| Milano Finanza | FtseMib future: spunti operativi per lunedì 7 agosto Milano Finanza Accelerazione rialzista. E' stata una giornata positiva sul mercato azionario italiano che ha compiuto un veloce balzo in avanti e si è spinto sui massimi delle ultime settimane. Il Ftse Mib future (scadenza settembre 2017), dopo un'apertura a 21.765 ... |
| Health happenings, from free screenings to Tango Night Greensboro News & Record Drs. Marina Bonaventura and William Milner will examine participants' gums, mouth, salivary glands, tongue and lips for signs of various oral cancers. People who are experiencing sores or lesions in the mouth, thickening of the cheeks or white/red ... |
To determine the role of cortical mastoidectomy on the results of tympanoplsty in tubotympanic type of chronic suppurative otitis media. A prospective, observational, interventional study was conducted from a period of October 2006–October 2008. This included 40 patients of either sex in the age group of 15–45 years having tubotympanic type of CSOM. Tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy was done in all the patients and they were followed up for graft acceptance and hearing impairment for 5 years to see the long term results. Per-operatively, the antrum was involved in 17, aditus in 11 and middle ear in 8 patients. Incus was necrosed in 10 cases and malleus and incus were absent in a single case. Mucoid discharge was found in the middle ear in 12 out of 40 patients. Mucoid discharge ears had antral mucosal hypertrophy in 100%, blocked aditus in 75% and middle ear mucosal hypertrophy in 58% cases; ossicular necrosis in 75% cases. 90% of the cases had graft accepted. In dry ears, graft take up rate was 89% and in ears with mucoid discharge it was 92%. Average air–bone–gap reduced to 13.90 dB as compared to average air–bone–gap (Av. AB Gap1) preoperatively of 38.62 dB. After 5 years, 83.5% patients had >10 dB improvement in hearing. We recommend opening of the mastoid if on inspection of middle ear one finds mucoid type of discharge.
Little is known about opioid prescribing among individuals who have survived cancer. Our aim is to examine a predominantly socio-economically disadvantaged population for differences in opioid prescribing rates among cancer survivors compared with matched controls without a prior diagnosis of cancer.
This was a retrospective population-wide matched cohort study. Starting in 2010, individuals residing in Ontario, Canada, who were 18 to 64 years of age and at least 5 years past their cancer diagnosis were matched to controls without a prior cancer diagnosis based on sex and calendar year of birth. Follow-up was terminated at any indication of cancer recurrence, second malignancy, or new cancer diagnosis. To examine the association between survivorship and the rate of opioid prescriptions, an Andersen-Gill recurrent event regression model was implemented, adjusting for numerous individual-level characteristics and also accounting for the matched design.
The rate of opioid prescribing was 1.22 times higher among survivors than among their corresponding matched controls (adjusted relative rate, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.11-1.34). Individuals from lower income quintiles who were younger, were from rural neighborhoods, and had more comorbidities had significantly higher prescribing rates. Sex was not associated with prescribing rates. This increased rate of opioid prescribing was also seen among survivors who were 10 or more years past their cancer diagnosis (compared with their controls).
This study demonstrates substantially higher opioid prescribing rates among cancer survivors, even long after attaining survivorship. This raises concerns about the diagnosis and management of chronic pain problems among survivors stemming from their cancer diagnosis or treatment. Cancer 2017. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
| tio.ch | Gli danno 6 settimane di vita, dopo 5 anni è ancora vivo tio.ch WASHINGTON - Gli avevano dato 6 settimane di vita al massimo, ma Leland Fay, 46 anni, papà di due bimbi, dopo 5 anni è ancora vivo. Sopravvissuto ad una forma ... «Avevo notato una piccola escrescenza in testa, e così ho scoperto di avere un tumore. Mi ... and more » |
The objective is to compare the amount and content of publications regarding traditional or regenerative periodontal surgery in the years 1982/1983 and 2012/2013 in two leading periodontal journals of North America and Europe.
The search was carried out in the Journal of Periodontology and Journal of Clinical Periodontology. Four reviewers screened the articles and allocated the topics with respect to periodontal surgery. The distribution of articles with respect to traditional or regenerative periodontal surgery was then compared between the journals and the respective time periods.
Out of 1084 screened articles, 145 articles were included. Articles with periodontal surgery content amounted to 18% for the first time period and to 11% for the second time period. In the years 1982/1983, 7% of articles in the Journal of Periodontology and 8% in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology referred to traditional periodontal surgery, while 8% (Journal of Periodontology) and 5% (Journal of Clinical Periodontology) examined regenerative periodontal surgery. The distribution changed 30 years later, with 1% (Journal of Periodontology) and 3% (Journal of Clinical Periodontology) traditional periodontal surgery and 7% and 6% regenerative periodontal surgery content.
While the clinical need for traditional periodontal surgery remained, research in this important field decreased. Publications rather tended to focus on adjunctive regenerative measures.
Periodontal surgery with adjunctive regenerative measures is an established and well-documented clinical procedure. However, with respect to the dominance of horizontal bone loss in periodontally diseased patients, there is a need for ongoing research with focus on traditional periodontal surgery.
A new study found that opioid prescription use is more common in cancer survivors than in individuals without a history of cancer. This was true even among survivors who were ten or more years past their cancer diagnosis. Published early online in...
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Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers (18 males, 136 females) in the United States answered questions about their use of social network applications, their comfort with Web 2.0, and their use of empirically-based resources from social networks. Results provide a user update on factors that predict overall engagement with social networks, which included comfort and trust in using social networks, as well as higher age. We also explored the most popular applications used by teachers and the most popular reasons for their use. Finally, we implemented a new survey methodology to gauge responses about empirically-based posts on social networks and discuss results in the context of balancing free resources with high-quality pedagogical information.
Breast Biopsy Incisional Surgery - patient education materials
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Before we talk about treatment, let's start with a discussion about the human body and about your medical condition.
Your doctor has recommended that you undergo a breast biopsy procedure - or lumpectomy. But what does that actually mean?
Biopsy is a general term which simply means "the removal of tissue for microscopic examination."
Your doctor intends to remove tissue from the breast - not because you're necessarily ill - but because breast biopsy is a very accurate method for analyzing breast tissue.
Because it provides such accurate diagnostic information, breast biopsy is an important diagnostic tool in the fight against breast cancer.
In your case, you have lump or thickening in your breast.
It was felt by you or your doctor during a routine breast exam or discovered following a mammogram. Let's take a moment to look at the reasons why lumps form in breast tissue.
The breast is made of layers of skin, fat and breast tissue - all of which overlay the pectoralis muscle. Breast tissue itself is made up of a network of tiny-milk carrying ducts and there are three ways in which a lump can form among them.
Most women experience periodic changes to their breasts. Cysts are some of the most common kinds of tissues that can grow large enough to be felt and to cause tenderness. Cysts often grow and then shrink without any medical intervention.
A second kind of lump is caused by changes in breast tissue triggered by the growth of a cyst. Even after the cyst itself has gone away, it can leave fibrous tissue behind. This scar tissue can often be large enough to be felt.
The third kind of growth is a tumor. Tumors can be either benign or cancerous and it is concern about this type of growth that has lead your doctor to recommend breast biopsy.
