Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
False positive reduction of pulmonary nodules using three-channel samples

We propose a novel method for false positive reduction of pulmonary nodules using three-channel samples with different average thickness. A three-channel sample contains a patch centered on the candidate point as well as two patches at the k-th slice above and below the candidate point. Three-channel samples include rich spatial contextual information of pulmonary nodules, and can be trained with a low computational and storage requirement. The convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are constructed and optimized as the feature extractor and classifier of candidates in our study. A fusion method is proposed for fusing multiple prediction results of each candidate. Our method reports high sensitivities of 84.8% and 91.4% at 4 and 8 false positives per scan respectively on 888 CT scans released by the LUNA16 Challenge. The experimental results show that our method significantly reduces false positives in pulmonary nodule detection.
Inflammatory Stimuli Trigger Increased Androgen Production and Shifts in Gene Expression in Theca-Interstitial Cells.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disorder characterized by theca cell hyperplasia and excessive androgen production. A growing body of evidence points to a close association between PCOS and low-grade chronic systemic inflammation, but the mechanistic basis for this linkage is not known. To investigate this, we evaluated the effects of the inflammatory agents, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), on rat theca-interstitial cells (TICs). We found that incubation with either LPS or IL-1ß elicited a dose-dependent increase in both TIC viability and androgen production. Using RNA-sequencing (seq) analysis, we found that both of these inflammatory agents also triggered profound and widespread shifts in gene expression. Using a stringent statistical cut-off, LPS and IL-1ß elicited differential expression of 5201 and 5953 genes, respectively. Among the genes upregulated by both LPS and IL-1ß were key regulatory genes involved in the cholesterol and androgen biosynthesis pathways, including Cyp17a1, Cyp11a1, Hsd3b and Hmgcr. This provides a molecular explanation for the mechanism of action of inflammatory agents leading to increased androgen production. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis revealed that both LPS and IL-1ß regulated genes highly enriched for many common functions, including the immune response and apoptosis. However, a large number of genes (2222) were also uniquely regulated by LPS and IL-1ß, indicating that these inflammatory mediators have significant differences in their mechanism of action. Together, these findings highlight potential molecular mechanisms through which chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of androgen excess in PCOS.
Accuracy of Intraocular Lens Power Calculation Using Anterior Chamber Depth from Two Devices with Barrett Universal II Formula

Purpose To compare the preoperative measurements of the anterior chamber depth (ACD) by the IOLMaster and Catalys; additionally, to compare the accuracy of the IOL power calculated by the Barrett Universal II formula using the two different measurements. Setting University of California, Irvine, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute in Irvine, California. Design Retrospective comparative study. Methods This study included 144 eyes of 90 patients with a mean age of 72.0 years (range 40.8 to 92.1 years) that underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery using Catalys. Preoperative measurements of ACD were taken by the IOLMaster and Catalys. Manifest refraction and refractive spherical equivalent were measured 1 month postoperatively. Expected refractive results were compared with actual postoperative refractive results. Results The correlation between the ACD values from the two devices was good (r = 0.80). The Catalys ACD measurements yielded a larger ACD compared to the IOLMaster, with a mean difference of 0.22 mm (P < 0.0001). The correlation between the postoperative and predicted RSE of the implanted IOL power was excellent (r = 0.96). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean absolute error derived from the IOLMaster, 0.37 diopter (D) ± 0.34 (SD), and the Catalys, 0.37 ± 0.35 D (P=0.50). Conclusions The Catalys biometry yielded a significantly larger ACD value than the IOLMaster. This difference in ACD value, however, did not reflect in a statistically significant difference in IOL power calculation and refractive prediction error using the Barrett Universal II Formula.
Method for reducing radiation generated by synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)

The invention discloses a method for reducing the radiation generated by a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), solving the technical problem of reducing the radiation generated when the SDRAM and other processor chips are connected and wired. The invention adopts the technical scheme as follows: a clock signal pin, a control signal pin and an address signal pin between the SDRAM anda processor chip are connected in a matching manner, and a data signal pin between the SDRAM and the processor chip is connected with a wire through hole through at least two layers of distributed metal wires. The wiring method is characterized in that the data signal pins between the SDRAM and the processor chip are correspondingly connected through of parallel metal wires at the same one wiringlayer according to the physical positions corresponding to the pins, and then a translation process is carried out on the data pin coding sequence through translation management software, thereby thecorrectness of saving and reading data is ensured. The invention has the advantages of ensuring the data signal lines to be distributed in the same wiring layer in parallel, reducing the number of wire through holes, guaranteeing the completeness of the ground level, and efficiently reducing the radiation situation of the SDRAM simultaneously with low cost.
SIX1 Regulates Aberrant Endometrial Epithelial Cell Differentiation and Cancer Latency Following Developmental Estrogenic Chemical Exposure

