Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AUTOMATIC DETECTION AND SEGMENTATION OF THE SPINAL CANAL IN COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGES

A method for the automatic three-dimensional segmentation of the spinal canal in computed tomographic (CT) images is presented. The method uses a priori radiological and anatomical information, mathematical morphology, and region-growing methods. The skin and peripheral fat structures are determined by delineating the air and other materials external to the body. Using the fat layer as reference, the bone structure is segmented. The Hough transform for the detection of circles is applied to a cropped bone edge map that includes the thoracic vertebral structure. The centers of the detected circles are used as the seed voxels for the fuzzy connectivity algorithm that is employed to segment the spinal canal. The method was successfully applied to eight CT volumes of four patients.
A Randomized, Crossover Comparison of Herbal Medicine and Bromocriptine Against Risperidone-Induced Hyperprolactinemia in Patients With Schizophrenia

Hyperprolactinemia is a common adverse effect that occurs as a result of antipsychotic therapies, which often results in discontinuation. Empirical evidence has shown that some herbal medicines have suppressive effects on prolactin (PRL) hyperactivities. This study was designed to compare the herbal preparation called Peony-Glycyrrhiza Decoction (PGD) with bromocriptine (BMT), a dopamine agonist widely used for PRL-secreting disorders, in the treatment of risperidone-induced hyperprolactinemia. Twenty schizophrenic women who were under risperidone maintenance treatment, diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia (serum PRL levels >50 &mgr;g/L), and currently experiencing oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea were selected for the study. Subjects were randomized to additional treatment with PGD (45 g/d) followed by BMT (5 mg/d) or BMT followed by PGD at the same doses for 4 weeks each, with an interval of 4-week washout period between 2 treatment sessions. The severity of psychotic symptoms, adverse events, serum PRL, estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone levels were examined at baseline and end point. Peony-Glycyrrhiza Decoction treatment produced a significant baseline-end point decrease in serum PRL levels, without exacerbating psychosis and changing other hormones, and the decreased amplitudes were similar to those of BMT (24% vs 21%-38%). Moreover, there was a significantly greater proportion of patients during PGD treatment than BMT treatment showing improvements on adverse effects associated with hyperprolactinemia (56% vs 17%, P = 0.037). These results suggest that the herbal therapy can yield additional benefits while having comparable efficacy in treating antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia in individuals with schizophrenia.
Progress in searching for susceptibility loci and genes for smoking‐related behaviour

Smoking behaviour is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Many years of twin and adoption studies have demonstrated that heritability is at least 50% responsible for both smoking initiation and smoking persistence. Furthermore, the extent, to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to smoking behaviour, is significantly different in men and women. Linkage analyses from several independent studies provide evidences for suggested linkage of smoking behaviour to chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18 and 21. However, almost none of these loci have been replicated yet. Furthermore, numerous population‐based association studies have been performed to examine the effects of a number of candidate genes, such as cytochrome P450, dopamine receptor (DR) and transporter, serotonin transporter and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, on smoking behaviour. However, many of these reports have not yet received independent confirmation. Of these candidate genes, the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene has been extensively studied. Meta‐analysis of 12 reported studies showed a significantly higher prevalence of the DRD2 TaqI A1 allele in smokers than that in non‐smokers (p < 0.0001; pooled OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.33–1.70). For other candidate genes, insufficient published studies are available to allow a meta‐analysis to be performed, or meta‐analysis showed no significant difference between smokers and non‐smokers. More studies are necessary to determine whether these genes play a significant role in smoking behaviour.
Familial hyperprolinemia and mental retardation

