Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting Therapeutic Effects in 17 Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Who Were Treated with Sorafenib for More than 12 Months

Background and Objective: Sorafenib is recommended for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it is frequently discontinued because of adverse events, which greatly affects its therapeutic effects. Furthermore, because patients treated with sorafenib for a long period can presumably tolerate adverse events, this study aimed to identify their characteristics and analyze factors affecting the therapeutic effects of the drug. Subjects and Methods: Seventeen patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received sorafenib for 12 months or longer at our hospital between January 2009 and October 2015 were included. In these 17 patients, factors affecting the time to untreatable progression were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model, Kaplan-Meier curve, and log-rank test. Results: In the 17 patients, the mean sorafenib dose was 433 mg/day. The drug was discontinued in 12 patients, 9 (75%) of whom discontinued it because of progressive disease. The median time to untreatable progression was 23.1 months. The contributors to favorable therapeutic effects included administration of at least two sessions of concomitant therapy after initiating sorafenib therapy, a low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and a decreased total bilirubin level. Conclusion: Achieving favorable therapeutic effects of sorafenib requires strict dose adjustment that allows better control of adverse events and long-term administration of the drug. Furthermore, combining sorafenib with other therapies, a low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and a decreased total bilirubin level are useful predictors of favorable effects.
Autonomous Marine Sampling Enhanced by Strategically Deployed Drifters in Marine Flow Fields

We present a transportable system for ocean observations in which a small autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) adaptively collects spatially diverse samples with aid from a team of inexpensive, passive floating sensors known as drifters. Drifters can provide an increase in spatial coverage at little cost as they are propelled about the survey area by the ambient flow field instead of with actuators. Our iterative planning approach demonstrates how we can use the ASV to strategically deploy drifters into points of the flow field for high expected information gain, while also adaptively sampling the space. In this paper, we examine the performance of this heterogeneous sensing system in simulated flow field experiments.
Fast, Diverse and Accurate Image Captioning Guided by Part-Of-Speech

Image captioning is an ambiguous problem, with many suitable captions for an image. To address ambiguity, beam search is the de facto method for sampling multiple captions. However, beam search is computationally expensive and known to produce generic captions. To address this concern, some variational auto-encoder (VAE) and generative adversarial net (GAN) based methods have been proposed. Though diverse, GAN and VAE are less accurate. In this paper, we first predict a meaningful summary of the image, then generate the caption based on that summary. We use part-of-speech as summaries, since our summary should drive caption generation. We achieve the trifecta: (1) High accuracy for the diverse captions as evaluated by standard captioning metrics and user studies; (2) Faster computation of diverse captions compared to beam search and diverse beam search; and (3) High diversity as evaluated by counting novel sentences, distinct n-grams and mutual overlap (i.e., mBleu-4) scores.
Las garrapatas de la República de Colombia

Osorno Mesa es considerado como el fundador de los estudios de entomología médica en Colombia, ocupó la Silla No. 20 en la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias. Médico de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (1927) y Doctor en Medicina y Cirugía (1935). Fue nombrado médico jefe de las comisiones sanitarias antianémicas en los departamentos del Valle, Caldas y Cundinamarca, médico entomólogo en la sección de estudios especiales del Ministerio de Trabajo, Higiene y Previsión Social, médico jefe del laboratorio de entomología de la División de Malariología del Servicio Cooperativo Interamericano de Salud Pública (1947) y en 1964, fue designado como jefe del subgrupo de entomología en el Instituto Nacional de Salud. Sus investigaciones estuvieron encaminadas hacia artrópodos de interés médico. Se desempeñó como profesor de la cátedra de entomología de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (19441945) y de la cátedra de Biología y Parasitología de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (19511963). Fue autor de 51 publicaciones. El trabajo académico seleccionado se puede considerar como un tesoro. Es un trabajo que requiere la atención de todos aquellos investigadores que han trabajado o trabajarán en este grupo de artrópodos. Con la exposición de esta obra el doctor Osorno Mesa dio ingreso a la Academia Nacional de Medicina y recibió, en esa oportunidad, los elogios del doctor Roberto Franco quien manifestó que la comunicación “representa una de las contribuciones más valiosas a la parasitología de nuestra patria. A todos nuestros médicos y a todos los que se interesen por estos estudios debo recomendar encarecidamente este trabajo como el más completo que hasta hoy existe entre nosotros, con la convicción de que encontrarán en él la más segura y acertada guía para sus investigaciones”. Las garrapatas en general al ser transmisoras de enfermedades a los animales y a los humanos ocupan un lugar tan importante como el de los insectos y al ser hematófagas desempeñan un papel relevante en nuestro país. En el estudio, inicialmente se detallan los caracteres generales de las garrapatas y posteriormente se presentan las claves para las familias Argasidae e Ixodidae del suborden Ixodoidea del orden Acari y sus respectivos géneros y especies incluyendo las descritas y halladas en Colombia y las conocidas de la República de Panamá. Los hallazgos y las observaciones se obtuvieron con un trabajo de campo extenuante realizado en 15 departamentos de Colombia con los auspicios del Ministerio de Trabajo, Higiene y Previsión Social en cooperación con la División Sanitaria Internacional de la Fundación Rockefeller.
MRI evaluation of congenital coronary artery fistulae

