Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics during the growth of an unruptured aneurysm: in vitro study using longitudinal CT angiogram database.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The role of blood-flow biomechanics on the size, morphology, and growth of cerebral aneurysms is poorly known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics before and after aneurysm growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS A flow-simulation study was performed in a middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm with a bleb that grew after 1-year follow-up. Geometrically realistic in vitro models before and after aneurysm growth were constructed on the basis of CT angiograms. Blood-flow velocity, vorticity, and wall shear stress were obtained by using particle imaging velocimetry and laser Doppler velocimetry. RESULTS No significant quantitative differences were noted among the overall flow structures before and after aneurysm growth, with the exception of less vorticity in the bleb after aneurysm growth. A circulating flow pattern was seen within the aneurysm domes. A blood-flow separation was observed at the margins of the bleb. No impingement of inward flow into the enlarging bleb was noted. Before the aneurysm growth, the wall shear stress was high at the aneurysm neck and also at the margin of the bleb. The value of wall shear stress decreased in the deeper part of the bleb. This value decreased even more after the aneurysm growth. CONCLUSIONS Intra-aneurysmal hemodynamic structures before and after the growth of an MCA aneurysm were compared. Further investigation with a similar approach is mandatory to obtain a firm conclusion.
Survey of Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was ﬁrstly introduced in Computer Vision for image recognition by LeCun et al . in 1989. Since then, it has been widely used in image recognition and classiﬁcation tasks. The recent impressive success of Krizhevsky et al . in ILSVRC 2012 competition demonstrates the signiﬁcant advance of modern deep CNN on image classiﬁcation task. Inspired by his work, many recent research works have been concentrat-ing on understanding CNN and extending its application to more conventional computer vision tasks. Their successes and lessons have promoted the development of both CNN and vision science. This article makes a survey of recent progress in CNN since 2012. We will introduce the general architecture of a modern CNN and make insights into several typical CNN incarnations which have been studied extensively. We will also review the efforts to understand CNNs and review important applications of CNNs in computer vision tasks.
Cooperative Effect of Erythropoietin and TGF‐β Inhibition on Erythroid Development in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Patient‐specific human induced‐pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent important cell sources to treat patients with acquired blood disorders. To realize the therapeutic potential of hiPSCs, it is crucial to understand signals that direct hiPSC differentiation to a hematopoietic lineage fate. Our previous study demonstrated that CD34+CD31+ cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) contain hemato‐endothelial progenitors (HEPs) that give rise to hematopoietic cells and endothelial cells. Here, we established a serum‐free and feeder‐free system to induce the differentiation of hPSC‐derived CD34+CD31+ progenitor cells to erythroid cells. We show that extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins promote the differentiation of CD34+CD31+ progenitor cells into CD235a+ erythroid cells through CD41+CD235a+ megakaryocyte‐erythroid progenitors (MEP). Erythropoietin (EPO) is a predominant factor for CD34+CD31+ progenitor differentiation to erythroid cells, whereas transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) inhibits the development of CD34+CD31+ progenitor cells. Apoptosis of progenitor cells is induced by TGF‐β in early erythroid differentiation. Suppression of TGF‐β signaling by SB431542 at early stage of CD34+CD31+ progenitor differentiation induces the erythroid cell generation. Together, these findings suggest that TGF‐β suppression and EPO stimulation promote erythropoiesis of CD34+CD31+ progenitor cells derived from hPSCs. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 2735–2743, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effects of a health educational and exercise program for older adults with osteoarthritis for the hip or knee.

