Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laser Ablation versus Radiofrequency Ablation for benign non-functioning thyroid nodules: Six-month results of a randomised, parallel, open-label, trial (LARA trial).

BACKGROUND No direct prospective studies comparing laser ablation (LA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for debulking benign non-functioning thyroid nodules (BNTNs) exist. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of both techniques in patients with solid or predominantly solid BNTN. METHODS This six-month, single-use, randomized open label parallel trial compared the following primary endpoints between the RFA and LA groups six months after treatment: (1) nodule volume reduction expressed as a percentage of nodule volume at baseline; (2) proportion of nodules with more than 50 % reduction (successful rate). We enrolled subjects with a solitary BNTN or dominant nodule characterized by pressure symptoms/cosmetic problems or patients without symptoms who experienced a volume increase >20% in one year. Nodules underwent core needle biopsy (CNB) for diagnosis. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive LA or RFA. Safety was assessed in all randomly assigned participants. RESULTS Sixty patients were randomly assigned to receive either RFA or LA (1:1) between January 2016 and November 2018. Both groups were similar in basal nodule volume, thyroid function, histology, symptoms/cosmetic score, and procedure time. At six months, the nodule volume reduction was 64.3% (95% confidence interval 57.5 - 71.2%) in the RFA group and 53.2% (47.2 - 95.2%; p = 0.02) in the LA group. This effect was also confirmed in the linear regression model adjusted for age, baseline volume, and proportion of cellular component (LA vs RFA percent change Delta= -12·8, p=0·02). No significant difference was observed in success rate 6-month after treatment (RFA vs LA: 86·7% vs 66·7%, p=0·13) or in thyrotropin level between the groups. Although improved, no significant difference was observed between RFA and LA for compressive symptoms (RFA: 2.13 vs 3.9, p<0·001; LA: 2.4 vs 3.87, p<0·001) and cosmetic score (RFA: 1·65 vs 2·2, p<0·001; LA: 1·85 vs 2·2, p<0·001). The adverse event rates (local pain, dysphonia, thyrotoxicosis, fever, hematoma) were 37% (n=11) and 43% (n=13) for RFA and LA, respectively, with no requirement for hospitalization. CONCLUSION While the success rate was similar in the RFA and LA groups, RFA achieved a significantly larger nodule volume reduction at six months.
Coarse-to-Fine Adversarial Networks and Zone-Based Uncertainty Analysis for NK/T-Cell Lymphoma Segmentation in CT/PET Images

Extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma (ENKL), nasal type is a kind of rare disease with a low survival rate that primarily affects Asian and South American populations. Segmentation of ENKL lesions is crucial for clinical decision support and treatment planning. This paper is the first study on computer-aided diagnosis systems for the ENKL segmentation problem. We propose an automatic, coarse-to-fine approach for ENKL segmentation using adversarial networks. In the coarse stage, we extract the region of interest bounding the lesions utilizing a segmentation neural network. In the fine stage, we use an adversarial segmentation network and further introduce a multi-scale $L_{1}$ loss function to drive the network to learn both global and local features. The generator and discriminator are alternately trained by backpropagation in an adversarial fashion in a min-max game. Furthermore, we present the first exploration of zone-based uncertainty estimates based on Monte Carlo dropout technique in the context of deep networks for medical image segmentation. Specifically, we propose the uncertainty criteria based on the lesion and the background, and then linearly normalize them to a specific interval. This is not only the crucial criterion for evaluating the superiority of the algorithm, but also permits subsequent optimization by engineers and revision by clinicians after quantitatively understanding the main source of uncertainty from the background or the lesion zone. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more effective and lesion-zone stable than state-of-the-art deep-learning based segmentation model.
Organizational Support for Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care and Workforce Outcomes.

