Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Update on Calcitonin Screening for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and the Results of a Retrospective Analysis of 12,984 Patients with Thyroid Nodules

Simple Summary Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare disease and accounts for about 5% of thyroid carcinomas. In contrast to other thyroid cancers, MTC can be detected by calcitonin (Ctn) measurement in blood samples. However, the interpretation of Ctn values is difficult since reference values for Ctn are sex-specific, assay-dependent, and can also be elevated in benign thyroid diseases and certain extrathyroidal conditions. Here, we report on the results of Ctn screening in 12,984 adult patients with thyroid nodules from our nuclear medicine practice. The Ctn values were elevated in 207 (1.6%) patients. Further clarification was possible in 124/207 cases, of which MTC could be ruled out in 108 cases. In 16/12,984 patients, MTC was confirmed. Thus, the extrapolated MTC prevalence is 0.14% in our patients. We thus recommend Ctn screening even in patients with very small thyroid nodules. High quality standards in pre-analytics, Ctn measurement, and the interpretation of data must be ensured. Abstract Background: We provide an update on calcitonin (Ctn) screening for the early detection of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and present the results of a large single-center analysis evaluating sex-specific cut-off-levels and long-term courses. Methods: A total of 12,984 consecutive adult patients (20.1% male and 79.9% female) with thyroid nodules who had undergone routine Ctn measurement were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with confirmed suspicious Ctn values were referred for surgery. Results: Ctn measurements were elevated in 207 (1.6%) patients, with values below twice the sex-specific reference limit in 82% of these cases. Further clarification was possible in 124/207 cases, of which MTC could be ruled out in 108 cases. Histopathological assessment confirmed MTC in 16/12,984 patients. Conclusions: Our extrapolated MTC prevalence of 0.14% is significantly lower than that described in early international screening studies. The stimulation test can usually be dispensable when using a decision-making concept based on sex-specific basal Ctn cut-off values. Ctn screening is recommended even in patients with very small thyroid nodules. High quality standards in pre-analytics, laboratory measurements, and the interpretation of data must be ensured, as well as close interdisciplinary cooperation between medical disciplines.
Improvement of the Short-Fetch Behavior in the Wave Ocean Model (WAM)

Abstract The physics of wind input in the Wave Ocean Model (WAM) cycle 4 is based on scaling with the friction velocity u∗. This implies that in the case of fetch-limited wind-wave growth, universal scaling laws should follow if fetch and wave variance are scaled by means of u∗. For operational applications, such as at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the scaling of the WAM model with u∗ is well satisfied. Recently, however, it was found that this scaling is violated for very short waves at small fetches and durations, for which the model is run with very small grid spacings, a very small time step, and a large cutoff frequency. This violation of u∗ scaling, which is a serious problem for implementation on a small lake, was found to be caused by a too severe limit on the increments of the wave spectrum per time step. In this article, an alternative formulation for the limitation of spectral component growth is suggested, which does not violate u∗ scaling and, in addition, gives rise.
The Semantics of Entailment.

Once upon a time, modal logics “had no semantics”. Bearing a real world G, a set of worlds K, and a relation R of relative possibility between worlds, Saul Kripke beheld this situation and saw that it was formally explicable, and made model structures. It came to pass that soon everyone was making model structures, and some were deontic, and some were temporal, and some were epistemic, according to the conditions on the binary relation R. None of the model structures that Kripke made, nor that Hintikka made, nor that Thomason made, nor that their co-workers and colleagues made, were, however, relevant. This caused great sadness in the city of Pittsburgh, where dwelt the captains of American Industry. The logic industry was there represented by Anderson, Belnap & Sons, discoverers of entailment and scourge of material impliers, strict impliers, and of all that to which their falsehoods and contradictions led. Yea, every year or so Anderson& Belnap turned out a new logic, and they did call it E, or R, or E i , or P W, and they beheld each such logic, and they were called relevant. And these logics were looked upon with favor by many, for they captureth the intuitions, but by many more they were scorned, in that they hadeth no semantics. Word that Anderson & Belnap had made a logic without semantics leaked out. Some thought it wondrous and rejoiced,’ that the One True Logic should make its appearance among us in the Form of Pure Syntax, unencumbered by all that set-theoretical garbage. Others said that relevant logics were Mere Syntax. Surveying the situation Routley, and quite independently Urquhart, found an explication of the key concept of relevant implication. Building on Routley [ 19721 , and with a little help from our friends Dunn and Urquhart
Ab initio derived force field potential for the accurate simulation of thermal transport in AlN