Sometimes you will have breast changes that can not be felt by physical examination alone; but may be seen on a mammogram.
In order to learn more about the nature of the lump in your breast your doctor would like to surgically remove it.
Most likely, you're feeling some anxiety about this procedure, which is perfectly understandable. You should realize that it's natural to feel apprehensive about any kind of biopsy. In some cases, a woman will choose not to have a biopsy simply out of fear.
But ignoring a lump in your breast won't make it go away.
If you're feeling anxious, try to remember that the purpose of a biopsy is simply to find out what is going on in your body - so that if you do have a problem, it can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.
If you should decide not to allow your doctor to perform the biopsy, you'll be leaving yourself at risk for medical problems.
If the suspicious tissue in your breast is benign, most likely you'll suffer few if any complications. However, if it is cancerous, and it is allowed to grow unchecked - you might be putting your own life at risk.
The bottom line - trust that your doctor is recommending this procedure for your benefit and above all don't be afraid to ask questions raised by this video and to talk openly about your concerns.
Your Procedure:
On the day of your operation, you will be asked to put on a surgical gown. You may receive a sedative by mouthand an intravenous line may be put in. You will then be transferred to an operating table.
Your doctor will scrub thoroughly and will apply an antiseptic solution to the skin around the area where the incision will be made.
Then, the doctor will place a sterile drape or towels around the operative site and will inject a local anesthetic. This will sting a bit, but your breast will quickly begin to feel numb. Usually, the surgeon will inject more than one spot - in order to make sure that the entire area is thoroughly numb.
After allowing a few minutes for the anesthetic to take effect, the surgeon will make a small incision.
Once the incision has been made, your doctor will begin looking for the lump that is to be removed. You will feel some pressure or even slight tugging or pulling - but you should not feel any sharp pain. If you do begin to feel pain, you should tell the doctor and you will be given more anesthetic.
Once the lump is removed, the doctor will close the skin over the incision as neatly and as cosmetically as they are able.
Finally, a sterile dressing is applied.
Your specimen will be sent immediately to a lab for microscopic analysis. Your doctor will tell you when to expect result from those tests.
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Bell's palsy: Paralysis of the nerve that supplies the facial muscles on one side of the face (the seventh cranial nerve, or facial nerve). Bell's palsy often starts suddenly. The cause may be a viral infection. Treatment includes protecting the eye on the affected side from dryness during sleep. Massage of affected muscles can reduce soreness. Sometimes cortisone medication, such as prednisone, is given to reduce inflammation during the first weeks of illness. The outlook is generally good; the vast majority of patients recover within weeks or months.
The two leading causes of death in North America are cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. As a result of necessary cancer treatments, survivors are at an increased risk of CVD. The contribution of cardio-toxic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy to CVD is discussed. This paper addresses shared CVD and cancer risk factors (smoking tobacco, diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, alcohol consumption, and hyperlipidemia) and the influence on cardiovascular outcomes in those treated with cardio-toxic cancer therapies.
Strategies for prevention of CVD in cancer survivors are gaining more attention through rigorous screening, long-term surveillance, and referral to multidisciplinary cardio-oncology teams. Additionally, interventions, such as exercise prescription in the setting of cardiac rehabilitation, and pharmacologic approaches are suggested to lessen the burden of CV related toxicity in cancer survivors treated with cardio-toxic therapies.
Those with modifiable CVD risk factors treated with cardio-toxic cancer therapies are at an increased risk for cardiac dysfunction. Strategies for prevention, surveillance, and management include the integration of cardio-oncology teams and rehabilitation programs into cancer survivorship care.
Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is increasingly common in modern society bringing various neurobehavioural effects. Dynamic changes of behaviour performances during TSD have been reported extensively, while the cerebral activation underlying such changes have not been elucidated clearly. This study aimed to investigate dynamic changes in cerebral responses to the fastest and slowest psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) trials during TSD. Thirty-six healthy subjects with intermediate chronotype performed the PVT while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging every 2 h from 22:00 hours on the first day to 06:00 hours on the second day (i.e. 22:00, 12:00, 02:00, 04:00 and 06:00 hours; a total of five imaging sessions). Behaviourally, significant time effects were found for the PVT performance. For imaging results, significant activation alterations were found in the cognitive control network and the default mode network (DMN) for the fastest and slowest PVT trials, respectively. Time–course analysis indicated that the largest differences for behavioural results and imaging results happened in session 4 and became more prominent in session 5. Our findings provide more detailed information about the process of sustained attention activation during one night of TSD and add information regarding the effect of circadian rhythmicity and homeostatic sleep pressure on regional brain responses.
In Belgium, different routine surveillance systems are in place to follow-up Lyme borreliosis trends. However, accurate data on the disease and monetary burden for the different clinical manifestations are lac...
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Contamination of environment and food from the prevalent spores and mycotoxins of Aspergillus niger has led to several diseases in humans and other animals. The present study investigated the control activity of plant essential oils against three strains of A. niger. In the elaborate assays done through microdilution plate assay and agar disk diffusion assay in the lab condition and in vivo assay on the stored wheat grains, the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris depicted overall superior efficacy. In microdilution plate assay, the oil of Anethum graveolens showed best fungistatic activity, while best fungicidal activity was depicted by Syzygium aromaticum oil. The oil of T. vulgaris showed moderate control efficacy against A. niger strains with its antifungal activity resulting mainly due to killing of microorganism rather than growth inhibition. In agar disk diffusion assay, T. vulgaris oil with a zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 23.3–61.1% was the most effective fungicide. The in vivo assay to evaluate the protection efficacy of oils for stored wheat grains against A. niger (AN1) revealed T. vulgaris (90.5–100%) to be the best control agent, followed by the oil of S. aromaticum (61.9–100%). The GC–MS analysis of T. vulgaris oil indicated the presence of thymol (39.11%), γ-terpinene (19.73%), o-cymene (17.21%), and β-pinene (5.38%) as major oil components. Phytotoxic effects of the oils on wheat seeds showed no significant phytotoxic effect of oils in terms of seed germination or seedling growth. The results of the study demonstrated control potentiality of essential oils for the protection of stored wheat against A. niger with prospect for development of eco-friendly antifungal products.