Congenital coronary artery fistula is a rare disease and MRI is a promising technique that may be useful to demonstrate the coronary artery tree. We report three patients who underwent cardiac MRI to investigate right coronary artery fistulae. On clinical examination, a continuous murmur was heard along the left sternal border, and chest X-ray showed moderate cardiomegaly with enlargement of right chambers in all patients. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography showed fistulae in two cases; the third case was not demonstrated by transthoracic or transoesophageal echocardiography. MRI demonstrated the course of the fistulous vessels in all patients. All patients underwent surgical closure of their coronary artery fistulae. MRI may show detailed anatomy of congenital coronary artery fistulae and may be useful as an additional non-invasive method in their investigation.
Detection of recombinant and endogenous mouse melatonin receptors by monoclonal antibodies targeting the C‐terminal domain

Melatonin receptors play important roles in the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms, sleep, retinal functions, the immune system, depression, and type 2 diabetes development. Melatonin receptors are approved drug targets for insomnia, non‐24‐hour sleep‐wake disorders, and major depressive disorders. In mammals, two melatonin receptors (MTRs) exist, MT1 and MT2, belonging to the G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. Similar to most other GPCRs, reliable antibodies recognizing melatonin receptors proved to be difficult to obtain. Here, we describe the development of the first monoclonal antibodies (mABs) for mouse MT1 and MT2. Purified antibodies were extensively characterized for specific reactivity with mouse, rat, and human MT1 and MT2 by Western blot, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and proximity ligation assay. Several mABs were specific for either mouse MT1 or MT2. None of the mABs cross‐reacted with rat MTRs, and some were able to react with human MTRs. The specificity of the selected mABs was validated by immunofluorescence microscopy in three established locations (retina, suprachiasmatic nuclei, pituitary gland) for MTR expression in mice using MTR‐KO mice as control. MT2 expression was not detected in mouse insulinoma MIN6 cells or pancreatic beta‐cells. Collectively, we report the first monoclonal antibodies recognizing recombinant and native mouse melatonin receptors that will be valuable tools for future studies.
Twin Support Vector Machine With Local Structural Information for Pattern Classification

Many versions of support vector machine with structural information exploit the useful prior knowledge to directly improve the algorithm’s generalization. The prior knowledge embodies the structure of data, but it cannot fully reflect the local nonlinear structure of data. In this paper, a twin support vector machine with local structural information (LSI-TSVM) is proposed. The LSI-TSVM embeds the local within-class and between-class distribution information of data, which makes it contain not only the original global within-class clustering and between-class margin but also the local within-class and between-class scatters. Furthermore, our LSI-TSVM is extended to a nonlinear version with a kernel trick. All experiments show that our LSI-TSVM is superior to the state-of-the-art algorithms in a generalization performance.
Submit! A web-based system for providing automatic feedback to large classes

This paper presents the Submit! project which aims to enhance teaching and learning in computing by developing automated web-based tools that assist in providing critical feedback to students about the computer programs they write. By developing sophisticated computer-based tools that will improve our monitoring of student progress and maintenance of consistent standards we aim to provide structured assessment with a level of detail and consistency that would be difficult or impossible to provide manually. By allowing students to use the critiquing tools before final submission of an assignment we offer formative assessment that supports self-directed learning. Submit! has been integrated into many computing units at Macquarie University. Usability evaluations show that Submit! generally effective while needing improvement in certain areas. A preliminary study of the impact of Submit! on student results shows that students who make use of the system to get feedback on assignment submissions do better than those who don’t.
Reaching key populations through key venues: Insights from the Jamaica HIV Prevention Program

