Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WikiIdRank++: EXTENSIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS OF THE WikiIdRank SYSTEM FOR ENTITY LINKING

The amount of information available on the Web has grown considerably in recent years, leading to the need to structure it in order to access it in a quick and accurate way. In order to develop techniques to automate the structuring process, the Knowledge Base Population (KBP) track of the Text Analysis Conference (TAC) was created. This forum aims to encourage research in automated systems capable of capturing knowledge in unstructured information. One of the tasks proposed in the context of the KBP track is named entity linking, and its goal is to link named entities mentioned in a document to instances in a reference knowledge base built from Wikipedia. This paper focuses on the entity linking task in the context of KBP 2010, where two different varieties of this task were considered, depending on whether the use of the text from Wikipedia was allowed or not. Specifically, the paper proposes a set of modifications to a system that participated in KBP 2010, named WikiIdRank, in order to improve its performance. The different modifications were evaluated in the official KBP 2010 corpus, showing that the best combination increases the accuracy of the initial system in a 7.04%. Though the resultant system, named WikiIdRank++, is unsupervised and does not take advantage of Wikipedia text, a comparison with other approaches in KBP indicates that the system would rank as 4th (out of 16) in the global comparison, outperforming other approaches that use human supervision and take advantage of Wikipedia textual contents. Furthermore, the system would rank as 1st in the category of systems that do not use Wikipedia text.
Local Toxicity from Local Anesthetic Polymeric Microparticles

BACKGROUND:Local tissue injury from sustained-release formulations for local anesthetics can be severe. There is considerable variability in reporting of that injury. We investigated the influence of the intrinsic myotoxicity of the encapsulated local anesthetic (lidocaine, low; bupivacaine, high) on tissue reaction in rats. METHODS:Cytotoxicity from a range of lidocaine and bupivacaine concentrations was measured in C2C12 myotubes over 6 days. Rats were given sciatic nerve blocks with 4 microparticulate formulations of lidocaine and bupivacaine: 10% (w/w) lidocaine poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA), 10% (w/w) bupivacaine PLGA, 50% (w/w) lidocaine PLGA, and 50% (w/w) bupivacaine PLGA. Effectiveness of nerve blockade was assessed by a modified hotplate test and weightbearing measurements. Myotoxicity was scored in histologic sections of injection sites. Bupivacaine and lidocaine release kinetics from the particles were measured. RESULTS:Median sensory blockade duration for 50% (w/w) lidocaine was 255 (90–540) minutes versus 840 (277–1215) minutes for 50% (w/w) bupivacaine (P = 0.056). All microparticulate formulations resulted in myotoxicity. The choice of local anesthetic did not influence the severity of myotoxicity. Median myotoxicity scores for 50% (w/w) lidocaine compared with 50% (w/w) bupivacaine at 4 days were 3.4 (2.1–4.2) vs 3.3 (2.9–3.5) (P = 0.44) and at 14 days 1.9 (1.8–2.4) vs 1.7 (1.3–1.9) (P = 0.23), respectively. CONCLUSIONS:Lidocaine and bupivacaine PLGA microspheres resulted in similar degrees of myotoxicity, irrespective of drug loading. Intrinsic myotoxicity did not predict tissue injury from sustained release of these anesthetics. Caution is warranted in the use of such devices near muscle and nerve.
A Mixture Model-Based Combination Approach for Outlier Detection

In this paper, we propose an approach that combines different outlier detection algorithms in order to gain an improved effectiveness. To this end, we first estimate an outlier score vector for each data object. Each element of the estimated vectors corresponds to an outlier score produced by a specific outlier detection algorithm. We then use the multivariate beta mixture model to cluster the outlier score vectors into several components so that the component that corresponds to the outliers can be identified. A notable feature of the proposed approach is the automatic identification of outliers, while most existing methods return only a ranked list of points, expecting the outliers to come first; or require empirical threshold estimation to identify outliers. Experimental results, on both synthetic and real data sets, show that our approach substantially enhances the accuracy of outlier base detectors considered in the combination and overcome their drawbacks.
Tabu Search to Solve the Shape from Shading Ambiguity

The three-dimensional reconstruction of an object from one gray-scale image is a basic problem in computer vision. This problem is known by Shape From Shading. It is considered as an ill-posed due to the ambiguity of the convexity or the concavity of the surface to be reconstructed. A method of solving the ambiguity based on the singular points of the image was proposed in this paper. It uses tabu search to determine the optimal solution of the solution space. The proposed method determines all 3D objects for an image in a short time. The proposed method has been tested on synthetic and real images, it was compared with another method of resolution.
The Influence of Spinal Flexion in the Lateral Decubitus Position on the Unilaterality of Spinal Anesthesia