A comparison of Cu extraction yields for three different ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid (EDDS)-enhanced washing configurations was performed on a Cu-contaminated soil. Batch experiments were used to simulate a single-stage continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a multi-stage (side feeding and counter-current) reactor. Single-stage CSTR conditions were simulated for various EDDS:(Cu + Cd + Pb + Co + Ni + Zn) molar ratio (EDDS:M ratio) (from 1 to 30) and liquid to soil (L/S) ratio (from 15 to 45). The highest Cu extraction yield (≃56%) was achieved with EDDS:M = 30. In contrast, a Cu extraction yield decrease was observed with increasing L/S ratio with highest extracted Cu achievement (≃48%) for L/S = 15. Side feeding configuration was tested in four experimental conditions through different fractionation mode of EDDS dose and treatment time at each washing step. Results from the four tests showed all enhanced Cu extraction (maximum values from ≃43 to ≃51%) achieved at lower treatment time and lower EDDS:M molar ratio compared to CSTR configuration with L/S = 25 and EDDS:M = 10. The counter-current washing was carried out through two washing flows achieving a process performance enhancement with 27% increase of extracted Cu compared to single-stage CSTR configuration. Higher Cu extraction percentage (36.8%) was observed in the first washing phase than in the second one (24.7%).
| Durham Herald Sun | Duke heads to ACC tournament needing four wins to keep season alive Durham Herald Sun A year ago Duke made the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time in more than 50 years. To return for second year in a row, they'll need to make an historic run through the ACC tournament this week in Louisville, Kentucky. After dropping two of ... and more » |
Introduction Germline BRCA mutations may have therapeutic implications as surrogate markers of DNA-damage repair status in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We performed a prospective study to evaluate the efficiency of risk criteria based on personal or family history of breast and ovarian cancer for determining germline BRCA mutations in PDAC patients with Asian ethnicity. Methods Between November 2015 and May 2016, we screened consecutive PDAC patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic disease who were referred for systemic chemotherapy. Analyses for germline BRCA mutations were performed if patients had one or more first-degree or second-degree relatives with breast or ovarian cancers or had a personal medical history of these diseases. DNA was extracted from whole blood, and all coding exons and their flanking intron regions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 were sequenced. Results A total of 175 patients were screened for personal and family history and 10 (5.7%) met the inclusion criteria for genetic sequencing. Pathogenic germline BRCA2 mutation [c.7480C>T (p.Arg2494*)] was identified in one male patient, resulting in a frequency of 10% for the risk-stratified patients and 0.6% for the unselected PDAC population. Two patients had germline BRCA2 variants of uncertain significance [c.1744A>C (p.Thr582Pro) and c.68-7T>A]. Conclusion Personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancers is a feasible, cost-effective risk categorization for screening germline BRCA mutations in Asian PDAC patients as 10% of this population had the pathogenic mutation herein. Future validation from a large, prospective cohort is needed.
| Stuff.co.nz | Oral sex linked to increase in throat cancers Stuff.co.nz Oral sex is being blamed for growing rates of throat cancers among Kiwi men. Incidences of cancer of the tonsils and back of the tongue in men has more than doubled in the past 25 years. The latest figures from the New Zealand Cancer Registry - 2013 ... and more » |
Introduction. The paranasal sinuses mucoceles are benign expansive cystic lesions that occur rarely in the sphenoid sinus and contain mucous material enclosed by cylindrical pseudostratified epithelium. Objective. To report one case of sphenoid sinus mucocele that occurred with headache and was submitted to surgical treatment through endonasal endoscopy approach. Case Report. 59-year-old male patient with history of increasing frontoorbital, bilateral, fluctuating headache and exophthalmos. There was no other associated clinical abnormality. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) scans confirmed an expansive mass of sphenoid sinus, suggesting mucocele. The patient was submitted to endonasal endoscopic surgery with posterior ethmoidotomy, large sphenoidotomy, and marsupialization of the lesion. Conclusion. Mucoceles of the sphenoid sinus are a very rare condition with variable clinical and radiological presentation. Surgical treatment is absolutely indicated and early treatment avoids visual damage that can be permanent. Endonasal endoscopic approach with drainage and marsupialization of sphenoid sinus, using a transnasal corridor, is a safe and effective treatment modality.
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| Stuff.co.nz | Oral sex linked to increase in throat cancers Stuff.co.nz Incidences of cancer of the tonsils and back of the tongue in men has more than doubled in the past 25 years. The latest figures from the New Zealand Cancer Registry - 2013 - show 96 men and 26 women were diagnosed that year with oropharynx cancers ... and more » |
Aim. To investigate the association of skeletal muscle mass with metabolic parameters and hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. A retrospective observational study was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes between May 2013 and November 2015. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the association between skeletal muscle mass and metabolic parameters. Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to assess the association between skeletal muscle mass and hospitalization. Results. A total of 121 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age of patients was 59.4 ± 14.2 years. During a mean follow-up of 730 ± 253 days, three patients (2.8%) died and 79 patients (65.3%) were admitted to our hospital. After adjustment for age, sex, height, and weight, it was found that lower extremity skeletal muscle mass (LSM) was inversely associated with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (, ). Moreover, LSM was significantly associated with reduced risk of hospitalization (hazard ratio = 0.752; 95% confidence interval, 0.601–0.942; ). In contrast, upper extremity skeletal muscle mass (USM) did not exhibit any significant association. Conclusion. LSM, but not USM, is important for managing patients with type 2 diabetes. This trial is registered with UMIN000023010.
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A hybrid machine-learning model, integrating an artificial neural network (ANN) and a support vector machine (SVM) model, is developed to predict spatiotemporal delays, subject to road geometry, number of lane closures, and work zone duration in different periods of a day and in the days of a week. The model is very user friendly, allowing the least inputs from the users. With that the delays caused by a work zone on any location of a New Jersey freeway can be predicted. To this end, tremendous amounts of data from different sources were collected to establish the relationship between the model inputs and outputs. A comparative analysis was conducted, and results indicate that the proposed model outperforms others in terms of the least root mean square error (RMSE). The proposed hybrid model can be used to calculate contractor penalty in terms of cost overruns as well as incentive reward schedule in case of early work competition. Additionally, it can assist work zone planners in determining the best start and end times of a work zone for developing and evaluating traffic mitigation and management plans.
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Objectives. Chronic nonspecific lower back pain (LBP) is a common disease. Insufficient data is currently available to conclusively confirm the analgesic effects of laser acupuncture on LBP. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping in LBP treatment. Methods. Patients with chronic nonspecific LBP were enrolled for a randomized controlled trial and assigned to the laser acupuncture group (laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping) and control group (sham laser plus Chinese cupping). Laser acupuncture (808 nm; 40 mW; 20 Hz; 15 J/cm2) and Chinese cupping were applied on the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints for 5 consecutive days. Plasma cortisol levels were assessed before and after the 5-day treatment session. The visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded at baseline and throughout the 5-day treatment session. Results. After the treatment session, the plasma cortisol levels and VAS scores decreased significantly in both groups. In the laser acupuncture group, the VAS scores decreased significantly on days 4 and 5, and an enhanced reduction in VAS scores was observed. Conclusion. Laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping at the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints effectively reduced pain and inflammation in chronic nonspecific LBP. This therapy could be a suitable option for LBP treatment in clinical settings.
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Background. St. Joseph's Health System has implemented an integrated comprehensive care bundle care (ICC) program with the hopes that it would improve patients' care while reducing overall costs. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the performance of the ICC program within patients admitted with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD). Methods. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study comparing ICC patients to non-ICC patients admitted to St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton for COPD being discharged with support services between June 2012 and March 2015, using administrative data. Confounding adjustment was achieved through the use of propensity score matching. Medical resource utilizations during the initial hospitalization and within the 60 days following discharge were compared using regression models. Results. All 76 patients who entered the ICC program (100.0%) were matched 1 : 1 to 76 eligible non-ICC patients (28.4%). Length of stay (6.47 [7.29] versus 9.55 [10.21] days) and resource intensity weights (1.16 [0.80] versus 1.64 [1.69]) were lower in the ICC group within the initial hospitalization but, while favoring the ICC program, healthcare resource use tended not to differ statistically following discharge. Interpretation. The ICC program was able to reduce initial medical resource utilization without increasing subsequent medical resource use.
