Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Practice gaps and barriers to optimal care of hematologic malignancies in the United States.

BACKGROUND Treating patients with hematologic malignancies can be challenging for physicians because of the rapidly evolving standards of care and relatively low incidence of these diseases. OBJECTIVE To identify clinical challenges among hematologists and medical oncologists regarding the provision of care to patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), or B-cell lymphomas. Methods Hematologists and medical oncologists in active practice in the United States and who have a case load of ≥ 1 patient a year with CML, ALL, or B-cell lymphoma were recruited. The initial qualitative phase consisted of an online case-based survey followed by an interview exploring the contextual and behavioral factors that influence treatment decisions (n = 27). The analysis of qualitative data then informed a quantitative phase, in which 121 participants completed an online survey composed of case vignettes, multiple choice, and semantic differential rating scale questions. The respondents' answers were compared with recommendations from treatment guidelines and faculty experts. RESULTS A higher frequency of bone marrow biopsies was reported compared with expert faculty recommendations by 74% of oncologists. Many respondents failed to recognize the clinical relevance of BCR-ABL mutations other than T315I. Respondents reported perceiving difficulties in individualizing treatment and interpreting response to treatment in patients with ALL and B-cell lymphomas. Fewer than 30% of respondents recognized the mechanisms of action of 5 of the 9 promising investigational agents presented. LIMITATIONS Participant self-selection bias is a possibility because participation was voluntary. Practice gaps are not based on clinical data, but hypothetical case situations and self-report. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study can guide education to address the identified challenges in caring for patients with hematologic malignancies and improving patient care. FUNDING This needs assessment was financially supported with an educational research grant from Pfizer Medical Education Group to the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower.
Weighted online calibration for odometry of mobile robots

Accurate odometry is required for robust and reliable localization of mobile wheeled robots. Therefore, odometry is combined often with a positioning system and data fusion algorithms. However, odometry parameters are not known in advance and vary depending on environment and age of the vehicle. A typically approach to solve this problem is to employ on-demand calibration. Current approaches are sensitive to measurement noise and shape of the trajectory followed by the robot. Furthermore, a common approach is to integrate calibration into localization and mapping, which makes it hard to reason about the behavior due to feedback. We present an approach that describes the calibration as an error minimizing curve fitting problem. Position measurements are pre-filtered with a tracking filter to reduce noise and to generate weights. Weighted non-linear least squares is used to calculate optimal odometry parameters for a given trajectory. The trajectory is heuristically weighted and an exponential smoothing filter operates on the resulting odometry parameters to track a vector of odometry parameters. The optimization is continuously executed quasi-online with partial trajectories. We simulate multiple runs of the algorithm on different trajectories in a simulated environment. We validate the approach with a Roomba robot and two different positioning systems, a UWB based method and an optical landmark based method. We discuss the results, general convergence characteristics and stability.
The Pathogenesis of Senile Plaques

Senile plaques (SP) are complicated lesions composed of diverse amyloid peptides and associated molecules, degenerating neuronal processes, and reactive glia. Evidence suggests that diffuse, neurocentric amyloid deposits evolve over time with formation of discrete niduses that eventually become neuritic SP. The evidence for differential amyloid precursor protein metabolism that may favor deposition of Aβ17–42 in this early, possibly aging-related lesion is discussed. This latter molecule, also known as P3, may represent a benign form of amyloid, since it lacks domains associated with activation and recruitment of glia to SP. Subsequent to deposition of Aβ1–42 and then growth of the amyloid with precipitation of soluble Aβ1–40, in an Alzheimer disease-specific process, SP increasingly become associated with activated microglia and reactive astrocytes. In response to interaction with amyloid peptides and possibly glycated proteins, microglia and astrocytes produce a number of molecules that may be locally toxic to neuronal processes in the vicinity of SP, including cytokines, reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates, and proteases. They also produce factors that lead to their reciprocal activation and growth, which potentiate a local inflammatory cascade. Paired helical filament- (PHF) type neurites appear to be associated with SP only in so far as neurofibrillary degeneration has progressed to affect neurons in those regions where the plaque forms. Thus, PHF-type neurites are readily apparent in SP in the amygdala at an early stage, while they are late in primary cortices and never detected in cerebellar plaques, where only dystrophic neurites are detected. If the various stages of SP pathogenesis can be further clarified, it may be possible to develop rational approaches to therapy directed at site-, cell type-, and stage-specific interventions. Although controlling the local inflammatory microenvironment of SP may hold promise for slowing lesion pathogenesis, it still remains a fundamental challenge to determine the mechanism of neurodegeneration that results in widespread neurofibrillary degeneration and eventual synaptic and neuronal loss, which is considered to be the proximate cause of the clinical dementia syndrome.
Study on the Method of Urban Parking Demand Forecasting

