Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEcompressive Surgery plus hypoTHermia for Space-Occupying Stroke (DEPTH-SOS): A Protocol of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial and a Literature Review

Rationale Although decompressive hemicraniectomy clearly reduces mortality in severe space-occupying middle cerebral artery infarction (so-called malignant middle cerebral artery infarction), every fifth patient still dies in the acute phase and every third patient is left with moderate to severe disability. Therapeutic hypothermia is a neuroprotective and antiedematous treatment option that has shown promising effects in severe stroke. A combination of both treatment strategies may have the potential to further reduce mortality and morbidity in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction, but needs evaluation of its efficacy within the setting of a randomized clinical trial. Aims The DEcompressive surgery Plus hypoTHermia for Space-Occupying Stroke (DEPTH-SOS) trial aims to investigate safety and feasibility of moderate therapeutic hypothermia (33°C ± 1) over at least 72 h in addition to early decompressive hemicraniectomy (≤48 hours after symptom onset) in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Design The DEcompressive surgery Plus hypoTHermia for Space-Occupying Stroke is a prospective, multicenter, open, two-arm (1:1) comparative, randomized, controlled trial. Study outcomes The primary end-point is mortality at day 14. The secondary end-points include functional outcome at day 14 and at 12 months follow-up, and complications related to hypothermia. Discussion The results of this trial will provide data on safety and feasibility of moderate hypothermia in addition to decompressive hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Furthermore, efficacy data on early mortality and long-term functional outcome will be obtained, forming the basis of subsequent trials.
Traffic sign recognition and tracking for a vision-based autonomous vehicle using optimally selected features

Recently, developing a vision-based autonomous navigating vehicle system achieves more attention from many researchers. It is because the vision sensor provides a lot of information and is low-cost device rather than other sensors. Traffic signs, as one of the most important visual information, carry a lot of useful information required for navigation. Therefore, this paper addresses a framework for traffic sign recognition and tracking. First, the candidate region of traffic sign is localized using maximally extremal stable region on normalized blue and red color image. Second, scalable histogram of oriented gradient features are extracted from candidate region. Third, in order to obtain an efficient computation in the recognition stage, a feature selection method based on genetic algorithm is performed. Next, k-nearest cluster neighbor classifier is then processed to recognize region into a certain traffic sign class. Lastly, detection-based tracking is performed on consecutive frames for maintaining stable information of traffic sign. This information is then used by vehicle for navigation purpose. The extensive experiment was carried out over German traffic sign recognition database and video. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our systems. It is shown that the GA based approach enables to reduce feature size to 90% while maintaining the recognition performance. Also the tracking mechanism achieve reduction rate up to 50% without losing the true rate.
Anticipatory Logics of the Global Smart City Imaginary

The smart city encompasses a broad range of technological innovations which might be applied to any city for a broad range of reasons. In this article, I make a distinction between local efforts to effect the urban landscape, and a global smart city imaginary which those efforts draw upon and help sustain. While attention has been given to the malleability of the smart city concept at this global scale, there remains little effort to interrogate the way that the future is used to sanction specific solutions. Through a critical engagement with smart city marketing materials, industry documents and consultancy reports, I explore how the future is recruited, rearranged and represented as a rationalisation for technological intervention in the present. This is done across three recurring crises: massive demographic shifts and subsequent resource pressure; global climate change; and the conflicting demands of fiscal austerity and the desire of many cities to attract foreign direct investment and highly-skilled workers. In revealing how crises are pre-empted, precautioned and prepared for, I argue that the smart city imaginary normalises a style and scale of response deemed appropriate under liberal capitalism.
A novel fair active queue management algorithm based on traffic delay jitter

In order to guarantee the quantity of data traffic delivered in the network, congestion control strategy is adopted. According to the study of many active queue management (AQM) algorithms, this paper proposes a novel active queue management algorithm named JFED. JFED can stabilize queue length at a desirable level by adjusting output traffic rate and adopting a reasonable calculation of packet drop probability based on buffer queue length and traffic jitter; and it support burst packet traffic through the packet delay jitter, so that it can traffic flow medium data. JFED impose effective punishment upon non-responsible flow with a full stateless method. To verify the performance of JFED, it is implemented in NS2 and is compared with RED and CHOKe with respect to different performance metrics. Simulation results show that the proposed JFED algorithm outperforms RED and CHOKe in stabilizing instantaneous queue length and in fairness. It is also shown that JFED enables the link capacity to be fully utilized by stabilizing the queue length at a desirable level, while not incurring excessive packet loss ratio.
Twenty‐eight years of intestinal transplantation in Paris: experience of the oldest European center