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Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions, which were associated with prostatitis-like symptoms (PLS). We intended to explore the prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms and outcomes of National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) scores in outpatients with lifelong (LPE) and acquired premature ejaculation (APE). From December 2013 to December 2015, a total of 498 consecutive heterosexual men with PE and 322 male healthy subjects without PE were enrolled. Each of them completed a detailed questionnaire on demographics information, sexual and medical histories, and the NIH-CPSI. Assessment of NIH-CPSI and definition of PLS and PE were used to measure the PLS and NIH-CPSI scores and ejaculatory function for all subjects. Finally, a total of 820 subjects (including 498 men in PE group and 322 men in control group) were enrolled in our study. The mean ages were significantly different between PE and no PE groups. Men with PE reported worse PLS and higher NIH-CPSI scores (P
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In the past 20 years, much progress has been made on the genetic analysis of osteoporosis. A number of genes and SNPs associated with osteoporosis have been found through GWAS method. In this paper, we intend to identify the suspected risky SNPs of osteoporosis with computational methods based on the known osteoporosis GWAS-associated SNPs. The process includes two steps. Firstly, we decided whether the genes associated with the suspected risky SNPs are associated with osteoporosis by using random walk algorithm on the PPI network of osteoporosis GWAS-associated genes and the genes associated with the suspected risky SNPs. In order to solve the overfitting problem in ID3 decision tree algorithm, we then classified the SNPs with positive results based on their features of position and function through a simplified classification decision tree which was constructed by ID3 decision tree algorithm with PEP (Pessimistic-Error Pruning). We verified the accuracy of the identification framework with the data set of GWAS-associated SNPs, and the result shows that this method is feasible. It provides a more convenient way to identify the suspected risky SNPs associated with osteoporosis.
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We report a case of a 39-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain while being in remission from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Cardiac markers were elevated and EKG revealed ischemic changes compatible with acute myocardial ischemia. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) showed calcium-free coronary arteries and soft tissue myocardial infiltration suggestive of cardiac leukemia. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed recurrence of T-ALL, and patient was successfully treated with chemotherapy. We discuss the prospective diagnosis of myopericardial leukemic involvement and the role of CCTA in diagnosis and perform a literature review.
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In the last decade, we have gained a deeper understanding of innate immune system. The mechanism of the continuous guarding of progressive mutations happening in a single cell was discovered and the production and the recognition of tumor associated antigens by the T-cells and elimination of numerous tumors by immune-editing were further understood. The new discoveries on immune mechanisms and its relation with carcinogenesis have led to development of a new class of drugs called immunotherapeutics. T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4, programmed cell death protein 1, and programmed cell death protein ligand 1 are the classes drugs based on immunologic manipulation and are collectively known as the "checkpoint inhibitors." Checkpoint inhibitors have shown remarkable antitumor efficacy in a broad spectrum of malignancies; however, the strongest and most durable immune responses do not last long and the more durable responses only occur in a small subset of patients. One of the solutions which have been put forth to overcome these challenges is combination strategies. Among the dual use of methods, a backbone with either PD-1 or PD-L1 antagonist drugs alongside with certain cytotoxic chemotherapies, radiation, targeted drugs, and novel checkpoint stimulators is the most promising approach and will be on stage in forthcoming years.
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Introduction. The paranasal sinuses mucoceles are benign expansive cystic lesions that occur rarely in the sphenoid sinus and contain mucous material enclosed by cylindrical pseudostratified epithelium. Objective. To report one case of sphenoid sinus mucocele that occurred with headache and was submitted to surgical treatment through endonasal endoscopy approach. Case Report. 59-year-old male patient with history of increasing frontoorbital, bilateral, fluctuating headache and exophthalmos. There was no other associated clinical abnormality. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) scans confirmed an expansive mass of sphenoid sinus, suggesting mucocele. The patient was submitted to endonasal endoscopic surgery with posterior ethmoidotomy, large sphenoidotomy, and marsupialization of the lesion. Conclusion. Mucoceles of the sphenoid sinus are a very rare condition with variable clinical and radiological presentation. Surgical treatment is absolutely indicated and early treatment avoids visual damage that can be permanent. Endonasal endoscopic approach with drainage and marsupialization of sphenoid sinus, using a transnasal corridor, is a safe and effective treatment modality.
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Ivabradine is a modern drug that selectively lowers the heart rate, improves cardiac energy balance, and reduces heart's demands for oxygen and energy. Due to the chemical nature of ivabradine, which absorbs light at 207 nm and 286 nm, its detection was performed at two wavelengths. A Knauer C8 column was used to develop the RP-HPLC method for determination of ivabradine. The proposed method was linear from 5 to 100 µg/ml () for both wavelengths and limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.33 and 1.09 µg/ml for 207 nm and 1.19 and 3.97 µg/ml for 286 nm, respectively. After validation, the investigated method was applied to a stress degradation study. Numerous degradation products were formed from ivabradine solutions through alkaline and acid hydrolysis, oxidation, and photolysis. The largest numbers of degradation products were found in the sample exposed to 24 h radiation and alkaline hydrolysis (eight and six products, resp.). Finally, the simple method using HPLC-UV-DAD was developed and validated. Its usefulness for the monitoring of possible degradation products was demonstrated.
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Among the central tenets of globalization is the free migration of labor. Although much has been written about the benefits of globalization, little is known about its limitations and how antiglobalist sentiment can be strongly affected by high levels of immigration. Analyzing poll data from a group of EU countries affected by the recent migrant crisis, we find that over the last three years the percentage of right-wing (RW) populist voters in a given country depends on the prevalence of immigrants in this country's population and the total immigration inflow into the entire EU. The latter is likely due to the perception that the EU functions as a supranational state in which a lack of inner borders means that "someone else's problem" can easily become "my problem." We find that the increase in the percentage of RW voters substantially surpasses the percentage of immigration inflow, implying that if this process continues, ongoing democratic processes will cause RW populism to prevail and globalization to rapidly decrease. We locate tipping points between the fraction of immigrants and the rise of RW populism, and we model our empirical findings using a complex network framework in which the success of globalization rests on a balance between immigration and immigrant integration.
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The naïve Bayes classifier (NBC) is one of the most popular classifiers for class prediction or pattern recognition from microarray gene expression data (MGED). However, it is very much sensitive to outliers with the classical estimates of the location and scale parameters. It is one of the most important drawbacks for gene expression data analysis by the classical NBC. The gene expression dataset is often contaminated by outliers due to several steps involved in the data generating process from hybridization of DNA samples to image analysis. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt is made to robustify the Gaussian NBC by the minimum -divergence method. The role of minimum -divergence method in this article is to produce the robust estimators for the location and scale parameters based on the training dataset and outlier detection and modification in test dataset. The performance of the proposed method depends on the tuning parameter . It reduces to the traditional naïve Bayes classifier when . We investigated the performance of the proposed beta naïve Bayes classifier (-NBC) in a comparison with some popular existing classifiers (NBC, KNN, SVM, and AdaBoost) using both simulated and real gene expression datasets. We observed that the proposed method improved the performance over the others in presence of outliers. Otherwise, it keeps almost equal performance.
