Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Relapse to Alcohol and Illicit Drugs After Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Liver Disease

Background. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a common indication for transplantation worldwide. This study identifies factors predicting posttransplant recidivism. Methods. Clinical and laboratory data were reviewed. Uni- and multivariate analyses for survival and relapse to alcohol and illicit drugs were performed. Result. Between July 1995 and November 2007, 387 patients underwent liver transplantation at our institution. Of these, 147 patients (38%) were found to have ALD. Five patients (3.4%) were excluded because of perioperative mortality. Overall survival was 96.2%, 89.6%, and 84.4% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, with a median follow-up of 41.2 months. Twenty-seven patients (19%) returned to alcohol after transplantation. By univariate analysis, depression was the only significant factor affecting survival (P=0.01), whereas posttransplant relapse to alcohol trended toward significance (P=0.059). Multivariate analysis showed both factors to be independently associated with poor survival (P=0.008 and 0.017, respectively). Factors associated with relapse included less than 12 months of abstinence before transplant (P=0.019) and participation in rehabilitation (P=0.026). Multivariate analysis showed pretransplant abstinence less than 12 months as the only independent factor (P=0.037) associated with alcohol relapse after transplantation. Twenty-five patients (17.2%) had documented drug use after transplantation. Drug abuse before transplantation was the only independent predictor of drug abuse after transplantation (P=0.017). Conclusions. Excellent results can be obtained in patients undergoing liver transplantation for ALD, though depression and recidivism adversely impact survival. In our series, abstinence less than 12 months was associated with relapse to alcohol. Similarly, those with prior drug abuse are more likely to continue drug use after transplantation.
Assessing similarity matching for possible integration of feature classifications of geospatial data from official and informal sources

One difficulty in integrating geospatial data sets from different sources is variation in feature classification and semantic content of the data. One step towards achieving beneficial semantic interoperability is to assess the semantic similarity among objects that are categorised within data sets. This article focuses on measuring semantic and structural similarities between categories of formal data, such as Ordnance Survey (OS) cartographic data, and volunteered geographic information (VGI), such as that sourced from OpenStreetMap (OSM), with the intention of assessing possible integration. The model involves ‘tokenisation’ to search for common roots of words, and the feature classifications have been modelled as an XML schema labelled rooted tree for hierarchical analysis. The semantic similarity was measured using the WordNet::Similarity package, while the structural similarities between sub-trees of the source and target schemas have also been considered. Along with dictionary and structural matching, the data type of the category itself is a comparison variable. The overall similarity is based on a weighted combination of these three measures. The results reveal that the use of a generic similarity matching system leads to poor agreement between the semantics of OS and OSM data sets. It is concluded that a more rigorous peer-to-peer assessment of VGI data, increasing numbers and transparency of contributors, the initiation of more programs of quality testing and the development of more directed ontologies can improve spatial data integration.
Phenoxybenzamine in the management of neuropathic bladder following spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND The present study aims to show the clinical and urodynamic effects of phenoxybenzamine on the neuropathic bladder of spinal cord-injured patients who failed to be free of catheter by attaining satisfactory voiding function, despite initial bladder training. METHODS Forty-six spinal cord-injured patients were subjected to pharmacological manipulation with phenoxybenzamine. It was used as an adjunct in the management of neuropathic bladder dysfunction that caused failure of the bladder to empty, by tapping or crede to achieve satisfactory residual urine volume of < 100 mL. Phenoxybenzamine was started with a dose of 10 mg daily, increased by 10 mg every 3 days to a dose of 30 mg daily; this was maintained from 3 weeks to 6 months (mean: 39 days). The pre-treatment residual urine volume ranged between 100 and 1050 mL (mean: 360 mL). Follow-up periods ranged between 12 and 36 months (mean: 16 months). RESULTS Five patients (11%) were excluded due to either inadequate treatment or inadequate follow-up. Nineteen patients (41%) with reflex (upper motor neurone) bladders showed improvement of bladder evacuation. There was a reduction of the maximum urethral closure pressure, which ranged between 10 and 32 cm of water (mean: 22 cm). Twenty-two patients (48%) did not respond, requiring other measures to be taken which included transurethral surgery (n = 19). Nine of the failures involved areflex (lower motor neurone) bladders, and seven failures involved reflex bladders with an extremely tight outlet and urethral closure pressure of > 50 cm of water. Six failures involved reflex bladders that were lacking strong enough detrusor contractions to attain a balanced bladder responsive to abdominal tapping; response was achieved by administration of a parasympatheticomimetic drug. Neuropathic bladders with uninhibited detrusor contractions responded well to phenoxybenzamine. CONCLUSIONS Phenoxybenzamine proved useful in reducing bladder outlet resistance after spinal cord injury, provided that detrusor bladder contractions were present. It is useful in controlling detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia and autonomic hyperreflexia. It was not useful in areflex bladders, perhaps due to the development of spasticity of the striated muscle component of the external sphincter. The presence of bladder neck (internal sphincter) dysfunction may modify or abolish its effect.
Signal requirements for the in vitro differentiation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL): distinct soluble mediators promote preactivation of CTL‐precursors, clonal growth and differentiation into cytotoxic effector cells