BACKGROUND Lack of organizational support in healthcare settings has been linked to high levels of clinician stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Little research exists on organizational support for nurse practitioners. OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between organizational support and nurse practitioner outcomes, including job satisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect survey data from nurse practitioners (n = 398) in primary care practices in New York State in 2017. Nurse practitioners completed mail surveys with validated measures of organizational support, job satisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care. Information on participant demographics and work characteristics was also collected. Multilevel regression models assessed the relationship between organizational-level organizational support and resources measure and job satisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care. RESULTS The organizational-level organizational support and resources measure had a mean of 3.31 on a 4-point scale. Twenty-five percent of the participants were either moderately dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their jobs, and about 11% intended to leave their current jobs within one year. The average quality of care rated by participants was 8.51 out of 10-10 being the best quality of care. After adjusting for covariates, higher organizational-level organizational support and resources measure score was associated with higher job satisfaction category, lower odds of intent to leave, and higher quality of care. DISCUSSION Nurse practitioners from primary care practices with higher levels of organizational support are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, have less intent to leave their jobs, and report better quality of care. Thus, in order to promote nurse practitioner job satisfaction, retain them in clinical positions, and improve quality of care, administrators should take actions to promote organizational support for them. Our findings are consistent with existing literature regarding the relationship between organizational support and clinician outcomes.
Effect of stress during slaughter on carcass characteristics and meat quality in tropical beef cattle

Objective This study aimed to determine the effects of stress during slaughter of beef cattle on physiological parameters, carcass, and meat quality at a Federal Inspection Type slaughterhouse located in the southeast of Mexico. Methods A total of 448 carcasses of male Zebu×European steers with an average age of 36 months were included. Carcass assessment of presence of bruises and bruise characteristics was carried out on each half-carcass. Blood variable indicators of stress (packed cell volume, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, glucose, cortisol concentration) and meat quality parameters (pH, color, shear force, drip loss) were evaluated. Results Of the 448 carcasses evaluated, 81% of the carcasses showed at least one bruise; one bruise was detected in 36.6% and two bruises in 27.0% of animals. Of the 775 bruises found, 69.2% of the bruises were grade 1 in region 3. Of the 448 carcasses studied, 69.6% showed hyperglycemia (6.91 mmol/L); 44.3% and 22.7% showed high (74.7 ng/mL) and extremely high (108.8 ng/mL) cortisol levels, respectively, indicative of inadequate handling of animals during preslaughter and slaughter. Of the carcasses evaluated, 90.4% had a pH ≥5.8 with an average of pH 6.3. In both pH groups, meat samples showed L* values >37.0 (81.6%) and a shear force >54.3 N; meat pH≥5.8 group showed a drip loss of 2.5%. These findings were indicative of dark, firm, and dry (DFD) meat. According to principal component analysis, grades 1 and 2 bruises in region 3 and grade 1 bruises in region 5 were highly associated with cortisol, drip loss, and color parameters b* and h* and were negatively associated with L*, a*, and C*. Conclusion The bruises probably caused by stress-inducing situations triggered DFD meat. Appropriate changes in handling routines in operating conditions should be made to minimize stress to animals during the slaughter process to improve animal welfare and meat quality.
The 2018 World Health Organization Classification of Cutaneous, Mucosal, and Uveal Melanoma: Detailed Analysis of 9 Distinct Subtypes Defined by Their Evolutionary Pathway.

CONTEXT. — There have been major advances in the understanding of melanoma since the last revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification in 2006. OBJECTIVE. — To discuss development of the 9 distinct types of melanoma and distinguishing them by their epidemiology, clinical and histologic morphology, and genomic characteristics. Each melanoma subtype is placed at the end of an evolutionary pathway that is rooted in its respective precursor, wherever appropriate and feasible, based on currently known data. Each precursor has a variable risk of progression culminating in its fully evolved, invasive melanoma. DATA SOURCES. — This review is based on the "Melanocytic Tumours" section of the 4th edition of the WHO Classification of Skin Tumours, published in 2018. CONCLUSIONS. — Melanomas were divided into those etiologically related to sun exposure and those that are not, as determined by their mutational signatures, anatomic site, and epidemiology. Melanomas on the sun-exposed skin were further divided by the histopathologic degree of cumulative solar damage (CSD) of the surrounding skin, into low and high CSD, on the basis of degree of associated solar elastosis. Low-CSD melanomas include superficial spreading melanomas and high-CSD melanomas incorporate lentigo maligna and desmoplastic melanomas. The "nonsolar" category includes acral melanomas, some melanomas in congenital nevi, melanomas in blue nevi, Spitz melanomas, mucosal melanomas, and uveal melanomas. The general term melanocytoma is proposed to encompass "intermediate" tumors that have an increased (though still low) probability of disease progression to melanoma.
Heterogeneity in striatal dopamine circuits: Form and function in dynamic reward seeking