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Cutaneous and systemic plasmacytosis are reactive disease processes that occur in middle-aged Japanese and Chinese men. Systemic plasmacytosis, defined by plasmacytic infiltration of two organ systems, might rarely progress to lymphoma. Cutaneous plasmacytosis, however, is chronic and benign and is characterized by the development of multiple plasma cell-rich infiltrates in the skin. We present a case of cutaneous plasmacytosis in a 46-year-old Korean male. The patient demonstrated classic features of the disease entity, including disseminated red-brown plaques, differentiated plasmacytoid infiltrates on biopsy, hypergammaglobulinemia, and the absence of systemic disease.
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Currently, due to the rapid development and popularization of smartphones, the usage of ubiquitous smartphones has attracted growing interest in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM). The portable and rapid cable force measurement for cable-supported structures, such as a cable-stayed bridge and a suspension bridge, has an important and practical significance in the evaluation of initial damage and the recovery of transportation networks. The extraction of dynamic characteristics (natural frequencies) of cable is considered as an essential issue in the cable force estimation. Therefore, in this study, a vision-based approach is proposed for identifying the natural frequencies of cable using handheld shooting of smartphone camera. The boundary of cable is selected as a target to be tracked in the region of interest (ROI) of video image sequence captured by smartphone camera, and the dynamic characteristics of cable are identified according to its dynamic displacement responses in frequency domain. The moving average is adopted to eliminate the noise associated with the shaking of smartphone camera during measurement. A laboratory scale cable model test and a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge test are carried out to evaluate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using smartphone camera for cable force estimation.
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We propose the solution concepts for the fuzzy optimization problems in the quotient space of fuzzy numbers. The Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions are elicited naturally by introducing the Lagrange function multipliers. The effectiveness is illustrated by examples.
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This paper investigates the fixed-time attitude tracking control problem for flexible spacecraft with unknown bounded disturbances. First, with the knowledge of norm upper bounds of external disturbances and the coupling effect of flexible modes, a novel robust fixed-time controller is designed to deal with this problem. Second, the controller is further enhanced by an adaptive law to avoid the knowledge of norm upper bounds of external disturbances and coupling effect of flexible modes. This control law guarantees the convergence of attitude tracking errors in fixed time where the settling time is bounded by a constant independent of initial conditions. Moreover, the proposed controllers can prevent the unwinding phenomenon. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed control scheme.
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Water imbibition, conductivity measurements, and ion identification were performed to investigate ion diffusion behavior between slick water and shale for large-scale hydraulic fracturing. The results indicated that there was strong ion exchange between water and shale. The ion concentration in water increases with fracture complexity and is dependent on the salinity of fracturing fluids. This implies that fracturing effects could be forecast from flow-back fluid ion concentrations after large-scale slick water fracturing. Higher levels of ion diffusion imply the presence of larger fracturing areas and higher level of fracture density for a similar reservoir. The mechanism of ion diffusion and the corresponding effects on IOR (increased oil recovery) based on a field example are discussed.
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In response to the pressing global challenges of climate change, community based management of miombo woodlands in Tanzania is promoted for carbon credit project development. However, evidence on its feasibility is scanty and questionable. This study examined the economic feasibility of carbon credit project development in community based forest management (CBFM) using four similar miombo woodlands from Southern highlands. The analysis was based on 144 sample plots from managed woodlands and 100 plots from business as usual (BAU) (open access). Allometric equation was applied to convert biomass to carbon per hectare. Improved carbon stock was determined and its economic value ascertained based on global voluntary carbon markets. Project feasibility analysis was performed using discounted cash flow, internal rate of return, and benefits/costs methods. Annual opportunity cost and variable costs were subtracted from total revenue to obtain annual net profit. The annual rate of return on investment was calculated by dividing profits by total costs. It was revealed that carbon stock improved significantly in CBFM compared to BAU (%). The improvement had positive net present value and benefit-cost ratio of 1.83. Moreover, sensitivity analysis showed that if any unexpected situation occurs, the project will still be of worthiness. The findings are useful to enrich the debate on carbon credit development under community based management of miombo woodlands in Tanzania.
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| Medical panel encourages HPV vaccine Gainesville Times Greene said she has seen in her work as a dentist that HPV causes head and neck cancers in areas such as the larynx, tonsils and tongue. "I've been out of school for over 12 years now and I've really seen a drastic, drastic difference in increase of ... |
| BBC Sport | Jake Bussey: Toronto loose forward feared for life after cancer diagnosis BBC Sport Toronto Wolfpack rugby league forward Jack Bussey feared for his life after he was told he had thyroid cancer. But only weeks after a diagnosis that threatened to shatter his world, the Englishman has made an astonishing recovery and is back playing. |
| Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells in patients with head and neck cancer: a ... Dove Medical Press Conclusion: Our meta-analysis has confirmed the significant prognostic value of CTCs in head and neck cancer patients. The presence of CTCs could be used as a monitoring tool for tumor status of head and neck cancer, especially for the early detection ... |
| Prognosis of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in clinical early-stage tongue (cT1/T2N0) cancer Dove Medical Press Importantly, it indicates reduced survival rate. Therefore, if the NLR ≥2.95 in early-stage (cT1/T2N0) tongue cancer is noted preoperatively, it reveals more invasive tumor behavior clinically. Then, aggressive treatments, including elective neck ... |
| PEOPLE.com | Jill Zarin's Husband Bobby Released from Hospital in 'Miraculous' Recovery After Cancer Complications PEOPLE.com Jill Zarin's husband, Bobby, is out of the hospital after his thyroid cancer battle "took an unexpected turn" last month. The Real Housewives of New York City alum shared the positive news on Instagram, Sunday, posting a smiling photo of herself ... and more » |
| Wonderwall | New fears for Val Kilmer's health as he pulls out of events at the last minute with vague excuses months after ... Daily Mail Kilmer responded: 'He was probably trying to help me cause press probably asked where I was these days, and I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen altho healing all the time [sic]. 'Because I don't sound my normal self yet ... Speculation about Val Kilmer's health grows as he cancels appearancesWonderwall all 2 news articles » |
In patients with stage II to III urothelial carcinoma, bladder-preservation therapy was associated with poorer overall survival compared with radical cystectomy, according to a database study. (Source: CancerNetwork)
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Breast cancer subtypes generally did not respond differently to radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery, according to long-term follow-up of a randomized trial. (Source: CancerNetwork)
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We report a previously unrecognized and unreported case of a patient with anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis following nintedanib, an orally active small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
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| E! Online | Jill Zarin's Husband Bobby Leaves the Hospital Amid Cancer Battle: Read Her Heartwarming Note E! Online "His papillary thyroid cancer has morphed into something called anaplastic thyroid cancer. It's very, very rare." He had checked into Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he had been receiving care since July 21. "Thank you to our family and ... |
