Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lean Management to support Choosing Wisely in healthcare: the first evidence from a systematic literature review

Purpose Choosing Wisely (CW) is an emergent approach to identify and reduce unnecessary care, such as tests and treatments that do not add value for patients and may even cause harm. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how Lean Healthcare Management (LHM) can support CW objectives, focusing on customer needs and on waste elimination. Data sources A systematic literature review has been performed in Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. Study selection Peer reviewed articles published in English language have been selected. Papers were considered if they regarded LHM and its possible support for achieving CW objectives. Data extraction. The links between the LHM purposes of adoption and the pursued CW objectives were investigated. Moreover, LHM tools, practices and interventions to support CW were grasped. Results of data synthesis Sixteen articles were included in the analysis. Links between the identified LHM purposes of adoption and CW objectives were discovered: through process understanding, optimization, evaluation and control, LHM contributes to the reduction of overuses in healthcare, but also to the delivery of a more effective and evidence-based care (EBC). Moreover, it provides an objective approach useful for choosing the most cost-effective solution among different alternatives. Conclusions Results highlight how LHM, and with which tools and practices, can be adopted to enhance the healthcare appropriateness pursued by CW, paving the way for interesting future research about this emerging topic.
Quality of remote sensing data for extracting water body

Remote sensing techniques have significant effect for different kinds of studies of extraction different types of features on the earth surface. Such as water extraction, segmentation, detection and monitoring. In current study Enhance Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images that was carried on Landsat 7 satellite from US Geological Survey (USGS) which were used to extract Mosul Dam's Reservoir water by implementing image processing techniques through using of Matlab program and its toolbox. Furthermore, in this paper we implement two processing methods, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) which represent bands rationing and Wavelet Transform method. In other word, comparing the performance of resulted image from both methods that extracted water body of Mosul Dam reservoir and isolate it completely from other features. Using mean square error (MSE) and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) calculations for measuring the performance of implemented methods. Although proposed methods had got high performance result with small noise which was almost invisible. Furthermore, adding Gabor filter to both methods leads to increasing the efficiency of outperform extracted image of Dam's Reservoir by suppressing noise and developed enhancing with clear segmented and extracted whole water body of reservoir. The purpose of this study is to improve the capacity of remote sensing data to detect the coastline of Mosul Dam reservoir with complete segmentation for water body. And extract all different features around the coastline. It also gives the possibility to measure the change of water level of the reservoir during draught period and increasing water level.
] 1 3 M ar 2 00 7 Universal Extremal Statistics in a Freely Expanding

We study the extremal dynamics emerging in an out-of-equilibrium one-dimensional Jepsen gas of $(N+1)$ hard-point particles. The particles undergo binary elastic collisions, but move ballistically in-between collisions. The gas is initally uniformly distributed in a box $[-L,0]$ with the "leader" (or the rightmost particle) at X=0, and a random positive velocity, independently drawn from a distribution $phi(V)$, is assigned to each particle. The gas expands freely at subsequent times. We compute analytically the distribution of the leader's velocity at time $t$, and also the mean and the variance of the number of collisions that are undergone by the leader up to time $t$. We show that in the thermodynamic limit and at fixed time $tgg 1$ (the so-called "growing regime"), when interactions are strongly manifest, the velocity distribution exhibits universal scaling behavior of only three possible varieties, depending on the tail of $phi(V)$. The associated scaling functions are novel and different from the usual extreme-value distributions of uncorrelated random variables. In this growing regime the mean and the variance of [. ] BENA COPPEX, Ioana Carla, MAJUMDAR, Satya N. Universal Extremal Statistics in a Freely Expanding Jepsen Gas. Physical Review. E, 2007, vol. 75, no. 051103, p. 13 p. DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.75. 051103 arxiv : cond-mat/0701130
On the origins and domestication of the olive: a review and perspectives.

Background Unravelling domestication processes is crucial for understanding how species respond to anthropogenic pressures, forecasting crop responses to future global changes and improving breeding programmes. Domestication processes for clonally propagated perennials differ markedly from those for seed-propagated annual crops, mostly due to long generation times, clonal propagation and recurrent admixture with local forms, leading to a limited number of generations of selection from wild ancestors. However, additional case studies are required to document this process more fully. Scope The olive is an iconic species in Mediterranean cultural history. Its multiple uses and omnipresence in traditional agrosystems have made this species an economic pillar and cornerstone of Mediterranean agriculture. However, major questions about the domestication history of the olive remain unanswered. New paleobotanical, archeological, historical and molecular data have recently accumulated for olive, making it timely to carry out a critical re-evaluation of the biogeography of wild olives and the history of their cultivation. We review here the chronological history of wild olives and discuss the questions that remain unanswered, or even unasked, about their domestication history in the Mediterranean Basin. We argue that more detailed ecological genomics studies of wild and cultivated olives are crucial to improve our understanding of olive domestication. Multidisciplinary research integrating genomics, metagenomics and community ecology will make it possible to decipher the evolutionary ecology of one of the most iconic domesticated fruit trees worldwide. Conclusion The olive is a relevant model for improving our knowledge of domestication processes in clonally propagated perennial crops, particularly those of the Mediterranean Basin. Future studies on the ecological and genomic shifts linked to domestication in olive and its associated community will provide insight into the phenotypic and molecular bases of crop adaptation to human uses.
Complete genome characterization of a rotavirus B (RVB) strain identified in Alpine goat kids with enteritis reveals inter-species transmission with RVB bovine strains

