Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of a Proposed Tumor Regression Grading Scheme for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma After Neoadjuvant Therapy as a Prognostic Indicator for Survival

Neoadjuvant therapy has been increasingly used to treat patients with potentially resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Although the College of American Pathologists (CAP) grading scheme for tumor response in posttherapy specimens has been used, its clinical significance has not been validated. Previously, we proposed a 3-tier histologic tumor regression grading (HTRG) scheme (HTRG 0, no viable tumor; HTRG 1, <5% viable tumor cells; HTRG 2, ≥5% viable tumor cells) and showed that the 3-tier HTRG scheme correlated with prognosis. In this study, we sought to validate our proposed HTRG scheme in a new cohort of 167 consecutive PDAC patients who completed neoadjuvant therapy and pancreaticoduodenectomy. We found that patients with HTRG 0 or 1 were associated with a lower frequency of lymph node metastasis (P=0.004) and recurrence (P=0.01), lower ypT (P<0.001) and AJCC stage (P<0.001), longer disease-free survival (DFS, P=0.004) and overall survival (OS, P=0.02) than those with HTRG 2. However, there was no difference in either DFS or OS between the groups with CAP grade 2 and those with CAP grade 3 (P>0.05). In multivariate analysis, HTRG grade 0 or 1 was an independent prognostic factor for better DFS (P=0.03), but not OS. Therefore we validated the proposed HTRG scheme from our previous study. The proposed HTRG scheme is simple and easy to apply in practice by pathologists and might be used as a successful surrogate for longer DFS in patients with potentially resectable PDAC who completed neoadjuvant therapy and surgery.
An Association between Body Mass Index and Markers of Inflammation: Is Obesity the Proinflammatory State in Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis?

This study was made possible by a grant from Baxter Corporation, Renal Division. Support from research grants from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada to H. Ceri and M. Olson is also ac knowledged. We are also indebted to the staff of the Peritoneal Dialysis Unit and Microbiology Laboratory at Calgary Health Region and University of Calgary for providing necessary clinical information and bacterial isolates for MBEC assays, and to Carol Stremick for technical support in the MBEC assays.
Design of a sub-1-V nanopower CMOS current reference

In this paper, we propose a sub-1-V nanopower current reference based on dual-threshold voltage current mirror stages, used to compensate the temperature dependence of the current of a diode-connected transistor operating in deep subthreshold region. The proposed solution has been designed in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology and analyzed through circuit simulations. Simulation results show an output current of about 16 nA and a power consumption below 20 nW at the minimum operating voltage of 0.6 V and at the room temperature. The line sensitivity is 5.4 %/V, while the temperature coefficient is 274 ppm/°C. When compared to other state-of-the-art nanopower solutions, the proposed scheme proves to be a competitive candidate thanks to the low minimum operating voltage and the small area occupation.
Altered expression of CHL1 by glial cells in response to optic nerve injury and intravitreal application of fibroblast growth factor‐2

The close homologue of L1 (CHL1) is a member of the L1 family of cell recognition molecules. The protein is expressed by a variety of nerve cell types and subpopulations of glial cells in vivo and promotes elongation of neurites and survival of nerve cells in vitro. Here we demonstrate that glial cells up‐regulate expression of CHL1 in response to an intraorbital crush of the adult mouse optic nerve. We also demonstrate that a single intravitreal application of fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2) increases expression of CHL1 in retinal astrocytes and Müller cells. Elevated expression of CHL1 by glial cells in injured optic nerves and astrocytes and Müller cells in FGF‐2‐treated retinas suggests a role of the protein in the lesioned central nervous system. Results also suggest that trophic factors might exert part of their biological function by modifying expression of cell recognition molecules. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characteristics of Drop-outs from a long-term behavioral treatment program for obesity

Severely obese subjects (n = 68) were treated in a combined behavioral modification program and monitored for a 4-year period of time. Ten subjects dropped out, and two subjects died during the study, resulting in a 18% dropout rate. The Karolinska Scales of Personality were used to compare personality traits between the subjects in the drop-out group and the group who completed (n = 56) the program. The drop outs showed significantly higher scores in the Impulsiveness and the Monotony Avoidance scales and lower scores in the Socialization scale as compared with the group who completed the program. Thus, those who left the program had higher scores in psychopathic-related personality traits. There were no drop outs during the last 1 1/2 years of this 4-year follow-up period.
Influence of Long-Term Kendo Training on the Geometric and Mechanical Properties of the Achilles Tendon

