Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Channelized hotelling and human observer correlation for lesion detection in hepatic SPECT imaging.

UNLABELLED Mathematic "model" observers that predict human performance are of interest in medical imaging as substitutes in psychophysical studies. We have examined the correlations between human observers and several forms of the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) for a tumor detection task with simulated SPECT liver images that were used to study the effects of scatter and scatter correction on detection. METHODS A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study was devised to investigate the relative value of a scatter-subtraction strategy in SPECT imaging. The study used simulated images of the biodistribution of 99mTc-labeled FO23C5 anticarcinoembryonic antigen antibodies within the liver. Projection data for 3 separate tumor locations and 5 strategies for handling scatter were obtained using Monte Carlo software applied to an anthropomorphic phantom. The strategies were (a) perfect scatter rejection, (b) no scatter correction, (c) no scatter correction under an assumption of an elevated amount of scatter, (d) an energy-spectrum-based scatter compensation of the normal-scatter case (b), and (e) similar scatter compensation for the elevated-scatter case (c). Image reconstruction approximated current clinical procedures at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Human performance for each combination of location and strategy was based on averaging the areas under the ROC curve for 7 individuals. A set of 15 signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) was derived from these averages for comparison with SNRs for CHO models featuring constant-Q and difference-of-gaussian (DOG) filters. RESULTS The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was 0.92 (P = 0.000001) when comparing task performances for the average human and a constant-Q CHO using 4 square-profile channels. For the DOG version of the CHO, comparison with the average human found a coefficient of 0.84 (P = 0.00005). CONCLUSION The significant positive correlations found between the rankings of the average human observer and the CHOs for our detection task indicate that a channelized model observer could eventually serve as a replacement for human observers. The specific CHO models we have used are best suited to screen for significant differences between strategies before a human psychophysical study.
Financial Crisis Prediction: A Model Comparison

In this paper we compare different models for financial crisis prediction, focusing on methods from the field of Machine Learning (ML). These methods are particularly promising, since they were specifically designed for making predictions. In our application, we find that the performance on these methods depends on whether we look at in-sample or out-of-sample predictions. In the latter case, they do not always outperform more traditional approaches (such as Logistic regressions). Nevertheless, we find that these methods can be useful and should therefore become a standard element in the toolbox of empirical researchers.
The Legitimacy of Placebo Treatments in Clinical Practice: Evidence and Ethics

Physicians commonly recommend ‘placebo treatments’, which are not believed to have specific efficacy for the patient's condition. Motivations for placebo treatments include complying with patient expectations and promoting a placebo effect. In this article, we focus on two key empirical questions that must be addressed in order to assess the ethical legitimacy of placebo treatments in clinical practice: 1) do placebo treatments have the potential to produce clinically significant benefit? and 2) can placebo treatments be effective in promoting a therapeutic placebo response without the use of deception? We examine evidence from clinical trials and laboratory experiments bearing on these two questions. The conclusion is reached that based on currently available evidence, it is premature to judge whether placebo treatments are ethically justifiable, with the possible exception of acupuncture for pain relief.
Inhibition of monocyte, lymphocyte, and neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells by human milk oligosaccharides

Summary Excessive leukocyte infiltration causes severe tissue damage in a variety of inflammatory diseases. The initial step in leukocyte extravasation is mediated by selectins and oligosaccharides on their glycoconjugate ligands. Human milk is a rich source of lactose-derived oligosaccharides that are partly absorbed in the intestine and excreted with the urine. As these components contain binding determinants for the selectins we investigated whether human milk oligosaccharides are able to affect leukocyte rolling and adhesion to endothelial cells under dynamic conditions. Therefore, monocytes, lymphocytes, or neutrophils isolated from human peripheral blood were passed over TNF-α-activated HUVEC under shear stress. The influence of different oligosaccharide fractions was determined by video-micros-copy and compared with the effects of various individual oligosaccharides. Within a physiological range (12.5-125 µg/ml) the acidic fraction significantly inhibited leukocyte rolling and adhesion (up to 24.0% and 52.8%, respectively) in a concentrationdependent manner. These effects were even more pronounced than those achieved by soluble sialyl-Lewis x, a physiological binding determinant for selectins. Several active components within the oligosaccharide fraction of human milk were identified, e.g. 3’-sialyl-lactose and 3’-sialyl-3-fucosyl-lactose. These results indicate that specific oligosaccharides in human milk may serve as anti-inflammatory components and might therefore contribute to the lower incidence of inflammatory diseases in human milk-fed infants.
Taking steps towards institutionalising multicultural education – The national curriculum of Finland

