Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeat endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration after a first negative procedure is useful in pancreatic lesions

Background and Objectives: There is no consensus about the ideal method for diagnosis in patients who have already undergone endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), and the inconclusive material is often obtained. The aim was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of the second EUS-FNA of pancreatic lesions. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of patients with EUS-FNA of pancreatic lesions is performed. All patients who underwent more than one EUS-FNA for the evaluation of suspected pancreatic cancer over a 7-year period were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 296 EUS-FNAs of the pancreas were performed in 257 patients. The diagnostic yield with the first EUS-FNA was 78.6% (202/257). Thirty-nine (13.3%) FNAs were repeated in 34 patients; 17 (50%) patients were women. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 58.8 ± 16.1 years. The location of the lesions in the pancreatic gland, from which the second biopsies were taken, was head of the pancreas, n = 28 (82.4%), body of the pancreas, n = 3 (8.8%), and tail, n = 3 (8.8%). The mean ± SD of the size of the lesion was 36.3 ± 14.6 mm. The second EUS-FNA was more likely to be positive for diagnosis in patients with an "atypical" histological result in the first EUS-FNA (odds ratio [OR]: 4.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9-18.3), in contrast to patients with a first EUS-FNA reported as "normal" (OR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06-0.71). Overall, the diagnostic yield of the second EUS-FNA was 58.8% (20/34) with an increase to 86.3% overall (222/257). Conclusion: Repeat EUS-FNA in pancreatic lesions is necessary in patients with a negative first EUS-FNA because it improves the diagnostic yield.
Evaluative language and its solidarity-bilding role on TED.com: An appraisal and corpus analysis

Language is a key resource in the formation of online communities, which are in turn central to an understanding of contemporary social relations. This study looks at TED.com, an educational video-hosting platform with few in-built community-building functionalities, to explore the potential for users to affiliate through their language choices. Grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics, the study uses the Appraisal framework, extended using corpus linguistic methods, in order to analyse users’ reactions to TED videos. The study shows that online participants use evaluative language to align with certain ideas and, based on these affinities, form affiliations characterized by sociability and solidarity. These affiliations raise important questions about the conception of ‘community’ in twenty-first century society.
QtBiVis: A software toolbox for visual analysis of biclustering experiment

In this article we introduce QtBiVis - a novel software intended for the comparative analysis of biclustering results. This modular tool has been efficiently implemented in C++ with Qt framework GUI. It may be successfully used for coverage analysis of the results of biclustering as well filtering or sorting biclusters by Gene Ontology (GO) identifiers or bicluster enrichment values. It may also be useful for parameter studies of biclustering algorithms. In future releases we plan to add different modules for visualizing and comparing different GO terms and biclusters.
GASPAD: A General and Efficient mm-Wave Integrated Circuit Synthesis Method Based on Surrogate Model Assisted Evolutionary Algorithm

The design and optimization (both sizing and layout) of mm-wave integrated circuits (ICs) have attracted much attention due to the growing demand in industry. However, available manual design and synthesis methods suffer from a high dependence on design experience, being inefficient or not general enough. To address this problem, a new method, called general mm-wave IC synthesis based on Gaussian process model assisted differential evolution (GASPAD), is proposed in this paper. A medium-scale computationally expensive constrained optimization problem must be solved for the targeted mm-wave IC design problem. Besides the basic techniques of using a global optimization algorithm to obtain highly optimized design solutions and using surrogate models to obtain a high efficiency, a surrogate model-aware search mechanism (SMAS) for tackling the several tens of design variables (medium scale) and a method to appropriately integrate constraint handling techniques into SMAS for tackling the multiple (high-) performance specifications are proposed. Experiments on two 60 GHz power amplifiers in a 65 nm CMOS technology and two mathematical benchmark problems are carried out. Comparisons with the state-of-art provide evidence of the important advantages of GASPAD in terms of solution quality and efficiency.
De-Interlacing Algorithm Using Spatial-Temporal Correlation-Assisted Motion Estimation

De-interlacing algorithms are used to convert interlaced video into progressive scanning format. The motion-adaptive technique provides acceptable picture quality, but the quality of the motion area still needs to be improved. Among the various de-interlacing techniques, the motion-compensated de-interlacing technique provides the best performance if the estimated motion information is reliable. However, it suffers from inaccurate motion estimation, and the weak error protection thus deteriorates the visual quality. This paper presents a motion-compensated de-interlacing algorithm with highly accurate motion estimation and robust error detection. In order to obtain more accurate motion information, spatial-temporal correlation-assisted motion estimation is proposed. The spatial and temporal correlations among the motion vectors (MVs) are exploited to find the true motion of the object. In order to reject incorrect temporal information, a hierarchical MV reliability verification is provided. The possible defects in both large and small areas can be detected effectively. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing algorithms and produces high quality de-interlaced results in various video sequences.
Detection of Along-Track Ground Moving Targets in High Resolution Spaceborn SAR Images

