Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) of the Kidneys by Using the Bosniak Classification

Abstract Ultrasound is the most used interdisciplinary non-ionizing imaging technique in clinical routine. Therefore, ultrasound has a special value in the diagnosis and monitoring of cystic renal lesions, which can be classified as non-complicated or complicated and by means of occurrence as solitary or multifocal lesions. The Bosniak classification (I-IV) classifies renal cysts in 5 different categories with the help of ultrasound and computed tomography image criteria and is used for decisions of further clinical treatment. Additionally to normal native B-mode sonography, several new methods are in clinical use to improve diagnostic accuracy of unclear cases. Contrast enhanced ultrasound and MRI/CT are able to find and characterize difficult pathologies. This review explains the most important pathologies of cystic lesions of the kidney and stresses the different imaging methods of native B-mode sonography and the new techniques of contrast enhanced ultrasound.
Trained Motor Imitation by Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus)

Each of two bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, was trained to mimic a set of behaviors on command. They were tested on transfer of the mimic command to a set of familiar behaviors which they had not previously been commanded to mimic. They were similarly tested on two novel behaviors. One dolphin demonstrated complete mimicry of 5 of 11 familiar behaviors; the other dolphin mimicked 1 of 9 behaviors. None of the mimicked behaviors was exhibited to an inappropriate model, suggesting that performance was not due to chance. Neither dolphin imitated the novel behaviors.
Clones of B lymphocytes in individual follicles of the bursa of Fabricius

To discover whether individual bursal follicles can contain clones of B lymphocytes, we estimated the numbers of lymphoid cell precursors populating single follicles in two types of chicken chimera. The first type was produced by establishing parabiotic connections between blood vessels of embryo chorioallantoic membranes. Under these conditions, and most likely during normal development, most follicles are populated by more than one, but less than ten, precursor cells. However, in a second type of chimera, a cyclophosphamide‐treated chick reconstituted with normal bursal cells, most follicles in the reconstituted bursa are clonal (their lymphocytes are derived from a single precursor cell). Individual follicles can readily be isolated from bursae of reconstituted birds and should be useful in studies of B cell development.
Mining and Tracking Massive Text Data: Classification, Construction of Tracking Statistics, and Inference Under Misclassification

This article presents a comprehensive data-mining procedure for exploring large freestyle text datasets to discover useful features and develop suitable tracking statistics (often referred to as performance measures or risk indicators). The procedure includes text classification, construction of tracking statistics, inference under error measurements, and risk analysis. Some specific text analysis methodologies and tracking statistics are discussed. Several approaches for incorporating misclassified data or error measurements into the inference for tracking statistics are proposed and evaluated. Finally, as an illustrative example, the proposed data-mining procedure is applied to analyzing an aviation safety report repository to show its utility in aviation risk management or general decision-support systems.
The pitx2 homeobox protein is required early for endoderm formation and nodal signaling. .

Nodal and Nodal-related factors play fundamental roles in a number of developmental processes, including mesoderm and endoderm formation, patterning of the anterior neural plate, and determination of bilateral asymmetry in vertebrates. pitx2, a paired-like homeobox gene, has been proposed to act downstream of Nodal in the gene cascade providing left-right cues to the developing organs. Here, we report that pitx2 is required early in the Nodal signaling pathway for specification of the endodermal and mesodermal germ layers. We found that pitx2 is expressed very early during Xenopus and zebrafish development and in many regions where Nodal signaling is required, including the presumptive mesoderm and endoderm at the blastula and gastrula stages and the prechordal mesoderm at later stages. In Xenopus embryos, overexpression of pitx2 caused ectopic expression of goosecoid and sox-17 and interfered with mesoderm formation. Overexpression of pitx2 in Xenopus animal cap explants partially mimics the effects of Nodal overexpression, suggesting that pitx2 is a mediator of Nodal signaling during specification of the endoderm and prechordal plate, but not during mesoderm induction. We further demonstrate that pitx2 is induced by Nodal signaling in Xenopus animal caps and that the early expression of zebrafish pitx2 is absent when the Nodal signaling pathway is inactive. Inhibition of pitx2 function using a chimeric EnR-pitx2 blocked specification of the mesoderm and endoderm and caused severe embryonic defects resembling those seen when Nodal signaling is inhibited. Following inhibition of pitx2 function, the fate of ventral vegetal blastomeres was shifted from an endodermal to a more mesodermal fate, an effect that was reversed by wild-type pitx2. Finally, we show that inhibition of pitx2 function interferes with the response of cells to Nodal signaling. Our results provide direct evidence that pitx2 function is required for normal specification of the endodermal and mesodermal germ layers.
An observational study examining the impact of capecitabine on warfarin antithrombotic activity and bleeding complications

