Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Low-Dose Aspirin and Survival of Women With Endometrial Cancer

OBJECTIVE: To examine the survival outcomes in women with endometrial cancer who were taking low-dose aspirin (81–100 mg/d). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted examining patients with stage I–IV endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy-based surgical staging between January 2000 and December 2013 (N=1,687). Patient demographics, medical comorbidities, medication types, tumor characteristics, and treatment patterns were correlated to survival outcomes. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratio for disease-free and disease-specific overall survival. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-eight patients (9.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.8–11.9) were taking low-dose aspirin. Median follow-up time for the study cohort was 31.5 months. One hundred twenty-seven patients (7.5%) died of endometrial cancer. Low-dose aspirin use was significantly correlated with concurrent obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia (all P<.001). Low-dose aspirin users were more likely to take other antihypertensive, antiglycemic, and anticholesterol agents (all P<.05). Low-dose aspirin use was not associated with histologic subtype, tumor grade, nodal metastasis, or cancer stage (all P>.05). On multivariable analysis, low-dose aspirin use remained an independent prognostic factor associated with an improved 5-year disease-free survival rate (90.6% compared with 80.9%, adjusted hazard ratio 0.46, 95% CI 0.25–0.86, P=.014) and disease-specific overall survival rate (96.4% compared with 87.3%, adjusted hazard ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.08–0.64, P=.005). The increased survival effect noted with low-dose aspirin use was greatest in patients whose age was younger than 60 years (5-year disease-free survival rates, 93.9% compared with 84.0%, P=.013), body mass index was 30 or greater (92.2% compared with 81.4%, P=.027), who had type I cancer (96.5% compared with 88.6%, P=.029), and who received postoperative whole pelvic radiotherapy (88.2% compared with 61.5%, P=.014). These four factors remained significant for disease-specific overall survival (all P<.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that low-dose aspirin use is associated with improved survival outcomes in women with endometrial cancer, especially in those who are young, obese, with low-grade disease, and who receive postoperative radiotherapy.
Using Multidimensional Scaling to Assess the Dimensionality of Dichotomous Item Data

In this study, we investigated the utility of multidimensional scaling (MDS) for assessing the dimensionality of dichotomous test data. Two MDS proximity measures were studied: one based on the PC statistic proposed by Chen and Davison (1996), the other based on inter-item Euclidean distances. Stout's (1987) test of essential unidimensionality (DIMTEST) was also used as a standard for comparison. Twenty different conditions of unidimensional and multidimensional data were simulated, varying the number of test items, correlations among dimensions, and type of data generation model (Rasch or two-parameter IRT model). DIMTEST performed best overall, but had some trouble detecting multidimensionality when the number of test items was small. The PC statistic correctly identified the dimensionality of the unidimensional data, whereas the use of Euclidean distances suggested the two-parameter unidimensional data were multidimensional. Both MDS procedures correctly identified multidimensionality under the low correlation conditions, but were generally unable to detect multidimensionality when the dimensions were highly correlated. Analysis of Euclidean distances were best for determining the precise dimensionality of the multidimensional data under the low correlation condition. Implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Oral lesions among HIV-infected hemophiliacs. A study of 54 patients.