We describe here that the requirement of accessory cells for the polyclonal activation of high‐density (resting) murine T lymphocytes can be bypassed by soluble mediators present in culture supernatants of concanavalin A (Con A)‐activated murine spleen cells. Induction of responsiveness is confined to Lyt‐2+ T cells; GK 1.5+ T helper cells require signals provided by accessory cells. Using this system the lymphokine signal requirements for the polyclonal activation of Lyt‐2+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) precursors could be defined. We show that Con A fails to trigger in Lyt‐2+ responder T cells the expression of interleukin 2 (IL 2) receptors and assume that this explains why recombinant (rec) DNA‐derived IL2 fails to induce proliferative responses. Complementation of rec IL2 with an IL2 receptor‐inducing factor (RIF) induces proliferative responses. RIF alone triggers IL2 receptor expression in 10–12% of Lyt‐2+ T cells exposed to Con A. This lymphokine appears to be distinct from colony‐stimulating factor 1, IFN‐γ and IL1.
Magnitude and Frequency of Forces in Geomorphic Processes

The relative importance in geomorphic processes of extreme or catastrophic events and more frequent events of smaller magnitude can be measured in terms of (1) the relative amounts of "work" done on the landscape and (2) in terms of the formation of specific features of the landscape. For many processes, above the level of competence, the rate of movement of material can be expressed as a power function of some stress, as for example, shear stress. Because the frequency distributions of the magnitudes of many natural events, such as floods, rainfall, and wind speeds, approximate log-normal distributions, the product of frequency and rate, a measure of the work performed by events having different frequencies and magnitudes will attain a maximum. The frequency at which this maximum occurs provides a measure of the level at which the largest portion of the total work is accomplished. Analysis of records of sediment transported by rivers indicates that the largest portion of the total load is carried by flows which occur on the average once or twice each year. As the variability of the flow increases and hence as the size of the drainage basin decreases, a larger percentage of the total load is carried by less frequent flows. In many basins 90 per cent of the sediment is removed by storm discharges which recur at least once every five years. Transport of sand and dust by wind in general follows the same laws. The extreme velocities associated with infrequent events are compensated for by their rarity, and it is found that the greatest bulk of sediment is transported by more moderate events. Many rivers are competent to erode both bed and banks during moderate flows. Observations of natural channels suggest that the channel shape as well as the dimensions of meandering rivers appear to be associated with flows at or near the bankfull stage. The fact that the bankfull stage recurs on the average once every year or two years indicates that these features of many alluvial rivers are controlled by these more frequent flows rather than by the rarer events of catastrophic magnitude. Because the equilibrium form of wind-blown dunes and of wave-formed beaches is quite unstable, the frequency of the events responsible for their form is less clearly definable. However, dune form and orientation are determined by both wind velocity and frequency. Similarly, a hypothetical example suggests that beach slope oscillates about a mean value related in part to wave characteristics generated by winds of moderate speed. Where stresses generated by frequent events are incompetent to transport available materials, less frequent ones of greater magnitude are obviously required. Closer observation of many geomorphic processes is required before the relative importance of different processes and of events of differing magnitude and frequency in the formation of given features of the landscape can be adequately evaluated.
Unique Glycerophospholipid Signature in Retinal Stem Cells Correlates with Enzymatic Functions of Diverse Long‐Chain Acyl‐CoA Synthetases

Lipidomics is an emerging research field that comprehensively characterizes lipid molecular species and their metabolic regulation and biological roles. We performed the first lipidomics study on glycerophospholipids (GPLs) in adult mammalian retinal stem cells (RSCs) and non‐RSC control cells. A unique GPL signature identified by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry showed new prominent peaks of 16:0 (sn‐1)‐18:0 (sn‐2) or 16:0–16:0 saturated fatty acids, instead of 18:0–20:4 or 18:0–22:6 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, at 720 m/z of phosphatidylethanolamine, 764 m/z of phosphatidylserine, and 809 m/z of phosphatidylinositol in RSCs (sphere colony RSCs and enriched RSCs), but not in non‐RSCs (retinal cells, ciliary cells, sphere colony‐derived retinal cells, and nonretinal cells). To seek whether the GPL signature was associated with long‐chain acyl‐CoA synthetase (LACS), a potential modulator of fatty acid profiles in de novo GPL synthesis, we analyzed gene expression, catabolic activity, substrate selectivity, and inhibitor sensitivity of diverse LACSs. LACSs in RSCs mediated less utilization by GPLs of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, including arachidonic acid (20:4 [n‐6], a second messenger in cell signaling), which was accompanied by lower plasma membrane fluidity in proliferating RSCs compared with differentiated non‐RSCs. These novel findings suggest that LACS‐associated GPL signature and cell membrane fluidity may participate in regulating proliferation versus differentiation in RSCs and, perhaps, other types of stem cells.
Coding Techniques for Failure- Tolerant Counters

