Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic ultrasound characteristics of pancreatic lymphoepithelial cysts: A case series from a large referral center

Background and Objectives: Lymphoepithelial cysts (LECs) of the pancreas are benign lesions that can mimic cystic neoplasms on imaging. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) features have not been well described. We aimed to describe the clinical and EUS characteristics of LECs and the present outcomes of management at a high-volume referral center. Materials and Methods: We identified patients who underwent EUS and were found to have LECs based on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology or surgical pathology from existing databases. EUS features, imaging characteristics, and pathology results were described. Results: Sixteen patients were found to have 17 LECs. The mean size was 33 mm ± 15 mm. Locations within the pancreas included 10 lesions in the tail, 3 in the body, 1 in the uncinate process; the remaining 3 were exophytic. Six lesions were anechoic, 6 were hypoechoic, and 5 had mixed echogenicity. Nine lesions had mixed solid/cystic components, 7 were purely cystic, and 1 was solid. Cyst fluid was thick or viscous in six cases and thin in three. Eleven patients had diagnostic cytopathology. Six patients ultimately underwent surgery due to symptoms, nondiagnostic FNA, or other clinical concerns for malignancy. Conclusions: Pancreatic LECs have variable morphology and echogenicity on EUS, but the appearance of a cyst with variable solid and cystic components combined with the appearance of thick, turbid, and viscous aspirate should raise suspicion for an LEC. The majority of patients with LECs at our center avoided surgery for LECs on the basis of diagnostic EUS-FNA.
Comparison of therapeutic efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinomas between internally cooled 15-G and 17-G single electrodes.

OBJECTIVE To compare the ablation volume, local tumour progression rate and complication rate of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) using 15-G and 17-G single electrodes. METHODS This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and informed consent was waived. We reviewed percutaneous RFA cases for HCCs using 15-G or 17-G electrodes without multiple overlapping ablations. A total of 36 pairs of HCCs matched according to tumour size and active tip length were included. We compared ablation volume and complication rate between the two electrode groups. Cumulative local tumour progression rates were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS Tumour size and ablation time were not significantly different between the 15-G and 17-G groups (p50.661 and p50.793, respectively). However, ablation volume in the 15-G electrode group was larger than that in the 17-G group (14.465.4cm3 vs 8.762.5cm3; p,0.001). No statistical difference in complication rates between the two electrode groups was found. The 10- and 20-month local tumour progression rates were not significantly different between the two groups (2.8% and 5.6% vs 11.1% and 19.3%; p50.166). CONCLUSION Ablation volume by the 15-G electrode was larger than that by the 17-G electrode. However, local tumour progression rate and complication rate were not significantly different between the two electrode groups. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE RFA of HCC using a 15-G electrode is useful to create larger ablation volumes than a 17-G electrode.
Life satisfaction among older people (65+) with reduced self-care capacity: the relationship to social, health and financial aspects.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed at investigating life satisfaction and its relation to living conditions, overall health, self-care capacity, feeling lonely, physical activities and financial resources among people (65+) with reduced self-care capacity. BACKGROUND Knowledge about factors related to low life satisfaction among older people with reduced self-care capacity is sparse, although this is important in health care and nursing so that the care is adapted to their needs and perspective. Previous research has mainly focused on isolated aspects such as pain in relation to life satisfaction among older people in general and less among so those with reduced self-care capacity in general. DESIGN AND METHOD A subsample of 522 persons was selected from a randomly selected cross-sectional survey using a modified form of the Older Americans' Resources Schedule and Life Satisfaction Index Z. RESULTS The mean age in the total sample was 77.9; women (79.5) were significantly older than men (77.0). Low life satisfaction was found among women, as well as those living in special accommodations. Life Satisfaction Index Z was 15.3 (SD 5.6) in the total sample. Gender and living conditions did not explain life satisfaction whilst poor overall self-reported health and poor financial resources in relation to needs had the strongest explanatory value. Also of significant importance were loneliness, the degree of reduced self-care capacity and feeling worried. CONCLUSION Life satisfaction in older people with reduced self-care capacity is determined by several factors, with social, physical, mental and financial aspects probably interacting with each other; especially feeling lonely, degree of self-care capacity, poor overall health, feeling worried and poor financial resources in relation to needs. These factors need to be considered in the care of these people to preserve or improve their life satisfaction. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nursing interventions in terms of preventive home visits, rehabilitation, health education directed towards physical, psychological, social and economic aspects of importance may help to preserve or improve life satisfaction for those with reduced self-care capacity.
Research on application of remote sensing into marine exploitation and management

