Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for completion colonoscopy after polyps are found at flexible sigmoidoscopy for investigation of haemorrhoidal-type rectal bleeding

We read with interest the paper by Rutter et al on surveillance guidelines after colonoscopic polypectomy and postcolorectal cancer resection.1 However, like all similar recognised guidelines, they do not address the issue of following up polyps found on a flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) done to investigate rectal bleeding. With colonoscopy services in short supply in many countries, FS is often used at rectal bleeding clinics in cases where other known personal risk factors for colorectal neoplasia are absent. At FS, the finding of a normal rectum and sigmoid combined with a likely anal cause of the bleeding excludes significant left-sided neoplasia. However, the appropriate follow-up of an adenoma found in the rectum or sigmoid colon has been a topic of much study and debate, centred on the likelihood of detecting significant proximal colonic neoplasia. One of the most …
Effect of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3-β on the Acquisition & Expression of Intra-Accumbal Amphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Rats

Dopamine (DA) drives incentive learning: learning which is elicited through rewarding stimuli. Irregularities in DA activity are associated with various psychological disorders. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), a molecule downstream of DA receptors, has been implicated in mediating dopaminergic behaviour, and unbalanced DA activity is associated with concomitant irregularities in GSK3β signaling. Inhibition of this molecule has been noted to attenuate behavioural sensitization, and decrease psychotomimetic behaviour in animals. Few studies have assessed the role of GSK3β in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, which evaluates the rewarding properties of substances and has been used to model psychosis. CPP can be examined through either acquisition or expression paradigms, which look at the active learning process vs. the recall of learned information respectively. We tested the hypothesis that selective inhibition of GSK3β with SB 216763 will differentially and dose-dependently affect the acquisition and expression of amphetamine (AMPH) CPP, as well as attenuate AMPH locomotor activity in acquisition. All drugs and vehicles were administered via intra-cranial microinfusions into the nucleus accumbens (NAc). AMPH was administered at a dose of 20.0 μg/0.5 μl/side. SB 216763 was tested at four doses (0.03, 0.30, 3.00, & 5.00 μg/0.5 μl/side) in both acquisition and expression. We found administering SB 216763 at all doses to attenuate AMPH CPP and locomotor activity in acquisition. At doses 0.30, 3.00, & 5.00 μg/0.5 μl/side, SB 216763 also blocked AMPH CPP at expression. These results lend support to GSK3β’s involvement in incentive learning and DA-mediated behaviours, and suggest its inhibition may differentially affect the acquisition and expression of AMPH CPP.
Developmental Biology of the Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell: Building a Multilayered Vessel Wall

The assembly of the vessel wall from its cellular and extracellular matrix components is a critical process in the development and maturation of the cardiovascular system. However, fundamental questions concerning the origin of vessel wall cells and the mechanisms that regulate their development and differentiation remain unanswered. The initial step of vessel wall morphogenesis is formation of a primary vascular network, comprised of nascent endothelial cell tubes, via the processes of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Subsequently, primordial vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are recruited to the endothelium to form a multilayered vessel wall. During the course of development and maturation, the VSMC plays diverse roles: it is a biosynthetic, proliferative, and contractile component of the vessel wall. Although the field of vascular development has blossomed in the past decade, the molecules and mechanisms that regulate this developmental pathway are not well defined. The focus of this review is on those facets of VSMC development important for transforming a nascent endothelial tube into a multilayered structure. We discuss the primordial VSMC with particular attention to its purported origins, the components of the extracellular milieu that contribute to its development, and the contribution of embryonic hemodynamics to vessel wall assembly.
Type Appraisal: III. Relationships of First Lactation Production and Type Traits with Lifetime Performance

Abstract Phenotypic and genetic correlations were estimated between 48 type appraisal traits and first lactation milk production to determine the importance of appraisal traits in a breeding program from 5,024 records from the New York type appraisal program. Most phenotypic correlations among the type traits were near zero. Depth of udder was the appraisal trait having the highest correlation with first lactation milk (.27) and fat (.23). Multiple correlations of all appraisal traits with first lactation milk and fat were . 44 and . 40. Correlations with lifetime variables were calculated from 2,068 records meeting time qualifications. Of the first lactation variables, milk yield had the highest correlation with lifetime milk (.34), and fat yield had the highest correlation with number of lactations (.21). All appraisal traits combined were as effective as production variables in predicting number of lactations. Genetic correlations suggested that bulls that sire daughters with high production tend to sire daughters with weaker udder attachments. High genetic correlations between first lactation production and lifetime performance support the utility of selection on first lactation production.
Multi-modal Categorization of Medical Images Using Texture-based Symbolic Representations

