Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lymph Node/Tumor SUVmax Ratio Can Predict Metastasis to Mediastinal Lymph Nodes in Lung Cancer Patients.

To the Editor: We were interested to read the article by Evison et al. published in the January 2015 issue of Journal of Thoracic Oncology. We appreciated the idea of proposing a risk stratification model for negative lymph nodes by endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in lung cancer patients. The proposed model increased the negative predictive value of EBUSTBNA from 91% to approximately 99%. We believe that this model can help to discriminate patients that may directly proceed to curative treatment after a negative EBUS-TBNA. On the basis of this model, an EBUS-TBNA negative lymph node needs no further evaluation if the lymph node maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is lower than 4, the SUVmax ratio between lymph node and primary tumor (LN/T SUVmax) is lower than 0.4, and the lymph node has homogeneous echogenecity during ultrasonographic assessment. In the absence of distant metastasis, proper staging of mediastinum is of great importance for identification of patients who are candidates for radical curative therapies. Although positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can never replace pathological staging, it is regarded as the most accurate imaging modality for nodal staging. However, there are a significant number of false positivity (underlying inflammatory processes, such as immune reaction because of presence of tumor, obstructive Reply to: “Lymph Node/Tumor SUVmax Ratio Can Predict Metastasis to Mediastinal Lymph Nodes in Lung Cancer Patients”
Color to Grayscale Conversion with Chrominance Contrast

Color information is usually discarded when converting a color image into a grayscale image. However, it is sometimes desirable to reflect chrominance change where luminance contrast is not obvious. Inspired by tone mapping technique, this paper proposes a similar method for color to grayscale conversion, which in addition takes into account the local chrominance changes. The result shows great improvement in efficiency over recently proposed global optimization techniques.
Golgi Duplication in Trypanosoma brucei Requires Centrin2

Centrins are highly conserved components of the centrosome, which in the parasitic protozoan T. brucei comprises the basal body and nucleates the flagellum used for locomotion. Here, we found TbCentrin2 in an additional bi-lobed structure near to the Golgi apparatus. One lobe was associated with the old Golgi, and the other became associated with the newly forming Golgi as the cell grew. Depletion of TbCentrin1 inhibited duplication of the basal body, whereas depletion of TbCentrin2 also inhibited duplication of the Golgi. Thus, a Centrin2-containing structure distinct from the basal body appears to mark the site for new Golgi assembly.
Cyclical etidronate increases bone density in the spine and hip of postmenopausal women receiving long term corticosteroid treatment. A double blind, randomised placebo controlled study

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of cyclic etidronate in secondary prevention of corticosteroid induced osteoporosis. METHODS A double blind, randomised placebo controlled study comparing cyclic etidronate and placebo during two years in 37 postmenopausal women receiving long term corticosteroid treatment, mainly for polymyalgia rheumatica (40% of the patients) and rheumatoid arthritis (30%). Bone density was measured in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral trochanter. RESULTS After two years of treatment there was a significant difference between the groups in mean per cent change from baseline in bone density in the spine in favour of etidronate (p=0.003). The estimated treatment difference (mean (SD)) was 9.3 (2.1)%. Etidronate increased bone density in the spine (4.9 (2.1)%, p<0.05) whereas the placebo group lost bone (−2.4 (1.6)%). At the femoral neck there was an estimated difference of 5.3 (2.6)% between the groups (etidronate: 3.6 (1.4)%, p<0.05, placebo: −2.4 (2.1)%). The estimated difference at the trochanter was 8.2 (3.0) (etidronate: 9.0 (1.5)%, p<0.0001, placebo: 0.5 (2.3)%). No significant bone loss occurred in the hip in placebo treated patients. CONCLUSIONS Cyclic etidronate is an effective treatment for postmenopausal women receiving corticosteroid treatment and is well tolerated.
Experimental abortion and the systemic immune response to "Haemophilus somnus" in cattle

"Haemophilus somnus" has been identified in the etiology of bovine abortion on the basis of the isolation of the organism from aborted fetal and placental tissues. To investigate the role of hematogenous dissemination of "H. somnus" in the pathogenesis of abortion and to monitor the humoral immune response to infection, 19 pregnant cows (gestation ages, 1.4 to 7 months) were challenged intravenously (11 cows) or intrabronchially (8 cows). Five cows challenged intravenously aborted, and one cow challenged intrabronchially resorbed her fetus. "H. somnus" was isolated in large numbers from aborted tissues, and placental lesions were similar to those reported in a field case of "H. somnus" abortion. Antibody titers in serum were measured by the microagglutination test (MAT) and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A response to challenge was measured by MAT; it was also measured by ELISA within the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), IgG2, and IgM isotypes. On comparison of pre- and postchallenge antibody titers, the greatest and most persistent response was detected within the IgG2 isotype. Prechallenge antibody titers (measured by MAT and by IgG2 ELISA) were lower in animals that aborted than in normal calving animals, indicating that IgG2 antibody may have a role in limiting hematogenous dissemination of "H. somnus. "
Chronic daily headache in adolescents

