Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cystic lesions of the breast: sonographic-pathologic correlation.

PURPOSE To understand the pathologic basis for sonographic features of cystic lesions of the breast and determine appropriate assessment and management recommendations for these lesions based on sonographic appearance. MATERIALS AND METHODS From a database of 2,072 image-guided procedures performed from July 1995 through September 2001, 150 cystic lesions were identified. Diagnosis was established with fine-needle aspiration (n = 55), 14-gauge core-needle biopsy (n = 81), or both (n = 14). Excision was performed for all malignant (n = 18) and atypical (n = 2) lesions and for 11 benign lesions, which recurred or enlarged at follow-up. Imaging follow-up was available for 92 of 119 benign lesions. Targeted sonography was performed with high-frequency (10-MHz center frequency) transducers. Imaging and histopathologic, cytologic, and/or microbiologic findings were reviewed. Lesions were categorized as simple cysts, complicated cysts (imperceptible wall, acoustic enhancement, low-level echoes), clustered microcysts, cystic masses with a thick (perceptible) wall and/or thick (> or =0.5 mm) septations, intracystic or mixed cystic and solid masses (at least 50% cystic), or predominantly solid masses with eccentric cystic foci. RESULTS Of 150 lesions, 16 were simple cysts aspirated for symptomatic relief. Of 38 lesions characterized as complicated cysts and one cyst with thin septations, none proved malignant, nor did any of 16 lesions characterized as clustered microcysts. Of 23 masses with thick indistinct walls or thick septations, seven proved malignant. Of 18 intracystic or mixed cystic and solid masses, four proved malignant. Of 38 predominantly solid masses with eccentric cystic foci, seven proved malignant. CONCLUSION Symptomatic complicated cysts generally warrant aspiration. All clustered microcysts were benign, but further study is required. Cystic lesions with thick indistinct walls and/or thick septations (> or =0.5 mm), intracystic masses, and predominantly solid masses with eccentric cystic foci should be examined at biopsy; 18 of 79 of such complex cystic lesions proved malignant in this series.
Electrostrictive polymer artificial muscle actuators

Many new robotic and teleoperated applications require a high degree of mobility or dexterity that is difficult to achieve with current actuator technology. Natural muscle is an actuator that has many features, including high energy density, fast speed of response, and large stroke, that are desirable for such applications. The electrostriction of polymer dielectrics with compliant electrodes can be used in electrically controllable, muscle-like actuators. These electrostrictive polymer artificial muscle (EPAM) actuators can produce strains of up to 30% and pressures of up to 1.9 MPa. The measured specific energy achieved with polyurethane and silicone polymers exceeds that of electromagnetic, electrostatic, piezoelectric, and magnetostrictive actuators. A simple model using linear elastic theory can predict EPAM actuator performance from mechanical and electrical material properties and load conditions. A spherical joint for a highly articulated (snake-like) manipulator using EPAM actuator elements has been demonstrated. A rotary motor using EPAM actuator elements has been shown to produce a specific torque of 19 mNm/g and a specific power of 0.1 W/g. An improved EPAM motor could produce greater specific power and specific torque than could electric motors.
Histology-Driven Therapy

Soft tissue tumors (STTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms accounting for less than 1% of adult cancers. More than 50 different subtypes of STTs have been identified, with this number expected to grow as our understanding of the complex genetic landscape of these diseases improves. As the classification of soft tissue neoplasms continues to diversify, so does the approach to therapy. Accurate histopathologic diagnosis, utilizing the appropriate ancillary immunohistochemical and molecular diagnostic platforms, underpins the oncologic management of soft tissue sarcomas. As increasing numbers of reproducible genetic abnormalities in soft tissue neoplasms are defined, molecular genetic and molecular cytogenetic investigations have become a standard part of the ancillary diagnostic repertoire. However, other soft tissue neoplasms lack reproducible genetic abnormalities, and for these, traditional histology and immunohistochemistry remain the cornerstones for diagnosis. Here, we give an overview of histology-driven therapy in STTs, highlighting the critical role of accurate surgical pathology in guiding the systemic treatment of patients with these neoplasms, and the importance of close collaboration between the surgical pathologist and the oncologist. We also summarize what is considered standard practice in nonhistology- and histology-driven therapy.
A Scalable Communication Architecture for Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), seen as foundation for overall grid modernization, is an integration of many technologies that provides an intelligent connection between consumers and system operators [ami 2008]. One of the biggest challenge that AMI faces is to scalable collect and manage a huge amount of data from a large number of customers. In our paper, we address this challenge by introducing a mixed peer-to-peer (P2P) and client-server communication architecture for AMI in which metering data is aggregated and processed distributedly at multiple levels and in a tree-like manner. Through analysis we show that the architecture is featured with load scalability, resiliency with failure and partly self-organization. The experi- ments performed in large scale French Grid5000 platform [G5k] shows the communication efficiency in the proposed architecture.
Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia and the role of cilostazol in its management