Abstract Internationally multicultural education research has pointed to the need to move from superficial to social justice-oriented multicultural education. However, realising this goal in policy and practice is a challenge. This study takes Finland as a case and examines the discursive developments of multicultural education in its national curriculum 1994–2014. Despite being a country which is known for emphasising equity and equality in education, superficial forms of multicultural education have prevailed. However, the results of this study show that the curricular discourse is clearly moving towards social justice education where multicultural perspectives are an integrated part of the curriculum. The 2014 curriculum, which came into effect 2016, emerges as a policy which aims to foster ethical and respectful students with a sense of fairness and an open attitude towards all kinds of diversity. The challenge for Finland is to ensure implementation and advance transformativeness in future curriculum reforms.
Video-Based System for Intraoperative Facial Nerve Monitoring: Comparison with Electromyography

Objective To validate a recently developed intraoperative facial nerve monitoring system that is based on video control of facial movements. Study design In a single-subject design study, involving 15 otoneurosurgical patients, the relationship between intensity of neural stimulation, facial movements, and electrophysiologic voltage were measured. The analysis was performed by measuring the ipsilateral oral commissure displacement in relation to different levels of current administered to the nerve during surgical procedures. Setting Electromyography and video system intraoperative facial nerve monitoring. Patients 15 patients (9 men, 6 women; mean age, 61 yr) undergoing a translabyrinthine approach for removal of acoustic neuroma. Results Electromyography showed slightly greater sensitivity. With regard to the stimulation-response ratio, facial movement and electromyographic amplitude showed very similar responses. Conclusions The video system was considered useful in terms of validity and reliability. Furthermore, the authors' surgical experience showed some limitations of electromyography, especially in terms of electrical artifact during cauterization, totally masking the electrophysiologic monitoring.
Atopic disease and month of birth

Analysis of the month of birth of 1715 children with asthma shows clear evidence of a higher proportion of the group having been born between May and October (54.8%) than would be expected by comparison with the population of England and Wales (50.2%). Inspection of the distribution of month of birth for patients with hay fever and for patients with positive skin reactions to mixed grass pollen does not account for this seasonal variation but children with positive skin reactions to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus show a high proportion (56.2%) born in the period May to October.
Enzymatic diagnosis of oxidative phosphorylation defects on muscle biopsy: better on tissue homogenate or on a mitochondria-enriched suspension?

BACKGROUND The enzymatic analysis of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) complexes of skeletal muscle is an important step in the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders. Because of its lesser turbidity and increased sensitivity, mitochondrial fractionation has been increasingly considered the diagnostic method of choice compared with the more classical analysis of muscle homogenate. In circumstances in which mitochondria become abnormal in number, size or shape, the process of mitochondrial enrichment made by sequential centrifugation and washing may favor the selection of the most normal mitochondria, eliminating the most abnormal ones. In this situation, the study of muscle homogenate, paradoxically, may better reflect what happens in vivo. CASE REPORT To exemplify this situation we present a 60-year-old woman with a complete mitochondrial phenotype and a 70% heteroplasmic presence of the mtDNA A3243G mutation in muscle tissue. The respiratory and enzymatic activities from mitochondria-enriched muscle suspension were within normal control limits. In contrast, when muscle homogenate was studied, enzyme activities of complexes I, III, and V were found to be decreased. CONCLUSIONS Although mitochondria-enriched muscle suspensions are usually more informative than muscle homogenates for studies of MRC, in some situations it may be necessary to study both to uncover the biochemical defect.
Growth and Pinning Properties of Superconducting Nanostructured $\hbox{FeSe}_{0.5}\hbox{Te}_{0.5}$ Thin Films on Amorphous Substrates

FeSe0.5Te0. 5 thin films were deposited by a pulsed laser deposition technique on amorphous substrates, e.g., for demonstration, glass substrates were used. Various interlayers were introduced to enhance the superconducting properties. Detailed microstructural characterizations including X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy were conducted to verify the film quality. The results indicated the highly textured FeSe0.5Te0. 5 film along (00l) direction on the glass substrate with good crystallinity. The transport properties were measured by a physical property measurement system. The superconducting critical transition temperature (Tc) is around 6 K. The critical current densities (Jc) were measured by the vibrating sample magnetometer in the physical property measurement system at 2 K under magnetic field up to 1 T. The growth of high-quality superconducting FeSe0.5Te0. 5 thin film demonstrates a low cost method for processing future Fe-based superconductor-coated conductors.
Production and processing of subject-verb agreement in monolingual Dutch children with specific language impairment.