Based on the Volume-Parking Space Model,and the influence that the mode constitution of zonal trip attraction acted on parking demand,a method of urban parking demand forecast was presented in this paper. The method carried through clustering analysis according to the mode constitution of zonal trip attraction,then can be used to forecast the group mode constitution in the future;after then,the zonal parking demand can be calculated. At last,an example was provided to improve the correctness of the method.
A reduced common-mode voltage space vector modulation method for current source converters

The common-mode voltage (CMV) produced from a converter system is a source of many problems. E.g. in the motor drive system, CMV might appear at the neutral point of the motor stator windings with respect to the ground and induce destructive bearing current. Reduced common-mode voltage space vector modulation (RCMV SVM) methods have been proposed in both voltage source converter (VSC) and current source converter (CSC) systems. The available RCMV SVMs reduce the CMV by avoiding the use of zero-state vectors. However, this will lead to some negative effects, such as shrink of modulation index range, increase of switching frequencies, and power quality performance deterioration, etc. In this paper, a RCMV SVM method for CSCs is proposed. It has almost the same harmonic performance compared to the conventional SVMs by allowing the use of zero-state vectors, but with much lower CMV. The effectiveness of the proposed RCMV SVM for CSCs is verified in an experimental prototype.
Bat Predation and Its Influence on Calling Behavior in Neotropical Katydids

Insectivorous bats have influenced the development of antipredator behavior in moths, green lacewings, crickets, and mantids; until recently, such adaptations were unknown in katydids. Foliage-gleaning bats in Panama can use the female-attracting, airborne calling songs of nocturnal katydids to locate prey. They also feed heavily on these insects. Katydid species sympatric with these bats exhibit markedly reduced calling song duty cycles. Males supplement shortened songs with complex, species-specific tremulations that generate vibrations that are inaudible to bats but reach conspecific females through a shared plant substrate. Female katydids do not call audibly but are also preyed on in large numbers, perhaps as a result of moving toward calling males.
Tracing the boundaries of materials in transparent vessels using computer vision

Visual recognition of material boundaries in transparent vessels is valuable for numerous applications. Such recognition is essential for estimation of fill-level, volume and phase-boundaries as well as for tracking of such chemical processes as precipitation, crystallization, condensation, evaporation and phase-separation. The problem of material boundary recognition in images is particularly complex for materials with non-flat surfaces, i.e., solids, powders and viscous fluids, in which the material interfaces have unpredictable shapes. This work demonstrates a general method for finding the boundaries of materials inside transparent containers in images. The method uses an image of the transparent vessel containing the material and the boundary of the vessel in this image. The recognition is based on the assumption that the material boundary appears in the image in the form of a curve (with various constraints) whose endpoints are both positioned on the vessel contour. The probability that a curve matches the material boundary in the image is evaluated using a cost function based on some image properties along this curve. Several image properties were examined as indicators for the material boundary. The optimal boundary curve was found using Dijkstra's algorithm. The method was successfully examined for recognition of various types of phase-boundaries, including liquid-air, solid-air and solid-liquid interfaces, as well as for various types of glassware containers from everyday life and the chemistry laboratory (i.e., bottles, beakers, flasks, jars, columns, vials and separation-funnels). In addition, the method can be easily extended to materials carried on top of carrier vessels (i.e., plates, spoons, spatulas).
Influences on Meat Avoidance Among British Students

