Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity scoring systems in the critically ill

Scoring systems for use in intensive care unit (ICU) patients have been introduced and developed over the last 30 years. They allow an assessment of the severity of disease and provide an estimate of in-hospital mortality. This estimate is achieved by collating routinely measured data specific to a patient (Table 1). A weighting is applied to each variable, and the sum of the weighted individual scores produces the severity score. Various factors have been shown to increase the risk of in-hospital mortality after admission to ICU, including increasing age and severity of acute illness, certain pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. malignancy, immunosuppression, and requirement for renal replacement therapy), and emergency admission to ICU. Before the 1980s, there were no scoring systems applicable to critical care populations which would allow outcomes from different critical care units to be compared. Since then, many scoring systems have been developed, though only a small minority are used. Several of these systems are known simply by their acronym (e.g. APACHE and MODS). Physiology-based scoring systems are applied to critically ill patients and have a number of advantages over diagnosis-based systems that may be used in other patient groups. Any patient admitted to ICU can have single or multiple organ failure and therefore will not fit a clearly defined diagnostic group. Sometimes, no diagnosis can be made, either on admission or retrospectively. A diagnosis-based scoring system will therefore be inapplicable. Scoring systems essentially consists of two parts: a severity score, which is a number (generally the higher this is the more severe the condition) and a calculated probability of mortality. Most commonly, this is the risk of in-hospital mortality, though other outcome measures (e.g. survival to 28 days post-hospital discharge) can also be modelled. In order to develop a scoring system, a database incorporating a large amount of patient data from many ICUs, and ideally from many different countries, is required. The applied variables can be grouped into five categories: age, co-morbidities, physiological abnormalities, acute diagnosis, and interventions.
Association between circadian gene CLOCK and cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells: A preliminary study

The present study aimed to observe the expression of circadian gene clock circadian regulator (CLOCK) in ovarian cancer cells and the effects of circadian gene CLOCK on cis-dichlorodiamine platinum (cisplatin) resistance in ovarian cancer cells. The expression of CLOCK mRNA and protein in cisplatin-sensitive A2780 and cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay. Cisplatin-sensitive A2780 and cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells were treated with different concentrations of cisplatin for 48 h, and the expression of hCLOCK protein in the two types of cells was detected by western blot assay. RNA interference method was used to knock down the expression of CLOCK in cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells. Subsequently, the cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells were treated with cisplatin. The proliferation of cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells was observed following treatment with cisplatin. The expression of CLOCK mRNA was significantly higher in cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells (1.58±0.49) compared with cisplatin-sensitive A2780 cells (0.44±0.13) (P<0.01). Western blot assay results demonstrated that the expression of CLOCK protein was significantly greater in the cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells (1.47±0.34) compared with the cisplatin-sensitive A2780 cells (0.48±0.15) (P<0.01). Following the treatment of A2780 and CP70 cells with cisplatin, CLOCK protein expression increased with an increased concentration of cisplatin, in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). Following the knockdown of CLOCK in cisplatin-resistant CP70 cells by RNA interference, cisplatin treatment was able to significantly inhibit the proliferation of cells and induce apoptosis (P<0.01). The expression of circadian gene CLOCK in ovarian cancer cells was strongly associated with cisplatin resistance. The upregulation of circadian gene CLOCK in ovarian cancer cells may reduce its sensitivity to cisplatin treatment.
Energy Potential of Natural, Synthetic Polymers and Waste Materials - A Review

