Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroid tissue: US-guided percutaneous laser thermal ablation.

PURPOSE To evaluate in vivo the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous laser thermal ablation (LTA) in the debulking of thyroid lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-five adult patients at poor surgical risk with cold nodules (n = 8), autonomously hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules (n = 16), or anaplastic carcinoma (n = 1) underwent LTA. One to four 21-gauge spinal needles were inserted with ultrasonographic (US) guidance into the thyroid lesions. A 300-microm-diameter quartz optical fiber was advanced through the sheath of the needle. Nd:YAG laser was used with output power of 3-5 W. Side effects, complications, and clinical and hormonal changes were evaluated at the end of LTA and during follow-up. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between energy delivered and reduction in nodule volume. Volume of induced necrosis and reduction in nodule volume were assessed with US or computed tomography. RESULTS LTA was performed without difficulties in 76 LTA sessions. After treatment with 5 W, two patients experienced mild dysphonia, which resolved after 48 hours and 2 months. Improvement of local compression symptoms was experienced by 12 of 14 (86%) patients. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was detectable in five of 16 (31%) patients with hyperfunctioning nodules at 6 months after LTA. Volume of induced necrosis ranged from 0.8 to 3.9 mL per session. Anaplastic carcinoma treated with four fibers yielded 32.0 mL of necrosis. Echo structure and baseline volume did not influence response. Energy load and reduction in nodule volume were significantly correlated (r(2) =. 75, P <. 001). Mean nodule volume reduction at 6 months in hyperfunctioning nodules was 3.3 mL +/- 2.8 (62% +/- 21.4 [SD]) and in cold nodules was 7.7 mL +/- 7.5 (63% +/- 13.8). CONCLUSION LTA may be a therapeutic tool for highly selected problems in the treatment of thyroid lesions.
FE simulation of size effects on interface fracture characteristics of microscale lead-free solder interconnects

Understanding of interface fracture behavior of the solder joints has long been significant in reliability evaluation of electronic components and packages. The experimental and finite element methods were employed to characterize the fracture performance of “Cu wire/solder/Cu wire” sandwich structured butt microscale solder joints with different sizes (75 to 425μm in thickness and 200 to 300μm in diameter). In particular, linear elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics approaches were used to quantitatively characterize the fracture performance of the predefined crack at the solder/IMC interface of both Pb-free (Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu) and Pb-contained (Sn-37Pb) solder joints. The simulation results show that the crack tip stress intensity factors (SIFs) for the crack at the solder/IMC interface, both KII and KI, decrease with decreasing thickness of the solder joint and increasing the loading rate; and this is coincident with the experimental results. Also, it has been seen that KII is greater than KI probably owing to the effect of Poisson contraction of the solder metal near the interfaces. It has also been shown that with increasing thickness of the solder joint, the orientation evolution of the high energy release rate area may result in the change in fracture position from the solder/IMC interface to the middle part of the joints.
Living in the shade of others: intermediation, politics and violence in Dhaka city

