Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recommendations and Choices for BRCA Mutation Carriers at Risk for Ovarian Cancer: A Complicated Decision

Current ovarian cancer screening guidelines in high-risk women vary according to different organizations. Risk reducing surgery remains the gold standard for definitive treatment in BRCA mutation carriers, but research advancements have created more short-term options for patients to consider. The decisions involved in how a woman manages her BRCA mutation status can cause a great deal of stress and worry due to the imperfect therapy options. The goal of this review was to critically analyze the screening recommendations and alternative options for high-risk ovarian cancer patients and evaluate how these discrepancies and choices affect a woman’s management decisions.
The impact on long term health outcomes for STEMI patients during a period of process change to reduce door to balloon time

Background: Guidelines for the management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) recommend a ‘door to balloon time’ (DTBT) within 90 minutes. It is unclear whether strategies to reduce DTBT translate to improved longer-term health outcomes for STEMI patients. Aims: This study sought to determine whether implemented strategies to improve timely management of STEMI reduced DTBT and impacted upon health outcomes such as length of stay, unplanned readmission and 12-month mortality. Predictors of timely management for STEMI were also examined. Methods: A five-year review was undertaken on primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI in one tertiary hospital. Comparisons were made between process change groups and DTBT. Logistic regression identified predictors of timely management. Results: 470 STEMI patients underwent immediate primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Process change improved the median DTBT (109 min vs. 72 min, p<0.001) with no significant effect on length of stay (p=0.83), unplanned cardiac readmissions (p=0.68) or 12-month mortality (9.0% vs. 8.6%, p=0.64). Those receiving timely treatment (i.e. DTBT< 90 min) were younger (p<0.05), male (p<0.03), presented via ambulance (p<0.004), during business hours (p<0.0001) and had a lower Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction score (p<0.006). Timely treatment was associated with lower 12-month mortality (3.7% vs. 15.7%, p<0.0001) and increased uptake of inpatient cardiac rehabilitation (p<0.005), with length of stay and unplanned readmission similar between groups (p=NS). Conclusions: Process changes improved DTBT but had no effect on length of stay, readmission rate or 12-month mortality. Yet, timely management was critical to 12-month outcomes. Further studies are required to explore the barriers to timely treatment.
G protein-coupled receptor-receptor interactions give integrative dynamics to intercellular communication

Abstract The proposal of receptor-receptor interactions (RRIs) in the early 1980s broadened the view on the role of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in the dynamics of the intercellular communication. RRIs, indeed, allow GPCR to operate not only as monomers but also as receptor complexes, in which the integration of the incoming signals depends on the number, spatial arrangement, and order of activation of the protomers forming the complex. The main biochemical mechanisms controlling the functional interplay of GPCR in the receptor complexes are direct allosteric interactions between protomer domains. The formation of these macromolecular assemblies has several physiologic implications in terms of the modulation of the signaling pathways and interaction with other membrane proteins. It also impacts on the emerging field of connectomics, as it contributes to set and tune the synaptic strength. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that the transfer of GPCR and GPCR complexes between cells via the exosome pathway could enable the target cells to recognize/decode transmitters and/or modulators for which they did not express the pertinent receptors. Thus, this process may also open the possibility of a new type of redeployment of neural circuits. The fundamental aspects of GPCR complex formation and function are the focus of the present review article.
Spatio-temporal context kernel for activity recognition

Local space-time features and bag-of-feature (BOF) representation are often used for action recognition in previous approaches. For complicated human activities, however, the limitation of these approaches blows up because of the local properties of features and the lack of context. This paper addresses the problem by exploiting the spatio-temporal context information between features. We first define a spatio-temporal context, which combines the scale invariant spatio-temporal neighberhood of local features with the spatio-temporal relationships between them. Then, we introduce a spatio-temporal context kernel (STCK), which not only takes into account the local properties of features but also considers their spatial and temporal context information. STCK has a promising generalization property and can be plugged into SVMs for activities recognition. The experimental results on challenging activity datasets show that, compared to context-free model, the spatio-temporal context kernel improves the recognition performance.
A Gabor feature fusion framework for hyperspectral imagery classification