In this paper, the energy potential of natural (polysaccharides, lignin, etc.), and synthetic polymers (polyolefins, etc.), polymer materials (plant biomass, plastics and their solid waste), as well as combustible liquids and gases derived from them has been studied. To determine calorific values of solid, liquid and gaseous substances, various experimental and calculation methods were used. For this purpose, improved equations based on chemical structure and elemental analysis was proposed. It was shown that the conversion of solid materials into liquids or gases reduces the yield of thermal energy. Therefore for the production of thermal energy, it is more profitable to burn the solid biomass or plastic than combustible liquids and gases, derived from them. Studies have shown that lipids and lignin increase, whereas moisture and ash reduce the calorific value of biomass. The calorific value of most synthetic polymers and plastics is higher than that of biomass samples, but resources of waste plastics are about 10 times lower than these of biomass. The use of compacted mixture of biomass and plastic waste enables to obtain solid fuels with unique properties, such as increased calorific value and energy density, as well as reduced emission of carbon dioxide. Considering the total amount of biomass and plastics waste destined for combustion, it was calculated that current annual energy potential of the waste materials is about 145 EJ. The increase the share of biomass in the production of alternative energy can simultaneously contribute to reducing in greenhouse gas emission and improving the ecological state of the environment.
The plant-specific transcription factors CBP60g and SARD1 are targeted by a Verticillium secretory protein VdSCP41 to modulate immunity

The vascular pathogen Verticillium dahliae infects the roots of plants to cause Verticillium wilt. The molecular mechanisms underlying V. dahliae virulence and host resistance remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a secretory protein, VdSCP41, functions as an intracellular effector that promotes V. dahliae virulence. The Arabidopsis master immune regulators CBP60g and SARD1 and cotton GhCBP60b are targeted by VdSCP41. VdSCP41 binds the C-terminal portion of CBP60g to inhibit its transcription factor activity. Further analyses reveal a transcription activation domain within CBP60g that is required for VdSCP41 targeting. Mutations in both CBP60g and SARD1 compromise Arabidopsis resistance against V. dahliae and partially impair VdSCP41-mediated virulence. Moreover, virus-induced silencing of GhCBP60b compromises cotton resistance to V. dahliae. This work uncovers a virulence strategy in which the V. dahliae secretory protein VdSCP41 directly targets plant transcription factors to inhibit immunity, and reveals CBP60g, SARD1 and GhCBP60b as crucial components governing V. dahliae resistance.
Phytoplankton class‐specific primary production in the world's oceans: Seasonal and interannual variability from satellite observations

We apply an innovative approach to time series data of surface chlorophyll from satellite observations with SeaWiFS (Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor) to estimate the primary production associated with three major phytoplankton classes (micro‐, nano‐, and picophytoplankton) within the world's oceans. Statistical relationships, determined from an extensive in situ database of phytoplankton pigments, are used to infer class‐specific vertical profiles of chlorophyll a concentration from satellite‐derived surface chlorophyll a. This information is combined with a primary production model and class‐specific photophysiological parameters to compute global seasonal fields of class‐specific primary production over a 10‐year period from January 1998 through December 2007. Microphytoplankton (mostly diatoms) appear as a major contributor to total primary production in coastal upwelling systems (70%) and temperate and subpolar regions (50%) during the spring‐summer season. The contribution of picophytoplankton (e.g., prokaryotes) reaches maximum values (45%) in subtropical oligotrophic gyres. Nanophytoplankton (e.g., prymnesiophytes) provide a ubiquitous, substantial contribution (30–60%). Annual global estimates of class‐specific primary production amount to 15 Gt C yr−1 (32% of total), 20 Gt C yr−1 (44%) and 11 Gt C yr−1 (24%) for micro‐, nano‐, and picophytoplankton, respectively. The analysis of interannual variations revealed large anomalies in class‐specific primary production as compared to the 10‐year mean cycle in both the productive North Atlantic basin and the more stable equatorial Pacific upwelling. Microphytoplankton show the largest range of variability of the three phytoplankton classes on seasonal and interannual time scales. Our results contribute to an understanding and quantification of carbon cycle in the ocean.
A regulatory pathway involving retinoic acid and calcineurin demarcates and maintains joint cells and osteoblasts in regenerating fin

