Information redundancy neglect versus overconfidence: a social learning experiment

We study social learning in a continuous action space experiment. Subjects, acting in sequence, state their belief about the value of a good, after observing their predecessors' statements and a private signal. We compare the behavior in the laboratory with the Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium prediction and the predictions of bounded rationality models of decision making: the redundancy of information neglect model and the overconfidence model. The results of our experiment are in line with the predictions of the overconfidence model and at odds with the others'

Sarcopenia: What a Surgeon Should Know

Sarcopenia is an increasingly frequent syndrome characterized by generalized and progressive loss of muscle mass, reduction in muscle strength, and resultant functional impairment. This condition is associated with increased risk of falls and fractures, disability, and increased risk of death. When a sarcopenic patient undergoes major surgery, it has a higher risk of complications and postoperative mortality because of less resistance to surgical stress. It is not easy to recognize a sarcopenic patient preoperatively, but this is essential to evaluate the correct risk to benefit ratio. The role of sarcopenia in surgical patients has been studied for both oncological and non-oncological surgery. For correct surgical planning, data about sarcopenia are essential to design a correct tailored treatment

JCV-specific T-cells producing IFN-gamma are differently associated with PmL occurrence in HIV patients and liver transplant recipients

Aim of this work was to investigate a possible correlation between the frequency of JCV-specific T-cells and PML occurrence in HIV-infected subjects and in liver transplant recipients. A significant decrease of JCV-specific T-cells was observed in HIV-PML subjects, highlighting a close relation between JCV-specific T-cell immune impairment and PML occurrence in HIV-subjects. Interestingly, liver-transplant recipients (LTR) showed a low frequency of JCV-specific T-cells, similar to HIV-PML subjects. Nevertheless, none of the enrolled LTR developed PML, suggesting the existence of different immunological mechanisms involved in the maintenance of a protective immune response in LT

Metrological performance of a single-channel brain-computer interface based on motor imagery

In this paper, the accuracy in classifying Motor Imagery (MI) tasks for a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is analyzed. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were taken into account, notably by employing one channel per time. Four classes were to distinguish, i.e. imagining the movement of left hand, right hand, feet, or tongue. The dataset '2a' of BCI Competition IV (2008) was considered. Brain signals were processed by applying a short-time Fourier transform, a common spatial pattern filter for feature extraction, and a support vector machine for classification. With this work, the aim is to give a contribution to the development of wearable MI-based BCIs by relying on single channel EEG

Potencial evocado auditivo de tronco encefálico em recém-nascido: influência do sexo e da relação peso e idade gestacional

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the influence of gender and weight/gestational age ratio on the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) in preterm (PT) and term (T) newborns.METHODS:176 newborns were evaluated by ABR; 88 were preterm infants - 44 females (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age) and 44 males (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age). The preterm infants were compared to 88 term infants - 44 females (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age) and 44 males (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age). All newborns had bilateral presence of transient otoacoustic emissions and type A tympanometry.RESULTS:No interaural differences were found. ABR response did not differentiate newborns regarding weight/gestational age in males and females. Term newborn females showed statistically shorter absolute latencies (except on wave I) than males. This finding did not occur in preterm infants, who had longer latencies than term newborns, regardless of gender.CONCLUSIONS:Gender and gestational age influence term infants' ABR, with lower responses in females. The weight/gestational age ratio did not influence ABR response in either groups.OBJETIVO:Verificar las influencias del sexo y la relación peso/edad gestacional en las respuestas del Potencial Evocado Auditivo de Tronco Encefálico (PEATE) en recién nacidos pretérmino (PT) y a término (T).MÉTODOS:Se evaluaron a 176 recién nacidos por medio del PEATE, siendo 88 prematuros - 44 femeninos (22 pequeños y 22 adecuados para la edad gestacional) y 44 masculinos (22 pequeños y 22 adecuados para la edad gestacional). Se compararon los prematuros con 88 recién nacidos a término, 44 del sexo femenino (22 pequeños y 22 adecuados) y 44 del sexo masculino (22 pequeños y 22 adecuados). Todos los recién nacidos presentaron emisiones otoacústicas bilateralmente, por estímulo transiente y timpanometría tipo A.RESULTADOS:No se encontraron diferencias interaurales y en el desempeño de los recién nacidos en las respuestas del PEATE respecto a la clasificación peso/edad gestacional, en ambos sexos. Los recién nacidos a término del sexo femenino mostraron latencias absolutas estadísticamente más cortas (excepto onda I) que las del sexo masculino; lo mismo no pasó con los prematuros. Los neonatos pretérmino presentaron latencias más prolongadas que las de los recién nacidos a término, independiente del sexo.CONCLUSIONES:El sexo y la edad gestacional ejercen influencia relevante en el PEATE de recién nacidos a término, con respuestas menores en el sexo femenino, debiendo considerárselas en el análisis clínico. La relación peso/edad gestacional, en contrario, no interfiere en las respuestas de ese potencial.OBJETIVO:Verificar as influências do sexo e a relação peso/idade gestacional nas respostas do Potencial Evocado Auditivo de Tronco Encefálico (PEATE) em recém-nascidos pré-termo (PT) e a termo (T).MÉTODOS:Avaliaram-se 176 recém-nascidos por meio do PEATE, sendo 88 prematuros - 44 femininos (22 pequenos e 22 adequados para a idade gestacional) e 44 masculinos (22 pequenos e 22 adequados para a idade gestacional). Compararam-se os prematuros a 88 recém-nascidos a termo, 44 do sexo feminino (22 pequenos e 22 adequados) e 44 do sexo masculino (22 pequenos e 22 adequados). Todos os recém-nascidos apresentaram emissões otoacústicas bilateralmente, por estímulo transiente e timpanometria tipo A.RESULTADOS:Não se encontraram diferenças interaurais e no desempenho dos recém-nascidos nas respostas do PEATE quanto à classificação peso/idade gestacional, em ambos os sexos. Os recém-nascidos a termo do sexo feminino mostraram latências absolutas estatisticamente mais curtas (exceto onda I) do que os do masculino; o mesmo não ocorreu nos prematuros. Os neonatos pré-termo apresentaram latências mais prolongadas que as dos recém-nascidos a termo, independentemente do sexo.CONCLUSÕES O sexo e a idade gestacional exercem influência relevante no PEATE de recém-nascidos a termo, com respostas menores no sexo feminino. A relação peso/idade gestacional, ao contrário, não interfere nas respostas desse potencial.UNIFESP Hospital São PauloUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM)UNIFESP, Hospital São PauloUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Fine-needle cytology in the follow-up of breast carcinoma

The postoperative follow-up strategies for breast carcinoma (BC) utilize different procedures; the aim of this study was to investigate the role of fine-needle cytology (FNC) in the follow-up of BC patients. Two hundred sixty-six FNC samples from 190 BC patients have been reviewed. The target anatomical sites were 190 breast including 155 ipsilateral and 145 contralateral breast lesions and 76 extra-mammary nodules. Extra-mammary lesions included lymph nodes, thyroidal nodules, soft tissue lesions, (subcutaneous and sub-scars), salivary glands and deep located masses. Diagnostic distribution of the breast lesions was as follows: 51 positive, 15 indeterminate/suspicious, 119 negative and 5 inadequate. Positive cases included 43 ipsilateral and 8 contralateral BC, 9 BC in different quadrants from those of onset of the first BC. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy have been 90, 91 and 90&, respectively. FNC, in a correct setting, is a reliable and effective method for the follow-up management of BC patients