Male and female undergraduates (18-23 years old; 68% in their first year; N = 158) who had just chosen a vegetarian dish in a campus dining hall or restaurant reported a diversity of meat avoidance habits before arrival at University a few weeks previously. More women than men had avoided meat and other flesh foods, with the exception of fish. Consistently with the distinction between "red" and "white" meats, chicken and turkey were the least often avoided flesh foods among men and women. The only clear gradation from flesh-eating to vegetarianism was eating poultry and either beef/lamb or pork, eating only poultry and eating neither; fish was not on this Guttman scale, contrary to previous assumptions. Reasons for avoiding meat and perceived influences on preferences for food in their chosen vegetarian dish were elicited by open-ended interviews in 41 women from the meat-avoidance survey. Rationales spontaneously offered were as diverse as reported in previous studies, but always included at least two of the following: ethics of raising/killing animals, concern for health, sensory factors, disgust and influence of friends. In contrast, choices among described variants of the familiar dish were largely controlled by its sensory and nutritional features, presumably because other attributes had been factored out.
Aortic neck angulation predicts adverse outcome with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

BACKGROUND Significant aortic neck angulation may predispose to suboptimal outcome after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (EAAA) repair. However, the definition of "significant" neck angulation and its correlation with adverse outcome are poorly characterized. METHODS Prospectively collected data on 148 consecutive EAAA repairs performed between December 1995 and January 2001 were supplemented with retrospective review of charts and radiographs. Aortic neck angulation was measured from arteriograms or three-dimensional computed tomography scanning reconstructions. Patients were excluded (n = 24) if radiographs were unavailable for review. Because of a paucity of severe aortic neck angulation in other endograft groups, only patients treated with a modular bifurcated device (Medtronic) (n = 81) were included in the final analysis. Mean time from implantation was 26.6 +/- 9.2 months. RESULTS The risk of a patient experiencing one or more adverse events was 70%, 54.5%, and 16.6% in those with severe (>or=60 degrees, n = 10), moderate (40 to 59 degrees, n = 11), and mild (<40 degrees, n = 60) aortic neck angulation, respectively (P =.0003). Adverse events included death within 30 days (20% vs 0%, P =.0007), acute conversion to open repair (20% vs 0%, P =.0007), aneurysm expansion (9.1% to 20% vs 1.7%, P =.034), device migration (20% to 30% vs 3.3%, P =.013), and type I endoleak (23.8% vs 8.3%, P =.033), all occurring with significantly greater incidence in patients with moderate or severe aortic neck angulation when compared with those with mild angulation, respectively. Aortic neck length and diameter, age, and medical comorbidities were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION Aortic neck angulation appears to be an important determinant of outcome after EAAA repair. Although patients with mild angulation (<40 degrees) had favorable outcomes in this series, those with moderate (40 to 59 degrees) or severe angulation (>or=60 degrees) had a 54% to 70% risk of one or more adverse events. Importantly, these outcomes occurred in spite of an adequate length (>2 cm) of proximal aortic neck. On the basis of these data, great caution should be exercised in recommending EAAA repair for patients with aortic neck angulation >or=40 degrees.
The effect of pre-existing medical conditions and age on mortality after injury.

