Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating Tumor Cells in HER-2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Trastuzumab and Chemotherapy

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood may have important prognostic and predictive implications in breast cancer treatment. A limitation in this field has been the lack of a validated method of accurately measuring CTCs. While sensitivity has improved using RT-PCR, specificity remains a major challenge. The goal of this paper is to present a sensitive and specific methodology of detecting CTCs in women with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and to examine its role as a marker that tracks disease response during treatment with trastuzumab-containing regimens. The study included patients with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer enrolled on two different clinical protocols using a trastuzumab-containing regimen. Serial CTCs were measured at planned time points and clinical correlations were made. Immunomagnetic selection of circulating epithelial cells was used to address the specificity of tumor cell detection using cytokeratin 19 (CK19). In addition, the extracellular domain of the HER-2 protein (HER-2/ECD) was measured to determine if CTCs detected by CK19 accurately reflect tumor burden. The presence of CTCs at first restaging was associated with disease progression. We observed an association between CK19 and HER-2/ECD. The association of HER-2/ECD with clinical response followed a similar pattern to that seen with CK19. Finally, the absence of HER-2/ECD at best overall response and a change of HER-2/ECD from positive at baseline to negative at best overall response was associated with favorable treatment response. Our study supports the prognostic and predictive role of the detection of CTCs in treatment of HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. The association between CK19 and markers of disease burden is in line with the concept that CTCs may be a reliable measure of tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer. The association of CTCs at first restaging with treatment failure indicates that CTCs may have a role as surrogate markers to monitor treatment response. (Int J Biol Markers 2009; 24: 1-10)
Feasible Auto-Tuning Procedure for Mid-Performance Sensorless IPMSM and SynRM Drives

The adoption of Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (IPMSM) and Synchronous Reluctance Motors (SynRM) is gaining popularity in many fields, including simple industrial applications, where cost and efficiency are the main aspects. In those applications, sensorless control is usually desired and commissioning should be simple and relatively fast. While specific-purpose drives have been successfully addressed by sensorless drives based on PMSMs and SynRMs, the integration of these techniques in general-purpose drives is still limited and, when available, mostly linked to proprietary techniques. In fact, motor parameters are needed for tuning control parameters or characteristics, which are only partially available from standard nameplates. Moreover, manual setup requires specialized knowledge and can be very time consuming. In order to remove these barriers towards wider adoption of these efficient motors, considerable research effort is being devoted to fully automate the commissioning, i.e. “auto-tuning” of the drive. This paper proposes and analyzes a feasible way to obtain complete self-commissioning of a mid-performance IPMSM or SynRM drive.
Comparison of Fast and Slow Wave Correlation with Various Porosities between Two Measurement Technique

With the discovery of fast and slow wave propagated through cancellous bone, the precision of the ultrasound measurement using through transmission technique to estimate bone quality getting better but limited to the certain part of the skeletal site. Thus, the pulse echo technique is proposed to solve the problem as the technique only uses one transducer to operate. The objective of this paper is to conduct an experiment for through transmission and pulse echo technique to investigate correlation fast and slow wave with various porosity of polyurethane foam. The recorded “incident” and “reflected” waves (mix wave) is then processed with the bandlimited deconvolution method in order to estimate the overlapping fast and slow wave. Further, the parameters for the mix, fast and slow waves for both incident and reflected wave are calculated, plotted against porosity and compared based on the correlation coefficient performance. The result shows that, the slope of attenuation of reflected and incident for both fast and slow waves shows a good correlation with porosity. The effect of scattering playing an important role for the total attenuation instead of absorption at high porosity, due to the acoustic properties of polyurethane foam is almost the same with water. Compared to mix wave, fast and slow wave is more correlated to the changes of porosity. Moreover, the reflected wave may suffer more effect of attenuation compared to the incident wave, thus, makes the correlation between wave parameter with porosity is lesser. Overall result indicates that, analyzed fast and slow wave instead of mix wave to estimate bone quality might improve the measurement accuracy.
Pixelwise Remote Sensing Image Classification Based on Recurrence Plot Deep Features

Pixelwise remote sensing image classification has benefited from temporal contextual information encoded in time series. In this paper, we investigate the use of data-driven features extracted from time series representations based on recurrence plots, with the goal of improving the effectiveness of classification systems. Performed experiments considered the classification of eucalyptus plantations based on time series profiles. Achieved results demonstrate that the combination of recurrence plot representations with deep-learning features are a promising research venue for addressing pixelwise classification problems.
In-hospital outcomes and 30-day readmission rates among ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients with delirium

