Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal Functional Dependencies Based on Interval Relations

In the last years the representation and management of temporal information has become crucial for several computer applications. In the temporal database literature, every fact stored into a database may be equipped with two temporal dimensions: the valid time, that describes the time when the fact is true in the modeled reality, and the transaction time, that describes the time when the fact is current in the database and it can be retrieved. Temporal functional dependencies (TFDs) add (transaction) valid time to classical functional dependencies (FDs) in order to express database integrity constraints over the flow of time. Currently, proposals dealing with TFDs adopt a point-based approach, where tuples hold at specific time points. Moreover, TFDs may involve the use of different granularities (i.e., partitions of the time domain), to express integrity constraints as "for each month, the salary of an employee depends only on his role". At the best of our knowledge, there are no proposals dealing with interval-based temporal functional dependencies (ITFDs for short) where the associated valid time is represented by an interval. In this paper, we propose a set of ITFDs based on the Allen's interval relations, we analyze their expressive power with respect to other TFDs proposed in the literature and we propose an algorithm for verifying ITFDs in a database system.
Comparative professional plaque removal study using 8 branded toothbrushes.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Considerable interest has been shown in the plaque removal properties of modern toothbrush designs. The primary aim of the study was to compare the plaque removal properties of 8 relatively recent designs of manual toothbrush using a professional tooth brusher and within a commonly used time frame. A secondary aim was established to utilise the data to observationally appraise plaque accumulation together with the patterns of removal as a consequence of using the timed professional tooth brusher. METHOD The method was an 8-period, single-examiner, randomized, blind cross-over study involving 24 healthy volunteers, balanced for residual effects. Subjects accumulated plaque over a 4 day no oral hygiene period. On day 4, the accumulated plaque was scored by plaque index at the mesial, mid and distal sites of each of the buccal and lingual surfaces of the assessed teeth. Subjects were then removed from the assessment area where they received a professional brushing timed to last 48 s. Brushing was completed according to pre-study training without toothpaste and was followed by a re-scoring of the remaining plaque. A washout period of 3 days was then allowed prior to the next period during which normal oral hygiene was resumed. RESULTS Similar quantities of plaque accumulated in each arch, although the difference between the buccal and lingual surfaces was of the order of 30%. The professional toothbrusher removed approximately 40% of the accumulated plaque in the 48 s allocated. The buccal surfaces were most effectively cleaned (approximately 45%) compared with the lingual (approximately 25%), with the plaque removal in the mesial and mid sections approaching 40% and 60% respectively. The difference in performance between the test brushes corresponded to 5% of the residual plaque values with none being significantly more efficient overall. Pair wise site comparisons did produce differences of the order of 10% (p=0.004) at the mesio-buccal, and 8% (p=0.030) at the mid-buccal sites respectively in favour of 2 brushes compared to one other brush. CONCLUSIONS These data derived from a standardized brushing method support the contention of many researchers that there is no one superior design of manual toothbrush. The minor and few site differences in favour of some brushes are unlikely to be of clinical significance to gingival health. This leaves uncontested the conclusion that the user is by far the most significant variable. Perhaps methods such as used in the present study could be more gainly employed to set a minimum standard of toothbrush efficacy.
The Frequency of HLA-B27 in a Colombian Population with Signs of Spondyloarthritis.

BACKGROUND The strong association between HLA-B27 and spondyloarthritis (SpA) has demonstrated that typing the HLA-B27 antigen is a crucial step in diagnosis and aids in defining the progression and severity of disease. OBJECTIVE To describe the frequency of HLA-B27 in Colombian individuals with clinical manifestations associated with SpA. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY We retrospectively analyzed 4109 HLA-B27 typing requests to the Hospital Militar Central and the Instituto de Referencia Andino from Colombian individuals with clinical signs suggestive of SpA between 2009 and 2012. We used basic digital cytometry followed by Polymerase Chain Reaction with sequence specific primers when confirmation was needed. We determined the frequency of HLA-B27 in the population and levels of association of HLA-B27 with SpA. RESULTS Our population included 1585 men (36.8%) and 2524 women (61.4%). The predominant age range was between 19 and 45 years (49.9%). The majority (95.4%) of the study population came from the Andean region and eastern plains. The most frequent clinical manifestations were peripheral. Only a small fraction (12.1%) of the 4109 subjects was HLA-B27 positive. Of those, 56.9% were male, and 54.7% were between 19 and 45 years old. In contrast, when rheumatologists referred the HLA B27, 64% were found to be positive. CONCLUSION The frequency of the HLA-B27 allele in individuals with clinical signs suggestive of SpA was low, in accordance with the lower prevalence found in Colombian patients diagnosed with SpA compared to American and European population.
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with PHACE Syndrome

