Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved technical success and radiation safety of adrenal vein sampling using rapid, semi-quantitative point-of-care cortisol measurement

Objective Primary aldosteronism is a curable cause of hypertension which can be treated surgically or medically depending on the findings of adrenal vein sampling studies. Adrenal vein sampling studies are technically demanding with a high failure rate in many centres. The use of intraprocedural cortisol measurement could improve the success rates of adrenal vein sampling but may be impracticable due to cost and effects on procedural duration. Design Retrospective review of the results of adrenal vein sampling procedures since commencement of point-of-care cortisol measurement using a novel single-use semi-quantitative measuring device for cortisol, the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Measurements: Success rate and complications of adrenal vein sampling procedures before and after use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Routine use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit device for intraprocedural measurement of cortisol commenced in 2016. Results Technical success rate of adrenal vein sampling increased from 63% of 99 procedures to 90% of 48 procedures (P = 0.0007) after implementation of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit. Failure of right adrenal vein cannulation was the main reason for an unsuccessful study. Radiation dose decreased from 34.2 Gy.cm2 (interquartile range, 15.8–85.9) to 15.7 Gy.cm2 (6.9–47.3) (P = 0.009). No complications were noted, and implementation costs were minimal. Conclusions Point-of-care cortisol measurement during adrenal vein sampling improved cannulation success rates and reduced radiation exposure. The use of the adrenal vein sampling Accuracy Kit is now standard practice at our centre.
Experimental investigation of infilled r/c frames with eccentric openings

The influence of masonry infills with eccentric openings on the seismic performance of reinforced concrete (r/c) frames that were designed in accordance with current code provisions are investigated. Eight 1/3-scale, single-story, single-bay frame specimens were tested under cyclic horizontal loading up to a drift level of 4%. In all examined cases the shear strength of columns was higher than the cracking shear strength of solid infill. The parameters investigated include the shape and the location of the opening. Assessment of the behavior of the frames is also attempted, based on the observed failure modes, strength, stiffness, ductility, energy dissipation capacity and degradation from cycling loading. Based on these results there can be deduced that masonry infills with eccentrically located openings has been proven to be beneficial to the seismic capacity of the bare r/c frames in terms of strength, stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation. The location of the opening must be as near to the edge of the infill as possible in order to provide an improvement in the performance of the infilled frame.
Fast and accurate image recognition using Deeply-Fused Branchy Networks

In order to achieve higher accuracy of image recognition, deeper and wider networks have been used. However, when the network size gets bigger, its forward inference time also takes longer. To address this problem, we propose Deeply-Fused Branchy Network (DFB-Net) by adding small but complete side branches to the target baseline main branch. DFB-Net allows easy-to-discriminate samples to be classified faster. For hard-to-discriminate samples, DFB-Net makes probability fusion by averaging softmax probabilities to make collaborative predictions. Extensive experiments on the two CIFAR datasets show that DFB-Net achieves state-of-the-art results to obtain an error rate of 3.07% on CIFAR-10 and 16.01% on CIFAR-100. Meanwhile, the forward inference time (with a batch size of 1 and averaged among all test samples) only takes 10.4 ms on CIFAR-10, 18.8 ms on CIFAR-100, using GTX 1080 GPU with cuDNN 5.1.
Edentulation Alters Material Properties of Cortical Bone in the Human Craniofacial Skeleton: Functional Implications for Craniofacial Structure in Primate Evolution