This paper delineates an application of two classes of parity-check codes to the design for failure-tolerant counters. They are 1) a modified first-order Reed-Muller code and 2) the perfect Hamming code. The first code employs a majority element for implementing the error-correcting scheme while the second one makes use of a variable 2j-2+1-out-of-2j-1+1 majority element. These coding techniques can be applied in principle to other logic hardware to increase its reliability.
The Pho85 kinase, a member of the yeast cyclin‐ dependent kinase (Cdk) family, has a regulation mechanism different from Cdks functioning throughout the cell cycle

The PHO85 gene is a negative regulator of the PHO system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and encodes a protein kinase (Pho85p) which is highly homologous to the Cdc28 kinase (Cdc28p). Although the two kinases share a 51% identity and their functional domains are well conserved, PHO85 fails to replace CDC28. Pho85p forms complexes with G1‐cyclin homologues, including Pcl1p, Pcl2p and Pcl9p, and is thought to be involved in the cell‐cycle regulation at G1 and the end of M. By analysing the genetic and biochemical properties of Pho85p, we studied whether the regulation of Pho85p activity is similar to other cyclin‐dependent kinases (Cdks) directly involved in cell cycle regulation.
Effects of gangliosides on the expression of autoimmune demyelination in the peripheral nervous system

To test whether gangliosides (GA) might exert neuritogenic effects in vivo, experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) was studied clinically, neuropathologically, and immunologically in Lewis rats immunized with bovine peripheral nerve, P2 myelin protein, P2 myelin protein plus two different doses of GA, P2 with galactocerebroside (GC), and GA alone, each emulsified in adjuvant. All except the GA‐treated group developed signs of EAN between days 11 and 14 after the injection. Rats immunized with P2 alone were the most severely affected. Rats given P2 plus GA and those given P2 plus GC displayed a significantly lower clinical score. Histological analysis revealed a comparable degree of inflammation of the peripheral nervous system and demyelination in the spinal nerve roots of bovine peripheral nerve‐and P2‐immunized rats. The P2 plus GA and P2 plus GC groups revealed similar degrees of pathology in the spinal nerve roots but the latter group stood apart from the rest in that it showed widespread peripheral nervous system changes extending distally into the sciatic nerve. Serological analysis demonstrated that P2 and GC, but not GA, elicited antibody (IgG) responses, but there was no correlation between antibody titer and clinical or histological involvement. The present data fail to support an enhancing role for gangliosides in the expression of EAN and, by extrapolation, in the Guillain‐Barré syndrome, for which EAN serves as the laboratory model, and in which suggestions have been made that antibodies to GA may have pathogenetic significance.
Solubilization of the Cytoplasmic Membrane of Escherichia coli by Triton X-100

Treatment of a partially purified preparation of cell walls of Escherichia coli with Triton X-100 at 23 C resulted in a solubilization of 15 to 25% of the protein. Examination of the Triton-insoluble material by electron microscopy indicated that the characteristic morphology of the cell wall was not affected by the Triton extraction. Contaminating fragments of the cytoplasmic membrane were removed by Triton X-100, including the fragments of the cytoplasmic membrane which were normally observed attached to the cell wall. Treatment of a partially purified cytoplasmic membrane fraction with Triton X-100 resulted in the solubilization of 60 to 80% of the protein of this fraction. Comparison of the Triton-soluble and Triton-insoluble proteins from the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane fractions by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after removal of the Triton by gel filtration in acidified dimethyl formamide indicated that the detergent specifically solubilized proteins of the cytoplasmic membrane. The proteins solubilized from the cell wall fraction were qualitatively identical to those solubilized from the cytoplasmic membrane fraction, but were present in different proportions, suggesting that the fragments of cytoplasmic membrane which are attached to the cell wall are different in composition from the remainder of the cytoplasmic membrane of the cell. Treatment of unfractionated envelope preparations with Triton X-100 resulted in the solubilization of 40% of the protein, and only proteins of the cytoplasmic membrane were solubilized. Extraction with Triton thus provides a rapid and specific means of separating the proteins of the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli.
Flow-Force Analysis in a Hydraulic Sliding-Spool Valve

