Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Biologic Approach to the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Carcinoma Using Specimens Obtained by EUS-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration

We review the utility of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), a rapid, safe, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic modality for evaluating pancreatic tumors. EUS-FNA is currently used for the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic tumors. The sensitivity of EUS-FNA for pancreatic malignancy ranges from 75% to 94%, and its specificity approaches 100% in most studies. However, EUS-FNA has some limitations in the diagnosis of well-differentiated or early-stage cancers. Recent evidence suggests that molecular biological analysis using specimens obtained by EUS-FNA improves diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, especially in borderline cytological cases. It was also reported that additional information regarding patient response to chemotherapy, surgical resectability, time to metastasis, and overall survival was acquired from the genetic analysis of specimens obtained by EUS-FNA. Other studies have revealed that the analysis of KRAS, MUC, p53, p16, S100P, SMAD4, and microRNAs is helpful in making the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. In this paper, we describe the present state of genetic diagnostic techniques for use with EUS-FNA samples in pancreatic diseases. We also discuss the role of molecular biological analyses for the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.
A Paradigm for Non-head-driven Parsing: Parameterized Message-passing

The parsing component of previous principle-based parsers are ineecient since they tend to adopt a generate-and-test paradigm. We combine the beneets of a message-passing paradigm with the beneets of a parametric approach in the implementation of a parser that avoids overgener-ation and is easily ported to multiple languages. The algorithm has been implemented in C++ and successfully tested on well-known, translationally divergent sentences. We are currently incorporating the parser into a machine translation (MT) system called PRINCITRAN.
Expression and Clinical Significance of Livin Protein in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In this study, the two-step PV method of immunohistochemistry was used to determine livin protein expression in HCC tissues, pericarcinoma tissues, hepatitis/hepatic cirrhosis tissues, and normal hepatic tissues, and livin protein expression was detected in the blood plasma of patients with HCC before and after surgery, subjects with hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis, and healthy blood donors using ELISA. Livin protein expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues than that in normal hepatic tissues and hepatitis/hepatic cirrhosis tissues, with no significant difference between HCC tissues and pericarcinoma tissues. The HCC patients with positive livin protein expression had a significantly higher survival rate than those with negative livin protein expression. Livin protein expression was significantly higher in the blood plasma of patients with HCC before and after surgery and in patients with hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis than that in healthy blood donors, whereas livin protein expression in the blood plasma of patients with HCC was not significantly different from that of patients with hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis. Livin protein expression in HCC tissues did not correlate with that in the blood plasma of the same HCC patients. Livin protein expression may be a potential, effective indicator for assessing prognosis in patients with HCC.
A Limited Sampling Strategy to Estimate the Area Under the Concentration-Time Curve of Tacrolimus Modified-release Once-daily Preparation in Renal Transplant Recipients

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a limited sampling strategy to estimate the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of a modified-release, once-daily formulation of tacrolimus (Advagraf, Japanese trade name Graceptor) with Japanese renal transplant patients. Methods: Among the 43 enrolled patients, 23 patients continued to take Graceptor for 1 year. A total of 66 profiles on day 28 and day 365 from the 43 patients were randomly divided into a training group (N = 33) and a validation group (N = 33) without any overlap. Results: The prediction formula for the AUC0–24 using the single C12h time point gave the highest correlation with the observed AUC0–24 (r2 = 0.9057). When 2 sampling times were used, C0h–C12h were the best time points for the estimation of the AUC0–24 (AUC0–24 = 26.8 + 8.0C0h + 17.8C12h, r2 = 0.9221, P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the prediction error for the prediction formulas with the C0h–C12h combination between CYP3A5 genotypes. The % mean prediction error, % mean absolute error, and % root mean squared prediction error of the prediction formula using C0h–C12h were 0.1%, 7.6%, and 8.8%, respectively. Conclusions: In a hospital setting, a limited sampling strategy using C0h–C12h would be applicable to estimating the AUC0–24 of tacrolimus once daily.
Autocalibration of MEMS Accelerometers