Practitioners who work with children with posterior fossa, facial hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, cardiovascular anomalies, and abnormalities of the eye (PHACE) syndrome need information about neurodevelopmental outcomes to provide appropriate anticipatory guidance and education for parents. This study aimed to determine the neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with PHACE syndrome and identify which children may be at greatest risk for delays.
Chip-Scale Integration of Data-Gathering Microsystems

Integrated microsystems merging embedded computing with sensing and actuation are poised to dramatically expand our ability to gather information from the nonelectronic world. Examples include a microassembled multichip electronic interface to the brain, an integrated electrofluidic gas chromatography system for environmental monitoring, and a wireless intra-arterial microsystem for pressure and flow measurements. In general, such microsystems will consist of a few chips, integrated in generic platforms that are customized for a given application by the sensors selected and by software. This paper illustrates this approach with a 0.15-cm/sup 3/ multisensor microsystem for autonomously sensing and storing environmental and biological data. The microsystem is formed using on-board pressure/temperature/humidity sensors, off-board strain gauges and neural/EMG electrodes, a custom sensor-interface chip, a mixed-signal microcontroller, and a nonvolatile memory. These components allow the acquisition and storage of multidomain data at low power levels (< 50 /spl mu/W reading capacitive sensors at 1 Hz). The system is programmable in gain (0.4-3.2 mV/fF), offset (10b), accuracy (14b), and sampling rate (0.1 Hz-10 kHz) and is integrated in a micromachined silicon platform that implements through-wafer interconnects, solder-based microconnectors, and recessed cavities for chip-stacking. The microsystem is realized in 9.5 mm/spl times/7.6 mm/spl times/2.0 mm (0.15 cm/sup 3/) (< 0.5 cm/sup 3/ with a lithium battery).
Research on Interactive dialogues Question Answering System

Question Answering is a type of information retrieval. Then, Speech Question Answering is a kind of information retrieval which requires complex natural language processing techniques together with the speech recognition techniques. Most probably, QA system is used at web site by giving certain questions as the input and the web server will try to retrieve the answer from the database. Besides, there is another type of informational retrieve system called telephony IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) system which is very commonly used. Most of the question answering system which is probably used is somehow a unidirectional communication with the user, that is, the system is not able enough to have interaction with the users, however, there is a trend of developing a bidirectional question answering system with some interactive dialogues as the importance of artificial intelligence is running up. Here, our research is following this trend by using speech. Here, our focus will be on researching this field and let the East Asian Games (EAG) be the domain of our research. That is, the spoken question will be recognized by our speech engine and our system will extract a correct answer, or gives some other communicative dialogues if the question is out of our domain, in response to the questions spoken by the user. There are two main parts in our research: one is QA system and the other one is the speech recognition development.
Is Judging Time-to-Contact Based on ‘Tau’?

An investigation was undertaken into whether judgments of time-to-contact between a laterally moving object and a bar are based on the direct perception of an optical variable (tau), or on the ratio between the perceived distance and perceived velocity of the object. A moving background was used to induce changes in the perceived velocities without changing the optical variables that specify time-to-contact. Background motion induced large systematic errors in the estimated time-to-contact. It is concluded that the judgment of time-to-contact is primarily based on the ratio between the perceived distance and the perceived velocity, and not on tau.
Cognitive impairment in incident, untreated Parkinson disease