BACKGROUND HIV-infected individuals develop a large variety of oral manifestations. This study was designed to assess the prevalence and types of oral lesions among HIV-positive hemophiliacs. MATERIALS AND METHODS A study population of 54 hemophiliacs was evaluated from February, 1987 to March, 1992 in order to analyze types, prevalence and relationships to clinical stages of HIV-related oral lesions. Thirty-six (67%) of the group of patients were HIV seropositive. The remaining 18 tested negative to HIV during the observation period. RESULTS The majority of patients suffered from hemophilia A. One patient was also bisexual and two were also intravenous drug abusers. Analysis of patient stage revealed that half had a CD4+ T-lymphocyte count over 0.5 x 10(9)/L cells, 10 between 0.2 and 0.499 x 10(9)/L and 8 showed a count lower than 200 x 10(9)/L. Oral lesions were recorded in 18 (50%) HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs. No oral lesions were observed among the HIV-seronegative hemophiliacs. Advanced stage of immunosuppression and presence of oral lesions were significantly associated (p = 0.040). Candidiasis was the most common disturbance, followed by hairy leukoplakia. Oral herpes simplex infection, necrotizing gingivitis and facial herpes zoster were found in a small number of patients. Those with oral lesions showed a lower median CD4+ T lymphocyte count (0.209 x 10(9)/L cells; range 0.008 to 0.615) when compared to the ones without oral lesions (median CD4+ count was 0.539 x 10(9)/L cells; range 0.042 to 1.180; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs may develop oral lesions during the course of their disease. Candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia are among the most common manifestations. A careful oral examination should be included in the clinical evaluation of all HIV-infected hemophiliacs.
Prolonged Repeated Acupuncture Stimulation Induces Habituation Effects in Pain-Related Brain Areas: An fMRI Study

Most previous studies of brain responses to acupuncture were designed to investigate the acupuncture instant effect while the cumulative effect that should be more important in clinical practice has seldom been discussed. In this study, the neural basis of the acupuncture cumulative effect was analyzed. For this experiment, forty healthy volunteers were recruited, in which more than 40 minutes of repeated acupuncture stimulation was implemented at acupoint Zhusanli (ST36). Three runs of acupuncture fMRI datasets were acquired, with each run consisting of two blocks of acupuncture stimulation. Besides general linear model (GLM) analysis, the cumulative effects of acupuncture were analyzed with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to find the association between the brain response and the cumulative duration of acupuncture stimulation in each stimulation block. The experimental results showed that the brain response in the initial stage was the strongest although the brain response to acupuncture was time-variant. In particular, the brain areas that were activated in the first block and the brain areas that demonstrated cumulative effects in the course of repeated acupuncture stimulation overlapped in the pain-related areas, including the bilateral middle cingulate cortex, the bilateral paracentral lobule, the SII, and the right thalamus. Furthermore, the cumulative effects demonstrated bimodal characteristics, i.e. the brain response was positive at the beginning, and became negative at the end. It was suggested that the cumulative effect of repeated acupuncture stimulation was consistent with the characteristic of habituation effects. This finding may explain the neurophysiologic mechanism underlying acupuncture analgesia.
Enhanced expression of surface tumor-associated antigens on human breast and colon tumor cells after recombinant human leukocyte alpha-interferon treatment.

Treatment of human breast or colon carcinoma cells with recombinantly derived human leukocyte (clone A) interferon (IFN-alpha A) increases the surface expression of specific tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) recognized by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The MAbs used, B1.1, B6.2, and B72.3, recognize three distinct TAAs, i.e., the Mr 180,000 carcinoembryonic antigen, a Mr 90,000, and a Mr 220,000 to 400,000 glycoprotein, respectively. The binding of the MAbs to the surface of tumor cells increased in a dose-dependent manner, with optimal levels of TAA enhancement at 100 to 1,000 units IFN-alpha A/ml. Higher concentrations of IFN-alpha A that were cytostatic or cytotoxic were also less effective in enhancing TAA expression. Human melanoma (A375) cells and normal fibroblasts (WI-38 and Flow 4000) do not express any of the three TAAs, either before or after interferon treatment. The ability of IFN-alpha A to increase the expression of TAAs on human carcinoma cells was also temporally dependent, with optimal enhancement occurring after 16 to 24 hr. The enhancement of specific TAAs at the surface of the carcinoma cells by IFN-alpha A was confirmed, using fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. These data demonstrate that the IFN-alpha A-mediated increase of surface antigen is a result of both an accumulation of more antigen per cell, and an increase in the percentage of cells expressing the antigen. The ability of recombinant interferon to enhance specific TAAs on human carcinoma cells may be exploited in designing protocols for the in situ detection and therapy of human carcinoma lesions by MAbs, as well as in further defining the role of specific TAAs in the expression of the transformed phenotype.
BART: Bayesian Additive Regression Trees

