Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
11C-Choline PET/CT for Detection and Localization of Parathyroid Adenomas.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of 11C-choline PET/CT for the detection of parathyroid adenomas by retrospectively reviewing a large patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this single-institution retrospective study, 7088 11C-choline PET/CT scans performed of 2933 men with prostate cancer from January 2005 through February 2016 were evaluated. Patients with suspected parathyroid adenomas were identified through a review of the electronic medical record and relevant imaging. Patient demographics, laboratory results, and lesion characteristics were noted. Pathologically proven parathyroid adenomas and lesions in patients with imaging or laboratory findings consistent with the diagnosis were considered positive. RESULTS Thirteen men (mean [± SD] age, 72 ± 7 years) with pathologically or laboratory-proven parathyroid adenomas were identified. All had abnormally elevated serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. All adenomas were tracer avid on 11C-choline PET/CT (maximum standardized uptake value, 5.6 ± 3.0), with activity averaging 4.2 times that of the blood pool and 2.1 times that of the adjacent thyroid. One case of an ectopic adenoma was identified. Of the six pathologically confirmed cases, none displayed high-grade features such as capsular, vascular, or adjacent tissue invasion. Three additional patients with possible parathyroid adenomas at 11C-choline PET/CT were ultimately found to have thyroid lesions on the basis of tissue diagnosis; however, none of these patients had abnormal calcium or parathyroid hormone levels. CONCLUSION In our patient population, 11C-choline PET/CT identified parathyroid adenomas with high specificity. Prospective investigation is warranted to validate this result and delineate the utility of 11C-choline PET/CT relative to other modalities.
The Influence of Head Growth in Fetal Life, Infancy, and Childhood on Intelligence at the Ages of 4 and 8 Years

OBJECTIVE. We investigated the effects of head growth prenatally, during infancy, and during later periods of development on cognitive function at the ages of 4 and 8 years. METHODS. We studied 633 term-born children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort whose head circumference was measured at birth and at regular intervals thereafter. Their cognitive function was assessed with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence at the age of 4 years and with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children at the age of 8 years. Linear regression analysis was used to calculate postnatal head growth between successive time points, conditional on previous size, and to examine the relationship between head growth during different periods of development and later IQ. RESULTS. When the influence of head growth was distinguished for different periods, only prenatal growth and growth during infancy were associated with subsequent IQ. At 4 years, after adjustment for parental characteristics, full-scale IQ increased an average of 2.41 points for each 1-SD increase in head circumference at birth and 1.97 points for each 1-SD increase in head growth during infancy, conditional on head size at birth. At 8 years, head circumference at birth was no longer associated with IQ, but head growth during infancy remained a significant predictor, with full-scale IQ increasing an average of 1.56 points for each 1-SD increase in growth. CONCLUSION. The brain volume a child achieves by the age of 1 year helps determine later intelligence. Growth in brain volume after infancy may not compensate for poorer earlier growth.
Combining beamforming and orthogonal space-time block coding

Multiple transmit and receive antennas can be used in wireless systems to achieve high data rate communication. Efficient space-time codes have been developed that utilize a large portion of the available capacity. These codes are designed under the assumption that the transmitter has no knowledge about the channel. In this work, on the other hand, we consider the case when the transmitter has partial, but not perfect, knowledge about the channel and how to improve a predetermined code so that this fact is taken into account. A performance criterion is derived for a frequency-nonselective fading channel and then utilized to optimize a linear transformation of the predetermined code. The resulting optimization problem turns out to be convex and can thus be efficiently solved using standard methods. In addition, a particularly efficient solution method is developed for the special case of independently fading channel coefficients. The proposed transmission scheme combines the benefits of conventional beamforming with those given by orthogonal space-time block coding. Simulation results for a narrow-band system with multiple transmit antennas and one or more receive antennas demonstrate significant gains over conventional methods in a scenario with nonperfect channel knowledge.
Laparoscopic versus conventional open resection of rectal carcinoma: A clinical comparative study.

