Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PCR-based tissue identification: the UCLH experience

The need to accurately identify tissue of an individual can arise in a variety of settings including mislabelled slides or sample carryover. Reported rates of carryover range from 0.6% to 2.9% of slides depending on the methods of evaluation. Carryover becomes particularity clinically important when malignant tissue is found in an otherwise benign sample. The suspicion of malignancy causes immense psychological stress to the patient and results in additional management costs due to the additional investigations required to rule out malignancy. Proving a negative can be difficult and many cases result in lifelong follow-up for the patient. Molecular techniques such as PCR amplification of simple tandem repeat (STR) sequences can be used to identify tissue and hence its provenance. At University College London Hospital, STR PCR analysis has been used since 2003. Here the authors report their experience with regard to the clinical scenarios, the technique used and the outcomes.
To nearly come full circle: Nonoperative management of high-grade IV–V blunt splenic trauma is safe using a protocol with routine angioembolization

Introduction Nonoperative management (NOM) of hemodynamically stable high-grade (IV–V) blunt splenic trauma remains controversial given the high failure rates (19%) that persist despite angioembolization (AE) protocols. The NOM protocol was modified in 2011 to include mandatory AE of all grade (IV–V) injuries without contrast blush (CB) along with selective AE of grade (I–V) with CB. The purpose of this study was to determine if this new AE (NAE) protocol significantly lowered the failure rates for grade (IV–V) injuries allowing for safe observation without surgery and if the exclusion of grade III injuries allowed for the prevention of unnecessary angiograms without affecting the overall failure rates. Methods The records of patients with blunt splenic trauma from January 2000 to October 2014 at a Level I trauma center were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups and failure of NOM (FNOM) rates compared: NAE protocol (2011–2014) with mandatory AE for all grade (IV–V) injuries without CB and selective AE for grade (I–V) with CB versus old AE (OAE) protocol (2000–2010) with selective AE for grade (I–V) with CB. Results Seven hundred twelve patients underwent NOM with 522 (73%) in the OAE group and 190 (27%) in the NAE group. Evolving from the OAE to the NAE strategy resulted in a significantly lower FNOM rate for the overall group (grade I–V) (OAE vs. NAE, 4% to 1%, p = 0.04) and the grade (IV–V) group (OAE vs. NAE, 19% vs. 3%, p = 0.01). Angiograms were avoided in 113 grade (I–III) injuries with no CB; these patients had NOM with observation alone and none failed. Conclusions A protocol using mandatory AE of all high-grade (IV–V) injuries without CB and selective AE of grade (I–V) with CB may provide for optimum salvage with safe NOM of the high-grade injuries (IV–V) and limited unnecessary angiograms. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.
Systemic Methotrexate Treatment in Childhood Psoriasis: Further Experience in 24 Children from India

Abstract: Well‐designed studies on systemic therapeutic modalities for severe psoriasis in children are rare. Children with severe disease are treated with the support of data extrapolated from that in adult, although management in them differs from adults in several important aspects. Like other systemic modalities, data regarding the use of methotrexate in the treatment of childhood psoriasis is meager. This study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of methotrexate in severe or disabling childhood psoriasis. The records of all the patients <18 years of age treated with systemic methotrexate at the psoriasis clinic of our institute from January 1993 to December 2006 were retrieved. Information regarding demographic profile, disease characteristics, response to treatment, side effects, etc. was noted from predesigned clinic proforma. Indications of methotrexate use were baseline psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) >10, disease refractory to conventional therapies and disabling psoriasis even though the psoriasis area and severity index was <10. Clinical status of patients was assessed at weekly intervals for the first 2 weeks, fortnightly during next month and then monthly. Response to therapy was graded as good (50–75% decrease in PASI) and excellent (>75% decrease in PASI). Laboratory investigations to detect methotrexate induced toxicity were performed at regular intervals. Of the 29 patients treated with methotrexate, 24 were eligible for the final data analysis. Indication for the institution of methotrexate therapy was severe disease, viz., extensive recalcitrant plaque type psoriasis in 17 patients, erythroderma and generalized pustular psoriasis of von‐Zumbusch type in three patients each and severe disabling palmo‐plantar involvement along with chronic plaque lesions in one patient. Response to therapy was excellent (>75% decrease in PASI) in all but two patients. The mean time to control the disease, i.e., 50% reduction in PASI was 5.1 weeks. Mean total cumulative dose of methotrexate in the first episode was 215 mg. The duration of remission could be calculated in nine patients only, varying from 1.5 months to 3 years. Side effects were mild, observed in nine children, which included nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Methotrexate is an effective, cheap, easily available, and reasonably safe drug to be used in severe childhood psoriasis under an expert supervision and laboratory monitoring.
Does housing wealth contribute to wealth inequality? A tale of two New Yorks

