Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Declining object recognition performance in semantic dementia: A case for stored visual object representations

ABSTRACT The role of the semantic system in recognizing objects is a matter of debate. Connectionist theories argue that it is impossible for a participant to determine that an object is familiar to them without recourse to a semantic hub; localist theories state that accessing a stored representation of the visual features of the object is sufficient for recognition. We examine this issue through the longitudinal study of two cases of semantic dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive degradation of the semantic system. The cases in this paper do not conform to the “common” pattern of object recognition performance in semantic dementia described by Rogers, T. T. , Lambon Ralph, M. A. , Hodges, J. R. , & Patterson, K. (2004). Natural selection: The impact of semantic impairment on lexical and object decision. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 21, 331–352. , and show no systematic relationship between severity of semantic impairment and success in object decision. We argue that these data are inconsistent with the connectionist position but can be easily reconciled with localist theories that propose stored structural descriptions of objects outside of the semantic system.
High Temperature Increases the Masculinization Rate of the All-Female (XX) Rainbow Trout “Mal” Population

Salmonids are generally considered to have a robust genetic sex determination system with a simple male heterogamety (XX/XY). However, spontaneous masculinization of XX females has been found in a rainbow trout population of gynogenetic doubled haploid individuals. The analysis of this masculinization phenotype transmission supported the hypothesis of the involvement of a recessive mutation (termed mal). As temperature effect on sex differentiation has been reported in some salmonid species, in this study we investigated in detail the potential implication of temperature on masculinization in this XX mal-carrying population. Seven families issued from XX mal-carrying parents were exposed from the time of hatching to different rearing water temperatures ((8, 12 and 18°C), and the resulting sex-ratios were confirmed by histological analysis of both gonads. Our results demonstrate that masculinization rates are strongly increased (up to nearly two fold) at the highest temperature treatment (18°C). Interestingly, we also found clear differences between temperatures on the masculinization of the left versus the right gonads with the right gonad consistently more often masculinized than the left one at lower temperatures (8 and 12°C). However, the masculinization rate is also strongly dependent on the genetic background of the XX mal-carrying families. Thus, masculinization in XX mal-carrying rainbow trout is potentially triggered by an interaction between the temperature treatment and a complex genetic background potentially involving some part of the genetic sex differentiation regulatory cascade along with some minor sex-influencing loci. These results indicate that despite its rather strict genetic sex determinism system, rainbow trout sex differentiation can be modulated by temperature, as described in many other fish species.
Rate and temperature effects on the flow stress and tensile strength of metals

Some new and obtained earlier experimental data on the elastic precursor decay and rise times of plastic shock waves in several metals and alloys at normal and elevated temperatures are discussed. The time range available for measurements has been expanded to picoseconds that allows approaching ultimate shear and tensile strengths and observations of general trends. Results of measurements have been transformed into dependences of plastic strain rate on the shear stress.
Visual Schemas in Neural Networks for Object Recognition and Scene Analysis

A semiconductor integrated circuit which is reduced in size by having active and/or passive elements in an epitaxial layer having a [100] crystallographic surface, and having anisotropically etched regions with sloped [111] crystallographic surface walls which isolate adjacent semiconductor elements and/or regions of semiconductor material beneath said elements. Conductors interconnecting said elements are supported on the [100] and [111] crystallographic surfaces and contact said elements and/or said high conductivity regions through apertures in surface passivating protective coatings on said surfaces.
Triple-negative breast cancer: correlation between MR imaging and pathologic findings.