Hyperspectral imagery acquired by a hyperspectral sensor contains hundreds of narrow contiguous spectral bands, providing the opportunity to identify the various materials present on the surface. Due to the three-dimensional (3D) nature of hyperspectral data, 3D filters that could extract joint spatial-spectral features have been recently considered in the literature. In this paper, after the 3D Gabor features with certain orientations have been extracted from the raw hyperspectral image data, both the Gabor magnitude and phase features have been used for hyperspectral imagery classification, which is named as Gabor-MP. Specifically, the confidence score of each test sample is computed by support vector machine for each Gabor magnitude feature cube, while the Hamming distance is calculated based on the quadrant bit coding of each Gabor phase feature cube. Then the label of the test sample is identified by simple calculation between the confidence scores and Hamming distance values. Experimental results on two real hyperspectral data have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed Gabor feature fusion framework for hyperspectral imagery classification.
Quantum Interfaces Between Atomic and Solid-State Systems

We discuss interfacing trapped atomic systems with solid-state systems such as superconducting Josephson-junction devices or nanomechanical oscillators. Such hybrid quantum systems could ease scalable quantum information processing and yield novel and profound insight into the quantum mechanics of macroscopic quantum many-body systems. We review the relevant interactions and illuminate the role of the vastly differing impedance of atomic and solid-state systems. We give some basic guidelines toward combining quantum systems, and finally, discuss some concrete proposals to interface atomic with solid-state systems.
On Ehrhart Polynomials of Lattice Triangles

The Ehrhart polynomial of a lattice polygon P is completely determined by the pair (b(P),i(P)) where b(P) equals the number of lattice points on the boundary and i(P) equals the number of interior lattice points. All possible pairs (b(P),i(P)) are completely described by a theorem due to Scott. In this note, we describe the shape of the set of pairs (b(T),i(T)) for lattice triangles T by finding infinitely many new Scott-type inequalities.
Comparative Study: Face Recognition via the Correlation Filter Technique

Face recognition attracts much attention in various applications due to its non-intrusive nature and the widespread availability of digital cameras. Recently, the benefits of using spatial frequency domain representations for face recognition have drawn great interests from the computer vision and pattern recognition community. In this paper, we present a comparative study by using the correlation filter (CF) technique in the application of face recognition. We overview some representative correlation filters (CFs) proposed recently and analyze their respective pros and cons. Experiments using different types of CFs with different training parameters are conducted on public face databases to investigate the overall performance of the CF-based face recognition methods. The observations based on these experiments are expected to provide widely applicable guidelines for designing the face recognition systems via the CF technique.
Large-Eddy Simulation of Post-Cold-Frontal Continental Stratocumulus

Previous large-eddy simulations (LES) of stratocumulus-topped boundary layers have been exclusively set in marine environments. Boundary layer stratocumulus clouds are also prevalent over the continent but have not been simulated previously. A suite of LES runs was performed for a case of continental post-cold-frontal stratocumulus observed by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF), located in northern Oklahoma. Comparison with fixed, ground-based sensors necessitated an Eulerian approach in which it was necessary to supply to the model estimates of synoptic-scale advection and vertical motion, particularly given the quickly evolving, baroclinic nature of the synoptic environment. Initial analyses from the Rapid Update Cycle model supplied estimates for these forcing terms. Turbulent statistics calculated from the LES results are consistent with large-eddy observations obtained from millimeter-wave cloud radar. The magnitude of turbulence is weaker than in typical marine stratocumulus, a result attributed to highly decoupled cloud and subcloud circulations associated with a deep layer of negative buoyancy flux arising from the entrainment of warm, free-tropospheric air. Model results are highly sensitive to variations in advection of temperature and moisture and much less sensitive to changes in synoptic-scale vertical velocity and surface fluxes. For this case, moisture and temperature advection, rather than entrainment, tend to be the governing factors in the analyzed cloud system maintenance and decay. Typical boundary layer entrainment scalings applied to this case do not perform very well, a result attributed to the highly decoupled nature of the circulation. Shear production is an important part of the turbulent kinetic energy budget. The dominance of advection provides an optimistic outlook for mesoscale, numerical weather prediction, and climate models because these classes of models represent these grid-scale processes better than they do subgrid-scale processes such as entrainment.
Colonic microbiota can promote rapid local improvement of murine colitis by thioguanine independently of T lymphocytes and host metabolism

