Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multimodality screening of high-risk women: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE Mammography has been established as the primary imaging screening method for breast cancer; however, the sensitivity of mammography is limited, especially in women with dense breast tissue. Given the limitations of mammography, interest has developed in alternative screening techniques. This interest has led to numerous studies reporting mammographically occult breast cancers detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. In addition, digital mammography was shown to be more sensitive than film mammography in selected populations. Our goal was to prospectively compare cancer detection of digital mammography (DM), whole-breast ultrasound (WBUS), and contrast-enhanced MRI in a high-risk screening population previously screened negative by film screen mammogram (FSM). METHODS During a 2-year period, 609 asymptomatic high-risk women with nonactionable FSM examinations presented for a prospective multimodality screening consisting of DM, WBUS, and MRI. The FSM examinations were reinterpreted by study radiologists. Patients had benign or no suspicious findings on clinical examination. The cancer yield by modality was evaluated. RESULTS Twenty cancers were diagnosed in 18 patients (nine ductal carcinomas in situ and 11 invasive breast cancers). The overall cancer yield on a per-patient basis was 3.0% (18 of 609 patients). The cancer yield by modality was 1.0% for FSM (six of 597 women), 1.2% for DM (seven of 569 women), 0.53% for WBUS (three of 567 women), and 2.1% for MRI (12 of 571 women). Of the 20 cancers detected, some were only detected on one imaging modality (FSM, n = 1; DM, n = 3; WBUS, n = 1; and MRI, n = 8). CONCLUSION The addition of MRI to mammography in the high-risk group has the greatest potential to detect additional mammographically occult cancers. The incremental cancer yield of WBUS and DM is much less.
Value-at-Risk and Backtesting with the APARCH Model and the Standardized Pearson Type IV Distribution

We examine the efficiency of the Asymmetric Power ARCH (APARCH) model in the case where the residuals follow the standardized Pearson type IV distribution. The model is tested with a variety of loss functions and the efficiency is examined via application of several statistical tests and risk measures. The results indicate that the APARCH model with the standardized Pearson type IV distribution is accurate, within the general financial risk modeling perspective, providing the financial analyst with an additional skewed distribution for incorporation in the risk management tools.
An effective approach to edge classification from DCT domain

In the field of content-based visual information analysis, the detection of visual features is a significant topic. In order to process video data efficiently, visual features extraction is required. Many advanced video applications require direct manipulation of compressed video data. An effective approach that detects edges in MPEG compressed images is proposed. First, DCT coefficients of 8/spl times/8 subblocks are analyzed on their meaning in determining boundaries. Then, we consider two types of ideal linear edges cutting through a block of size 8/spl times/8. Based on these edge models, we derive an edge detection approach from ten normalized DCT coefficients, obtaining the general rules of edge classification. Finally, we test the proposed algorithm on different images, and compare our method with other edge classification approaches. Simulations show that our approach can be used to estimate the edge information of images from their DCT coefficients more effectively than those proposed previously.
Conditioning a surface-based model to wells 1 and thickness data

8 Surface-based models imitate a sequence of depositional events in time. By 9 considering sedimentation processes, these algorithms produce highly realistic 10 subsurface structures from a variety of environments. However, since depositional 11 events are forward-modeled, they cannot be directly conditioned to data. Instead, 12 conditioning requires inferring the right combinations of parameters that match data. 13 Solving such inverse problem is time-consuming and expensive because those models 14 are complex and highly parameterized. In this context, we propose an optimization 15 methodology that enables to fit data efficiently. The key idea behind this method is to 16 decrease the dimensionality of the problem. Three complementary approaches are 17 developed for this purpose. The first approach aims at identifying the leading 18 uncertainty. The second one is a sensitivity analysis on the input parameters. The 19 third one is a re-formulation of the full inverse problem. This methodology is general 20 in the sense that it can be used with any kind of data and environment of deposition. 21 In our work, the efficiency of the methodology is illustrated by using a forward model 22 reproducing lobe structures and a set of borehole data and thickness information 23 extracted from a realistic turbidite reservoir. 24 25
A low noise preamplifier for HPGe detectors with auxiliary output for over range signal spectroscopy

We present a low-noise Charge-Sensitive Preamplifier for HPGe detectors able to swiftly recover from saturation, featuring an auxiliary output signal used for high-resolution pulse-height spectroscopy of the over-range signals. Using the auxiliary output for analyzing the signals larger than ~15 MeV (mostly charged particles and heavy ions) and the principal preamplifier output for analyzing all other signals (ionizing radiations and charged particles) a wide overall spectroscopic energy range of 5keV to 180MeV is obtained. A single Pole-Zero adjustment serves both the principal preamplifier channel as well as the auxiliary output channel. The energy resolution of the auxiliary channel is better than 0.1% typically. The Equivalent Noise Charge of the preamplifier is 115 electrons r.m.s., i.e. ~0.8 keV fwhm, using a BF862 as input transistor operated at room temperature while simulating the detector with a capacitance of 22 pF.
Predictors of Poor Response to Depression Treatment in Primary Care.