Our aim was to describe our achievements in pediatric intestinal transplantation (ITx) and define areas for improvement. After a period (1987–1990) of nine isolated small bowel transplants (SBTx) where only one patient survived with her graft, 110 ITx were performed on 101 children from 1994 to 2014: 60 SBTx, 45 liver–small bowel, four multivisceral (three with kidneys), and one modified multivisceral. Indications were short bowel syndrome (36), motility disorders (30), congenital enteropathies (34), and others (1). Induction treatment was introduced in 2000. Patient/graft survival with a liver‐containing graft or SBTx was, respectively, 60/41% and 46/11% at 18 years. Recently, graft survival at 5/10 years was 44% and 31% for liver‐containing graft and 57% and 44% for SBTx. Late graft loss occurred in 13 patients, and 7 of 10 retransplanted patients died. The main causes of death and graft loss were sepsis and rejection. Among the 55 currently living patients, 21 had a liver‐containing graft, 19 a SBTx (17 after induction), and 15 were on parenteral nutrition. ITx remains a difficult procedure, and retransplantation even more so. Over the long term, graft loss was due to rejection, over‐immunosuppression was not a significant problem. Multicenter studies on immunosuppression and microbiota are urgently needed.
FE analysis of coupled electromagnetic-thermal phenomena in the squirrel cage motor working at high ambient temperature

Purpose This paper aims to elaborate the method and algorithm for the analysis of the influence of high temperature on electric and thermal properties of the materials, as well as thermal phenomena process. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents specially author’s software for the transient finite element analysis of coupled electromagnetic-thermal problems in a squirrel cage induction motor. The numerical implementation is based on finite element method and step-by-step algorithm. The nonlinearity of a magnetic circuit, the dependence of electric and thermal parameters on temperature, the movement of a rotor and skewed rotor bars have been taken into account. To verify the developed algorithm and software, the influence of high ambient temperature on selected electromagnetic and thermal parameters of the induction motor was examined. Findings The results of simulations compared with measurements confirm the adequacy of this approach to the analysis of coupled electromagnetic-thermal problems. Research limitations/implications 3D effects have only been taken into account when using quasi-3D techniques (e.g. the multi-slice for skewed rotor slots). Practical implications The author’s software developed can be useful in the analysis and design of squirrel cage motors, especially motors working in high ambient temperature. Originality/value The paper offers appropriate author’s software for the transient and steady-state analysis of coupled electromagnetic and thermal problems in squirrel cage motors with skewed slots.
Immune effector mechanisms in malaria

That humans in endemic areas become immune to malaria offers encouragement to the idea of developing protective vaccines. However natural immunity is relatively inefficient, being bought at the cost of substantial childhood mortality, and current vaccines are only partially protective. Understanding potential targets and mechanisms of protective immunity is important in the development and evaluation of future vaccines. Some of the problems in identifying such targets and mechanisms in humans naturally exposed to malaria may stem from conceptual and methodological issues related to defining who in a population is susceptible, problems in defining immune responsiveness at single time points and issues related to antigenic polymorphism, as well as the failure of many current approaches to examine functional aspects of the immune response. Protective immune responses may be directed to the pre erythrocytic parasite, to the free merozoite of the blood stage parasite or to new antigens induced on the infected red cell surface. Tackling the methodological issues of defining protection and immune response, together with studies that combine functional assays with new approaches such as allelic exchange and gene knock out offer opportunities for better defining key targets and mechanisms.
Enabling better supply chain decisions through a generic model utilizing cause-effect mapping

Supply chains are critical to delivering components and products safely, affordably, and securely. However, these complex networks of suppliers, manufacturers, and customers are vulnerable to internal and external disruptions and subject to exploitation. This can result in adverse impacts to the system and inhibit value delivery. This paper presents a new generic electronics supply chain model that can reveal information regarding system vulnerabilities and opportunities for decision-makers to intervene. The model draws upon a previously-developed Cause-Effect Mapping (CEM) analytic technique and assists with making decisions affecting complex systems, including those operating in resource-constrained environments. Elements of System Security Engineering (SSE) and Trusted Systems and Networks (TSN) analysis are taken into consideration to provide a greater understanding of security concerns and impacts to a supply chain focusing on electronics for the defense industry. The model, adaptable to a diversity of systems and capable of recognizing non-obvious sources of vulnerability, can be used by systems engineers to provide a holistic view of a complex supply chain. The model facilitates the communication of information regarding supply chain vulnerabilities to decision-makers and other individuals, as described in specific use cases.
Enhanced Optical Transmission of a Continuous Metal Film With Double Metal Cylinder Arrays