Bowel ischemia is a rare and potential life-threatening disorder. The reason for its rarity is the difficulty in its diagnosis. Vague and nonspecific clinical findings and limitations of diagnostic and treatment options make this disease a significant challenge. We hereby report two cases of non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia and the use of cilostazol in the successful management of such cases.
SERVICE QUALITY EXPECTATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS: USE OF THE SERVQUAL INSTRUMENT FOR REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

The MIS Faculty at a public university employed an instrument that measures service quality – often used in marketing research – to assist in the specification of requirements for a proposed academic advising support system (AASS). Results from the survey of 110 students identified needs that an AASS could meet. This paper describes the systems requirements portion of the project.
The Relationships among Human Resource Management Practices, Organizational Commitment, and Knowledge Management Processes: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Human resources and knowledge management are considered to be one of the most important factors within organizations that help them to achieve a competitive advantage. However, organizations should take care of the human factor and increase their commitment within organizations to take advantage of the knowledge within them. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between human resources management practices and organizational commitment, on the one hand, and their relationship with knowledge management process, on the other hand. Consultancy firms operating in Jordan were used as the main sample of this study. A random sample was selected where 220 questionnaires were distributed to such firms. Only 207 questionnaires were submitted back with a response rate of 52%. A theoretical model was proposed and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the SEM analysis indicated that human resources practices (recruitment methods, training and development, performance appraisals, and reward systems) have a significant influence on organizational commitment (affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment). Finally, the study did not find a direct relationship between human resource (HR) practices and knowledge management (KM) processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge distribution, knowledge interpretation, and organizational memory). However, causal links were founded between human resource practices and organizational commitment, on the one hand, and organizational commitment and knowledge management processes, on the other hand.
A Meta-Analysis of Supply Chain Integration and Firm Performance: The Mediating Effect of Competitive Advantage

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide comprehensive, quantitative and integrative review of empirical research linking SCI to overall firm performance by considering the mediating role of firms’ competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach: This paper provides an analytical review of various literatures of supply chain integration and firm performance relationship in order to highlight their contribution, shortcomings, and interrelations with respect to competitive advantage as mediating effect.Findings: In the context of supply chain integration, this paper suggests competitive advantage that a firm’ possess significantly has positive influence on firm performance.Originality/value: This study aims to introducing the conceptual construct of relationship between SCI and firm performance by considering the mediating role of competitive advantage.
Mail survey response rates using a lottery prize giveaway incentive

This study investigates a unique lottery-oriented mail survey response mechanism, a single prize give away rather than cash prizes, to measure its impact on a consumer sample in terms of 1) the response rate, 2) cost effectiveness, and 3) biasing effect on their on their responses. A random sample of 6,384 customers from a commercial products sponsor's customer database and 6,384 noncustomers drawn from telephone directories from seven areas of Ohio was selected for this study. The results demonstrate that it is possible for managers to increase response rates using a lottery prize giveaway incentive and reduce the costs per completed survey. Perhaps direct marketing companies could increase their sales and lower their contact costs using a single lottery prize giveaway incentive such as this article describes. Managers using this method also do not have to suffer validity problems.
Web access for IT staff: a developing world perspective on web abuse

– The purpose of this research is to address increasing levels of web misuse, high internet costs and decisions regarding restricting web access, this research set out to identify factors that contribute to positive web use or reduce web misuse in the work environment. , – The theory of planned behaviour has been used in previous research to investigate factors that contribute to web abuse in the workplace. These factors, potential demographic factors that could impact web abuse as well as factors that make the advantages of the web possible were surveyed amongst information technology (IT) professionals in the Western Cape IT sector in 2004. The 94 responses were then analysed quantitatively. , – Results showed that higher levels of web access increased perceptions of information literacy and information access. None of the subjective norm or attitudinal antecedents showed significant support for reducing web abuse. Interestingly, close managerial supervision displayed significance by increasing web abuse. Demographic factors of firm size, number of years internet use, age and profession showed significance in predicting web abuse. , – Attitudinal factors such as playfulness, self‐efficacy and internet addiction were not included in this study and could be useful in future research. Many factors followed the expected trends but failed to show significance, a larger and more diverse sample size could have improved the results. , – The research findings are of interest to practitioners trying to manage web abuse and are also relevant in the context of high cost internet access and low bandwidth prevalent in many developing countries.
Bilayered approximate integration for rapid and plausible animation of virtual cloth with realistic wrinkles

