Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recurrence in breast cancer. Analysis with frailty model.

OBJECTIVE To determine the value of known prognostic factors for metastasis in breast cancer by accounting for patient-specific effect of patients who received surgical treatment followed by adjuvant treatment using the frailty model. METHODS One hundred seventeen women with breast cancer who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant therapy at 3 hospitals in Tehran, Iran between 1995 and 2003 were enrolled in this study. Women with defined breast cancer with no distant metastases at time of diagnosis that have undergone modified radical mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery were enrolled. Tumors were classified according to the Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) system of the American Joint Committee on cancer. Grading was performed according to Scarff-Bloom-Richardson method. Estrogen receptor (ER) was measured by immunohistochemistry method. The patients have been followed regularly by routine clinical laboratory profile, serologic markers (CEA, CA15-3) and para-clinical examinations; furthermore, we have followed missing materials by other access ways such as calling. RESULTS Median follow up time for patients was 26 months after surgery. During the follow up time 44 (38%) patients developed metastasis and 20 (45%) of these 44 patients experienced the second metastasis. The median disease-free survival for patients in the study was 49.6 month. The median time to experience second metastasis after the first one was 22.5 months. Risk of occurrence of a metastasis in the first year after surgery was 12%. Risk of experience a metastasis up to the second year was 32% and up to fifth years was 69%. Result of fitting a frailty model to data showed that size of tumor, number of positive lymph nodes and histologic grade had a significant effect on the risk of metastasis (p<0.05). Patients with tumor size larger than 5 cm were in higher risk of metastasis compared with others. Increase in the number of positive lymph nodes to more than 10, increased risk of metastasis. Patients with moderate or undifferentiated histologic grade were in higher risk of metastasis to well differentiated patients. Age, family history, lymph node stage, and ER had no significant effect. It was found that there was heterogeneity between patients after adjusting for other covariates because variance of frailty was 0.315. It means that based on the variance of the distribution of frailty, the relative risk of high-risk patients to low-risk patients was 7.2, wherein high-risk group is defined as a cluster at the 95th percentile and low-risk to a cluster of 5th percentile of the frailty distribution. CONCLUSION Known risk factors describe the risk of metastasis partly and other unknown or unmeasured factors, such as genetics or environmental factors are important to describe the risk of metastasis in breast cancer.
Exploring speech processing in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders : The cognitive, behavioural and clinical correlates associated with atypical auditory processing.

Although high-functioning individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) develop a range of language skills, results from both behavioural and neuroimaging studies suggest that speech perception is atypical. Previous research carried out with children with ASD has revealed enhanced sensitivity to the psychoacoustic qualities of speech, but the extent that this is characteristic of adults has yet to be investigated. Indeed, little is known about the impact of atypical auditory processing on speech perception in intellectually high-functioning adults. The aim of this thesis is to identify any specific difficulties in speech perception and to investigate potential links between these and the social and communication deficits and sensory abnormalities characterising ASD. The studies described in this thesis test the effects of atypical perceptual processing using auditory Stroop paradigms and same-different pitch detection tasks and also address questions about how temporal and prosodic manipulations influence memory encoding and retrieval in sentence repetition tasks. The main findings showed that whilst adults with ASD were affected by prosodic and temporal manipulations to speech during higher-order tasks, this was similar to that observed in typically developing adults. Furthermore, adults with ASD did not reveal superior speech pitch discrimination previously observed in children with ASD. Taken together these findings suggest that high-functioning adults with ASD respond to perceptual manipulations carried out on speech stimuli in similar ways to typical controls. However, correlation and regression analyses carried out on the cognitive, behavioural and clinical data suggest that different mechanisms underlie perceptual and recall performance in the two groups and intelligence and symptom severity appear to be associated with the extent that atypical perception, encoding and recall of speech stimuli are manifested.
High volumes of intravenous fluid during cardiac surgery are associated with increased mortality

Introduction Positive fluid balance during abdominal surgery has been associated with increased morbidity. We hypothesized that administration of large volumes of intravenous fluids in cardiac surgery is associated with increased mortality. Methods Retrospective analysis of data on 1358 patients who underwent cardiac surgery from 2001 to 2005 at two major hospitals in Western New York. Patients were divided in to those who received intravenous fluids above the median volume (3.9 L) and those who received less than the median volume of intra-operative fluid. Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria based on serum creatinine were used to define Acute Kidney injury. Results Logistic regression and Cox-proportional models showed increased 90 day mortality (HR -2.8, 95% CI -1.16-7.01) in those patients who received greater than the median volume of intravenous during cardiac surgery. This was confirmed with propensity score analysis. Furthermore, the marginal effects analysis revealed that after about 4.0 liters of intravenous fluid, the survival probability falls significantly in cardiac surgery patients. Conclusions Administration of large volumes of intra-operative intravenous fluid is independently associated with an increase in 90 day mortality in cardiac surgery.
Automated Piecewise A ne Registration of 2-D Images via Hierarchical Clustering of Dense Similarity Maps