| Glioma: metalloproteinasi 9 responsabile della progressione? Okmedicina (Comunicati Stampa) I tumori con caratteristiche simili agli astrociti sono denominati astrocitomi e possono essere ulteriormente classificati in base all'aggressività o grado da I a IV (glioblastoma). Le metalloproteasi della matrice (MMP) sono endopeptidasi ... In ... |
| Mirror.co.uk | Fears for Jeremy Clarkson's health after he shares hospital drip snap Mirror.co.uk He said at the time: "Two days before the 'fracas', I'd been told, sternly, by my doctor that the lump on my tongue was probably cancer and that I must get it checked out immediately. "But I couldn't do that. We were in the middle of a Top Gear series ... Jeremy Clarkson is rushed to hospital with severe pneumoniaNew Zealand Herald Jeremy Clarkson hospitalised with severe pneumoniaSunday World all 37 news articles » |
Publication date: 1 October 2017
Source:Cancer Letters, Volume 405
Author(s): Margherita Cortini, Sofia Avnet, Nicola Baldini
The initiation and progression of malignant tumors are supported by their microenvironment: cancer cells per se cannot explain growth and formation of the primary or metastasis, and a combination of proliferating tumor cells, cancer stem cells, immune cells mesenchymal stromal cells and/or cancer-associated fibroblasts all contribute to the tumor bulk. The interaction between these multiple players, under different microenvironmental conditions of biochemical and physical stimuli (i.e. oxygen tension, pH, matrix mechanics), regulates the production and biological activity of several soluble factors, extracellular matrix components, and extracellular vesicles that are needed for growth, maintenance, chemoresistance and metastatization of cancer. In osteosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer of young adults characterized by the extensive need for more effective therapies, this aspect has been only recently explored. In this view, we will discuss the role of stroma, with a particular focus on the mesenchymal stroma, contributing to osteosarcoma progression through inherent features for homing, neovascularization, paracrine cross-feeding, microvesicle secretion, and immune modulation, and also by responding to the changes of the microenvironment that are induced by tumor cells. The most recent advances in the molecular cues triggered by cytokines, soluble factors, and metabolites that are partially beginning to unravel the axis between stromal elements of mesenchymal origin and osteosarcoma cells, will be reviewed providing insights likely to be used for novel therapeutic approaches against sarcomas.
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| The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com | Woman, 25, Undergoes Tongue Reconstruction at Tiberias Hospital The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com In a rapid procedure, a biopsy was checked and when the results returned, it became clear that it was Carcinoma, a type of cancer that develops from epithelial cells (cells in the outer layer of a body's surface). "We decided to operate without ... |
33 patients with active, moderate-severe Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) received 4.5 g methylprednisolone for 12 weeks and were divided by efficacy into two groups (responsive and unresponsive). All patients and 10 controls underwent orbital MRI examination at baseline. No significant difference was seen in baseline clinical characteristics between the two GO groups. The values of exophthalmos were higher in both GO groups than in the control and were higher in the responsive group versus the unresponsive group. Compared to the unresponsive group, the responsive group had a thicker inferior rectus as well as thinner orbital fat. The inferior rectus/fat ratio was significantly higher in the responsive group versus the unresponsive group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the exophthalmos value and inferior rectus/fat ratio were significantly associated with the response to glucocorticoid (GC). ROC analysis revealed that the cut-off points of the inferior rectus/fat ratio combined with the exophthalmos value to indicate efficacy were 1.42 and 20.78. For moderate-severe GO patients with CAS > 3, the combined inferior rectus/fat ratio and exophthalmos value in MRI may be a valuable indicator to predict the response to GC therapy.
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| Free head and neck cancer screen set for Aug. 18 at East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine's Robeson ... The Robesonian Individuals will receive a thorough exam and learn more of the symptoms of head and neck cancers, which include: a lump or a sore that does not heal, a sore throat that does not go away, difficulty in swallowing, and a change or hoarseness in the voice. |
The relationship between dew and airborne particles is important in urban ecosystems, but the capability of dew to remove airborne particles remains unclear. During 2015 in Changchun, China, 74 dew and particle samples were collected simultaneously to investigate their chemical characteristics under normal, fog, and haze conditions. Analyses included measuring total dissolved solids, total suspended particulates, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, major cations (, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), major anions (F−, Cl−, , and ), and organic and elemental carbon. Results showed that air quality deteriorated during haze but improved in fog. The particle size distributions, major cations, and carbonaceous species documented in the dew and airborne particles demonstrated consistent synchronous patterns with values descending in the order haze > normal > fog conditions. We found that dew is a good indicator of near-surface air quality. Specifically, its water-soluble ions and carbonaceous species could be used to distinguish emission sources and to identify the presence of secondary organic carbon. Dew is more effective at removing airborne particles in normal weather than in haze or fog conditions; PM2.5 removal rates were 21.5%, 15.2%, and 13.7% on normal, foggy, and hazy days, respectively. Dew condensation processes reduce concentrations of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the near-surface layer.
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Dermatologic toxicities resulting in dose reduction or discontinuation of treatment pose challenges for targeted anticancer therapies. We conducted this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of topical application of Compound Danxiong Granules (CDG) for treatment of dermatologic toxicities associated with targeted anticancer therapies. One hundred and ten patients with dermatologic toxicities induced by targeted anticancer therapies were randomly assigned to CDG or placebo group. Each crude herb (Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Paeonia suffruticosa Andr., Cortex Phellodendri, Geranium sibiricum L., and Flos Carthami) was prepared as an instant herbal powder. Application of the CDG via topical washes lasted 20 minutes, twice daily, for 10 days. The primary outcome was the total effective rate, defined as reduction in at least one grade of skin toxicity. The total effective rate was 77.61% (52/67) in the CDG group and 27.27% (9/33) in the placebo group (). Compared to the placebo treatment, CDG treatment achieved a higher total effective rate for hand-foot skin reaction (95.45% versus 27.27%), acneiform eruption (69.23% versus 30.78%), and paronychia (68.42% versus 22.22%). Topical application of CDG can effectively attenuate dermatologic toxicities induced by targeted anticancer therapies. The effect of CDG was more pronounced in hand-foot skin reaction.
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Security measure is of great importance in both steganography and steganalysis. Considering that statistical feature perturbations caused by steganography in an image are always nondeterministic and that an image is considered nonstationary, in this paper, the steganography is regarded as a fuzzy process. Here a steganographic security measure is proposed. This security measure evaluates the similarity between two vague sets of cover images and stego images in terms of n-order Markov chain to capture the interpixel correlation. The new security measure has proven to have the properties of boundedness, commutativity, and unity. Furthermore, the security measures of zero order, first order, second order, third order, and so forth are obtained by adjusting the order value of n-order Markov chain. Experimental results indicate that the larger n is, the better the measuring ability of the proposed security measure will be. The proposed security measure is more sensitive than other security measures defined under a deterministic distribution model, when the embedding is low. It is expected to provide a helpful guidance for designing secure steganographic algorithms or reliable steganalytic methods.