Objectives: To examine the prevalence, impact, and related medication use or overuse of primary chronic daily headache (CDH) among adolescents in a field sample. Methods: The authors conducted a two-phase CDH survey of all students from ages 12 to 14 years in five selected middle schools in Taiwan. Subjects with CDH in the past year were identified and interviewed by neurologists. CDH was defined as headache occurring at a frequency of 15 days/month or more, average of 2 hours/day or more, for more than 3 months, and its subtypes were classified on the basis of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition. Results: Of the 7,900 participants, 122 (1.5%) fulfilled the criteria for primary CDH in the past year. Girls had a higher prevalence (2.4%) than boys (0.8%) (p < 0.001). Of the CDH subjects, 88 (72%) could be classified into either chronic tension-type headache (65.6%) or chronic migraine (6.6%). None of them fulfilled the criteria of new daily-persistent headache or hemicrania continua. Twenty-four subjects (20%) overused medications. Eighty-two (67%) of all CDH subjects had migraine or probable migraine. In the past semester, most CDH subjects (65%) did not take any sick leave for headaches. Only 6 subjects consulted neurologists in the past year, and only 1 subject took headache prophylactic agents. Conclusions: Chronic daily headache (CDH) was common in a large nonreferred adolescent sample. Based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition, criteria, chronic tension-type headache was the most common subtype; however, a majority of adolescents with CDH had headaches with features of migraine.
Effects of influenza antivirals on individual and population immunity over many epidemic waves

SUMMARY Antivirals are an important defence against novel strains of influenza. However, the impact of widespread drug usage on strain circulation across multiple epidemic waves – via their impact on host immunity – is unknown despite antivirals having the likelihood of extensive use during a pandemic. To explore how drug usage by individuals affects population strain dynamics, we embedded a two-strain model of within-host dynamics within an epidemic model. We found that when 40% of hosts took drugs early during the infectious period, transmission was reduced by 30% and average levels of immunity by 2·9-fold (comparable to antibody concentrations), relative to 14% and 1·5-fold reductions when drugs were taken late. The novel strain was more successful relative to the resident strain when drugs were not taken, and an intermediate level of drug coverage minimized incidence in subsequent waves. We discuss how drug regimens, coverage and R0 could impact pandemic preparedness.
Instantaneous apparent power-based anti-islanding for distributed co-generation systems

In this paper, the performance of a passive anti-islanding method is experimentally tested for three phase (3φ) co-generation systems. The tested method is based on determining the wavelet packet transform (WPT) high frequency sub-bands present in the d - q-axis components of instantaneous 3φ apparent powers (sd and sq), when evaluated at the point of common coupling (PCC). This passive anti-islanding method is founded based on the nature of instantaneous 3φ apparent powers that have components continuously exchanged between both sides of PCC. An islanding condition can be considered as a transient disturbance that creates non-periodic and non-stationary high frequency components in sd and sq. These frequency components can be parametrized by WPT high frequency sub-bands, which can provide accurate detection of the islanding condition. The d-q WPT-based anti-islanding method is tested for a 3φ co-generation system under various loading and power delivery conditions. Performance results reveal accurate, fast, and reliable detection and response to the islanding condition.
Effect of stage 1 sleep on auditory cortex during pure tone stimulation: evaluation by functional magnetic resonance imaging with simultaneous EEG monitoring.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Responses of the auditory cortex to sound during sleep have been explored with somewhat discrepant results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stage 1 sleep on signal intensity changes in the auditory cortex in response to pure tone stimulus measured by functional MR imaging. METHODS Six sleep-deprived subjects were exposed to a series of echo-planar images for 30-40 minutes. No medication was used to help the subjects go to sleep. A long repetition time of 12 seconds and a 1.9-second clustered multisection acquisition were used to minimize the effect of imager acoustic noise from the preceding acquisition and to make it possible to obtain electroencephalographs between image acquisitions. A pure tone stimulus (beep, 1,000-Hz sine waves, 30-millisecond duration, five beeps per second) was alternated with the baseline every 36 seconds. RESULTS All subjects fell asleep. The effect of habituation evaluated by comparing the percentage of signal intensity change between the first and second half was not significant. The percentage of signal intensity changes in the right and left transverse temporal gyri were 0.49% and 0.43% during wakefulness and 0.05% and 0.07% during stage 1 sleep. The differences between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep were significant. CONCLUSION Transition to stage 1 sleep coincides with a decrease in functional MR imaging-determined signal intensity changes in the auditory cortex in response to pure tone stimulus. The limited response of the brain at this stage may protect the brain from sound and facilitate deepening of the sleep stage.
Fault&#8211; Tolerant PM Motors in Automotive Applications