BACKGROUND:For unilateral spinal block, local anesthetics should affect the spinal nerves of 1 side. With full flexion of the spine, the sunken cauda equina becomes tightened and is suspended in the middle of the subarachnoid space. We performed this study to assess whether spinal flexion facilitates unilateral spinal anesthesia. METHODS:Hyperbaric bupivacaine (8 mg) was administered at the L3-4 interspace through a 25-gauge Quincke needle at a rate of 0.02 mL/s. Patients were randomly allocated to group F (with full spinal flexion) or group N (the hips and back straightened). After maintaining the lateral position for 15 minutes with or without spinal flexion, patients were gently returned to the supine position. Spinal blockade was assessed by loss of pinprick sensation and the modified Bromage motor scale. RESULTS:While the lateral position was maintained, sensory block was noted on the nondependent side in 14 of 16 patients in group N (87.5%) but only in 1 of 16 patients in group F (6.3%) (P < 0.001). The median level of sensory block in group N was L5 on the nondependent side just before turning to the supine position. When patients were returned to the supine position, sensory blockade on the nondependent side was noted in all group N patients (100%) and 15 group F patients (93.7%). The sensory level on the nondependent side between group N and group F were similar after turning supine. CONCLUSIONS:Strict unilateral sensory block was not achieved even after lateral decubitus positioning with spinal flexion, when 8 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine was administered manually at a conventionally slow rate through a beveled spinal needle. However, maintaining flexion of the spinal column during lateral decubitus positioning altered the initial onset of sensory block with respect to laterality.
Information Blending in Virtual Associative Networks: A New Paradigm for Sensor Integration

Research reported in this article is motivated, in part, by current U.S. military programs aimed at the development of efficient data integration and sensor management methods capable of handling large sensor suites and achieving robust target recognition performance in real time scenarios. Modern sensor systems have shown good recognition abilities against a few isolated targets. However, these capabilities decline steeply when multiple sensors are acting against large target groups under realistic conditions requiring dynamic allocation of the sensor resources and efficient on-line integration and disambiguation of multiple sensor outputs. Neural networks and other sensor integration technologies have been inspired by cognitive models attributing human perceptual integration to parallel processing and convergence of simultaneous data streams. This article explores a different model emphasizing serial processing and association of consecutive memory traces in the Long Term Memory (LTM) into a globally connected memory structure called a Virtual Associative Network (VAN). Information integration in VAN is called blending. Target representation is constructed dynamically from the segments of virtual net matched serially against the input segments in the Short Term Memory (STM). This article will elaborate the concept of blending, reference its biological foundations, explain the difference between information blending and conventional sensor fusion techniques, and demonstrate blending applications in a large scale sensor management task.
Towards a Model for Multidatabase Transactions

In many application areas the information that may be of interest to a user is stored under the control of multiple, autonomous database systems. To support global transactions in a multidatabase environment, we must coordinate the activities of multiple Database Management Systems that were designed for independent, stand-alone operation. The autonomy and heterogeneity of these systems present a major impediment to the direct adaptation of transaction management mechanisms developed for distributed databases. In this paper we introduce a transaction model designed for a multidatabase environment. A multidatabase transaction is defined by providing a set of (local) sub-transactions, together with their precedence and dataflow requirements. Additionally, the transaction designer may specify failure atomicity and execution atomicity requirements of the multidatabase transaction. These high-level specifications are then used by the scheduler of a multidatabase transaction to assure that its execution satisfies the constraints imposed by the semantics of the application. Uncontrolled interleaving of multidatabase transactions may lead to the violation of interdatabase integrity constraints. We discuss the issues involved in a concurrent execution of multidatabase transactions and propose a new concurrency control correctness criterion that is less restrictive than global serializability. We also show how the multidatabase SQL can be extended to allow the user to specify multidatabase transactions in a nonprocedural way.
SEEPAGE PROPERTIES OF ROCK FRACTURES WITH POWER LAW LENGTH DISTRIBUTIONS

Fractures with power law length distributions abound in nature such as carbonate oil and gas reservoirs, sandstone, hot dry rocks, etc. The fluid transport properties and morphology characterization of fracture networks have fascinated numerous researchers to investigate for several decades. In this work, the analytical models for fracture density and permeability are extended from fractal fracture network to general fracture network with power law length distributions. It is found that the fracture density is related to the power law exponents [Formula: see text] and the area porosity [Formula: see text] of fracture network. Then, a permeability model for the fracture length distribution with general power law exponent [Formula: see text] and the power law exponent [Formula: see text] for fracture length versus aperture is proposed based on the well-known cubic law in individual fracture. The analytical expression for permeability of fractured networks is found to be a function of power law exponents [Formula: see text], area porosity [Formula: see text] of fracture network, and the micro-structural parameters (maximum fracture length [Formula: see text], fracture azimuth [Formula: see text] and fracture dip angle [Formula: see text]). The present model may shed light on the mechanism of seepage in fracture networks with power law length distributions.
Venous leg ulcer: incidence and prevalence in the elderly.