In Capital in the 21st century (hereafter Capital), Thomas Piketty points outthe risk of a concentration of wealth in the twenty-first century that would threaten the social justice and meritocratic values of our democratic societies.The main force of divergence is due to the fact that net returns on capital (r) are expected to be greater than the growth of the economy (g), or: “r>g”. According to Piketty, this will lead to two undesirable consequences: firstly,wealth will have a tendency to concentrate in the hands of a few; secondly,constituted wealth will tend to dominate accumulated wealth from labour:“the past devours the future”.
Localization for industrial warehouse storage rack using passive UHF RFID system

Tracking the location of items on the warehouse storage rack automatically is required by manufacturing companies to improve operational efficiency, productivity, and resource utilization. Due to the long reading range and faster data transfer rate, passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID system is explored to localize the items on the rack in this study. A tag is incorporated into an item on the rack for localization using radio signals. The received signal strength indication (RSSI) and radio frequency (RF) phase are utilized for localization. A supervised clustering approach is developed based on the measurements of location tag at the different zone of the rack. The localization accuracy is improved by using the kernel as a similarity measure. If the desired granularity of item location is not small, the lower price point per tag makes passive RFID systems more economical than active RFID systems.
Poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanospheres conjugated with a nuclear localization signal for delivery of plasmid DNA

Polymeric nanospheres fabricated from biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have been extensively investigated for applications in gene delivery. In this study, we show that the covalent conjugation of a nuclear localization signal (NLS, SV40 peptide) on PLGA nanospheres enhances the gene transfection efficiency. NLS conjugated PLGA copolymer was prepared by using a coupling reaction between maleimide-terminated PLGA copolymer and NLS in the presence of Imject maleimide conjugation buffer. PLGA nanospheres encapsulating plasmid (pDNA) were prepared by using a double emulsion-solvent evaporation method. The kinetics of in vitro release of pDNA from PLGA nanospheres was determined with UV in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Gene transfection efficiency in human dermal fibroblasts was tested in vitro using nanospheres encapsulating the luciferase gene. The conjugation of the NLS peptide to the PLGA nanospheres could improve the nuclear localization and/or cellular uptake of PLGA nanosphere/pDNA constructs and thereby improve the transfection efficiency of a PLGA nanosphere gene delivery system. The pDNA was released from PLGA nanospheres over nine days. NLS conjugation enhanced the gene transfection efficiency in vitro by 1.2 ∼ 3.2-fold over 13 days. PLGA/pDNA nanospheres appeared to be superior to PEI/pDNA complexes for the long-term expression of pDNA. Furthermore, the level of the sustained gene expression of the PLGA nanospheres was enhanced by the conjugation of NLS to the PLGA nanospheres. This study showed that the NLS conjugation enhanced the gene transfection efficiency of the PLGA nanosphere gene delivery system in vitro and that the enhanced gene expression was sustained for at least 13 days.
A Pseudo‐Bayesian Shrinkage Approach to Regression with Missing Covariates

Summary We consider the linear regression of outcome Y on regressors W and Z with some values of W missing, when our main interest is the effect of Z on Y, controlling for W. Three common approaches to regression with missing covariates are (i) complete‐case analysis (CC), which discards the incomplete cases, and (ii) ignorable likelihood methods, which base inference on the likelihood based on the observed data, assuming the missing data are missing at random ( Rubin, 1976b ), and (iii) nonignorable modeling, which posits a joint distribution of the variables and missing data indicators. Another simple practical approach that has not received much theoretical attention is to drop the regressor variables containing missing values from the regression modeling (DV, for drop variables). DV does not lead to bias when either (i) the regression coefficient of W is zero or (ii) W and Z are uncorrelated. We propose a pseudo‐Bayesian approach for regression with missing covariates that compromises between the CC and DV estimates, exploiting information in the incomplete cases when the data support DV assumptions. We illustrate favorable properties of the method by simulation, and apply the proposed method to a liver cancer study. Extension of the method to more than one missing covariate is also discussed.
Estimation of Respiratory Rate and Heart Rate During Treadmill Tests Using Acoustic Sensor