This paper deals with the design of permanent magnet motors with intrinsic fault-tolerant capability. Redundant solutions and innovative motor figures are presented. Considerations on motor operations in presence of fault are also reported. Three-phase short-circuit maximum short-circuit currents and braking torque are investigated. Finally, hints to be used in the design of the motor are given
A survey of the incidence of Salmonella species and Enterobacteriaceae in poultry feeds and feed components

Between July 1990 and April 1991 the rate of contamination with Salmonella species of poultry feeds and feed components used by the Dutch feed industry was surveyed. Ten per cent of 360, 10 g samples of poultry feeds were found to be contaminated. Mash feeds, mostly used for layer-breeders, were far more frequently (21 per cent) contaminated than pelleted feeds (1.4 per cent). The rate of contamination of 130 samples of fish meal was 31 per cent, of 83 samples of meat and bone meal 4 per cent, 58 samples of tapioca 2 per cent and of 15 samples of maize grits 27 per cent. Twenty-eight serotypes of salmonellae were isolated, but no Salmonella enteritidis was found, despite the occurrence of an epidemic in poultry caused by this serotype since 1987. The serotypes isolated most frequently were not the same as those encountered in poultry flocks. The Enterobacteriaceae isolated from the feedstuffs were predominantly thermotrophic. They were shown to be useful markers of the rate of contamination with salmonellae and of the efficiency of decontamination of the feedstuffs by pelletisation.
Managerial Deficiencies in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka: An Empirical Evidence of SMEs in the Ratnapura District

This paper discuses the basic managerial deficiencies of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka with special reference to the SMEs in Ratnapura District. The study is mainly based on primary data gathered from 57 of SMEs, which were selected from 287 SMEs using stratified random sampling method. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire and interviewing labourors, officers of various SME supportive organizations and observing SMEs. The study was supplemented with the data collected from secondary sources as well. Data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study found that even basic management functions like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling are not properly practiced in most of the SMEs. Most SMEs do not have clear plans for future development, production process, marketing, financial activities etc. Owners (entrepreneurs) of most of SMEs act as managers handling all the responsibilities, which are not delegated to others. Therefore, most of the SMEs do not function efficiently due to the delay of decision-making process, poor organization, poor staffing, weak controlling and directing. Financial management of most of the SMEs is found to be very weak. Most SMEs do not calculate total expenses, total revenue, profit etc, for they do not keep any account systematically. Most SMEs do not provide any welfare facilities and retirement benefits like EPF and ETF to encourage labourers. Poor production planning and production process, weak practices of marketing and poor quality of the products are the other deficiencies of SMEs. Performance of many SMEs is very poor due to the deficiencies in management. Poor knowledge in management of entrepreneurs causes the managerial deficiencies. Therefore, SMEs cannot judge problems and barriers coming from internal and external industrial environment. The paper concludes that the growth of SMEs can be accelerated by developing managerial knowledge of entrepreneurs of the SMEs.
An evaluation of a new approach to the regeneration of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don, and the molecular characterization of the variation among sets of differently derived regenerants

A protocol for the induction of regeneration from leaves of Helichrysum italicum was established. Calli were found to form on the basal medium only when it was supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ) alone or in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), with a percentage ranking of at least 80%. The hormone-free medium showed the highest percentage of shoot regeneration (62%) even though no callus formed. AFLP markers were employed to verify tissue culture-induced variation in the regenerated plantlets obtained by direct shoot regeneration or the indirect shoot regeneration process (callus formation). Seven out of the eleven AFLP primer pairs yielded polymorphic patterns. The average number of fragments per primer pair was 64.1. Singletons were represented by 12 (2.7%) fragments. Student’s T-test was performed both on the average number of shared fragments and on the nucleotide diversity, and no significant statistical difference was observed between the two regeneration treatments.
MR-proANP improves prediction of mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with STEMI