HYPERPROLINEMIA is an inherited metabolic variant associated with mental retardation and characterized by an elevated plasma proline concentration and a specific aminoaciduria comprising increased excretion not only of proline but also of hydroxyproline and glycine. Two families with this syndrome have been fully reported in the literature to date.13 In these cases, hyperprolinemia was associated clinically with hereditary renal disease, congenital malformations of the kidney, and neurological findings including photogenic epilepsy, nerve deafness, and mental deficiency. Three families with hereditary nephritis and high blood proline levels, in which mental retardation was an inconstant finding, have also been d e ~ c r i b e d . ~ ~ This paper will concern itself with findings in an additional case of this inborn error of metabolism, representing the fist example of a second type of hyperprolinemia, biochemically and clinically distinct from past cases. The discussion will encompass a brief review of the first two cases, representing Type I hyperprolinemia, and a report of previously unpublished findings in the present case, followed by a theoretical consideration of the neurological correlates of this disease.
The differentiation of Carnobacterium divergens using the random amplification of polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction technique

The potential of the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD‐PCR) technique to differentiate Carnobacterium divergens from other members of the genus Carnobacterium was examined. A numerical analysis of the genomic profiles obtained demonstrated that it was possible to differentiate the C. divergens strains from other Carnobacterium strains using this technique. The heterogeneity observed in the representatives of the species C. piscicola adds further weight to the suggestion in other taxonomic studies that subspecies of this species exist.
Regional Cluster, Innovation and Export Performance: An Empirical Study

Regional clusters and innovations in product and processes are found in the literature as important determinants of firms' export performance. However, this relationship is still controversial and very highly constrained by industry, and by regions. Based on a more integrative perspective, the aim of the present article is to investigate the role of agglomeration economies of a regional cluster on the export performance of firms. Furthermore, we will test the mediating effect of innovation and the extent by which the technological intensity of the industry can perform a moderating effect between the constructs. Based on a sample of 100 export companies operating in the manufacturing industries, we use structural equation modeling to estimate the determinants of export performance. The results reveal that the agglomeration economies of a regional cluster have been found determinant factors of the export performance, as well as a significant source to generate innovations by firms. However, we found no evidence between the innovations in products and processes and export performance. The results have also shown that there are no differences among technological intensity of the industries, suggesting that the firms will access agglomeration resources of regional cluster in a complementary way to their internal resources.
Molecular cloning and sequencing of the gene for a halophilic alkaline serine protease (halolysin) from an unidentified halophilic archaea strain (172P1) and expression of the gene in Haloferax volcanii

The gene of a halophilic alkaline serine protease, halolysin, from an unidentified halophilic archaea (archaebacterium) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that halolysin consists of 411 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 41,963. The highest homology was found with thermitase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. Halolysin has a long C-terminal extension of approximately 120 amino acids which has not been found in other extracellular subtilisin type serine proteases. The gene, hly, was expressed in another halophilic archaea, Haloferax volcanii, in a medium containing 18% salts by using a plasmid shuttle vector which has a novobiocin resistance determinant as a selectable marker.
Convergence of alternating direction method for minimizing sum of two nonconvex functions with linear constraints

ABSTRACT The efficiency of the classic alternating direction method of multipliers has been exhibited by various applications for large-scale separable optimization problems, both for convex objective functions and for nonconvex objective functions. While there are a lot of convergence analysis for the convex case, the nonconvex case is still an open problem and the research for this case is in its infancy. In this paper, we give a partial answer on this problem. Specially, under the assumption that the associated function satisfies the Kurdyka–Łojasiewicz inequality, we prove that the iterative sequence generated by the alternating direction method converges to a critical point of the problem, provided that the penalty parameter is greater than 2L, where L is the Lipschitz constant of the gradient of one of the involved functions. Under some further conditions on the problem's data, we also analyse the convergence rate of the algorithm.
Technical Note for “ Multi-stage Intermediation in Display Advertising ”