ABSTRACT During zebrafish fin regeneration, blastema cells lining the epidermis differentiate into osteoblasts and joint cells to reconstruct the segmented bony rays. We show that osteoblasts and joint cells originate from a common cell lineage, but are committed to different cell fates. Pre-osteoblasts expressing runx2a/b commit to the osteoblast lineage upon expressing sp7, whereas the strong upregulation of hoxa13a correlates with a commitment to a joint cell type. In the distal regenerate, hoxa13a, evx1 and pthlha are sequentially upregulated at regular intervals to define the newly identified presumptive joint cells. Presumptive joint cells mature into joint-forming cells, a distinct cell cluster that maintains the expression of these factors. Analysis of evx1 null mutants reveals that evx1 is acting upstream of pthlha and downstream of or in parallel with hoxa13a. Calcineurin activity, potentially through the inhibition of retinoic acid signaling, regulates evx1, pthlha and hoxa13a expression during joint formation. Furthermore, retinoic acid treatment induces osteoblast differentiation in mature joint cells, leading to ectopic bone deposition in joint regions. Overall, our data reveal a novel regulatory pathway essential for joint formation in the regenerating fin. Summary: Appropriate differentiation of pre-osteoblasts into joint cells or osteoblasts during fin regeneration is controlled in part by retinoic acid-dependent regulation of hoxa13a, evx1 and pthlha expression.
Effects of spaceflight on the proliferation of jejunal mucosal cells

The mitotic indices, villus heights, and crypt depths were determined in each of three jejunal regions (proximal, middle, and distal) for five animals each in the flight, vivarium, and synchronous groups. Because of the rapid turnover of intestinal mucosal cells and the delay in recovering the flight animals, it is not known whether the proliferation of jejunal mucosal cells is affected by microgravity conditions associated with spaceflight. However, since there were no consistent differences between animals in the flight group and those in the synchronous and vivarium control groups, it appears that any effects of microgravity on the turnover of jejunal mucosal cells are short‐lived. Thus, this study represents an initial step in determining the effects of microgravity on the proliferation and turnover of intestinal mucosal cells. —Sawyer, H. R. ; Moeller, C. L. ; Phillips, R. W. ; Smirnov, K. L. Effects of spaceflight on the proliferation of jejunal mucosal cells. FASEB J. 4: 92‐94; 1990.
A dialogue manager for multimodal human-robot interaction and learning of a humanoid robot

Purpose – This paper aims to give an overview of a dialogue manager and recent experiments with multimodal human‐robot dialogues.Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies requirements and solutions in the design of a human‐robot interface. The paper presents essential techniques for a humanoid robot in a household environment and describes their application to representative interaction scenarios that are based on standard situations for a humanoid robot in a household environment. The presented dialogue manager has been developed within the German collaborative research center SFB‐588 on “Humanoid Robots – Learning and Cooperating Multimodal Robots”. The dialogue system is embedded in a multimodal perceptual system of the humanoid robot developed within this project. The implementation of the dialogue manager is geared to requirements found in the explored scenarios. The algorithms include multimodal fusion, reinforcement learning, knowledge acquisition and tight coupling of dialogue manager and.
Should reporting of peri-neural invasion and extra prostatic extension be mandatory in prostate cancer biopsies? correlation with outcome in biopsy cases treated conservatively