Background Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is released from the atria (on cleavage of proANP) in response to elevated intra-atrial pressure and wall stretch. Clinical data on proANP are still limited, mainly due to limitations in assaying the protein, which recently have been solved. ProANP is elevated in cardiovascular disease and predicts outcome in heart failure. However, knowledge of the prognostic value in acute myocardial infarction remains limited. Methods We prospectively included 680 patients with STEMI treated with primary-PCI, from September 2006 to December 2008. Blood samples were drawn immediately before PCI. Plasma MR-proANP was measured using an automated processing assay. Endpoints were all-cause mortality (n = 137) and the combined endpoint (n = 170) of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as cardiovascular mortality and admission due to recurrent MI, ischaemic stroke or heart failure. Results During 5-year follow-up, MR-proANP was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and MACE (both p < 0.001). After adjustment for confounding risk factors (age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, smoking, previous MI, BMI, eGFR, CRP, peak-TnI, symptom-to-balloon time, multivessel disease, complex lesion, LAD-lesion and use of glycoprotein inhibitor), MR-proANP remained an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and MACE – hazard ratio: 1.68 (95% CI 1.35–2.10; p < 0.001) and 1.68 (95% CI 1.39–2.03; p < 0.001) per standard deviation increase in MR-proANP. MR-proANP significantly increased C-statistics and reclassified 26% of the patients for all-cause mortality and 34% for MACE into higher or lower risk categories, matching actual event rates more accurately. Conclusions Plasma MR-proANP independently predicts all-cause mortality and MACE in patients with STEMI.
Pilot Survey of Breast Cancer Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose To understand the current state of breast cancer management in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We conducted an anonymous online survey of breast cancer management among African Organization for Research and Treatment in Cancer (AORTIC) members by using a 42-question structured questionnaire in both English and French in 2013. Results Twenty members from 19 facilities in 14 countries responded to the survey. Twelve members (60%) belonged to a multidisciplinary breast cancer team. Radiotherapy equipment was available in seven facilities (36%), but equipment had down time at least once a week in four facilities. Available chemotherapy drugs included methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, anthracyclines, and vincristine, whereas trastuzumab, taxanes, vinorelbine, and gemcitabine were available in few facilities. Core-needle biopsy was available in 16 facilities (84%); mammogram, in 17 facilities (89%); computed tomography scan, in 15 facilities (79%); magnetic resonance imaging, in 11 facilities (58%); and bone scans, in nine facilities (47%). It took an average of 1 to 3 weeks to report histopathology. Immunohistochemistry was available locally in eight facilities (42%), outside hospitals but within the country in seven facilities (37%), and outside the country in four facilities (21%). Thirteen facilities (68%) performed axillary node dissections as part of a breast protocol. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was the most common therapy for locally advanced breast cancer in 13 facilities (68%). In three facilities (16%), receptor status did not influence the prescription of hormone treatment. Conclusion This pilot survey suggests that AORTIC members in sub-Saharan Africa continue to make gains in the provision of access to multidisciplinary breast cancer care, but the lack of adequate pathology and radiotherapy services is a barrier. Focused attention on in-country and regional training needs and improvement of health systems deliverables is urgently needed.
Large Eddy Simulation of a Gas-Turbine Model Combustor

The current design of gas-turbine (GT) systems is driven by the need for increased powerdensities, improved fuel-efficiencies, and reduced life cycle costs and environmental impact. Computational techniques have the potential for providing valuable information for the design of GT combustion systems, if adequate models are available. Over recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the development of high-fidelity combustion models and numerical techniques for turbulent reacting flows. In particular, the LES technique has been demonstrated to provide considerably improved predictions for scalar mixing processes compared to Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approaches. This improved predictive capability is attributed to the fact that in LES the energy-containing and large-scale coherent structures are fully resolved, and only effects of numerically unresolved turbulent scales require modeling. These small scales, however, are more homogeneous so that more universal closure models can be utilized. Over recent years, different LES combustion models have been developed, including level-set formulations, conditional moment closure models, thickened flamelet models, transported PDF methods, and flamelet-based combustion models. However, these models have been largely developed and validated in the context of canonical and geometrically unconfined flame-configurations, such as jetflames or simple dump-combustors. Furthermore, LES-calculations in complex burner-configuration that are relevant to realistic gas-turbine combustor and operating conditions have so far not been fully utilized. This shortcoming can be attributed to the following reasons: (i) Absence of highfidelity computational models that can accurately describe the turbulent combustion processes and coupling between turbulence, reaction chemistry, and scalar mixing; (ii) Lack of experimental data to enable comprehensive model-validation; (iii) Geometric complexity and construction of geometry-conform meshes for complex combustor geometries; (iv) Highly transient combustion regime, topologic asymmetry, and flow-field sensitivity and solution-dependence on grid-resolution and numerical accuracy; and (v) Computational complexity and necessary requirements for accurately resolving relevant spatio-temporal scales. Apart from very few exceptions, LES-calculations of gas-turbine combustors have so far been performed under drastically simplified conditions, limited or no comparison with experimental data, and by employing significant simplifications in the description of the combustion model (i.e., utilizing one-step reaction chemistry, ambient operating conditions, and restriction to gaseous fuel combustion).