Future high resolution multi-aperture SAR satellites entail high potential for large-area traffic monitoring from space. While many approaches for detecting across-track moving vehicles in SAR images have already been published within the recent years, the detection of objects moving in along-track is still an issue to be solved. This paper deals with the detection of vehicles, mainly moving in along-track, in high resolution SAR images. The blurring effect caused by the along-track motion component is exploited for this detection scheme. The presented approach is based on a matched filter bank where the SAR image is processed with different matched filters. To extract a particular moving object from the filter bank, a specialized peak detector is employed. The proposed technique is demonstrated using data of an airborne SAR system (E-SAR from the DLR) and its potential is analyzed. KURZFASSUNG: Fur grossflachige Verkehrsuberwachung bieten sich zukunftige hochaufgeloste SAR-Aufnahmen an. Wahrend in den letzten Jahren verschiedene Ansatze zur Detektion von Fahrzeugen, die sich in across-track bewegen, veroffentlicht wurden, ist die Detektion von Fahrzeugen in along-track ein noch zu losendes Problem. In diesem Artikel wird ein Ansatz zur Detektion von Fahrzeugen, hauptsachlich in along-track fahrend, in SAR Bildern prasentiert. Der sogenannte Verschmierungseffekt eines Objektes, verursacht von dessen Bewegung in along-track, wird hierfur herangezogen. Der Ansatz basiert auf der Verwendung von unterschiedlichen Filtern zur Fokussierung des SAR Bildes. Um ein Bewegtobjekt aus dem Stapel der unterschiedlich fokussierten Bilder zu extrahieren, wird ein spezialisierter Peak-Detektor verwendet. Anhand von flugzeuggetragenen SAR Daten (E-SAR von DLR) wird diese Methode veranschaulicht und das Potential dieses Ansatzes analysiert.
Joint Scheduling and Layout Optimization to Enable Multi-Level Vectorization

We describe a novel loop nest scheduling strategy implemented in the R-Stream compiler 1 : the first scheduling formulation to jointly optimize a trade-off between parallelism, locality, contiguity of array accesses and data layout permutations in a single complete formulation. Our search space contains the maximal amount of vectorization in the program and automatically finds opportunities for automatic multi-level vectorization and simd-ization. Using our model of memory layout, we demonstrate that the amount of contiguous accesses, vectorization and simd-ization can be increased modulo data layout permutations automatically exposed by our technique. This additional degree of freedom opens new opportunities for the scheduler that were previously out of reach. But perhaps the most significant aspect of this work is to encompass an ever increasing number of traditional optimization phases into a single pass. Our approach offers a good solution to the fundamental problem of phase ordering of high-level loop transformations.
The immunologic response to xenografts. Recognition of mouse H-2 histocompatibility antigens by the rat.

The humoral response of rats to mouse xenografts included production of antibodies that detected the major histocompatibility alloantigens of donor mice with remarkable specificity. Although these antibodies were present in high titer, their effects were generally masked by “species-specific” activity until after appropriate absorptions. The absorption process produced significant anticomplementary activity in the absorbed sera, which may explain difficulties previously experienced in recognizing allospecificity in xenoantisera. The fact that histocompatibility alloantigens, unlike other alloantigens, are recognized readily by a xenogeneic host may indicate greater homology between major histocompatibility antigens of different species than was previously recognized.
Plasma-Assisted Reforming of Natural Gas for GTL: Part II—Modeling of the Methane–Oxygen Reformer

Computer modeling has been used to provide more detailed information about the alternative catalyst-free methane-oxygen reformer for a small scale gas-to-liquid module. The basic input data include 3-MPa process pressure, oxygen as oxidizer, and oxidizer/fuel equivalence ratio about 3 to provide H2 to CO ratio ≥1.7 needed for further direct liquefaction via Fisher-Tropsch processing. As a result, a reasonable temperature level of the reformer walls has been achieved that makes possible its engineering as the next step.
To be or to look different: the role of diversity in teamwork's satisfaction

