Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the scleral spur in anterior segment optical coherence tomography images.

OBJECTIVE To assess visibility of the scleral spur in anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images. METHODS This cross-sectional observational study included 502 participants aged 50 years or older who had no previous ophthalmic problems and were recruited from a community clinic in Singapore. All participants underwent gonioscopy and AS-OCT (Visante; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California). Scleral spur location was assessed in AS-OCT images by 2 examiners with glaucoma subspecialty training and was defined as the point where there was an inward protrusion of the sclera with a change in curvature of its inner surface. RESULTS Scleral spur location could be determined in 72% of the images of the right eye. Its location on AS-OCT images was less detectable in quadrants with a closed angle on gonioscopy and also in images obtained in the superior and inferior compared with the nasal and temporal quadrants (64%, 67%, 75%, and 80%, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The inability to detect the scleral spur may hamper quantitative analysis of anterior chamber angle parameters that are dependent on the location of this anatomical structure, particularly in the superior and inferior quadrants. New parameters independent of the scleral spur may be useful for detecting eyes at risk of angle closure.
Prediction of Ionizing Radiation Resistance in Bacteria Using a Multiple Instance Learning Model

Ionizing-radiation-resistant bacteria (IRRB) are important in biotechnology. In this context, in silico methods of phenotypic prediction and genotype-phenotype relationship discovery are limited. In this work, we analyzed basal DNA repair proteins of most known proteome sequences of IRRB and ionizing-radiation-sensitive bacteria (IRSB) in order to learn a classifier that correctly predicts this bacterial phenotype. We formulated the problem of predicting bacterial ionizing radiation resistance (IRR) as a multiple-instance learning (MIL) problem, and we proposed a novel approach for this purpose. We provide a MIL-based prediction system that classifies a bacterium to either IRRB or IRSB. The experimental results of the proposed system are satisfactory with 91.5% of successful predictions.
Determination of fuzzy relations for economic fuzzy time series models by neural networks

Based on the works /11, 22, 27/ a fuzzy time series model is proposed and applied to predict chaotic financial process. Thwe general methodological framework of classical and fuzzy modelling of economic time series is considered. A complete fuzzy time series modellling approach is proposed which includes: determining and developing of fuzzy time series models, developing and calculating of fuzzy relations among the observations, calculating and interpreting the outputs. To generate fuzzy rules from data, the neural network with SCL-based product-space clustering is used.
Extraction d'information et compression conjointes des séries temporelles d'images satellitaires

Ces derniers temps, de nouvelles donnees riches en information ont ete produites : les Series Temporelles d'Images Satellitaires qui permettent d'observer les evolutions de la surface de la Terre. Ces series constituent un grand volume de donnees et elles contiennent des informations complexes et d'interet. Par exemple, de nombreux evenements spatio-temporels, tels que les recoltes, la maturation de cultures ou l'evolution de zones urbaines, peuvent y etre observes et sont utiles pour des problematiques de tele-surveillance. Dans ce contexte, cette these se propose d'extraire l'information automatiquement pour aider a la comprehension des evenements spatio-temporels et de compresser pour limiter l'espace de stockage. Aussi l'objectif majeur de ces travaux consiste en la conception d'une methodologie incorporant conjointement l'extraction d'information et la compression. Ce traitement conjoint nous permet d'obtenir une representation compacte des Series Temporelles d'Images Satellitaires qui contienne un index du contenu informationnel. Plus precisement, ces travaux decrivent dans un premier temps le concept d'extraction et de compression conjointes ou l'extraction est vue comme une compression avec pertes de l'information. Dans un second temps, deux methodologies elaborees a partir du concept precedent sont presentees. La premiere permet de construire un index du contenu informationnel en se fondant sur le principe d’Information Bottleneck. La seconde permet de construire un code ou une representation compacte qui integre un index du contenu informationnel. Finalement, ces deux methodes sont validees et comparees sur des donnees synthetiques et sont par la suite appliquees avec succes aux Series Temporelles d'Images Satellitaires.
Peak Endocardial Acceleration Signals for Atrial Mechanical Activation