In this paper, we present a novel procedure for the on-the-field autocalibration of triaxial micro accelerometers, which requires neither any equipment nor a controlled environment and allows increasing the accuracy of this kind of microsensor. The procedure exploits the fact that, in static conditions, the modulus of the accelerometer output vector matches that of the gravity acceleration. The calibration model incorporates the bias and scale factor for each axis and the cross-axis symmetrical factors. The parameters are computed through nonlinear optimization, which is solved in a very short time. The calibration procedure was quantitatively tested by comparing the orientation produced by MEMS with that measured by a motion capture system. Results show that the MEMS output, after the calibration procedure, is far more accurate with respect to the output obtained using factory calibration data and almost one order of magnitude more accurate with respect to using traditional calibration models.
The Effect of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition on Portal and Systemic Immunoreactivities of Gastrin, Glucagon and Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP)

To compare the effect of parenteral with enteral nutrition on gastroentero-pancreatic hormones, hypercaloric and hypocaloric nutrient preparations, commonly used clinically, were administered to rats either through cannulae in the jugular vein or gastrostomies. Control rats were fed orally ad libitum. Portal and aortic plasma was collected for radioimmunoassay with antibodies to C-terminal regions of gastrin and glucagon and to N-terminal-to-central regions of glucagon and VIP. Levels of all immunoreactivities were significantly lower in aortic than portal plasma. Apparent clearance of glucagon and gastrin by liver or lung or both was enhanced by administration of the hypercaloric nutrient intravenously. Only intragastric hypercaloric nutrition maintained levels of VIP immunoreactivity close to those of control rats. Intragastric administration of either preparation appeared to maintain adequate levels of gastrin. Differences in the levels of glucagon immunoreactivities may be related to the stimulatory effects of metabolites in the lower gut and pancreas.
Frequent structural chromosome aberrations in immotile human sperm exposed to culture media.

BACKGROUND The influence of culture media or centrifugation on chromosomes of immotile human sperm was examined using ICSI into mouse oocytes. METHODS In experiment 1, immotile and motile human sperm retrieved directly from ejaculates were injected into mouse oocytes. In experiment 2, immotile human sperm were exposed to seminal plasma or one of four kinds of culture media (HEPES-BWW, modified-BWW, modified-human tubal fluid (HTF) and Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline) for 1.5-2.5 h at 18 degrees C in air before microinjection. In experiment 3, immotile human sperm were centrifuged along with HEPES-BWW before microinjection. In experiment 4, frozen-thawed immotile human sperm washed with seminal plasma or HEPES-BWW were injected into mouse oocytes. The hybrid oocytes were prepared for chromosome slides at first cleavage metaphase and were then examined cytogenetically. RESULTS In experiment 1, there was no significant difference in the incidences of structural chromosome aberrations between motile and immotile sperm (4.3% versus 5.8%). In experiment 2, culture media caused more frequent structural chromosome aberrations (14.3-32.6%) in immotile sperm than did seminal plasma (5.4%). In experiment 3, structural chromosome aberrations were found in 48.1% of the centrifuged immotile sperm, and a live/dead sperm viability test intimated that the aberrant sperm were probably dead. In experiment 4, the incidence of structural chromosome aberrations in frozen-thawed immotile sperm was significantly higher in HEPES-BWW (62.2%) than in seminal plasma (17.2%). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that immotile sperm do not have significantly more DNA lesions than motile sperm, although DNA of immotile sperm appears to be vulnerable to damage caused by different culture media.
Corneal Infection Therapy with Topical Bacteriophage Administration

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen in bacterial keratitis, a vision-threatening disease. Although the incidence of S. aureus keratitis varies worldwide, the increasing trend of resistance to certain antibiotics makes this condition an important, global, healthcare concern. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman with nosocomial left-eye corneal abscess and interstitial keratitis.The patient then undergo topical Phage therapy with successful results.
A locality centred recommendation system combining CNM clustering technique with fuzzy preference tree-based ranking algorithm

The internet era has created highly favourable circumstances for business and online services. The need of getting personified recommendations from the increasing pile of information had forced researchers to build recommendation system. In most of the e-commerce websites, recommendation preferences are made by analysing user's behaviour, existing relevant information, browsing patterns, transactional data, item rating and by extracting information from social network profiles. Recommendations predicted from this kind of information can also go futile. Since many of the users gives irrelevant information and many change their views with changing in timely trends. In our work, we are concentrating on generating recommendations based on user's locality. Initially, offline clusterisation is done based on existing location data using CNM-algorithm. The cluster that corresponds to the user request is analysed, and fuzzy preference-based tree is constructed to generate recommendations.
Effects of controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics on functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals

Introduction: Controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics have recently been introduced into clinical practice. Clinical studies have indicated that these new therapies induce meaningful improvements in the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals. Areas covered: The present analysis makes an attempt to address the clinical relevance of these studies and their contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms of action of these new drugs. A Medline search was done using the keywords ‘antipsychotic', ‘plasma level', ‘quality of life' and ‘functioning'. Expert opinion: After reviewing the literature, it seems that symptom control and side effects may play a role in modulating the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals treated with controlled-release formulations of atypical antipsychotics. The analysis also highlights that these new drugs may possess peculiarities and similarities in regulating patient functioning. However, the low number of clinical analyses that have focused on these aspects of antipsychotic therapy limits the interpretation of the results. Additional comparative clinical trials are needed to evaluate how the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties of antipsychotic drugs may modulate the functioning and quality of life of schizophrenic individuals, as well as to establish whether new clinical benefits may come from the use of these drugs in schizophrenia therapy.
Study on the Identity Authentication System on Finger Vein

With the development and progress of society, how to recognise human identity and protect information security is a social key problem that must be solved in current information age. Therefor, according to the stucture features of human finger vein image, from the secure and practical angle, the identity authentication system on CCD finger vein has been developed. This paper introduces the general system structure and its work principle, the process of figure vein feactures extraction in detail. The experiment results show that this system has higher accuracy. Its all misrecognition ratio is 1% and its accuracy rate is 99%. It is worth extending and applying.
Self-Efficacy: A Key to Improving the Motivation of Struggling Learners

Abstract Many struggling learners resist academics because they have low rather than high self-efficacy for academics. Such students give up or avoid tasks similar to those previously failed. A key to reversing that perspective—to getting struggling learners with low self-efficacy to invest sufficient effort, to persist on tasks, to work to overcome difficulties, to take on increasingly challenging tasks, and to develop interest in academics—is for teachers to systematically stress the development of high self-efficacy. In this article, the authors explain how teachers can strengthen struggling learners' self-efficacy and increase their motivation for school work.
A duty of care: non-drinkers and alcohol related harm among an Australian university sample

Studies documenting the harm associated with excessive drinking amongst university students are numerous. Fewer studies have explored the experience of non-drinkers in the university setting. In 2008, 826 students aged 18–29 years responded to an online survey aiming to investigate alcohol use and alcohol related harm at an Australian university. In addition, focus groups were conducted with drinkers and non-drinkers exploring their experience of alcohol exposure at university. This paper reports on the reasons students choose not to drink alcohol and on alcohol related harm witnessed or experienced by non-drinkers and drinkers. The results indicated that most non-drinkers reported health concerns as the main reason for not drinking and reported witnessing a range of alcohol related harm including disturbances to sleep, property damage, verbal abuse, driving after drinking and intimidation of international students. The paper discusses the duty of care implications for university administrators.
Factors Influencing Persistence Among Nontraditional University Students

One third of undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities are considered nontraditional as defined by the single criterion of being aged 25 years and older. Nontraditional students have significantly lower graduation rates than traditional students. Using a role theory perspective this mixed-methods study examines the factors influencing persistence among a sample of 494 nontraditional men and women undergraduates attending a large public university in the southeastern United States. In this study, persistence rates did not differ between men and women although the factors influencing persistence did. Grade point average and confidence in graduating positively influenced persistence for both men and women. Women enrolled part-time were more likely to persist than those enrolled full-time. Although interrole conflict leads many women to consider withdrawing from school, most do not. Instead they exhibit a will to persist that enables them to overcome obstacles and ultimately graduate.
Development of a Fall Detecting System for the Elderly Residents

