Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Sequential Enhancement Patterns of Focal Nodular Hyperplasia and Hepatocellular Carcinoma on Mangafodipir Trisodium Enhanced MR Imaging

Rationale and Objectives:Sequential contrast changes of mangafodipir trisodium (Mn-DPDP)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were evaluated in the differentiation of focal nodular hyperplasias (FNH) and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Methods:Patients with FNH (n = 16) or HCC (n = 12) underwent MRI: T2-weighted fast spin echo before and T1-weighted gradient echo before and 1, 4, 14, and 22 hours after 5 μmol/kg Mn-DPDP. Homogeneity of enhancement and delineation of fibrous scars of FNHs were assessed qualitatively. Lesion-to-liver contrast changes of FNHs and HCCs were compared quantitatively (Mann-Whitney U). Results:Mn-DPDP improved detection of characteristic scars of FNHs from 50% before to 90% after contrast agent. Apart from fibrous tissue enhancement of FNHs was mostly homogeneous (90%). Time-dependent contrast changes were up to 20 times higher (after 4 hours) for FNHs than HCCs (P < 0.0001). Conclusions:Mn-DPDP-enhanced MRI helps to delineate characteristic morphologic features of FNHs and can provide quantitative data differentiating FNH and HCC.
Broken Hearts and Broken Bones

Although it is common to describe experiences of social rejection or loss with words typically reserved for physical pain, the idea that these social experiences might actually be experienced as painful seems more far-fetched. However, accumulating evidence demonstrates that social pain—the painful feelings following social rejection or loss—may rely on pain-related neural circuitry. Here, I summarize a program of research that has explored whether social pain relies on pain-related neural regions, as well as some of the expected consequences of a physical–social pain overlap. I also discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of social pain.
La dynamique de la protection sociale en Europe : bilan, propositions, perspectives

Depuis une trentaine d'annees, les systemes europeens de protection sociale, a l'origine developpes autour de deux modeles fondateurs, celui de Bismarck et celui de Beveridge, ont ete confrontes a des problemes financiers, d'efficacite et de legitimite. Cet ouvrage vise a presenter l'historique et la diversite des systemes de protection sociale en Europe. Il analyse les grands defis a relever et leurs principales reponses, et met en perspective quelques propositions de reformes visant a redynamiser la protection sociale dans une logique d'investissement social et d'egalite des chances sur le cycle de vie.
Histochemical and histological evaluations of the effects of high incubation temperature on embryonic development of thymus and bursa of Fabricius in broiler chickens

1. The effects of experimentally induced heat-stress on the embryonic development of bursa of Fabricius and thymus of the chicken were investigated by means of histological and enzyme histochemical methods. 2. In the experiments, 250 fertile eggs of the Ross 308 broiler strain were divided into two groups. The control eggs were maintained under optimal conditions (37⋅8°C and 65 ± 2% relative humidity, RH) during the whole incubation period. Heat stressed eggs were maintained under normal conditions (37⋅8°C and 65 ± 2% RH) until the 10th d of incubation and then exposed continuously (24 h per d) to high temperature (38⋅8°C and 65 ± 2% RH). Blood and tissue samples were taken from 10 animals of each group at d 13, 15, 18 and 21 of incubation and at d 2, 4 and 7 post-hatch. Tissue samples were processed for enzyme histochemical methods in addition to routine histological techniques. 3. The results revealed that egg temperatures were higher than incubator air temperature. Long-term heat-stress (40⋅1–40⋅6°C egg temperature) retarded development of thymus and bursa of Fabricius. Peripheral blood ACP-ase and ANAE-positive lymphocyte levels of heat-stressed animals were lower than in the controls. 4. These results give some morphological evidence for immunosuppression induced by high temperature exposure during the embryonic development. Temperature distribution and air circulation in incubator should be questioned in the case of lower broiler flock immunity.
Is There a Politically Optimal Level of Judicial Independence?