We present an efficient method for rapid animation of mass-spring model with a large number of mass-points. Realistic cloth simulation requires large amount of time in general. This is not only because the calculation for one step requires much time but also because the cloth simulation easily tends to become unstable. Although the implicit method can make the simulation stable, it is still impossible to generate interactive animation when the number of mass-points is sufficiently large enough to represent realistic wrinkles. An efficient animation method proposed by M. Desbrun (1999) also involves O(n/sup 2/)-sized matrix so that it cannot be applied to models with a large number of mass-points. A stable approximate method without matrix operations has been introduced by M. Oshita and A. Makinouchi (2001), but its physical correctness is significantly impaired as the stiffness increases or the timestep becomes large. In this paper we propose a bilayered approach for efficient cloth animation with a large number of mass-points. The proposed method uses two mass-spring meshes. One of them is a rough mesh for representing global motion, and the other is a fine mesh for realistic wrinkles. The experimental results show that the method can be successfully used for real-time animation of plausible cloth models.
A new simulation modelling approach to continuous berth allocation

Within the international supply chain and logistics system, ports are an important ring of the basic transport activities. Thus, any shortage in or lack of well-planned orders encountered in the port operation processes is most likely to affect the whole logistic system, which eventually will cause undesirable delays in deliveries. This study aims at developing a simulation modelling approach to continuous berth allocation in Port of Izmir Alsancak, which has continuous quayside with two main wharfs perpendicular to each other. The simulation models which serve to evaluate the proposed modelling approach have been developed in ARENA 10.0 Simulation Software. The results of the conducted computational experiments showed that the proposed modelling approach provides more accurate and realistic estimates of performance measures, such as average berth utilisation, average ship waiting time in a queue, and the average number of ships in queuing up to get container terminals.
The Derivatives Market in South Africa: Lessons for Sub-Saharan African Countries

This paper examines the role of the derivatives market in South Africa and provides policy options for promoting the development of derivatives markets in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa's derivatives market has grown rapidly in recent years, supporting capital inflows and helping market participants to price, unbundle and transfer risk. There are tight regulations on asset allocations by insurance and pension funds to prevent excessive risk taking. The development of derivatives markets in sub-Saharan African countries could enable market participants to self-insure against volatile capital flows. Theiroverdependence on bank credit as a source of funding could be reduced and their management of seasonal risk could be improved through the introduction of commodity futures. However, these markets must be appropriately regulated and supervised. Since such markets would likely be small, consideration should be given to the establishment of a regional derivatives market.
Duchenne superciliously ‘corrects’ the Laocoön: sculptural considerations in the Mécanisme de la Physionomie Humaine

One hundred and 50 years ago, a book entitled Mecanisme de la Physionomie Humaine appeared.1 Initially receiving muted and mixed receptions in both the scientific and artistic press, this work has subsequently been recognised as a groundbreaking treatise which was to have a profound influence on the study of facial expression. It was published in 1862 as a single volume, although it had originally comprised two parts: the Partie Scientifique, which was accompanied by 74 photographs, and the short Partie Esthetique, accompanied by 10 photographs, which followed a few months later.2 A second edition appeared posthumously in 1876, but it was only translated into English in 1990 as The Mechanism of Human Facial Expression . 3 The present contribution focuses on a debate which began in the Mecanisme but continues to this day, and concerns facial anatomy and expression. The debate centres on the controversial function of a small eyebrow muscle, the corrugator supercilii, yet the background to the debate originated in Greece 2000 years ago, and illustrates how neuroscience can sometimes be informed by the arts. The author of the Mecanisme , the ‘eccentric, provincial physician’ Guillaume Benjamin Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne) (1806–1875),4 was destined to become the illustrious French neurologist, and friend and immensely influential colleague and mentor of Charcot at la Salpetriere in Paris. Among his other contributions to neurology, Duchenne had introduced the technique of ‘electrisation localisee’, localised faradisation. This technique enabled him to study nearly all the muscles in man,5 and from about 1850, when Duchenne first became particularly interested in the neural mechanisms subserving human facial expression, he applied this surface electrical stimulation to individual facial muscles and branches of the facial nerve. Harnessing another novel technique, photography, Duchenne could then capture and produce permanent records of the fleeting facial expressions he …
Trends in the use of modern technologies in companies in the Czech Republic

