Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated Cell Detection and Morphometry on Growth Plate Images of Mouse Bone.

Microscopy imaging of mouse growth plates is extensively used in biology to understand the effect of specific molecules on various stages of normal bone development and on bone disease. Until now, such image analysis has been conducted by manual detection. In fact, when existing automated detection techniques were applied, morphological variations across the growth plate and heterogeneity of image background color, including the faint presence of cells (chondrocytes) located deeper in tissue away from the image's plane of focus, and lack of cell-specific features, interfered with identification of cell. We propose the first method of automated detection and morphometry applicable to images of cells in the growth plate of long bone. Through ad hoc sequential application of the Retinex method, anisotropic diffusion and thresholding, our new cell detection algorithm (CDA) addresses these challenges on bright-field microscopy images of mouse growth plates. Five parameters, chosen by the user in respect of image characteristics, regulate our CDA. Our results demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed numerical method relative to manual methods. Our CDA confirms previously established results regarding chondrocytes' number, area, orientation, height and shape of normal growth plates. Our CDA also confirms differences previously found between the genetic mutated mouse Smad1/5CKO and its control mouse on fluorescence images. The CDA aims to aid biomedical research by increasing efficiency and consistency of data collection regarding arrangement and characteristics of chondrocytes. Our results suggest that automated extraction of data from microscopy imaging of growth plates can assist in unlocking information on normal and pathological development, key to the underlying biological mechanisms of bone growth.
Neurodegenerative actions of interleukin‐1 in the rat brain are mediated through increases in seizure activity

The cytokine interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) is an established and important mediator of diverse forms of neuronal injury in experimental animals. However, its mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. We have reported previously that IL‐1 markedly enhances excitotoxic injury induced in the rat by striatal administration of the excitotoxin α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA), leading to widespread neuronal loss throughout the ipsilateral cortex. Here we tested the hypothesis that IL‐1 causes this injury through induction and/or enhancement of seizure activity in the rat. Consistently with this hypothesis, intrastriatal injection of AMPA or AMPA with IL‐1 in the rat brain increased c‐Fos expression in regions similar to those in which c‐Fos has been reported previously in response to seizures. A significant increase in cortical neuronal activity (number of c‐Fos positive cells) was observed in response to AMPA with IL‐1 compared with AMPA (8 hr after injection). Increased seizure duration [3,522 ± 660 sec (SEM) vs. 1,415 ± 301 sec; P < 0.001] and cell death volume (140 ± 20 mm3 vs. 52 ± 6 mm3; P < 0.001) were seen in response to coinfusion of AMPA with IL‐1 vs. AMPA alone. In addition, the anticonvulsant diazepam (intraperitoneal) significantly reduced cell death (P < 0.001) and seizure duration (P < 0.001) induced by AMPA with IL‐1, and a significant correlation was found between seizure duration and cell death volume. These findings support our hypothesis that IL‐1 enhances excitotoxic injury by enhancement of seizures, which may be of relevance to IL‐1 actions in other forms of neuronal injury, including cerebral ischemia. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wilm’s Tumor: Ten Year Experience at Kanti Children’s Hospital

Introduction: Wilm's tumor is the second most common abdominal tumor in children. It arises from the kidney. The survival of children with Wilm's tumor has improved over the past 25 years. Objectives: To study the clinical presentation of Wilm’s tumor and evaluate the ten year survival. Materials and Methods: A retrospective hospital based study was conducted at Kanti Children's Hospital from March 1998 to February 2008. A total of 60 histopathologically diagnosed children below 14 yr of age were included in the study. Results: About 2/3rd (66.5%) presented with abdominal swelling followed by abdominal pain (16.5%) and fever (13.5%). A few children manifested with red colored urine (3.5%). The age of children ranged from one month to 13 years with the mean age of 36 months. Males were affected more than the females (M:F=3:1). Most affected age group was 2 to 5 yrs (41.5%) followed by 1 to 2 yrs (25.0%). Most of the cases were in stage III (36.5%) followed by stage II (33.5%). SIOP protocol was used to treat these children and overall 10 year survival rate was 50.0%. One fifth (20%) of the cases died, 16.5% relapsed and 13.5% lost to follow up. Conclusion: Despite severe resource limitations, paediatric oncology unit at Kanti Children’s Hospital has been successfully treating Wilm's tumor with the success rate of 50.0%. Key words: Chemotherapy; Outcome; Remission; Wilm’s tumor; SIOP. DOI: 10.3126/jnps.v30i2. 3449 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. May-August, 2010 Vol 30(2) 85-89
ANALYSING EFFECTS OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD ON DECISION QUALITY IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT

As internet is empowering customers with rich information about product attributes, experiences of others, dot-com retailers and manufacturers are also struggling to provide ever-increasing amount of product information to customers. Companies often believe that their long-term profitability may be determined by how much their product information is presented to and processed by the consumers.But people shopping online often face difficulty in processing large combinations of product attributes within a limited cognitive capacity. This increase in amount of information cannot facilitate decision making and the decision maker experiences ‘Information overload’ which may result in dysfunctional consequences such as cognitive fatigue and confusion which in turn effect decision quality. Searching for product information on the Internet is the most important predictor of online buying behavior. Differences in customers search procedure for search and experience products online may result in differences in their online shopping behavior. These differences have important implications on marketing practices. The present research focuses on explaining theeffects of ‘information overload’ on the choice and purchase decisions for different search and experience product online. The findings of research has implications for information providers, retailers and researchers interested in improving quality of human decision making.
Bearing capacity of spatially random soil: the undrained clay Prandtl problem revisited

By merging elasto-plastic finite element analysis with random field theory, an investigation has been performed into the bearing capacity of undrained clays with spatially varying shear strength. The object of the investigation is to determine the extent to which variance and spatial correlation of the soil's undrained shear strength impact on the statistics of the bearing capacity. Throughout this study, bearing capacity results are expressed in terms of the bearing capacity factor, Nc, in relation to the mean undrained strength. For low coefficients of variation of shear strength, the expected value of the bearing capacity factor tends to the Prandtl solution of Nc = 5·14. For higher values of the coefficient of variation, however, the expected value of the bearing capacity factor falls quite steeply. The spatial correlation length is also shown to be an important parameter that cannot be ignored. The results of Monte Carlo simulations on this non-linear problem are presented in the form of histograms, .
An absence of reactive oxygen species improves the resolution of lung influenza infection

Three influenza virus pandemics occurred in the last century, in 1918 killing 40–50 million people. In the absence of strain‐specific vaccines, with potential resistance to antivirals and the threat of an imminent pandemic, strategies that alleviate symptoms are a priority. Reactive oxygen species are potent antimicrobial agents but cause immunopathology when produced in excess. Mice lacking a functional phagocyte NADPH oxidase (Cybb tm1 mice) or treated with the metalloporphyrin antioxidant manganese (III) tetrakis (N‐ethyl pyridinium‐2‐yl) porpyhrin (MnTE‐2‐PyP) show heightened inflammatory infiltrates in their airways in response to pulmonary influenza infection, with augmented macrophage populations and a Th1‐skewed T cell infiltrate. Underlying this exuberant macrophage response was a significant reduction in apoptosis and down‐regulation of the myeloid inhibitory molecule CD200. Both, Cybb tm1 and MnTE‐2‐PyP‐treated mice exhibited a reduced influenza titer in the lung parenchyma. Inflammatory infiltrate into the lung parenchyma was markedly reduced and lung function significantly improved. Manipulation of the homeostatic control of myeloid cells by inflammatory mediators therefore represents a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of influenza virus infection.
Ascending Aortic Impedance Patterns in the Kangaroo: Their Explanation and Relation to Pressure Waveforms

This study seeks to explain mechanisms responsible for the peculiar ascending aortic pressure wave-form and impedance spectral pattern in kangaroos. Pulsatile pressure and blood flow velocity were measured and input impedance calculated in the ascending aorta, descending thoracic aorta, and brachiocephalic artery of 15 rock kangaroos. Pressure and velocity waveforms and impedance spectral patterns were interpreted with the aid of an asymmetric uniform T-tube model of the systemic arterial tree. The ascending aortic pressure waveform displayed a very large secondary wave that began in late systole or early diastole and continued throughout most of diastole. The peak of this secondary wave (which almost always occurred in diastole) was often greater than peak systolic pressure and results from apparently intense wave reflections from peripheral vascular beds. This contention is supported by the configuration of the impedance spectral pattern that is explained on the basis of a single (or dominant) functionally discrete reflecting site in the lower part of the body. These findings are explicable on the basis of body size and shape and the extreme eccentric location of the heart within the body. Wave reflections from the diminutive upper body are so small that they are totally dominated by intensive wave reflections from the large muscular lower body. These conclusions are supported by results obtained from the asymmetric T-tube model.
What Drives the End User to Build a Feral Information System