PURPOSE In this study, the authors investigated whether errors with subject-verb agreement in monolingual Dutch children with specific language impairment (SLI) are influenced by verb phonology. In addition, the productive and receptive abilities of Dutch acquiring children with SLI regarding agreement inflection were compared. METHOD An SLI group (6-8 years old), an age-matched group with typical development, and a language-matched, younger, typically developing (TD) group participated in the study. Using an elicitation task, the authors tested use of third person singular inflection after verbs that ended in obstruents (plosive, fricative) or nonobstruents (sonorant). The authors used a self-paced listening task to test sensitivity to subject-verb agreement violations. RESULTS Omission was more frequent after obstruents than nonobstruents; the younger TD group used inflection less often after plosives than fricatives, unlike the SLI group. The SLI group did not detect subject-verb agreement violations if the ungrammatical structure contained a frequent error (omission), but if the ungrammatical structure contained an infrequent error (substitution), subject-verb agreement violations were noticed. CONCLUSIONS The use of agreement inflection by children with TD or SLI is affected by verb phonology. Differential effects in the 2 groups are consistent with a delayed development in Dutch SLI. Parallels between productive and receptive abilities point to weak lexical agreement inflection representations in Dutch SLI.
Behavioral determinants of hand hygiene compliance in intensive care units.

BACKGROUND Although hand hygiene is the most effective measure for preventing cross-infection, overall compliance is poor among health care workers. OBJECTIVES To identify and describe predictors and determinants of noncompliance with hand hygiene prescriptions in intensive care unit nurses by means of a questionnaire. METHODS A questionnaire based on a behavioral theory model was filled out by 148 nurses working on a 40-bed intensive care unit in a university hospital. Subjects were asked to fill out the 56-item questionnaire twice within a 2- to 6-week period. During this period, no interventions to enforce hand hygiene occurred on the unit. RESULTS Response rate for the test was 73% (108/148); response rate for the retest was 53% (57/108). The mean self-reported compliance rate was 84%. Factor analysis revealed 8 elementary factors potentially associated with compliance. Internal consistency of the scales was acceptable. Intraclass correlation was low (<0.60) for 2 subscales but acceptable (>0.60) for 6 subscales. A low self-efficacy was independently associated with noncompliance (beta = .379; P = .001). After exclusion of this variable, a negative attitude toward time-related barriers was associated with noncompliance (beta = -.147; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Neither having good theoretical knowledge of hand hygiene guidelines nor social influence or moral perceptions had any predictive value relative to hand hygiene practice. A valid questionnaire to identify predictors and determinants of noncompliance with hand hygiene has been designed. Nurses reporting a poor self-efficacy or a poor attitude toward time-related barriers appear to be less compliant.
Increased ligament thickness in previously sprained ankles as measured by musculoskeletal ultrasound.

CONTEXT Lateral ankle sprains are among the most common injuries in sport, with the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) most susceptible to damage. Although we understand that after a sprain, scar tissue forms within the ligament, little is known about the morphologic changes in a ligament after injury. OBJECTIVE To examine whether morphologic differences exist in the thickness of the ATFL in healthy, coper, and unstable-ankle groups. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 80 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate athletes (43 women, 37 men, age = 18.2 ± 1.1 years, height = 175.8 ± 11.1 cm, body mass = 75.0 ± 16.9 kg) participated in this study. They were categorized into the healthy, coper, or unstable group by history of ankle sprains and score on the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) A musculoskeletal sonographic image of the ATFL was obtained from each ankle. Thickness of the ATFL was measured at the midpoint of the ligament between the attachments on the lateral malleolus and talus. RESULTS A group-by-limb interaction was evident (P = .038). The ATFLs of the injured limb for the coper group (2.20 ± 0.47 mm) and the injured limb for the unstable group (2.28 ± 0.53 mm) were thicker than the ATFL of the "injured" limb of the healthy group (1.95 ± 0.29 mm) at P = . 015 and P = . 015, respectively. No differences were seen in the uninjured limbs among groups. CONCLUSIONS Because ATFL thicknesses of the healthy group's uninjured ankles were similar, we contend that lasting morphologic changes occurred in those with a previous injury to the ankle. Similar differences were seen between the injured limbs of the coper and unstable groups, so there must be another explanation for the sensations of instability and the reinjuries in the unstable group.
Comparison of Amlodipine and Benazepril Monotherapy to Amlodipine Plus Benazepril In Patients with Systemic Hypertension: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled, Parallel‐Group Study