PURPOSE To retrospectively evaluate the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of "triple-negative" breast cancer (ie, cancer that is estrogen receptor [ER] negative, progesterone receptor [PR] negative, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2] negative) and to compare them with those of breast cancers that are ER positive, PR positive, and HER2 negative. MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. The MR imaging findings in 176 randomly assigned women (mean age, 56 years; range, 29-87 years) with surgically confirmed triple-negative breast cancers (n = 59) or ER-positive/PR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancers (n = 117) were reviewed. MR imaging findings included tumor shape, margin, internal enhancement, and size, as well as intratumoral signal intensity that was stronger than or almost the same as that of water or vessels on T2-weighted MR images. The MR imaging findings were compared with the pathologic findings. RESULTS High histologic grade (P < .001), unifocal lesion (P = .012), mass lesion type (P < .001), smooth mass margin (P = .001), rim enhancement (P < .001), persistent enhancement pattern (P = .005), and very high intratumoral signal intensity on T2-weighted MR images (P = .002) were significantly associated with triple-negative breast cancer. Very high intratumoral signal intensity on T2-weighted MR images was significantly associated with intratumoral necrosis (P < .001). CONCLUSION Several MR imaging features might be used for detecting triple-negative breast cancer.
AMOUNT OF POLYMERIZATION SHRINKAGE AND SHRINKAGE STRESS IN COMPOSITES AND COMPOMERS FOR POSTERIOR RESTORATION

# The purpose of present study was to evaluate the polymerization shrinkage stress and amount of linear shrinkage of composites and compomers for posterior restoration. For this purpose, linear polymerization shrinkage and polymerization stress were measured. For linear polymerization shrinklage and polymerization stress measurement, custom made Linometer (RB Dyract AP (Dentsply Detrey, Gumbh. German) Z100 (3M Dental Products, St. Paul, USA) Surefil (Dentsply Caulk, Milford, USA) Pyramid(Bisco, Schaumburg, USA) Synergy Compact (Coltene, Altstatten, Switzerland), Heliomolar (Vivadent/Ivoclar, Liechtenstein), and Compoglass (Vivadent Ivoclar/ Liechtenstein) were used. 15 measurements were made for each material. Linear poly- merization shrinkage or polymerization stress for each material was compared with one way ANOVA with Tukey at 95% levels of confidence. For linear shrinkage; Heliomolar, Surefil<Synergy Compact, Z100<Dyract AP<Pyramid, Compoglass F (p<0.05) For Shrinkage stress; Heliomolar< Z100, Pyramid<Synergy Compact, Compoglass F<Dyract AP<Heliomolar HB, Surefil (p< 0.05) ABSTRACT
Reformulation of Pisarenko harmonic decomposition method for single-tone frequency estimation

Based on the linear prediction (LP) property of sinusoidal signals, a closed-form unbiased frequency estimator for a real sinusoid in white noise is proposed. The frequency estimator, which is derived by minimizing a constrained least squares cost function, can be considered as a reformulation of the well known Pisarenko harmonic decomposer (PHD). Online computation of the frequency estimate can be achieved in a very simple manner, and its variance is derived. Computer simulations are included to corroborate the theoretical development and to contrast the estimator performance with the PHD, maximum likelihood, and LP-based methods as well as Crame/spl acute/r-Rao lower bound.
Knowledge transfer for melanoma screening with deep learning