We propose a fully automated method for locally registering 2-D multi-modal images. We model the images as a number of anatomically separate components, subject to a ne transformations, and embedded in a deformable medium. Given a pair of input images, we rst compute a dense similarity eld between them with a block matching algorithm. A hierarchical clustering algorithm then automatically partitions this eld into a number of classes from which we extract the independent pairs of sub-images. Our clustering algorithm relies on the Earth mover's distribution metric and is additionally guided by robust least-square estimation of the transformations associated with each cluster. Finally, the pairs of sub-images are, independently, a nely registered and a hybrid a ne/non-linear interpolation scheme is used to compose the output registered image. We investigate the behavior of our approach under a variety of conditions, and discuss examples using simulated and real medical images, including MRI, autoradioagraphy, histology and cryosection data.
Time-frequency image descriptors-based features for EEG epileptic seizure activities detection and classification

This paper presents new class of time-frequency (T-F) features for automatic detection and classification of epileptic seizure activities in EEG signals. Most previous methods were based only on signal features derived from the instantaneous frequency and energies of EEG signals in different spectral sub-bands. The proposed features based on image descriptors are extracted from the T-F representation of EEG signals and are considered and processed as an image using T-F image processing techniques. The proposed features include shape and texture-based descriptors and are able to describe visually the normal and seizure activity patterns observed in T-F images. The results obtained on real EEG data show that T-F image descriptor-based features achieve an overall classification accuracy of up to 98% for 100 EEG segments using one-against-one SVM classifier. The results suggest that the proposed method outperforms those methods, which employ signal features only or combined signal-image features by about 3% for 100 EEG signals.
Examining the factor structure and predictive ability of the German‐version of the Learning Transfer Systems Inventory

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the construct and predictive ability of a German version of the Learning Transfer Systems Inventory (GLTSI), an instrument designed to assess a constellation of 16 factors known to influence the transfer of training in work settings.Design/methodology/approach – The survey data for this study was collected from 569 employees working in 17 private sector organizations in Germany. This data was used to test the construct validity of the GLTSI using principle components analysis (common factor analysis). The predictive validity of the instrument was tested against individual and organizational level outcome measures using hierarchical stepwise multiple regression.Findings – Exploratory factor analysis of the GLTSI produced a 16 factor solution that was a highly consistent original English version of the LTSI. The results of the regression analysis showed that a subset of GLTSI scales were significant predictors of measures of individual transfer results an.
Assessing the Functional Role of Leptin in Energy Homeostasis and the Stress Response in Vertebrates

Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone that plays a critical role in regulating appetite, energy metabolism, growth, stress, and immune function across vertebrate groups. In mammals, it has been classically described as an adipostat, relaying information regarding energy status to the brain. While retaining poor sequence conservation with mammalian leptins, teleostean leptins elicit a number of similar regulatory properties, although current evidence suggests that it does not function as an adipostat in this group of vertebrates. Teleostean leptin also exhibits functionally divergent properties, however, possibly playing a role in glucoregulation similar to what is observed in lizards. Further, leptin has been recently implicated as a mediator of immune function and the endocrine stress response in teleosts. Here, we provide a review of leptin physiology in vertebrates, with a particular focus on its actions and regulatory properties in the context of stress and the regulation of energy homeostasis.
An Immune Algorithm Based Robust Scheduling Methods

Inspired from the robust control principle, a robust scheduling method is proposed to solve uncertain scheduling problems. The uncertain scheduling problem is modeled by a set of workflow simulation models, and then a scheduling scheme (solution) is evaluated by the results of workflow simulations that are executed by using the workflow models in the set. A variable neighborhood immune algorithm (VNIA) is used to obtain an optimal robust scheduling scheme that has good performances for each model in the model set. The detailed steps of optimizing robust scheduling scheme by the VNIA are given. The antibody coding and decoding schemes are also designed to deal with resource conflicts during workflow simulation processes. Experimental results show that the proposed method can generate robust scheduling schemes that are insensitive for uncertain disturbances of scheduling environments.
Metastable motion anisotropy