BACKGROUND Venous leg ulcer is a disease most common in those aged 65 years and older. However, the incidence and prevalence have not been well established. OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of venous leg ulcers in the elderly. METHODS We studied the General Practice Research Database, validated our case ascertainment strategy, and estimated the annual prevalence and incidence of venous leg ulcer. RESULTS The positive predictive value of our ascertainment strategy was 98.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.0, 100.0). The annual prevalence of venous leg ulcer among the elderly was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.65, 1.74). The overall incidence rate was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.71, 0.83) for men and 1.42 (1.35, 1.48) per 100 person-years for women. CONCLUSION Venous leg ulcer is a significant problem in those aged 65 years and older. As compared with previous studies, because we used medical records from a population of known size, our results are precise and less biased.
NNT mutations: a cause of primary adrenal insufficiency, oxidative stress and extra-adrenal defects.

OBJECTIVE Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT), one of the several genes recently discovered in familial glucocorticoid deficiencies (FGD), is involved in reactive oxygen species detoxification, suggesting that extra-adrenal manifestations may occur, due to the sensitivity to oxidative stress of other organs rich in mitochondria. Here, we sought to identify NNT mutations in a large cohort of patients with primary congenital adrenal insufficiency without molecular etiology and evaluate the degree of adrenal insufficiency and onset of extra-adrenal damages. METHODS Sanger or massive parallel sequencing of NNT and patient monitoring. RESULTS Homozygous or compound heterozygous NNT mutations occurred frequently (26%, 13 unrelated families, 18 patients) in our cohort. Seven new mutations were identified: p.Met337Val, p.Ala863Glu, c.3G>A (p.Met1? ), p.Arg129*, p.Arg379*, p.Val665Profs*29 and p.Ala704Serfs*19. The most frequent mutation, p.Arg129*, was found recurrently in patients from Algeria. Most patients were diagnosed belatedly (8-18 months) after presenting severe hypoglycemia; others experiencing stress conditions were diagnosed earlier. Five patients also had mineralocorticoid deficiency at onset. One patient had congenital hypothyroidism and two cryptorchidism. In follow-up, we noticed gonadotropic and genitalia impairments (precocious puberty, testicular inclusions, interstitial Leydig cell adenoma, azoospermia), hypothyroidism and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Intrafamilial phenotype heterogeneity was also observed. CONCLUSIONS NNT should be sequenced, not only in FGD, but also in all primary adrenal insufficiencies for which the most frequent etiologies have been ruled out. As NNT is involved in oxidative stress, careful follow-up is needed to evaluate mineralocorticoid biosynthesis extent, and gonadal, heart and thyroid function.
Interval Piecewise Regression Model with Automatic Change-point Detection by Quadratic Programming

To handle large variation data, an interval piecewise regression method with automatic change-point detection by quadratic programming is proposed as an alternative to Tanaka and Lee's method. Their unified quadratic programming approach can alleviate the phenomenon where some coefficients tend to become crisp in possibilistic regression by linear programming and also obtain the possibility and necessity models at one time. However, that method can not guarantee the existence of a necessity model if a proper regression model is not assumed especially with large variations in data. Using automatic change-point detection, the proposed method guarantees obtaining the necessity model with better measure of fitness by considering variability in data. Without piecewise terms in estimated model, the proposed method is the same as Tanaka and Lee's model. Therefore, the proposed method is an alternative method to handle data with the large variations, which not only reduces the number of crisp coefficients of the possibility model in linear programming, but also simultaneously obtains the fuzzy regression models, including possibility and necessity models with better fitness. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed method.
Internet-Based Treatments - Experiences from Sweden

Worldwide, Gerhard Andersson is one of the most influential researchers working on internet-based psychological treatments. Moreover, he is also one of the leading researchers in the field of psychologically oriented tinnitus research. He is full professor of clinical psychology at Linkoping University and affiliated professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section Psychiatry. Professor Andersson has been highly productive, having produced more the 300 scientific papers. During his whole career he has worked part-time with patients. Apart from his own research and clinical work, Professor Andersson has editorial responsibilities for several journals including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Plos One, BMC Psychiatry, and Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. The interview was conducted by Professor Thomas Berger.
Endocrine and metabolic diurnal rhythms in young adult men born small vs appropriate for gestational age.