Knowledge transfer impacts the performance of deep learning — the state of the art for image classification tasks, including automated melanoma screening. Deep learning's greed for large amounts of training data poses a challenge for medical tasks, which we can alleviate by recycling knowledge from models trained on different tasks, in a scheme called transfer learning. Although much of the best art on automated melanoma screening employs some form of transfer learning, a systematic evaluation was missing. Here we investigate the presence of transfer, from which task the transfer is sourced, and the application of fine tuning (i.e., retraining of the deep learning model after transfer). We also test the impact of picking deeper (and more expensive) models. Our results favor deeper models, pretrained over ImageNet, with fine-tuning, reaching an AUC of 80.7% and 84.5% for the two skin-lesion datasets evaluated.
Review: weight-loss interventions with Hispanic populations.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a review of published studies that have addressed the effectiveness of weight-loss interventions for Hispanic individuals in the United States, identify key components of effective interventions for this population, and provide a set of recommendations for the development of effective treatment programs. DATA SOURCE Online bibliographic databases were searched from 1980 to September 2006. STUDY INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Two key search dimensions ("Latino" or "Mexican-American" or "Hispanic" or "Spanish-speaker"; and "weight-loss" or "weight-reduction" or "obesity treatment" or "diet intervention") were used to search for articles. DATA EXTRACTION The methods and findings of all retrieved articles were evaluated, and summary outcome data were taken from published results. DATA SYNTHESIS The limited number of published articles found, and the lack of identifying information on key variables (eg, manner in which subjects were determined to be "Hispanic," level of acculturation, socioeconomic status [SES], number of years living in the United States, country of origin, etc) precluded conducting a formal meta-analysis on the available outcome data. RESULTS The review identified only three controlled intervention studies specifically targeting Hispanic populations for weight-loss; most of the available studies were not randomized and did not assess key variables, such as acculturation, type of community of origin, level of education, etc. Most available "culturally sensitive" health-related interventions targeting Hispanic populations do not specify what made the interventions "culturally sensitive" beyond the translation of the materials into Spanish. CONCLUSIONS Traditional weight-loss interventions developed for use on Anglo-American subjects do not appear to have been effective for Hispanic individuals. There is an urgent need to both develop effective interventions and to improve the methodologic thoroughness in the design, implementation, and reporting of such interventions for this population.
Apolipoprotein C-III as a Potential Modulator of the Association Between HDL-Cholesterol and Incident Coronary Heart Disease

Background High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are structurally and metabolically heterogeneous and subclasses with differential effects on coronary heart disease (CHD) might exist. Apolipoprotein (apo) C-III, a small proinflammatory protein that resides on the surface of lipoproteins, enhances the atherogenicity of VLDL and LDL particles, but little is known about the role apoC-III on HDL. We investigated whether the presence or absence of apoC-III differentiates HDL into subtypes with nonprotective or protective associations with risk of future CHD. Methods and Results High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were measured in plasma separated according to apoC-III (by immunoaffinity chromatography) in two prospective case-control studies nested within the Nurses’ Health and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Studies. Baseline was in 1990 and 1994, and 634 incident CHD cases were documented through 10 to 14 years of follow-up. The relative risk of CHD per each standard deviation of total HDL-C was 0.78 (95% confidence intervals, 0.63–0.96). The HDL-C subtypes were differentially associated with risk of CHD, HDL-C without apoC-III inversely and HDL-C with apoC-III directly (P=0.02 for a difference between the HDL types). The relative risk per standard deviation of HDL-C without apoC-III was 0.66 (0.53 to 0.93) and 1.18 (1.03 to 1.34) for HDL-C with apoC-III. HDL-C with apoC-III comprised ∼13% of the total HDL-C. Adjustment for triglycerides and apoB attenuated the risks; however, the two HDL-C subgroups remained differentially associated with risk of CHD (P=0.05). Conclusion Separating HDL-C according to apoC-III identified two types of HDL with opposing associations with risk of CHD. The proatherogenic effects of apoC-III, as a component of VLDL and LDL, may extend to HDL. (J Am Heart Assoc. 2012;1:jah3-e000232 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.111.000232.)
Autofusion in the Immature Spine Treated With Growing Rods