A Feral Information Systems (FIS) is any technological artefact (e.g. spreadsheets) that end users employ instead of the mandated Enterprise System (ES). ES proponents suggest that the installation of an ES will boost productivity. However, Production Possibility Frontier theory provides insights as to why the introduction of an ES may instead suppress an end user's productivity. Structuration Theory offers insights that explain how certain end users may have access to powerful resources. Rather than submitting to the ES, the end user can employ FIS to block or circumvent aspects of the ES. Further, the concept of life chances helps explain why individuals may or may not develop the core skills required to construct an alternate to the ES, the FIS. In relation to the ES usage, an end user may adopt one of four Modes of Operation, namely: Submit, Dismiss, Hidden, or Defiant.
Effects of Psychological Contract Breach on Organizational Outcomes: Moderating Role of Tenure and Educational Levels

In contemporary knowledge-intensive organizations, which are characterized by short product life cycles and unhindered access to information and resources, organizational survival, let alone success, necessitates higher-than-average performance. Engaged and committed employees are considered critical resources for organizational survival and business success. Research suggests that the quality of employment relationship significantly impacts employee attitudes. Psychological Contract is a useful framework for examining the quality of employee-organization relationship. Psychological Contract Breach (PCB), defined as the cognition that one's organization has failed to meet one or more obligations within one�s psychological contract in a manner commensurate with one's contributions has deleterious effects of employee motivation. Previous research has shown that breach is a norm, not an exception. However, given that PCB is an organizational reality, little effort has been made to examine the impact of PCB on critical behaviours of work engagement and commitment. Further, extant research on psychological contract has primarily tended to adopt main effects approach in examining the psychological contract-outcome relationship and not addressed various individual and situational variables which can alleviate/aggravate our reactions. Finally, most previous research on psychological contract breach has been conducted in Western countries where cultures are typically individualist and low in power distance. This work is significant for three reasons: It examines the effect of PCB on two critical organizational outcomes: work engagement and affective commitment. It tests the role of individual level variables — tenure and educational level on PCBOutcome relationship. It examines PCB in novel geographical context. Respondents to a survey were 1,302 Indian managerial employees working in eight organizations in India. Results suggest that Tenure moderates the PCB-affective commitment relationship Education level moderates the effects of PCB on affective commitment Education level moderates the effects of PCB on work engagement. Most of the research on psychological contracts has focused on direct effects of breach on organizational outcomes. By examining the moderating effects of employee tenure and educational levels, this study has unmasked some interesting findings in the PCB-outcome relationship. The results of this study suggest that much like their counterparts in the West, Indian employees perceive their psychological contracts to have been breached. The negative ramifications of PCB challenge organizations not to ignore the situation but to approach it.
The hp finite element approximation of a weakly coupled system of two singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion equations

We consider the approximation of a weakly coupled system of two singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion equations, with the finite element method. The first differential equation contains a small parameter multiplying the highest derivative, while the second does not. As a result, the first component of the solution to the system will contain boundary layers and our goal is to construct and analyze an hp finite element scheme which converges uniformly with respect to the singular perturbation parameter. In particular, our scheme includes elements of size O(εp) near the boundary, where ε is the singular perturbation parameter and p is the degree of the approximating polynomials. We show that under the assumption of analytic input data, the method yields exponential rates of convergence, independently of ε, as p → ∞. Numerical computations supporting the theory are also presented.
Re: Risk of different histological types of postmenopausal breast cancer by type and regimen of menopausal hormone therapy

Dear Sir, We welcome that a case-control study to explore associations between use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and risk of breast cancer has been performed in Germany. However, we are concerned by several shortcomings of this study. We cannot find an explanation or hypothesis, respectively, why 44.0% of randomly selected controls did not participate and a further 12.6% controls did not respond. These are relatively substantial numbers, compared to many other comparable case-controls studies of the studied context. It is difficult to understand the nature of both varying and steadily decreasing absolute numbers of studywomen used for analyses. For example, overall there were 3,464 eligible cases for analyses (Table I), but how does this correspond to the sum of 4,359 cases (in situ disease excluded) in Figure 1, reflecting absolute and relative numbers of study women with reported ever, current and past use, respectively? Likewise, the numbers of controls do not match. Unfortunately, the authors do not report how they utilized the wealth of data probably accumulated, using a memory aid to recall MHT histories apparently dating back for decades in study women. For example, how did the authors handle the histories of women reporting, i.e., cyclical and continuous combined MHT, respectively, or different preparations containing different estrogenic and progestogenic compounds? We know that long-term use of MHT in German has been both common, at least until recently, and often comprising changes in preparations. We doubt that analyses restricted to the most recent therapy modalities render valid assumptions about risk and support inferences about differences in risks regarding both differences among regimens and the impact on histological subtypes. Finally, we are concerned that women who were premenopausal and women under 55 years of age, whose menopausal status was unclear because of hysterectomy or MHT, were excluded from the reported analyses. Women with ‘‘unclear’’ status also encounter risks of breasts cancer. Given the fact that substantial numbers of German women start MHT already before the age of 50 and that hysterectomy rates were calculated to be 25% in women aged 40–69 years in West German, one would have liked to see more details on risk of breast cancer in these subgroups of women in the two study regions.
Validation of inflammation-based prognostic models in patients with hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective observational study