Skeletal adaptations to reduced function are an important source of skeletal variation and may be indicative of environmental pressures that lead to evolutionary changes. Humans serve as a model animal to investigate the effects of loss of craniofacial function through edentulation. In the human maxilla, it is known that edentulation leads to significant changes in skeletal structure such as residual ridge resorption and loss of cortical thickness. However, little is known about changes in bone tissue structure and material properties, which are also important for understanding skeletal mechanics but are often ignored. The aims of this study were to determine cortical material properties in edentulous crania and to evaluate differences with dentate crania and thus examine the effects of loss of function on craniofacial structure. Cortical bone samples from 15 edentulous human skulls were measured for thickness and density. Elastic properties and directions of maximum stiffness were determined by using ultrasonic techniques. These data were compared to those from dentate crania reported in a previous investigation. Cortical bone from all regions of the facial skeleton of edentulous individuals is thinner than in dentate skulls. Elastic and shear moduli, and density are similar or greater in the zygoma and cranial vault of edentulous individuals, whereas these properties are less in the maxilla. Most cortical bone, especially in edentulous maxillae, has reduced directional orientation. The loss of significant occlusal loads following edentulation may contribute to the change in material properties and the loss of orientation over time during the normal process of bone remodeling. These results suggest that area‐specific cortical microstructural changes accompany bone resorption following edentulation. They also suggest that functional forces are important for maintaining bone mass throughout the craniofacial skeleton, even in areas such as the browridges, which have been thought to be little affected by function, because of low in vivo strains found there in several primate studies. Anat Rec, 293:618–629, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phosphatidyl inositol-3 kinase (PIK3CA) E545K mutation confers cisplatin resistance and a migratory phenotype in cervical cancer cells

The phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway is activated in many human cancers. Previously, we reported that patients with early stage cervical cancer whose tumours harbour PIK3CA exon 9 or 20 mutations have worse overall survival in response to treatment with radiation and cisplatin than patients with wild-type PIK3CA. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PIK3CA-E545K mutation renders cervical cancer cells more resistant to cisplatin and/or radiation, and whether PI3K inhibition reverses the phenotype. We found that CaSki cells that are heterozygous for the PIK3CA-E545K mutation are more resistant to cisplatin or cisplatin plus radiation than either HeLa or SiHa cells that express only wild-type PIK3CA. Similarly, HeLa cells engineered to stably express PIK3CA-E545K were more resistant to cisplatin or cisplatin plus radiation than cells expressing only wild-type PIK3CA or with PIK3CA depleted. Cells expressing the PIK3CA-E545K mutation also had constitutive PI3K pathway activation and increased cellular migration and each of these phenotypes was reversed by treatment with the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941/Pictilisib. Our results suggests that cervical cancer patients whose tumours are positive for the PIK3CA-E545K mutation may benefit from PI3K inhibitor therapy in concert with standard cisplatin and radiation therapy.
The Conviction of Dr. Crippen: New Forensic Findings in a Century‐Old Murder

Abstract: Dr. Hawley Crippen was accused and convicted of murdering his wife in London in 1910. Key to the conviction was microscopic analysis of remains found in the Crippen’s coal cellar, which were identified as Cora Crippen based on a scar she was said to have. Dr. Crippen was hanged, always proclaiming his innocence. In this study, genealogical research was used to locate maternal relatives of Cora Crippen, and their mitochondrial haplotypes were determined. Next, one of the pathology slides of the scar was obtained, DNA was isolated, and the haplotype was determined. That process was then repeated. Finally, both DNA isolates were assayed for repetitive elements on autosomes and repetitive elements specific to the Y chromosome. Based on the genealogical and mitochondrial DNA research, the tissue on the pathology slide used to convict Dr. Crippen was not that of Cora Crippen. Moreover, that tissue was male in origin.
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis on a PolyMethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Polymer Optical Fiber

Curvature sensors based on polymer optical fibers (POFs) present some advantages over the conventional technologies for joint angle assessment such as compactness, electromagnetic field immunity, and multiplexing capabilities. However, the polymer is a viscoelastic material, which does not have a constant response with stress or strain. In order to understand and model this effect, this paper presents the dynamic characterization of a POF. The effects of temperature, frequency, and loads on the fiber are analyzed for obtaining the influence of these parameters on the polymer dynamic Young modulus and time constant. Results show that a temperature on the range between 24 °C and 45 °C does not lead to considerable variations on the sensor output. Moreover, it is possible to estimate the storage modulus and loss factor from the frequency and temperature. The polymer time constant is defined on creep recovery experiments. Since the viscoelastic parameters are evaluated in different conditions of temperature, frequency, and load, a model for the stress behavior of the fiber is proposed. Such model leads to a root mean squared error between the modeled and measured results over 15 times lower than the one obtained with the model for bending stress without account the POF viscoelastic behavior.
The Impact of a Horse Riding Intervention on the Social Functioning of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This paper reports a case-control study of a horse riding intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A sample of 26 children, aged 6 to 9 years, were assigned to either the intervention (n = 12) or control group conditions (n = 14). Pre- and post-tests were carried out using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS2) and the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community Edition (ABC-C). An observational measure of compliance and behaviour during the horse riding sessions was completed for the intervention group. There was a significant reduction in the severity of ASD symptoms and hyperactivity from pre- to post-test for the intervention group only. These results indicate that the intervention improves some aspects of social functioning for children with ASD.
Lempel-Ziv and multiscale Lempel-Ziv complexity in depression