Original scientific paper The necessary forces for the control of a hydraulic sliding-spool valve are normally determined by the stationary axial momentum forces of the oil flow through a valve. These forces increase with an increase in the volume flow and the pressure difference. Because of the limited actuating-force potential of normal electromechanical actuators, the direct actuation of conventional valves is limited to small dimensions of valves. To make possible the use of directly actuated valves also for higher hydraulic power and to utilize the direct valve actuation also for higher flows and pressures, the flow forces acting on the valve piston in the axial direction must be compensated. This is possible with an appropriate flow stream of fluid through the valve through which the axial component of the flow forces in a conventional valve is reduced. This research work presents an analysis and compensation of the flow forces through an appropriate construction of a hydraulic piston valve of nominal size 6.
Melody analysis for prediction of the emotions conveyed by Sinhala songs

This paper describes our attempt of assessing the capability of music melodies in isolation in order to classify music files into different emotional categories in the context of Sri Lankan music. In our approach, Melodies (predominant pitch sequences) are extracted from songs and the feature vectors are created from them which are ultimately subjected to supervised learning approaches with different classifier algorithms and also with classifier accuracy enhancing algorithms. The models we trained didn't perform well enough to classify songs into different emotions, however they always showed that the melody is an important factor for the classification. Further experiments with melody features along with some non-melody features showed us that those feature combinations perform much better, hence brought us to the conclusion that, even though, the melody plays a major role in differentiating the emotions into different categories, it needs the support of other features too for a proper classification.
Fine Resolution Photonic Spectral Processor Using a Waveguide Grating Router With Permanent Phase Trimming

Spectrally dispersed light from a fine resolution waveguide grating router (WGR) of 25-GHz free spectral range that radiates to free space is spatially filtered at ~1 GHz optical resolution and 50 MHz spectral addressability using a liquid crystal on Silicon (LCoS) spatial light modulator (SLM). Fabrication imperfections leading to phase errors on the 32 waveguide arms of the WGR are corrected using a UV pulsed laser to inscribe permanent optical path changes to the waveguides. WGR phase errors are permanently trimmed waveguide-by-waveguide with an excimer laser by inducing stress in the glass cladding above the waveguide for coarse setting and using the photosensitivity effect for fine setting. The WGR was then mated with an LCoS SLM located at the Fourier plane to form a photonic spectral processor, for arbitrary spectral amplitude and phase manipulations.
Automated subject classification of textual web documents

Purpose - To provide an integrated perspective to similarities and differences between approaches to automated classification in different research communities (machine learning, information retrieval and library science), and point to problems with the approaches and automated classification as such. Design/methodology/approach - A range of works dealing with automated classification of full-text web documents are discussed. Explorations of individual approaches are given in the following sections: special features (description, differences, evaluation), application and characteristics of web pages. Findings - Provides major similarities and differences between the three approaches: document pre-processing and utilization of web-specific document characteristics is common to all the approaches; major differences are in applied algorithms, employment or not of the vector space model and of controlled vocabularies. Problems of automated classification are recognized. Research limitations/implications - The paper does not attempt to provide an exhaustive bibliography of related resources. Practical implications - As an integrated overview of approaches from different research communities with application examples, it is very useful for students in library and information science and computer science, as well as for practitioners. Researchers from one community have the information on how similar tasks are conducted in different communities. Originality/value - To the author's knowledge, no review paper on automated text classification attempted to discuss more than one community's approach from an integrated perspective.
A Proposed Public Key Management Scheme for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

The main objective of this paper is to find a key management scheme that is suitable for mobile ad hoc networks using some of the results introduced in the first part of the paper. The paper proposes a public key management scheme, called Ad Hoc Public Key Management (AdHocPKM). AdHocPKM integrates the advantages of distributed key generation, threshold-multisignatures, self-certified public keying and self-certificates to yield a secure, trustworthy key management service with a high availability feature. The proposed scheme is operated solely by the end-users and does not require any offline trusted third party or a priori sharing of keying material. This addresses the major problem in providing key management services for mobile ad hoc networks, without compromising security.
Threshold-based opportunistic zero-forcing beamforming for two-user downlink systems with outage constraints

In this paper, we present the exact outage analysis of the two-user downlink systems using the threshold-based opportunistic zero-forcing beamforming (TBO-ZFB) with a second mobile station's outage constraint. TBO-ZFB dynamically switches between a beamforming weight vector and a zero-forcing beamforming (ZFB) weight vector (using linear precoding for first mobile station (MS)) by comparing the values between a second MS's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a predetermined threshold. We provide that the threshold is satisfied with the second MS's outage constraint. Numerical results show that the outage performance of first MS using TBO-ZFB is better than the ZFB and the threshold is satisfied with the second MS's outage constraints.