In this technical report, we first characterize an optimal mechanism for intermediaries which are positioned between their captive buyers and a seller who runs a second-price auction when there is no restrictions on the set of mechanisms. This technical report also contains an analysis of the game between intermediaries and a seller, who are organized in a general tree network when agents select mechanisms within the class of strategy-proof (appropriately adapted to our setting) mechanisms where truthful reporting is a dominant strategy. We show that focusing on second-price mechanisms is i) without loss of optimality for the single-stage intermediation, and ii) without loss of optimality within the set of strategy-proof mechanisms for k-trees.
Characteristics of gestational diabetic mothers and their babies in an Indian diabetes clinic.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To compare clinical and metabolic features of mothers with gestational diabetes (GDM) and their offspring with those in non-diabetic pregnancies at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Pune, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS Antenatal information was obtained from hospital records. GDM was diagnosed by 75 g OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) in clinically high-risk women. Anthropometric measurements of mother and the babies were recorded within 24h of delivery and a maternal blood sample collected for hematological and biochemical measurements. RESULTS Between the period Jan 1998 to December 2003,265 women with gestational diabetes were treated in our Unit. Forty nine percent had first-degree relatives with diabetes. Compared to non-diabetic mothers (n=215) GDM mothers were older (29.0 vs. 26.0y, p<0.001), more obese (body mass index- BMI 26.0 vs. 22.0 kg/m2, p<0.001), centrally obese (Waist hip ratio-WHR 0.89 vs 0.86, p<0.001), adipose (sum of 4 skinfolds 98.4 vs. 61.4 mm, p<0.001) and had higher blood pressure (127/80 vs. 122/70 mmHg, p<0.001). GDM mothers had higher concentrations of plasma triglycerides (195.0 vs. 153.0 mg/dl, p<0.01); blood hemoglobin (11.7 vs 10.9 g/dl, p<0.001) and higher platelet count but lower concentration of HDL cholesterol and albumin. Sixty percent GDM mothers and 34% of non-diabetic mothers were delivered by caesarean-section, 23% of GDM mothers delivered pre term (<37 wk). Despite the smaller gestation, babies of GDM mothers were heavier (BW 2950.0 vs. 2824.0g, p<0.001, adjusted for gender), longer (48.9 vs. 48.0 cm, p<0.01) and more adipose (sum of 2 skinfolds 10.5 vs. 8.5 mm). Only 5% of babies born to GDM mothers weighed > 4000 g but 30% were >90th centile of birth weight of babies born to non-diabetic mothers. Babies of GDM mothers suffered higher neonatal morbidity. CONCLUSIONS GDM mothers in urban India are more obese and more adipose than non-diabetic mothers, frequently have a family history of diabetes and show metabolic features of insulin resistance syndrome, suggesting high cardiovascular risk. Neonates of GDM mothers are heavier, longer and more adipose than those born to non-diabetic mothers, and suffer higher neonatal morbidity.
Notice of RetractionProjected and perceived image of Wuhan: Based on a content analysis of travel-related websites

This paper attempts to determining and comparing the image of Wuhan as destination as perceived image by tourists and projected image by tourism official organization and tourism intermediaries, based on online texture information. Content analysis and correspondence analysis are used to analyze the sample websites. The results show that it is inconsistent with the projected and perceived image of Wuhan, thereby indicating the latter express a negative image. The paper emphasizes the important of understanding the difference between the projected and perceived image and provides the marketing suggests.
au Are Low Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in the Blood a Biological Marker of Suicide Risk in Psychiatric Patients ? A Systematic

The functional polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in relation to suicidal behaviour has attracted a great deal of interest in recent research. Although genetic studies have indicated BDNF as a candidate gene in suicidal behaviour, no clear evidence exists for the role of BDNF levels in the blood of patients with mental illness who are at risk of suicide. Considering the ability of BDNF to cross the blood-brain barrier, the aim of the present study was to review evidence for a correlation between blood BDNF levels and suicidal behaviour among patients with psychiatric disorders. The systematic review that was performed (1966 2012) identified 64 studies as potential candidates for inclusion. After scrutiny, only seven studies appeared to focus on BDNF levels in plasma, serum and platelets. Studies consistently showed a significant decrease in BDNF levels among patients with previous suicide attempts, with the exception of one study, which included patients with schizophrenia. No significant differences were found between BDNF levels, gender and lethality of suicide attempts. Further evidence is required for which blood sample type to use when examining BDNF protein levels in terms of suicidal behaviour in mental illness sufferers, and more focus should be given to a potential blood BDNF threshold among patients at suicide risk.
Whose 'Treasure Islands'? the Role Of Tax Havens in the Global Economy