Background: Little is known regarding the cognitive impairment in subjects with early, drug-naïve Parkinson disease (PD). The aim of this study was to explore the proportion with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subtypes in an incidence cohort of untreated PD in Southern and Western Norway. Methods: A total of 196 non-demented, drug-naive patients who were recruited after an extensive search of all new cases of PD in the area and 201 healthy control subjects completed a battery of neuropsychological tests of verbal memory, visuospatial, and attentional-executive functioning. Subjects were classified as MCI if the age- and education-corrected z-score was falling 1.5 standard deviations below the mean for at least one of the cognitive domains. Results: The PD group was more impaired on all neuropsychological tests than controls, but the effect sizes were small. The largest effect size was found for verbal memory. A total of 18.9% of the patients with PD were classified as MCI, with a relative risk of 2.1 (1.2–3.6) in PD compared to the control group. Patients with PD with and without MCI did not differ significantly regarding demographic and motor features. Among PD-MCI patients, nearly two-thirds had a non-amnestic MCI subtype, and one third had an amnestic MCI subtype. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate a twofold increase in the proportion with cognitive impairment in subjects with early, untreated Parkinson disease (PD) compared to controls. This has implications for diagnosis and management of PD. AD = Alzheimer disease; aMCI-MD = amnestic multiple-domain MCI; aMCI-SD = amnestic single-domain MCI; CVLT-2 = California Verbal Learning Test II; IQCode = Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive decline in the elderly; MADRS = Montgomery and Aasberg Depression Rating Scale; MCI = mild cognitive impairment; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination; naMCI-MD = non-amnestic multiple-domain MCI; naMCI-SD = non-amnestic single-domain MCI; PD = Parkinson disease; RR = relative risks; UPDRS = Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale; VOSP = Visual Object and Space Perception Battery.
Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Versus Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Study Design. Prospective study. Objective. Comparison of clinical and radiologic outcomes of minimally invasive (MIS) versus Open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Summary of Background Data. Open TLIF has been performed for many years with good results. MIS TLIF techniques have recently been introduced with the aim of smaller wounds and faster recovery. Methods. From 2004–2006, 29 MIS TLIF were matched paired with 29 Open TLIF. Patient demographics and operative data were collected. Clinical assessment in terms of North American Spine Society, Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form-36, and Visual Analogue scores were performed before surgery, 6 months and 2 years after surgery. Fusion rates based on Bridwell grading were assessed at 2 years. Results. The mean age for MIS and Open procedures were 54.1 and 52.5 years, respectively. There were 24 females and 5 males in both groups. Fluoroscopic time (MIS: 105.5 seconds, Open: 35.2 seconds, P < 0.05) and operative time (MIS: 216.4 minutes, Open: 170.5 minutes, P < 0.05) were longer in MIS cases. There was less blood loss in MIS (150 mL) versus Open (681 mL) procedures (P < 0.05). The total morphine used for MIS cases (17.4 mg) was less compared to Open (35.7 mg, P < 0.05). MIS (4 days) patients have shorter hospitalization compared to Open (6.7 days, P < 0.05). Both MIS and Open groups showed significant improvement in Oswestry Disability Index (P < 0.05), back pain and lower limb symptoms (North American Spine Society and Visual Analogue scores, P < 0.05), and Quality of Life scores (Short Form-36, P < 0.05) at 6 months and 2 years, but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Eighty percent of MIS and 86.7% of Open TLIF levels achieved grade 1 fusion (P > 0.05). Conclusion. MIS TLIF has similar good long-term clinical outcomes and high fusion rates of Open TLIF with the additional benefits of less initial postoperative pain, early rehabilitation, shorter hospitalization, and fewer complications.
Building a prototype using Human-Centered design to engage older adults in healthcare decision-making.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities are higher in older adults, which is one of the key factors of rising health care costs. Health care stakeholders wish older adults to take more control of their health to delay the onset of age-related disabilities and chronic diseases. Engaging older adults in their health care decision making would cut down health care costs and prepare a health care system to be more sustainable. OBJECTIVE We used the Human-Centered Design approach to propose a prototype that more effectively engages older adults in their health care decision-making. METHODS Four participants from four different countries - Taiwan, USA, Austria, and Germany; and two facilitators from the USA participated in this study. The participants interviewed a total of four subjects in their respective countries. This study used the Human-Centered Design approach, which embraced three main phases - observation, identification, and ideation. Each phase involved brainstorming, voting, and consensus among participants. RESULTS This study derived 14 insights, 20 categories, 4 themes, a conceptual framework, some potential solutions, and a prototype. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that older adults could be engaged in their health care decision-making by offering them health care products and services that were user-friendly and technology enabled. A 'gradual change management plan' could assist older adults to adopt technologies more effectively. The health care products and services should be centered on the needs of older adults. Moreover, the possibilities of older adults maintaining control over their own health may rely on proper timing, a personal approach, right products, and services.
Distributed Testing of Conductance

We study the problem of testing conductance in the setting of distributed computing and give a two-sided tester that takes $\mathcal{O}(\log(n) / (\epsilon \Phi^2))$ rounds to decide if a graph has conductance at least $\Phi$ or is $\epsilon$-far from having conductance at least $\Phi^2 / 1000$ in the distributed CONGEST model. We also show that $\Omega(\log n)$ rounds are necessary for testing conductance even in the LOCAL model. In the case of a connected graph, we show that we can perform the test even when the number of vertices in the graph is not known a priori. This is the first two-sided tester in the distributed model we are aware of. A key observation is that one can perform a polynomial number of random walks from a small set of vertices if it is sufficient to track only some small statistics of the walks. This greatly reduces the congestion on the edges compared to tracking each walk individually.
Adsorption uptake of synthetic organic chemicals by carbon nanotubes and activated carbons

