Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of tomosynthesis plus digital mammography and digital mammography alone for breast cancer screening.

PURPOSE To compare screening recall rates and cancer detection rates of tomosynthesis plus conventional digital mammography to those of conventional digital mammography alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients presenting for screening mammography between October 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012, at four clinical sites were reviewed in this HIPAA-compliant retrospective study, for which the institutional review board granted approval and waived the requirement for informed consent. Patients at sites with digital tomosynthesis were offered screening with digital mammography plus tomosynthesis. Patients at sites without tomosynthesis underwent conventional digital mammography. Recall rates were calculated and stratified according to breast density and patient age. Cancer detection rates were calculated and stratified according to the presence of a risk factor for breast cancer. The Fisher exact test was used to compare the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the effect of screening method, breast density, patient age, and cancer risk on the odds of recall from screening. RESULTS A total of 13 158 patients presented for screening mammography; 6100 received tomosynthesis. The overall recall rate was 8.4% for patients in the tomosynthesis group and 12.0% for those in the conventional mammography group (P < .01). The addition of tomosynthesis reduced recall rates for all breast density and patient age groups, with significant differences (P < .05) found for scattered fibroglandular, heterogeneously dense, and extremely dense breasts and for patients younger than 40 years, those aged 40-49 years, those aged 50-59 years, and those aged 60-69 years. These findings persisted when multivariate logistic regression was used to control for differences in age, breast density, and elevated risk of breast cancer. The cancer detection rate was 5.7 per 1000 in patients receiving tomosynthesis versus 5.2 per 1000 in patients receiving conventional mammography alone (P = .70). CONCLUSION Patients undergoing tomosynthesis plus digital mammography had significantly lower screening recall rates. The greatest reductions were for those younger than 50 years and those with dense breasts. A nonsignificant 9.5% increase in cancer detection was observed in the tomosynthesis group.
Selective efficacy of depsipeptide in a xenograft model of Epstein-Barr virus-positive lymphoproliferative disorder.

BACKGROUND Immune-compromised individuals are at increased risk for developing aggressive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative disorders after primary EBV infection or for reactivation of a preexisting latent EBV infection. We evaluated the effect of depsipeptide, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) and Burkitt lymphoma cell lines in a mouse model and explored its mechanism of action in vitro. METHODS We studied EBV-transformed LCLs, which express a latent III (Lat-III) viral gene profile, as do some EBV-positive lymphoproliferative malignancies, and Burkitt lymphoma cell lines, which express a Lat-I viral gene profile. Cell lines were used to characterize depsipeptide-induced apoptosis, which was evaluated by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry, western blot analyses, and histone deacetylase inhibitors were used to investigate components of prodeath and survival pathways in vitro. We studied depsipeptide's effects on survival with a mouse xenograft model of EBV-positive human B-cell tumors (groups of 10 mice). All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Depsipeptide (5 mg/m2 of body surface area) treatment was associated with statistically significantly improved survival of mice carrying Lat-III EBV-positive LCL tumors, compared with that of control-treated mice (day 30: for depsipeptide-treated mice, 90% survival, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 73.2% to 100%; for control-treated mice, 20% survival, 95% CI = 5.79% to 69.1%; P<.001), but it was not associated with survival of mice carrying Lat-I EBV-positive Burkitt lymphoma tumors. Depsipeptide induced apoptosis in 64% of LCLs and in 14% of EBV-positive Burkitt lymphoma cells in vitro. Depsipeptide-treated LCL cultures had two distinct cell populations--one sensitive and one resistant to depsipeptide. Depsipeptide-mediated apoptosis was associated with a 12-fold increased level of active caspase 3, but some apoptosis persisted despite z-VAD-fmk treatment to inhibit caspase activity. Depsipeptide-resistant LCLs expressed higher levels of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1; P = .017), BCL2 (P = .032), and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) (P<.001) than depsipeptide-sensitive LCLs; this resistance was circumvented by treatment with PS-1145, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB activation (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Apoptosis is induced by depsipeptide via caspase-dependent and -independent pathways in Lat-III EBV-positive LCLs and is enhanced by inhibiting NF-kappaB activity. Depsipeptide as a treatment for Lat-III EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders should be explored further in clinical trials.
War Financing and the Transition from Absolutism to Rule by Parliament

During a war, the Commercial Elites are able to withhold resources from the King. If a defensive war is lost the King is replace by an alternate. The threat of losing such a war may lead the King to hand over power to the Commercial Elites in exchange of financial support to defend the country. The King may be forced to do so because he can not commit to following the policies preferred by the Elite in the future. The threat of replacement is credible if either the alternate King is aligned with the Commercial Elite interests or if the alternate King is better at winning wars. We argue that the transition that occurred during the Glorious Revolution is consistent with our model. We also argue that our model helps to explain why transitions to rule by Parliament took place first in England and Holland and only later in France and Spain.
Caenorhabditis elegans SDF-9 Enhances Insulin/Insulin-Like Signaling Through Interaction With DAF-2