There is a high demand for objective indicators in diagnosis of depression as diagnosis of depression is still based on psychiatrist's subjective judgment. A nonlinear method Lempel Ziv Complexity (LZC) has been previously successfully used for detection of neuronal or mental disorders based on electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. However, the method overlooks the high frequency content of EEG signals. Therefore, this study is aimed to find out whether the use of Multiscale Lempel Ziv Complexity (MLZC), considering also high frequencies, could overcome the limitations of LZC and better differentiate depression. In current study the EEG recordings were carried out on the groups of depressive and healthy subjects of 11 volunteers each. The LZC and MLZC were calculated on resting EEG signals in eyes open condition from 30 channels at a length of 2 minutes. The results revealed the incapability of traditional LZC to differentiate depressive subjects from healthy controls in eyes open condition, while MLZC differentiated two groups in numerous channels at different frequencies, giving the highest classification accuracy in channel F3 (86 %) at frequencies 9 and 15.5 Hz. The results indicate that the high frequency information, which is lost in calculation of traditional LZC, has a great value in differentiating between depressive and control groups.
Health Care Needs and Care Utilization Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations in New Jersey

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore prevalent health issues, perceived barriers to seeking health care, and utilization of health care among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations in New Jersey. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 438 self-identified LGBT people. Results identified health needs, which included management of chronic diseases, preventive care for risky behaviors, mental health issues, and issues related to interpersonal violence. Barriers to seeking health care included scarceness of health professionals competent in LGBT health, inadequate health insurance coverage and lack of personal finances, and widely dispersed LGBT inclusive practices making transportation difficult. There is a need for better preparation of health care professionals who care for LGBT patients, to strengthen social services to improve access and for better integration of medical and social services.
Fertility after Intrauterine Device Removal: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background Despite high efficacy, only 7.7% of women in the United States currently using contraception use an IUD. There is little published contemporary data about fertility rates after IUD use, especially in nulliparous women and women using the hormonal IUD. Study Design We recruited sexually active women 18 to 35 years of age enrolled in the Contraceptive CHOICE Project who had discontinued a contraceptive method and desired pregnancy. Results In this pilot project, we enrolled 69 former IUD users (19 copper and 50 levonorgestrel) and 42 former non-IUD users. Pregnancy rates at 12 months were similar between the two groups; 81% of IUD users became pregnant compared to 70% of non-IUD users (p = 0.18). In the Cox model, there was no difference in the time to pregnancy in IUD users compared to non-IUD users (HRadj 1.19, 95% CI 0.74–1.92). African American race was the only variable associated with reduced fertility (HRadj 0.40, 95% CI 0.24–0.67). Conclusions We found no difference in 12-month pregnancy rates or time to pregnancy between former IUD users and users of other contraceptive methods. However, there was a clinically and statistically significant reduction in fertility in African American women. Chinese Abstract 摘要： 背景：尽管宫内节育器有效性很高，在美国目前只有7.7%的女性使用宫内节育器避孕。 关于当前宫内节育器使用后妊娠率的资料鲜有发表，尤其是有关未产妇和使用含激素宫内节育器的女性的相关资料。 研究设计：我们招募了18- 35岁的性活跃女性参加避孕选择项目，这些女性已经停止避孕，期望妊娠。 结果： 在这项初步研究里，我们招募了69名以前使用宫内节育器的女性（19名使用的是含铜节育器，50名使用的是含左炔诺孕酮节育器）和42名未使用宫内节育器的女性。 两组女性12个月后的妊娠率是相似的；使用过宫内节育器的女性和未使用过宫内节育器的女性妊娠率分别为81%和70%（p=0.18）。 在Cox模型中，使用过宫内节育器的女性和未使用过宫内节育器的女性妊娠时间没有差异（HR adj 1.19, 95% CI 0.74–1.92），非洲裔美国人是与生殖力下降相关的唯一变量。 结论：我们发现使用宫内节育器避孕的女性和使用其他避孕方法的女性12个月后的妊娠率及妊娠时间没有差异。 然而，非洲裔美国人的生殖力临床上和统计学均显著的下降。
Fabrication of Carbon Nanotube Embedded Nylon Nanofiber Bundles by Electrospinning