Accidental falls are common causes of serious injury and health threats in the elder population. To deliver adequate medical support, the robust and immediate falls detection is important. Since the fall detection in the elderly remains a major challenge in the public health domain, effective fall-detection will provide urgent support and dramatically reduce the cost of medical care. In this work, we propose a fall-detecting system placing an accelerometer on the head level and using an algorithm to distinguish between falls and daily activities. The experimental results have demonstrated the proposed scheme with high reliability and sensitivity on fall detection. The system is not only cost effectively but also potable. It fulfills the requirements of fall detection.
Relationship between serum uric acid concentration, metabolic syndrome and carotid atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a useful surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease. Associations between hyperuricemia, metabolic syndrome and carotid IMT have been reported, but few of the studies have been conducted in a Japanese population. METHODS A total of 1,128 subjects (498 men aged, 68+/-14 years and 630 women aged 72+/-12 years) were divided into 4 groups according to serum uric acid (SUA) quartiles. We first investigated the association between SUA concentrations and metabolic syndrome; then, we assessed whether there is an independent association of SUA with carotid IMT in a population subdivided according to gender and metabolic syndrome status. RESULTS In women, the prevalence of visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome were significantly increased with increased SUA quartiles, but not in men. After adjusting for age, smoking status, LDL-cholesterol, creatinine and history of diabetes mellitus, the odds ratios (95% CI) of sex-specific quartiles of SUA for metabolic syndrome were 1.0, 1.37 (0.79-2.37), 1.37 (0.79-2.38), and 1.80 (1.03-3.15) in men, and 1.0, 1.04 (0.56-1.94), 2.35 (1.30-4.22), and 2.20 (1.16-4.20) in women. After adjusting for various known risk factors, the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis (IMT> or =1.0 mm) was higher in subjects in the second, third and fourth quartiles of SUA concentration with odds ratios (95% CI) of 2.41 (1.08-5.37), 3.33 (1.49-7.42), and 2.73 (1.17-6.35), respectively in men without metabolic syndrome but not in men with metabolic syndrome or in women with or without metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly increased according to SUA values only in women. In men without metabolic syndrome, SUA was found to be an independent risk factor for incidence of carotid atherosclerosis.
Australian academics and transnational teaching: an exploratory study of their preparedness and experiences

Australia is now the third largest provider of education to overseas students. Between 1994 and 2000 the number of overseas students taught by Australian universities increased by 150% to 107,622. It is estimated that 41% of the recent growth in international education has been in offshore enrolments, with each of Australia’s 38 universities now providing offshore education. This paper reviews recent Australian literature on transnational teaching and presents an overview of a study with academics who teach transnationally and who are drawn from nine Australian universities. The study covers the professional development and teaching experiences of these academics and their perceptions of the induction/orientation and ongoing professional development needed to support the delivery of quality trans‐cultural education offshore.
New Bit Reduction of Vector Quantization Using Block Prediction and Relative Addressing

A low bit rate image coding scheme based on vector quantization is proposed. In this scheme, the block prediction coding and the relative addressing techniques are employed to cut down the required bit rate of vector quantization. In block prediction coding, neighboring encoded blocks are taken to compress the current block if a high degree of similarity between them is existed. In the relative addressing technique, the redundancy among neighboring indices are exploited to reduce the bit rate. From the results, it is shown that the proposed scheme significantly reduces the bit rate of VQ while keeping good image quality of compressed images.
Striking the Right Chord: Signaling Enigma during Root Gravitropism

Plants being sessile can often be judged as passive acceptors of their environment. However, plants are actually even more active in responding to the factors from their surroundings. Plants do not have eyes, ears or vestibular system like animals, still they “know” which way is up and which way is down? This is facilitated by receptor molecules within plant which perceive changes in internal and external conditions such as light, touch, obstacles; and initiate signaling pathways that enable the plant to react. Plant responses that involve a definite and specific movement are called “tropic” responses. Perhaps the best known and studied tropisms are phototropism, i.e., response to light, and geotropism, i.e., response to gravity. A robust root system is vital for plant growth as it can provide physical anchorage to soil as well as absorb water, nutrients and essential minerals from soil efficiently. Gravitropic responses of both primary as well as lateral root thus become critical for plant growth and development. The molecular mechanisms of root gravitropism has been delved intensively, however, the mechanism behind how the potential energy of gravity stimulus converts into a biochemical signal in vascular plants is still unknown, due to which gravity sensing in plants still remains one of the most fascinating questions in molecular biology. Communications within plants occur through phytohormones and other chemical substances produced in plants which have a developmental or physiological effect on growth. Here, we review current knowledge of various intrinsic signaling mechanisms that modulate root gravitropism in order to point out the questions and emerging developments in plant directional growth responses. We are also discussing the roles of sugar signals and their interaction with phytohormone machinery, specifically in context of root directional responses.