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great promise as high performance materials for adsorbing priority pollutants from water and wastewater. This study compared uptake of two contaminants of interest in drinking water treatment (atrazine and trichloroethylene) by nine different types of carbonaceous adsorbents: three different types of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), three different sized multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs), two granular activated carbons (GACs) and a powdered activated carbon (PAC). On a mass basis, the activated carbons exhibited the highest uptake, followed by SWNTs and MWNTs. However, metallic impurities in SWNTs and multiple walls in MWNTs contribute to adsorbent mass but do not contribute commensurate adsorption sites. Therefore, when uptake was normalized by purity (carbon content) and surface area (instead of mass), the isotherms collapsed and much of the CNT data was comparable to the activated carbons, indicating that these two characteristics drive much of the observed differences between activated carbons and CNT materials. For the limited data set here, the Raman D:G ratio as a measure of disordered non-nanotube graphitic components was not a good predictor of adsorption from solution. Uptake of atrazine by MWNTs having a range of lengths and diameters was comparable and their Freundlich isotherms were statistically similar, and we found no impact of solution pH on the adsorption of either atrazine or trichloroethylene in the range of naturally occurring surface water (pH = 5.7–8.3). Experiments were performed using a suite of model aromatic compounds having a range of π-electron energy to investigate the role of π–π electron donor–acceptor interactions on organic compound uptake by SWNTs. For the compounds studied, hydrophobic interactions were the dominant mechanism in the uptake by both SWNTs and activated carbon. However, comparing the uptake of naphthalene and phenanthrene by activated carbon and SWNTs, size exclusion effects appear to be more pronounced with activated carbon materials, perhaps due to smaller pore sizes or larger adsorption surface areas in small pores.
Up Regulation of cystathione γ lyase and Hydrogen Sulphide in the Myocardium Inhibits the Progression of Isoproterenol–Caffeine Induced Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Wistar Kyoto Rats

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is an emerging molecule in many cardiovascular complications but its role in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is unknown. The present study explored the effect of exogenous H2S administration in the regression of LVH by modulating oxidative stress, arterial stiffness and expression of cystathione γ lyase (CSE) in the myocardium. Animals were divided into four groups: Control, LVH, Control-H2S and LVH-H2S. LVH was induced by administering isoprenaline (5mg/kg, every 72 hours, S/C) and caffeine in drinking water (62mg/L) for 2 weeks. Intraperitoneal NaHS, 56μM/kg/day for 5 weeks, was given as an H2S donor. Myocardial expression of Cystathione γ lyase (CSE) mRNA was quantified using real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). There was a 3 fold reduction in the expression of myocardial CSE mRNA in LVH but it was up regulated by 7 and 4 fold in the Control-H2S and LVH-H2S myocardium, respectively. Systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulse wave velocity were reduced (all P<0.05) in LVH-H2S when compared to the LVH group. Heart, LV weight, myocardial thickness were reduced while LV internal diameter was increased (all P<0.05) in the LVH-H2S when compared to the LVH group. Exogenous administration of H2S in LVH increased superoxide dismutase, glutathione and total antioxidant capacity but significantly reduced (all P<0.05) plasma malanodialdehyde in the LVH-H2S compared to the LVH group. The renal cortical blood perfusion increased by 40% in LVH-H2S as compared to the LVH group. Exogenous administration of H2S suppressed the progression of LVH which was associated with an up regulation of myocardial CSE mRNA/ H2S and a reduction in pulse wave velocity with a blunting of systemic hemodynamic. This CSE/H2S pathway exhibits an antihypertrophic role by antagonizing the hypertrophic actions of angiotensin II(Ang II) and noradrenaline (NA) but attenuates oxidative stress and improves pulse wave velocity which helps to suppress LVH. Exogenous administration of H2S augmented the reduced renal cortical blood perfusion in the LVH state.
Parenchymal-Sparing Surgery for the Surgical Treatment of Multiple Colorectal Liver Metastases Is a Safer Approach than Major Hepatectomy Not Impairing Patients' Prognosis: A Bi-Institutional Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Background: The performance of parenchymal-sparing hepatectomy (PSH) versus major hepatectomy (MH) in patients with multiple colorectal liver metastases (CLM) is a matter that is yet debated. We investigated the outcome of patients with multiple CLM undergoing PSH instead of MH. Methods: Databases at 2 institutions were reviewed. A propensity score-matched analysis was applied. Among 554 patients, 110 undergoing PSH and 110 undergoing MH were matched. They were similar in baseline characteristics, comorbidity, and tumor features. Primary outcomes were short- and long-term outcomes. Results: Morbidity was significantly higher in the MH group, while mortality was not significantly different. There were no differences in free-margins width, but a trend of increased survival was seen in the PSH group with a median advantage of 6 months over the MH group. Among the prognostic factors, the T status (hazard ratio [HR] 2.6; p = 0.001), the N status (HR 2.9; p = 0.001), the timing of CLM diagnosis (HR 2.1; p = 0.002), the tumor number (HR 2.0; p = 0.001), the tumor size (HR 2.2; p = 0.015), and the neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1.7; p = 0.023) were found to be statistically and independently significant for survival. Conclusions: PSH conveys advantage over MH in terms of decreased postoperative morbidity, and a trend of survival benefit. PSH should be considered a suitable alternative to MH whenever it is technically feasible.