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for asynchronous heart failure (HF) has entered adolescence in human years, an awkward, immature therapy that displays great promise, though much remains to be learned. Even when implemented in the most uneducated rudimentary form, that is, a functioning electrode “somewhere” in the left ventricular (LV) coronary venous circulation, simultaneous biventricular (BV) stimulation, and a pacemaker atrioventricular interval (pAVI) arbitrarily shorter than the PR interval, at least two-thirds of patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) record composite clinical improvement. Inversely, and not for lack of trying, there is no compelling evidence that the most erudite choice of stimulation site and application of critical pacing control parameters reliably improves upon the novices’ success. In other words, experts and neophytes all have the same results. From this depressingly sober landscape the following conclusions are self-evident: asynchronous HF is potentially very responsive to the proper electrical therapy, CRT is powerful even when applied with imprecision, and probably even better results could be observed if the therapy were orchestrated more precisely. The pursuit of strategies to improve the clinical response to CRT has become Grail-like and is filled with lore and mystery. “Optimization,” a term I despise with extreme prejudice, is most often used to describe this pursuit. The problem with the term is that it implies an understanding of what is wrong and how to fix it. Neither is certain despite the sustained efforts of a huge variety of researchers and tools operating from vastly different perspectives (imaging, electrical activation mapping, invasive hemodynamics, etc.). Many clinicians have yielded to the remarkable resistance of “nonresponse” and transferred responsibility for the solution to device manufacturers to “put something smart in the box” that automatically solves the problem for them and the patient. Against this background, the device industry, desperate to differentiate therapy platforms but lacking a genuine competitive clinical advantage, has responded with gimmicks of automaticity, none of which have been shown to meaningfully improve outcomes. The result is that everyone is fighting for second place and the “nonresponse” problem is unsolved at the therapy delivery level.
Prevalence of mind mapping as a teaching and learning strategy in physical therapy curricula

Background and Purpose. Regardless of our discipline educators seek to create environments that actively engage students in their learning journey. One teaching and learning strategy that has emerged in higher education is mind mapping (MM). The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the prevalence of MM usage in a health science professional curricula “physical therapy” and to determine if a relationship exists between faculty knowledge of mind maps and their use of the technique. Subjects/Methods. All Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredited US physical therapist education program chairs (191) were emailed a request to participate in an on-line survey exploring the use of and knowledge of mind maps. The link to the survey was embedded in the email for direct access by the participants and was anonymous. Results. Of the 191 physical therapist program chairs surveyed, 55 completed responses were received. Of the 55 respondents only 10.9% (n=6) reported using MM within their curriculum while 89.1% (n=49) did not. For the 49 programs not using MM, 56.4% stated that their program faculty would be interested in using MM. Participants open ended responses support four major themes regarding faculty lack of MM utilization, with limited awareness identified as the greatest barrier. Discussion/Conclusion. The findings from this exploratory study support that MM is not used in many physical therapist education programs primarily due to faculty’s lack of awareness. Interestingly, faculty would be interested in exploring its utility if they understood MMs tenets and relevance as a teaching and learning strategy.
A Source Domain Extension Method for Inductive Transfer Learning Based on Flipping Output

Transfer learning aims for high accuracy by applying knowledge of source domains for which data collection is easy in order to target domains where data collection is difficult, and has attracted attention in recent years because of its significant potential to enable the application of machine learning to a wide range of real-world problems. However, since the technique is user-dependent, with data prepared as a source domain which in turn becomes a knowledge source for transfer learning, it often involves the adoption of inappropriate data. In such cases, the accuracy may be reduced due to “negative transfer. ” Thus, in this paper, we propose a novel transfer learning method that utilizes the flipping output technique to provide multiple labels in the source domain. The accuracy of the proposed method is statistically demonstrated to be significantly better than that of the conventional transfer learning method, and its effect size is as high as 0.9, showing high performance.
Minimally invasive surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis: Two-year follow-up in 54 patients

Objective: Minimally invasive surgery has seen increasing application in the treatment of spinal disorders. Treatment of degenerative spinal stenosis, with or without spondylolisthesis, with minimally invasive technique preserves stabilizing ligaments, bone, and muscle. Satisfactory results can be achieved without the need for fusion in most cases. Methods: Fifty-four consecutive patients underwent bilateral decompressions from a unilateral approach for spinal stenosis using METRx instrumentation. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores were recorded preoperatively and patients were interviewed, in person or by phone, by our office nurse practitioner (LD) to assess postoperative VAS scores, and patient satisfaction with the clinical results 21-39 months postoperatively (median 27 months). Results: Fifty-four patients underwent decompression at 77 levels (L4/5 = 43, L3/4 = 22, L5/S1 = 8, L1/2 = 4, L2/3 = 4), (single = 35, double = 16, triple = 2, quadruple = 1). There were 39 females and 15 males. The average age was 67 years. The average operative time was 78 minutes and the average blood loss was 37 ml per level. Twenty-seven patients had preoperative degenerative spondylolisthesis (Grade 1 = 26, Grade 2 = 1). Eight patients had discectomies and four had synovial cysts. Patient satisfaction was high. Use of pain medication for leg and back pain was low, and VAS scores improved by more than half. There were three dural tears. There were no deaths or infections. One patient with an unrecognized dural tear required re-exploration for repair of a pseudomeningocele and one patient required a lumbar fusion for pain associated with progression of her spondylolisthesis. Conclusions: Minimally invasive bilateral decompression of acquired spinal stenosis from a unilateral approach can be successfully accomplished with reasonable operative times, minimal blood loss, and acceptable morbidity. Two-year outcomes in this series revealed high patient satisfaction and only one patient progressed to lumbar fusion.
The Death of President Warren G. Harding