We develop a Bayesian "sum-of-trees" model where each tree is constrained by a regularization prior to be a weak learner, and fitting and inference are accomplished via an iterative Bayesian backfitting MCMC algorithm that generates samples from a posterior. Effectively, BART is a nonparametric Bayesian regression approach which uses dimensionally adaptive random basis elements. Motivated by ensemble methods in general, and boosting algorithms in particular, BART is defined by a statistical model: a prior and a likelihood. This approach enables full posterior inference including point and interval estimates of the unknown regression function as well as the marginal effects of potential predictors. By keeping track of predictor inclusion frequencies, BART can also be used for model-free variable selection. BART's many features are illustrated with a bake-off against competing methods on 42 different data sets, with a simulation experiment and on a drug discovery classification problem.
Plasma Neuropeptide Y Levels in Vasovagal Syncope in Children

Background: Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is the most common cause of syncope in children. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP), as well as myocardial contractility. This study aimed to explore the role of plasma NPY in VVS in children. Methods: Fifty-six children who were diagnosed with VVS (VVS group) using head-up tilt test (HUT) and 31 healthy children who were selected as controls (control group) were enrolled. Plasma NPY concentrations were detected. The independent t-test was used to compare the data of the VVS group with those of the control group. The changes in plasma NPY levels in the VVS group during the HUT, as well as hemodynamic parameters, such as heart rate (HR), BP, total peripheral vascular resistance (TPVR), and cardiac output (CO), were evaluated using the paired t-test. Furthermore, the correlations between plasma NPY levels and hemodynamic parameters were analyzed using bivariate correlation analysis. Results: The BP, HR, and plasma NPY (0.34 ± 0.12 pg/ml vs. 0.46 ± 0.13 pg/ml) levels in the supine position were statistically low in the VVS group compared to levels in the control group (all P < 0.05). Plasma NPY levels were positively correlated with the HR (Pearson, R = 0.395, P < 0.001) and diastolic BP (Pearson, R = 0.311, P = 0.003) when patients were in the supine position. When patients in the VVS group were in the supine position, elevated TPVR (4.6 ± 3.7 mmHg·min−1·L−1 vs. 2.5 ± 1.0 mmHg·min−1·L−1, respectively, P < 0.001; 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) and reduced CO (1.0 ± 0.7 L/min vs. 2.4 ± 1.3 L/min, respectively, P < 0.001) were observed in the positive-response period compared with baseline values. The plasma NPY levels were positively correlated with TPVR (Spearman, R = 0.294, P = 0.028) but negatively correlated with CO in the positive-response period during HUT (Spearman, R = −0.318, P = 0.017). Conclusions: Plasma NPY may contribute to the pathogenesis of VVS by increasing the TPVR and decreasing the CO during orthostatic regulation.
SKM: Scalable Key Management for Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Smart Grids

Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) plays a critical role in the smart grid. It enables intelligent applications such as load control switching, demand side management, and meter data management by creating a bidirectional communication network for smart meters and utility systems. Consequently, AMI should be strictly protected to ensure reliable and secure operations of smart grid. In this paper, we first show that a recently proposed key management scheme for AMI by Liu et al. suffers from the desynchronization attack, and, at the same time, it lacks scalability due to inefficient key management. Then, we propose a new scalable key management (SKM) scheme characterized by combining identity-based cryptosystem and efficient key tree technique. The scheme SKM possesses advantages of efficiency and flexibility in key management. In particular, the cost of SKM is O(log n) in either aspect of computation and communication (n is the number of smart meters), which is significantly reduced from the cost of O(n) in the scheme of Liu et al. We analyze security and performance of SKM in detail to show that SKM is efficient in computation and communication cost.
Phonological Working Memory Limitations and Agrammatism: Is There a Causal Relationship between the Two?