The objective was to test the robustness of an acoustic method to estimate respiratory rates (RR) during treadmill test. The accuracy was assessed by the comparison with simultaneous estimates from a capnograph, using as a common reference a pneumotachometer. Eight subjects without any pulmonary disease were enrolled. Tracheal sounds were acquired using a contact piezoelectric sensor placed on the subject's throat and analyzed using a combined investigation of the sound envelope and frequency content. The capnograph and pneumotachometer were coupled to a face mask worn by the subjects. There was a strong linear correlation between all three methods (r2 ranged from 0.8 to 0.87), and the SEE ranged from 1.97 to 2.36. As a conclusion, the accuracy of the respiratory rate estimated from tracheal sounds on adult subjects during treadmill stress test was comparable to the accuracy of a commercial capnograph. The heart rate (HR) estimates can also be derived from carotid pulse using the same single sensor placed on the subject's throat. Compared to the pulse oximeter the results show an agreement of acoustic method with r2 = 0.76 and SEE = 3.51
Single-Molecule Speckle Analysis of Actin Filament Turnover in Lamellipodia

Lamellipodia are thin, veil-like extensions at the edge of cells that contain a dynamic array of actin filaments. We describe an approach for analyzing spatial regulation of actin polymerization and depolymerization in vivo in which we tracked single molecules of actin fused to the green fluorescent protein. Polymerization and the lifetime of actin filaments in lamellipodia were measured with high spatial precision. Basal polymerization and depolymerization occurred throughout lamellipodia with largely constant kinetics, and polymerization was promoted within one micron of the lamellipodium tip. Most of the actin filaments in the lamellipodium were generated by polymerization away from the tip.
Sensibility Development Program against Cyberbullying

The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Sensibility Development Program against Cyberbullying in raising awareness around cyberbullying and reducing cyberbullying behaviors. The program specifically targeted adolescents who were at risk of exposure to cyberbullying behaviors. For this study, an experimental design with a control group was used (N = 18). The Cyberbullying Sensibility Scale (CBSS) was administered to the experimental and the control groups before and after the program. The experimental group also filled out the Cyberbullying Scale, which measured engagement with cyberbullying behaviors. Statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between CBSS pre-and-post-test scores in the experimental group. No significant difference was found for the control group, suggesting that the program was effective in helping students develop a level of sensibility against cyberbullying. No significant difference was found between pre-and-post-tests with respect to students’ engagement with cyberbullying behaviors. The implications for prevention and intervention programs were discussed.
Did Food Insecurity rise across Europe after the 2008 Crisis? An analysis across welfare regimes

Since the 2008 crisis, there has been a sharp rise in demand for food aid across high-income countries, spurring increased academic interest in the issue of food insecurity. Despite this heightened interest, there remains a paucity of quantitative evidence on trends in the prevalence of food insecurity in rich countries. In this context, the following article presents ‘direct’ evidence on recent patterns of food insecurity across countries and welfare regimes using secondary analysis of the European Quality of Life Survey. It uses an item which has been a longstanding component of deprivation scales, ‘could your household afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day if you wanted it? ’, to investigate two hypotheses. First, we explore whether food insecurity has risen since the 2008 crisis as the rise in food aid suggests. Second, we examine if this rise has varied across welfare regimes, if it has occurred at all. The article finds evidence to support both contentions: food insecurity has risen across many European countries and has varied by welfare regime. It also finds that contrary to expectations, the sharpest rise was in the Anglo-Saxon countries of Ireland and the UK, rather than Southern or Eastern European countries.
Effects of Individualized Versus Classical “Relaxation” Music on the Frequency of Agitation in Elderly Persons With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders

Confusion and agitation in elderly patients are crucial problems. This study tested Gerdner's mid-range theory of individualized music intervention for agitation. An experimental repeated measures pretest-posttest crossover design compared the immediate and residual effects of individualized music to classical “relaxation” music relative to baseline on the frequency of agitated behaviors in elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD). Thirty-nine subjects were recruited from six long-term-care facilities in Iowa. The sample consisted of 30 women and 9 men (mean age 82 years) with severe cognitive impairment. Baseline data were collected for 3 weeks. Findings from the Modified Hartsock Music Preference Questionnaire guided the selection of individualized music. Group A (n = 16) received individualized music for 6 weeks followed by a 2-week “washout” period and 6 weeks of classical “relaxation” music. Group B (n = 23) received the same protocol but in reverse order. Music interventions were presented for 30 minutes, two times per week. The Modified Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory measured the dependent variable. A repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc test showed a significant reduction in agitation during and following individualized music compared to classical music. This study expands science by testing and supporting a theoretically based intervention for agitation in persons with ADRD.
Models and Algorithms for Capacitated Lot Sizing Problems