Introduction HIV prevention strategies often include outreach to female sex workers at social venues identified as places where people meet new sexual partners. Patrons and staff at these venues may include female sex workers, their clients, as well as others who have high rates of new sexual partnerships. Few studies have compared HIV/STI among venue-based and general populations, across types of venues, or by sub-group of the venue population. Program planners often assume that the prevalence of infection is highest among female sex workers and considerably lower among other people at these venues, but there are few empiric studies assessing the prevalence of infection by sex worker status and type of venue. Methods In 2011, we used the PLACE method to identify public venues where people meet new sexual partners across Jamaica. The study team visited all venues with reported sex work as well as a 10% random sample of other venues and subsequently interviewed and tested a probability sample of 991 venue patrons and workers for HIV and other STI. Results Community informants identified 1207 venues. All venues where sex work was reported (735 venues) and a random sample of the remainder (134 of 472) were selected for onsite visits. Of these, 585 were found and operational. At a stratified random sample of venues, survey teams interviewed and tested 717 women and 274 men. 394 women reported recent sex work and 211 of these women reported soliciting clients on the street. Women exchanging sex for money were more likely to be infected with HIV (5.4% vs 1.0%; OR = 5.6, 95% CI = 1.8,17.3) or syphilis (11.7% vs. 5.8%, OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.7,4,0) than other women, but not significantly more likely to be infected with gonorrhea (8.4% vs 7.8%; OR = 1.1,95% CI = 0.6,1.9), chlamydia (16.2% vs 21.6%;OR = 0.7,95% CI = 0.5,1.0) or trichomoniasis (23.0% vs 17.0%, OR = 1.5,95% CI = 0.9,2.2). Women at venues were more likely to report sex work and multiple partners than women interviewed in a 2008 national population-based household survey commissioned by the Ministry of Health. Conclusions In Jamaica, although the highest HIV prevalence was among street-based sex workers, the risk of HIV and STI extends to men and women at high risk venues, even those who do not self-identify as sex workers. Findings confirm the appropriateness of outreach to all men and women at these venues.
Relationship between motile sperm subpopulations identified in frozen‐thawed dog semen samples and their ability to bind to the zona pellucida of canine oocytes

Studies performed on ejaculates from several species have identified discrete subpopulations of motile sperm. In dogs, motile sperm subpopulations have also been described in fresh and frozen-thawed semen. The subpopulation of the most rapid and progressively motile sperm has been suggested to be the most likely source of fertilizing spermatozoa. However, the significance of subpopulation differences among dogs and ejaculates relative to fertility is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the relative proportion of motile sperm subpopulations in frozen-thawed dog semen samples and their ability to bind to the zona pellucida of canine oocytes. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the subpopulation of the most rapid and progressively motile sperm was significantly and positively correlated with zona pellucida-binding assays (ZBA) outcomes: each 10% increase in this subpopulation was associated with an increase of 1.5 sperm bound per oocyte. Subpopulations of hyperactivated-like or locally motile sperm were negatively correlated with the ZBA results. It was concluded that subpopulation differences among frozen-thawed dog semen samples determined differences in the number of sperm bound to the ZP of canine oocytes.
Dose-response relation between serum total cholesterol levels and overall cancer risk: evidence from 12 prospective studies involving 1,926,275 participants

Abstract This study aimed to clarify the association between serum total cholesterol (TC) levels and overall cancer risk. Study-specific relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using a random-effects model, and dose–response relation was also evaluated. Twelve prospective studies were identified with a total of 1,926,275 participants and 13,1676 cases. High levels of serum TC showed an inverse association with overall cancer risk (RR for the highest versus the lowest category: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.83 ∼ 0.90; I2 = 52.5%). A linear dose-response relation between serum TC levels and overall cancer risk was found (p = .004 for Wald test; I2 = 49.6%), and the pooled RR was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89 ∼ 0.94) for 3 mmol/L, 0.86 (95% CI: 0.81 ∼ 0.90) for 5 mmol/L, 0.80 (95% CI: 0.74 ∼ 0.87) for 7 mmol/L. Our dose-response meta-analysis of 12 prospective studies indicated that higher serum TC levels were significantly associated with reduced cancer risk.
Temporal understanding of human mobility: A multi-time scale analysis

The recent availability of digital traces generated by cellphone calls has significantly increased the scientific understanding of human mobility. Until now, however, based on low time resolution measurements, previous works have ignored to study human mobility under various time scales due to sparse and irregular calls, particularly in the era of mobile Internet. In this paper, we introduced Mobile Flow Records, flow-level data access records of online activity of smartphone users, to explore human mobility. Mobile Flow Records collect high-resolution information of large populations. By exploiting this kind of data, we show the models and statistics of human mobility at a large-scale (3,542,235 individuals) and finer-granularity (7.5min). Next, we investigated statistical variations and biases of mobility models caused by different time scales (from 7.5min to 32h), and found that the time scale does influence the mobility model, which indicates a deep coupling of human mobility and time. We further show that mobility behaviors like transportation modes contribute to the diversity of human mobility, by exploring several novel and refined features (e.g., motion speed, duration, and trajectory distance). Particularly, we point out that 2-hour sampling adopted in previous works is insufficient to study detailed motion behaviors. Our work not only offers a macroscopic and microscopic view of spatial-temporal human mobility, but also applies previously unavailable features, both of which are beneficial to the studies on phenomena driven by human mobility.
Performance Analysis of an Ultra Wideband Transceiver for Real- Time Localization