T recent works with the same title suggest radically different views of the role of tax havens in the global economy. In late 2010, James R. Hines Jr. (2010) made the case for a largely beneficial role. According to Hines, the tax havens improve markets: they facilitate direct investment by improving the attraction of high-corporate-tax states for real investment, and they may shore up rather than degrade corporate tax collections by high-corporate-income states such as the U.S. They also seem to improve the competitiveness of national financial institutions and hence facilitate portfolio capital provision in both rich and poor countries. A book by Nicholas Shaxson (2011), which appeared shortly after Hines’s article, presents an utterly different assessment. In Shaxson’s account, tax havens permit the superrich in high-income countries to evade their tax responsibilities, place a huge additional burden on rich-country taxpayers by allowing vast corporate profits to go untaxed, and facilitate the drain of capital from poor countries.
Factors of the Fusarium verticillioides-maize environment modulating fumonisin production

Fumonisins are mycotoxins mainly produced by two Fusarium species: F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. These toxins are of great concern due to their widespread contamination in maize and their adverse effects on animal and human health. In the past decade, progress was made in identifying the genes required for fumonisin biosynthesis. Additionally, molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of fumonisin production have been very recently elucidated. By covering the latest advances concerning the factors modulating fumonisin production, this review aims at presenting an integrated approach of the overall mechanisms involved in the regulation of fumonisin biosynthesis during maize kernel colonization.
Differences in the association of Chlamydia trachomatis serovar E and serovar L2 with epithelial cells in vitro may reflect biological differences in vivo

Chlamydia trachomatis serovar E is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted pathogens. Since it is an obligate intracellular bacterium, efficient colonization of genital mucosal epithelial cells is crucial to the infectious process. Serovar E elementary bodies (EB) metabolically radiolabeled with 35S-Cys-Met and harvested from microcarrier bead cultures, which significantly improves the infectious EB-to-particle ratio, provided a more accurate picture of the parameters of attachment of EB to human endometrial epithelial cells (HEC-1B) than did less infectious 14C-EB harvested from flask cultures. Binding of serovar E EB was (i) equivalent at 35 and 4 degrees C, (ii) decreased by preexposure of EB to heat or the topical microbicide C31G, (iii) comparable among common eukaryotic cell lines (HeLa, McCoy), and (iv) significantly increased to the apical surfaces of polarized cells versus nonpolarized cells. In parallel experiments with C. trachomatis serovar L2, serovar E attachment was not affected by heparin or heparan sulfate whereas these glucosaminoglycans dramatically reduced serovar L2 attachment. These data were confirmed by competitive inhibition of serovar E binding and infectivity by excess unlabeled live and UV-inactivated serovar E EB but not by excess serovar L2 EB. The noninvasive serovar E strains in the lumen of the genital tract enter and exit the apical domains of target columnar epithelial cells to spread canalicularly in an ascending fashion from the lower to the upper genital tract. In contrast, the invasive serovar L2 strains are primarily submucosal pathogens and likely use the glucosaminoglycans concentrated in the extracellular matrix to colonize the basolateral domains of mucosal epithelia to perpetuate the infectious process.
Biopsias radioquirúrgicas en las lesiones no palpables de la mama

