Training and Memory Breakdown

Executive Summary The main difference between a computer and a human brain is the complexity of the tasks it can process. Even if a computer is unmatchable at bare mathematical operations and automated tasks, there are things which even a child can do better and faster (recognizing objects, faces, and so on) that even the most advanced AI system running on the world's faster supercomputer cannot match. The brain has a lot of other features which would be desirable in artificial systems: robustness, fault tolerance, flexibility, handling of fuzzy / probabilistic / noisy / inconsistent data, highly parallel and small, very compact and with low power dissipation. The concept of neural networks, to come up with a different computational paradigm than the one introduced by von Neumann (used as basis for almost all machines to date), was conceived as to mimicking nature itself. As the name implies it is inspired from neuroscience but it does not try to be biologically realistic in detail. This discipline combines different areas like systems theory, statistical physics, network theory, probabilistics and dynamical systems but it's applications do not lie only in computer science / engineering but in diverse areas like sensory / cognitive psychology, military intelligence, industrial analysis and basically any area in which different elements interact with each other in a known / unknown way such that the final result of the system is modeled in a predictable way and can even, by specialized analysis, be influenced with very small interventions in it's components so as to obtain a different result.