OBJECTIVE Sleep disturbances and alterations of diurnal endocrine rhythms are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We previously showed that young men born small for gestational age (SGA) and with increased risk of T2D have elevated fat and decreased glucose oxidation rates during nighttime. In this study, we investigated whether SGA men have an altered diurnal profile of hormones, substrates and inflammatory markers implicated in T2D pathophysiology compared with matched individuals born appropriate for gestational age (AGA). METHODS We collected hourly blood samples for 24 h, to measure levels of glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), triglycerides (TG), insulin, C-peptide, leptin, resistin, ghrelin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), incretins (GLP-1 and GIP), and inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-6) in 13 young men born SGA and 11 young men born AGA. RESULTS Repeated measurements analyses were used to analyze the diurnal variations and differences between groups. The SGA subjects had increased 24-h glucose (P=0.03), glucagon (P=0.03) and resistin (P=0.003) levels with no difference in diurnal rhythms compared with AGA controls. We found significant diurnal variations in levels of blood glucose, plasma TG, FFA, insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1, GIP, leptin, visfatin, TNF-α, IL-6 and PAI-1. The variation in FFA levels differed between the groups during the evening. Plasma ghrelin and glucagon levels did not display diurnal variations. CONCLUSIONS Young men born SGA exhibit elevated 24-h blood glucose, and plasma glucagon and resistin levels with no major differences in diurnal rhythms of these or other key metabolic hormones, substrates or inflammatory markers implicated in the origin of adiposity and T2D.
Fuzzy Set Based Protocols for Process Quality Control

Industrial process quality control has as yet been carried out using Shewhart's classic charts and control charts with probabilistic limits, using sampling statistics for average and deviation and , respectively, or Cp and Cpk, derived from them, in order to determine whether the process is precise or imprecise. Although these statistics has been formulated using crisp mathematics, their use returns statements about "quality control" which are full of vagueness (for example, the aforementioned idea of precise or imprecise processes). For this reason, it seems both natural and interesting to introduce tools from Fuzzy Sets Theory for the formulation of quality control models. Fuzzy Sets shall be used to study process quality capability and to generate a bilateral simultaneous control for the central tendency and a unilateral one for variability. We shall define linguistic rules in order to perform this control and membership functions for the sample control mean and deviation, and ŝ.
Portfolio Selection and Online Learning

This paper studies a new strategy for selecting portfolios in the stock market. The strategy is inspired by two streams of previous work: (1) work on universalization of strategies for portfolio selection, which began with Thomas Cover's work on constant rebalanced portfolios, published in 1991,4 and (2) more general work on universalization of online algorithms,17,21,23,30 especially Vladimir Vovk's work on the aggregating algorithm and Markov switching strategies.32 The proposed investment strategy achieves asymptotically the same exponential rate of growth as the portfolio that turns out to be best expost in the long run and does not require any underlying statistical assumptions on the nature of the stock market.
Health-related quality of life of patients with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulations: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE Health-related quality of life (HrQoL) is increasingly considered to be an important outcome of care for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of type of HPA axis dysregulation and cortisol status on HrQOL and its evolution with time and treatment. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS Between September 2007 and April 2014, HrQoL questionnaires were administered during routine management to all patients with HPA axis dysregulation hospitalized in a single department, and this was repeated after 6- 12-, 24- and 36-month during standard follow-up. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) were used simultaneously, with a common time schedule to measure the impact of HPA axis dysregulation on HrQoL. Multivariate mixed linear regression models were constructed to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS 343 patients (206 with Cushing's syndrome of pituitary origin, 91 with Cushing's syndrome of adrenal origin and 46 with Addison's disease) responded to the questionnaires. Overall, HrQoL scores were well below population values. Cushing syndrome of pituitary origin was associated with worse HrQoL, especially in physical dimensions. More than half of the patients, of all diagnoses and cortisol status, had psychological distress requiring attention according to the GHQ-12. Hypercortisolism had the greatest negative influence on HrQoL. CONCLUSIONS HRQoL appears significantly altered by all forms of HPA axis dysregulation, and most substantially and broadly by Cushing's syndrome, notably during periods of hypercortisolism. These effects on HRQoL deserve further consideration both in clinical practice and research.
Infinite Time Decidable Equivalence Relation Theory

We introduce an analog of the theory of Borel equivalence relations in which we study equivalence relations that are decidable by an infinite time Turing machine. The Borel reductions are replaced by the more general class of infinite time computable functions. Many basic aspects of the classical theory remain intact, with the added bonus that it becomes sensible to study some special equivalence relations whose complexity is beyond Borel or even analytic. We also introduce an infinite time generalization of the countable Borel equivalence relations, a key subclass of the Borel equivalence relations, and again show that several key properties carry over to the larger class. Lastly, we collect together several results from the literature regarding Borel reducibility which apply also to absolutely Delta_1^2 reductions, and hence to the infinite time computable reductions.