A single‐blind, run‐in, randomized, double‐blind, parallel‐group, placebo‐controlled comparison trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of low‐dose amlodipine 2.5 mg daily, low‐dose benazepril 10 mg daily, and the combination of the two drugs at the same doses used once daily in patients (n = 401) with mild to moderate (stages I and II) systemic hypertension. Both monotherapy regimens were shown to significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with baseline placebo values, and the combination regimen was shown to be superior in lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure when compared with either of the monotherapy regimens. The combination therapy also resulted in a greater percentage of patients having successful clinical response in mean sitting diastolic blood pressure. The amlodipine and benazepril regimen was also shown to be associated with a similar incidence of adverse experiences as the active monotherapy or placebo regimens, although the group given combination therapy appeared to have a lower incidence of edema than the group given amlodipine alone. Low‐dose amlodipine (2.5 mg) plus benazepril (10 mg) provides greater blood‐pressure‐lowering efficacy than either monotherapy, and has an excellent safety profile.
The Death of the Phillips Curve?

Are inflation dynamics well captured by Phillips Curve models, or has this framework become less relevant over time? The evidence for the U.S. suggests that the slopes of the price and wage Phillips Curvesâ€“ the short-run inflation-unemployment trade-offs â€“ are low and have got a little flatter. For example, the recursive estimate of the unemployment coefficient in the core PCE Phillips Curve has fallen a little from -0.09 to -0.07 since the Great Recession. However, the decline is not statistically significant. Dynamic forecasts from the wage and price Phillips Curves estimated using data ending in 2007q4, almost 10 years ago, are pretty close to inflation today. This suggests that (i) low current inflation is not that surprising, and (ii) factors such as increased globalization, increased e-commerce activity, changes in concentration, the aging of the U.S. population and mismeasurement of the NAIRU are not that important (or offset each other). The Phillips Curve is still a useful, albeit imprecise, framework for understanding inflation.
Finite-time observer for linear system with time delay

This paper presents a finite-time observer for linear time-delay systems. In contrast to many observers, which normally estimate the system state in an asymptotic fashion, this observer estimates the exact system state in predetermined finite time. The finite-time observer proposed is achieved by updating the observer state based on actual and pass data of the observer. Simulation results are also presented to illustrate the convergence behavior of the finite-time observer.
The Role of Economic Freedom in Intercity Competition: A Framework and Some Evidence from U.S. Metropolitan Areas

I present a framework for analyzing city competition that clarifies the different dimensions along which cities can compete with one another for people and firms. I contend that current urban development strategies are largely based on a 'hydraulic' approach to development and discuss an alternative that focuses on polices and the amount of local government impediments to urban development that exist across cities. Using a sample of 381 metropolitan areas (MSAs) and an MSA economic freedom index, I find that MSAs with fewer government impediments experienced more per capita income growth from 2002 to 2005. I also find that MSAs with more overall freedom experienced more population growth from 2002 to 2011 and from 2002 to 2015, and these results were driven by tax freedom and labor market freedom. Taken together, this evidence is consistent with several country and state-level studies that find that government impediments to economic activity affect intensive and extensive economic growth.
Impacts of HIV/AIDS on poor and socially marginalised former commercial plasma donors in rural central China: social work implications

Abstract Little is known about the impact of HIV/AIDS on people who acquired the virus through former commercial plasma donations in the mid-1990s in rural Central China. The objective of this study was to examine socioeconomic impacts associated with HIV/AIDS on poor farm workers and their families, with a particular focus on economic hardships and social exclusion. The findings from 30 interviews reveal the profound effects of deteriorating health on labour power loss. The well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS was immensely affected by the loss of income, debts due to health-related expenses and a lack of alternate sources of income. Social exclusion and HIV/AIDS-related stigma remain significant issues in a workplace, funerals, and weddings. This article highlights the economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on China’s rural population and provides recommendations for social workers to mitigate the impacts of social exclusion on vulnerable rural households in China.