The electrospinning is a novel and efficient tool for fabrication of carbon nanotube (CNTs) -polymer composites. We have fabricated polymer/CNTs composite by doping multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in nylon fibers using electrospinning technique. The solution, containing MWNTs/nylon, was ejected from the spinneret to form fibers. Spun fibers were collected on the water surface in the water bath and transfer to the winding drum. We observed that, the unwoven fibers were transformed into aligned bundles. The fiber alignment is discussed. The electrical properties of the aligned fibers were analyzed.
Burling graphs, chromatic number, and orthogonal tree-decompositions

Abstract A classic result of Asplund and Grunbaum states that intersection graphs of axis-aligned rectangles in the plane are χ-bounded. This theorem can be equivalently stated in terms of path-decompositions as follows: There exists a function f : N → N such that every graph that has two path-decompositions such that each bag of the first decomposition intersects each bag of the second in at most k vertices has chromatic number at most f(k). Recently, Dujmovic, Joret, Morin, Norin, and Wood asked whether this remains true more generally for two tree-decompositions. In this note we provide a negative answer: There are graphs with arbitrarily large chromatic number for which one can find two tree-decompositions such that each bag of the first decomposition intersects each bag of the second in at most two vertices. Furthermore, this remains true even if one of the two decompositions is restricted to be a path-decomposition. This is shown using a construction of triangle-free graphs with unbounded chromatic number due to Burling, which we believe should be more widely known.
Parental Depression, Overreactive Parenting, and Early Childhood Externalizing Problems: Moderation by Social Support.

This study used a large (N = 519), longitudinal sample of adoptive families to test overreactive parenting as a mediator of associations between parental depressive symptoms and early childhood externalizing, and parents' social support satisfaction as a moderator. Maternal parenting (18 months) mediated the association between maternal depressive symptoms (9 months) and child externalizing problems (27 months). Paternal parenting was not a significant mediator. Unexpectedly, we found a cross-over effect for the moderating role of social support satisfaction, such that partners' social support satisfaction reduced the strength of the association between each parent's own depressive symptoms and overreactive parenting. Results point to the importance of accounting for broader family context in predicting early childhood parenting and child outcomes.
Up-regulation of microRNA let-7c by quercetin inhibits pancreatic cancer progression by activation of Numbl

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a highly malignant tumor with poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRs) may offer novel therapeutic approaches to treatment. The polyphenol quercetin, present in many fruits and vegetables, possesses anti-carcinogenic properties. To unravel the effect of quercetin to miR signaling we performed miR profiling in PDA cells before and after quercetin treatment, followed by biostatistical analysis. miR let-7c was among the top up-regulated candidates after quercetin treatment, as measured by qRT-PCR and confirmed in two established and one primary PDA cell lines. By computational analysis we identified the Notch-inhibitor Numbl as let-7c target gene. This was strengthened by luciferase assays, where lipofected let-7c mimics induced a Numbl 3-UTR wild type construct, but not the mutated counterpart. Let-7c induced Numbl mRNA and protein expression but inhibited Notch just like quercetin. It also inhibited colony formation, wound healing, and protein expression of progression markers. In vivo xenotransplantation of PDA cells and subsequent intravenous injection of let-7c resulted in a significant decrease in tumor mass without obvious toxic effects in the fertilized chick egg model. The delivery rate of the miR mimics to the tumor mass was 80%, whereas minor amounts were present in host tissue. By immunohistochemistry we demonstrated that let-7c inhibited Notch and progression markers but up-regulated Numbl. These findings show that quercetin-induced let-7c decreases tumor growth by posttranscriptional activation of Numbl and indirect inhibition of Notch.
A dose increased once-weekly bortezomib-based combination therapy for multiple myeloma