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| The Daily Nonpareil | On the Schmitt List: Event gives 'courage' to those who will one day face the battle The Daily Nonpareil The funds are generally used to assist with the secondary expenses that come with every cancer battle. Such expenses might include transportation fees, lodging costs or the host of other out-of-pocket expenses that go hand in hand with every cancer battle. |
IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 883: Predicting Urban Medical Services Demand in China: An Improved Grey Markov Chain Model by Taylor Approximation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080883
Authors: Jinli Duan Feng Jiao Qishan Zhang Zhibin Lin
The sharp increase of the aging population has raised the pressure on the current limited medical resources in China. To better allocate resources, a more accurate prediction on medical service demand is very urgently needed. This study aims to improve the prediction on medical services demand in China. To achieve this aim, the study combines Taylor Approximation into the Grey Markov Chain model, and develops a new model named Taylor-Markov Chain GM (1,1) (T-MCGM (1,1)). The new model has been tested by adopting the historical data, which includes the medical service on treatment of diabetes, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease from 1997 to 2015 in China. The model provides a predication on medical service demand of these three types of disease up to 2022. The results reveal an enormous growth of urban medical service demand in the future. The findings provide practical implications for the Health Administrative Department to allocate medical resources, and help hospitals to manage investments on medical facilities.
Recent advances in the field of intestinal transplantation have been mitigated by the incidence of allograft rejection. In such events, early identification and appropriate timing of antirejection therapy are crucial in retaining graft function. We present the case of a patient who suffered severe postintestinal transplantation allograft enteropathy, primarily characterized by extensive mucosal ulcerations, and was refractory to all conventional therapy. This progressed as chronic rejection; however crucially this was not definitively diagnosed until allograft function had irreversibly diminished. We argue that the difficulties encountered in this case can be attributed to the inability of our current array of investigative studies and diagnostic guidelines to provide adequate clinical guidance. This case illustrates the importance of developing reliable and specific markers for guiding the diagnosis of rejection and the use of antirejection therapeutics in this rapidly evolving field of transplant surgery.
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We select five objective sentiment indicators and one subjective sentiment indicator to build investor sentiment composite index in Chinese stock market by using the partial least squares. The reason why we do that is to improve the shortcomings of the principal component analysis, which was adopted to build investor sentiment composite index in the pioneering research. Moreover, due to the large proportion of individual investors in Chinese stock market and the rapid change of investor sentiment, we innovatively use the weekly data with smaller information granularity and higher frequency. Through empirical tests for its reasonability and market's predictive capability, we find that this index appears to fit the data better and improves prediction.
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Objective. To identify the challenges encountered by private health care providers (PHCP) to notify tuberculosis cases through a programme developed web-based portal mechanism called "NIKSHAY." Study Design. It is a descriptive qualitative study conducted at two revised national tuberculosis control programme (RNTCP) districts of New Delhi. The study included in-depth interviews of PHCP registered with "NIKSHAY" and RNTCP programme personnel. Grounded theory was used to conceptualise the latent social patterns in implementation of tuberculosis case notification process and promptly identifying their challenges. Results. The analysis resulted in identification of three broad themes: (a) system implementation by RNTCP: it emphasizes the TB notification process by the RNTCP programme personnel; (b) challenges faced by PHCP for TB notification with five different subthemes; and (c) perceived gaps and suggestions: to improvise the TB notification process for the private health sector. The challenges encountered by PHCP were mainly related to unsystematic planning and suboptimal implementation by programme personnel at the state and district level. The PHCP lacked clarity on the need for TB notification. Conclusion. Implementation of TB notification among private health care providers requires systematic planning by the programme personnel. The process should be user-friendly with additional benefits to the patients.
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Spread spectrum communication is a typical scheme for covert communication because of its low detectability and antijam characteristic. However, the associated design concerns multiple factors, such as cochannel multiple access interference (MAI) and spread spectrum gain. In this paper, the lattice reduction theory is applied to MAI cancellation of spread spectrum communication and a novel lattice reduction aided multiple user detection method is proposed. The near maximum likelihood (ML) performance of MAI resistance is verified by simulation and theoretical analysis. The superiority of detection performance in strong MAI scenarios is especially addressed. Based on the algorithm, a collaborative covert communication system design is proposed. Low-power covert signals can be transmitted at a higher bit rate with the same coverage as more high-power cochannel signals. The covert transmission performance can be improved significantly compared to traditional designs.
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The aim of the present study was to examine whether fostering positive activating affect during multimedia learning enhances learning outcome. University students were randomly assigned to either a multimedia learning environment designed to induce positive activating affect through the use of "warm" colours and rounded shapes () or an affectively neutral environment that used achromatic colours and sharp edges (). Participants learned about the topic of functional neuroanatomy for 20 minutes and had to answer several questions for comprehension and transfer afterwards. Affective states as well as achievement goal orientations were investigated before and after the learning phase using questionnaires. The results show that participants in the affectively positive environment were superior in comprehension as well as transfer when initial affect was strong. Preexperimental positive affect was therefore a predictor of comprehension and a moderator for transfer. Goal orientations did not influence these effects. The findings support the idea that positive affect, induced through the design of the particular multimedia learning environment, can facilitate performance if initial affective states are taken into account.
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| Surviving Mesothelioma | Malignant Mesothelioma Risk May Eventually Plateau Surviving Mesothelioma Two other types of cancer that have also been associated with asbestos exposure – cancer of the larynx and digestive tract cancer – did not increase over time. Cancer rates among the asbestos workers were calculated using typical rates in the general ... |
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Chaotic maps have good potential in security applications due to their inherent characteristics relevant to cryptography. This paper introduces a new audio cryptosystem based on chaotic maps, hybrid chaotic shift transform (HCST), and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) encoding rules. The scheme uses chaotic maps such as two-dimensional modified Henon map (2D-MHM) and standard map. The 2D-MHM which has sophisticated chaotic behavior for an extensive range of control parameters is used to perform HCST. DNA encoding technology is used as an auxiliary tool which enhances the security of the cryptosystem. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated for various speech signals using different encryption/decryption quality metrics. The simulation and comparison results show that the algorithm can achieve good encryption results and is able to resist several cryptographic attacks. The various types of analysis revealed that the algorithm is suitable for narrow band radio communication and real-time speech encryption applications.
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Five new books explore themes such as what it's like to be a carnivore and our lopsided relationship with many animals
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Pasture degradation can cause changes in diazotrophic bacterial communities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the culturable and total diazotrophic bacterial community, associated with regions of the rhizosphere and roots of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. pastures in different stages of degradation. Samples of roots and rhizospheric soil were collected from slightly, partially, and highly degraded pastures. McCrady's table was used to obtain the Most Probable Number (MPN) of bacteria per gram of sample, in order to determine population density and calculate the Shannon-Weaver diversity index. The diversity of total diazotrophic bacterial community was determined by the technique of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the nifH gene, while the diversity of the culturable diazotrophic bacteria was determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (BOX-PCR) technique. The increase in the degradation stage of the B. decumbens Stapf. pasture did not reduce the population density of the cultivated diazotrophic bacterial community, suggesting that the degradation at any degree of severity was highly harmful to the bacteria. The structure of the total diazotrophic bacterial community associated with B. decumbens Stapf. was altered by the pasture degradation stage, suggesting a high adaptive capacity of the bacteria to altered environments.