Objective Mercaptopurine (MP) and pro-drug azathioprine are ‘first-line’ oral therapies for maintaining remission in IBD. It is believed that their pharmacodynamic action is due to a slow cumulative decrease in activated lymphocytes homing to inflamed gut. We examined the role of host metabolism, lymphocytes and microbiome for the amelioration of colitis by the related thioguanine (TG). Design C57Bl/6 mice with or without specific genes altered to elucidate mechanisms responsible for TG's actions were treated daily with oral or intrarectal TG, MP or water. Disease activity was scored daily. At sacrifice, colonic histology, cytokine message, caecal luminal and mucosal microbiomes were analysed. Results Oral and intrarectal TG but not MP rapidly ameliorated spontaneous chronic colitis in Winnie mice (point mutation in Muc2 secretory mucin). TG ameliorated dextran sodium sulfate-induced chronic colitis in wild-type (WT) mice and in mice lacking T and B lymphocytes. Remarkably, colitis improved without immunosuppressive effects in the absence of host hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt)-mediated conversion of TG to active drug, the thioguanine nucleotides (TGN). Colonic bacteria converted TG and less so MP to TGN, consistent with intestinal bacterial conversion of TG to so reduce inflammation in the mice lacking host Hprt. TG rapidly induced autophagic flux in epithelial, macrophage and WT but not Hprt−/− fibroblast cell lines and augmented epithelial intracellular bacterial killing. Conclusions Treatment by TG is not necessarily dependent on the adaptive immune system. TG is a more efficacious treatment than MP in Winnie spontaneous colitis. Rapid local bacterial conversion of TG correlated with decreased intestinal inflammation and immune activation.
The Profile of a Smoker and Its Impact on Outcomes After Cervical Spine Surgery.

S moking has been associatedwith worse selfreported outcomes and less improvement in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Consequently, smoking is identified as a significant risk factor for complications after spine surgery. Tobacco use has been associated with pathophysiology of poor tissue healing and lower fusion rates after lumbar spine surgery. Retrospective studies have suggested that smoking status could be a valuable predictor of outcomes, equally as important as preoperative severity and duration of symptoms. Historically, smoking patients admitted for spinal disease have worse outcome, increased complications, and higher costs than nonsmokers. Current focus is on decreasing cost and complications while improving outcomes. This potentially can be accomplished by acting on modifiable preoperative patient characteristics such as smoking. Despite conflicting studies suggesting no differences in fusion rates for 1level anterior cervical fusion and posterior fusion, the impact of smoking on outcomes after cervical spine surgery is poorly understood. A history of smoking before cervical spine surgery has been associated with higher postoperative arm pain, suggesting that it could be a risk factor for worse patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Studies have suggested that smoking is a preoperative predictor for low patient satisfaction after lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, promoting the idea that the smoking population is prone to worse outcomes and complications. No prior studies have done a detailed analysis of the smoking population undergoing cervical spine surgery and its outcome independently of the diagnosis and surgery performed. Therefore, it is important to further characterize this population to improve expectations after cervical spine surgery. The aim of this study is to prospectively examine the relationship between smoking and outcomes after degenerative cervical spine surgery. We intend to establish intrinsic patient characteristics in the smoking population and their consequences on outcomes. METHODS
A controlled trial of long-term inhaled hypertonic saline in patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND Inhaled hypertonic saline acutely increases mucociliary clearance and, in short-term trials, improves lung function in people with cystic fibrosis. We tested the safety and efficacy of inhaled hypertonic saline in a long-term trial. METHODS In this double-blind, parallel-group trial, 164 patients with stable cystic fibrosis who were at least six years old were randomly assigned to inhale 4 ml of either 7 percent hypertonic saline or 0.9 percent (control) saline twice daily for 48 weeks, with quinine sulfate (0.25 mg per milliliter) added to each solution to mask the taste. A bronchodilator was given before each dose, and other standard therapies were continued during the trial. RESULTS The primary outcome measure, the rate of change (slope) in lung function (reflected by the forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], and forced expiratory flow at 25 to 75 percent of FVC [FEF25-75]) during the 48 weeks of treatment, did not differ significantly between groups (P=0.79). However, the absolute difference in lung function between groups was significant (P=0.03) when averaged across all post-randomization visits in the 48-week treatment period. As compared with the control group, the hypertonic-saline group had significantly higher FVC (by 82 ml; 95 percent confidence interval, 12 to 153) and FEV1 (by 68 ml; 95 percent confidence interval, 3 to 132) values, but similar FEF25-75 values. The hypertonic-saline group also had significantly fewer pulmonary exacerbations (relative reduction, 56 percent; P=0.02) and a significantly higher percentage of patients without exacerbations (76 percent, as compared with 62 percent in the control group; P=0.03). Hypertonic saline was not associated with worsening bacterial infection or inflammation. CONCLUSIONS Hypertonic saline preceded by a bronchodilator is an inexpensive, safe, and effective additional therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00271310.)
Preoperative Predictive Factors for Parathyroid Carcinoma in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