SDF-9 is a modulator of Caenorhabditis elegans insulin/IGF-1 signaling that may interact directly with the DAF-2 receptor. SDF-9 is a tyrosine phosphatase-like protein that, when mutated, enhances many partial loss-of-function mutants in the dauer pathway except for the temperature-sensitive mutant daf-2(m41). We propose that SDF-9 stabilizes the active phosphorylated state of DAF-2 or acts as an adaptor protein to enhance insulin-like signaling.
Poly[(μ5-5-carboxylatotetrahydrofuran-2,3,4-tricarboxylic acid)sodium]

The search for the novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials using tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid (THFTCA) as a versatile multi-carboxyl ligand, lead to the synthesis and the structure determination of the title compound, [Na(H3THFTCA)] or [Na(C8H7O9)]n, which was obtained by a solution reaction at room temperature. The ligand is mono-deprotonated, coordinating five sodium ions through one furan oxygen atom and six carboxyl oxygen atoms. The sodium ion exhibits a distorted pentagonal-bipyramidal NaO7 geometry consisting of seven O atoms derived from five surrounding ligands. Two adjacent pentagonal bipyramids share an O—O edge, forming a dinuclear sodium cluster. Finally, these clusters are effectively linked by the carboxyl groups of THFTCA ligands, forming a firm metal organic framework and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds contribute to the crystal packing.
A Numerical Method for the Navier Stokes Equations in a Velocity-Vorticity Form

In physics, the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) describe Newtonian fluid flows. Instead of focusing on the standard NSE with velocity and pressure as primary variables, we are interested in the Navier Stokes equations in a velocity-vorticity form (NSE-VV). In NSE-VV, vorticity is included in the system as an independent variable so that it can be computed directly. The main contribution of this thesis is proposing a numerical method for solving NSE-VV, which includes an efficient solver, an adaptive mesh refinement strategy and error analysis. A nested solver plays a fundamental role in the numerical method of NSE-VV. Similar to how it is typically done for the NSE, we use Newton’s iteration as the non-linear solver by which a linear PDE system of Newton update can be generated. The finite element method is applied on the system of Newton update and a linear system can be derived from the finite element discretization. Different from the standard NSE, the coupled linear system of NSE-VV is characterized by a 3× 3 block system matrix. In order to remove the dependence of the spectral distribution on the mesh size, we design an augmented Lagrangian type preconditioner with respect to the special block structure. As a result of the preconditioning method, the number of iterations on solving the preconditioned linear system does not depend on the number of degrees of freedom which increases with mesh refinement. In addition, an operational strategy is proposed aiming to improve computing efficiency. Global mesh refinement is widely used to check convergence, however, it is neither necessary nor practical if a flow contains singularities, or the mesh contains a large number of degrees of freedom in realistic problems. In practice, we would like to obtain accurate results with as cheap computation as possible. Adaptive mesh refinement aims to refine the critical region where the local error is large, instead of the whole domain, such that to reduce the number of cells. A posteriori error estimator is developed based on the residual of the whole system of NSE-VV and only depends on the discrete solution and the problem data and mesh information. As a result, an adaptive mesh refinement strategy is designed based on the posteriori error estimator. A proof of well-posedness of the finite element discretization is derived as the theoretical support
Does "misinformation" matter? Exploring the roles of technical and conceptual inaccuracies in a deliberative public engagement on biobanks

Science is increasingly affecting populations across the globe, and individuals and communities are growing more and more aware of the possible benefits and harms created by new technologies and changes in related policies. Prompted by inadequacies in representation, legitimacy, and trust, there is a need to increase public involvement in decisions regarding the development and implementation of science and technology. Due to claims that the public lacks the necessary knowledge to participate in these democratic processes, this thesis explores whether or not the presence of misinformation during deliberation undermines the usefulness of engaging publics for policy advice. The BC Biobank Deliberation brought together twenty-one individuals from across the province to explore the values and interests that ought to guide the governance of biobanks (repositories of annotated human biological materials often used as resources for research), and to test and evaluate a model for involving diverse publics in policy-making. As information related to biobanks is challenging to capture and disseminate, technical inaccuracies – those resulting from factual scientific or social information related to biobanking – and conceptual inaccuracies – those resulting from information considered to be outside the scope of biobanking, such as linking activities which are not facilitated by the existence of biobanks, to biobanks (e.g. cloning) – arose during deliberations. The analysis of this misinformation in the BC Biobank Deliberation seems to indicate that technical and conceptual inaccuracies play four main roles in deliberation: 1) no effect; 2) stall; 3) distraction; and 4) development. In general, when an overview of the scientific and social information related to the topic is provided during an engagement activity, participants who had little or no knowledge of the subject prior to being informed were able to deliberate on a variety of issues related to biobank governance. Findings indicate that in certain instances misinformation may help to develop deliberation, moving participants towards decision points related to biobank governance. This helps to show that scientific knowledge is not necessarily a prerequisite to participating in decision-making processes.
T2 relaxation times of 13C metabolites in a rat hepatocellular carcinoma model measured in vivo using 13C‐MRS of hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate

A single‐voxel Carr‐Purcell‐Meibloom‐Gill sequence was developed to measure localized T2 relaxation times of 13C‐labeled metabolites in vivo for the first time. Following hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate injections, pyruvate and its metabolic products, alanine and lactate, were observed in the liver of five rats with hepatocellular carcinoma and five healthy control rats. The T2 relaxation times of alanine and lactate were both significantly longer in HCC tumors than in normal livers (p < 0.002). The HCC tumors also showed significantly higher alanine signal relative to the total 13C signal than normal livers (p < 0.006). The intra‐ and inter‐subject variations of the alanine T2 relaxation time were 11% and 13%, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐subject variations of the lactate T2 relaxation time were 6% and 7%, respectively. The intra‐subject variability of alanine to total carbon ratio was 16% and the inter‐subject variability 28%. The intra‐subject variability of lactate to total carbon ratio was 14% and the inter‐subject variability 20%. The study results show that the signal level and relaxivity of [1‐13C]alanine may be promising biomarkers for HCC tumors. Its diagnostic values in HCC staging and treatment monitoring are yet to be explored. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Solution Space Optimization for RSA Attack

The RSA security cryptosystem is very popular and is used by many internet protocols including SSH, SSL and TLS. The security of the RSA cryptosystem is highly dependent on the factorization speed of the modulus n into its composite primary numbers p and q. In this paper, an algorithm is presented to improve the factorization speed. The algorithm is based on reducing the size of the solution space for both p and q by analyzing the most two significant digits of n and dividing the solution space into multiple spaces. The repeating frequency of the most significant digit for p and q is then calculated. A statistically optimized search is then conducted to find the values of p and q. To test the algorithm, several simulation scenarios are explored. The proposed algorithm is compared with brute force attack. Results show that there is significant reduction in the primary numbers tested before solution is found. Based on the results, it is recommended that this algorithm be used when the brute force is the optimum choice, due to its simplicity.
Formation of Soluble Oligomers and Amyloid Fibrils with Physical Properties of the Scrapie Isoform of the Prion Protein from the C-terminal Domain of Recombinant Murine Prion Protein mPrP-(121–231)*

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein, PrPC, into a misfolded, protease-resistant form, PrPSc. Here we show, for the first time, the oligomerization and fibrillization of the C-terminal domain of murine PrP, mPrP-(121–231), which lacks the entire unstructured N-terminal domain of the protein. In particular, the construct we used lacks amino acid residues 106–120 from the so-called amyloidogenic core of PrP (residues 106–126). Amyloid formation was accompanied by acquisition of resistance to proteinase K digestion. Aggregation of mPrP-(121–231) was investigated using a combination of biophysical and biochemical techniques at pH 4.0, 5.5, and 7.0 and at 37 and 65 °C. Under partially denaturing conditions (65 °C), aggregates of different morphologies ranging from soluble oligomers to mature amyloid fibrils of mPrP-(121–231) were formed. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that roughly spherical aggregates were readily formed when the protein was incubated at pH 5.5 and 65 °C for 1 h, whereas prolonged incubation led to the formation of mature amyloid fibrils. Samples incubated at 65 °C at pH 4.0 or 7.0 presented an initial mixture of oligomers and protofibrils or fibrils. Electrophoretic analysis of samples incubated at 65 °C revealed formation of sodium dodecyl sulfate-resistant oligomers (dimers, trimers, and tetramers) and higher molecular weight aggregates of mPrP-(121–231). These results demonstrate that formation of an amyloid form with physical properties of PrPSc can be achieved in the absence of the flexible N-terminal domain and, in particular, of residues 106–120 of PrP and does not require other cellular factors or a PrPSc template.
Human Lung Mononuclear Phagocytes in Health and Disease

