Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laboratory diagnosis of acute pancreatitis: in search of the Holy Grail

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition of the pancreas, which might extend to local and distant extrapancreatic tissues. The global incidence varies between 17.5 and 73.4 cases per 100,000 and the pathogenesis recognizes alcohol exposure and biliary tract disease as the leading causes, ahead of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, drugs and abdominal trauma. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is substantially based on a combination of clinical signs and symptoms, imaging techniques and laboratory investigations. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography is the reference standard for the diagnosis, as well as for establishing disease severity. The assessment of pancreatic enzymes, early released from necrotic tissue, is the cornerstone of laboratory diagnosis in this clinical setting. Although there is no single test that shows optimal diagnostic accuracy, most current guidelines and recommendations indicate that lipase should be preferred over total and pancreatic amylase. Although a definitive diagnostic threshold cannot be identified, cut-offs comprised between ≥ 2 and ≥ 4 times the upper limit of the reference interval are preferable. The combination of amylase and lipase has been discouraged as although it marginally improves the diagnostic efficiency of either marker alone, it increases the cost of investigation. Some interesting biomarkers have been also suggested (e.g., serum and urinary trypsinogen-1, -2 and -3, phospholipase A2, pancreatic elastase, procalcitonin, trypsinogen activated protein, activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B, trypsin-2-alpha1 antitrypsin complex and circulating DNA), but none of them has found widespread application for a variety of reasons, including the inferior diagnostic accuracy when compared with the traditional enzymes, the use of cumbersome techniques, or their recent discovery. The promising results of recent proteomics studies showed that this innovative technique might allow the identification of changes characterizing pancreatic tissue injury, thus highlighting new potential biomarkers of acute pancreatitis.
Computing Minimal Definition Signatures in Description Logic Ontologies

The ability to rewrite defined ontological entities into syntactically different, but semantically equivalent forms is an important property of Definability. While rewriting has been extensively studied, the practical applicability of currently existing methods is limited, as they are bounded to particular Description Logics (DLs), and they often present only theoretical results. Moreover, these efforts focus on computing single definitions, whereas the ability to find the complete set of alternatives, or even just their signature, can support ontology alignment, and semantic interoperability in general. As the number of possible rewritings is potentially exponential in the size of the ontology, we present a novel approach that provides a comprehensive and efficient way to compute in practice all definition signatures of most defined entities described using a DL language for which the a particular definability property holds (Beth definability). In this paper we present our approach, and we assess the prevalence, extent and merits of definability over large and diverse corpora, as well as discussing ways in which it can be exploited to support a variety of different ontology engineering tasks.
Instrumented Fuzz Testing Using AIR Integers

Integers represent a growing and underestimated source of vulnerabilities in C and C++ programs. In this paper, we present the as-if infinitely ranged (AIR) integer model, which provides a largely automated mechanism for eliminating integer overflow, truncation, and other integral exceptional conditions. The AIR integer model either produces a value equivalent to one that would have been obtained using infinitely ranged integers or results in a runtime-constraint violation. Instrumented fuzz testing of libraries that have been compiled using a prototype AIR integer compiler has been effective in discovering vulnerabilities in software with low false positive and false negative rates. Furthermore, the runtime overhead of the AIR integer model is low enough for typical applications to enable this feature in deployed systems for additional runtime protection.
What Happens When Wal‐Mart Comes to Town: An Empirical Analysis of the Discount Retailing Industry

In the past few decades multistore retailers, especially those with 100 or more stores, have experienced substantial growth. At the same time, there is widely reported public outcry over the impact of these chain stores on other retailers and local communities. This paper develops an empirical model to assess the impact of chain stores on other discount retailers and to quantify the size of the scale economies within a chain. The model has two key features. First, it allows for flexible competition patterns among all players. Second, for chains, it incorporates the scale economies that arise from operating multiple stores in nearby regions. In doing so, the model relaxes the commonly used assumption that entry in different markets is independent. The lattice theory is exploited to solve this complicated entry game among chains and other discount retailers in a large number of markets. It is found that the negative impact of Kmart's presence on Wal-Mart's profit was much stronger in 1988 than in 1997, while the opposite is true for the effect of Wal-Mart's presence on Kmart's profit. Having a chain store in a market makes roughly 50% of the discount stores unprofitable. Wal-Mart's expansion from the late 1980s to the late 1990s explains about 40-50% of the net change in the number of small discount stores and 30-40% for all other discount stores. Scale economies were important for Wal-Mart, but less so for Kmart, and the magnitude did not grow proportionately with the chains' sizes. Copyright 2008 The Econometric Society.
Chondroectodermal dysplasia (Ellis-van Creveld syndrome); report of two cases in sibship and review of literature.