Early-life exposure to estrogenic chemicals can increase cancer risk, likely by disrupting normal patterns of cellular differentiation. Female mice exposed neonatally to the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) develop metaplastic and neoplastic uterine changes as adults. Abnormal endometrial glands express the oncofetal protein sine oculis homeobox 1 (SIX1) and contain cells with basal [cytokeratin (CK)14+/18−] and poorly differentiated features (CK14+/18+), strongly associating SIX1 with aberrant differentiation and cancer. Here, we tested whether SIX1 expression is necessary for abnormal endometrial differentiation and DES-induced carcinogenesis by using Pgr-cre to generate conditional knockout mice lacking uterine Six1 (Six1d/d). Interestingly, corn oil (CO) vehicle-treated Six1d/d mice develop focal endometrial glandular dysplasia and features of carcinoma in situ as compared with CO wild-type Six1 (Six1+/+) mice. Furthermore, Six1d/d mice neonatally exposed to DES had a 42% higher incidence of endometrial cancer relative to DES Six1+/+ mice. Although DES Six1d/d mice had >10-fold fewer CK14+/18− basal cells within the uterine horns as compared with DES Six1+/+ mice, the appearance of CK14+/18+ cells remained a feature of neoplastic lesions. These findings suggest that SIX1 is required for normal endometrial epithelial differentiation, CK14+/18+ cells act as a cancer progenitor population, and SIX1 delays DES-induced endometrial carcinogenesis by promoting basal differentiation of CK14+/18+ cells. In human endometrial biopsies, 35% of malignancies showed CK14+/18+ expression, which positively correlated with tumor stage and grade and was not present in normal endometrium. Implications: Aberrant epithelial differentiation is a key feature in both the DES mouse model of endometrial cancer and human endometrial cancer. The association of CK14+/18+ cells with human endometrial cancer provides a novel cancer biomarker and could lead to new therapeutic strategies.
One hundred tweets from library land: A case study of RMIT University Library (academic library) and State Library of Victoria (public state library) in Australia

Twitter is used by different library types to communicate and engage with their community. This case study focuses on content choices in tweets and the level of engagement generated, in the context of two different types of library. The current study attempts to examine the contents of Library Twitter account of two libraries (academic and public) with the aim of evaluating in a comparative mode, their themes and levels of user engagement. This research used a mixed method research approach. For quantitative approach, this study analyzed 100 Tweets from each library, i.e. RMIT University Library and State Library of Victoria. Also, the study analyzed a number of tweets and levels of engagement by recording numbers of likes, replies and retweets. The qualitative aspect analyzed each Tweet to determine engagement level and type of content shared by each library. The results demonstrate that the public and academic libraries publish different types of content. The varied nature, audience and mandate of each library appear to influence the focus of their tweets. Also, the results show that the level of engagement is a factor of the numbers of tweets in any theme. The limitation of this study is the data set contained only 100 tweets for each library. Moreover, the number of users and registered library accounts had probably increased since the study was conducted.
Advances in the Development of Non-steroidal Mineralocorticoid-receptor Antagonists

Aldosterone plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure, body fluid, and electrolyte homeostasis. Overactivation of aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) pathway leads to hypertension, atherosclerosis, vascular damage, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease and is involved in many other diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic disorders. Aldosterone is a final product of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and its production is activated by angiotensin II, while angiotensin-(1–7) negatively regulates angiotensin II-mediated aldosterone production and in some experimental models inhibits aldosterone-induced damage in target tissues. In fact, the aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent pathway is regulated upstream by at least two major axes of RAAS: classical axis (ACE/Ang II) and nonclassical axis (ACE2/Ang-(1–7)). The relative balance between these two axes determines aldosterone production and activity. To better understand the regulation of aldosterone activity in physiology and diseases, it is important to analyze the role of aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent pathways in the context of upstream angiotensin pathways as some of the recently described mechanisms of RAAS represent possible novel upstream targets to inhibit aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent responses. In this review, we highlight the complexity of angiotensin pathways focusing on their role in various tissues in heart failure, with particular emphasis on nonclassical pathways including protective ACE2/Ang-(1–7) axis and detrimental Ang-(1–12)/chymase/Ang II axis.
Exposure to waterborne nTiO2 reduces fertilization success and increases polyspermy in a bivalve mollusc: A threat to population recruitment.