Bangladesh is often perceived as disordered, characterised by the absence of law abiding systems of governance, and with the poor left to rely on corrupt and dysfunctional relationships. This thesis tells a different story. Examining the lives of people living in the open and most basic slums ethnographically in Dhaka city reveals that people have complex dependencies on ‘intermediaries’ or ‘brokers’ to access resources. Rather than see these relationships as dysfunctional, the core argument developed is that they are inherently part of how social order is maintained in Bangladeshi society. If order is understood as contingent on actors throughout society establishing a dominant capability for violence and accruing resources on this basis, then intermediation can be seen as a prominent means by which both of these ends are achieved. These relationships are thus intertwined with how violence is organised and controlled. A young man who grew up at a bazar described how people need to live in the shade of others, and this metaphor is used to portray this phenomenon. This thesis argues that intermediation in Dhaka has changed significantly over the past decade, with the mastan gangs once identified as powerful in radical decline, replaced by wings of the ruling political party. At the lowest levels of urban society, a complex web of intermediaries exists, including labour leaders, political leaders, their followers and informers. Some people attempt to rise in this order by mobilising as factions and demonstrating their capability for violence, but more generally people employ tactics and strategies for avoiding, negotiating and even exiting these relationships. Negotiating these relationships and one’s place in this order is conceptualised here as the politics of intermediation.
Association of painless acute aortic dissection with increased mortality.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with painless acute aortic dissection (AAD). PATIENTS AND METHODS For this study conducted from 1997 to 2001, we searched the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection to identify patients with painless AAD (group 1). Their clinical features and in-hospital events were compared with patients who had painful AAD (group 2). RESULTS Of the 977 patients in the database, 63 (6.4%) had painless AAD, and 914 (93.6%) had painful AAD. Patients in group 1 were older than those in group 2 (mean +/- SD age, 66.6 +/- 13.3 vs 61.9 +/- 14.1 years; P = .01). Type A dissection (involving the ascendIng aorta or the arch) was more frequent in group 1 (74.6% vs 60.9%; P = .03). Syncope (33.9% vs 11.7%; P < .001), congestive heart failure (19.7% vs 3.9%; P < .001), and stroke (11.3% vs 4.7%; P = .03) were more frequent presenting signs in group 1. Diabetes (10.2% vs 4.0%; P = .04), aortic aneurysm (29.5% vs 13.1%; P < .001), and prior cardiovascular surgery (48.1% vs 19.7%; P < .001) were also more common in group 1. In-hospital mortality was higher in group 1 (33.3% vs 23.2%; P = .05), especially due to type B dissection (limited to the descending aorta) (43.8% vs 10.4%; P < .001), and the prevalence of aortic rupture was higher among patients with type B dissection in group 1 (18.8% vs 5.9%; P = .04). CONCLUSION Patients with painless AAD had syncope, congestive heart failure, or stroke. Compared with patients who have painful AAD, patients who have painless AAD have higher mortality, especially when AAD is type B.
Approximation Methods for Inhomogeneous Geometric Brownian Motion

We present an accurate and easy-to-compute approximation of the transition probabilities and the associated Arrow-Debreu (AD) prices for the inhomogeneous geometric Brownian motion (IGBM) model for interest rates, default intensities or volatilities. Through this procedure, dubbed exponent expansion, transition probabilities and AD prices are obtained as a power series in time to maturity. This provides remarkably accurate results — for time horizons up to several years — even when truncated after the first few terms. For farther time horizons, the exponent expansion can be combined with a fast numerical convolution to obtain high-precision results.
Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibits the proliferation and apoptosis of U87 glioma cells via different mechanisms

The Wnt signaling pathway is necessary for the development of the central nervous system and is associated with tumorigenesis in various cancers. However, the mechanism of the Wnt signaling pathway in glioma cells has yet to be elucidated. Small-molecule Wnt modulators such as ICG-001 and AZD2858 were used to inhibit and stimulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Techniques including cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, Matrigel cell invasion assay, cell cycle assay and Genechip microarray were used. Gene Ontology Enrichment Analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis have enriched many biological processes and signaling pathways. Both the inhibiting and stimulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways could influence the cell cycle, moreover, reduce the proliferation and survival of U87 glioma cells. However, Affymetrix expression microarray indicated that biological processes and networks of signaling pathways between stimulating and inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway largely differ. We propose that Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway might prove to be a valuable therapeutic target for glioma.
A two-layer architecture for force-reflecting bilateral teleoperation with time delays