Independent courts render current policy more durable (by raising the cost of future policy changes) but may also engage in policy-making of their own. This paper asks: Is there an optimal level of judicial independence from the perspective of incumbent officials in the other branches? To answer that question, the paper develops a model of strategic institutional choice, and tests it on the judicial institutions of the American states. Consistent with the model's predictions, the most independenceenhancing institutions are found where political competition between rival parties is tightest and differences between party platforms are largest.
Differential MicroRNA Expression in Experimental Cerebral and Noncerebral Malaria

ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptional regulatory molecules that have been implicated in the regulation of immune responses, but their role in the immune response to Plasmodium infection is unknown. We studied the expression of selected miRNAs following infection of CBA mice with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA), which causes cerebral malaria (CM), or Plasmodium berghei K173 (PbK), which causes severe malaria but without cerebral complications, termed non-CM. The differential expression profiles of selected miRNAs (let-7i, miR-27a, miR-150, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-155) were analyzed in mouse brain and heart tissue by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). We identified three miRNAs that were differentially expressed in the brain of PbA-infected CBA mice: let7i, miR-27a, and miR-150. In contrast, no miRNA changes were detected in the heart, an organ with no known pathology during acute malaria. To investigate the involvement of let-7i, miR-27a, and miR-150 in CM-resistant mice, we assessed the expression levels in gamma interferon knockout (IFN-γ−/−) mice on a C57BL/6 genetic background. The expression of let-7i, miR-27a, and miR-150 was unchanged in both wild-type (WT) and IFN-γ−/− mice following infection. Overexpression of these three miRNAs during PbA, but not PbK, infection in WT mice may be critical for the triggering of the neurological syndrome via regulation of their potential downstream targets. Our data suggest that in the CBA mouse at least, miRNA may have a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of severe malaria.
Growth of the Maxilla in Three Dimensions as Revealed Radiographically by the Implant Method

By use of the implant method the growth of the maxilla was analysed from profile and frontal (postero-anterior) cephalometric radiographs in nine boys with normal primary occlusion who were followed annually up to adult age without receiving any orthodontic treatment. The proportion of sutural and appositional growth in height was determined from profile radiographs with reference to implants in the infrazygomatic crest. The sutural lowering of the maxillary corpus was, on average, about twice as big as the apposition at the floor of the orbits. The resorptive lowering of the nasal floor amounted to about one-third of the appositional growth in height of the alveolar process. Our study suggests that the contour of the anterior surface of the zygomatic process could be used as a reference structure in growth analysis as this contour kept a constant relation to implants in the infrazygomatic crest and closely followed the natural growth rotation of the maxilla. In relation to the implants, the dentition as a whole drifted forward on the maxillary corpus, simultaneously with a smaller decrease in arch length which was partly related to a differentiated development in width of the maxilla. Measurements between bilateral implants on frontal radiographs proved that the growth in the median suture was greater posteriorly than anteriorly, whereby the two halves of the maxilla rotate in relation to each other in the transverse plane. This was reflected in the development of the dental arch as the increase in the bi-molar width showed a high correlation with the sutural growth posteriorly in the medium suture, while the increase in the bi-canine width was lesser. The forward drift of the dental arch led to a reduction in incisor spacing, which may give rise to an incisal secondary crowding.
Relational Instance Based Regression for Relational Reinforcement Learning

Relational reinforcement learning (RRL) is a Q-learning technique which uses first order regression techniques to generalize the Q-function. Both the relational setting and the Q-learning context introduce a number of difficulties which must be dealt with. In this paper we investigate a few different methods that do incremental relational instance based regression and can be used for RRL. This leads us to different approaches which limit both memory consumption and processing times. We implemented a number of these approaches and experimentally evaluated and compared them to each other and an existing RRL algorithm. These experiments show relational instance based regression to work well and to add robustness to RRL.
MODELLING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUBTHRESHOLD CURRENTS IN SCHOTTKY BARRIER CNTFETs FOR DIGITAL APPLICATIONS