The striatal dopamine system has long been studied in the context of reward learning, motivation, and movement. Given the prominent role dopamine plays in a variety of adaptive behavioral states, as well as diseases like addiction, it is essential to understand the full complexity of dopamine neurons and the striatal systems they target. A growing number of studies are uncovering details of the heterogeneity in dopamine neuron subpopulations. Here, we review that work to synthesize current understanding of dopamine system heterogeneity across three levels, anatomical organization, functions in behavior, and modes of action, wherein we focus on signaling profiles and local mechanisms for modulation of dopamine release. Together, these studies reveal new and emerging dimensions of the striatal dopamine system, informing its contribution to dynamic motivational and decision‐making processes.
Comparison of overfed Xupu and Landes geese in performance, fatty acid composition, enzymes and gene expression related to lipid metabolism

Objective The aim of this study was to compare overfeeding performance, fatty acid composition, blood chemistry, enzymes and genes expression overfed Xupu and Landes geese. Methods Sixty male Xupu geese (80 d) and Landes geese (80 d) were selected. After a period of one-week of pre-overfeeding, Xupu and Landes geese were overfed three meals of 550 and 350 g/d, respectively, of a high-carbohydrate diet in the first week of the overfeeding period. The next week, geese were given four meals of 1,200 and 850 g/d, respectively, over 8 to 14 d. Finally, geese were given five meals of 1,600 and 1,350 g/d, respectively, for the last two weeks. Results After overfeeding for 28 d: Compared with Landes geese, Xupu geese liver weight and liver-to-body weight ratio decreased (p<0.05), while final weight, slaughter weight, total weight gain, abdominal fat weight, and feed-to-liver weight ratio increased (p<0.05). The levels of elaidic acid (C18:1t9), oleic acid (C18:1n-9), eicosenoic acid, and arachidonic acid in the liver of Xupu geese significantly increased (p<0.05), and the levels of myristic acid and stearic acid significantly decreased (p<0.05), while methyleicosanoate acid significantly increased (p<0.05). Xupu geese had higher plasma concentrations of triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.05), and decreased activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lipase (LPS) (p<0.05). Landes geese had higher LPS activity (p<0.05), but lower cholinesterase activity (p<0.05) when compared with Xupu geese. The mRNA expression levels of fatty acid dehydrogenase (FADS) gene, elongase of long-chain fatty acid 1 (ELOVL1) gene, ELOVL5, and acyl-Co A: cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) gene were significantly upregulated (p<0.05) in Landes goose when compared with Xupu geese. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the liver production performance of Landes geese was better than that of Xupu geese to some extent, which may be closely related to LPS activity, as well as the expression of FADS, ELOVL1, ELOVL5, and ACAT2.
Ice Binding Proteins: Diverse Biological Roles and Applications in Different Types of Industry