Satellite remote sensing has been an important method of marine monitoring. In this paper, according to the requirements of marine monitoring and marine management, the authors produced figures to show the coastline changes, distributions of suspended sediment and chlorophyll-a based on the data from Landsat-5 and synchronous monitoring data of Yellow River's mouth and Laizhou Bay in different periods. Analyses were made on the characteristics of changes of coastline, distributions of suspended sediment and chlorophyll-a. Through this practice, satellite remote sensing was experimentally applied in operational work of marine monitoring. The value of applying remote sensing to marine management and environmental monitoring were discussed and proved as well in this paper.
Folate deficiency and cervical dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that nutritional deficiency affects the incidence of cervical dysplasia in young women. DESIGN AND SETTING Case-control study. Participants were derived from community family-planning clinics and referrals to a colposcopy center. PARTICIPANTS A total of 726 subjects were screened, yielding 294 cases of dysplasia and 170 controls defined by coexistent cytologic and colposcopic evidence. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Planned prior to data collection. Odds ratios were computed using logistic regression models to evaluate association between cervical dysplasia and sociodemographic, sexual, and reproductive factors; smoking; oral contraceptive use; human papillomavirus (HPV) infection; and 12 nutritional indices determined by blind analysis of nonfasting blood specimens. RESULTS The number of sexual partners, parity, oral contraceptive use, and HPV-16 infection were significantly associated with cervical dysplasia. Plasma nutrient levels were generally not associated with risk. However, red blood cell folate levels at or below 660 nmol/L interacted with HPV-16 infection. The adjusted odds ratio for HPV-16 was 1.1 among women with folate levels above 660 nmol/L but 5.1 (95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 11) among women with lower levels. Interactions of red blood cell folate levels with cigarette smoking and parity were also present but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION Low red blood cell folate levels enhance the effect of other risk factors for cervical dysplasia and, in particular, that of HPV-16 infection.
Inbreeding depression is high in a self‐incompatible perennial herb population but absent in a self‐compatible population showing mixed mating

Abstract High inbreeding depression is thought to be one of the major factors preventing evolutionary transitions in hermaphroditic plants from self‐incompatibility (SI) and outcrossing toward self‐compatibility (SC) and selfing. However, when selfing does evolve, inbreeding depression can be quickly purged, allowing the evolution of complete self‐fertilization. In contrast, populations that show intermediate selfing rates (a mixed‐mating system) typically show levels of inbreeding depression similar to those in outcrossing species, suggesting that selection against inbreeding might be responsible for preventing the transition toward complete self‐fertilization. By implication, crosses among populations should reveal patterns of heterosis for mixed‐mating populations that are similar to those expected for outcrossing populations. Using hand‐pollination crosses, we compared levels of inbreeding depression and heterosis between populations of Linaria cavanillesii (Plantaginaceae), a perennial herb showing contrasting mating systems. The SI population showed high inbreeding depression, whereas the SC population displaying mixed mating showed no inbreeding depression. In contrast, we found that heterosis based on between‐population crosses was similar for SI and SC populations. Our results are consistent with the rapid purging of inbreeding depression in the derived SC population, despite the persistence of mixed mating. However, the maintenance of outcrossing after a transition to SC is inconsistent with the prediction that populations that have purged their inbreeding depression should evolve toward complete selfing, suggesting that the transition to SC in L. cavanillesii has been recent. SC in L. cavanillesii thus exemplifies a situation in which the mating system is likely not at an equilibrium with inbreeding depression.
The Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response and Aging