Abstract The phenomenon of apparent motion can arise when two spatially separated visual tokens are presented in temporal sequence. If tokens at opposite corners of a hypothetical square are presented simultaneously followed by simultaneous presentation of tokens at the remaining two corners, an apparent motion percept may occur along either the vertical or horizontal axis. The display is perceptually metastable since most observers will perceive motion along only one axis at a time. The metastable display, however, produces anisotropic results, in that with central fixation, vertical motion is seen more frequently than horizontal motion. The ratio of the vertical to horizontal length of the sides of a rectangle needed to achieve equal frequencies of motion judgments along the respective axes falls in the range of 1.18–1.92 for different observers in our experiments. It appears that signal transmission across the vertical midline is a major determinant of the vertical bias, since the anisotropic effects disappear when the fixation point is sufficiently offset along the horizontal meridian so as to cause a fully homonymous representation of all of the metastable tokens. One of the factors may be signal degradation or delay in callosal transmission which could reduce the strength of the motion signal along the horizontal axis. In addition, there appears to be a strip along the vertical midline with a width of 30–50 min are within which reduced levels of anisotropy are found. The possibility that this strip is a consequence of a zone of naso-temporal overlap in the projection of the retina to the brain along the vertical meridian will be discussed.
Hypnotizability and dissociation as predictors of performance in a precognition task: A pilot study

Abstract in Undetermined We investigated whether hypnotizability, dissociation, and belief in psi are related to performance in a precognition task that measures whether later practice enhances previous memory recall. Participants low (n = 19) and high (n = 19, 7 also high in dissociation) in hypnotizability completed the task and a measure of belief in psi, with the experimenters masked as to participants’ level of hypnotizability and dissociation. A general precognition effect was not replicated and there was no overall effect for hypnotizability, but high hypnotizables who were low in dissociation differed significantly from dissociative high hypnotizables and from low hypnotizables, and scored below chance. Belief in psi was related to dissociation and history of trauma, and trauma and working memory were negatively correlated. With respect to features of the experiment itself, we were contacted after we had run about one third of the participants by the developer of the program, who asked us to use a modified version. We did not change our protocol, but decided to analyze the data in segments before and after we were asked to use a different program. Although not significant, the first third of the data was clearly in the direction of psi-hitting whereas later segments were in the opposite direction. A regression analysis controlling for groups showed a significant decline effect. Our results support the value of using selected groups and suggest that dissociation may mediate the effects of hypnotizability in psi performance. (Less)
Symptom Checklist-90 Revised Scores in Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury: Affective Reactions or Neurobehavioral Outcomes of the Injury?

The goal of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) as a measure of emotional distress among persons with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Following previous studies, the scale was divided into a "Brain Injury Subscale" (BIS), composed of items that are confounded with the neurobehavioral outcomes of TBI, and a "Non Brain Injury Subscale" (NBIS), composed of items unrelated to the neurobehavioral outcomes. The scores of 94 persons with TBI were analyzed on the two subscales. Although more frequently endorsed, the BIS items were equally related to the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of the injury and to the respondents' affective dispositions. The same pattern of correlations was evident with the NBIS items. In addition, both scales were predicted by measures of emotional reactions to the injury. These results were interpreted as supporting the validity of the SCL-90-R as a measure of emotional distress among persons with brain injuries.
Estimation of a Predictor’s Importance by Random Forests When There Is Missing Data: RISK Prediction in Liver Surgery using Laboratory Data

Abstract In the last few decades, new developments in liver surgery have led to an expanded applicability and an improved safety. However, liver surgery is still associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality, especially in extended resections. We analyzed a large liver surgery database to investigate whether laboratory parameters like haemoglobin, leucocytes, bilirubin, haematocrit and lactate might be relevant preoperative predictors. It is not uncommon to observe missing values in such data. This also holds for many other data sources and research fields. For analysis, one can make use of imputation methods or approaches that are able to deal with missing values in the predictor variables. A representative of the latter are Random Forests which also provide variable importance measures to assess a variable’s relevance for prediction. Applied to the liver surgery data, we observed divergent results for the laboratory parameters, depending on the method used to cope with missing values. We therefore performed an extensive simulation study to investigate the properties of each approach. Findings and recommendations: Complete case analysis should not be used as it distorts the relevance of completely observed variables in an undesirable way. The estimation of a variable’s importance by a self-contained measure that can deal with missing values appropriately reflects the decreased relevance of variables with missing values. It can therefore be used to obtain insight into Random Forests which are commonly fit without preprocessing of missing values in the data. By contrast, multiple imputation allows for the assessment of a variable’s relevance one would potentially observe in complete-data situations, if imputation performs well. For the laboratory data, lactate and bilirubin seem to be associated with the risk of liver failure and postoperative complications. These relations should be investigated by future studies in more detail. However, it is important to carefully consider the method used for analysis when there are missing values in the predictor variables.
Independently Silencing Two Photosynthetic Proteins in Nicotiana attenuata Has Different Effects on Herbivore Resistance1[W][OA]