OBJECTIVE Evaluation of a self-management program for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee. The program, which consisted of 6 weekly sessions of 2 hours, included health education by a peer and physical exercises taught by a physical therapist. METHODS Randomized controlled trial. Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of OA of the hip or knee according to ACR clinical and radiographic criteria and age 55 to 75 years. EXCLUSION CRITERIA on waiting list for joint replacement. There were pretest, posttest, and followup (6 months) assessments. The experimental group consisted of 56 patients, the control group 49. Outcome variables were pain, quality of life, activity restrictions, knowledge about OA, self-efficacy, body mass index (BMI), and mobility measures. Attention was also paid to effects on health care utilization and lifestyle behavior. RESULTS Significant MANOVA group x time effects (p < 0.05, one-sided) were found for pain, quality of life, strength of the left M. quadriceps, knowledge, self-efficacy, BMI, physically active lifestyle, and visits to the physical therapist. Most effects were moderate at posttest assessment and smaller at followup. No effects were found for range of motion and functional tasks. CONCLUSION The program was reasonably effective, but more attention should be paid to proactive followup interventions and to the selection of participants.
Early drain removal following modified radical mastectomy: A randomized trial

The dilemma of increasing costs of medical care and shrinking health budgets has stimulated attempts to implement stricter control on expenditure without affecting the quality of care. This study shows that in patients with operable breast cancer, a policy of early discharge after a mastectomy did not have deleterious effects on wound healing and was well accepted by patients. In a randomized trial, drains were removed after either 3 or 6 days postmastectomy, and in both groups of patients there was no difference between the mean volumes of seromas aspirated or the number of aspirations and return visits to the hospital. This suggests that a policy of early discharge is safe, acceptable, economical, and may improve bed utilization. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The expression and localization of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase in human abdominal aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) degrades both fibrillar collagens and elastin. MMP-2 is secreted as a latent 72-kd proenzyme that must be proteolytically processed to the 62-kd active form. In our laboratory we demonstrated a significant increase of active, matrix-bound MMP-2 in abdominal aortic aneurysmal (AAA) tissue compared with nonaneurysmal aorta with arteriosclerotic occlusive disease and normal aortic tissue. This increase in active MMP-2 is considered to be important in aneurysm pathogenesis, but the mechanism of its activation in aortic tissue is unknown. Membrane type-1 MMP (MT-1 MMP) is known to be an activator of MMP-2. The purpose of this study was to determine MT-1 MMP expression and its involvement in pro-MMP-2 activation in human aneurysmal tissue. METHODS Infrarenal aortic tissue was obtained during the surgical repair of AAAs or the bypass of aortoiliac occlusive disease, or from nondiseased aorta, and the expression of MT-1 MMP messenger RNA was determined with Northern blot analysis. MT-1 MMP protein was determined with immunoblot and immunohistochemistry. The ability of aortic tissue to activate pro-MMP-2 was analyzed by incubating aortic tissue with exogenous radiolabeled pro-MMP-2. RESULTS MT-1 MMP messenger RNA and protein are increased in AAA (P <.05) compared with arteriosclerotic occlusive disease and normal aortic tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis localized MT-1 MMP to aortic smooth muscle cells and macrophages in aneurysmal tissue. AAA tissue demonstrated a greater capacity to activate exogenous pro-MMP-2 compared with atherosclerotic and normal aortic tissue (P <.05). CONCLUSION These studies demonstrate that MT-1 MMP is increased in AAA tissue and suggest that it may be important in AAA pathogenesis through its ability to activate pro-MMP-2
Psychometric properties of DREEM in a sample of Malaysian medical students

supervisors. Only 75% of cardiology fellows and 90.9% of ID fellows felt their attendings always modeled good communication with other specialists. 45.8% of cardiology fellows and 81.8% of ID fellows reported witnessing supervisors making disparaging comments about other specialty recommendations. Baseline positive and negative professional stereotypes were demonstrated. There was a significant increase in agreement among ID fellows post-intervention that cardiologists are ‘‘collaborative’’ (on a 6-point Likert scale, mean 3.20 increased to 3.90). Absent formal instruction in multidisciplinary teamwork in US physician training programs, modeling is an important mechanism for teaching these skills, yet trainees report deficiencies in modeling of collaborative behaviors by supervisors. An IPE program can increase the perception that another specialty group is collaborative. IPE, among other curricular innovations, may serve a need for teaching collaborative competency among US physician trainees.
Participation on Electronic Bulletin Board Systems: An Empirical Analysis of Work Value Congruency