Modern Information Technologies are an integral part in the effective functioning of businesses and the acquisition of competitive advantage. Their use, however, vary extensively in different countries. The aim of this paper is to describe current trends in the field of modern technologies in the Czech Republic and to find out the attitude of businesses’ towards their use. The paper is therefore supplemented by case study analysing the use of selected technologies in small and medium-sized companies in the Hradec Kralove region. The methods used to achieve the objectives are: a literature review using modern technologies in enterprises, qualitative survey (namely case study) in the chosen region and hypothesis testing using Fisher’s exact test. The analysis shows that trends in modern technologies are the same at both global and national levels. However, they differ significantly in their deployment in the private sector. The situation in the Czech Republic is below average in relation to the other European Union countries.
Architecture of healthy and dystrophic muscles detected by optical coherence tomography

Introduction: The ability to view individual myofibers is possible with many histological techniques, but not yet with standard in vivo imaging. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technology that can generate high resolution 1–10 μm cross‐sectional imaging of tissue in vivo and in real time. Methods: We used OCT to determine architectural differences of tibialis anterior muscles in situ from healthy mice (wild‐type [WT], n = 4) and dystrophic mice (mdx, n = 4). After diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and OCT, muscles were harvested, snap‐frozen, and sectioned for staining with wheat germ agglutinin. Results: DTI suggested differences in pennation and OCT was used to confirm this supposition. OCT indicated a shorter intramuscular tendon (WT/mdx ratio of 1.2) and an 18% higher degree of pennation in mdx. Staining confirmed these architectural changes. Conclusions: Architectural changes in mdx muscles, which could contribute to reduction of force, are detectable with OCT. Muscle Nerve, 2013
An Efficient Classification of MRI Brain Images and 3D Reconstruction Using Depth Map Estimation

Digital Image processing is applied under the area of medicine so as to distinguish the ailments in the body of humans. The three dimensional reconstruction (3D) of tumor from the medicinal images is a significant procedure in the area of medicine while it assists the physicians in identification, surgical planning and biological investigation. This article includes two phases namely, i) Classification and ii) 3D reconstruction. Originally the input image is obtained from the MRI database which then undergoes skull stripping is a pre-processing phase for identifying the brain tumor that purges the redundant borough from the image. In the classification phase, the skull Stripped images undergoes segmentation by means of the watershed algorithm so as to identify the segmented tumor. Then from the segmented image the attributes such as shape, intensity and texture are extorted. Subsequently the attributes are lessened via the Principle Component Analysis (PCA). Depending upon the condensed attributes, the probabilistic neural network classifier categorizes the normal and the abnormal (tumor) images. The next phase is the 3D reconstruction phase, we intended the depth assessment for the skull stripped image by means of the guided filter. When the depth is attained, the visual relic of the created left view and right view images yields the ultimate 3D reconstruction outcomes.
Ligustilide provides neuroprotection by promoting angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia

ABSTRACT Objectives Following stroke, angiogenic strategy has been proposed to alleviate ischemia-induced injury by promoting angiogenesis and improving cerebrovascular function in the ischemic regions. Ligustilide (LGSL) is known to have neuroprotection against ischemic stroke-induced injury. But the effect of LGSL on promoting angiogenesis after ischemic stroke is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of LGSL on neuroprotection and angiogenesis after stroke. Methods BrdU cell proliferation assay, transwell, wound healing, and tube-formation experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of LGSL on mouse microvascular endothelial cells (bEnd.3). Male adult C57/BL6 mice were subjected to focal transient cerebral ischemia followed by intragastric LGSL administration. Immunostaining was performed to assess angiogenesis. VEGF level was assayed by ELISA. eNOS expression was performed by Western blot. Results LGSL significantly improved neurological function. LGSL promoted angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Neurological improvement conferred by LGSL correlated with increased cerebral vessels number. We also found an increase of VEGF and eNOS activation in mice ischemic hemisphere following LGSL administration. Conclusion LGSL promoted focal angiogenesis and attenuated ischemia-induced brain injury, suggesting that LGSL is a potential agent that improves angiogenesis and promotes recovery from ischemic stroke.
Information Management for Failure Analysis of Fluid Power Systems

As fluid power systems improve their performance, the demand for their safety and reliability increases and so the failure analysis plays an important role. In the product lifecycle, the failure analysis is performed before and after the launch of the product. The former is a kind of conventional risk analysis to prevent system failure in the design process, while the latter identifies the cause of a customer’s complaint; why the product cannot work as the customer expects. This paper considers an information management for the latter, which is divided into two processes: one is to answer the customer’s complaint, and the other is to improve the product quality. Based on its objective, a different kind of information flow must be organized. Since fluid power systems work in various operating conditions, the clear specification of environmental factors is essential. An illustrative example shows a simplified treatment process of a customer’s complaint.