OBJECTIVE Depression is pervasive and costly, and the majority of depression is treated in primary care. The objective of this study was to identify patient characteristics predictive of poor depression outcomes in primary care clinics. METHODS This observational study followed 792 patients receiving usual care for depression in 83 clinics across Minnesota for at least six months between 2008 and 2010. The primary outcome was an ordinal outcome of remission or response without remission ("response") six months after the start of treatment. The outcome was assessed via telephone administration of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Associations of patient characteristics with the primary outcome were assessed by using ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS The majority of patients were female, Caucasian, and employed, and most had some college education and good, very good, or excellent self-rated health. At baseline, 32% had mild depression, 40% moderate depression, 20% moderately severe depression, and 8% severe depression. One-third of patients had psychotherapy or psychiatric care in addition to antidepressant medications. At six months, only 47% of patients obtained depression remission or response. Patients were significantly less likely to experience remission or response if they rated their health as poor or fair or if they were unemployed and were more likely to achieve remission or response if they were younger or had mild depression. CONCLUSIONS Patients with poor or fair health or who were unemployed were less likely to respond to usual depression care and may be good candidates for limited, but potentially more effective, intensive treatment resources for depression.
Quantitation of minimal residual disease in Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukaemia patients using real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR

We used a recently developed system for real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia. The expression of the Bcr‐Abl hybrid oncogene was determined and normalized by using the PBGD housekeeping gene product as endogenous reference. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the assay was tested on cell line K562. A dilution of Bcr‐Abl‐positive cell line K562 remained positive at up to 250 fg of RNA. 10 copies of Bcr‐Abl DNA in water could still be detected. The dynamic range of the method spanned six orders of magnitude. Analysis of 10 identical assays on K562 RNA resulted in a variation of 15%. To test the feasibility of normalization of Bcr‐Abl dosage by the PBGD product, we compared the efficiencies of the RT‐PCRs in 150 patient analyses. We concluded that PBGD was a suitable and stringent quality control standard. Three patients who were treated with donor leucocyte infusions for chronic myeloid leukaemia who had relapsed after bone marrow transplantation were followed over time. The normalized Bcr‐Abl dosage was compared to the results of cytogenetics. Cytogenetic analysis was negative below a normalized Bcr‐Abl dose of about 3 × 10−2. This semi‐automated method is fast, sensitive and accurate and enables a high throughput of samples.
Reinvesting in the Lives of Youth

Justice reinvestment strategies have been proposed to allow financial resources originally allocated for imprisonment to be reinvested into community-based alternatives. According to this perspective, the government has the responsibility to fund strategies that reduce crime, and previous studies have questioned the effectiveness of prison as one solution. Furthermore, empirical support for community-based alternatives underscores the importance of delivering interventions in offenders’ natural environments. This study explores one state’s attempt to fund strategies that reduce crime and delinquency. Through the Targeted Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to the Incarceration of Minors (RECLAIM) initiative, the State of Ohio attempted to reduce the risk of recidivism by serving more youth locally, instead of in secure facilities in the six most populous counties throughout the state. Specifically, the findings suggest that the Targeted RECLAIM initiative was successful in reducing the risk of recidivism of participating youth.
Ten years later: A comparative perspective on HRM issues in foreign-affiliated firms in CEE (case of Slovakia)

Die Grundlage fur diesen Artikel bildet eine Ubersicht uber die grosten Auslandsinvestoren in der Slowakischen Republik. Der Hauptgegenstand der Studie besteht in einer Messung des Einflusses, den die verschiedenen Formen des Humankapitalmanagement der Auslandsinvestoren auf lokale Unternehmen und deren Umfeld ausubt. Es geht um eine Identifizierung der Schlusselprobleme des Humankapitalmanagement in Unternehmen mit direkter auslandischer Beteiligung in der Slowakei und um eine Beschreibung der Strategien, die Unternehmen anwenden um diese Probleme zu losen.
Video Game Training Does Not Enhance Cognitive Ability: A Comprehensive Meta-Analytic Investigation