In this work, we revisit our previously reported Stillinger-Weber force field potential to describe wurtzite Aluminum Nitride. By improving the ab initio reference data used for the fitting, we parametrize an outstanding Stillinger-Weber type potential. For all targeted quantities, namely lattice and elastic constants, phonon band structure, and thermal conductivity, the new potential yields results in excellent agreement with ab initio and experimental data, making it a solid choice for thermal transport studies in Aluminium Nitride.
Impact of Global Warming on the Severity of Viral Diseases: A Potentially Alarming Threat to Sustainable Aquaculture Worldwide

With an ever-increasing human population, food security remains a central issue for the coming years. The magnitude of the environmental impacts of food production has motivated the assessment of the environmental and health benefits of shifting diets, from meat to fish and seafood. One of the main concerns for the sustainable development of aquaculture is the emergence and spread of infectious animal diseases in a warming climate. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the influence of global warming on mortality due to viral infections in farmed aquatic animals. We found a positive trend between increasing temperature and increasing viral virulence, with an increase in water temperature of 1 °C resulting in an increase in mortality of 1.47–8.33% in OsHV-1 infected oysters, 2.55–6.98% in carps infected with CyHV-3 and 2.18–5.37% in fishes infected with NVVs. We suggest that global warming is going to pose a risk of viral disease outbreaks in aquaculture and could compromise global food security.
Organization and Representation of Boundary Layer Clouds

Abstract This study is intended to summarize and to simplify the complicated processes in boundary layer cloud regimes using a single parameter, Q1, the normalized saturation deficit. With the aid of large eddy simulation (LES) data from different boundary layer cloud regimes it is illustrated i) that the in-cloud buoyancy flux is maximized when the fractional cloudiness approaches zero; ii) that the ensemble average buoyancy flux possesses two maxima, one for the trade wind cumulus case and one for the stratocumulus case; and iii) that the preferred mode for boundary layer clouds is either small cumuli or high values of cloudiness, and that cloudiness transitions from one regime to the other are difficult to represent numerically as in the transition regime the cloud-water-related variables are very parameter sensitive. In addition, the importance of the contribution of the liquid water flux to the in-cloud and total buoyancy flux is outlined, and simple analytical and empirical methods are presented to .
Single-Strain Probiotic Lactobacilli for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Probiotics are known for their positive effects on the gut microbiota. There is growing evidence that the infant gut and skin colonization have a role in the development of the immune system, which may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis. This systematic review focused on evaluating the effect of single-strain probiotic lactobacilli consumption on treating children’s atopic dermatitis. Seventeen randomized placebo-controlled trials with the primary outcome of the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index were included in the systematic review. Clinical trials using single-strain lactobacilli were included. The search was conducted until October 2022 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane library and manual searches. The Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Meta-analyses and sub meta-analyses were performed using Cochrane Collaboration methodology. Due to different methods of reporting the SCORAD index, only 14 clinical trials with 1124 children were included in the meta-analysis (574 in the single-strain probiotic lactobacilli group and 550 in the placebo group) and showed that single-strain probiotic lactobacilli statistically significantly reduced the SCORAD index compared to the placebo in children with atopic dermatitis (mean difference [MD]: −4.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −7.50 to −1.49; Z = 2.93; p = 0.003; heterogeneity I2 = 90%). The subgroup meta-analysis showed that strains of Limosilactobacillus fermentum were significantly more effective than strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei or Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus. A longer treatment time and younger treatment age statistically significantly reduced symptoms of atopic dermatitis. The result of this systematic review and meta-analysis shows that certain single-strain probiotic lactobacilli are more successful than others in reducing atopic dermatitis severity in children. Therefore, careful consideration to strain selection, treatment time and the age of the treated patients are important factors in enhancing the effectiveness of reducing atopic dermatitis in children when choosing probiotic single-strain lactobacilli.
Fixed point theory in WC{Banach algebras