Syntactic processing in sentence comprehension requires some form of Working Memory (WM) resources. However, the nature of the relation between WM and sentence comprehension is controversial. One of the questions is whether WM for language is a single resource, or, alternatively, it consists of different components, each entrusted with a different linguistic function (Caplan & Waters, 1999). The aim of the study is to investigate the nature of the relation between WM and sentence comprehension by comparing sentence comprehension abilities with performance on WM tasks of four Greek-speaking patients with Broca’s aphasia. The experimental hypothesis is that patients with different performance patterns in sentence comprehension will present with different verbal WM capacity.
Real-Time Detection and Tracking for Augmented Reality on Mobile Phones

In this paper, we present three techniques for 6DOF natural feature tracking in real time on mobile phones. We achieve interactive frame rates of up to 30 Hz for natural feature tracking from textured planar targets on current generation phones. We use an approach based on heavily modified state-of-the-art feature descriptors, namely SIFT and Ferns plus a template-matching-based tracker. While SIFT is known to be a strong, but computationally expensive feature descriptor, Ferns classification is fast, but requires large amounts of memory. This renders both original designs unsuitable for mobile phones. We give detailed descriptions on how we modified both approaches to make them suitable for mobile phones. The template-based tracker further increases the performance and robustness of the SIFT- and Ferns-based approaches. We present evaluations on robustness and performance and discuss their appropriateness for Augmented Reality applications.
Ageing & Reaction time in Indian Population

The effect of advancing age & gender on visual and auditory reaction time was evaluated in 320 normal Indian male & female volunteers in the age group of 21-60 years. The volunteers were divided in two groups according to age; Group A comprised of 200 volunteers (100 males & 100 females) in the age group of 21-45 years & Group B comprised of 120 volunteers (60 males & 60 females) in age group of 46 – 60 years. The auditory & visual reaction time was recorded using Techno Digital Response Time apparatus. Significant increase in visual reaction time and auditory reaction time was observed with the advancing age. In males, auditory reaction time increased by 22.6 msec & the visual reaction time for green & red light increased by 24.3 msec & 23.9 msec respectively from Group A to Group B. Similarly in females, the auditory reaction time lengthened by 24.4 msec while visual reaction time for green & red light increased by 28.6 msec & 27.1 msec respectively. The auditory reaction time was shorter in females in both the age groups, while visual reaction time was shorter in males in both the age groups. The results for change in auditory reaction time due to advancing age in males as well as females were significant (p<0.05). While the results for the effect of ageing on visual reaction time for red as well as the green light in males & females were significant(p <0.05).
Methodologies for Evaluating Thinning Algorithms for Character Recognition

This paper investigates three different methods of comparing preference structures for thinning algorithms. The first method involves a series of experiments with human subjects. The second makes use of neural networks and the third is based on dissimilarities and distance measures that is computer generated. Several statistical tests have been performed to analyze the preference structures exhibited by the data. This study highlights human coherence in comparing skeletons and the novelty of using reference skeletons to facilitate the evaluation of thinning algorithms. None of the automatic approaches provides a useful insight although a measure of information content manifests some consistency. The overall study suggests a systematic protocol involving human coherence to evaluate preprocessing algorithms.
Perovskite Microdisk Microlasers Self‐Assembled from Solution

Prof. Q. Liao, K. Hu, H. Zhang, Prof. H. Fu Beijing Key Laboratory for Optical Materials and Photonic Devices Department of Chemistry Capital Normal University Beijing 100048 , P. R. China E-mail: liaoqing@cnu.edu. cn; hongbing.fu@iccas.ac. cn Dr. X. Wang, Prof. J. Yao, Prof. H. Fu Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS) Institute of chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 , P. R. China Prof. H. Fu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering Tianjin 300072 , P. R. China
Evaluating Long-Term Outcomes following Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Reconstruction in the Irradiated Breast