As a result of considerable potential scientific and societal implications, the possibility of enhancing cognitive ability by training has been one of the most influential topics of cognitive psychology in the last two decades. However, substantial research into the psychology of expertise and a recent series of meta-analytic reviews have suggested that various types of cognitive training (e.g., working memory training) benefit performance only in the trained tasks. The lack of skill generalization from one domain to different ones—that is, far transfer—has been documented in various fields of research such as working memory training, music, brain training, and chess. Video game training is another activity that has been claimed by many researchers to foster a broad range of cognitive abilities such as visual processing, attention, spatial ability, and cognitive control. We tested these claims with three random-effects meta-analytic models. The first meta-analysis (k = 310) examined the correlation between video game skill and cognitive ability. The second meta-analysis (k = 315) dealt with the differences between video game players and nonplayers in cognitive ability. The third meta-analysis (k = 359) investigated the effects of video game training on participants’ cognitive ability. Small or null overall effect sizes were found in all three models. These outcomes show that overall cognitive ability and video game skill are only weakly related. Importantly, we found no evidence of a causal relationship between playing video games and enhanced cognitive ability. Video game training thus represents no exception to the general difficulty of obtaining far transfer.
Conserved molecular program regulating cranial and appendicular skeletogenesis

The majority of in vivo studies on bone and cartilage differentiation are carried out using the appendicular skeleton as a model system, with the implicit assumption that skeletal formation is equivalent throughout the body. This assumption persists, despite differences in the cellular origins of the skeletogenic precursors. To test the hypothesis that a fundamental set of genes directs skeletal cell differentiation throughout the body, we analyzed cartilage and bone of the chick limb and head during mesenchymal condensation, and when the skeletal tissues had matured. First, we analyzed the expression patterns of transcription factors in early skeletogenic condensations, which revealed similarities among skeletal cell specification in the limb and head. For example, skeletogenic condensations that undergo endochondral ossification had equivalent expression patterns of skeletogenic transcription factors in both limb and head. In the head, many elements also differentiate through intramembranous ossification, or through persistent cartilage formation. Our analyses of these skeletogenic condensations revealed that a unique expression pattern of transcription factors distinguishes among three skeletal tissue fates. The vasculature was excluded from all three skeletogenic condensations, demonstrating that this is not a characteristic unique to endochondral ossification. Second, we compared three different types of more mature cartilage and bone tissue in both the limb and the head, by analyzing a variety of skeletal collagens and signaling molecules. Histological and molecular markers of cartilage and bone generally were conserved between the limb and head skeletons, although we uncovered subtle differences in signaling pathways that might influence cranial and appendicular skeletogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 231:4–13, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Generation of Alzheimer Disease-associated Amyloid β42/43 Peptide by γ-Secretase Can Be Inhibited Directly by Modulation of Membrane Thickness*