Study Design. Retrospective case review of skeletally immature patients treated with growing rods. Patients received an average of 9.6 years follow-up care. Objective. (1) to identify the rate of autofusion in the growing spine with the use of growing rods; (2) to quantify how much correction can be attained with definitive instrumented fusion after long-term treatment with growing rods; and (3) to describe the extent of Smith-Petersen osteotomies required to gain correction of an autofused spine following growing rod treatment. Summary of Background Data. The safety and use of growing rods for curve correction and maintenance in the growing spine population has been established in published reports. While autofusion has been reported, the prevalence and sequelae are not known. Methods. Nine skeletally immature children with scoliosis were identified who had been treated using growing rods. A retrospective review of the medical records and radiographs was conducted and the following data collected: complications, pre- and postoperative Cobb angles at time of initial surgery (growing rod placement), pre- and postoperative Cobb angles at time of final surgery (growing rod removal and definitive fusion), total spine length as measured from T1–S1, % correction since initiation of treatment and at definitive fusion, total number of surgeries, and number of patients found to have autofusion at the time of device removal. Results. The rate of autofusion in children treated with growing rods was 89%. The average percent of the Cobb angle correction obtained at definitive fusion was 44%. On average, 7 osteotomies per patient were required at the time of definitive fusion due to autofusion. Conclusion. Although growing rods have efficacy in the control of deformity within the growing spine, they also have adverse effects on the spine. Immature spines treated with a growing rod have high rates of unintended autofusion which can possibly lead to difficult and only moderate correction at the time of definitive fusion.
Optimisation of machining parameters on milling of GFRP composites by desirability function analysis using Taguchi method

Milling of GFRP composite materials is a rather complex task owing to its heterogeneity and the number of problems, such as surface delamination, which appear during the machining process, associated with the characteristics of the material and the cutting parameters. Optimization of machining parameters is an important step in machining. This paper presents a new approach for optimizing the machining parameters on milling glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites. Optimization of machining parameters was done by an analysis called desirability function analysis (DFA), which is a useful tool for optimizing multi-response problems. In this work, based on Taguchi’s L 27 orthogonal array, milling experiments were conducted for GFRP composite plates using solid carbide end mills with different helix angles. The machining parameters such as, spindle speed, feed rate, helix angle and fibre orientation angle are optimized by multi-response considerations namely surface roughness, delamination factor and machining force. A composite desirability value is obtained for the multi-responses using individual desirability values from the desirability function analysis. Based on composite desirability value, the optimum levels of parameters have been identified, and significant contribution of parameters is determined by analysis of variance. Keywords: GFRP composites; Taguchi; Desirability function analysis; ANOVA; Solid carbide end mill.
Stimulation of Metamorphosis in the Polychaete Hydroides elegans Haswell (Serpulidae).

The serpulid polychaete Hydroides elegans is a common, cosmopolitan warm-water biofouling organism. Competent larvae of H. elegans metamorphose rapidly after induction by marine biofilms. Only 15 min after coming in contact with the metamorphic cue, larvae have completed secretion of the primary tube; secretion of the secondary, calcareous tube begins 1.5 h after the primary tube has been deposited. Metamorphosis is characterized by disappearance of the prototroch and differentiation of the tentacular crown in the head region, the collar and thoracic membrane in the thoracic region, and the pygidium at the tip of the abdomen. These morphogenetic events were used to gauge the responses of larvae to biofilms, as well as to the artificial inducers Cs+ and K+. A maximal metamorphic response to the two ions requires exposure to different concentrations and durations, i.e., a 3-h pulse of 10 mM CsCl, or a 24-h continuous exposure to 50 mM excess KCl. The metamorphic response to Cs+ or K+ is much slower than the response to biofilms, demonstrating that the tissues respond differently to artificial inducers. The differences in the kinetics of the responses to the natural and cationic inducers suggest that the induction mechanisms are not the same. When these artificial inducers were used, some, but not all, of the metamorphosed juveniles never attached to the substratum or secreted a primary tube, probably as a result of secondary effects of the ions on processes of tube formation. The exact mechanisms by which Cs+ and excess K+ induce metamorphosis are still unclear, although we assume, as do others, that these agents act by depolarizing the membranes of excitable sensory cells and not by interacting with specific receptors.
Improvement in the quality of life after i.v. PGE1 therapy for intermittent claudication.