Background The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a dose increased weekly Bortezomib (Bor) based combination therapy in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Results The overall response rate (ORR) in the modified Bor group was 76.6%, composed of 40% complete response (CR), 3.3% very good partial response (VGPR) and 33.3% partial response (PR). The ORR was 82.3%, with 26.5% CR, 5.9% VGPR and 50% PR in control. A subgroup analysis showed both groups had equal efficacy in newly diagnosed MM patients (P = 1.000). The median progression free survival was 16 (11.7–20.3) months for the modified Bor group and 12 (10.5–13.5) months for the control (P = 0.503), and the median overall survival was 36 (9.4–62.6) vs 28 (21.6–34.4) months (P = 0.759). The incidences of AEs were similar except grade 1–4 peripheral neuropathy (PN) rate was 10% in modified regime group and 32.4% in control (P = 0.038). Materials and Methods This was a monocentric, prospective, non-randomized, phase IV, non-inferiority trial. Thirty MM patients were treated with modified Bor-based combination therapy (Bor 1.6 mg/m2 on day 1, 8), with 34 MM patients on conventional Bor-based combination therapy (1.3 mg/m2 on day 1, 4, 8, 11) as control. The responses and adverse events (AEs) were compared. Conclusions The increased-dose weekly Bor-based combination therapies were not inferior to conventional ones in terms of response and survival benefit, but showed lower rate of peripheral neuropathy (PN).
Infections in non‐splenectomized persistent or chronic primary immune thrombocytopenia adults: risk factors and vaccination effect

Essentials The risk factors for infection in immune thrombocytopenia are not well known. We conducted a national pharmacoepidemiological study. Pulmonary disease, corticosteroids and rituximab were the main risk factors for infections. Pneumococcal and influenza vaccines were protective against infections.
Mitogen-inducible gene 6 is an endogenous inhibitor of HGF/Met-induced cell migration and neurite growth

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/Met signaling controls cell migration, growth and differentiation in several embryonic organs and is implicated in human cancer. The physiologic mechanisms that attenuate Met signaling are not well understood. Here we report a mechanism by which mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig6; also called Gene 33 and receptor-associated late transducer) negatively regulates HGF/Met-induced cell migration. The effect is observed by Mig6 overexpression and is reversed by Mig6 small interfering RNA knock-down experiments; this indicates that endogenous Mig6 is part of a mechanism that inhibits Met signaling. Mig6 functions in cells of hepatic origin and in neurons, which suggests a role for Mig6 in different cell lineages. Mechanistically, Mig6 requires an intact Cdc42/Rac interactive binding site to exert its inhibitory action, which suggests that Mig6 acts, at least in part, distally from Met, possibly by inhibiting Rho-like GTPases. Because Mig6 also is induced by HGF stimulation, our results suggest that Mig6 is part of a negative feedback loop that attenuates Met functions in different contexts and cell types.
Can no-reference image quality metrics assess visible wavelength iris sample quality?

The overall performance of iris recognition systems is affected by the quality of acquired iris sample images. Due to the development of imaging technologies, visible wavelength iris recognition gained a lot of attention in the past few years. However, iris sample quality of unconstrained imaging conditions is a more challenging issue compared to the traditional near infrared iris biometrics. Therefore, measuring the quality of such iris images is essential in order to have good quality samples for iris recognition. In this paper, we investigate whether general purpose no-reference image quality metrics can assess visible wavelength iris sample quality.