This study was conducted to review the clinical characteristics of parathyroid carcinoma (PC) and to evaluate potential preoperative predictive factors for PC in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). We performed a retrospective review of electronic medical records of 194 patients with pathologically confirmed PHPT in affiliated teaching hospitals of Seoul National University from January 2000 to March 2011. Adenoma was diagnosed in 171 patients, hyperplasia in 12, and carcinoma in 11. Several biochemical measurements were higher in patients with PC than in patients with benign disease, including serum total calcium (P < 0.001), intact parathyroid hormone (P = 0.003), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.001). Tumors were larger in PC than in benign disease (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that serum ALP level (P < 0.001) and tumor size were associated with PC (P = 0.03). Tumor size and serum ALP level were evaluated as preoperative predictive factors for PC using ROC analyses: a tumor size of 3.0 cm (sensitivity 90.9%, specificity 92.1%) and serum ALP level of 285 IU/L (83.3%, 97.0%) had predictive value for the diagnosis of PC in patients with PHPT. In conclusion, elevated serum ALP and a large parathyroid mass at the time of diagnosis can be helpful to predict PC in patients with PHPT.
Radically open DBT: Targeting emotional loneliness in Anorexia Nervosa

ABSTRACT This article conceptualizes Anorexia Nervosa (AN) as a prototypical overcontrolled disorder, characterized by low receptivity and openness, low flexible control, pervasive inhibited emotional expressiveness, low emotional awareness, and low social connectedness and intimacy with others. As a result, individuals with AN often report high levels of emotional loneliness. A new evidence-based treatment, Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), and its underlying neuroregulatory theory, offer a novel way of understanding how self-starvation and social signaling deficits are used as maladaptive regulation strategies to reduce negative affect. RO-DBT proposes that rather than trying to be ‘emotionally regulated’ or achieving equanimity, long-term psychological well-being is achieved by increasing social connectedness. RO-DBT skills, including body posture, gestures, and facial expressions, activate brain regions that increase social safety responses that function to automatically enhance the open-minded and flexible social-signaling, which are crucial for establishing long-term intimate bonds with others and becoming part of a “tribe. ”
Ontology-based semantic clustering

This thesis presents novel measures to estimate the degree of semantic similarity between words using one or more knowledge sources. Several evaluations show that they improve the accuracy of related works. These measures have been applied to clustering to compute the similarity/distance between individuals described by textual attributes. Clustering results show that a proper interpretation of textual data at a semantic level improves the quality of the clusters and ease their interpretation.
Diagnosing acute HIV infection at point of care: a retrospective analysis of the sensitivity and specificity of a fourth-generation point-of-care test for detection of HIV core protein p24

Objectives Detection of acute HIV infection is vital in preventing onward transmission. HIV point-of-care testing (POCT) has improved uptake of HIV testing but has been limited to third-generation assays, which only detect chronic HIV infection. Previous evaluation of the fourth-generation Alere Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo POCT showed only 50% sensitivity for HIV core protein p24 (p24 antigen) detection, which is suboptimal for diagnosis of acute HIV infection with limited advantage over third-generation POCT. We aimed to assess the sensitivity of the new Alere HIV Combo POCT to detect acute HIV infection. Methods Stored samples in samples already identified as p24-positive using standard-of-care fourth-generation assays were randomly selected alongside groups of antibody-positive samples and HIV-negative samples. Each sample was tested using the new Alere POCT according to manufacturer's instructions. Sensitivity and specificity were then calculated. Results The Alere HIV Combo POCT test demonstrated 88% sensitivity 95% CI (78% to 98%) and 100% specificity 95% CI (99.7% to 100%) for detection of p24 antigen. Conclusions This new POCT shows improved sensitivity for detection of p24 antigen and may be of value for clinical use in detecting acute HIV infection. Further evaluation of its use in a clinical setting is still required.
Imaging gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors to identify point defects

Abstract : The purpose of this thesis is to streamline the sample preparation procedure to maximize the yield of successful samples to be analyzed chemically in an energy dispersive spectrometry detector. The secondary objective of this work is to identify the specific chemical elements needed to ascertain trends in stressing nickel/gold and platinum/gold gated high electron mobility transistors (HEMT). We analyze unstressed devices near the hetero-epitaxial layers to ascertain any inconsistencies due to processing defects. Results show it is possible to identify areas of electrical stress-induced diffusion and point defect creation. Identification of these trends will assist in the improvement of gallium nitride HEMT fabrication processes leading to the development of more reliable devices.