The aim of this paper is to model and characterize the current voltage characteristics of Schottky Barrier (SB) Carbon NanoTube Field Effect Transistors (SB-CNTFETs) below and above threshold, in order to evaluate the noise margin and output voltage swing, whose values are necessary in the design of digital circuits.
Best Basis Compressed Sensing

This paper proposes a best basis extension of compressed sensing recovery. Instead of regularizing the compressed sensing inverse problem with a sparsity prior in a fixed basis, our framework makes use of sparsity in a tree-structured dictionary of orthogonal bases. A new iterative thresholding algorithm performs both the recovery of the signal and the estimation of the best basis. The resulting reconstruction from compressive measurements optimizes the basis to the structure of the sensed signal. Adaptivity is crucial to capture the regularity of complex natural signals. Numerical experiments on sounds and geometrical images indeed show that this best basis search improves the recovery with respect to fixed sparsity priors.
Homologous and heterologous ligands downregulate follicle‐stimulating hormone receptor mRNA in porcine granulosa cells

We investigated homologous and heterologous downregulation of FSH receptor mRNA in porcine granulosa cells from ovaries of immature pigs. Cultures were treated with 0, 40, or 200 ng/ml porcine FSH or medium and terminated at 24 hr intervals for Northern analysis of FSH receptor and cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc) mRNA, and for radioimmunoassay of progesterone. Cells luteinized over 96 hr, and control cultures displayed increases in P450scc (8–10 fold) and FSH receptor (2 fold) mRNA and progesterone (100 fold). FSH reduced FSH receptor mRNA by 50–90%, increased P450scc mRNA 8 fold within 48 hr, and elevated progesterone logarithmically over 96 hr. Luteinized cells, (after 96 hr) received FSH or LH (1–200 ng/ml) or prostaglandin E2 (0.01–1.0 mg/ml) for 6 hr resulting in increased P450scc mRNA (2–8 fold), and progesterone (2–5 fold), and reduced FSH receptor mRNA. FSH (200 ng/ml) or the cAMP analog, dbcAMP (1 mM) for 0–24 hr reduced FSH receptor mRNA to 15% of control from 4–24 hr and elevated P450scc mRNA at 4 and 6 hr, respectively, to maxima at 12–24 hr. Forskolin (1–10 mM) increased P450scc mRNA (2–3 fold) and downregulated FSH receptor mRNA, effects reversed by the inhibitor of cAMP, rpcAMPs. Both epidermal growth factor, and the activator of the protein kinase C pathway, phorbol 12‐myristate, 13‐acetate (PMA) at 10 nM reduced FSH receptor mRNA. We conclude that downregulation of FSH receptor mRNA in luteinized granulosa cells is mediated by both homologous and heterologous ligands which employ cAMP, and that growth factors that activate the PKC pathway reduce FSH receptor and P450scc mRNA abundance. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 53:198–207, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trends in physician referrals in the United States, 1999-2009.