In this paper, we will prove somexed point theorems for the sum and the product of nonlinear weakly sequentially continuous operators acting on a WC{Banach algebra. Our results improve and correct some recent results given by Banas and Taoudi, and extend several earlier works using the condition ( P ) .
Endometriosis-Related Ovarian Cancers: Evidence for a Dichotomy in the Histogenesis of the Two Associated Histotypes

Evidence indicates that different pathways of malignant degeneration underlie the development of endometriosis-associated ovarian tumors of endometrioid and clear cell histotypes. The aim of this study was to compare data from patients affected by these two histotypes to investigate the hypothesis of a dichotomy in the histogenesis of these tumors. Clinical data and tumor characteristics of 48 patients who were diagnosed with either pure clear cell ovarian cancer and mixed endometrioid–clear cell ovarian cancer arising from endometriosis (ECC, n = 22) or endometriosis-associated endometrioid ovarian cancer (EAEOC, n = 26) were compared. A previous diagnosis of endometriosis was detected more frequently in the ECC group (32% vs. 4%, p = 0.01). The incidence of bilaterality was significantly higher in the EAOEC group (35% vs. 5%, p = 0.01) as well as a solid/cystic rate at gross pathology (57.7 ± 7.9% vs. 30.9 ± 7.5%, p = 0.02). Patients with ECC had a more advanced disease stage (41% vs. 15%; p = 0.04). A synchronous endometrial carcinoma was detected in 38% of EAEOC patients. A comparison of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage at diagnosis showed a significantly decreasing trend for ECC compared to EAEOC (p = 0.02). These findings support the hypothesis that the origin, clinical behavior and relationship with endometriosis might be different for these histotypes. ECC, unlike EAEOC, seems to develop within an endometriotic cyst, thus representing a window of possibility for ultrasound-based early diagnosis.
On the waiting time distribution in a generalized GI/G/1 queueing system

The model considered in this paper describes a queueing system in which the station is dismantled at the end of a busy period and re-established on arrival of a new customer, in such a way that the closing-down process consists of N 1 phases of random duration and that a customer 𝒞 n who arrives while the station is being closed down must wait a random time idn (i = 1, ···, N 1) if the ith phase is going on at the arrival instant. (For each fixed index i, the random variables idn are identically distributed.) A customer 𝒞 n arriving when the closing-down of the station is already accomplished has to wait a random time (N 1 + 1) dn corresponding to the set up time of the station. Besides, a customer 𝒞 n who arrives when the station is busy has to wait an additional random time 0 dn. We thus have (N 1 + 2) types of “delay” (additional waiting time). Similarly, we consider (N 2 + 2) types of service time and (N 3 + 2) probabilities of joining the queue. This may be formulated as a model with (N + 2) types of triplets (delay, service time, probability of joining the queue). We consider the general case where the random variables defining the model all have an arbitrary distribution. The process {wn }, where wn denotes the waiting time of customer 𝒞 n if he joins the queue at all, is not necessarily Markovian, so that we first study (by algebraic considerations) the transient behaviour of a Markovian process {vn } related to {wn }, and then derive the distribution of the variables wn.
Mathematical Works Of Jerzy Popenda