AIM To evaluate the feasibility of laparoscopic resection of rectal carcinoma and to compare the short-term outcome of laparoscopic procedure with conventional open surgery for rectal cancer. METHODS Thirty-eight patients with rectal cancer were included in a prospective non-randomized study. The patients were assigned to laparoscopic (n=18) or open (n=18) colorectal resection. Case selection, surgical technique, and clinical and pathological results were reviewed. RESULTS The operative time was longer in laparoscopic resection group (LAP) than in open resection group (189+/-18 min vs 146+/-22 min, P<0.05). Intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complications were less in LAP resection group than in open resection group. An earlier return of bowel motility was observed after laparoscopic surgery. The overall postoperative morbidity was 5.6% in the LAP resection group and 27.8% in open resection group (P<0.05). No anastomotic leakage was found in both groups. The pathologic examination showed that the length of the resected specimen, the mean number of harvested lymph nodes in laparoscopic resection group were comparable to those in open resection group. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer is a feasible but technically demanding procedure. The present study demonstrates the safety of the procedure, while oncologic results are comparable to the open surgery, with a favorable short-term outcome.
Morphological Dependence of Star Formation Properties for the Galaxies in the Merging Galaxy Cluster A2255

The merging cluster of galaxies A2255 is covered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) survey. The physical parameters of 184 bright member galaxies derived from the SDSS data analyses by Brinchmann et al. allow a detailed study of the star formation properties of galaxies within a merging cluster at intermediate redshift. In this paper we perform a morphological classification on the basis of the SDSS imaging and spectral data and investigate the morphological dependence of the star formation rates (SFRs) for these member galaxies. As we expect, a tight correlation between the SFR normalized by stellar mass (SFR/M*) and the Hα equivalent width is found for the late-type galaxies in A2255. The correlation of SFR/M* with the continuum break strength at 4000 Å is also confirmed. A SFR/M*-M* correlation is found for both early- and late-type galaxies, indicating that the star formation activity tends to be suppressed when the assembled stellar mass (M*) increases, and this correlation is tighter and steeper for the late-type cluster galaxies. Compared with the mass range of field spiral galaxies, only two massive late-type galaxies with M* > 1011 M⊙ have survived in A2255, suggesting that the gas disks of massive spiral galaxies could have been tidally stripped during cluster formation. In addition, the SFR variation with the projected radial distance is found to be heavily dependent on galaxy morphology: the early-type galaxies have a very weak inner decrease in SFR/M*, while the inner late-type galaxies tend to have higher SFR/M* values than the outer late-type galaxies. This may suggest that the galaxy-scale turbulence stimulated by the merging of subclusters might have played different roles in early- and late-type galaxies, which leads to a suppression of the star formation activity for E/S0 galaxies and an SFR enhancement for spiral and irregular galaxies.
Response to Invited Commentaries: The Opportunity for Integration Remains

The invited commentaries to Hobbis and Sutton (this issue) show that we achieved our aim of stimulating debate about the development of new approaches to health behaviour change. Diverse opinions were expressed, including discussion of the feasibility of integrating techniques used in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) into interventions based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), commenton the integration of the two models at a theoretical level and consideration of CBT as an alternative to the TPB in health behaviour change. While we felt that an apparent bias towards the TPB precluded acknowledgement of the potential benefits associated with utilizing techniques used in CBT, we were encouraged by the general recognition that further research linking these two approaches is warranted.
Evaluation of viewport size and curvature of large, high-resolution displays

Tiling multiple monitors to increase the amount of screen space has become an area of great interest to researchers. While previous research has shown user performance benefits when tiling multiple monitors, little research has analyzed whether much larger high-resolution displays result in better user performance. We compared user performance time, accuracy, and mental workload on multi-scale geospatial search, route tracing, and comparison tasks across one, twelve (4x3), and twenty-four (8x3) tiled monitor configurations. We also compare user performance time in conditions that uniformly curve the twelve and twenty-four monitor displays. Results show that curving displays decreases user performance time, and we observed less strenuous physical navigation on the curved conditions. Depending on the task, the larger viewport sizes also improve performance time, and user frustration is significantly less with the larger displays than with one monitor.
Identification with School and Head Trauma: Parental Perceptions on Student's Experiences

In the United States 40% of all traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are in children under the age 14 (Broque et. al 2012). This means a portion of the school age population is exposed to head injury every year. The effect this injury and experience can have on a child varies, but it is important for educators, counselors, and family to understand the psychosocial experiences that follow after TBI. Research has shown that head injury in childhood can have severe psychosocial effects if the injury is not treated, recognized, and planned for (Broque et. al 2012). This research is intended to shed light on what educators, counselors, and families can do to help children who have experienced a TBI. Previous research shows that a loss of sense of self after TBI in three categories; loss of self-knowledge, loss of self by comparison, and loss of self in the eyes of others (Nochi, 1998). This investigation suggests that identification as “disabled” can impact how students identify with their school.
Low-Canopy Seagrass Beds Still Provide Important Coastal Protection Services