This thesis develops and investigates exact approaches to classical and practical capacitated lot sizing problems in petrochemical industries. The refinery provides a host of very challenging problems in production/procurement planning. Two typical production/procurement planning problems are investigated, which are single item capacitated lot sizing problems oriented refineries, and multi-item procurement planning problems in distributed supply chain with multi-suppliers, multi-refineries and multi-customs. Due to the characters in petrochemical products, the total demands are always more than production capacities. On the other side, even the total demands are less than production capacities, since the rule of meeting demands may lead to excessive inventory holding costs in some periods, it is cheaper to permit lost sales in order to get maximum profit. Furthermore, by analyzing the practical production/procurement planning on special cases in a refinery, the production capacity is high enough, but the reorder quantities are restricted by inventory capacity instead of production capacity. A single item dynamic lot size model with inventory capacity and lost sales is formulated. Subsequently, we extend a single item inventory capacity economic lot sizing model with lost sales to more general cost functions, which are concave functions. Stockout and conservation models are considered as well. Zero Inventory Order property cannot be used anymore here. Two strongly polynomial algorithms are developed based on some new properties, respectively. Some theoretical analyses for algorithms are performed. The computational results show that proposed approaches could get a satisfactory solution and has potential to practical production applications. Finally, by analyzing the crude oil procurement planning for distributed supply chain with multi-suppliers and multi-refineries, a purchasing problem originating from the purchase center as buyerrs point of view is described. The refineries outsource their crude oil procurement to purchase center for scale economies. A multi-objective procurement planning model is established, which not only minimizes supply chain cycle time, the total costs of earliness and tardiness penalties, production costs and transportation costs, but also considers quality and delivery on time. Through model transformation, the objective function can be solved by the general mathematical programming methods. The numerical computations demonstrates that the approach proposed is efficient and applicable, which can not only make effective procurement planning, minimize the cycle time of the supply chain，but also can choose the suppliers reasonably and optimize the configuration of resources.
Deep assessment process: Objective assessment process for unilateral peripheral facial paralysis via deep convolutional neural network

Unilateral peripheral facial paralysis (UPFP) is a form of facial nerve paralysis and clinically classified according to facial asymmetry. Prompt and precise assessment is crucial to the neural rehabilitation of UPFP. For UPFP assessment, most of the existing assessment systems are subjective and empirical. Therefore, an objective assessment system will help clinical doctors to obtain a prompt and precise assessment. Distinguishing precisely between degrees of asymmetry is hard using pure pattern recognition methods. Thus, a novel objective assessment process based on convolutional neuronal networks is proposed in this paper that provides an end-to-end solution. This method could alleviate the problem and produced a classification accuracy of 91.25% for predicting the House-Brackmann degree on a given UPFP image dataset.
Re-Weighted Discriminatively Embedded $K$ -Means for Multi-View Clustering

Recent years, more and more multi-view data are widely used in many real-world applications. This kind of data (such as image data) is high dimensional and obtained from different feature extractors, which represents distinct perspectives of the data. How to cluster such data efficiently is a challenge. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-view clustering framework, called re-weighted discriminatively embedded $K$ -means, for this task. The proposed method is a multi-view least-absolute residual model, which induces robustness to efficiently mitigates the influence of outliers and realizes dimension reduction during multi-view clustering. Specifically, the proposed model is an unsupervised optimization scheme, which utilizes iterative re-weighted least squares to solve least-absolute residual and adaptively controls the distribution of multiple weights in a re-weighted manner only based on its own low-dimensional subspaces and a common clustering indicator matrix. Furthermore, theoretical analysis (including optimality and convergence analysis) and the optimization algorithm are also presented. Compared with several state-of-the-art multi-view clustering methods, the proposed method substantially improves the accuracy of the clustering results on widely used benchmark data sets, which demonstrates the superiority of the proposed work.
Boundedness issues in planning of locomotion trajectories for biped robots

It is in general complex to consider the complete robot dynamics when planning trajectories for bipedal locomotion. We present an approach to trajectory planning, with the classical Linear Inverted Pendulum Model (LIPM), that takes explicit consideration of the unstable dynamics. We derive a relationship between initial state and the control input that ensures the overall system dynamics will converge to a stable steady state solution. This allows us to exploit the unstable dynamics to achieve system goals, while imposing constraints on certain degrees of freedom of the input and initial conditions. Based on this, we propose an approach to trajectory planning, and derive solutions for several typical applications. Experimental simulations using the REEM-C biped robot platform of Pal Robotics validate our approach.