We propose a two-layer control architecture for bilateral teleoperation with communication delays. The controller is structured with an (outer) performance layer and an (inner) passivity layer. In the performance layer, any traditional controller for bilateral teleoperation can be implemented. In the passivity layer, the output of the performance layer is modified to guarantee that, from the operator and environment perspective, the overall teleoperator is passive: the amount of energy that can be extracted from the teleoperator is bounded from below and the rate of increase of the stored energy in the teleoperator is bounded by (twice) the environment and operator supplied power. Passivity is ensured by modulating the performance layer outputs and by injecting a variable amount of damping via an innovative energy-based logic that follows a principle of energy duplication and takes into account the effects of the delays. In contrast to the traditional teleoperation approach, where the master and slave controllers implement an as-stiff-as-possible coupling between the master and slave devices, our scheme is specifically designed for direct force-reflecting bilateral teleoperation: the slave controller mimics the operator action, while the master controller reflects the slave-environment interaction. We illustrate the effectiveness of the approach in a challenging simulation example with a round-trip delay of 100 ms, while making and breaking contact with a static environment having a stiffness of 50.000 N/m.
Clinicopathological features of gastric mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas: high grade transformation and comparison with diffuse large B cell lymphomas without MALT lymphoma features

Aims—To investigate the clinicopathological differences among gastric low grade MALT lymphomas (low MALT), large B cell lymphomas with low grade components (secondary high grade MALT lymphomas, high MALT), and diffuse large B cell lymphomas without low grade features (primary high grade MALT lymphomas, DLL). Methods—Clinicopathological and morphological characters of 126 gastric lymphoma cases were studied: 82 cases of low MALT lymphoma including 40 that were surgically resected, 17 cases of high MALT lymphoma including 13 surgically resected, and 27 cases of DLL including 12 surgically resected. Results—Age ranges were as follows: low MALT lymphoma, 34 to 85 years (mean 59.9); high MALT lymphoma, 53 to 88 years (mean 68.5); DLL, 29 to 83 years (mean 62.3). The average age for low and high MALT lymphomas was significantly different (p < 0.05), but there were no differences in other comparisons. There was a female predominance of low MALT lymphoma patients (female to male ratio, 47/35), while for high MALT patients the ratio was almost even (8/9), and for DLL patients there was a male predominance (11/16). Examination of surgically resected material showed that MALT lymphomas had a wider distribution in the gastric wall than DLL. Conclusions—The findings suggest that at least some of the high grade gastric lymphomas, especially in patients younger than the fifth decade, do not originate from high grade transformation of low MALT lymphomas. It seems to take about one decade at least for high grade transformation of low MALT lymphomas.
Efficacy and safety of erythropoiesis-stimulating proteins in myelodysplastic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of erythropoiesis-stimulating proteins (ESPs) in anemia of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). METHOD A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted covering English-language studies published from 1980 to December 2005. RESULTS Fifty-nine studies qualified: five controlled trials (n = 354), all epoetin versus control (EvC); 51 epoetin single-arm studies (n = 1,650); and three darbepoetin single-arm studies (n = 102). In the EvC studies, epoetin patients demonstrated a significant advantage over controls in terms of hemoglobin (Hb) response (odds ratio, 5.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.5-10.8). Hb response was 48.1% in single-arm darbepoetin studies, 32.1% in epoetin single-arm studies, and 27.3% in EvC studies. Major Hb response averaged 38.8% in darbepoetin studies, 24.5% in epoetin single-arm studies, and 11.4% in EvC studies. Stratified analyses suggest that lower baseline erythropoietin levels, longer treatment durations, and concurrent iron may be associated with greater Hb response to ESPs. None of the analyzable predictors of Hb response (gender, baseline Hb, ESP type, and ESP duration) were significant in meta-regression analyses. In the few studies with quality-of-life measures, ESP groups attained a pre-post change (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Fatigue) that exceeded minimum clinically important differences. Selected adverse event rates did not differ between the epoetin and darbepoetin groups. CONCLUSION Published studies suggest that ESPs are efficacious in anemia of MDS. Hb response appears higher in darbepoetin patients than in epoetin patients, and safety appears comparable, but darbepoetin data are sparse, and there are as yet no direct comparison studies.
Volunteering as international mobility: Recent evidence from a post-socialist country