Objective Delirium is associated with poor outcomes among critically ill patients. However, it is not well characterized among patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke (IS and HS). We provide the population-level frequency of in-hospital delirium and assess its association with in-hospital outcomes and with 30-day readmission among IS and HS patients. Methods We analyzed Nationwide in-hospital and readmission data for years 2010–2015 and identified stroke patients using ICD-9 codes. Delirium was identified using validated algorithms. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, length of stay, unfavorable discharge disposition, and 30-day readmission. We used survey design logistic regression methods to provide national estimates of proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for delirium, and odds ratios (OR) for association between delirium and poor outcomes. Results We identified 3,107,437 stroke discharges of whom 7.45% were coded to have delirium. This proportion significantly increased between 2010 (6.3%) and 2015 (8.7%) (aOR, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.03–1.05). Delirium proportion was higher among HS patients (ICH: 10.0%, SAH: 9.8%) as compared to IS patients (7.0%). Delirious stroke patients had higher in-hospital mortality (12.3% vs. 7.8%), longer in-hospital stay (11.6 days vs. 7.3 days) and a significantly greater adjusted risk of 30-day-readmission (16.7%) as compared to those without delirium (12.2%) (aRR, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.11–1.15). Upon readmission, patients with delirium at initial admission continued to have a longer length of stay (7.7 days vs. 6.6 days) and a higher in-hospital mortality (9.3% vs. 6.4%). Conclusion Delirium identified through claims data in stroke patients is independently associated with poor in-hospital outcomes both at index admission and readmission. Identification and management of delirium among stroke patients provides an opportunity to improve outcomes.
Low-load blood flow restriction training induces similar morphological and mechanical Achilles tendon adaptations compared to high-load resistance training.

Low-load blood flow restriction (LL-BFR) training has gained increasing interest in the scientific community by demonstrating that increases in muscle mass and strength are comparable to conventional high-load (HL) resistance training. Although adaptations on the muscular level are well documented, there is little evidence on how LL-BFR training affects human myotendinous properties. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate morphological and mechanical Achilles tendon adaptations after 14 weeks of strength training. Fifty-five male volunteers (27.9 ± 5.1 years) were randomly allocated into the following three groups: LL-BFR (20-35% of one-repetition maximum, 1RM), HL (70-85% 1RM) or a non-exercising control group (CON). The LL-BFR and the HL completed a resistance training program for 14 weeks and tendon morphology, mechanical as well as material properties along with muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and isometric strength were assessed before and after the intervention. Both, HL (+40.7%) and LL-BFR (+36.1%) training induced significant increases in tendon stiffness (p < 0.05) as well as tendon CSA (HL: +4.6%, LL-BFR: +7.8%, p < 0.001). These changes were comparable between groups without significant changes in Young's modulus. Furthermore, gastrocnemius medialis muscle CSA and plantar flexor strength significantly increased in both training groups (p < 0.05), while the CON group did not show significant changes in any of the evaluated parameters. In conclusion, the adaptive change in Achilles tendon properties following low-load resistance training with partial vascular occlusion appears comparable to that evoked by high-load resistance training.
A Dense Pointnet++ Architecture for 3D Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation

3D point cloud data has been widely used in remote sensing mapping because it is not affected by lighting, shadows and other factors. How to improve the performance of semantic segmentation of 3D point cloud data has attracted more and more attention. Previous works connected shallow features in encoders directly with deep features in decoders, which will lead to semantic gap. In this paper, we propose a Dense PointNet++ architecture, called DPNet, for semantic segmentation of 3D point cloud data. In order to weaken the semantic gap, multiple nested up-sampling layers and a series of cumulative, short and long skip link concatenation are introduced in the network to obtain more abundant point cloud features. Grid map and model fusion are used to further correct the results of network segmentation. The experimental results on US3D data set show that DPNet is superior to existing advanced architectures, especially for the categories with small samples. Moreover, DPNet with grid map and model fusion ranks the first place in 2019 IEEE GRSS Data fusion contest 3D point cloud classification challenge.
Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine to Medical Students Using Wikipedia as a Platform.