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional organelle which co-ordinates protein folding, lipid biosynthesis, calcium storage and release. Perturbations that disrupt ER homeostasis lead to ER stress and upregulation of a signaling pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR while robust in young animals appears to be compromised with aging; many of the components of the UPR have decreased expression and activity with age. There is also considerable evidence of oxidative damage. There are suggestions that an impaired UPR may contribute to the acceleration of neurodegenerative disorders.
Psychometric properties of the internet addiction test in Chinese adolescents.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the psychometric properties of the Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in 844 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents (37.7% boys) with mean age of 15.9 (standard deviation = 3.5) years. METHODS Demographic items, Internet use habits, IAT, and the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R) were administered. 3 percent of the participants were classified as addicted and 31.6% as occasional problematic Internet users. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the 18-item second-order three-factor model has the best fit with our data (Satorra-Bentler scaled χ(2) = 160.56, df = 132, p < . 05, normed fit index = 0.95, non-normed fit index = 0.99, comparative fit index = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.02). RESULTS IAT demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .93). Satisfactory concurrent and convergent validity of IAT were found moderately correlated with CIAS-R (r = .46) and the average online time per day (r = .40 for weekdays; r = .37 for weekends). CONCLUSION IAT has evidence of being a valid and reliable scale for screening Internet addiction in Chinese adolescents.
Assessing decarbonization pathways and their implications for energy security policies in Japan

For countries without sufficient fossil fuel resources such as Japan, climate policies in the mid- to long term need to satisfy requirements not only for decarbonisation but also for energy security in the context of limitations on renewable energies and nuclear power. This study assesses the feasibility of decarbonization pathways to 2050 and their effects on energy security, considering the latest energy and climate policies in Japan using the AIM/Enduse model. The analysis illustrates that deep decarbonization by 2050 is technically feasible even without nuclear power based on three elements: energy efficiency improvements, low-carbon electricity and electrification in end-use sectors. These decarbonization pathways, in the long term, could also contribute to enhanced energy security, reducing import dependency to less than a half of the total primary energy and reducing import bills for fossil fuels by around 70% compared with the current level. Notably, renewable energies could play a strategically significant role in satisfying both climate and energy security requirements. In the mid-term (to 2030), however, although GHG emissions are reduced by 14–20% from 1990 levels, import dependency is relatively stable at today's levels, particularly without the restart of nuclear power. Given the limited potential for renewable energies in the mid-term, it is suggested that the availability of nuclear power will have negative impacts on carbon intensity and energy security, and policies to enhance the security of fossil fuels, including diversification of fuel sources and supply routes, will be required for the foreseeable future. Policy relevance Considering the scarcity of indigenous fossil fuel resources and the uncertain availability of nuclear power in Japan, renewable energy could play a strategically significant role in replacing unabated fossil fuels, which would contribute to satisfying both climate and energy security requirements in the long term. However, the renewable energy potential is insufficient to eliminate the requirement for fossil fuels by 2030; therefore the unavailability of nuclear power would affect energy security considerably. Thus, policies in the mid-term would still require enhancement of the energy security of fossil fuels, including the diversification of fuel sources and supply routes, as well as alleviation of the impacts of price volatility.
The Effects of Semantic Priming on Lexical Processing