Presentamos los resultados de 230 biopsias radioquirurgicas realizadas por el Servicio de Patologia Mamaria del Hospital Oncologico "Padre Machado" entre enero de 1992 y junio de 2000. Las lesiones subclinicas de la mama fueron localizadas por mamografia o ultrasonido mamario, marcadas en su mayoria con azul de metileno y sometidas a una mastectomia parcial. Se observaron 127 imagenes nodulares, 92 microcalcificaciones y 11 distorciones de la arquitectura, de las cuales se obtuvieron 28 pacientes con cancer de mama (12,17 por ciento); las microcalcificaciones representan el tipo morfologico con mayor asociacion al cancer de mama (15,22 por ciento), seguido por los nodulos (11,13 por ciento). No se observo lesiones malignas en las pacientes con distorciones de la arquitectura. De las pacientes con diagnostico de cancer de mama, se observo carcinoma ductal in situ en 6/28 pacientes (21,43 por ciento), carcinoma ductal infiltrante en 19/28 (67,86 por ciento), carcinoma lobulillar infiltrante en 3/28 (10,71 por ciento). En 11 pacientes (4,78 por ciento), el diagnostico definitivo fue hiperplasia ductal atipica. Los antecedentes de cancer de mama previo o de antecedentes familiares de cancer de mamario se relacionaron con una tasa mas elevada de biopsias positivas
Delay-dependent robust H∞ control for uncertain discrete singular linear time-delay systems

The problem of delay-dependent robust H∞ control for a class of uncertain discrete singular linear time-delay systems is investigated. With the introduction of a null matrix of singular matrix E and a free matrix to draw the relation between slow states and fast states, a delay-dependent bounded real lemma is obtained for the considered discrete singular linear time-delay system to be regular, causal, stable and satisfy some prescribed H∞ performance. Based on this, the problem of robust H∞ control is solved and an explicit expression of the desired state feedback control law is given. The obtained results are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities that are easily solved numerically. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Hepatobiliary and pancreatic procedures during cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC.

PURPOSE The combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been used as locoregional treatment in selected patients with peritoneal malignancy. The purpose of this study was to report on the outcomes of patients undergoing hepatobiliary and pancreatic procedures during CRS and HIPEC. METHODS A prospectively maintained database was used to identify patients that underwent hepatobilliary and/or pancreatic procedures during CRS and HIPEC. Outcome variables included morbidity, 30-day or in-hospital mortality, return to operating theatre, and complications. RESULTS Sixty eight patients were included in the study, in whom 67 hepatobiliary and 15 pancreatic procedures were performed. Complete cytoreduction (CC-0/1) was achieved in 64 patients (94.8%). Twelve patients underwent liver resections, 50 underwent resection of Glisson's capsule, 5 underwent procedures of the biliary tree and 15 patients underwent pancreatic procedures. Major complications were encountered in 30/68 patients (44.1%). Pancreatic fistulas (PFs) were observed in 42.8% of the patients that underwent distal pancreatectomy. Reoperation rate was 8.8%, while 2.9% of the patients died during their hospital stay. CONCLUSION The need for hepatobiliary procedures bears a significant - but acceptable - rate of morbidity. However, it should not represent a definitive contraindication for CRS and HIPEC.
High resolution ADPLL frequency synthesizer for FPGA-and ASIC-based applications

A hardware implementation of an ADPLL-based clock generator is presented. The digital controlled oscillator (DCO) used in the ADPLL generates a clock signal with a high frequency resolution and a small jitter. The presented ADPLL has a fast acquisition and a large pull-in range. The whole design including the DCO has been described in synthesizable VHDL. It does not contain library specific cells, and can be synthesized independently of the standard cell library. Thus, it is portable and the time required to fit it for different semiconductor processes is reduced considerably. The design adaptation cost is limited to adjustment of a few constants in the VHDL-code. The presented design has been implemented in a V400BG432 VIRTEX FPGA and it has been synthesized using two different standard cell libraries (CMOS AMS 0.6 /spl mu/m and CMOS AMS 0.35 /spl mu/m). The maximum achievable clock frequency is 40 MHz using the FPGA and 52 MHz using the above mentioned standard cell libraries. The maximal lock-in time of the ADPLL is 30 reference clock cycles.