Our work is focused on the automatic categorization of medical images according to their visual content for indexing and retrieval purpo ses in the context of the CISMeF health-catalogue. The aim of this study is to assess th e performance of our medical image categorization algorithm according to the image’s modality, anatomic region and view angle. For this purpose we repr s nted the medical images using texture and statistical features. The high dimensio nality led us to transform this representation into a symbolic description, using blo ck labels obtained after a clustering procedure. A medical image database o f 10322 images, representing 33 classes was selected by an experienced radio logist. The classes are defined considering the images medical modality, anatomical region and acquisition view angle. An average precision of approximately 83% wa s obtained usingk-NN classifiers, and a top performance of 91.19% was attained with 1-NN when categorizing the images with respect to the defined 33 classes. The performances raise to 93.62% classification accuracy when only the mo dality is needed. The experiments we present in this paper show that the conside red image representation obtains high recognition rates, despite the difficult con text f medical imaging.
Automating Parameter Choice For Simulated Annealing

Most metaheuristic techniques, including Simulated Annealing, require the specification of parameters before they can be used. Setting these parameters is not straightforward, and there is no accepted way to determine good values for the parameters other than trial and error, which is uncertain and can be very time-consuming. Experimental results are presented to help determine how parameters for Simulated Annealing should be set automatically, given only the time available for a solution. These results, for two randomly-generated Euclidean Travelling Salesman Problems, demonstrate, among other features, that the prevailing orthodoxy concerning starting temperatures is significantly suboptimal. The paper ends with a suggested set of steps to be undertaken to determine the parameters for any given instance.
[Factors associated with inadequate response to hepatitis B vaccination in health care personnel].

BACKGROUND The recombinant hepatitis B vaccine provides immunity in approximately 95% of all cases, but there is a certain percentage which responds insufficiently. The purpose of this work consists of assessing the factors which are linked to an inadequate immune response. METHODS This is an observational, analytical study in which a retrospective follow-up is made of a group of subjects vaccinated to prevent against hepatitis B (HBV). The variables of interest of the health care personnel meeting the requirements to be included in this study in Health Care District No. 9 of the Autonomous Region of Valencia (No. 827) were gathered. Following vaccination, the titration of surface antibodies (antiHB's) was determined for checking the response, levels of over 10 m UI/ml being considered to provide protection. RESULTS An adequate serum changeover was achieved in 94.4% of those vaccinated. The low-degree or zero response to the vaccine was significantly linked independently to variables such as male gender, age, the body mass index (BMI) and the habit of smoking. Drinking alcohol and the levels of GPT, although they did not react significantly with the response to the vaccine, were possibly misleading factors. CONCLUSION The immunogenicity of this vaccine is satisfactory. It is important to quantify the levels of antiHB's, especially when factors predicting a poor response are involved. Therefore, it is possible to identify those which require a booster shot and those showing no response, hence avoiding situations involving a false sense of being protected against HBV.
PRC Inc: Description of the PAKTUS System Used for MUC-3

The PRC Adaptive Knowledge-based Text Understanding System (PAKTUS) has been under development as an Independent Research and Development project at PRC since 1984. The objective is a generic system of tools, including a core English lexicon, grammar, and concept representations, for building natural language processing (NLP) systems for text understanding. Systems built with PAKTUS are intended to generate input to knowledge based systems or data base systems. Input to the NLP system is typically derived from an existing electronic message stream, such as a news wire. PAKTUS supports the adaptation of the generic core to a variety of domains: JINTACCS messages, RAINFORM messages, news reports about a specific type of event, such as financial transfers or terrorist acts, etc., by acquiring sublanguage and domain-specific grammar, words, conceptual mappings, and discourse patterns. The long-term goal is a system that can support the processing of relatively long discourses in domains that are fairly broad with a high rate of success.
Understanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High-Frequency Gallium-Nitride-Based Point of Load Converter

The introduction of enhancement-mode gallium-nitride-based power devices such as the eGaN FET offers the potential to achieve higher efficiencies and higher switching frequencies than possible with silicon MOSFETs. With the improvements in switching performance and low parasitic packaging provided by eGaN FETs, the printed circuit board (PCB) layout becomes critical to converter performance. This paper will study the effect of PCB layout parasitic inductance on efficiency and peak device voltage stress for an eGaN FET-based point of load (POL) converter operating at a switching frequency of 1 MHz, an input voltage range of 12-28 V, an output voltage of 1.2 V, and an output current up to 20 A. This paper will also compare the parasitic inductances of conventional PCB layouts and propose an improved PCB design, providing a 40% decrease in parasitic inductance over the best conventional PCB design.
BER Performance of Two Transmit Diversity Schemes with Perfect/Imperfect Channel Evaluation in Wireless Communications