Rotavirus B (RVB) has been associated with enteric disease in many animal species. An RVB strain was identified in pooled intestinal samples from Alpine caprine kids (between 2 and 3 days of age) experiencing high (>90 %) morbidity, and the complete caprine RVB genome was characterized. Histology revealed villus atrophy, the samples tested positive for RVB by real-time RT-PCR and metagenomic next-generation sequencing identified only RVB and orf virus. In the VP4 gene segment, the caprine RVB strain had a higher percentage nucleotide identity to the Indian bovine RVB strains than to the Japanese bovine RVB strains, but the VP7, VP6, VP2, NSP1, NSP2 and NSP5 gene segments of the American caprine RVB strain were genetically related to the Japanese bovine RVB strains. The results indicate a lack of RVB sequences to understand reassortment or the evolutionary relationship of RVB strains from cattle and goats.
Analysis of left atrial respiratory and cardiac motion for cardiac ablation therapy

Cardiac ablation therapy is often guided by models built from preoperative computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. One of the challenges in guiding a procedure from a preoperative model is properly synching the preoperative models with cardiac and respiratory motion through computational motion models. In this paper, we describe a methodology for evaluating cardiac and respiratory motion in the left atrium and pulmonary veins of a beating canine heart. Cardiac catheters were used to place metal clips within and near the pulmonary veins and left atrial appendage under fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance and a contrast-enhanced, 64-slice multidetector CT scan was collected with the clips in place. Each clip was segmented from the CT scan at each of the five phases of the cardiac cycle at both end-inspiration and end-expiration. The centroid of each segmented clip was computed and used to evaluate both cardiac and respiratory motion of the left atrium. A total of three canine studies were completed, with 4 clips analyzed in the first study, 5 clips in the second study, and 2 clips in the third study. Mean respiratory displacement was 0.2±1.8 mm in the medial/lateral direction, 4.7±4.4 mm in the anterior/posterior direction (moving anterior on inspiration), and 9.0±5.0 mm superior/inferior (moving inferior with inspiration). At end inspiration, the mean left atrial cardiac motion at the clip locations was 1.5±1.3 mm in the medial/lateral direction, and 2.1±2.0 mm in the anterior/posterior and 1.3±1.2 mm superior/inferior directions. At end expiration, the mean left atrial cardiac motion at the clip locations was 2.0±1.5mm in the medial/lateral direction, 3.0±1.8mm in the anterior/posterior direction, and 1.5±1.5 mm in the superior/inferior directions.
Assessment of the Quality of Chronic Anticoagulation Control With Time in Therapeutic Range in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Treated With Vitamin K Antagonists by Hemostasis Specialists: The TERRA Registry: Tiempo en rango en la República Argentina