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the geometric and elastic properties of the Achilles tendon between right and left ankles in kendo (japanese fencing) athletes, who engaged in kendo training for years, and matched controls. The subjects were twelve kendo athletes and nine controls (21 and 20 yrs, 65 and 60 kg, and 172 and 171 cm, respectively). While the subjects developed maximum voluntary isometric plantarflexion (MVIP) torque (TQ), the tendon displacement and ankle joint rotation was determined using a B-mode ultrasonograph and a goniometer, respectively. The tendon force (F) was calculated from TQ and the moment arm of the Achilles tendon. The elongation of the Achilles tendon (∆X) was obtained from the tendon displacement and ankle joint rotation. The cross-sectional area of the Achilles tendon (CSA) was measured using a B-mode ultrasonography. The Achilles tendon stiffness (k) was defined as F divided by ∆X, stress (σ) as F divided by CSA, strain (e) at MVIP as ΔX divided by the Achilles tendon length at rest (Lr), and Young's modulus (E) as σ divided by e. The results showed that there were no significant differences in TQ, F, σ, Lr, ΔX, e, k, and E between right and left ankles for both control and kendo athlete subjects, and between control and kendo athlete subjects. CSA of kendo athletes' right ankles was significantly greater than that of kendo athletes' left ankles (p=0.03). It was suggested that a long-term kendo training did not affect the elastic properties of the Achilles tendon and resulted in smaller Achilles tendon CSA in left ankles.
Using Sample Size to Limit Exposure to Data Mining

Data mining introduces new problems in database security. The basic problem of using non-sensitive data to infer sensitive data is made more difficult by the "probabilistic" inferences possible with data mining. This paper shows how lower bounds from pattern recognition theory can be used to determine sample sizes where data mining tools cannot obtain reliable results.
The Value of Family Welfare Conferencing within the Child Protection and Welfare System

The Family Welfare Conference (FWC) is a model used within the child protection and welfare services to address concerns about the needs of children and their family's ability to respond to these needs. The FWC model operates in partnership with family members, who participate in identifying both the issues of concern and potential responses to address these. The core premise of the FWC model involves greater engagement by family members in the process of responding to matters connected to their children's protection and welfare. This paper presents the findings of a research study on the value placed on the FWC model by social workers working in a statutory child protection and welfare department in the Republic of Ireland. A mixed-methods study was employed with social workers asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire and to participate in a face-to-face interview. The main findings highlight the value of the FWC as a model of relationship-based practice, with participation and partnership with family members viewed as crucial elements. The particular strengths identified in the model include the relationship that is established and developed between the FWC coordinator and the family members, the decision-making methods engaged in by families, and the increased understanding of the issues involved by virtue of participation within the FWC process. The place of the FWC within child protection and welfare services is considered in light of these findings, with an overall positive viewpoint presented.
Surveillance and survival in Barrett's adenocarcinomas: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Guidelines recommend periodic endoscopic surveillance of Barrett's esophagus (BE) patients to detect and treat early esophageal adenocarcinomas; however, no trials or population-based studies exist. We evaluated the association between endoscopic surveillance of BE and survival among esophageal/gastric cardia adenocarcinoma patients. METHODS We studied a cohort of 23 BE patients, among 589 esophageal or gastric cardia adenocarcinoma patients diagnosed between 1990-1998 at Northern California Kaiser Permanente (a large health maintenance organization). We measured the presence of BE, detection of cancer by endoscopic surveillance, cancer stage, mortality, and potential confounders. RESULTS BE was diagnosed in 135 of 589 adenocarcinoma patients, with 23 BE patients diagnosed greater than 6 months before cancer was diagnosed. Among these 23 patients, 73% of the surveillance-detected cancer patients (n = 15) were alive at the end of follow-up, compared with none of the patients without surveillance-detected cancers (n = 8; P = 0.001). All surveillance-detected cancer patients had low-stage disease and none died directly from cancer. The surveillance/survival association was not substantially altered by stratification for age at BE diagnosis or other potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS Surveillance-detected BE-associated adenocarcinomas were associated with low-stage disease and improved survival. Additional studies are needed to evaluate potential biases and whether screening/surveillance programs decrease mortality among all patients in surveillance. Few patients (3.9%) had a BE diagnosed before their cancer. Thus, even if current surveillance techniques are effective, they are unlikely to substantially impact the population's mortality from esophageal cancer; better methods are needed to identify at risk patients.
Spatial navigation: Spatial learning in real and virtual environments