In an empirical study, perceptions of work and the workplace are compared with information systems (IS) support for those values. It is proposed that the congruence between the work values held by an individual and the perception of support for those values by an information system will affect the decision to use the system. Using a modified version of Elizur's Work Value Questionnaire, the work values and perceptions of IS support for those values are examined. Three factors that relate to the subjects' orientation to the world--societal, organizational, and individual--are isolated. The organizational orientation is found to be the most influential of the three in determining voluntary user participation, explaining 47 percent of the variation among subjects' usage patterns of a bulletin board system. These findings support the contention that when users became convinced of the efficacy of using an IS in mediating organizationally bestowed values, and when they perceive value in these organizational relationships, the system is used.
Genome-wide association mapping in Arabidopsis identifies novel genes underlying quantitative disease resistance to Alternaria brassicae.

Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) is the predominant form of resistance against necrotrophic pathogens. The genes and mechanisms underlying QDR are not well known. In the current study, the Arabidopsis-Alternaria brassicae pathosystem was used to uncover the genetic architecture underlying resistance to A. brassicae in a set of geographically diverse Arabidopsis accessions. Arabidopsis accessions revealed a rich variation in the host responses to the pathogen, varying from complete resistance to high susceptibility. Genome-wide association (GWA) mapping revealed multiple regions to be associated with disease resistance. A subset of genes prioritized on the basis of gene annotations and evidence of transcriptional regulation in other biotic stresses was analysed using a reverse genetics approach employing T-DNA insertion mutants. The mutants of three genes, namely At1g06990 (GDSL-motif lipase), At3g25180 (CYP82G1) and At5g37500 (GORK), displayed an enhanced susceptibility relative to the wild-type. These genes are involved in the development of morphological phenotypes (stomatal aperture) and secondary metabolite synthesis, thus defining some of the diverse facets of quantitative resistance against A. brassicae.
Enhancing concentration, mood and memory in healthy individuals: An empirical study of attitudes among general practitioners and the general population

Aim: To study attitudes towards enhancing concentration, mood and memory in healthy individuals among the general public and general practitioners (GPs). Methods: A questionnaire consisting of vignettes including three cases dealing with enhancement of concentration, mood and memory was sent during 2006 to 1000 randomly selected people from Stockholm and 300 GPs. We asked about the use of pharmaceuticals for healthy individuals for the benefit of others and the benefit to oneself; we also asked whether or not society should pay the cost. Finally, we asked about enhancement of healthy people's concentration, mood and memory through the use of natural remedies. Results: Fifty-two per cent of the general public and 39% of the GPs responded. While the use of natural remedies was perceived as fairly acceptable, majorities in both groups were negative with regard to the use of pharmaceuticals to enhance concentration, mood and memory in a healthy individual. The general public tended to be less negative than the GPs. There was a significant difference between the reasons for providing enhancement; altruistic reasons seem to be more acceptable than egoistic ones. For both groups, enhancing mood was more controversial than enhancing memory. Conclusions: Despite the large dropout rate, the study indicates that enhancement by means of natural remedies of different human capacities is acceptable to the general public, while only small minorities of both groups are inclined to allow the use of pharmaceuticals. When compared to the egoistic reason, the altruistic one for enhancing concentration, mood and memory with pharmaceuticals seems to influence the general public's inclination to support prescriptions; this was also the case among the GPs, but only as regards mood enhancement.
High-pressure structural studies of eskolaite by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction

Abstract The structural behavior of Cr2O3 was investigated up to ~70 GPa using single-crystal X-ray diffraction under a quasi-hydrostatic pressure (neon pressure medium) at room temperature. The crystal structure remains rhombohedral with the space group R3̄c (No. 167) and upon compression the oxygen atoms approach an ideal hexagonal close-packing arrangement. An isothermal bulk modulus of Cr2O3 and its pressure derivative were found to be 245(4) GPa and 3.6(2), respectively, based on a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state and V0 = 288.73 Å3. An analysis of the crystal strains suggest that the non-hydrostatic stresses can be considered as negligible even at the highest pressure reached.
Perceived risk of heart attack: a function of gender?