Here, we present an approach to investigate perfect/imperfect channel detection in the maximal ratio receiver combined scheme (MRRC) and a simple transmit diversity scheme (STD). In order to effectively make use of the transmit diversity techniques, the same approach is extended to process the situation of one transmit antenna and N receive antennas in the MRRC scheme (1 times N MRRC) and two transmit antennas and N receive antennas in the STD scheme (2 times N STD), in which the effects of perfect/imperfect channel detection and the diversity reception with independent Rayleigh-fading signals are evaluated and compared
Stability Analysis of Speed and Stator Resistance Estimators for Sensorless Induction Motor Drives

This paper presents an analysis by which the stability of a multiple-input-multiple-output system of simultaneous speed and stator resistance estimators for sensorless induction motor drives can be successfully predicted. The instability problem of an adaptive flux observer (AFO) is deeply investigated. In order to achieve stability over a wide range of operation, a design of the observer feedback gain is proposed. Furthermore, closed-loop control systems of the independent use of the two estimators are developed. Therefore, all gains of the adaptive proportional-integral controllers are selected and generalized to provide good tracking performance as well as fast dynamic response. The performance of the AFO using the proposed gains, with a sensorless indirect-field-oriented-controlled induction motor drive, is verified by simulation and experimental results. The results show a good improvement in both convergence and stability, particularly in the regenerative mode at low speeds, which confirm the validity of the proposed analysis.
Turned, machined versus double-etched dental implants in vivo.

BACKGROUND Positive effects on the clinical outcome of moderately rough implant surfaces are described. Intercomparison of clinical data, however, is rarely found. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to compare the clinical results of two macroscopically identical implants, the one with a turned, machined and the other with an etched surface. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, the included implants followed the criteria: standard surgical protocol, >12 months in situ; minimally rough self-threading implants with a turned, machined surface (Mk II Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden], n=210); etched implants of the same macrodesign (3i Implant Innovations Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA], n=151), length > or = 10 mm. Clinical data and implant success were rated. Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) and Periotest (Siemens AG, Bensheim, Germany) were measured and related to the corresponding implant survival rate in the respective group. RESULTS The total number of implants was 361, of which 264 (73%) were subject to clinical reexamination. RFA and Periotest could be recorded in 25% of the implants. Neither clinically relevant nor statistically significant differences between the surface designs were found in the RFA (64 +/- 8.6 vs 63 +/- 9.7), in Periotest (-2 +/- 3.3 vs -1 +/- 5.1), and in mean survival periods (49 months, 95% confidence interval CI]: 46-51 months, for the turned vs 46 months, 95% CI: 43-49 months, for the double-etched implant). After osteoplastic procedures, a significantly higher rate of implant losses in the turned, machined implant group was observed (17 vs 1) with a mean survival period of 43 (40-46) months for the turned and 46 (45-48) months for the double-etched implants. CONCLUSION No difference between implants with two different minimally rough surfaces was found. A positive effect of surface roughness is observed in poor quality bone, but the pivotal proof of this effect is still lacking.
Disruption-free imaging by Raman spectroscopy reveals a chemical sphere with antifouling metabolites around macroalgae

Investigations of the surface chemistry of marine organisms are essential to understand their chemically mediated interactions with fouling organisms. In this context, the concentration of natural products in the immediate vicinity of algal surfaces, as well as their biological activity, are of particular importance. However, due to lack of appropriate methods, the distribution of compounds within the chemical sphere around marine algae is unknown. This study demonstrates the suitability of confocal resonance Raman microspectroscopy for the determination of metabolites around algal surfaces with a micrometer resolution. The spatial distribution of carotenoids in the diffusion boundary layer of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus and the green alga Ulva sp. was determined using the disruption-free optical method. A gradient of carotenoids was determined within 0 to 150 μm from the surface of thealgae, thereby demonstrating the release of the non-polar metabolites involved in antifouling processes. Thedifferences in the carotenoid composition of the brown and green algae were reflected in the spectra. Resonance Raman microspectroscopy also allowed visualization of the lateral distribution of fucoxanthin on the algal surface and localization of concentration maxima within a 50 × 50 μm2 area. The results from this work show clearly that established dipping techniques suitable for the extraction of the diffusion boundary layer of macroalgae only provide an average of the local strongly variable concentrations of metabolites on algal surfaces.
Streams over mountains: influence of riparian connectivity on gene flow in the Pacific jumping mouse (Zapus trinotatus)