During the past twenty years, there is a renewed interest in the study of difference equations. Jerzy Popenda was one of the active Polish mathematicians who worked in this area. It is most unfortunate that he passed away in 1999. In view of his contributions, we believe that a short survey of his main mathematical works will be beneficial to our mathematics community.
MODELING ELF RADIO ATMOSPHERICS GENERATED BY ROCKET TRIGGERED LIGHTNING

of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science MODELING ELF RADIO ATMOSPHERICS GENERATED BY ROCKET TRIGGERED LIGHTNING By Bharat Simha Reddy Kunduri August 2010 Chair: Robert Moore Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering A lightning strike radiates electromagnetic energy over a wide bandwidth ranging from a few Hz to a few hundred MHz, but a major part of this energy is in the Extremely Low Frequency(ELF) range (i.e, 1-3000 Hz) and Very Low Frequency(VLF) range (i.e, 3-30 KHz). This energy whose spectrum spans from a few Hz to tens of KHz propagates in the form of impulsive signals which get reflected by the Earth (at the lower boundary) and the ionosphere (at the upper boundary) and thereby propagate in a guided fashion in the waveguide formed by the Earth and the ionosphere referred to as the Earth-Ionosphere waveguide. Due to their very low attenuation rate these sferics have the capacity to travel very long distances from their source lightning (in the order of thousands of kilometers) and thus can be observed very far away from their point of origin using appropriate VLF and ELF receivers. The aim of this thesis is to model the ELF sferic waveforms up to a frequency of 500 Hz that could be observed at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, generated by rocket triggered lightning at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) at Camp Blanding, Florida. Rocket triggered lightning makes it possible to obtain accurate measurements of various parameters of lightning such as current and total charge transfer, which is not possible with natural lightning due to the unpredictable nature of its occurrence.
Biomass, yield and competitiveness of maize and bean crops in an association system

Polycultures are of great importance in conventional agriculture in the tropical zone, where they are a sustainable source of food production. In this study, the biomass distribution, crop yield and competition were determined in the maize and bean association. The total dry biomass accumulation of maize plants of the monoculture Simijaca SM(o) was higher than that of beans of monocultures cultivars Iraca IB(o) and Hunza HB(o). In monoculture, cultivar Iraca obtained the highest bean yields reaching 2744.0 kg ha -1 in the municipality of Gama, whereas cultivar Simijaca had the highest yields with a value of 7766.7 kg ha -1 . In the association, the best environment was the municipality of Simijaca for the SMxIB treatment, which showed a total yield of 9767.5 kg ha -1 . The total land equivalent ratio (LERt) was higher than 3.65, showing the advantage of this association. Additionally, the competitive ratio (CR) of the crops showed the high competition effect between maize and the two bean cultivars. The study generated new knowledge about the genetic resources of maize and climbing beans grown at the same time and in the same place, in the search for sustainable and resilient production.
Effects of Law Enforcement Load Carriage Systems on Muscle Activity and Coordination during Walking: An Exploratory Study

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) commonly wear a duty belt (DB) or tactical vest (TV) and from prior findings, these forms of load carriage (LC) likely alter muscular activity. However, studies on the effects of LEO LC on muscular activity and coordination are limited in the current literature. The present study examined the effects of LEO load carriage on muscular activity and coordination. Twenty-four volunteers participated in the study (male = 13, age = 24.5 ± 6.0 years). Surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors were placed on the vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, multifidus, and lower rectus abdominus. Participants completed treadmill walking for two load carriage conditions (duty belt and tactical vest) and a control condition. Mean activity, sample entropy and Pearson correlation coefficients were computed for each muscle pair during the trials. The duty belt and tactical vest resulted in an increase in muscle activity in several muscles; however, no differences between the duty belt and tactical vest were found. Consistently across the conditions, the largest correlations were observed between the left and right multifidus (r = 0.33–0.68) and rectus abdominus muscles (0.34–0.55). There were statistically small effects (p < 0.05, η2 = 0.031 to 0.076) of the LC on intermuscular coordination. No effect (p > 0.05) of the LC on sample entropy was found for any muscle. The findings indicate that LEO LC causes small differences in muscular activity and coordination during walking. Future research should incorporate heavier loads and longer durations.
MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE SURGICAL CORRIDOR IN THE PRE-PSOAS APPROACH: AN MRI STUDY IN THE BRAZILIAN POPULATION