Humans and many non-human animals need to accurately and efficiently navigate from one place to the next in their environment. Over 3,000 years ago the volcanic islands of the Pacific were settled by the people of Polynesia (Gibbons, 2001). These navigators sailed in craft from Samoa to Hawaii covering an area extending some 4,500 km without the benefits of modern navigational equipment. Errors in the es timation of direction or position during trips to and from the islands in this region could have dire consequences. Some 2,400 years later, European sailors had started mastering oceanic navigation and were probably surprised to discover that people had already traveled to, and were living on, these remote Pacific islands. Today, few humans make such long trips without the benefits of modern navigational tools. Traditionally investigations of human and nonhuman place learning have used very different approaches to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in spatial learning. Although these approaches and associated techniques have provided each respective research area with valuable information about spatial processing, one important problem has been the minimal communication between the two disciplines which share such a common interest. Our review examines the two main theories of place learning—the associative approach and the cognitive mapping theory—through the examination of current research using three main behavioral techniques that were developed for the study of spatial navigation in animals but modified for the study of human spatial navigation. Although the focus of our review is at a behavioral level, we consider how these approaches have strengthened our understanding of the neurological mechanisms of place learning in animals and discuss how future research, comparative in nature, will allow for an excellent opportunity for future comparative studies of spatial place learning. Many non-human animals were engaging in impressive feats of navigation long before people were navigating across oceans. Desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) live in subterranean nests that insulate them from arid conditions above ground. During the course of the day foraging ants depart their nest in search of food, in this case other insects that have succumbed to the desert heat. The foraging desert ant may be required to take a rather long (several hundred meters) and circuitous route before it finds a food item, since the loca tion of food items vary dramatically from day to day. Once the foraging ant has found food, it takes a direct route back to the entrance of the subterranean nest (Wehner, 2003). Errors in the estimation of the nest location could easily prove fatal. Notably, like an early human navigator on the ocean, the ant’s impressive feat of navigation is accomplished in a relatively homogeneous environment lacking surfaces that could be used as landmarks to help indicate the position of the nest.
Autobiographical Elaboration and Memory for Adjectives

Adjective recall was compared for three rating tasks that encouraged varying degrees of autobiographical elaboration: autobiography (subjects were instructed to remember an autobiographical episode for which the adjective described how they felt or behaved and to date the episode), self-reference (subjects rated how often the adjective was self-descriptive), and pleasantness (subjects rated the degree of pleasantness of the adjective). Subjects in both the autobiography and self-reference conditions recalled significantly more words than subjects in the pleasantness condition (ns = 16).
SmokeWatch: A smartwatch smoking cessation assistant

Smoking cessation poses a variety of difficulties to smokers, with decreased motivation and awareness being among them. Those specific problems can be addressed by providing persistent motivation and counselling. Considering that the process of smoking cessation usually lasts several weeks, finding a human counsellor for such a prolonged period turns out to be challenging. In this paper, we propose a wearable smoking cessation assistant, SmokeWatch, which monitors its user continuously and detects smoking events. The user is then encouraged to refrain from smoking. We collected data from 26 individuals. We show that our Dynamic Time Warping based smoking detection algorithm has a success rate of 96%. At this stage, we are giving personal advices, e.g. based on the number of detected smoking events we can calculate the money spent for cigarettes.
A discrete flower pollination algorithm for graph coloring problem

Flower pollination algorithm is a recent nature inspired algorithm for continuous optimization; this algorithm is inspired by the pollination process of flowers. In this paper, we introduce a discrete version of the algorithm to deal with the graph coloring problem. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated on benchmark instances set and the computational results show promising results where it achieves the exact solution in almost cases.
Analyse de performance de systèmes de communications sans-fils exploitant micro et macro-diversité

Cette these s'interesse a l'etude de la couche physique des reseaux locaux sans-fils dits WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networks). Durant les dernieres decennies, les applications destinees aux reseaux locaux sans-fils sont devenues de plus en plus nombreuses, d'ou la necessite d'avoir des debits de transmission plus importants. Cependant, les ingenieurs de conception des systemes de communication radio sont generalement confrontes a de nombreux challenges ; Parmi ceux-ci nous citons la limitation de la bande frequentielle du canal, les variations complexes de l'environnement de propagation (evanouissements et trajets multiples), etc. Les techniques de diversite et plus particulierement les techniques de diversite spatiale s'averent tres efficaces pour reduire l'impact de ces problemes sur les performances des systemes sans-fils. Cette these s'interesse a l'analyse de performance de systemes de commnications sans-fils exploitant micro- et macrodiversite. Dans une premiere partie, les systemes de communication MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) utilisant la modulation OFDM sont consideres. L'impact de considerer le vrai profile des retards du canal sur la capacite ergodique et la capacite complementaire est etudie. Puis deux schemas de codage spatio-emporels de rendement 1/2 sont proposes pour le systeme MIMO munis deux antennes emetrices qui, profitant des proprietes de la modulation OFDM, presentent une diversite qui converge vers celle d'un systeme MIMO ayant 4 antennes emettrices et utilisant un schema de codage de rendement 1/2. Dans une deuxieme partie, les systemes a antennes multiples dans un contexte de macro-diversite sont etudies. L'analyse de performance des systemes MIMO dans un contexte de micro-diversite est effectue en termes de capacite ergodique. Cette etude est faite en prenant en consideration un modele realiste du bloc radio-frequence (RFFE). Les resultats trouves montrent que ce nouveau modele de canal permet de decrire la saturation de la capacite, phenomene observe dans des implementations reelles. Ensuite, un algorithme d'allocation optimale de puissance est proposee pour un systeme de transmission a deux relais numeriques mis en parallele. L'optimation est faite sous la contrainte d'un certain budget de puissance afin de minimiser le taux d'erreur au niveau de la destination. Il est a noter que l'allocation de puissance est d'autant plus utile que les liens relayes sont dissymetriques, et que la transmission relayee peut etre plus performante que la transmission direct dans certains contextes.
One teacher's agenda for a class visit to an interactive science center