BACKGROUND Increasingly and justifiably, clinical studies are now being expected to investigate the influence of therapeutic measures also on the quality of life of the patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS Since no data on the variability of changes in the quality of life of the patient following PGE1 treatment are so far available, the initial investigation was designed as an uncontrolled pilot study. 104 patients (median age 64.5 years) with a maximum of walking distance on the treadmill (3 km/12%) of 50-250 m were included and given a daily intravenous infusion of 60 micrograms PGE1 (Prostavasin) over a period of 4 weeks excluding weekends. This was followed by a treatment-free follow-up period of 3 months. Changes in the quality of life were recorded with both the newly developed disease-specific questionnaire PAVK-86, and the generic questionnaire SF 36; in addition, the pain-free and maximum walking distances on the treadmill were also established prior to and immediately following treatment, as also at the end of the follow-up period. RESULTS The quality of life was significantly improved in all dimensions (functional status, complaints, pain, mood, anxiety, social life, treatment expectations) in addition to a marked increase in the median pain-free walking distance from 77 to 108 m (p < 0.001) and the maximum walking distance from 118 to 171 m (p < 0.001). At the end of the 3-month observation period, the improvement was essentially still demonstrable. CONCLUSION The study has shown for the first time that treatment with intravenous PGE1 brings about not only the already known increase in the walking distance, but also a clinically relevant and significant improvement in the patient's quality of life.
Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Enterococci Infections in Two Primary-Care Hospitals in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria

Enterococci are opportunistic bacteria that become pathogenic when they colonize niches where they are not normally found. Of recent, they have become major cause of nosocomial infections, especially of the bloodstream, urinary tract and surgical sites. The aim of this study is to determine the point-prevalence rate of human enterococci infections among hospitalized patients in Osogbo, Nigeria. The study was conducted between January and June 2009 in two primary-care hospitals in Osogbo and involved a total of 118 patients who developed clinical evidence of infection at least 48 hours after hospital admission. Appropriate clinical samples were collected from the patients after an informed consent and cultured for isolation/biochemical identification of Enterococcus species at the Bacteriology Laboratory of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo using standard microbiological methods. There were 525 hospital admissions within the time frame of the study of which 118 (22.5%) developed hospital acquired infection (HAI); 58 (49.2%) of which cultured positive for bacterial pathogens. Enterococci were isolated from infective focus in 7 patients, giving a prevalence rate of hospital-acquired enterococci infection of 5.9%. Two species of Enterococcus were identified; Enterococcus faecalis from urinary tract infection (UTI) and surgical site infection (SSI) of 6 (85.7%) patients and Enterococcus faecium from UTI in 1 (14.3%) patient. Other bacteria recovered from other infective foci were Klebsiella spp 31.0%, Pseudomonas spp 20.7%, Staphylococcus aureus 17.2%, Escherichia coli 12.1%, Staphylococcus epidermidis 3.4%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 1.7% and Serratia spp 1.7%. All the enterococci isolates were multiply antibiotic resistant, and 42.9% were vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) with the VRE strains showing resistance to wider range of antibiotics than the vancomycin-sensitive strains. Other Gram-positive and Gram negative bacterial isolates also demonstrated multiple resistance to all commonly available antibiotics in this community except E. coli and Pseudomonas spp which were relatively sensitive to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime. This limited study demonstrated a high prevalence rate of multiple antibiotic resistant enterococci infections among hospitalized patients in this environment. There is need for systematic surveillance of hospitals for enterococci infections; prudent use and rational prescription of antibiotics and stringent measures to reduce the prevalence rate by health education on infection control measures such as isolation, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization.
The developmental origins of adult disease (Barker) hypothesis

Many studies have provided evidence for the hypothesis that size at birth is related to the risk of developing disease in later life. In particular, links are well established between reduced birthweight and increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke in adulthood. These relationships are modified by patterns of postnatal growth. The most widely accepted mechanisms thought to underlie these relationships are those of fetal programming by nutritional stimuli or excess fetal glucocorticoid exposure. It is suggested that the fetus makes physiological adaptations in response to changes in its environment to prepare itself for postnatal life. These changes may include epigenetic modification of gene expression. Less clear at this time are the relevance of fetal programming phenomena to twins and preterm babies, and whether any of these effects can be reversed after birth. Much current active research in this field will be of direct relevance to future obstetric practice.