ABSTRACT Research design and methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based study within the Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI) and the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California (Oakland, CA). The study population included patients prescribed concomitant capecitabine and warfarin from 1 April 1997 through 31 July 2002. Data from the medical records of concurrent users were extracted through 31 August 2002. Main outcome measures: Concomitant use of capecitabine and warfarin, bleeding events, and INR laboratory results, collected from computerized databases and medical record review. Results: Overall, 11% of capecitabine users also received warfarin (99 / 883). Among 17 patients who received warfarin for venous access device prophylaxis, one bleeding event occurred during concomitant capecitabine/warfarin use (rate = 35.7 bleeding events per 100 person-years, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9–198.9), and no events occurred during use of warfarin alone (95% CI 0.0–136.2) ( p = 0.50). Among patients prescribed warfarin for indications other than port prophylaxis, no bleeding events occurred during concomitant use of capecitabine and warfarin (95% CI 0.0–34.6), and one event occurred during warfarin use alone (rate = 9.2 bleeding events per 100 person-years, 95% CI 0.2–51.3) ( p = 0.54). We found one INR elevation > 3.0 among concomitant capecitabine/warfarin users receiving warfarin for port prophylaxis (rate = 35.7 per 100 person-years) and no INR elevations > 3.0 during use of warfarin alone ( p = 0.46). Among patients using warfarin for indications other than port prophylaxis, the rates of INR > 3.0 were 309.7 per 100 person-years (95% CI 213.2–434.9) during concomitant capecitabine/warfarin use and 193.5 events per 100 person-years (95% CI 119.8–295.8) during use of warfarin alone ( p = 0.09). Conclusions: The results of our study show a low prevalence of capecitabine and warfarin concomitant use. We did not find large differences in the rates of bleeding events and elevated INR in patients receiving concomitant capecitabine and warfarin when compared with use of warfarin alone. While these results do not imply a lack of biologic interaction, our findings indicate that patients appear to be appropriately managed in clinical practice.
Electro-Thermal Model for Multi-Anode Schottky Diode Multipliers

We present a self-consistent electro-thermal model for multi-anode Schottky diode multiplier circuits. The thermal model is developed for an n-anode multiplier via a thermal resistance matrix approach. The nonlinear temperature responses of the material are taken into consideration by using a linear temperature-dependent approximation for the thermal resistance. The electro-thermal model is capable of predicting the hot spot temperature, providing useful information for circuit reliability study as well as high power circuit design and optimization. Examples of the circuit analysis incorporating the electro-thermal model for a substrateless- and a membrane-based multiplier circuits, operating up to 200 GHz, are demonstrated. Compared to simulations without thermal model, the simulations with electro-thermal model agree better with the measurement results. For the substrateless multiplier, the error between the simulated and measured peak output power is reduced from ~ 13% to ~ 4% by including the thermal effect.
Switching from twice‐daily abacavir and lamivudine to the once‐daily fixed‐dose combination tablet of abacavir and lamivudine improves patient adherence and satisfaction with therapy

Patients prefer fewer pills and once‐daily (qd) dosing without food restrictions. We assessed the impact on adherence [by Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) cap monitoring] of switching from abacavir (ABC) and lamivudine (3TC) twice daily (bid) to ABC/3TC fixed‐dose formulation (FDC, Kivexa®) qd to achieve a qd regimen.
A study on college English writing instructions for non-English majors

The present study tries to explore some effective approaches to college English writing instructions for non-English majors in China. Based on quantitative analysis of students' needs and current teaching and learning situations of college English writing in China, the author comes up with six suggested approaches, namely, integrating writing with reading and speaking to enhance students' comprehensive competence; conducting group discussion and group error correction to create student-centered class mode and improve learner autonomy; providing hyper-syntactic analysis and sample essay to improve students' logical thinking and writing techniques. A questionnaire was conducted in order to analyze students' needs in college English writing class to provide foundation for this research.
Modelling and animation of generalized cylinders with variable radius offset space curves

A method is presented for the modelling and animation of generalized cylinders with variable radius offset space curves. The boundary surface of a generalized cylinder is constructed: either as a translational sweep of cross-sectional curves along the skeleton curve, or as a rotational sweep of profile curves around the skeleton curve. The cross-sectional curves are computed as the variable radius offset curves of a circle in the normal plane, and the profile curves are computed as the variable radius offset space curves of the skeleton curve. The offset curves are approximated by spline curves, and the boundary surface of a generalized cylinder is approximated by the tensor product surface patches of the offset spline curves.
Aggregation of Imprecise and Uncertain Information in Databases