The identification of perineural invasion (PNI) and extraprostatic extension (ECE) in prostate cancer (PC) biopsies is time consuming and can be difficult. Although this is required information in many datasets, there is little evidence on their effect on outcome in patients treated conservatively. Cases of PC were identified from three cancer registries in the UK from men with clinically localized prostate cancer diagnosed by needle biopsy from 1990–2003. The endpoint was prostate cancer death (DOD). Patients treated radically within 6 months, those with objective evidence of metastases or who had prior hormone therapy were excluded. Follow-up was through cancer registries up until 2012. Deaths were divided into those from PC and those from other causes, according to WHO criteria. 988 biopsy cases (6522 biopsy cores) were centrally reviewed by three uropathologists and assigned a Gleason score and Grade Group (GG). The presence of both PNI and ECE was recorded. Of 988 patients, PNI was present in 288 (DOD = 75) and ECE in 23 (DOD = 5). On univariable analysis PNI was highly significantly associated with DOD (hazard ratio [HR] 2.28, 95% CI: 1.68, 3.1, log-rank test p-value = 4.8 × 10–8), but ECE was not (log-rank test p-value = 0.334). On multivariable analysis with GG, serum PSA (per 10%), clinical stage and extent of disease (per 10%), PNI lost significance (HR 1.16, 95% CI: 0.83, 1.63, likelihood ratio test p-value = 0.371). The utility of routinely examining prostate biopsies for ECE and PNI is doubtful as it is not independently associated with higher grade, stage or prognosis.
Structured Head and Neck CT Angiography Reporting Reduces Resident Revision Rates.

PURPOSE This resident-driven quality improvement project was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of structured reporting to reduce revision rates for afterhours reports dictated by residents. METHODS The first part of the study assessed baseline revision rates for head and neck CT angiography (CTA) examinations dictated by residents during afterhours call. A structured report was subsequently created based on templates on the RSNA informatics reporting website and critical findings that should be assessed for on all CTA examinations. The template was made available to residents through the speech recognition software for all head and neck CTA examinations for a duration of 2 months. Report revision rates were then compared with and without use of the structured template. RESULTS The structured template was found to reduce revision rates by approximately 50% with 10/41 unstructured reports revised and 2/17 structured reports revised. CONCLUSIONS We believe that structured reporting can help reduce reporting errors, particularly in term of typographical errors, train residents to evaluate complex examinations in a systematic fashion, and assist them in recalling critical findings on these examinations.
Timestamp-based Integrity Proofs for Linked Data

In this paper, we first investigate the state-of-the-art methods of generating cryptographic hashes that can be used as an integrity proof for RDF datasets. We then propose an efficient method of computing integrity proofs for Linked Data that constructs a sorted Merkle tree for growing RDF datasets based on timestamps (as a key) that are semantically extractable from the RDF dataset. We evaluate our method by comparing it to existing methods and investigating its resistance to common security threats.
Optimal stochastic control of dividends and capital injections

In this thesis, we consider optimisation problems of an insurance company whose risk reserve process follows the settings of the classical risk model. The insurer has the possibility to control its surplus process by paying dividends to the shareholders. Furthermore, the shareholders are allowed to make capital injections such that the surplus process stays nonnegative. A control strategy describes the decision on the times and the amount of the dividend payments and the capital injections. To measure the risk associated with a control strategy, we consider the value of the expected discounted dividends minus the penalised expected discounted capital injections. Because of the discounting, it can only be optimal to make capital injections at times when the reserve would become negative due to a claim occurrence. Our goal is to determine the value function, which is defined as the maximal value over all proper strategies, and to find an optimal strategy which leads to this maximal value. First, we solve the optimisation problem for the classical risk model when the capital injections are penalised by some proportional factor greater than one. We show that an optimal strategy exists and is of barrier type, i.e., all the surplus exceeding some barrier level is paid as dividend. In the second part, we extend this model by adding fixed costs incurring any time at which capital injections are made. The optimal strategy here is not of barrier type any more, but of band type. That is a strategy where the state space of the surplus process is partitioned into three types of sets where either dividends at the premium rate, or lump sum dividends, or no dividends at all are paid. In the third part, we allow the dynamics of the surplus process to depend on environmental conditions which are modelled by a Markov process. I.e., the frequency of the claim arrivals and the distribution of the claim amounts vary over time depending on the state of the environment process. We again maximise the difference between the expected discounted dividends and the (proportional) penalised capital injections and show that the optimal strategy for any fixed initial environment state is of barrier type with a barrier depending on the initial state.
Locating Faults in MANET-Hosted Software Systems