In species affiliated with heterogeneous habitat, we expect gene flow to be restricted due to constraints placed on individual movement by habitat boundaries. This is likely to impact both individual dispersal and connectivity between populations. In this study, a GIS‐based landscape genetics approach was used, in combination with fine‐scale spatial autocorrelation analysis and the estimation of recent intersubpopulation migration rates, to infer patterns of dispersal and migration in the riparian‐affiliated Pacific jumping mouse (Zapus trinotatus). A total of 228 individuals were sampled from nine subpopulations across a system of three rivers and genotyped at eight microsatellite loci. Significant spatial autocorrelation among individuals revealed a pattern of fine‐scale spatial genetic structure indicative of limited dispersal. Geographical distances between pairwise subpopulations were defined following four criteria: (i) Euclidean distance, and three landscape‐specific distances, (ii) river distance (distance travelled along the river only), (iii) overland distance (similar to Euclidean, but includes elevation), and (iv) habitat‐path distance (a least‐cost path distance that models movement along habitat pathways). Pairwise Mantel tests were used to test for a correlation between genetic distance and each of the geographical distances. Significant correlations were found between genetic distance and both the overland and habitat‐path distances; however, the correlation with habitat‐path distance was stronger. Lastly, estimates of recent migration rates revealed that migration occurs not only within drainages but also across large topographic barriers. These results suggest that patterns of dispersal and migration in Pacific jumping mice are largely determined by habitat connectivity.
Demographic Analysis and Population Catastrophes in the USSR: A Rejoinder to Barbara Anderson and Brian Silver

Barbara Anderson and Brian Silver have recently attempted to settle the controversy over the economic and demographic consequences of Stalinism by "demonstrating . how sensitive estimates of excess mortality are to the assumptions that are made about demographic data and the 'natural' course of demographic change" because they think that "the demographic evidence has been misunderstood and misused, and that the sensitivity of demographic estimates to assumptions made about the levels of mortality and fertility, as well as about the accuracy and completeness of Soviet census data and vital statistics, has not been given adequate attention. ", This formulation suggests that readers of the Slavic Review do not realize how difficult it is to estimate the Gulag forced labor population and to quantify the casualties caused by collectivization, Gulag, and the Terror; that they are unaware that estimates of these sorts are controversial; and that they do not fully appreciate how specific errors mar the credibility of some analysts' calculations. The first two propositions do not warrant serious consideration. There may be some specialists who do not appreciate that the enormous disparity between Murray Feshbach's and Frank Lorimer's excess death estimates (20 million versus 5.5 million during the 1930s) indicates that the subjects under discussion are both sensitive to assumptions and controversial, but there certainly cannot be many. The merit of Anderson's and Silver's contribution therefore turns on whether they objectively prove their contention that some estimates are inferior to others. The estimates they censure include those of Feshbach (by implication), Eason, Rosefielde, Conquest, Antonov-Ovseenko, Maksudov, Mace, and Diadkin; the approved estimates are those of Lorimer and Wheatcroft. Since this division parallels established lines of controversy, their essay in effect attempts to demonstrate that the Stalinist characterization of the human and material costs of forced industrialization is broadly correct. It is argued, purportedly on positivist grounds, that there are no compelling reasons to believe that more than a few million Soviet citizens perished from collectivization, Gulag, and the Terror2 or that the Gulag forced labor population was abnormally high during the 1930s.3
Lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio as biomarkers for predicting lymph node metastasis and survival in patients treated with radical cystectomy

To evaluate the role of lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio (LMR) and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as pre‐operative markers for predicting extravesical disease and survival outcomes in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB).
Influence of Ischemia and Reperfusion on the Course of Brain Tissue Swelling and Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability in a Rodent Model of Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Brain swelling is a serious complication associated with focal ischemia in stroke and severe head injury. Experimentally, reperfusion following focal cerebral ischemia exacerbates the level of brain swelling. In this study, the permeability of the blood-brain barrier has been investigated as a possible cause of reperfusion-related acute brain swelling. Blood-brain barrier disruption was investigated using Evans Blue dye and [14C]aminoisobutyric acid autoradiography in a rodent model of reversible middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Acute brain swelling and cerebral blood flow (CBF) during ischemia and reperfusion were analyzed from double-label CBF autoradiograms after application of the potent vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin-1 to the MCA. Ischemia was apparent within ipsilateral MCA territory, 5 min after endothelin-1 application to the exposed artery. Reperfusion, examined at 30 min and 1, 2, and 4 h, was gradual but incomplete within this time frame in the core of middle cerebral artery territory and associated with significant brain swelling. Ipsilateral hemispheric swelling increased over time to a maximum (>5%) at 1-2 h after endothelin-1 but was not associated with a significant increase in the ipsilateral transfer constant for [14C]aminoisobutyric acid over this time frame. These results indicate that endothelin-1 induced focal cerebral ischemia is associated with an acute but reversible hemispheric swelling during the early phase of reperfusion which is not associated with a disruption of the blood-brain barrier.