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This paper presents a new nonlocal cost aggregation method for stereo matching. The minimum spanning tree (MST) employs color difference as the sole component to build the weight function, which often leads to failure in achieving satisfactory results in some boundary regions with similar color distributions. In this paper, a modified initial cost is used. The erroneous pixels are often caused by two pixels from object and background, which have similar color distribution. And then inner color correlation is employed as a new component of the weight function, which is determined to effectively eliminate them. Besides, the segmentation method of the tree structure is also improved. Thus, a more robust and reasonable tree structure is developed. The proposed method was tested on Middlebury datasets. As can be expected, experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the classical nonlocal methods.
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Ultrasonic vibration gas-solid fluidized bed was proposed and introduced to separate fine coals (0.5–0.125 mm fraction). Several technological methods such as XRF, XRD, XPS, and EPMA were used to study the composition of heavy products to evaluate the separation effect. Results show that the ultrasonic vibration force field strengthens the particle separation process based on density when the vibration frequency is 35 kHz and the fluidization number is 1.8. The ash difference between the light and heavy products and the recovery of combustible material obtain the maximum values of 47.30% and 89.59%, respectively. The sulfur content of the heavy product reaches the maximum value of 6.78%. Chemical state analysis of sulfur shows that organic sulfur (-C-S-), sulfate-sulfur (-SO4), and pyrite-sulfur (-S2) are confirmed in the original coal and heavy product. Organic sulfur (-C-S-) is mainly concentrated in the light product, and pyrite-sulfur (-S2) is significantly enriched in the heavy product. The element composition, phase composition, backscatter imagery, and surface distribution of elements for heavy product show concentration of high-density minerals including pyrite, quartz, and kaolinite. Some harmful elements such as F, Pb, and As are also concentrated in the heavy product.
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Rural areas suffer from limited grid connectivity. Small hydroplants can provide electricity at a cheap cost with low environmental impact in these regions. Self-excited induction generators are widely used in hydroplants since they operate on a standalone basis because of the connection of capacitor bank that provides reactive power at no load. However, SEIGs suffer from poor voltage and frequency regulation. Thus, an electronic load controller (ELC) is connected across SEIG to regulate voltage and frequency. Generally, the control scheme for an ELC circuit is based on the conventional proportional integral control, which is easy to implement and performs well under linear load conditions. However, PI controllers handle nonlinearity poorly. This paper presents a fuzzy logic control (FLC) based control scheme for ELC in a constant power generation system (SEIG). The control scheme is designed and simulated in MATLAB under both linear and nonlinear load conditions. A comparison of both the controllers is conducted which highlights the superiority of the fuzzy logic control scheme.
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We come up with a punishment in the form of exponential decay for the number of vertices that a path passes through, which is able to reconcile the contradictory effects of geodesic length and edge weights. This core thought is the key to handling three typical applications; that is, given an information demander, he may be faced with the following problems: choosing optimal route to contact the single supplier, picking out the best supplier between multiple candidates, and calculating his point centrality, which involves indirect connections. Accordingly, three concrete solutions in one logic thread are proposed. Firstly, by adding a constraint to Dijkstra algorithm, we limit our candidates for optimal route to the sample space of geodesics. Secondly, we come up with a unified standard for the comparison between adjacent and nonadjacent vertices. Through punishment in the form of exponential decay, the attenuation effect caused by the number of vertices that a path passes through has been offset. Then the adjacent vertices and punished nonadjacent vertices can be compared directly. At last, an unprecedented centrality index, quasi-closeness, is ready to come out, with direct and indirect connections being summed up.
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The aim of this study was to identify opportunities to learn for teachers' motivational orientations. Motivational orientations are relevant characteristics of psychological functioning, which are important for the behavior of a teacher and mandatory for effective teaching. We focus on three domains: self-efficacy, subject-specific enthusiasm, and enthusiasm for teaching the subject. Self-efficacy covers the belief of an individual that he or she is capable of performing required behaviors to produce a desired outcome. Teacher enthusiasm is an affective teacher orientation that is related to a specific subject and to teaching this specific subject. Different opportunities to learn are considered for teachers' motivational orientations. Since teacher education particularly focuses on the acquisition of professional knowledge, we added a further exploratory focus to the study and investigated the relationships between motivational orientations and professional knowledge (content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge). 134 biology teachers participated in the study. The results reveal that teacher education at university, the attendance in professional development courses, and self-study provide opportunities to learn for self-efficacy and enthusiasm for teaching the subject. Moreover, we found self-efficacy and subject-specific enthusiasm to be positively related to pedagogical content knowledge.
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Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a very uncommon soft tissue malignancy which accounts for
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Background. To optimize the preventive measures of malaria, it is important to synchronize the efforts with the behavior of local Anopheles species. However, the data of Anopheles species and their behavior in Indonesia is still lacking. Method. Explorative research was conducted from April to September 2016 in Southern Minahasa district. The Anopheles mosquito was baited by using animal and human (indoor or outdoor) from 18.00 to 06.00 hours. Then, the species were identified and Man Biting Rate (MBR) and Man/Animal Biting per Hour (MBPH) were calculated followed by statistical analysis by using SPSS 17. Result. The data showed that the dominant species in Southern Minahasa were An. barbirostris, An. kochi, and An. vagus. An. vagus was found to be zoophilic and An. barbirostris was showing strict anthropophilic characteristics. Meanwhile, An. kochi feeds on both human and animal. The MBR of An. kochi was found to be the highest (), but its MBPH only significantly exceeded that of An. vagus. All species tend to be more active during the early evening. Conclusion. An. barbirostris, An. kochi, and An. vagus were the dominant Anopheles species in Southern Minahasa. Further research is needed to determine the Plasmodium infestation rate of these species.
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Sinus node dysfunction with symptomatic bradycardia or chronotropic incompetence is generally an indication for pacemaker implantation. However, in patients with symptomatic sinus bradycardia, the identification and treatment of underlying pathologies may avoid the need for permanent pacemaker implantation. We present a case of carotid sinus syndrome and severe obstructive sleep apnea due to a massive multinodular goiter in a patient who presented with recurrent sinus pauses and syncope. The patient was managed without pacemaker implantation but instead with thyroidectomy resulting in decompression of the carotid sinus and airway and resolution of bradycardic episodes.
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Subpixel mapping technology can determine the specific location of different objects in the mixed pixel and effectively solve the uncertainty of the ground features spatial distribution in traditional classification technology. Existing methods based on linear optimization encounter the premature and local convergence of the optimization algorithm. This paper proposes a subpixel mapping method based on modified binary quantum particle swarm optimization (MBQPSO) to solve the above issues. The initial subpixel mapping imagery is obtained according to spectral unmixing results. We focus mainly on the discretization of QPSO, which is implemented by modifying the discrete update process of particle location, to minimize the objective function, which is formulated based on different connected regional perimeter calculating methods. To reduce time complexity, a target optimization strategy of global iteration combined with local iteration is performed. The MBQPSO is tested on standard test functions and results show that MBQPSO has the best performance on global optimization and convergent rate. Then, we analyze the proposed algorithm qualitatively and quantitatively by simulated and real experiment; results show that the method combined with MBQPSO and objective function, which is formulated based on the gap length between region and background, has the best performance in accuracy and efficiency.
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