In this paper, an ultra wideband localization system based on the Deca Wave DW1000 chipset is investigated in detail regarding the achievable precision and accuracy in different measurement scenarios. System parameters, such as channel selection, bandwidth, preamble length and measurement method will be explained in detail and their influence on the localization performance is estimated. Statistically evaluated measurements in different environments with a prototype system consisting of a single anchor and a tag are then used to confirm the theory.
Electrochemical performance of ZnO-coated Li4Ti5O12 composite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries with the voltage ranging from 3 to 0.01 V

Oxide is widely used in modifying cathode and anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In this work, a facile method of radio magnetron sputtering is introduced to deposit a thin film on Li4Ti5O12 composite electrodes. The pristine and modified Li4Ti5O12 electrodes are characterized at an extended voltage range of 3–0.01 V. The reversible capacity reaches a high level of 286 mAh g−1, which is a little less than its theoretical capacity (293 mAh g−1). Electrodes modified by ZnO thin films with various thickness show elevated rate capability and improved cycle performance.
An accessible approach for corneal topography

Corneal topography consists of measuring the corneal shape, which is a key factor for visual acuity. The exam is used, for instance, in keratoconus detection, personalized contact lens fitting, in preand post-procedures associated with refractive surgery and corneal transplants. This thesis presents an accessible, inexpensive and portable approach to perform corneal topographies. The results obtained with our prototype show a mean difference of about 0.02 millimeters, equivalent to 0.5% of the mean corneal radius, when compared to topographies acquired with a commercial device. Our approach is based on Placido’s disks, a set of concentric disks that are placed in front of the patient’s eye and reflected on the cornea. Observing the deformation of the projected pattern, one can identify some refractive conditions (e.g., astigmatism, keratoconus) and estimate the patient’s corneal topography. We have built a clip-on device to be used with a cell phone to emit the patterns, which are then captured by the cell phone camera. We use a software pipeline to enhance the images, segment the patterns, associate the emitted pattern with the captured one to sample the signal, and finally estimate the corneal surface. The estimated shape is then decomposed using Zernike polynomials in components with specific optical meanings. We have evaluated the results obtained with our prototype in three ways: visual inspection of keratoscopies, keratoconus detection, and comparison with the results produced by a commercial corneal topographer. According to such analysis, our device can be used for screening of individuals with keratoconus, and to obtain corneal topographies with 0.02-millimeter differences with respect to the results obtained with a commercial corneal topographer.
Accurate Content Push for Content-Centric Social Networks: A Big Data Support Online Learning Approach

With the rapid growth of the social network, information overload becomes a critical issue. Service providers push a lot of redundant contents and advertisements to users every day. Thus, users’ interests and the probability of reading them have dropped considerably and the network load is wasted. To address this issue, accurate content push is needed, where the main challenges are proving precise descriptions of users and supporting the big data nature of users and contents. Content-centric networking (CCN) has emerged as a new network architecture to meet today's requirement for content access and delivery. By using the named content, CCN makes it possible to track users’ real-time interests and motivates us studying a novel content accurate push (or called content recommendation) system. In this paper, we model this issue as a novel contextual multiarmed bandit based Monte Carlo tree search problem and propose a big data support online learning algorithm to meet the demand of content push with low cost. To avoid destroying CCN's energy efficient feature, the energy consumption is considered into our module. Then, we theoretically prove that our online learning algorithm achieves sublinear regret bound and sublinear storage, which is very efficient in the big data context and do not increase the network burden. Experiments in an offline collected dataset show that our approach significantly increases the accuracy and convergence speed against other state-of-the-art bandit algorithms and can overcome the cold start problem as well.
Intelligent reliability analysis

An ideal automated reliability analysis system would take a CAD model as input, then identify critical components and output failure probabilities. Unfortunately, the practical systems in use today require a fault tree/spl minus/a kind of and/or graph/spl minus/as their input. Since the cognitive distance between the CAD model and its associated fault tree is large, the manual translation step is a source of many mistakes. Furthermore, the use of fault trees makes it difficult to handle the cyclical dependencies that naturally occur among system components. The functional dependency graph, a representation midway between CAD models and fault trees, is described and methodology that automates reliability and diagnostic analyses is developed. When the resultant technology is employed, the knowledge burden is more equally shared between the user and the computer. In addition, more complicated systems can be properly analyzed because cyclical dependencies can be represented. <<ETX>>