More than 80% of Earth’s surface is exposed periodically or continuously to temperatures below 5 °C. Organisms that can live in these areas are called psychrophilic or psychrotolerant. They have evolved many adaptations that allow them to survive low temperatures. One of the most interesting modifications is production of specific substances that prevent living organisms from freezing. Psychrophiles can synthesize special peptides and proteins that modulate the growth of ice crystals and are generally called ice binding proteins (IBPs). Among them, antifreeze proteins (AFPs) inhibit the formation of large ice grains inside the cells that may damage cellular organelles or cause cell death. AFPs, with their unique properties of thermal hysteresis (TH) and ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI), have become one of the promising tools in industrial applications like cryobiology, food storage, and others. Attention of the industry was also caught by another group of IBPs exhibiting a different activity—ice-nucleating proteins (INPs). This review summarizes the current state of art and possible utilizations of the large group of IBPs.
Summer season temperature-humidity index threshold for infrared thermography in Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) heifers

Objective The study sought to estimate the relationship between body surface temperature (BST) and temperature humidity index (THI) and to present the validity of THI as a heat stress index in the field. Methods Eight Hanwoo heifers (20 to 32 month) were examined in a field trial, with a space allowance of 10 m2 per head. The BST was measured using an infrared thermographic camera. The BST of five body regions (eyes, hindquarters, nose, part of horns, and ears), ambient temperature (AT), and relative humidity (RH) were measured 7 times daily (07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 h) during each season with three replicates. Results The THI ranged 34.0 to 56.9 during spring (AT, −1.0°C to 13.4°C), 75.1 to 84.7 during summer (AT, 24.9°C to 33.6°C), 55.8 to 70.9 during autumn (AT, 13.0°C to 26.0°C) and 17.5 to 39.2 during winter (AT, −10.4°C to 1.0°C). In the regression analysis, the coefficient of determination (R2) between THI and BST was 0.88, 0.72, 0.83, 0.86, and 0.85 for the eyes, hindquarters, nose, part of horn, and ears area, respectively. This indicates that BST has a strong correlation with AT and RH. Expression equations were estimated as Y (THI) = 31.54+0.1085X (BST of eyes) and Y (THI) = 30.48+0.1147X (BST of hindquarters) by simple linear regression analysis in this experiment. Conclusion Consequently, the upper bound for heat stress estimation can be specified ranging from THI of 65 (eyes) to 70 (hindquarters). From this we can expect a precise feeding system for Korean native cattle in the field.
Draft Genome Sequences of 12 Lactobacillus reuteri Strains of Rodent Origin

Lactobacillus reuteri is a bacterial gut symbiont found in many vertebrate animals. The genetic heterogeneity of L. reuteri is likely to contribute to differences in ecological performance within a host. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 12 L. reuteri strains of rodent origin. ABSTRACT Lactobacillus reuteri is a bacterial gut symbiont found in many vertebrate animals. The genetic heterogeneity of L. reuteri is likely to contribute to differences in ecological performance within a host. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 12 L. reuteri strains of rodent origin.
Effect of L-carnitine on sperm quality during liquid storage of boar semen

Objective This study was conducted to investigate the effect of L-carnitine on the pig semen characteristics during storage. Methods Spermatozoa samples were examined for spermatozoa quality and then randomly divided into 5 groups: 0 (control), 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mM L-carnitine. Sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and antioxidant parameters (total reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde) were evaluated after 0, 3, 5, and 10 day cooled-storage at 17°C. Moreover, ATP content, mitochondria activity as well as sperm-binding and in vitro fertilizing ability of preserved boar sperm were also investigated. Results Supplementation with 50 mM L-carnitine could effectively maintain boar sperm quality parameters such as sperm motility and membrane integrity. Besides, we found that L-carnitine had positive effects on boar sperm quality mainly through improving antioxidant capacities and enhancing ATP content and mitochondria activity. Interestingly, by assessing the effect of L-carnitine on sperm fertility and developmental potential, we discovered that the extender containing L-carnitine could improve sperm quality and increase the number of sperms bounding to zona pellucida, without improving in vitro fertility and development potential. Conclusion These findings suggested that the proper addition of L-carnitine to the semen extender improved boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17°C.
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 Inhibitor Butyrolactone I Elicits a Partial Agonist Activity of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived cytokine having an insulin-sensitizing activity. During the phenotypic screening of secondary metabolites derived from the marine fungus Aspergillus terreus, a poly cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor butyrolactone I affecting CDK1 and CDK5 was discovered as a potent adiponectin production-enhancing compound in the adipogenesis model of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). CDK5 inhibitors exhibit insulin-sensitizing activities by suppressing the phosphorylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). However, the adiponectin production-enhancing activities of butyrolactone I have not been correlated with the potency of CDK5 inhibitor activities. In a target identification study, butyrolactone I was found to directly bind to PPARγ. In the crystal structure of the human PPARγ, the ligand-binding domain (LBD) in complex with butyrolactone I interacted with the amino acid residues located in the hydrophobic binding pockets of the PPARγ LBD, which is a typical binding mode of the PPARγ partial agonists. Therefore, the adiponectin production-enhancing effect of butyrolactone I was mediated by its polypharmacological dual modulator activities as both a CDK5 inhibitor and a PPARγ partial agonist.
Does long‐term Bt rice planting pose risks to spider communities and their capacity to control planthoppers?