One of the most frequently quoted ecosystem services of seagrass meadows is their value for coastal protection. Many studies emphasize the role of above-ground shoots in attenuating waves, enhancing sedimentation and preventing erosion. This raises the question if short-leaved, low density (grazed) seagrass meadows with most of their biomass in belowground tissues can also stabilize sediments. We examined this by combining manipulative field experiments and wave measurements along a typical tropical reef flat where green turtles intensively graze upon the seagrass canopy. We experimentally manipulated wave energy and grazing intensity along a transect perpendicular to the beach, and compared sediment bed level change between vegetated and experimentally created bare plots at three distances from the beach. Our experiments showed that i) even the short-leaved, low-biomass and heavily-grazed seagrass vegetation reduced wave-induced sediment erosion up to threefold, and ii) that erosion was a function of location along the vegetated reef flat. Where other studies stress the importance of the seagrass canopy for shoreline protection, our study on open, low-biomass and heavily grazed seagrass beds strongly suggests that belowground biomass also has a major effect on the immobilization of sediment. These results imply that, compared to shallow unvegetated nearshore reef flats, the presence of a short, low-biomass seagrass meadow maintains a higher bed level, attenuating waves before reaching the beach and hence lowering beach erosion rates. We propose that the sole use of aboveground biomass as a proxy for valuing coastal protection services should be reconsidered.
Going Public

While other theorists have turned to Arendt’s analysis of statelessness and superfluity to consider questions of immigration, “illegality,” and the status of noncitizens, this essay argues that Arendt’s account of labor and her nonconsequentialist account of action offer a richer optic for considering the undocumented in the United States. To explore this claim, this essay constructs an alternate account of the nationwide demonstrations for immigrant rights that occurred in 2006. Rather than defining “success” in terms of replicability or immediate legislative results, the author’s analysis of the 2006 protests emphasizes the significance of noncitizens laying claim to the public realm. Considering Michael Warner’s concept of counterpublics, the author argues that the demonstrations can be best understood as a moment of initiation and an inaugural performance of the political. Rereading Arendt’s notion of animal laborans, the essay concludes by exploring the limitations of noncitizens invoking labor as a way to gain civic standing.
Path Loss Models for LTE and LTE-A Relay Stations

Relaying technology is an essential part of 3GPP LTE-Advanced (3 rd Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution - Advanced). This paper evaluates the path loss encountered on the backhaul link of relaying systems. The evaluation is based on an extensive measurements performed in 1900 MHz frequency band. The validity of different propagation models for multiple relay antenna heights is examined. The results of the analysis reveal that the applicability of commonly advocated models for relaying environment is still questionable. Some modifications of the original forms of the discussed models are introduced to make their predictions more reliable. With the proposed modifications, the analyzed models show good agreement with measurements. The prediction error is smaller than 0.37 dB, on average, and the accuracy ranges from 2.23 to 6.40 dB.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND WORK ATTITUDE: A EMPIRICAL STUDY

This study aims to investigate the relationship between spirituality and work attitude (work satisfaction, work performance and turnover intention) in islamic banking in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. The data were collected through surveys to employees with proportional and simple random sampling involved 175 employees as the respondents. The data analysis was carried out by using Structural Equation Model (SEM). The finding of the study show that: (1) there is a positive and significant relation between spirituality and work satisfaction, (2) there is a positive and significant relation between spirituality and work performance, and (3) there is a negative and significant relation between spirituality and turnover intention.
Using earcons to improve the usability of tool palettes

This paper describes an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of adding sound to tool palettes. Palette shave usability problems because users need to see the information they present but they are often outside the area of visual focus. Non-speech sounds called earcons were used to indicate the current tool and tool changes so that users could tell what tool was in use, wherever they were looking. Experimental results showed a significant reduction in the number of tasks performed with the wrong tool. Users knew what the current tool was and did not try to perform tasks with the wrong one.
Where and when: A profile of armed robbery by location