Fertilization success is crucial for the population recruitment of an organism. However, little is known about the threat of nanoparticles to the fertilization of broadcast spawners. Therefore, the effects of nTiO2 on fertilization success, polyspermy rate, sperm velocity, gametic DNA damage, sperm-egg collision probability, gamete fusion and oocytes ultra-structure were investigated in a broadcast spawning bivalve, Tegillarca granosa. Results obtained show that fertilization success significantly decreased, whereas polyspermy risk markedly increased upon nTiO2 exposure. In addition, nTiO2 exposure led to a significant reduction in sperm swimming velocity, which would subsequently constrain gamete collisions. In addition, nTiO2 exposure resulted in a significant decline in gamete fusion per collision along with aggravated DNA damage in gametes. Furthermore, ultra-structural analysis illustrated that nTiO2 attaching to oocyte surface and subsequently resulting in microvillus disassociation and plasma membrane damage. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest a significant threat from NP pollution to the recruitment of broadcast spawning invertebrates.
SERIES: eHealth in primary care. Part 1: Concepts, conditions and challenges

Abstract Primary care is challenged to provide high quality, accessible and affordable care for an increasingly ageing, complex, and multimorbid population. To counter these challenges, primary care professionals need to take up new and innovative practices, including eHealth. eHealth applications hold the promise to overcome some difficulties encountered in the care of people with complex medical and social needs in primary care. However, many unanswered questions regarding (cost) effectiveness, integration with healthcare, and acceptability to patients, caregivers, and professionals remain to be elucidated. What conditions need to be met? What challenges need to be overcome? What downsides must be dealt with? This first paper in a series on eHealth in primary care introduces basic concepts and examines opportunities for the uptake of eHealth in primary care. We illustrate that although the potential of eHealth in primary care is high, several conditions need to be met to ensure that safe and high-quality eHealth is developed for and implemented in primary care. eHealth research needs to be optimized; ensuring evidence-based eHealth is available. Blended care, i.e. combining face-to-face care with remote options, personalized to the individual patient should be considered. Stakeholders need to be involved in the development and implementation of eHealth via co-creation processes, and design should be mindful of vulnerable groups and eHealth illiteracy. Furthermore, a global perspective on eHealth should be adopted, and eHealth ethics, patients’ safety and privacy considered.
Stairway to translocation: AAA+ motor structures reveal the mechanisms of ATP‐dependent substrate translocation

Translocases of the AAA+ (ATPases Associated with various cellular Activities) family are powerful molecular machines that use the mechano‐chemical coupling of ATP hydrolysis and conformational changes to thread DNA or protein substrates through their central channel for many important biological processes. These motors comprise hexameric rings of ATPase subunits, in which highly conserved nucleotide‐binding domains form active‐site pockets near the subunit interfaces and aromatic pore‐loop residues extend into the central channel for substrate binding and mechanical pulling. Over the past 2 years, 41 cryo‐EM structures have been solved for substrate‐bound AAA+ translocases that revealed spiral‐staircase arrangements of pore‐loop residues surrounding substrate polypeptides and indicating a conserved hand‐over‐hand mechanism for translocation. The subunits' vertical positions within the spiral arrangements appear to be correlated with their nucleotide states, progressing from ATP‐bound at the top to ADP or apo states at the bottom. Studies describing multiple conformations for a particular motor illustrate the potential coupling between ATP‐hydrolysis steps and subunit movements to propel the substrate. Experiments with double‐ring, Type II AAA+ motors revealed an offset of hydrolysis steps between the two ATPase domains of individual subunits, and the upper ATPase domains lacking aromatic pore loops frequently form planar rings. This review summarizes the critical advances provided by recent studies to our structural and functional understanding of hexameric AAA+ translocases, as well as the important outstanding questions regarding the underlying mechanisms for coordinated ATP‐hydrolysis and mechano‐chemical coupling.
Accelerated aging effects on color, microhardness and microstructure of ICON resin infiltration.