Information stored in a database is often subject to uncertainty and imprecision. Probability theory provides a well-known and well understood way of representing uncertainty and may thus be used to provide a mechanism for storing uncertain information in a database. We consider the problem of aggregation using an imprecise probability data model that allows us to represent imprecision by partial probabilities and uncertainty using probability distributions. Most work to date has concentrated on providing functionality for extending the relational algebra with a view to executing traditional queries on uncertain or imprecise data. However, for imprecise and uncertain data, we often require aggregation operators that provide information on patterns in the data. Thus, while traditional query processing is tuple-driven, processing of uncertain data is often attribute-driven where we use aggregation operators to discover attribute properties. The aggregation operator that we define uses the Kullback-Leibler information divergence between the aggregated probability distribution and the individual tuple values to provide a probability distribution for the domain values of an attribute or group of attributes. The provision of such aggregation operators is a central requirement in furnishing a database with the capability to perform the operations necessary for knowledge discovery in databases.
The potential supply of organ donors. An assessment of the efficacy of organ procurement efforts in the United States.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the potential supply of organ donors and to measure the efficiency of organ procurement efforts in the United States. METHODS A geographic database has been developed consisting of multiple cause of death and sociodemographic data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics. All deaths are evaluated as to their potential for organ donation. Two classes of potential donors are identified: class 1 estimates are restricted to causes of death involving significant head trauma only, and class 2 estimates include class 1 estimates as well as deaths in which brain death was less probable. RESULTS Over 23,000 people are currently awaiting a kidney, heart, liver, heart-lung, pancreas, or lung transplantation. Donor supply is inadequate, and the number of donors remained unchanged at approximately 4000 annually for 1986 through 1989, with a modest 9.1% increase in 1990. Between 6900 and 10,700 potential donors are available annually (eg, 28.5 to 43.7 per million population). Depending on the class of donor considered, organ procurement efforts are between 37% and 59% efficient. Efficiency greatly varies by state and organ procurement organization. CONCLUSIONS Many more organ donors are available than are being accessed through existing organ procurement efforts. Realistically, it may be possible to increase by 80% the number of donors available in the United States (up to 7300 annually). It is conceivable, although unlikely, that the supply of donor organs could achieve a level to meet demand.
A predictive approach for efficient e-Health monitoring

In this work, we propose an efficient health-care monitoring system for the daily home activity of persons. We intend to combine a good optimization of the resources (e.g. network and energy) and an automatic evaluation of the person's dependency while ensuring a high accuracy for detecting unusual behaviors. The proposed system considers the person's context and predicts the health condition based on the usual behavior and energy consumption for each daily activity. The proposed system requires a minimum set of sensed data with short training periods for predicting the person's behavior changes.
Thresholds for mathematical models of microbial interaction

A mathematical model which consists of nutrient, prey and predator for microbial interaction is proposed. The model assumes that the predator may consume its own population and also incorporates the mechanism that the nutrient is growth-limiting to the prey population at low concentrations but may be growth-inhibiting at high concentrations. It is demonstrated that intratrophic predation of the top predator has no effect on the dynamics of the lower trophic levels. However, it may alter the dynamics of the higher trophic level.
High speed fabrication of aluminum nanostructures with 10 nm spatial resolution by electrochemical replication

A high fidelity electrochemical replication technique for the rapid fabrication of Al nanostructures with 10 nm lateral resolution has been successfully demonstrated. Aluminum is electrodeposited onto a lithographically patterned Si master using a non-aqueous organic hydride bath of aluminum chloride and lithium aluminum hydride at room temperature. Chemical pretreatment of the Si surface allows a clean detachment of the replicated Al foil from the master, permitting its repetitive use for mass replication. This high throughput technique opens up new possibilities in the fabrication of Al-related nanostructures, including the growth of long range ordered anodic alumina nanochannel arrays.
A Comparison of Dexmedetomidine Versus Conventional Therapy for Sedation and Hemodynamic Control During Carotid Endarterectomy Performed Under Regional Anesthesia