BACKGROUND Pre-existing medical conditions (PMCs) have been shown to increase mortality after trauma even after adjustment for the effect of chronological aging. It has been suggested that there is an interaction between injury severity and physiologic reserve, such that diminished physiologic reserve will have an adverse effect on survival at lower injury severity, but that at higher levels of injury severity, physiologic reserve will have much less of an impact. METHODS Records of 65,743 patients, admitted after trauma, were extracted from the database of the United Kingdom Trauma Network to explore the impacts of age, gender and PMCs on mortality, and modification of these effects by severity of injury. RESULTS PMCs were categorized as absent (23%), present (23%), or unrecorded (54%). There was an increase in mortality with increasing age at all levels of injury severity. Presence of a PMC was associated with a marked increase in mortality of patients with minor injuries (odds ratio [OR] = 5.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.4, 8.0) or moderate injuries (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.4, 2.9), but not in those with more severe injuries (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 0.9, 1.4). The impact of age and male gender were also somewhat more pronounced for patients with less severe injuries. CONCLUSION These findings support the hypothesis of an interaction between physiologic reserve and injury severity, where PMCs are associated with increased mortality when combined with low to moderate severity injuries, but not when combined with more severe injuries.
Design of 900MHz voltage-controlled oscillator using 0.18μm CMOS technology

This paper presents the design of a 900 MHz LC oscillator implemented in 0.18 mum RF CMOS technology. Employing an on-chip PN varactor together with an on-chip spiral inductor, this voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) achieves a simulated phase noise of - 100.9 dBc/Hz at a 100 kHz offset. The output frequency of the VCO can be tuned from 785 MHz to 955.6 MHz which correspond to 170.6 MHz tuning range, obtained by only tuning the control voltage to the diode varactor pairs. The VCO consumes 6.5 mW power from 1.6 V DC supply voltage.
Susceptibility of group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus isolates to penicillin and erythromycin

We have reevaluated the antibiotic susceptibilities of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci in view of recent reports of a high prevalence of erythromycin resistance in Japan and of an increase in penicillin treatment failures in the United States. A total of 474 isolates recovered during a 2- to 3-month period in 1980 were tested. All were susceptible by microtiter broth dilution to a penicillin concentration of less than or equal to 0.03 micrograms/ml (minimal inhibitory concentration), and 473 were killed by less than or equal to 0.06 micrograms/ml (minimal inhibitory concentration). Erythromycin minimal inhibitory concentrations showed a bimodal distribution: 95% were less than or equal to 0.06 micrograms/ml, and 5% were greater than or equal to 1 microgram/ml. Of the minimal bactericidal concentrations, 21% were greater than or equal to 1 microgram/ml and 3% were greater than or equal to 16 micrograms/ml. Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci remain susceptible to the inhibitory and bactericidal actions of penicillin, thus providing no in vitro explanation for the bacteriological relapses reported in some clinical studies. Unlike the Japanese experience, only 5% of our isolates were resistant to erythromycin (minimal inhibitory concentration, greater than or equal to 1 microgram/ml); however, 22% were tolerant (ratio of minimal inhibitory/bactericidal concentrations, greater than or equal to 32).
Recovered vs. not-recovered from post-stroke aphasia: the contributions from the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres.

PURPOSE Several adult studies have documented the importance of the peri-stroke areas to aphasia recovery. But, studies examining the differences in patterns of cortical participation in language comprehension in patients who have (LMCA-R) or have not recovered (LMCA-NR) from left middle cerebral artery infarction have not been performed up to date. METHODS In this study, we compare cortical correlates of language comprehension using fMRI and semantic decision/tone decision task in 9 LMCA-R and 18 LMCA-NR patients matched at the time of stroke for age and handedness. We examine the cortical correlates of language performance by correlating intra- and extra-scanner measures of linguistic performance with fMRI activation and stroke volumes. RESULTS Our analyses show that LMCA-R at least 1 year after stroke show a return to typical fMRI language activation patterns and that there is a compensatory reorganization of language function in LMCA-NR patients with shifts to the right hemispheric brain regions. Further, with increasing strength of the left-hemispheric fMRI signal shift there are associated improvements in performance as tested with standardized linguistic measures. A negative correlation between the size of the stroke and performance on some of the linguistic tests is also observed. CONCLUSIONS This right-hemispheric shift as a mechanism of post-stroke recovery in adults appears to be an ineffective mode of language function recovery with increasing right-hemispheric shift associated with lower language performance. Thus, normalization of the post-stroke language activation patterns is needed for better language performance while shifts of the activation patterns to the non-dominant (right) hemisphere and/or large stroke size are associated with decreased linguistic abilities after stroke.
What is the best reference site for a single MRI slice to assess whole-body skeletal muscle and adipose tissue volumes in healthy adults?