We present a method to locate faults in service-based software systems hosted on mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). In such systems, computations are structured as interdependent services distributed across the network, collaborating to satisfy client requests. Faults, which may occur at either or both the service and network layers, propagate by cascading through some subset of the services, from their root causes back to the clients that initiate requests. Fault localization in this environment is especially challenging because the systems are typically subject to a wider variety and higher incidence of faults than those deployed in fixed networks, the resources available to collect and store analysis data are severely limited, and many of the sources of faults are by their nature transient. Our method makes use of service-dependence and fault data that are harvested in the network through decentralized, run-time observations of service interactions and fault symptoms. We have designed timing- and Bayesian-based reasoning techniques to analyze the data in the context of a specific fault propagation model. The analysis provides a ranked list of candidate fault locations. Through extensive simulations, we evaluate the performance of our method in terms of its accuracy in correctly ranking root causes under a wide range of operational conditions.
An Exploration of Verbatim Content Republishing by News Producers

In today's news ecosystem, news sources emerge frequently and can vary widely in intent. This intent can range from benign to malicious, with many tactics being used to achieve their goals. One lesser studied tactic is content republishing, which can be used to make specific stories seem more important, create uncertainty around an event, or create a perception of credibility for unreliable news sources. In this paper, we take a first step in understanding this tactic by exploring verbatim content copying across 92 news producers of various characteristics. We find that content copying occurs more frequently between like-audience sources (eg. alternative news, mainstream news, etc.), but there consistently exists sparse connections between these communities. We also find that despite articles being verbatim, the headlines are often changed. Specifically, we find that mainstream sources change more structural features, while alternative sources change many more content features, often changing the emotional tone and bias of the titles. We conclude that content republishing networks can help identify and label the intent of brand-new news sources using the tight-knit community they belong to. In addition, it is possible to use the network to find important content producers in each community, producers that are used to amplify messages of other sources, and producers that distort the messages of other sources.
A Stag Hunt Game with Social Norms

This paper studies a stag hunt game in which each player's payoff depends on the level of social norms in a community. First, we establish conditions under which without social norms, there exists a unique equilibrium regarding the cooperation level, but with social norms, there can be multiple equilibria. Second, we provide the comparative statics analysis such that for a statics framework, the local stability of an interior equilibrium works as a sufficient condition under which the cooperation level increases as the degree of social norms increases; and for a dynamic framework, the cooperation level always increases with social norms.
THE ISL MEETING CORPUS: CATEGORICAL FEATURES OF COMMUNICATIVE GROUP INTERACTIONS

Current research in human discourse structure has focused heavily on two-party dialogues to this point, and established several dialogue annotation schemata. This study examines whether the HCRC Dialogue Structure Coding Scheme (DSCS) [1] provides an appropriate tool to express structures of communicative group interactions in multiparty conversations. We examine a test set of multiparty meetings—recorded conversation sessions involving more than two speakers—using a derivative of DSCS, which was originally designed for two-speaker dialogue situations in a map task. DSCS provides a three-level system, which annotates communicative acts as discourse moves according to their discourse goals. It also captures the higher-level structure of dialogues as games and then combines games into transactions. This preliminary study examines five different meeting types defined in the ISL Meeting Corpus. The speech turns from each sample meeting are annotated as discourse moves, which in sequences comprise discourse games, using an adapted form of the DSCS. The initial results suggest that it is possible to adapt the DSCS scheme to multiparty conversations of different type to display the discourse dynamics. The data show that several distinct structural features exist in subsections of meetings and across different meeting types. Further, the results indicate that DSCS is useful for analyzing speaker involvement and participant hierarchies within a conversation. DSCS provides a means for discovering reoccurring patterns in meetings and isolating higher-level structures containing information units for discourse analysis and automatic recognition systems training.