W arren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States (Figure 1), died in office in 1923, at age 57, of “natural causes,” the 1st to do so since Zachary Taylor in 1850. He had been a popular President, elected 3 years earlier by a wide margin over his Democratic opponent. His death was presented to the press and the public as an unexpected acute event that occurred during his ambitious cross-country tour by special train and then by ship to Alaska. This was called a “voyage of understanding” to meet the American people. He died in a San Francisco hotel room of an illness diagnosed 1st as food poisoning, then as “apoplexy” and still later as a “heart attack. ” After his death, his reputation was marred by financial scandals involving cabinet members and other high-ranking officials and by damaging revelations about Harding’s personal life. The nature and management of his illness stirred great controversy at the time, and many unresolved issues remain even now. In this report, we will review the available clinical data, attempting to make a diagnosis in modern terms and to evaluate the quality of his medical care.
Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Deficiency Exacerbates Pressure Overload–Induced Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Dysfunction

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) contributes only a small fraction to total SOD activity in the normal heart but is strategically located to scavenge free radicals in the extracellular compartment. To examine the physiological significance of extracellular SOD in the response of the heart to hemodynamic stress, we studied the effect of extracellular SOD deficiency on transverse aortic constriction (TAC)–induced left ventricular remodeling. Under unstressed conditions extracellular SOD deficiency had no effect on myocardial total SOD activity, the ratio of glutathione:glutathione disulfide, nitrotyrosine content, or superoxide anion production but resulted in small but significant increases in myocardial fibrosis and ventricular mass. In response to TAC for 6 weeks, extracellular SOD-deficient mice developed more severe left ventricular hypertrophy (heart weight increased 2.56-fold in extracellular SOD-deficient mice as compared with 1.99-fold in wild-type mice) and pulmonary congestion (lung weight increased 2.92-fold in extracellular SOD-deficient mice as compared with 1.84-fold in wild-type mice). Extracellular SOD-deficient mice also had more ventricular fibrosis, dilation, and a greater reduction of left ventricular fractional shortening and rate of pressure development after TAC. TAC resulted in greater increases of ventricular collagen I, collagen III, matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, nitrotyrosine, and superoxide anion production. TAC also resulted in a greater decrease of the ratio of glutathione:glutathione disulfide in extracellular SOD-deficient mice. The finding that extracellular SOD deficiency had minimal impact on myocardial overall SOD activity but exacerbated TAC induced myocardial oxidative stress, hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction indicates that the distribution of extracellular SOD in the extracellular space is critically important in protecting the heart against pressure overload.
Quantitative magnetization transfer and myelin water imaging of the evolution of acute multiple sclerosis lesions

Quantitative magnetization transfer imaging provides in vivo estimates of liquid and semisolid constituents of tissue, while estimates of the liquid subpopulations, including myelin water, can be obtained from multicomponent T2 analysis. Both methods have been suggested to provide improved myelin specificity compared to conventional MRI. The goal of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of each technique to the progression of acute, gadolinium‐enhancing regions of multiple sclerosis. Magnetization transfer and T2 relaxometry data were acquired longitudinally over the course of 1 year in five relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis patients and in five healthy controls. Parametric maps were analyzed in enhancing lesions and normal‐appearing white matter regions. Quantitative magnetization transfer parameters in lesions were most abnormal at the time of enhancement and followed a pattern of recovery over subsequent months. Lesion myelin water fraction was abnormal but did not show a significant trend over time. Quantitative magnetization transfer was able to track the degree and timing of the partial recovery in enhancing multiple sclerosis lesions in a small group of patients, while the recovery was not detected in myelin water estimates, possibly due to their large variability. Our data suggest the recovery is characterized by quick resolution of inflammation and a slower remyelination process. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation on the efficacy and safety of domestic bivalirudin during percutaneous coronary intervention