This article reports on the agenda of an exemplary teacher as she planned for and implemented a visit to an interactive science center by her class of 12-year-old boys. Pre-visit preparation involved the students in the creation of a mini-science center in their classroom, and spanned almost a full term. The students appropriated their teacher's agenda, which was that they exploit the unique facilities of the center to learn about science and technology, and to have fun in so doing. Post-visit activities and reflections on the visit by the teacher and six of the students are discussed, and suggest that the outcomes were largely in accord with the teacher's agenda. During the visit, a critical episode involving the teacher, several of the students, and two of the center explainers occurred, and this episode serves to illustrate some consequences for outcomes when there is a lack of congruence between the agendas of key stakeholders involved in such a visit. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:524–544, 2000.
Structured light on dynamic scenes using standard stereoscopy algorithms

Most 3D reconstruction systems based on structured light use a single camera for sensing, and a projector that emits one or several patterns over the observed surface. We use the following analogy between these systems and a classical two-camera stereoscopic system: the projector can be seen as one camera for which the image of the 3D scene is known (it is the emitted pattern), and the other camera sees the same scene from another position. Thus, we can use the large family of algorithms that are available for stereoscopy, with the advantage that, since we can choose the content of one of the two images, we get an easy and unique solution to the correspondence problem. We use this analogy to calibrate a low-cost structured light system capable of acquiring dynamic scenes, and to recover 3D shape and texture from a single image using correlation-based stereoscopy.
Extended occupation grids for non-rigid moving objects tracking

We present an evolution of traditional occupancy grid algorithm, based on an extensive probabilistic calculus of the evolution of several variables on a cell neighbourhood. Occupancy, speed and classification are taken into account, the aim being to improve overall perception of an highly changing unstructured environment. Contrary to classical SLAM algorithms, no requisite is made on the amount of rigidity of the scene, and tracking do not rely on geometrical characteristics. We believe that this could have important applications in the automotive field, both from autonomous vehicle and driver assistance, in some areas difficult to address with current algorithms. This article begins with a general presentation of what we aim to do, along with considerations over traditional occupancy grids limits and their reasons. We will then present our proposition, and detail some of its key aspects, namely update rules and performance consequences. A second part will be more practical, and will begin with a brief presentation of the GPU implementation of the algorithm, before turning to sensor models and some results.
Metabotropic glutamate receptors in the guinea‐pig medial vestibular nucleus in vitro

Despite the accumulation of a large body of evidence on the function of the kainate/α-amino-3–5-methyl-4-iso- xazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor subtypes within the vestibular nucleus, little is known of the metabotropic receptor subtype. The aim of the present study was to examine the response of guinea-pig medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons in brain stem slices to the selective metabotropic receptor agonist, 1S,3R- amino-cyclopentyl-l,3-dicarboxylate (ACPD). Sixty percent (12/20) of MVN neurones responded to 1S,3R- ACPD at a concentration of 10−6M, compared with 40% (8/20) and 35% (7/20) of neurones at concentrations of 10−8 and 10−10M. Both increases and decreases in firing rate were observed in different neurones: in general, the magnitude of the responses was large and the duration of the responses was long. Recordings from a slice which contained only the MVN confirmed that these responses were produced by the action of the metabotropic agonist within the MVN itself. These results demonstrate that many MVN neurones have functional metabotropic receptors.
Provisional Microgrids

A new class of microgrids, called provisional microgrids, is introduced in this paper. Provisional microgrids hold similar characteristics as microgrids; however, do not possess the islanding capability and are dependent on one or more electrically connected microgrids for islanding purposes. Removing the islanding requirements and relying on the available unused capacity of existing microgrids characterizes provisional microgrids as enablers of rapidly deploying variable generation renewable energy resources in distribution networks and further preventing underutilization of capital-intensive distributed energy resources in microgrids. Provisional microgrids are defined and an uncertainty-constrained optimal scheduling model is developed, which considers prevailing uncertainties associated with loads, nondispatchable generation, and market price forecasts, as well as islanding incidents and the available unused capacity from coupled microgrids. The optimal scheduling problem is decomposed using Benders decomposition and solved via the robust optimization method. Numerical simulations study a test provisional microgrid for exploring its economic, reliability, and environmental merits.