The current organizational context is characterized by globalization and advanced innovations that require the development of knowledge related to the management of how to improve the benefits of human diversity, each day more present in the organizations involved in this scenario. At the same time, in these organizations, work teams are being frequently used as units of performance. This situation increases the need to understand the effects of diversity on the satisfaction of work teams. To that end, empirical data was collected in odontological work teams. The sample was composed of 68 health professionals, being 75% women. The information was raised using self-applied questionnaires that focused on perceived differences, real differences and on the satisfaction of the work teams. The results showed that satisfaction is predicted only by perceived differences (p=0,01), and not by real differences (p=0,70), obtaining a 9,2% of variance explained. Therefore, the professionals that perceived themselves as different from their colleagues were less satisfied than those who were visibly different age wise.
Attribute reduction and attribute characteristics of formal contexts

In this paper, by the definitions of meet-irreducible element we discuss attribute characteristics and attribute reduction of formal contexts. We first propose an effective method to determine whether an element is meet-irreducible. Then present an approach to judge the indispensable attributes and the dispensable attribute, by which the attribute reduction approach of formal contexts is also obtained. Furthermore, we show the corresponding reduction algorithm.
Recombinant activated factor VII in cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Perioperative microvascular bleeding is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and could be reduced by hemostatic drugs such as recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa). Few trials have investigated rFVIIa and each individually lacked power to detect a beneficial effect on transfusion of blood products or thromboembolic side effects. DESIGN Meta-analysis. SETTING Hospitals. PARTICIPANTS The authors performed a meta-analysis of 5 clinical trials (1 randomized, 3 propensity matched, and 1 case matched) that included 298 patients and indicated major clinical outcome (survival and thromboembolic events). INTERVENTIONS Four of the 5 studies used rFVII in refractory blood loss. Doses varied between 17 and 70 microg/kg (repeatable) and 90 microg/kg for a single dose. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The authors observed a nonsignificant reduction in the rate of surgical re-exploration (10/76 [13%] in the rFVIIa group v 42/74 [57%] in the control group, odds ratio [OR] = 0.25 [0.01-7.01], p for effect = 0.42), with a trend toward an increase in the rate of perioperative stroke (8/150 [5%] in the rFVIIa v 2/148 [1.4%] in the control arm, OR = 3.17 [0.83-12.10], p = 0.09) and no effect on mortality that was similar in the 2 groups (22/150 [15%] in the rFVIIa group and 22/148 [15%] in the control group [OR = 0.96 (0.50-1.86), p for effect=0.90]). CONCLUSIONS This analysis suggests that the hemostatic properties of rFVIIa could reduce the rate of surgical reexploration after cardiac surgery even if an increase of hazardous side effects (eg, perioperative stroke) could not be excluded. Because meta-analyses are hypothesis generating, this issue should be investigated further in large randomized controlled trials.
Aspiration-Level Adaptation in an American Financial Services Organization: A Field Study

Using field data from an American financial services organization, we examined the effects of three important variables in Cyert and March’s (1963) initial conceptualization of the aspiration-level adaptation process: The previous aspiration level, performance feedback, and social comparison. Past findings obtained in controlled contexts (Glynn et al. 1991; Lant 1992) have provided empirical support for the attainment discrepancy model (Lewin et al. 1944), which includes variables of the previous aspiration level and attainment discrepancy (i.e., performance feedback). We replicated these findings in the field: The effects of the previous aspiration level and attainment discrepancy on the current aspiration levels were significant and positive. In addition, we investigated the effect of social comparison using a variable based on the difference between the performance of the focal unit and the performance of comparable others (Greve 1998). Based on the assumption that decision makers in organizations will expect to observe similar performance levels among those in the same comparison group (Wood 1989), we posited that the effect of social comparison would be negative, reflecting managerial efforts to reduce performance discrepancies among similar units. The empirical results supported the prediction from this reasoning. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings for theory and research in organizational learning and the behavioral theory of the firm. (Organizations; Decision Making; Goal Setting )
Rejecting Astrophysical False Positives from the TrES Transiting Planet Survey: The Example of GSC 03885–00829

Ground-based wide-field surveys for nearby transiting gas giants are yielding far fewer true planets than astrophysical false positives, some of which are difficult to reject. Recent experience has highlighted the need for careful analysis to eliminate astronomical systems in which light from a faint eclipsing binary is blended with that from a bright star. During the course of the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey, we identified a system presenting a transit-like periodic signal. We obtained the proper motion and infrared color of this target (GSC 03885-00829) from publicly available catalogs, which suggested this star is an F dwarf, supporting our transit hypothesis. This spectral classification was confirmed using spectroscopic observations from which we determined the stellar radial velocity. The star did not exhibit any signs of a stellar mass companion. However, subsequent multicolor photometry displayed a color-dependent transit depth, indicating that a blend was the likely source of the eclipse. We successfully modeled our initial photometric observations of GSC 03885-00829 as the light from a K dwarf binary system superimposed on the light from a late F dwarf star. High-dispersion spectroscopy confirmed the presence of light from a cool stellar photosphere in the spectrum of this system. With this candidate, we demonstrate both the difficulty in identifying certain types of false positives in a list of candidate transiting planets and our procedure for rejecting these imposters, which may be useful to other groups performing wide-field transit surveys.
The Reader in the Text: The Construction of Literary Characters