Background: Oral anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) such as warfarin and acenocoumarol is recommended in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and risk factors for embolism. The quality of anticoagulation control with VKA may be assessed by the time in therapeutic range (TTR). In our country, there are no data available about the quality of anticoagulation in patients with AF. The primary goal of our study was to assess the level of effective anticoagulation in a multicenter network of anticoagulation clinics in Argentina, which included patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF) treated with VKA oral anticoagulants. Methods: The TERRA trial is a multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 14 anticoagulation clinics that were invited to participate and recruit 100 consecutive patients with NVAF treated with VKA for more than 1 year. The international normalized ratio (INR) values were retrospectively obtained from patient charts, and TTR was calculated using the Rosendaal method. Results: A total of 1190 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 74.9 ± 9.9 years, and 52.5% of the patients were male. Median TTR was 67.5% (interquartile interval 54-80). During 55% of the TTR, INR was >3. Interinstitution variability was substantial, with a range of 57.7% ± 17% to 87.7% ± 17%, P < . 001. The 10th percentile of TTR was 41%, the 20th percentile was 50%, the 30th was 58%, and the 35th percentile was 60%. In 40% of patients, TTR was <70%. Conclusion: In this multicenter study, mean TTR values in patients with AF under VKA were similar to those in international therapeutic clinical trials (55%-65%). Marked variations among institutions were observed and, although average results obtained were high, one third of the patients exhibited a TTR below 60%. This cutoff value is conservative according to current recommendations, and guidelines suggest that when management with VKA cannot be improved, patients should be switched to direct oral anticoagulants. The addition of TTR calculation to clinical practice may help improve the quality of oral anticoagulation in patients with AF, thus improving anticoagulation outcomes.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment with carvedilol for heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Right-sided heart failure is the leading cause of death in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Similar to left heart failure, sympathetic overactivation and β-adrenoreceptor (βAR) abnormalities are found in PAH. Based on successful therapy of left heart failure with β-blockade, the safety and benefits of the nonselective β-blocker/vasodilator carvedilol were evaluated in PAH. METHODS PAH Treatment with Carvedilol for Heart Failure (PAHTCH) is a single-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Following 1-week run-in, 30 participants were randomized to 1 of 3 arms for 24 weeks: placebo, low-fixed-dose, or dose-escalating carvedilol. Outcomes included clinical measures and mechanistic biomarkers. RESULTS Decreases in heart rate and blood pressure with carvedilol were well tolerated; heart rate correlated with carvedilol dose. Carvedilol-treated groups had no decrease in exercise capacity measured by 6-minute walk, but had lower heart rates at peak and after exercise, and faster heart rate recovery. Dose-escalating carvedilol was associated with reduction in right ventricular (RV) glycolytic rate and increase in βAR levels. There was no evidence of RV functional deterioration; rather, cardiac output was maintained. CONCLUSIONS Carvedilol is likely safe in PAH over 6 months of therapy and has clinical and mechanistic benefits associated with improved outcomes. The data provide support for longer and larger studies to establish guidelines for use of β-blockers in PAH. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01586156FUNDING. This project was supported by NIH R01HL115008 and R01HL60917 and in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, UL1TR000439.
PTEN Methylation Dependent Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is an aggressive and rare type of melanoma. Although the classic RAS-RAF-MEK pathway is thought to be the main pathway involved in melanoma pathogenesis, genetic alterations in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–AKT pathway, including PTEN-regulated signaling, are also thought to contribute. So far, data regarding altered PTEN expression and epigenetic mechanism of PTEN silencing in development of SMM is extremely limited. Herein we report on a case of SMM with liver and bone metastases with an epigenetic alteration of PTEN. Results of mutation analysis for BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, KRAS, PIK3CA, c-Kit, and PTEN were negative; however, methylation of PTEN CpG islands was observed. Our case not only supports PTEN as a major tumor suppressor involved in melanoma tumorigenesis, but also a potential epigenetic mechanism of PTEN silencing in development of SMM.
Recent advances in the manufacturing processes of functionally graded materials: a review

Abstract Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are engineered materials that are inhomogeneous and can be purposefully processed to obtain discrete or continuously varying compositions/microstructures over a definable geometrical length. FGMs can be used in a number of applications, such as aircrafts, combustion nozzles, gas turbines, energy conversion cells, biomaterials, etc. The objective of this paper is to review the new developments in production processes and their prospects in the creation of next-generation FGMs. Traditionally, four potential methods were used for fabrications of FGMs, i.e. powder metallurgy, chemical vapor deposition, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis, and plasma spraying. Some of the recently developed methods are the cast-decant-cast process, friction stir processing, and laser-engineered net shaping, which are usually cost-effective and used to make a quiet change in properties. An effective production method for conversion of the concept of gradient into practice is still a challenge for the research community. In this paper, research works toward meeting these challenges will be highlighted, and the future scopes of investigation in this area will be explored.
Gustatory effects of capsaicin that are independent of TRPV1 receptors.