BACKGROUND Physician referrals play a central role in ambulatory care in the United States; however, little is known about national trends in physician referrals over time. The objective of this study was to assess changes in the annual rate of referrals to other physicians from physician office visits in the United States from 1999 to 2009. METHODS We analyzed nationally representative cross-sections of ambulatory patient visits in the United States, using a sample of 845 243 visits from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1993 to 2009, focusing on the decade from 1999 to 2009. The main outcome measures were survey-weighted estimates of the total number and percentage of visits resulting in a referral to another physician across several patient and physician characteristics. RESULTS From 1999 to 2009, the probability that an ambulatory visit to a physician resulted in a referral to another physician increased from 4.8% to 9.3% (P < .001), a 94% increase. The absolute number of visits resulting in a physician referral increased 159% nationally during this time, from 41 million to 105 million. This trend was consistent across all subgroups examined, except for slower growth among physicians with ownership stakes in their practice (P = .02) or those with the majority of income from managed care contracts (P = .007). Changes in referral rates varied according to the principal symptoms accounting for patients' visits, with significant increases noted for visits to primary care physicians from patients with cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, dermatologic, and ear/nose/throat symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The percentage and absolute number of ambulatory visits resulting in a referral in the United States grew substantially from 1999 to 2009. More research is necessary to understand the contribution of rising referral rates to costs of care.
Characteristics of jaw growth in cleidocranial dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this pilot study was to assess craniofacial morphology in young and adult individuals with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). DESIGN Craniofacial morphology in young individuals (primary dentition) and in young adults was compared with control data using ratios and angles obtained from lateral head films. SETTING The CCD individuals were referred to the Center for Craniofacial Anomalies for diagnostic workup and treatment recommendations. SUBJECTS The sample consisted of 14 Caucasians. The inclusion criterion for the young, prepubertal group (A) was complete primary dentition, and for the adult, postpubertal group (B), the eruption of all four first molars was required. INTERVENTIONS No treatment other than extraction or surgical removal of selected primary or supernumerary teeth was performed. RESULTS Both groups showed significantly smaller anterior upper face height compared with controls. Group B subjects demonstrated significantly smaller face height values than the controls in the A point-nasion-B point (ANB) angle, facial axis, mandibular plane angle, palatal plane/mandibular plane angle, and gonial angle. No significant differences were found between group A individuals and the controls for these measurements. The older group had shorter anterior lower face height compared with both anterior upper face height and posterior lower face height. CONCLUSIONS Whereas young CCD subjects showed relatively normal jaw proportions and morphology of the mandible, older CCD individuals tended to have short lower face height, acute gonial angle, anterior inclination of the mandible, and mandibular prognathism. These differences can be attributed to pronounced horizontal mandibular growth resulting from lack of vertical maxillary growth and impaired eruption of permanent teeth.
Coping With Stress in the Australian Job Network: Gender Differences

The following paper reports on a component of a study conducted to survey burnout and coping among employment service case managers in the Australian state of Queensland. The current paper reports the coping strategies used by employment service case managers, in an attempt to ascertain the role of coping in burnout and to identify strategies that could be beneficial in reducing burnout levels in this population. Significant gender differences in coping styles were found and an association between burnout and Escape-Avoidance behavior was identified for both female and male respondents. Implications for programs for employment service case managers are discussed.
Social capital : a multifaceted perspective

This book provides an account of the current understanding of social capital. It covers both theoretical and empirical studies, and the concept is debated throughout. Also included in this volume is the classic 1987 article by the late James Coleman, Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital, which formed the basis for the development of social capital as an organizing concept in the social sciences. The volume is divided into areas that cover the analytical foundations and institutional and statistical analyses of social capital.
AM-PM characteristics of low noise block converters

Low noise block converter is one of the key nonlinear devices for spectrum sharing between IMT-A and FSS on 3GHz band based on the result of World Radiocommunication Conference 07. We measured AM-PM characteristics of several off-the-shelf Low Noise Block converters (LNBs) and compare the characteristics with conventional nonlinear device models. On measuring AM-PM characteristics of LNBs, LNBs have frequency conversion function and their local oscillator may not be stable in a long period for the measurement. Then we propose a method for AM-PM measurement which eases required frequency tuning accuracy of the measurement system. The results show that conventional models fit well on the whole, however there are rooms to be improved in their accuracy and usability. Then, in this paper, we also propose a novel AM-PM model based on the concept of the Rapp's AM-AM model.
Continuous Movement Tracking Performance for Predictable and Unpredictable Tasks with Vibrotactile Feedback