TOPIC The influence of gender on women's risk beliefs for heart attack. PURPOSE To inform healthcare providers how women's beliefs and attitudes contribute to treatment-seeking delay in the event of a heart attack, and to establish the importance of risk beliefs in women. SOURCES Published literature in MEDLINE and CINAHL computerized databases, reference lists of obtained articles. CONCLUSIONS Women's perceived risk beliefs for heart attack are influenced by the effects of media, cultural, and gender roles and the modeling of bias in health care. There is a need for healthcare providers to change their focus from acting on (etic) a patient to interacting within (emic) the belief systems of their patients to optimize positive outcomes.
Time-Domain Shielding of a Thin Conductive Sheet in the Presence of Pulsed Vertical Dipoles

The classical problem represented by a planar thin conductive shield in the presence of vertical dipole field sources (electric or magnetic) is solved analytically in the time domain via the Cagniard-de Hoop technique. Comparisons with numerical solutions carried out by means of efficient integration algorithms are provided and discussed.
A Dynamic Model for Digital Advertising: The Effects of Creative Format, Message Content, and Targeting on Engagement

The authors study the joint effects of creative format, message content, and targeting on the performance of digital ads over time. Specifically, they present a dynamic model to measure the effects of various sizes of static (GIF) and animated (Flash) display ad formats and consider whether different ad contents, related to the brand or a price offer, are more or less effective for different ad formats and targeted or retargeted customer segments. To this end, the authors obtain six months of data on daily impressions, clicks, targeting, and ad creative content from a major U.S. retailer, and they develop a dynamic zero-inflated count model. Given the sparse, nonlinear, and non-Gaussian nature of the data, the study designs a particle filter/Markov chain Monte Carlo scheme for estimation. Results show that carry-over rates for dynamic formats are greater than those for static formats; however, static formats can still be effective for price ads and retargeting. Most notably, results also show that retargeted ads are effective only if they offer price incentives. The study then considers the import of these results for the retailer's media schedules.
A retrospective comparison of outcome and toxicity of preoperative image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus conventional pelvic radiotherapy for locally advanced rectal carcinoma

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare clinical outcomes and toxicity between 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) and image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) administered through helical tomotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy. We reviewed 144 patients with Stage II–III rectal cancer receiving preoperative fluoropyrimidine-based chemoradiotherapy followed by radical resection. Tumor responses following chemoradiotherapy were evaluated using the Dworak tumor regression grade (TRG). Of the 144 patients, 45 received IG-IMRT and 99 received 3DCRT. A significant reduction in Grade 3 or 4 acute gastrointestinal toxicity (IG-IMRT, 6.7%; 3DCRT, 15.1%; P = 0.039) was observed by IG-IMRT. The pathologic complete response (pCR) rate did not differ between the IG-IMRT and the 3DCRT group (17.8% vs 15.1%, P = 0.52). Patients in the IG-IMRT group had the trend of favorable tumor regressions (TRG 3 or 4) compared with those in the 3DCRT group (66.7% vs 43.5%, P = 0.071). The median follow-up was 53 months (range, 18–95 months) in the 3DCRT group and 43 months (range, 17–69 months) in the IG-IMRT group. Four-year overall, disease-free, and local failure–free survival rates of the IG-IMRT and 3DCRT groups were 81.6% and 67.9% (P = 0.12), 53.8% and 51.8% (P = 0.51), and 88% and 75.1% (P = 0.031), respectively. LARC patients treated with preoperative IG-IMRT achieved lower acute gastrointestinal adverse effects and a higher local control rate than those treated with 3DCRT, but there was no prominent difference in distant metastasis rate and overall survival between two treatment modalities.
Advanced aging skin and itch: addressing an unmet need