OBJECTIVE Infiltration resins provide an ideal treatment alternative for white spot lesions on teeth. The icon infiltrant has been widely used as a dental material for a few years, but there are some studies on the in vitro accelerated aging process and the change of hardness and microstructure on this material. The innovation of this work is to aim at investigating characteristics associated with this infiltrant resin and comparing the Icon infiltrant with universal Filtek Z350 and flowable Filtek Z350 resins when exposed to artificial accelerated aging. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials were prepared as disc-shaped specimens sized to 12 mm × 2.2 mm and were aged through exposure to 150 kJ/m2 in an artificial accelerated aging machine. Two-time points, 24 h after aging and 96 h after aging, were selected for evaluation in the following trials. The morphology was observed using a scanning electron microscopy. The standard CIEL*a*b* color system was employed for color measurements. Microhardness of all specimens was analyzed by a Knoop indenter. Chemical components were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS Compared with universal Z350 and flowable Z350, the ICON infiltrant resin presented a uniform, slightly scratched surface before and after accelerated aging. The 24 h artificial accelerated aging of the three investigated materials resulted in acceptable color alterations, a ΔE* range of 2.52±0.63 for universal Z350, 2.43±0.59 for flowable Z350 and 3.31±0.32 for ICON. After 96 h aging, significant color changes were noted for universal Z350 (7.51±0.63) and ICON (4.70±0.69). The ICON infiltrant displayed reduced microhardness when compared to universal Z350 and flowable Z350. The absorption peaks of the chemical bonds were significantly altered after the accelerated aging process. CONCLUSIONS Composed in a triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) monomer-based network, the color stability and microhardness of the infiltrant resin provided suitable material for treating white spot lesions (WSLs), yet presented susceptibility under accelerated aging. Thus, osmotic resin therapy has strict limitations to be most effective.
On the role of deduction in reasoning from uncertain premises

The probabilistic approach to reasoning hypothesizes that most reasoning, both in everyday life and in science, takes place in contexts of uncertainty. The central deductive concepts of classical logic, consistency and validity, can be generalised to cover uncertain degrees of belief. Binary consistency can be generalised to coherence, where the probability judgments for two statements are coherent if and only if they respect the axioms of probability theory. Binary validity can be generalised to probabilistic validity (p-validity), where an inference is p-valid if and only if the uncertainty of its conclusion cannot be coherently greater than the sum of the uncertainties of its premises. But the fact that this generalisation is possible in formal logic does not imply that people will use deduction in a probabilistic way. The role of deduction in reasoning from uncertain premises was investigated across ten experiments and 23 inferences of differing complexity. The results provide evidence that coherence and p-validity are not just abstract formalisms, but that people follow the normative constraints set by them in their reasoning. It made no qualitative difference whether the premises were certain or uncertain, but certainty could be interpreted as the endpoint of a common scale for degrees of belief. The findings are evidence for the descriptive adequacy of coherence and p-validity as computational level principles for reasoning. They have implications for the interpretation of past findings on the roles of deduction and degrees of belief. And they offer a perspective for generating new research hypotheses in the interface between deductive and inductive reasoning.
expanding indications of flexible ureteroscopy in renal and ureteral stones

Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery (RIRS) performed using a flexible Ureterorenoscope marked the beginning of a new era in urology. RIRS renders smaller kidney stones more accessible and upper urinary tract tumours treatable, using minimally invasive methods. RIRS was first used to treat small kidney stones. The approach attracted a great deal of attention and it was suggested that larger stones and stones in anomalous kidneys could also be treated, albeit over longer operative times. Initially, medium and then larger stones were treated with RIRS. The choice of instruments during RIRS should be based on increased surgical efficiency, decreased complications, and improved cost-benefit ratio.
STOPWORDS REMOVAL AND ITS ALGORITHMS BASED ON DIFFERENT METHODS

Abstract : The research performed in this thesis is focused on the analysis of different methods to remove stopwords in Punjabi language. For organizing unstructured text in order to implement stopwords removal techniques, text preprocessing has to be applied. Text processing describes a variety of processing that is performed on raw data to prepare it for one more processing procedure which will be more helpful for performing some further, more purposeful analytic tasks. The words are called stopwords that occur most frequently in a document and contain very little information which is not essential in a document such as ਦ , ਹ , ਦੀ , ਤ , ਦਾ , ਨ , ਅਤ , ਤ etc. A list of such words is known as ‘stopwords list’ or ‘stopwords corpus’. These words are removed in the preprocessing phase of the text classification process. The process of removing stopwords help to save time and reduces the size of those document. It also helps to increase the accuracy as well as performance of IR tasks. Most of the researchers worked on languages such as English, Arabic, Sanskrit etc. in the informational retrieval (IR) field. Therefore a lot of work and efforts need to be done in languages other than the languages in which the research has been already done to a great extent. The main goal of this thesis is to remove the stopwords in Punjabi language by using different techniques. Punjabi language is 11 th most-spoken language of India which is written in Gurmukhi script. Punjabi language is also used in mass media such as news, advertisements, movies, music etc. There is no standard stopword list created for Punjabi language as most of the stopwords lists are created for English and other languages. In this work, four different algorithms viz classical method using a pre-compiled stoplist, method based on frequency, method based on removing singletons and method based on Punjabi word corpus to remove Punjabi stopwords have been proposed, implemented and analyzed. Thus the size of the document is reduced by 30-35% by eliminating the set of such stopwords.