A novel metal structure that integrates a continuous metal film and double deep subwavelength metal cylinder arrays standing on both surfaces is proposed. Near-perfect optical transmission is observed in this metal film structure due to the cooperative effects of the double deep subwavelength plasmonic arrays which, respectively, act as the efficient light input and output couplers. High tunability of transmission behaviors is demonstrated by varying the geometry parameters of the cylinder arrays and the surrounding refractive index. Such a high transparent metal film structure with an ultra-small geometry size (gap distance <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$G<$</tex></formula> resonant wavelength <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$(\lambda)$</tex></formula>/160, period <formula formulatype="inline"> <tex Notation="TeX">$P<\lambda/10$</tex></formula>) could facilitate numerous important applications in highly integrated plasmonic filters, sensors, and optoelectronic circuits.
After the reform : Change in Dutch public and private organizations

Proponents of new public management (NPM) expect public organizations to become more flexible and adaptive after administrative reforms, effectively showing convergence with patterns of organizational change in the private sector. This "convergence argument" is tested with a sample of 61 public and 61 private organizations in the Netherlands. We analyze whether public organizations, after 20 years of NPM reform, have changed their organizational structures and internal policies in relation to competitive, regulatory, and autonomy pressures, similarly to private organizations. Statistical analyses show that competition increases the incidence of change both in public and private organizations. High managerial autonomy and exposure to regulatory pressures relate to increased incidence of change in public organizations, but not in private ones. The results support the idea that NPM reform has made public organizations more similar to private organizations but that some concrete differences persist between private and public management in the Netherlands.
Is it a Factor? Time Series Restrictions on Factors

We develop a set of time series restrictions on the joint distribution of returns on factor-mimicking portfolios and returns on financial assets. We show that, under reasonable conditions, a factor is a legitimate candidate if it is strongly exogenous in the Engle-Hendry-Richard (1983)-sense, or equivalently, it is (a) weakly exogenous, and (b) the returns on any financial asset do not Granger-cause the returns on the factor-mimicking portfolio. Using weekly returns on industry portfolios for the 1963-2002 period, we show that the market factor does not violate the exogeneity restrictions. Conversely, however, commonly used size, book-to-market, and momentum factors do not satisfy these restrictions. Our results are inconsistent with the notion that these factors capture movements in factors pertinent to asset pricing. The evidence is instead consistent with the hypothesis that the success of characteristics-based multifactor models is the result of data snooping and spurious regression biases.
Perceptions of Competence : Monetary Policy and the Reputational Accelerator

Central banks are often concerned about their reputation for competence. This paper addresses why, developing a new macroeconomic model in which perceptions of a central bank’s competence affect monetary policy’s ability to stabilize aggregate outcomes. The central bank receives imperfect signals on the state of the economy, with the precision of its signals private information to the central bank. A reputation for competence is formed rationally by agents in equilibrium through the observation of aggregate outcomes. High reputation improves equilibrium outcomes for the central bank, through a coordination and confidence channel that alleviates informational externalities generated by the dispersion of information in the economy. The endogenous formation of perceptions amplifies the effects of monetary errors; favorable monetary outcomes endogenously lead to more favorable outcomes in the future, and vice-versa, an effect I call the reputational accelerator. The model also exhibits excess output volatility, and endogenously generates large downside tail events, particularly after long periods of stability. Such central bank ‘Minsky moments’ arise from the decoupling of equilibrium responses to signals from their true informative content. Breaking this sharp link also generates a time-varying inefficiency wedge between the equilibrium and efficient responses to public signals, adding to the theory of dispersed information. Using individual level private forecasts, I find empirical support for the model, showing that FOMC announcements act as focal points for expectations, with this effect stronger when public forecasts by the FOMC were more accurate in the recent past.
Prognosis of Breast Cancer and Gene Expression Profiling Using DNA Arrays