ABSTRACT Set against the backdrop of socio-economic and political developments in an Eastern European country – post-socialist Romania, a case in point – this paper explores the roles of volunteering as a type of international mobility, over the last two decades. By applying qualitative analysis, the study aims to shed light on new developments of Romanian international volunteering. It has the novel goal of explaining the benefits of international volunteering, as perceived by Romanian youth, and as compared to their initial expectations. The findings, supported by 17 in-depth interviews, prove that the main effects noticed by the great majority of Romanian respondents include “eye-opening” and “personal growth. ” Also, most of the young interviewees have mentioned an increasing sense of altruism, the volunteering experience being generally perceived as a positive one, with benefits beyond the respondents’ initial expectations.
Pulmonary embolism and stroke in relation to pregnancy: how can high-risk women be identified?

OBJECTIVE Risks of circulatory diseases are increased substantially during late pregnancy and around the time of delivery. This study was undertaken to determine whether preeclampsia, multiple pregnancy, or cesarean delivery account for the majority of pregnancy-related risks of pulmonary embolism and stroke (caused by hemorrhage, infarction, and intracranial venous thrombosis). STUDY DESIGN We analyzed a population-based cohort of 1,003,489 deliveries in Sweden. Relative risks of pulmonary embolism and stroke were modeled by use of Poisson regression. RESULTS Preeclampsia was associated with 3- to 12-fold increases in risks of pulmonary embolism and stroke during late pregnancy, at delivery, and in the puerperium, and similar increases in risks were also observed for multiple pregnancies and cesarean delivery. These strong associations could not explain the overall pregnancy-related risks of pulmonary embolism and stroke. CONCLUSION Preeclampsia, multiple birth, and cesarean delivery are important risk factors for pulmonary embolism and stroke, but they do not account for the majority of the excess risks associated with pregnancy.
Examining the Causes and Consequences of Context-Specific Differential DNA Methylation in Maize1[OPEN]

Natural variation of DNA methylation in maize is evident among five diverse maize inbred lines. DNA methylation is a stable modification of chromatin that can contribute to epigenetic variation through the regulation of genes or transposons. Profiling of DNA methylation in five maize (Zea mays) inbred lines found that while DNA methylation levels for more than 99% of the analyzed genomic regions are similar, there are still 5,000 to 20,000 context-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between any two genotypes. The analysis of identical-by-state genomic regions that have limited genetic variation provided evidence that DMRs can occur without local sequence variation, but they are less common than in regions with genetic variation. Characterization of the sequence specificity of DMRs, location of DMRs relative to genes and transposons, and patterns of DNA methylation in regions flanking DMRs reveals a distinct subset of DMRs. Transcriptome profiling of the same tissue revealed that only approximately 20% of genes with qualitative (on-off) differences in gene expression are associated with DMRs, and there is little evidence for association of DMRs with genes that show quantitative differences in gene expression. We also identify a set of genes that may represent cryptic information that is silenced by DNA methylation in the reference B73 genome. Many of these genes exhibit natural variation in other genotypes, suggesting the potential for selection to act upon existing epigenetic natural variation. This study provides insights into the origin and influences of DMRs in a crop species with a complex genome organization.
Mutations within the S Gene of Hepatitis B Virus Transmitted from Mothers to Babies Immunized with Hepatitis B Immune Globulin and Vaccine