The lungs are vulnerable to attack by respiratory insults such as toxins, allergens, and pathogens, given their continuous exposure to the air we breathe. Our immune system has evolved to provide protection against an array of potential threats without causing collateral damage to the lung tissue. In order to swiftly detect invading pathogens, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs)—together termed mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs)—line the respiratory tract with the key task of surveying the lung microenvironment in order to discriminate between harmless and harmful antigens and initiate immune responses when necessary. Each cell type excels at specific tasks: monocytes produce large amounts of cytokines, macrophages are highly phagocytic, whereas DCs excel at activating naïve T cells. Extensive studies in murine models have established a division of labor between the different populations of MNPs at steady state and during infection or inflammation. However, a translation of important findings in mice is only beginning to be explored in humans, given the challenge of working with rare cells in inaccessible human tissues. Important progress has been made in recent years on the phenotype and function of human lung MNPs. In addition to a substantial population of alveolar macrophages, three subsets of DCs have been identified in the human airways at steady state. More recently, monocyte-derived cells have also been described in healthy human lungs. Depending on the source of samples, such as lung tissue resections or bronchoalveolar lavage, the specific subsets of MNPs recovered may differ. This review provides an update on existing studies investigating human respiratory MNP populations during health and disease. Often, inflammatory MNPs are found to accumulate in the lungs of patients with pulmonary conditions. In respiratory infections or inflammatory diseases, this may contribute to disease severity, but in cancer patients this may improve clinical outcomes. By expanding on this knowledge, specific lung MNPs may be targeted or modulated in order to attain favorable responses that can improve preventive or treatment strategies against respiratory infections, lung cancer, or lung inflammatory diseases.
Input Current Ripple Cancellation Technique for Boost Converter Using Tapped Inductor

This paper presents a boost converter with a proposed tapped inductor ripple cancellation network. Based on the conventional boost converter (CBC), a small capacitor and a small inductor are added as the ripple cancellation network (RCN) in the proposed converter. Meanwhile, the tapped inductor can be easily realized by adding an extra tap in the main inductor of the CBC. Since the capacitor and inductor in the RCN do not need to handle the main power as the conventional LC input filter, the size and weight of the proposed converter are relatively small comparing the CBC with the LC input filter. The small signal and dynamic characteristics analyses show that the proposed converter has the same static and dynamic responses as the CBC, and the input current ripple cancellation can be achieved in all power ranges without significantly increasing the losses. Finally, three 36-50-V, 500-W prototypes operating at 100 kHz are implemented to verify the expected performance. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed converters can achieve input current ripple cancellation with efficiency higher than 97.4% in all power ranges.
Exploration and verification of factors in the Front-end stage of the ERP Implementation Process: Evidence from case study and survey research

ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) is widely used to improve business performance. This paper explores how the factors associated with the Front-end ERP Implementation Process (FEIP) affect the implementation outcome. First, based on literature review, a preliminary framework with 12 hypotheses is developed. Then Grounded Theory is applied for a case study to further extract and verify the factors and sub-factors. These factors are finally identified as strategic planning, corporate culture, user characteristics, organization-process-system maturity, external expertise engagement/support, and project preparation. Furthermore, the significance and correlation of all the factors are detected by conducting survey research with SPSS as a tool for analysis. The study shows that the framework is valid, and that among six, three factors have strong impact on the ERP implementation result, whereas others are less influential. Implication is given and limitation is indicated at the end.
Initial PET performance evaluation of a preclinical insert for PET/MRI with digital SiPM technology

Hyperion-IID is a positron emission tomography (PET) insert which allows simultaneous operation in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. To read out the scintillation light of the employed lutetium yttrium orthosilicate crystal arrays with a pitch of 1 mm and 12 mm in height, digital silicon photomultipliers (DPC 3200-22, Philips Digital Photon Counting) (DPC) are used. The basic PET performance in terms of energy resolution, coincidence resolution time (CRT) and sensitivity as a function of the operating parameters, such as the operating temperature, the applied overvoltage, activity and configuration parameters of the DPCs, has been evaluated at system level. The measured energy resolution did not show a large dependency on the selected parameters and is in the range of 12.4%–12.9% for low activity, degrading to ∼13.6% at an activity of ∼100 MBq. The CRT strongly depends on the selected trigger scheme (trig) of the DPCs, and we measured approximately 260 ps, 440 ps, 550 ps and 1300 ps for trig 1–4, respectively. The trues sensitivity for a NEMA NU 4 mouse-sized scatter phantom with a 70 mm long tube of activity was dependent on the operating parameters and was determined to be 0.4%–1.4% at low activity. The random fraction stayed below 5% at activity up to 100 MBq and the scatter fraction was evaluated as ∼6% for an energy window of 411 keV–561 keV and ∼16% for 250 keV–625 keV. Furthermore, we performed imaging experiments using a mouse-sized hot-rod phantom and a large rabbit-sized phantom. In 2D slices of the reconstructed mouse-sized hot-rod phantom (∅ = 28 mm), the rods were distinguishable from each other down to a rod size of 0.8 mm. There was no benefit from the better CRT of trig 1 over trig 3, where in the larger rabbit-sized phantom (∅ = 114 mm) we were able to show a clear improvement in image quality using the time-of-flight information. The findings will allow system architects—aiming at a similar detector design using DPCs—to make predictions about the design requirements and the performance that can be expected.