PROBLEM While ideal curricular structures for effective teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) have not been definitively determined, optimal strategies ensure that EBM teaching is interactive and clinically based, aligns with major trends in education and health care, and uses longitudinally integrated, whole-task activities. APPROACH The authors developed a longitudinal, semester-long project, embedded in a first-year medicine course, through which they taught EBM using Wikipedia as a platform. Students worked individually and in small groups to choose a medicine-related Wikipedia article, identify information gaps, search for high-quality resources, appraise the sources, and incorporate the new information into the article (i.e., by editing Wikipedia). Students also applied their new appraisal skills to critique a second article. The authors used an online tool to track and record student editing, and they obtained qualitative data on student perceptions of the project via survey. Duplicate marking of a sample of assignments was performed using the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) critical thinking rubric developed by Finley and Rhodes. OUTCOMES In fall 2017, 101 students made over 1,000 unique edits to 16 online Wikipedia articles, adding over 10,000 words. Through thematic analysis of qualitative data, the authors highlighted several aspects of the project that students appreciated, as well as barriers related to completing their projects. Correlation of the 17 consenting students' final assignments with the critical thinking rubric supports the assignment structure as a tool for assessing critical thinking. NEXT STEPS This authentic task adheres to the principles of high-quality EBM instruction and could be implemented by a variety of health care educational programs. Modifications to the delivery model are underway to address challenges identified.
Parity and gonotrophic discordance of females of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to assess the parity, presence of blood in the stomach, and the gonotrophic discordance of females of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus captured in two areas of the city of São Paulo. The captures were undertaken monthly, by aspiration, in the period from January, 2015 to August, 2017. All the females of the two species had their midguts and ovaries dissected to determine the presence of blood and the parity/stage of maturation. With regard to parity, 27% and 34% of the females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, respectively, were parous or were in advanced stages of the development of their ovaries (33% and 27%, respectively). The larger part of the females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus contained blood in their stomachs (77% and 60%, respectively), beyond which 36% and 27% of the females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, respectively, were in gonotrophic discordance. Our results indicate favorable conditions in the study areas because of the presence of parous females. Moreover, this frequent and multiple contact of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females with vertebrate hosts, such as humans, increases the possibility of transmitting the viruses they may be carrying.
Tomography and Ground/Volume Decomposition for Forest Biomass Retrieval

In this work we investigate the role of volume scattering obtained from tomography and ground/volume decomposition in retrieving AGB (Above Ground Biomass). Results here presented originate from the BIOMASS L2 study, aimed at defining and implementing the tomographic and interferometric processors of the BIOMASS mission. In particular we aim at discussing whether, and to what extent, ground/volume decomposition can provide a valid alternative to tomography. To do this, both are tested based on the P-Band data collected at the forest site of Paracou, French Guiana, during the TropiSAR campaign, and validated against in-situ AGB measurements in terms of correlation and sensitivity of the retrievals. Quite surprisingly, results indicate that volumebackscattered power as obtained by ground/volume decomposition is almost unsensitive to AGB, notwithstanding different solutions for volume scattering are tested, and lead to conclusion that forest structure actually plays a non-negligible role in AGB retrieval in tropical areas.
The Validity of Clinic-Based Nutrition Surveillance Data: A Study from Selected Sites in Northern Malawi

Many developing countries collect on the weight for age of children attending health facilities as one element of a nutrition surveillance system. This study compares the estimates of malnutrition from seven health clinics in northern Malawi with estimates derived from nearby community-level surveys. The results show that prevalence of underweight in clinics does not accurately reflect community prevalence. Clinic estimates often differ by two- to threefold from community estimates, and the direction of the bias is not constant across clinics, making these data an invalid basis for targeting programmes according to nutritional need. Similar results were reported in five other studies in the literature, indicating that the Malawi results are not unusual. It is suggested that, contrary to current practice, cross-sectional clinic-based data should be assumed invalid for targeting purposes unless proved otherwise in a given country. Trend data at regional and country levels require further validation.
Thermographic Evidence for the Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Equine Neuromuscular Disease

Thermographic scanning provides an objective method of detecting sympathetic-autonomic status of vasomotor tone in the horse by imaging thermal gradients. Through observing persistent abnormal sympathetic nervous tone causing hypothermic or hyperthermic regions the clinician is able to diagnose neuromuscular disease - a common but often unrecognised cause of chronic pain and performance problems in horses. Thermography studies at the Equine Veterinary Clinic in Guildford demonstrate that acupuncture often corrects abnormal vasomotor tone within a half to three and a half hours of needling, usually resolving vasoconstriction affecting large thermatomes. Thermal imaging can provide objective, measurable evidence of the ability of acupuncture to restore normal homoeostasis in the autonomic regulation of vasomotor tone and suggests that it may simultaneously relieve associated sensorimotor disease.
Telomerase Activity in Breast Cancer in Western India (Gujarat)

Telomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein polymerase that synthesizes telomeres. Both RNA and protein components seem to be essential for the enzyme activity. The RNA component acts as a template for the G-rich telomeric DNA strand that permits telomere synthesis onto chromosome ends. Thus, it plays an important role in maintaining chromosomal structure (1, 2). Telomerase activity has been detected in germline cells and most cancer cells whereas normal somatic cells have no clearly detectable telomerase activity (3). In malignant tumors it is thought to be a major mechanism by which cancer cells overcome normal cellular senescence. There is a growing body of evidence that telomerase reactivation is an important step in cellular immortalization and carcinogenesis and thus seems to represent a new and promising molecular marker that could find clinical applications in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of breast cancer (4-6). Furthermore, the knowledge gained from it could become increasingly important to understand the biology of breast cancer. The established prognostic factors in breast cancer include lymph node status and steroid receptor status. In addition, an association has been observed between lymphovascular invasion and prognosis (7). The present study aims to examine the association of telomerase activity with the clinical and histopathological prognostic variables in primary untreated breast cancer patients at Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI), Ahmedabad, where the incidence of locally advanced breast cancer is in the range of 70-80%, and where ~90% of the patients with early-stage disease have moderately to poorly differentiated tumors. The activity was also compared with that observed in benign and non-malignant tissues, i.e., post-lumpectomy tissues histopathologically defined as containing no residual tumor.
A 3D radiological study of age-related quantitative and morphological differences in the human femur: clinical and anthropological applications

II DECLARATION . V PREFACE . VI REFEREED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS: . VI BOOK CONTRIBUTION: . VI CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS WITH PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS: . VI CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS: . VII MEETING PRESENTATIONS OF RESEARCH: . VIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . VIII LIST OF FIGURES . XI LIST OF TABLES . XIII LIST OF APPENDICIES . XV ABBREVIATIONS . XV TABLE OF CONTENTS . XVIII CHAPTER 1 .
Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles with Veronica multifida and their antibiofilm activity

In the present study, Veronica multifida leaf extract and zinc acetate dihydrate were utilized to synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) eco-friendly and cost-effectively under different physical conditions. Soxhlet extractor was used for the preparation of aqueous plant extract. UV-Vis (ultraviolet–visible) spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize the ZnO NPs. UV-Vis spectrophotometer in the range of 200–800 nm was used to get information about the formation of ZnO NPs at different pH and temperatures. FTIR spectrum revealed the presence of functional groups in ZnO NPs. XRD, scanning electron microscope, and TEM analyses confirmed the crystal structure and average size of ZnO NPs. The antimicrobial activities of ZnO NPs were tested on microorganisms, that is, Escherichia coli ATCC 43895, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium. Moreover, antibiofilm activity of ZnO NPs was performed against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus ATCC 29213. ZnO NPs have shown effective antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against tested microorganisms. The results elucidated that eco-friendly and cost-effectively produced ZnO NPs could be used as coating materials and in a wide range of industrial applications, such as pharmaceutical industries and cosmetics.
Substance abuse in Heart Transplant Recipients: A 10-Year Follow-up Study

Progress in Transplantation, Vol 11, No. 4, December 2001 Heart transplantation is widely recognized as a successful modality to treat end-stage cardiomyopathy. The success of this treatment has greatly expanded the need for more organ donors. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 4143 patients were waiting for a heart transplant on May 21, 2000, and only 2185 heart transplants were performed in 1999. The disparity between the number of available solid organs and the number of patients awaiting transplantation has brought considerable attention to the way in which recipient selection criteria are implemented. Among others, most centers require abstinence from drugs and alcohol for at least 6 months before transplant consideration; such criteria assume that these patients have the potential to remain drug free in the long term. However, that appears not to be the case in many patients. Listing patients who are recovering substance abusers for heart transplantation has been controversial because of the assumption that relapse of substance abuse would interfere with long-term posttransplantation care and result in a lower survival rate. A review of the literature showed little data on long-term survival in heart transplant recipients with a history of substance abuse before transplantation. The objective of this study, therefore, was to determine if history of substance abuse influences posttransplantation outcome.