Insect attack frequently down-regulates photosynthetic proteins. To understand how this influences the plant-insect interaction, we transformed Nicotiana attenuata to independently silence ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCase) activase (RCA) and RuBPCase and selected lines whose photosynthetic capacity was similarly reduced. Decreases in plant growth mirrored the decreases in photosynthesis, but the effects on herbivore performance differed. Both generalist (Spodoptera littoralis) and specialist (Manduca sexta) larvae grew larger on RCA-silenced plants, which was consistent with decreased levels of trypsin protease inhibitors and diterpene glycosides and increased levels of RuBPCase, the larvae's main dietary protein. RCA-silenced plants were impaired in their attack-elicited jasmonate (JA)-isoleucine (Ile)/leucine levels, but RuBPCase-silenced plants were not, a deficiency that could not be restored by supplementation with Ile or attributed to lower transcript levels of JAR4/6, the key enzyme for JA-Ile conjugation. From these results, we infer that JA-Ile/leucine signaling and the herbivore resistance traits elicited by JA-Ile are influenced by adenylate charge, or more generally, carbon availability in RCA- but not RuBPCase-silenced plants. Growth of generalist larvae on RuBPCase-silenced plants did not differ from growth on empty vector controls, but the specialist larvae grew faster on RuBPCase-silenced plants, which suggests that the specialist can better tolerate the protein deficiency resulting from RuBPCase silencing than the generalist can. We conclude that the plant-herbivore interaction is more influenced by the particular mechanisms that reduce photosynthetic capacity after herbivore attack than by the magnitude of the decrease, which highlights the value of understanding defense mechanisms in evaluating growth-defense tradeoffs.
An Automatic Calibration Method for PTZ Camera in Expressway Monitoring System

Camera vision calibration is the key technology of Video-based Traffic Monitoring System (VTMS). PTZ camera is used more and more widely in the VTMS for its high flexibility and mobility which also bring great difficulties in its calibration. This paper presented an automatic method of calibration for PTZ camera used in Expressway Monitoring System so that the system can implement calibration without any manual intervention as soon as the operator changes the situation of the camera. A novel model of traffic monitoring camera is given in the beginning, a theoretical framework is established, aimed at computing all the unknown parameters in the model. Test results using real data are described. Both accuracy and speed are reported. Implementation ways and steps of practical application in the project are given.
C1q/Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Protein 11 (CTRP11), a Novel Adipose Stroma-derived Regulator of Adipogenesis*

Background: CTRP11 is a novel member of the C1q family with poorly defined function. Results: CTRP11 inhibits 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation by inhibiting mitotic clonal expansion and adipogenic gene expression. Conclusion: Adipose stroma-derived CTRP11 is a regulator of adipogenesis. Significance: CTRP11 mediates potential paracrine cross-talk between adipocytes and cells of the stromal vascular compartment. C1q/TNF-related proteins (CTRPs) are a family of secreted regulators of glucose and lipid metabolism. Here, we describe CTRP11, a novel and phylogenetically conserved member of the C1q family. Our studies revealed that white and brown adipose are major tissues that express CTRP11, and its expression is acutely regulated by changes in metabolic state. Within white adipose tissue, CTRP11 is primarily expressed by stromal vascular cells. As a secreted multimeric protein, CTRP11 forms disulfide-linked oligomers. Although the conserved N-terminal Cys-28 and Cys-32 are dispensable for the assembly of higher-order oligomeric structures, they are unexpectedly involved in modulating protein secretion. When co-expressed, CTRP11 forms heteromeric complexes with closely related CTRP10, CTRP13, and CRF (CTRP14) via the C-terminal globular domains, combinatorial associations that potentially generate functionally distinct complexes. Functional studies revealed a role for CTRP11 in regulating adipogenesis. Ectopic expression of CTRP11 or exposure to recombinant protein inhibited differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and CAAT/enhancer binding protein-α, which drive the adipogenic gene program, was markedly suppressed by CTRP11. Impaired adipogenesis was caused by a CTRP11-mediated decrease in p42/44-MAPK signaling and inhibition of mitotic clonal expansion, a process essential for adipocyte differentiation in culture. These results implicate CTRP11 as a novel secreted regulator of adipogenesis and highlight the potential paracrine cross-talk between adipocytes and cells of the stromal vascular compartment in maintaining adipose tissue homeostasis.