BACKGROUND Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for the assessment of skeletal muscle (SM) and adipose tissue volumes. It is unclear whether single-slice estimates can replace whole-body data. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the accuracy of the best single lumbar and midthigh MRI slice to assess whole-body SM, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). DESIGN Whole-body MRI was performed in 142 healthy adults aged 19-65 y [mean ± SD age: 37.0 ± 11.8 y; BMI (in kg/m(2)): 25.3 ± 5.9]. Single slices were taken at lumbar vertebrae L1-L5 plus intervertebral discs and the thigh (midthigh, 10 cm distally from the midthigh, and 10 cm proximally from the midthigh). The value of single-slice areas was also tested in a longitudinal study on 48 healthy volunteers during weight loss (8.2 ± 5.2 kg). RESULTS Cross-sectionally, all SM and adipose tissue single-slice areas correlated with total tissue volumes (P < 0.01). Because of the close associations between L3 areas and corresponding tissue volumes (r = 0.832-0.986, P < 0.01), this location was identified as the reference to estimate SM and adipose tissue in both sexes. SM, SAT, and VAT areas at L3 explained most of the variance of total tissue volumes (69-97%, with SEs of estimation of 1.96 and 2.03 L for SM, 0.23 and 0.61 L for VAT, and 4.44 and 2.47 L for SAT for men and women, respectively. There was no major effect on the explained variance compared with that for optimal slices. For SM, the optimal slice area was shown at midthigh. With weight-loss changes in total SM, VAT, and SAT, volumes were significantly different from those at baseline (SM changes: -2.8 ± 2.9 L; VAT changes: -0.7 ± 1.0 L; SAT changes: -5.1 ± 6.0 L). The area at L3 reflected changes in total VAT and SAT. To assess changes in total SM volumes, areas at midthigh showed the best evidence. CONCLUSION In both sexes, a single MRI scan at the level of L3 is the best compromise site to assess total tissue volumes of SM, VAT, and SAT. By contrast, L3 does not predict changes in tissue components. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01737034.
Functional dissection of Escherichia coli phosphotransacetylase structural domains and analysis of key compounds involved in activity regulation

Escherichia coli phosphotransacetylase (Pta) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of acetyl‐CoA and acetyl phosphate. Both compounds are critical in E. coli metabolism, and acetyl phosphate is also involved in the regulation of certain signal transduction pathways. Along with acetate kinase, Pta plays an important role in acetate production when E. coli grows on rich medium; alternatively, it is involved in acetate utilization at high acetate concentrations. E. coli Pta is composed of three different domains, but only the C‐terminal one, called PTA_PTB, is specific for all Ptas. In the present work, the characterization of E. coli Pta and deletions from the N‐terminal region were performed. E. coli Pta acetyl phosphate‐forming and acetyl phosphate‐consuming reactions display different maximum activities, and are differentially regulated by pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvate. These compounds activate acetyl phosphate production, but inhibit acetyl‐CoA production, thus playing a critical role in defining the rates of the two Pta reactions. The characterization of three truncated Ptas, which all display Pta activity, indicates that the substrate‐binding site is located at the C‐terminal PTA_PTB domain. However, the N‐terminal P‐loop NTPase domain is involved in expression of the maximal catalytic activity, stabilization of the hexameric native state, and Pta activity regulation by NADH, ATP, phosphoenolpyruvate, and pyruvate. The truncated protein Pta‐F3 was able to complement the growth on acetate of an E. coli mutant defective in acetyl‐CoA synthetase and Pta, indicating that, although not regulated by metabolites, the Pta C‐terminal domain is active in vivo.