Background and objective The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of several inflammation-based models in hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and methods We retrospectively reviewed 470 cases of hepatitis B-associated HCC. Preoperative data were collected to calculate the inflammation-based markers, including systemic immune-inflammation index (neutrophil×platelets/lymphocyte), platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Overall survival and recurrence-free survival were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox analysis. Results During a median follow-up time of 29 months, 34.0% (160/470) of patients died and 36.0% (169/470) experienced recurrence. Compared with patients with lower scores of inflammation models, patients in the higher group had larger tumor diameter and higher risk of vascular invasion (both P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, tumor size, platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio, NLR, and systemic immune-inflammation index were the independent predictors for both overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Furthermore, the combination of tumor size and NLR showed a significantly better discrimination ability for survival (C-index=0.716, 95% confidence interval: 0.664–0.768) than both Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer and Cancer of Liver Italian Program. Conclusion The inflammation-based markers, in particular the combination of NLR with tumor size, are effective tools for assessing prognosis in hepatitis B-associated HCC.
Coastal upwelling prediction with a mixture of neural networks

For the analysis and prediction of coastal upwelling in a study region off the northwest African coast, artificial neural networks are applied to wind data and remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST) data. The coastal upwelling phenomenon is seen as an input-output system, built by the dependence between local wind events as input and upwelling, quantified by the SST index as output. To gain a priori knowledge about the input-output system, it is studied from a theoretical point of view with coastal upwelling simulations, which are performed with a three-dimensional (3D) ocean circulation model on artificial wind data. The dynamics observed in these studies are found to be bounded and dependent on previous states as well as nonlinear, which motivates the application of artificial neural network (ANN) techniques as a nonlinear modeling technique. To cope with this type of system and with the nonstationarity of the parameters used, a mixture of neural networks is applied for system analysis and prediction. The output space of the system is segmented in an unsupervised manner, while the modular neural networks are specializing on one segment each. It is shown that different dynamic structures in the input-output system are detected by the mixture approach and prediction is improved. The synergetic approach presented, using numerical models to gain a priori knowledge for the choice and design of a neural prediction tool, is appealing for implementing simulations or modeling into an operational application, for instance, geographical information systems (GISs) or decision support systems (DSSs).
The effects of extended workdays on fatigue, health, performance and satisfaction in nursing.

BACKGROUND Several authors have claimed that 12-hour shifts in nursing are better for both employees and patient care. However, although the research has found positive effects on satisfaction with working hours and free time, the effects on employee fatigue, health and performance have mostly been neutral or negative. AIM Work schedules should preferably be beneficial for satisfaction, fatigue, health and performance. This study therefore investigated whether shifts that are extended only slightly can combine the positive effects of the 12-hour shift with the positive effects of the 8-hour shift. The study investigated the effects of 9-hour shifts. METHOD A total of 134 nurses from three nursing homes in the Netherlands completed a questionnaire on fatigue, health, performance and satisfaction. One group worked 8-hour shifts, and the other worked 9-hour shifts. RESULTS Nurses who worked 9-hour shifts were on average more fatigued, had more health complaints, and were less satisfied with their working hours and free time than those who worked 8-hour shifts. Their performance was slightly poorer. About 70% to 80% of the 8- and 9-hour nurses preferred to work a maximum of 8 hours during morning/early and afternoon/late shifts. CONCLUSIONS The 9-hour shift seemed to combine the negative aspects of the 12-hour shift with the negative aspects of the 8-hour shift. It is suggested that the 9-hour shift had more negative effects than the 12-hour shift because: (1) nurses could not choose what shift length they worked; (2) many worked part-time; and (3) they already had many days off. It is also suggested that increases in workload since the 1980s make current extended shifts in nursing more fatiguing.