The properties of dexmedetomidine (DEX) that result in titratable sedation and sympathetic modulation suggest that it would be suitable for use during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) performed under regional anesthesia. We performed a randomized, double-blind study in 56 patients having CEA under regional anesthesia and compared hemodynamic control using DEX versus a conventional sedation technique using midazolam and fentanyl standard (STD). Sedation was titrated to a Ramsay Sedation Score of 2–4 in both groups. The primary outcome was the number of pharmacological interventions required to treat deviations of arterial blood pressure and heart rate outside of predetermined limits. We also compared recovery hemodynamic profiles, patient satisfaction, and adverse cardiac and neurological events. There was no difference in the overall rate of hemodynamic interventions (DEX 80% versus STD 79%; P = 1.0). However, the nature of interventions differed in that patients in the DEX group were less likely to require treatment for hypertension and/or tachycardia (DEX 40% versus STD 72%; P = 0.03). The number of interventions per patient for hypertension and/or tachycardia was also lesser in the DEX group (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences in the numbers of patients needing intraoperative treatment for hypotension or bradycardia or in the need for intraarterial shunting. In the postanesthesia care unit, more patients in the DEX group required hemodynamic drug interventions (DEX 11, 44%, versus STD 4, 14%; P = 0.03). These were primarily for hypotension (DEX 7, 28% versus STD 3, 11%; P = 0.16). The number of patients requiring no additional pain relief in the postanesthesia care unit was significantly larger for patients in the DEX group (DEX 18, 72% versus STD 11, 38%; P = 0.027). DEX provides an acceptable alternative, without superiority to standard techniques for sedation during awake CEA.
E-Cigarettes: Use, Effects on Smoking, Risks, and Policy Implications

Since e-cigarettes appeared in the mid-2000s, some practitioners, researchers, and policy makers have embraced them as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes and an effective way to stop smoking. While e-cigarettes deliver lower levels of carcinogens than do conventional cigarettes, they still expose users to high levels of ultrafine particles and other toxins that may substantially increase cardiovascular and noncancer lung disease risks, which account for more than half of all smoking-caused deaths, at rates similar to conventional cigarettes. Moreover, rather than stimulating smokers to switch from conventional cigarettes to less dangerous e-cigarettes or quitting altogether, e-cigarettes are reducing smoking cessation rates and expanding the nicotine market by attracting youth.
Passage rate through the anterior digestive tract of broiler chickens fed on diets with ground and whole wheat

1. Birds were fed diets containing ground or whole wheat and titanium dioxide for 10 min, followed by dissection of 4 birds per treatment after 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min. 2. The crop, proventriculus and gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum from each bird were dried and combusted, and titanium content in each section was determined. 3. Significant amounts of titanium were found in the small intestine of the birds as soon as 30 min after being given feed containing titanium, and significant amounts had passed the small intestine after 120 to 150 min. 4. Titanium contents equivalent to approximately 5 g feed were eliminated from the gizzard per hour independently of whether ground or whole wheat was used. Thus, a hypothesis that the use of whole grain would slow down passage rate through the upper digestive tract was not supported by the current results.
More extended-spectrum beta-lactamases

as cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and aztreonam, antibiotics that were designed to be effective against strains producing known plasmid-determined 1-lactamases. Extended-spectrum ,-lactamases were first recognized in Europe, have become increasingly prevalent there, and are being reported around the world, including many sites in the United States. Since this topic was reviewed in 1989 (68), many more TEM-related extended-spectrum P-lactamases have been described, as have plasmid-mediated 1-lactamases which are unrelated to those in the TEM family and which confer resistance to cefoxitin and other cephamycins or to imipenem and other carbapenems, antibiotics that retained activity against strains producing the first extended-spectrum enzymes to be discovered. Treatment of infections caused by strains producing these enzymes remains problematic.
Sec5 and Exo84 Foster Oncogenic Ras-Mediated Tumorigenesis

The genes encoding the Ras family of small GTPases are mutated to yield constitutively active GTP-bound oncogenic proteins in one third of all human cancers. Oncogenic Ras binds to and activates a number of proteins that promote tumorigenic phenotypes, including the family of Ral guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RalGEF). Activated RalGEFs convert the Ral family of small GTPases, composed of RalA and RalB, from an inactive GDP-bound state to an active GTP-bound state. As both RalA and RalB have been implicated in a variety of tumorigenic phenotypes, we sought to determine which proteins downstream of Rals promote transformation and tumorigenesis. Here, we report that shRNA-mediated knockdown of the Ral effector proteins Sec5 and Exo84, but less so in the case of RalBP1, reduced oncogenic RalGEF-mediated transformation and oncogenic Ras-driven tumorigenic growth of human cells. These results suggest that Rals promote oncogenic Ras-mediated tumorigenesis through, at least in part, Sec5 and Exo84. Mol Cancer Res; 8(2); 223–31
Hirschsprung’s Disease in an Adult with a 37-year History of Colostomy

a rare and frequently misdiagnosed cause of long-standing refractory constipation. In most cases, patients have a mild form of the disease and as a result go undiagnosed early in their lives. A mild form of the disease may occur because the proximal innervated colon is hypertrophied and thus compensates for the distal obstructed aganglionic rectum. These patients often try to relieve the constipation by taking cathartics and using enemas. Here we investigate the treatment of a 37-year-old patient who underwent one colostomy just after birth that was reversed followed by a second colostomy.