Armed robbery is a diverse, heterogeneous crime shaped by the presence or absence of a wide array of characteristics. Therefore, effectively preventing armed robbery requires a good understanding of the nature of the offence. Previous attempts to understand armed robbery have focused on the offender, primarily by interviewing incarcerated offenders to gain insight into their motivations and planning. However, this approach overlooks the unique vulnerabilities associated with the victim and/or the location of the offence. In this paper, four armed robbery profiles have been constructed, based on information contained in qualitative police narratives supplied as part of the AIC’s National Armed Robbery Monitoring Program. These profiles highlight the way in which the location, environment and offender interact to shape individual incidents of armed robbery in Australia and may assist to inform prevention strategies.
Stress among nurses: a multi‐nation test of the demand‐control‐support model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of job demand, job control, and supervisory support on stress among nurses in China, Japan, Argentina, and the Caribbean using the Job demand‐control (JDC) and the Job demand‐control‐support (JDCS) models.Design/methodology/approach – The authors have employed a comparative research design, cross‐sectional survey methodology with convenient random sampling, and a commonly used statistical analytic strategy.Findings – The results highlight that job demand, job control, and supervisory support are important variables in understanding stress among nurses. This has been corroborated in China, Japan, Argentina, and the Caribbean. Based on their findings and what is available in the literature, the authors report that the JDCS model has universal significance albeit it works somewhat differently in different contexts.Originality/value – This study's contribution comes from its comparative nature, theoretical anchor, its use of one of the most popu.
The work-family role system.

The study of work and the study of the family have traditionally constituted separate sub-disciplines in sociology. Rapoport and Rapoport (1965) and Kanter (1976), among others, have aptly stressed the need for greater examination of work and family roles in relation to each other. Such joint consideration is necessary to describe how individuals' functioning in either of these spheres is affected by their involvement in the other. Further, the current examination of sex roles brings added impetus to the analysis of work-family interrelationships. A major part of what is usually meant by change in "sex roles" is specifically change in the traditional allocation of work and family roles between men and women. Traditional sex role norms prescribed the specialization of work and family responsibilities by sex, but a new option for each sex to integrate roles in both work and the family is now emerging. This paper analyzes some aspects of what I term the "work-family role system. " The work-family role system is composed of the male work role, the female work role, the female family role, and the male family role. Each of these roles may be fully actualized, or may be only partly actualized or latent, as is often the case with the female work role and the male family role. The analysis of these four roles as a system provides a useful way of organizing research about the relations among these roles, and suggests new relations to be examined. It also makes possible some inferences about the dynamics of future changes in women's and men's roles in work and the family. Analyzing men's and women's work and family roles as components of a role system involves specifying how each role articulates with the others to which it is linked, and how variations in the nature of each role, or whether the role is actualized at all, affects the others. For example, to describe the link between the female work and the female family roles, we consider how the extent of the female work role (ranging from no paid work at all, to the most demanding and highest status full time work) both affects and is affected by the extent of the female family role. These links can be considered at two conceptual levels. They can be analyzed at the level of the individual couple, e.g., the relation between wives' employment status and wives' role performance in the family. Each link can also be considered at the
Visual Field Damage and Progression in Glaucomatous Myopic Eyes

Purpose To make a visual field retrospective analysis on a group of patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and to evaluate whether different refractive errors could have different progression of the 30° central sensitivity. Methods A total of 110 patients with POAG (52 men and 58 women) were included in the study. All the patients were divided into four subgroups based on the refractive error. The visual field of all the included patients was assessed by an Octopus 30° central visual field every 6 months, for a total of 837 visual fields examined. The resulting data were analyzed by PERIDATA for Windows 1.7 TREND function. Mean defect (MD) and loss variance (LV) were considered for the analysis. Results At the first examination, 82% of eyes showed a global decrease of differential light sensitivity (MD >2 dB) and in 67% the distribution of the defect was nonhomogeneous (LV >6 dB). The analysis of variance for subgroups showed a more significant decrease of MD in highly myopic patients. A linear regression analysis highlighted a statistically significant change in time of MD in 36% and of LV in 34% of the eyes studied. Highly myopic patients had the highest (p<0.01) percentage of change of MD and LV (46% and 42%, respectively). Among the four subgroups, there was no difference in progression of MD decrease in time. Conclusions These results showed that after 5 years of glaucoma, the visual field was altered in most of the eyes examined (82%) and that in 67% of cases, its defect was nonhomogeneous and worsened with the increase of myopia. The regression linear analysis of visual field changes in time showed a progressive increase of MD and LV in approximately one third of all the eyes examined.
Can the Epstein Model of Parental Involvement Work in a High-Minority, High-Poverty Elementary School? A Case Study

The literature has lauded parental involvement as an effective strategy to increase student achievement, but schools still struggle with how to effectively involve par ents of color and low-income families. In an effort to assess the effectiveness of the Epstein Model of Parental Involvement in high-poverty, high-minority schools, the authors conducted a case study of an urban elemen tary school that uses parental involvement practices stipulated in the model. This article provides implica tions for school counselors and suggestions for future research.