i Co-Authorship Statement. ii Acknowledgments. iii List of Tables . vi List of Figures . vii List of Appendices . ix 1 Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Interactive Activation and Competition Model . 1 1.2 Semantic Priming . 6 1.3 Lexical Inhibition from Masked Orthographic Primes . 12 1.4 Components of Masked Repetition Primes. 14 1.5 The Present Experiments . 15 2 Chapter 2: Experiments . 21 2.1 Experiment 1 . 21 2.1.1 Method . 22 2.1.2 Results . 25 2.1.3 Discussion . 33 2.2 Experiment 2 . 35 2.2.1 Method . 36 2.2.2 Results . 38 2.2.3 Discussion . 45 2.3 Experiment 3 . 47 2.3.1 Method . 48 2.3.2 Results . 50 2.3.3 Discussion . 57 v 2.4 Experiment 4 . 58 2.4. 1 Method . 60 2.4. 2 Results . 61 2.4. 3 Discussion . 67 3 Chapter 3: General Discussion . 70 3.1 Lexical Decision Task vs. Semantic Categorization. 74 3.2 Implications for Accounts of Semantic Priming . 75 3.3 Implications of Typical Reading . 77 3.4 Semantic Facilitation from Masked Primes . 79 3.5 Semantic Priming x Stimulus Quality Interaction . 81 3.6 Limitations . 82 3.7 Further Research . 86 3.8 Conclusion . 88 References . 89 Appendices . 98 Curriculum Vitae . 125
Oxidative Stress and Genetic Variants of Xenobiotic-Metabolising Enzymes Associated with COPD Development and Severity in Serbian Adults

ABSTRACT The genetic and non-genetic factors that contribute to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are still poorly understood. We investigated the potential role of genetic variants of xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes (glutathione-S-transferase M1, GSTM1; glutathione-S-transferase T1, GSTT1; microsomal epoxide hydrolase, mEH), oxidative stress (assessed by urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, 8-oxodG/creatinine), sex, ageing and smoking habits on susceptibility to development of COPD and its severity in Serbian population. The investigated population consisted of 153 healthy subjects (85 males and 68 females) and 71 patients with COPD (33 males and 38 females). Detection of GSTM1*null, GSTT1*null, mEH Tyr113His and mEH His139Arg gene variants was performed by PCR/RFLP method. Urinary 8-oxodG was determined using HPLC-MS/MS, and expressed as 8-oxodG/creatinine. We revealed that increased urinary 8-oxodG/creatinine and leucocytosis are the strongest independent predictors for COPD development. Increased level of oxidative stress increased the risk for COPD in males [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.42, 2.26–31.28], more than in females (OR, 95% CI: 3.60, 1.37–9.45). Additionally, independent predictors for COPD were ageing in males (OR, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.12–1.48), while in females they were at least one GSTM1 or GSTT1 gene deletion in combination (OR, 95% CI: 23.67, 2.62–213.46), and increased cumulative cigarette consumption (OR, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.01–1.16). Severity of COPD was associated with the combined effect of low mEH activity phenotype, high level of oxidative stress and heavy smoking. In conclusion, early identification of GSTM1*null or GSTT1*null genotypes in females, low mEH activity phenotype in heavy smokers and monitoring of oxidative stress level can be useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
Memristive Non-Idealities: Is there any Practical Implications for Designing Neural Network Chips?

The impact of device-to-device, cycle-to-cycle, and parasitic variations in memristor devices on the performance of neural network architectures is not a fully understood topic. In this paper, we present an explicit analysis of memristor variabilities and non-idealities of memristive crossbar based learning architectures. The measurements of real devices and their effects on dot product operation in a memristive crossbar is reported. The effect of these non-idealities, limited resistive levels and variabilities on the performance and reliability of two-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Binary Neural Network (BNN) is analyzed and presented.
Use of antipsychotics and risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women