When we read the description of a character, we receive explicit information and construct a semantic representation of his/her aspect and personality. This constructive process also involves inferential processes based on the elaboration of explicit information. In this article we examined the first introduction of four female characters in Italian novels. When readers reported information that was not given in the texts, we had evidence of their constructive processes based on their inferences and world knowledge. In our study readers tended to concretize traits that were not explicitly stated in the text, with high values of the Gini index, showing different concretizations in different readers. This tendency was quite pervasive among readers, regardless of gender, academic education and interest in the text read; such constructive process seems to be intrinsic to the act of reading itself.
Serverless computing: economic and architectural impact

Amazon Web Services unveiled their "Lambda" platform in late 2014. Since then, each of the major cloud computing infrastructure providers has released services supporting a similar style of deployment and operation, where rather than deploying and running monolithic services, or dedicated virtual machines, users are able to deploy individual functions, and pay only for the time that their code is actually executing. These technologies are gathered together under the marketing term "serverless" and the providers suggest that they have the potential to significantly change how client/server applications are designed, developed and operated. This paper presents two case industrial studies of early adopters, showing how migrating an application to the Lambda deployment architecture reduced hosting costs - by between 66% and 95% - and discusses how further adoption of this trend might influence common software architecture design practices.
Breakdown Point of Robust Support Vector Machines

Support vector machine (SVM) is one of the most successful learning methods for solving classiﬁcation problems. Despite its popularity, SVM has the serious drawback that it is sensitive to outliers in training samples. The penalty on misclassiﬁcation is deﬁned by a convex loss called the hinge loss, and the unboundedness of the convex loss causes the sensitivity to outliers. To deal with outliers, robust SVMs have been proposed by replacing the convex loss with a non-convex bounded loss called the ramp loss. In this paper, we study the breakdown point of robust SVMs. The breakdown point is a robustness measure that is the largest amount of contamination such that the estimated classiﬁer still gives information about the non-contaminated data. The main contribution of this paper is to show an exact evaluation of the breakdown point of robust SVMs. For learning parameters such as the regularization parameter, we derive a simple formula that guarantees the robustness of the classiﬁer. When the learning parameters are determined with a grid search using cross-validation, our formula works to reduce the number of candidate search points. Furthermore, the theoretical ﬁndings are conﬁrmed in numerical experiments. We show that the statistical properties of robust SVMs are well explained by a theoretical analysis of the breakdown point.
One-trial conditioned taste aversion in Lymnaea: good and poor performers in long-term memory acquisition

In the majority of studies designed to elucidate the causal mechanisms of memory formation, certain members of the experimental cohort, even though subjected to exactly the same conditioning procedures, remember significantly better than others, whereas others show little or no long-term memory (LTM) formation. To begin to address the question of why this phenomenon occurs and thereby help clarify the causal mechanism of LTM formation, we used a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedure on individuals of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis and analyzed their subsequent behavior. Using sucrose as an appetitive stimulus and KCl as an aversive stimulus, we obtained a constant ratio of `poor' to `good' performers for CTA–LTM. We found that approximately 40% of trained snails possessed LTM following a one-trial conditioning procedure. When we examined the time-window necessary for the memory consolidation, we found that if we cooled snails to 4°C for 30 min within 10 min after the one-trial conditioning, LTM was blocked. However, with delayed cooling (i.e. longer than 10 min), LTM was present. We could further interfere with LTM formation by inducing inhibitory learning (i.e. backward conditioning) after the one-trial conditioning. Finally, we examined whether we could motivate snails to acquire LTM by depriving them of food for 5 days before the one-trial conditioning. Food-deprived snails, however, failed to exhibit LTM following the one-trial conditioning. These results will help us begin to clarify why some individuals are better at learning and forming memory for specific tasks at the neuronal level.
Computer-Mediated Relationship Development: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

This study extends prior scholarship on the role of self-disclosure in relationship development on the Internet in three different cultures: Korea, Japan, and the United States. The duration of the online relationship was considered as well as the two typical dimensions (i.e., breadth and depth) of self-disclosure. The results suggest some cross-cultural differences and similarities in the associations between self-disclosure and relationship qualities. For Americans, Japanese, and Koreans, self-disclosure was directly associated with online relationship development. However, the relationship between self-disclosure and trust was positive only for Americans.