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aims to perform a morphometric analysis and explore the characteristics of the surgical corridor of the anterior to psoas approach in the Brazilian population through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Two hundred spinal MRI scans of patients aged between 18 and 80 years were evaluated using axial cuts at L2-L5 levels and a sagittal cut, T2 weighted. The relationship between the left psoas muscle and the abdominal aorta or the left common iliac artery was analyzed. The anterior to psoas corridor was defined as the shortest distance between the posterolateral aspect of the aorta or inferior vena cava or the nearest iliac vessel and the anteromedial aspect of the ipsilateral psoas muscle. Results: 104 females and 96 males with a mean age of 49,68±2.04 (range 18–80) years. The mean anterior to psoas distance at the L2-L3 level was 14,17±0.75mm; at the L3-L4 level was 12,08±0.77m,m and at the L4-L5 level was 9,12±0.77mm. The surgical corridors at all levels were larger in the older population. Conclusion: In most Brazilian patients, the anterior to psoas approach can be a good alternative for lumbar intervertebral fusions. As a routine in preoperative examination and surgical planning, lumbar MRI is fundamental in preoperative evaluation for anterior to psoas approach surgery. Level of Evidence IV; Descriptive study.
Longitudinal Gait Analysis of a Transfemoral Amputee Patient: Single-Case Report from Socket-Type to Osseointegrated Prosthesis

The aim of the present case report was to provide a longitudinal functional assessment of a patient with transfemoral amputation from the preoperative status with socket-type prosthesis to one year after the osseointegration surgery. A 44 years-old male patient was scheduled for osseointegration surgery 17 years after transfemoral amputation. Gait analysis was performed through 15 wearable inertial sensors (MTw Awinda, Xsens) before surgery (patient wearing his standard socket-type prosthesis) and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups after osseointegration. ANOVA in Statistical Parametric Mapping was used to assess the changes in amputee and sound limb hip and pelvis kinematics. The gait symmetry index progressively improved from the pre-op with socket-type (1.14) to the last follow-up (1.04). Step width after osseointegration surgery was half of the pre-op. Hip flexion-extension range significantly improved at follow-ups while frontal and transverse plane rotations decreased (p < 0.001). Pelvis anteversion, obliquity, and rotation also decreased over time (p < 0.001). Spatiotemporal and gait kinematics improved after osseointegration surgery. One year after surgery, symmetry indices were close to non-pathological gait and gait compensation was sensibly decreased. From a functional point of view, osseointegration surgery could be a valid solution in patients with transfemoral amputation facing issues with traditional socket-type prosthesis.
A Small and Agile Ring-Shaped Tripodal Piezoelectric Robot Driven by Standing and Traveling Mechanical Waves

For miniature piezoelectric robots, it is difficult to realize multi-degree-of-freedom motion with a simple structure. In this article, a novel ring-shaped tripodal piezoelectric robot (RTPR) is proposed to solve the above difficulty. Multiple motion modes, based on the propagation of mechanical waves on the rigid ring-shaped structure, are designed to realize continuous/step linear and in-situ rotational motions. The prototype is fabricated with a weight of 2.2 g and a size of 20 mm × 20 mm × 4.6 mm, and the performance is tested. The test results show that RTPR can achieve a maximum linear speed of 39.3 mm/s (2 BL/s) and a maximum in-situ rotational speed of 16.5 rad/s. In addition, RTPR also shows strong load capacity (22 times of its weight) and submicrometer linear resolution (0.38 μm). In the experiment, RTPR also shows the capability of moving on narrow and curved roads with its multiple motion modes. RTPR has the characteristics of simple structure, agile motion, strong load capacity, and high resolution, which provides a new idea for achieving the multi-degree-of-freedom motion of miniature robots.