Background Bivalirudin was widely used as an anticoagulant during coronary interventional procedure in western countries. However, it was not available in China before this clinical trial was designed. This randomized, single‐blind and multicenter clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of domestic bivalirudin during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A randomized, single‐blind, multicenter trial was designed. Elective PCI candidates in five centers were randomized into a bivalirudin group and a heparin group, which were treated with domestic bivalirudin and non‐fractional heparin during the PCI procedure. The efficacy was evaluated by comparing the activated coagulation time (ACT), the procedural success rate (residual stenosis <20% in target lesions without any coronary artery related adverse events within 24 hours after PCI), and the survival rate without major adverse cardiac events at 30 days after PCI between the two groups. Safety was evaluated by the major/minor bleeding rate. Results A total of 218 elective PCI patients were randomized into a bivalirudin group (n=110) and heparin group (n=108). Except for two patients needing additional dosing in the heparin group, the ACT values of all other patients in both groups were longer than 225 seconds at 5 minutes after the first intravenous bolus. Procedural success rates were respectively 100.0% and 98.2% in the bivalirudin group and heparin group (P>0.05). Survival rates without major adverse cardiac events at 30 days after PCI were 100.0% in the bivalirudin group and 98.2% in the heparin group (P>0.05). Mild bleeding rates were 0.9% and 6.9% (P<0.05) at 24 hours, and 1.9% and 8.8% (P<0.05) at 30 days after PCI in the bivalirudin group and heparin group respectively. There was one severe gastrointestinal bleeding case in the heparin group. Conclusions Domestic bivalirudin is an effective and safe anticoagulant during elective PCI procedures. The efficacy is not inferior to heparin, but the safety is superior to heparin.
A two-stage approach for segmentation and recognition of handwritten digit strings collected from mail pieces

We present an approach to interpret handwritten digit strings by employing a two-stage segmentation and recognition scheme. The first stage processing is to deal with possible touching between digits. An input string is represented with an abstractive means, called primitive. Candidate segmentation points are sought from the representation. To locate a boundary between digits, a recognition engine, which is rough but fast, is applied to a combined segment. The second stage recognition process, which is more accurate but slow, is applied to the combined segment depending on the recognition confidence of the first stage process. Features for the segmentation and recognition are defined and described. To evaluate the effectiveness of the approach, experiments have been performed on a set of digit string images collected from real mail pieces, and promising preliminary results have been observed.
Photoemission study of CdTe surfaces after low-energy ion treatments

We present a study of low-energy ion surface cleaning treatments and their impact on the surface electronic structure of an air-exposed CdTe thin film treated with CdCl2. In order to determine the electronic structure using surface-sensitive photoemission, surfaces need to be free of contaminants. This is achieved by subsequent low-energy ion treatment steps, carefully monitoring the chemical and electronic surface structure. We present data on the valence band maximum (VBM), and core-level binding energies, that suggest that neither preferential sputtering occurs nor metallic states are formed using our cleaning procedure. For a clean CdTe surface, the VBM is determined to be (0.8 ± 0.1) eV below the Fermi energy.
Mehanizmi prilagodbe hrvatske prerađivačke industrije: analize s aspekta tržišta rada

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether different trends of basic manufacturing industry indicators (in particular salaries and employment) have developed during the ongoing crisis when compared to previous trends. An additional aim is to establish whether there are different adjustment mechanisms across individual activities, i.e., whether balance mechanisms through labour market have been developed. An analysis was conducted based on the data collated by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics which for the period 2000 – 2010 are available together with monthly frequencies for the majority of analysed series according to the new 2007 national classification of activities. Causality testing was conducted for the period 2005 – 2010 using Grange causality test. The results show that at the level of the manufacturing industry the dominant cause-and-effect relationship was between production and employment trends. This is a quantitative confirmation of a widespread hypothesis that the main adjustment mechanism of the manufacturing industry in the process of restructuring was the increase of productivity by reducing employment and that this process continued even beyond the initial transition period. An analysis at the level of individual activities within the manufacturing industry shows that labour market mechanisms, i.e., price competitiveness in some activities have also had a significant impact on employment trends.
Subspace Channel Estimation Assisted by Block Matrix Scheme for ZP-OFDM Systems

Novel subspace-based channel estimation is proposed for single-input multiple-output (SIMO) zero-padded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (ZP-OFDM) systems. By stacking all the received OFDM symbols, the stacked channel matrix is of block Toeplitz. The block matrix scheme is then presented such that a group of subvectors are formed from the stacked OFDM signal and the number of equivalent samples is increased. With the extra samples, the perturbations of sample correlation matrix and the noise subspace are reduced, which lowers the channel estimation error. The novel channel estimator can also work very well even with only a few OFDM symbols. Computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed channel estimation is effective and robust compared with existed methods.
FIBRINOGEN‐FIBRIN INTERACTIONS WITH FIBROBLASTS AND MACROPHAGES *

A common feature of inflammatory responses in vivo is the extra-vascular accumulation of a fibrin-fibronectin matrix. Well-documented examples include healing skin and corneal wounds,I-' cell-mediated immune reaction (both delayed type hypersensitivity and graft rejection) ,5-1 crescents in glomerulonephritis,8 the stroma of tumors,*lo and the neovascularization response.ll In all instances cell migration, activation, differentiation and proliferation occur, involvnig fibroblasts, macrophages, epithelium and other cells. We have hypothesized that fibrin and fibronectin may serve as the essential provisional matrix that promotes some of these cellular events. *-' In initial studies to test this hypothesis, we have examined the surface interaction of fibroblasts and macrophages with fibrinogen, particularly with regard to fibronectin.