Nineteen cases of chondroectodermal dysplasia have heretofore been reported in the literature published in English. Analogous and forme fruste cases are omitted from this report. Constant features of this syndrome, consisting of (1) dyschondroplasia, (2) ectodermal dysplasia, and (3) polydactyly, were first described by McIntosh, in 1933, but they were not regarded as a nosologic disease syndrome until the addition of the second and third cases by Ellis and van Creveld, in 1940. 1 This report adds to the literature the 20th and 21st cases and the 4th instance to be found in sibship (Fig. 1). These children have been under constant surveillance since birth at Walter Reed Army Hospital and are presently aged 1 and 6 years. Review of all cases thus far accumulated is made. Report of Cases Case20. —Born of a 33-year-old seronegative mother as a single-footling breech after a fullterm uneventful gestation, this boy was found
Sleep habits in German athletes before important competitions or games

Abstract Sleep is generally regarded as a valuable resource for psychological and physiological well-being. Although the effects of sleep on athletic performance have been acknowledged in sport science, few studies have investigated the prevalence of sleep problems and their effects on elite athletes before a sport event. In this study, 632 German athletes from various sports were asked about their sleep habits during the night(s) before an important competition or game. The findings indicate that 65.8% of the athletes experienced poor sleep in the night(s) before a sports event at least once in their lives and a similarly high percentage (62.3%) had this experience at least once during the previous 12 months. Athletes of individual sports reported more sleep difficulties than athletes of team sports. The main sleep problem was not being able to fall asleep. Internal factors such as nervousness and thoughts about the competition were rated highest for causing sleep problems. Most athletes stated that disturbed sleep had no influence on their athletic performance; however, athletes also reported effects such as a bad mood the following day, increased daytime sleepiness, and worse performance in the competition or game. The differences between individual and team sports indicate that athletes in some sports need more help than those in other sports in managing sleep problems.
Quantum dot heterojunction solar cells: The mechanism of device operation and impacts of quantum dot oxidation

Author(s): Ihly, Rachelle | Advisor(s): Law, Matthew D | Abstract: This thesis explores the understanding of the chemistry and physics of colloidal quantum dots for practical solar energy photoconversion. Solar cell devices that make use of PbS quantum dots generally rely on constant and unchanged optical properties such that band gap energies remain tuned within the device. The design and development of unique experiments to ascertain mechanisms of optical band gap shifts occurring in PbS quantum dot thin-films exposed to air are discussed. The systematic study of the absorption properties of PbS quantum dot films exposed to air, heat, and UV illumination as a function of quantum dot size has been described. A method to improve the air-stability of films with atomic layer deposition of alumina is demonstrated. Encapsulation of quantum dot films using a protective layer of alumina results in quantum dot solids that maintain tuned absorption for 1000 hours. This thesis focuses on the use of atomic force microscopy and electrical variants thereof to study the physical and electrical characteristics of quantum dot arrays. These types of studies have broad implications in understanding charge transport mechanisms and solar cell device operation, with a particular emphasis on quantum dot transistors and solar cells. Imaging the channel potential of a PbSe quantum dot thin-film in a transistor showed a uniform distribution of charge coinciding with the transistor current voltage characteristics. In a second study, solar cell device operation of ZnO/PbS heterojunction solar cells was investigated by scanning active cross-sections with Kelvin probe microscopy as a function of applied bias, illumination and device architecture. This technique directly provides operating potential and electric field profiles to characterize drift and diffusion currents occurring in the device. SKPM established a field-free region occurring in the quantum dot layer, indicative of diffusion-limited transport. These results provide the path to optimization of future architectures that may employ drift-based transport in the quantum dot layer for enhanced charge extraction and power conversion efficiency.
Projections of auditory cortex to the medial geniculate body of the cat