Abstract: Breast cancer is a complex genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of multiple molecular alterations. The resulting clinical heterogeneity makes current therapeutic strategies—based on clinicopathlogical factors—less than perfectly adapted to each patient. Today, DNA arrays, by allowing the simultaneous and quantitative analysis of the mRNA expression levels of thousands of genes in a single assay, provide novel tools to tackle this complexity. Potential applications are multiple in the cancer field and the first research results are promising. Using home‐made DNA arrays in an approach easily compatible with academic research—nylon support and radioactive detection—we identified a predictor set of 23 genes whose expression patterns differentiated two groups of breast cancer patients with different survival after adjuvant chemotherapy. We then validated and further extended these results in a larger, independent and homogeneous series of poor prognosis primary breast cancers treated with adjuvant anthracyclin‐based chemotherapy. We confirmed the prognostic classification provided by the 23‐gene set predictor. We then improved the predictor set and refined the classification by sorting the tumors into three classes with significantly different long‐term survival. These results show the potential of the technology with an accessible approach for academic research teams. We also showed that nylon DNA arrays with radioactive detection are associated with excellent sensitivity, an advantage in clinical situations where the amount of available material is limited.
CCDC88A mutations cause PEHO-like syndrome in humans and mouse

P rogressive E ncephalopathy with oedema, H ypsarrhythmia and O ptic atrophy (PEHO) is a rare, neurodegenerative disorder of unknown aetiology. Nahorski et al . identify the first causative recessive mutation in CCDC88A , which encodes the actin-binding protein Girdin. The phenotype and brain anatomy of the Ccdc88a knockout mouse resemble those of human PEHO syndrome.
A subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas exhibits integration of HPV 16/18 DNA and overexpression of p16INK4A and p53 in the absence of mutations in p53 exons 5–8

Besides well‐known risk factors such as tobacco use and alcohol consumption, oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection also has recently been suggested to promote head and neck tumorigenesis. HPV is known to cause cancer by inactivation of cell cycle regulators p53 and pRb via expression of viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. This indicates that p53 mutations are not a prerequisite in HPV‐induced tumor development. However, discrepancy exists with respect to the frequency of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) harboring DNA of oncogenic HPV and the fraction of these tumors showing p53 mutations. In our study, we examined the frequency of HNSCC demonstrating HPV 16/18 integration as identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and investigated their p53 (mutation) status by immunohistochemistry and single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of exons 5–8. Paraffin‐embedded, archival biopsy material from 27 premalignant mucosal lesions and 47 cases of HNSCC were analyzed. Ten of the 47 (21%) HNSCC unequivocally exhibited HPV 16 integration, including 8 of 12 (67%) tonsillar carcinomas. This is supported by the immunohistochemical detection of p16INK4A overexpression in all 10 HPV‐positive tumors. Although FISH is considered to be less sensitive than PCR‐based methods for HPV detection, our data clearly demonstrate clonal association of HPV with these tumors, as illustrated by the presence of integrated HPV 16 in both the primary tumor and their metastases in 2 patients. In contrast, HPV 16/18 DNA could not be detected in the premalignant lesions. In 30 of 47 (64%), HNSCC accumulation of p53 was observed, including 8 of the 10 HPV‐positive carcinomas. However, in none of the latter cases could mutations in exons 5–8 be identified, except for a polymorphism in codon 213 of exon 6 in one patient. Evaluation of clinical data revealed a significant inverse relation between tobacco use with or without alcohol consumption, and HPV positivity of the tumors. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of Immunization Against Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 and Growth Differentiation Factor 9 on Ovulation Rate, Fertilization, and Pregnancy in Ewes1

Abstract Immunization of ewes against growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) or bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) can lead to an increased ovulation rate; however, it is not known whether normal pregnancies occur following such treatments. The aims of the present study were to determine the effects of a short-term immunization regimen against BMP15 and GDF9 on ovulation rate, fertilization of released oocytes, the ability of fertilized oocytes to undergo normal fetal development, and the ability of immunized ewes to carry a pregnancy to term. Ewes were given a primary and booster immunization against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH; control, n = 50), a GDF9-specific peptide conjugated to KLH (GDF9, n = 30), or a BMP15-specific peptide conjugated to KLH (BMP15, n = 30). The estrous cycles of all ewes were synchronized, and ewes were joined with fertile rams approximately 14 days after the booster immunization. The number of corpora lutea was determined by laparoscopy 3–4 days following mating. Subsequently, about one-half of the ewes in each group underwent an embryo transfer procedure 4–6 days following mating, with the embryos being transferred to synchronized, nonimmunized recipients. The remaining ewes were allowed to carry their pregnancies to term. Short-term immunization against either BMP15 or GDF9 peptides resulted in an increase in ovulation rate with no apparent detrimental affects on fertilization of released oocytes, the ability of fertilized oocytes to undergo normal fetal development, or the ability of the immunized ewes to carry a pregnancy to term. Therefore, regulation of BMP15, GDF9, or both is potentially a new technique to enhance fecundity in some mammals.