Itch is the most common skin disorder in the elderly and frequently diminishes quality of life in this population. The high prevalence of pruritus in elderly patients is attributed in part to the decline in the normal physiology of the advanced aging skin, and reflects poor hydration, impaired skin barrier, and altered neural function, all ultimately contributing to inflammation and pruritus. As the elderly population continues to grow, practitioners need to be aware of how to evaluate and manage pruritus, recognizing the common conditions contributing to itch in elderly patients as well as the challenges of treatment in this group. Ultimately, management of pruritus will require an individually tailored approach that is guided by a patient's general health, severity of symptoms, and the potential adverse effects of itch therapies.
Geometry-free ambiguity success rates in case of partial fixing

GPS ambiguity resolution is the process of solving the unknown cycle ambiguities of the carrier phase data as integers. It is the key to fast and high precision relative GPS positioning. Since unsuccessful ambiguity resolution, when passed unnoticed, will often lead to unacceptable errors in the positioning results, very high success rates are required for ambiguity resolution to be reliable. In this contribution we present and evaluate the probability of correct integer ambiguity estimation for the ionosphere-weighted geometry-free GPS model. Particular attention is given to a partial fixing of the ambiguities.
Aminopeptidase N (CD13) as a target for cancer chemotherapy

The enzyme aminopeptidase N (APN, also known as CD13) is a Zn2+ dependent membrane‐bound ectopeptidase that degrades preferentially proteins and peptides with a N‐terminal neutral amino acid. Aminopeptidase N has been associated with the growth of different human cancers and suggested as a suitable target for anti‐cancerous therapy. Different approaches have been used to develop new drugs directed to this target, including enzyme inhibitors as well as APN‐targeted carrier constructs. This review discusses the prevalence and possible function of APN in malignant diseases, mainly solid tumors, as well as its “drugability” evaluated in preclinical in vivo models, and also provides a brief overview of current clinical trials focused on APN. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 501–508)
Preoperative factors associated with postoperative hypocalcemia in dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism that underwent parathyroidectomy: 62 cases (2004-2009).

OBJECTIVE To identify preoperative variables associated with postoperative hypocalcemia in dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism undergoing parathyroidectomy. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 62 dogs. PROCEDURES Medical records of dogs undergoing parathyroidectomy for treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism between January 2004 and January 2009 at 4 institutions were reviewed; data regarding various preoperative variables and postoperative serum total and ionized calcium concentrations were recorded. Preoperative ultrasonographic and surgical findings were compared regarding laterality (right, left, or bilateral) of parathyroid gland lesions. Data were analyzed via ANOVA, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression to identify associations between preoperative variables and postoperative serum total and ionized calcium nadir concentrations. RESULTS Preoperative variables significantly associated with low postoperative serum total calcium nadir concentrations included old age, history of weakness, lack of gastrointestinal tract signs, high serum parathyroid hormone concentration, and low serum calcium-phosphorus concentration product value. Preoperative variables significantly associated with low postoperative serum ionized calcium nadir concentrations included sexually intact status, low body weight, high serum urea nitrogen concentration, and lack of polyuria and polydipsia in the history. Age, body weight, serum calcium-phosphorus concentration product, and serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone and urea nitrogen were included in the final multiple linear regression model for prediction of postoperative serum calcium concentrations. Ultrasonography was performed in 58 dogs; results for 44 (75.9%) dogs agreed with surgical findings regarding laterality of parathyroid gland lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Prediction of postoperative hypocalcemia in dogs in this study with primary hyperparathyroidism that underwent parathyroidectomy was difficult and depended on multiple (history, physical examination, and clinicopathologic) factors.