The corticofugal projection from 12 auditory cortical fields onto the medial geniculate body was investigated in adult cats by using wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase or biotinylated dextran amines. The chief goals were to determine the degree of divergence from single cortical fields, the pattern of convergence from several fields onto a single nucleus, the extent of reciprocal relations between corticothalamic and thalamocortical connections, and to contrast and compare the patterns of auditory corticogeniculate projections with corticofugal input to the inferior colliculus. The main findings were that (1) single areas showed a wide range of divergence, projecting to as few as 5, and to as many as 15, thalamic nuclei; (2) most nuclei received projections from approximately five cortical areas, whereas others were the target of as few as three areas; (3) there was global corticothalamic‐thalamocortical reciprocity in every experiment, and there were also significant instances of nonreciprocal projections, with the corticothalamic input often more extensive; (4) the corticothalamic projection was far stronger and more divergent than the corticocollicular projection from the same areas, suggesting that the thalamus and the inferior colliculus receive differential degrees of corticofugal control; (5) cochleotopically organized areas had fewer corticothalamic projections than fields in which tonotopy was not a primary feature; and (6) all corticothalamic projections were topographic, focal, and clustered, indicating that areas with limited cochleotopic organization still have some internal spatial arrangement. The areas with the most divergent corticothalamic projections were polysensory regions in the posterior ectosylvian gyrus. The projection patterns were indistinguishable for the two tracers. These findings suggest that every auditory thalamic nucleus is under some degree of descending control. Many of the projections preserve the relations between cochleotopically organized thalamic and auditory areas, and suggest topographic relations between nontonotopic areas and nuclei. The collective size of the corticothalamic system suggests that both lemniscal and extralemniscal auditory thalamic nuclei receive significant corticofugal input. J. Comp. Neurol. 430:27–55, 2001. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing the heritability of anorexia nervosa symptoms using a marginal maximal likelihood approach

Background Assessment of eating disorders at the symptom level can facilitate the refinement of phenotypes. We examined genetic and environmental contributions to liability to anorexia nervosa (AN) symptoms in a population-based twin sample using a genetic common pathway model. Method Participants were from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel (NIPHTP) and included all female monozygotic (MZ; 448 complete pairs and four singletons) and dizygotic (DZ; 263 complete pairs and four singletons) twins who completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) assessing DSM-IV Axis I and ICD-10 criteria. Responses to items assessing AN symptoms were included in a model fitted using the marginal maximum likelihood (MML) approach. Results Heritability of the overall AN diagnosis was moderate [a2=0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0–0.50] whereas heritabilities of the specific items varied. Heritability estimates for weight loss items were moderate (a2=0.31–0.34) and items assessing weight concern when at a low weight were smaller (0.18–0.29). Additive genetic factors contributed little to the variance of amenorrhea, which was most strongly influenced by unshared environment (a2=0.16, e2=0.71). Conclusions AN symptoms are differentially heritable. Specific criteria such as those related to body weight and weight loss history represent more biologically driven potential endophenotypes or liability indices. The results regarding weight concern differ somewhat from those of previous studies, highlighting the importance of assessing genetic and environmental influences on variance of traits within specific subgroups of interest.
Modeling Dynamic PET-SPECT Studies in the Wavelet Domain

This work develops a theoretical framework and corresponding algorithms for the modeling of dynamic PET-SPECT studies both in time and space. The problem of estimating the spatial dimension is solved by applying the wavelet transform to each scan of the dynamic sequence and then performing the kinetic modeling and statistical analysis in the wavelet domain. On reconstruction through the inverse wavelet transform, one obtains parametric images that are consistent estimates of the spatial patterns of the kinetic parameter of interest. The theoretical setup allows the use of linear techniques currently used in PET-SPECT for kinetic analysis. The method is applied to artificial and real data sets. The application to dynamic PET-SPECT studies was performed both for validation purposes, when the spatial patterns are known, and for illustration of the advantages offered by the technique in case of tracers with an unknown pattern of distribution.
Bringing the "healthy" into Food Recommenders

Lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes and obesity are a major problem in the modern world but can be prevented and sometimes even reversed through good nutrition [3]. Food recommender systems have been touted as a potential means to assist people nourish themselves more healthily e.g. [2, 5]. Anecdotally it makes sense to utilise food recommenders as part of a strategy for behavioural change because if you can suggest a change that is less painful then it seems more likely that the user will accept that change and stick with it. If we are interested in recommending meals to provide a balanced diet, however, such systems have a major limitation: the way they work means they learn user preferences for ingredients and food styles, which, of course, leads to users who like and tend to eat fatand calorie-laden meals being recommended fatand calorie-laden meals an outcome not conducive to improving nutritional habits. In this position statement we briefly outline two ways in which the recommendation problem can be reformulated to also encompass nutritional aspects and not just user preferences.
Passivity-based iterative learning control for visual feedback system

This paper investigates iterative learning control based on passivity for three-dimensional (3-D) visual feedback systems. Firstly, a brief summary of a visual motion observer is given. Next, a pose control error system for iterative learning control that has an output strictly passivity property is constructed. Then, iterative learning control for 3-D visual feedback systems is proposed. The transient response of the proposed control law should be improved because of the repeatability. Convergence analysis of the closed-loop system is discussed based on passivity. Finally, simulation results are shown in order to confirm the proposed method.
Proximodistal identity during vertebrate limb regeneration is regulated by Meis homeodomain proteins