ABSTRACT: A variant of hepatitis B virus (HBV) having a specific mutation within the S gene has been found to infect vaccinees. To know whether similar variants were involved in Japan, we analyzed two cases of maternal transmission of HBV in infants immunized with hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine. DNA clones of HBV S genes were propagated from patients and family members and sequenced. In one family, the DNA clones from the baby patient had a Gly-to-Arg mutation at the 145th codon of the S gene, whereas those from her mother had no such mutations. In the other family, all the DNA clones obtained from the two infected children had the 145th codon intact, but they had a missense mutation at the 126 th codon of the S gene, causing an amino acid substitution of Asn for Thr or Ile. This same mutation was observed in 12 of 17 clones of DNA obtained from their mother. In comparison with the wild type HBV-derived hepatitis B surface antigen, the two types of S gene mutations, either at the 145th or the 126th codon, were associated with a significant decrease in the antigenicity of some determinants on the hepatitis B surface antigen, measured by MAb. Amino acid substitution at these sites, therefore, would have induced the escape from conventional vaccines that were S gene products of wild type HBV and also from hepatitis B immune globulin, whose main components were probably also antibodies against the S gene products expressed by wild type HBV.
Unemployment Insurance as an Economic Stabilizer: Evidence of Effectiveness Over Three Decades

This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Service by Coffey Communications, LLC under contract number G-5914-6-00-87-30 (5). Its authors are Lawrence Chimerine, Theodore S. Black, and Lester Coffey. Since contractors conducting research and evaluation projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express their own judgement freely, this report does not necessarily represent the official opinion or policy of the 4U.S. Department of Labor.
Neural tube defects in a university teaching hospital in southern Nigeria: trends and outcome.

BACKGROUND There has been some increase in the proportion of Neural Tube Defects (NTD) admitted in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital recently. Fora largely preventable birth defect, this increase is both unnecessary and unacceptable. This study was undertaken to describe the admission patterns and outcome of neural tube defects in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. METHODS A retrospective study of babies with neural tube defects who were admitted into Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital from 1st May 2002 to 30th April 2005 was carried out. Their case notes were retrieved and information on the sex, maternal drugs during pregnancy, type of defect and associated malformations, prenatal diagnosis, management and outcome were obtained. The admission rate and the incidence were then calculated. RESULTS There were 2891 total admissions (1691 males and 1200 females) during the study period of which 37 (1.3%) were neonates with NTD. Of those with NTD, 25 were males and 12 female giving a male to female ratio of 2:1 (statistically not significant p = 0.242.) The total hospital delivery at the study period was 7,388 of which 7 had NTD giving an incidence of 0.95/1000 deliveries. The commonest type of NTD was myelomeningocoele in 31 (83.8%), and the commonest site was the thoracolumbar region (93.5%). Frontal encephalocoele was seen in 6 (16.2%). All the babies with myelomeningocoele presented with flaccid paraparesis and were incontinent of both urine and faeces. Seventeen of the babies had only spina bifida while 14 had additional defects including talipes equinovarus (8), hydrocephalus (2), frontal encephalocoele (1), and multiple malformations (3). Ten babies (27%) died, three of them after surgery. All the mothers received folic acid from the second trimester of pregnancy, but none did before pregnancy. CONCLUSION The Incidence of NTD is on the increase in our environment. There is need to formulate/implement the policy of preconceptional folic acid therapy for all woman of childbearing age as a preventive measure
[Effects of elicitors on accumulation of phenolic acids and tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root].

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of a biotic elicitor fungal hyphae extract, an abiotic elicitor methyl jasmonate and their synergistic action on the accumulation of phenolic acids and tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root. METHOD Different elicitors were added to S. miltiorrhiza hairy root, which was subcultured for 21 days, the dry weight and contents of phenolic acids and tanshinones were determined at different harvest-time. RESULT S. miltiorrhiza hairy root growth was significantly inhibited by all three treatments and the accumulation of cryptotanshinone and dihydrotanshinone were promoted by each elicition. As for the accumulation of phenolic acids, there were differences between fungal elicitor and methyl jasmonate treatments, they were promoted by methyl jasmonate while inhibited in a certain extent by fungal hyphae extract. CONCLUSION Fungal elicitor, methyl jasmonate and their synergistic action have significant influence on accumulation of components in S. miltiorrhiza hairy root, and the effect varies between phenolic acids and tanshinones. There is no correlation between production of water-soluble ingredients and fat-soluble components on the whole under three different treatments.