In order to choose which foods are palatable and safe to ingest, it is important to integrate information from different modalities, not only chemosensory (taste and olfaction), but also somatosensory (texture, irritation, nociception) (Scott and Verhagen, 2000). Capsaicin, the pungent component from chili peppers, has been shown to alter taste perception (Lawless and Stevens, 1984; Prescott and Stevenson, 1995; Simons et al., 2002) and has traditionally been added to foods to change their palatability. The effects of capsaicin on taste could emerge from the integration throughout the gustatory axis of information originating from capsaicin’s direct effects on taste receptor cells (TRCs) (Liu and Simon, 2001; Park et al., 2003; Lyall et al., 2004) and/or from information resulting from the effects of capsaicin on TRPV1 receptors in trigeminal nerve endings in the mouth (Liu and Simon, 1996, 2000). Recent studies have shown that capsaicin can alter neural responses to tastants at the level of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and that these effects seem to be independent of trigeminal transmission (Simons et al., 2003). Previously, Okuni (1977)showed that chorda tympani fibers can be activated by capsaicin, indicating capsaicin can affect the gustatory pathway and more recently, Lyall et al. (2004) presented evidence for a TRPV1 splice variant in TRCs that is responsible for the amilorideinsensitive responses to salts. Here, we found that in dissociated rat TRCs capsaicin inhibits voltage-gated inward and outward currents. Furthermore, we found that in TRPV1–/– mice capsaicin can alter taste preference to sucrose. These results demonstrate that the effects of capsaicin in taste perception do not result exclusively from the activation of capsaicin-sensitive receptors, but also through nonspecific TRPV1-independent mechanisms.
Performance Analysis and Optimization for SpMV on GPU Using Probabilistic Modeling

This paper presents a unique method of performance analysis and optimization for sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) on GPU. This method has wide adaptability for different types of sparse matrices and is different from existing methods which only adapt to some particular sparse matrices. In addition, our method does not need additional benchmarks to get optimized parameters, which are calculated directly through the probability mass function (PMF). We make the following contributions. (1) We present a PMF to analyze precisely the distribution pattern of non-zero elements in a sparse matrix. The PMF can provide theoretical basis for the compression of a sparse matrix. (2) Compression efficiency of COO, CSR, ELL, and HYB can be analyzed precisely through the PMF, and combined with the hardware parameters of GPU, the performance of SpMV based on COO, CSR, ELL, and HYB can be estimated. Furthermore, the most appropriate format for SpMV can be selected according to estimated value of the performance. Experiments prove that the theoretical estimated values and the tested values have high consistency. (3) For HYB, the optimal segmentation threshold can be found through the PMF to achieve the optimal performance for SpMV. Our performance modeling and analysis are very accurate. The order of magnitude of the estimated speedup and that of the tested speedup for each of the ten tested sparse matrices based on the three formats COO, CSR, and ELL are the same. The percentage of relative difference between an estimated value and a tested value is less than 20 percent for over 80 percent cases. The performance improvement of our algorithm is also effective. The average performance improvement of the optimal solution for HYB is over 15 percent compared with that of the automatic solution provided by CUSPARSE lib.
Prognosis of Bearing Acoustic Emission Signals Using Supervised Machine Learning

Acoustic emission (AE) technique can be successfully utilized for condition monitoring of various machining and industrial processes. To keep machines function at optimal levels, fault prognosis model to predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of machine components is required. This model is used to analyze the output signals of a machine whilst in operation and accordingly helps to set an early alarm tool that reduces the untimely replacement of components and the wasteful machine downtime. Recent improvements indicate the drive on the way towards incorporation of prognosis and diagnosis machine learning techniques in future machine health management systems. With this in mind, this work employs three supervised machine learning techniques; support vector machine regression, multilayer artificial neural network model and gaussian process regression, to correlate AE features with corresponding natural wear of slow speed bearings throughout series of laboratory experiments. Analysis of signal parameters such as signal intensity estimator and root mean square was undertaken to discriminate individual types of early damage. It was concluded that neural networks model with back propagation learning algorithm has an advantage over the other models in estimating the RUL for slow speed bearings if the proper network structure is chosen and sufficient data is provided.
Krüppel-Like Factor-4 Transcriptionally Regulates VE-Cadherin Expression and Endothelial Barrier Function

Rationale: Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin localized at adherens junctions (AJs) regulates endothelial barrier function. Because WNT (wingless) signaling-induced activation of the transcription factor Krüppel-like factor (KLF)4 may have an important role in mediating the expression of VE-cadherin and AJ integrity, we studied the function of KLF4 in regulating VE-cadherin expression and the control of endothelial barrier function. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the transcriptional role of KLF4 in regulating VE-cadherin expression and endothelial barrier function. Methods and Results: Expression analysis, microscopy, chromatin immunoprecipitation, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and VE-cadherin–luciferase reporter experiments demonstrated that KLF4 interacted with specific domains of VE-cadherin promoter and regulated the expression of VE-cadherin at AJs. KLF4 knockdown disrupted the endothelial barrier, indicating that KLF4 is required for normal barrier function. In vivo studies in mice showed augmented lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury and pulmonary edema following Klf4 depletion. Conclusion: Our data show the key role of KLF4 in the regulation of VE-cadherin expression at the level of the AJs and in the acquisition of VE-cadherin–mediated endothelial barrier function. Thus, KLF4 maintains the integrity of AJs and prevents vascular leakage in response to inflammatory stimuli.