Summary Despite continued uncertainty of venous thromboembolism (VTE) caused from antipsychotic agents, this safety issue has not been examined in postmenopausal women, a population with high usages of antipsychotics and at high risk for VTE. We assessed whether antipsychotic use was associated with an increased VTE risk in women after menopause. We conducted a nested case-control study of all Taiwanese women aged ≥ 50 years (n = 316,132) using a nationwide healthcare claims database between 2000 and 2011. All newly diagnosed VTE patients treated with an anticoagulant or thrombectomy surgery were identified as cases (n = 2,520) and individually matched to select controls (n = 24,223) by cohort entry date, age, cancer diagnosis and major surgery procedure. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of VTE associated with antipsychotics were estimated by multivariate conditional logistic regressions. Current use of antipsychotics was associated with a 1.90-fold (95 % CI = 1.64–2.19) increased VTE risk compared with nonuse in postmenopausal women. The VTE risk existed in a dose-dependent fashion (test for trend, p<0.001), with a more than quadrupled risk for high-dose antipsychotics (adjusted OR = 4.60; 95 % CI = 2.88–7.33). Current parenteral administration of antipsychotics also led to a 3.46-fold increased risk (95 % CI = 2.39–5.00). Conversely, there was no increased VTE risk when antipsychotics were discontinued for > 30 days. In conclusion, current use of antipsychotics is significantly associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of VTE in postmenopausal women, especially for those currently taking high-dose or receiving parenteral antipsychotics.
Locating and linking to medical care HIV-positive persons without a history of care: Findings from the California Bridge Project

The California Bridge Project was developed to actively locate out-of-treatment HIV-positive persons and link them to HIV care and treatment services. Three hundred and twenty five clients had never received HIV medical care. Among these clients the average time from HIV diagnosis to contact with project staff was one-and-a-half years. Nearly three-fourth of clients were persons of color and almost half were men who have sex with men (MSM). The project was effective in linking 29.2% of clients to medical care. First contact to linkage required an average of 15.4 client contacts. During these encounters project staff assessed clients' risk behaviors and physical and mental health status and addressed real or perceived barriers to care. Latinos were over two times (adjusted OR=2.33, p=0.034) and African Americans over three times (adjusted OR=3.69, p=0.002) more likely than whites to be linked to medical care. Success in linking persons of color to medical care may have been because the majority of project staff were persons of color who were purposely hired with characteristics similar to those of the target population. The Bridge Project demonstrates the challenges faced in attempting to link HIV-positive persons from underserved and marginalized populations to medical care.
Electronic Payment Channels in the Nigeria Banking Sector and Its Impacts on National Development

Electronic payment channels (EPC) are fast growing in Nigeria and are now the order of the day for effecting payments. These methods have brought a lot of convenience to both individual and corporate customers, unlike many years ago when the economy was heavily cash driven. This study examines the impact of electronic payments channels (EPC) on National development (ND). The survey was targeted at current and savings accounts customers of deposit money banks in Nigeria. One hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were administered in six (06) banks in Ado ? Ekiti metropolis. Ninety-Eight (98) questionnaires were returned for processing. The data was analyzed using inferential statistics specifically with the use of chi-square. The study reveals that electronic payment channels (EPC) have impacted on the economy and therefore contributing positively to national development (ND). It was recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should mount other e-payment products for the promotion of trade and commerce in Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should embark on intensive campaign for complete adoption of e-payment products especially at the grassroots level among others.
The Hypertrophic Response in C2C12 Myoblasts Recruits the G1 Cell Cycle Machinery*

Hypertrophy occurs in postmitotic muscle as an adaptive response to various physiological and pathological stresses. Studies in vascular smooth muscle cells and primary cardiomyocytes suggest that angiotensin II-mediated hypertrophy activates signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation. Regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-cyclin activities is essential to cell size control in lower eukaryotes, yet their role in the hypertrophic response in muscle is incompletely understood. We describe an in vitro model of hypertrophy in C2C12 skeletal myoblasts and demonstrate that induction of hypertrophy involves transient activation of Cdk4, subsequent phosphorylation of Rb, and release of HDAC1 from the Rb inhibitory complex. We also demonstrate that E2F-1 becomes transcriptionally active yet remains associated with Rb. We propose a model whereby partial inactivation of the Rb complex leads to derepression of a subset of E2F-1 targets necessary for cell growth without division during hypertrophy.