Genetically modified crops expressing insecticidal Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been grown commercially since 1996 and have successfully controlled target pests, reduced insecticide usage and increased yields. A major concern is that Bt crops may trigger outbreaks of non-target herbivores against which they are not effective, by reducing bio-control services provided by natural enemies, as seen with broad-spectrum insecticides.
Generation of Simian Rotavirus Reassortants with VP4- and VP7-Encoding Genome Segments from Human Strains Circulating in Africa Using Reverse Genetics

Human rotavirus A (RVA) causes acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children. The broad use of two vaccines, which are based on RVA strains from Europe and North America, significantly reduced rotavirus disease burden worldwide. However, a lower vaccine effectiveness is recorded in some regions of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where diverse RVA strains are circulating. Here, a plasmid-based reverse genetics system was used to generate simian RVA reassortants with VP4 and VP7 proteins derived from African human RVA strains not previously adapted to cell culture. We were able to rescue 1/3 VP4 mono-reassortants, 3/3 VP7 mono-reassortants, but no VP4/VP7 double reassortant. Electron microscopy showed typical triple-layered virus particles for the rescued reassortants. All reassortants stably replicated in MA-104 cells; however, the VP4 reassortant showed significantly slower growth compared to the simian RVA or the VP7 reassortants. The results indicate that, at least in cell culture, human VP7 has a high reassortment potential, while reassortment of human VP4 from unadapted human RVA strains with simian RVA seems to be limited. The characterized reassortants may be useful for future studies investigating replication and reassortment requirements of rotaviruses as well as for the development of next generation rotavirus vaccines.
Assessment of tourist satisfaction in Da Nang museum, Vietnam

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of factors affecting visitor satisfaction when visiting the Danang Museum. The methodology involved a survey of 180 domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Danang Museum. The results of the study suggest that Da Nang Museum leaders should significantly consider visitors' satisfaction. Compared to factors (1) level of assurance, (2) reliability, (3) empathy, (4) tangibles and (5) responsiveness have the least impact on the satisfaction of visitors, but they are still positively related to visitor satisfaction.
Knowledge-powered Conversational agents

In open-domain dialogue intelligent agents should exhibit the use of knowledge, however there are few convincing demonstrations of this to date. The most popular sequence to sequence models typically “generate and hope” generic utterances that can be memorized in the weights of the model when mapping from input utterance(s) to output, rather than employing recalled knowledge as context. Use of knowledge has so far proved difficult, in part because of the lack of a supervised learning benchmark task which exhibits knowledgeable open dialogue with clear grounding. To that end we collect and release a large dataset with conversations directly grounded with knowledge retrieved from Wikipedia. We then design architectures capable of retrieving knowledge, reading and conditioning on it, and finally generating natural responses. Our best performing dialogue models are able to conduct knowledgeable discussions on open-domain topics as evaluated by automatic metrics and human evaluations, while our new benchmark allows for measuring further improvements in this important research direction.