The mechanisms by which cells obtain instructions to precisely re-create the missing parts of an organ remain an unresolved question in regenerative biology. Urodele limb regeneration is a powerful model in which to study these mechanisms. Following limb amputation, blastema cells interpret the proximal-most positional identity in the stump to reproduce missing parts faithfully. Classical experiments showed the ability of retinoic acid (RA) to proximalize blastema positional values. Meis homeobox genes are involved in RA-dependent specification of proximal cell identity during limb development. To understand the molecular basis for specifying proximal positional identities during regeneration, we isolated the axolotl Meis homeobox family. Axolotl Meis genes are RA-regulated during both regeneration and embryonic limb development. During limb regeneration, Meis overexpression relocates distal blastema cells to more proximal locations, whereas Meis knockdown inhibits RA proximalization of limb blastemas. Meis genes are thus crucial targets of RA proximalizing activity on blastema cells.
Strigolactone Inhibition of Branching Independent of Polar Auxin Transport1[OPEN]

Strigolactones act independently of auxin transport/canalization to inhibit bud outgrowth. The outgrowth of axillary buds into branches is regulated systemically via plant hormones and the demand of growing shoot tips for sugars. The plant hormone auxin is thought to act via two mechanisms. One mechanism involves auxin regulation of systemic signals, cytokinins and strigolactones, which can move into axillary buds. The other involves suppression of auxin transport/canalization from axillary buds into the main stem and is enhanced by a low sink for auxin in the stem. In this theory, the relative ability of the buds and stem to transport auxin controls bud outgrowth. Here, we evaluate whether auxin transport is required or regulated during bud outgrowth in pea (Pisum sativum). The profound, systemic, and long-term effects of the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid had very little inhibitory effect on bud outgrowth in strigolactone-deficient mutants. Strigolactones can also inhibit bud outgrowth in N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid-treated shoots that have greatly diminished auxin transport. Moreover, strigolactones can inhibit bud outgrowth despite a much diminished auxin supply in in vitro or decapitated plants. These findings demonstrate that auxin sink strength in the stem is not important for bud outgrowth in pea. Consistent with alternative mechanisms of auxin regulation of systemic signals, enhanced auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) can suppress branching in yucca1D plants compared with wild-type plants, but has no effect on bud outgrowth in a strigolactone-deficient mutant background.
Carbohydrate feedings during team sport exercise preserve physical and CNS function.

PURPOSE This study was designed to examine the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) feedings on physical and central nervous system (CNS) function during intermittent high-intensity exercise with physical demands similar to those of team sports such as basketball. METHODS Twenty active men (N = 10) and women (N = 10), with experience competing in team sports, performed three practice sessions before two experimental trials during which they were fed either a 6% CHO solution or a flavored placebo (PBO). Experimental trials consisted of four 15-min quarters of shuttle running with variable intensities ranging from walking (30% VO(2max)), to running (120% VO(2max)), to maximal sprinting, and 40 jumps at a target hanging at 80% of their maximum vertical jump height. Subjects received 5 mL.kg(-1) of fluid before exercise and 3 mL.kg(-1) after exercise, in addition to 3 mL.kg(-1) over a 5-min span after the first and third quarters, and 8 mL.kg(-1) during a 20-min halftime. During each break, the subjects performed a battery of tests measuring peripheral and CNS function, including 20-m sprints, a 60-s maximal jumping test, internal and external mood evaluation, cognitive function, force sensation, tests of motor skills, and target-jumping accuracy. RESULTS Compared with PBO, CHO feedings during exercise resulted in faster 20-m sprint times and higher average jump height in the fourth quarter (P < 0.05). CHO feedings also reduced force sensation, enhanced motor skills, and improved mood late in exercise versus PBO (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION These results suggest that CHO feedings during intermittent high-intensity exercise similar to that of team sports benefited both peripheral and CNS function late in exercise compared with a flavored placebo.
Characterizing the Risk of Infection from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Commercial Passenger Aircraft Using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment

Quantitative microbial risk assessment was used to predict the likelihood and spatial organization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission in a commercial aircraft. Passenger exposure was predicted via a multizone Markov model in four scenarios: seated or moving infectious passengers and with or without filtration of recirculated cabin air. The traditional exponential (k = 1) and a new exponential (k = 0.0218) dose‐response function were used to compute infection risk. Emission variability was included by Monte Carlo simulation. Infection risks were higher nearer and aft of the source; steady state airborne concentration levels were not attained. Expected incidence was low to moderate, with the central 95% ranging from 10−6 to 10−1 per 169 passengers in the four scenarios. Emission rates used were low compared to measurements from active TB patients in wards, thus a “superspreader” emitting 44 quanta/h could produce 6.2 cases or more under these scenarios. Use of respiratory protection by the infectious source and/or susceptible passengers reduced infection incidence up to one order of magnitude.