Background: Although it is well established that reconstruction of the irradiated breast is associated with diminished cosmetic results and more frequent complications, little is known about the specific effects of radiation therapy on the reconstructive outcomes after nipple-sparing mastectomy. Methods: Patients who had nipple-sparing mastectomy and had either previous radiation therapy for breast-conservation therapy or postmastectomy radiation therapy were reviewed. Patient demographics, reconstructive details, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Patient photographs were used to evaluate aesthetic parameters. Fisher’s exact and t tests were used for comparison of groups, with a value of p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Eighteen patients were identified as having nipple-sparing mastectomy either after breast-conservation therapy (72.2 percent) or before postmastectomy radiation therapy (27.8 percent), with an average follow-up of 3 years. First-stage complications occurred in six patients (33.3 percent). Nipple position was classified as high-riding in 55.6 percent of patients. Average time to revision was 13.3 months. Most common revisions were for correction of malposition (27.8 percent), capsular contracture (16.7 percent), and high-riding nipple (22.4 percent). Capsular contracture occurred more commonly in patients who needed postmastectomy radiation therapy compared with those who had previously undergone breast-conservation therapy (40 percent versus 7.8 percent). Maintenance of reconstruction occurred in 88.9 percent patients, with eventual implant loss occurring in two patients (11.1 percent). Conclusions: Nipple-sparing mastectomy and implant reconstruction should be approached cautiously in the setting of radiation therapy. When early complications are present, significant morbidity may occur. Late revision surgery is common in this subset of patients. Implant malposition and a high-riding nipple occur most frequently. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.
Impact of top management team on firm performance in small and medium-sized enterprises adopting commercial open-source enterprise resource planning

Based on the large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States, their increasing interest in enterprise-wide software systems and their impact on the US economy, it is important to understand the determinants that can facilitate the successful implementation and assimilation of such technology into these firms' daily operations. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the top management team in SMEs that have adopted and implemented commercial open-source enterprise systems and to investigate the impact assimilation has on firm performance. Our results represent a significant contribution to understanding the use of open-source enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for SMEs, as these data are not publicly available. Findings suggest that (1) the information technology (IT) experience and knowledge of the team and the absorptive capacity of the SME play a significant role in the ability of the firm to assimilate open-source ERP systems, (2) assimilation mediates the role between customisation and operational performance and (3) the more aligned the open-source ERP system to the SME's business processes, the greater the opportunity to assimilate the technology and achieve higher levels of performance.
Comparison of the Efficacy of Two Lipid Emulsion Eyedrops in Increasing Tear Film Lipid Layer Thickness

Purpose.The lipid layer of the tear film is critical to maintaining the thickness of the multilayered tear film. This study was designed to determine whether a single drop of Refresh Dry Eye Therapy or Soothe, both lipid emulsion eyedrops, significantly increased the lipid layer thickness (LLT) of patients with self-reported dry eyes and thin lipid layers. Methods.Lipid layer interference patterns were used to quantify the LLT of both eyes of eligible patients before and after test drop instillation. Patients (n = 41) reporting dry eye symptoms and having baseline LLT of no more than 75 nm received 40 &mgr;L of Refresh Dry Eye Therapy in one eye and 40 &mgr;L of Soothe in the contralateral eye. After instillation, LLT was quantified at 1, 5, and 15 minutes. LLT after drop instillation was averaged for the three time points. Results.The mean ± standard error baseline LLT was 59.6 ± 1.7 nm for eyes treated with Refresh Dry Eye Therapy and 61.5 ± 1.6 nm for eyes treated with Soothe. These means were not significantly different (P>0.05). The overall mean LLT after drop instillation was 83.2 ± 3.6 nm for Refresh Dry Eye Therapy (P<0.0001) and 121.5 ± 3.8 nm for Soothe (P<0.0001). The mean LLT increase from Soothe (60.0 nm) was significantly greater than that from Refresh Dry Eye Therapy (23.6 nm) (P<0.0001). Conclusions.The application of a lipid emulsion eyedrop will increase LLT and benefit patients with deficient lipid layers who experience dry eye symptoms. Although both products are lipid emulsions, one drop of Soothe essentially doubled LLT and provided a mean increase in LLT that was 2.5 times greater than that of Refresh Dry Eye Therapy.