Background: γ-Secretase-mediated intramembrane proteolysis generates Aβ42/43, pathogenic peptides implicated in causing Alzheimer disease (AD). Results: Reconstitution of γ-secretase in model membranes reveals that Aβ42/43 generation can be lowered in thick membranes. Conclusion: Membrane thickness is a crucial factor influencing the activity of γ-secretase to generate Aβ42/43. Significance: Targeting the lipid environment of γ-secretase by increasing membrane thickness may provide a therapeutic strategy for AD. Pathogenic generation of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) by sequential cleavage of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β- and γ-secretases is widely believed to causally underlie Alzheimer disease (AD). β-Secretase initially cleaves APP thereby generating a membrane-bound APP C-terminal fragment, from which γ-secretase subsequently liberates 37–43-amino acid long Aβ species. Although the latter cleavages are intramembranous and although lipid alterations have been implicated in AD, little is known of how the γ-secretase-mediated release of the various Aβ species, in particular that of the pathogenic longer variants Aβ42 and Aβ43, is affected by the lipid environment. Using a cell-free system, we have directly and systematically investigated the activity of γ-secretase reconstituted in defined model membranes of different thicknesses. We found that bilayer thickness is a critical parameter affecting both total activity as well as cleavage specificity of γ-secretase. Whereas the generation of the pathogenic Aβ42/43 species was markedly attenuated in thick membranes, that of the major and rather benign Aβ40 species was enhanced. Moreover, the increased production of Aβ42/43 by familial AD mutants of presenilin 1, the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, could be substantially lowered in thick membranes. Our data demonstrate an effective modulation of γ-secretase activity by membrane thickness, which may provide an approach to lower the generation of the pathogenic Aβ42/43 species.
Ecotoxicological effects of POPs on ariidae Ariopsis felis (Linnaeus, 1766) from three coastal ecosystems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are still used for agricultural and disease vector control, as well as for industrial purposes. In the last decades, various studies have shown that fish are sensitive to the toxicological effects of certain POPs, including a large class of endocrine- disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In the present study, the relationship between of POPs and their effects using vitellogenin gene expression as biomarker of effect in hardhead catfish Ariopsis felis (Linnaeus, 1766) from three ecosystems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula are discussed. Contaminant results showed that median concentrations of PCBs, HCHs, DDTs and Chlordanes were higher in Laguna de Terminos with respect to Celestun and Dzilam. In the same way, the vitellogenin gene expression was clearly over-expressed in fish collected from Terminos Lagoon. Principal Component Analysis showed that vitellogenin gene expression is related to the concentrations of total DDTs and PCBs, and negatively related to total Drins. Overall, this study represents the first tests exploring changes in molecular diagnostic indicators following exposure of several organic compounds in our country. Vitellogenin gene expressions associated with some endocrine disruptors detected in Terminos Lagoon were measured and we can now report clear changes in fish exposed.
[Efficacy of zoledronate in treating persisting isolated tumor cells in bone marrow in patients with breast cancer. A phase II pilot study].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Recently the highest level of evidence indicated the prognostic value of isolated tumor cells (ITC) in bone marrow of patients with breast cancer, both at primary diagnosis and during recurrence-free follow-up. The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of zoledronate in reducing persistence of ITC in the bone marrow of patients with breast cancer after they had completed primary therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a non-randomized phase II pilot study, 4 mg of zoledronate were administered once every four weeks for six months, after a initial loading dose of 8 mg, to 31 patients with persisting ITC in bone marrow. All patients had completed surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, if indicated, at least 6 months previously. The bone marrow was re-examined after 7.9 months (std 0,89). ITC were detected by immunocytochemical staining, using the monoclonal pan-cytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3 and the APAAP technique. Patients were followed-up prospectively for a median of 39 months after the first aspiration. RESULTS ITC were detected in all 31 patients at the time of first bone marrow aspiration, but 27 of them (87 %) were free of ITC 6 months after the end of zoledronate therapy. The reduction in cell numbers between first and second aspiration were statistically significance (P < 0,0001). Ten of 12 patients without detection of ITC in bone marrow after treatment and who had undergone additional aspirations, still had no ITC a median time of 19 months (range 4.7 - 38.7 months) after the end of treatment. Zoledronate treatment was well tolerated, bone pain having been the most common side effect in 45 % of patients (n = 14). CONCLUSION These results indicate a potential antineoplastic effect of zoledronate, a cell-cycle independent drug, on persisting ITC in a dormant state. Our data provide the basis for investigating the efficacy of zoledronate on ITC in treating primary breast cancer in prospectively randomized trials. ITC in bone marrow represents a useful marker in selecting patients at risk for recurrence and for monitoring therapeutic efficacy.
Isolation and Identification of Thermophilic Campylobacter Species in Faecal Samples from Swedish Dogs

To investigate the role of Swedish dogs as potential reservoirs of thermophilic Campylobacter species, faecal samples were analysed from 91 dogs in 2001. The majority of dogs (n = 84) were healthy family dogs. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 51 of the 91 dogs (56%). A significant difference in isolation rates was observed between younger and older dogs: 76% of the younger dogs (5–12 months) were positive, compared with 39% of dogs ≥ 13 months (p <0.01). Two different selective media, Preston and CAT, were used for isolation of Campylobacter species. 104 Campylobacter isolates were identified to species level using polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis techniques. Campylobacter upsaliensis predominated and was isolated from 39 dogs, C. jejuni from 10, C. coli from 2, C. helveticus from 2 and C. lari from 1 dog. Four dogs had mixed flora with 2 different Campylobacter species. These data clearly show that younger dogs in particular frequently shed thermophilic Campylobacter spp, which could be of impact for public health. To establish the zoonotic potential of canine Campylobacter isolates, both human and canine isolates have to be further characterized and compared.
Another perspective on anosognosia: Self-observation in video replay improves motor awareness

Anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP), or unawareness of motor deficits contralateral to a brain lesion, has lasting negative implications for the management and rehabilitation of patients. A recent, bedside psychophysical intervention, namely self-observation by video replay, lead to a lasting remission of severe AHP in an acute stroke patient (Fotopoulou, A., Rudd, A., Holmes, P., & Kopelman, M. (2009). Self-observation reinstates motor awareness in anosognosia for hemiplegia. Neuropsychologia, 47, 1256–1260). This procedure has been adjusted and applied here, as the basis of two intervention protocols administered independently to two patients with severe AHP. The first study used multiple, successive sessions of video-based self-observation in an acute patient, targeting first the awareness of upper limb and subsequently lower limb paralysis. The second study used a single session of video-based, self- and other-observation in a patient at the chronic stage following onset. Both protocols also involved elements of rapport building and emotional support. The results revealed that video-based self-observation had dramatic, immediate effects on awareness in both acute and chronic stages and it seemed to act as an initial trigger for eventual symptom remission. Nevertheless, these effects did not automatically generalise to all functional domains. This study provides provisional support that video-based self-observation may be included in wider rehabilitation programmes for the management and restoration of anosognosia.