The purpose of this paper was to determine human movement tracking performance in response to vibrotactile feedback tracking for predictable and unpredictable continuous movement tasks. Thirteen subjects performed elbow flexion/extension and knee flexion/extension continuous movement tracking tasks while receiving tactile stimulation proportional to limb joint position error. Subjects followed 0.2–2.0 Hz desired movements for predictable tasks (single sinusoid) and unpredictable tasks (combination of three sinusoids). Tactile stimulation reaction times at the forearm to induce elbow flexion/extension and at the shank to induce knee flexion/extension were also recorded. Results of frequency tracking showed that 100 percent of participants correctly tracked unpredictable tasks at all frequencies, but only 60-80 percent of participants correctly tracked predictable tasks at frequencies less than 1 Hz and only 20-60 percent of participants correctly tracked predictable tasks at frequencies greater than 1 Hz. Subjects had less phase lag for predictable tasks than for unpredictable tasks. Reaction times at the forearm were 379 ms and at the shank 437 ms. These findings suggest that continuous vibrotactile feedback based on position errors may not be the most effective means of training higher frequency human movements and serve to inform future vibrotactile feedback design related to training human limb movements for predictable and unpredictable tasks.
FireCaffe: Near-Linear Acceleration of Deep Neural Network Training on Compute Clusters

Long training times for high-accuracy deep neural networks (DNNs) impede research into new DNN architectures and slow the development of high-accuracy DNNs. In this paper we present FireCaffe, which successfully scales deep neural network training across a cluster of GPUs. We also present a number of best practices to aid in comparing advancements in methods for scaling and accelerating the training of deep neural networks. The speed and scalability of distributed algorithms is almost always limited by the overhead of communicating between servers, DNN training is not an exception to this rule. Therefore, the key consideration here is to reduce communication overhead wherever possible, while not degrading the accuracy of the DNN models that we train. Our approach has three key pillars. First, we select network hardware that achieves high bandwidth between GPU servers - Infiniband or Cray interconnects are ideal for this. Second, we consider a number of communication algorithms, and we find that reduction trees are more efficient and scalable than the traditional parameter server approach. Third, we optionally increase the batch size to reduce the total quantity of communication during DNN training, and we identify hyperparameters that allow us to reproduce the small-batch accuracy while training with large batch sizes. When training GoogLeNet and Network-in-Network on ImageNet, we achieve a 47x and 39x speedup, respectively, when training on a cluster of 128 GPUs.
Game semantics for an object-oriented language

This thesis investigates the relationship between object-oriented programming languages and game models of computation. These are intuitively well matched: an object encapsulates some internal state and presents some behaviour to the world via its publicly visible methods, while a strategy for some game represents the possible interactions of a program with its environment. We work with a simple and well-understood game model. Rather than tailoring our model to match some existing programming language, we view the simplicity of our semantic setting as a virtue, and try to find the appropriate language corresponding to the model. We define a class-based, stateful object-oriented language, and give a heapbased operational semantics and an interpretation in our game model. At the heart of this interpretation lies a novel semantic treatment of the phenomenon of data abstraction. The model closely guides the design of our language, which enjoys an intermediate level of expressivity between that of first-order and general higher-order store. The agreement between the operational and game interpretations is verified by a soundness proof. This involves the development of specialised techniques and a detailed analysis of the relationship between the concrete and abstract views. We also show that definability and full abstraction hold at certain types of arbitrary rank, but are problematic at other types. We conclude by briefly discussing an extended language with a control operator, along with other extensions leading to a possible core for a more realistic programming language.
To Thine Own Self Be True: A Phenomenological Investigation into the Role of Self in a Moral Dilemma

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE ROLE OF SELF IN A MORAL DILEMMA Patricia McCarthy Broderick Center for Counseling and Family Studies Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Moral identity was investigated phenomenologically as it was experienced both by those who adhered to their stated moral convictions as well as those who did not. More specifically, 16 adult, unmarried, pro-life women who had experienced an unwanted pregnancy were interviewed, 8 of whom had carried and 8 had aborted. Significant findings include the propensity of those who carried and aborted, alike, to view their moral dilemmas through the filter of protection of self. Those who carried saw their moral beliefs as serving their self-interests, but those who aborted did not. Connection with a higher purpose was found in those who carried. A Moral Juncture Model of Self, as conceptualized by the researcher, is presented.