Avid 18F-FDG uptake of pectoralis major muscle: an equivocal sequela of strenuous physical exercise

Avid functional 18F-FDG uptake of skeletal muscle is a known false positive finding of PET-CT study especially after involuntary muscle exercise just prior to the study. We describe the case of a 50-year-old man in whom the finding of avid 18F-FDG uptake of pectoralis major muscle was encountered during investigation of metastatic melanoma

RootAsRole: a security module to manage the administrative privileges for Linux

Today, Linux users use sudo/su commands to attribute Linux’s administrative privileges to their programs. These commands always give the whole list of administrative privileges to Linux programs, unless there are pre-installed default policies defined by Linux Security Modules(LSM). LSM modules require users to inject the needed privileges into the memory of the process and to declare the needed privileges in an LSM policy. This approach can work for users who have good knowledge of the syntax of LSM modules’ policies. Adding or editing an existing policy is a very time-consuming process because LSM modules require adding a complete list of traditional permissions as well as administrative privileges. We propose a new Linux module called RootAsRole that is dedicated to the management of administrative privileges. RootAsRole is not proposed to replace LSM modules but to be used as a complementary module to manage Linux administrative privileges. RootAsRole allows Linux administrators to define a set of roles that contain the administrative privileges and restrict their usage to a set of users/groups and programs. Finally, we conduct an empirical performance study to compare RootAsRole tools with sudo/su commands to show that the overhead added by our module remains acceptable

Viewing Bornean Human–Elephant Conflicts Through an Environmental Justice Lens

Sabah, on the northeastern corner of Borneo, is concurrently Malaysia’s largest producer of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and home to the endangered Bornean elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis; elephants). Concomitantly, Sabah has been experiencing increasing and unsustainable human–elephant conflicts (HECs), which have not been thoroughly investigated from a human dimensions standpoint. To address this void, in March 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 villagers located in the Sabah districts of Lahad Datu, Tawau, and Telupid to investigate villager cognitions regarding elephants, behaviors toward elephants, the formal and informal village institutions employed to mediate HECs, and the future viability of human–elephant coexistence. Respondents highlighted emotions of fear, anger, and frustration over crop and property damage that villagers were unable to effectively mitigate employing traditional institutions and strategies. Although negative emotions were somewhat tempered by the cultural significance of elephants, respondents indicated that coexistence with elephants remains challenging and is likely only viable under certain conditions: domestication of elephants, if elephants no longer destroyed crops, and/or if elephants were provided separate forested habitat away from humans. Our results demonstrated that elephant conservation in Sabah is viewed as a “not in my backyard” claim, which can hint at the presence of environmental injustice. We further examined Sabah HECs using an environmental justice framework and concluded that HEC as an environmental justice problem requires traditional fixes to be merged with more extensive, sustainable solutions that improve stakeholder agency

Time Series Prediction of Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Price Based on Machine Learning Approach

Over the past few years, Bitcoin has attracted the attention of numerous parties, ranging from academic researchers to institutional investors. Bitcoin is the first and most widely used cryptocurrency to date. Due to the significant volatility of the Bitcoin price and the fact that its trading method does not require a third party, it has gained great popularity since its inception in 2009 among a wide range of individuals. Given the previous difficulties in predicting the price of cryptocurrencies, this project will be developing and implementing a time series approach-based solution prediction model using machine learning algorithms which include Support Vector Machine Regression (SVR), K-Nearest Neighbor Regression (KNN), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to determine the trend of bitcoin price movement, and assessing the effectiveness of the machine learning models. The data that will be used is the close prices of Bitcoin from the year 2018 up to the year 2023. The performance of the machine learning models is evaluated by comparing the results of R-squared, mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (RMSE), and also through a visualization graph of the original close price and predicted close price of Bitcoin in a dashboard. Among the models compared, LSTM emerged as the most accurate, followed by SVR, while XGBoost and KNN exhibited comparatively lower performance

The Effect of Airway Pressure Release Ventilation on Pulmonary Catheter Readings: Specifically Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure in a Swine Model

Background. Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a mode of mechanical ventilation that theoretically believed to improve cardiac output by lowering right atrial pressure. However, hemodynamic parameters have never been formally assessed. Methods. Seven healthy swine were intubated and sedated. A baseline assessment of conventional ventilation (assist control) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cm H2O was initiated. Ventilator mode was changed to APRV with incremental elevations of CPAP-high from 10 to 35 cm H2O. After a 3-to-5-minute stabilization period, measurements of hemodynamic parameters (PCWP, LAP, and CVP) were recorded at each level of APRV pressure settings. Results. Increasing CPAP caused increased PCWP and LAP measurements above their baseline values. Mean PCWP and LAP were linearly related (LAP = 0.66∗PCWP + 4.5 cm H2O, R2 = 0.674, and P < .001) over a wide range of high and low CPAP values during APRV. With return to conventional ventilation, PCWP and LAP returned to their baseline values. Conclusion. PCWP is an accurate measurement of LAP during APRV over variable levels of CPAP. However, PCWP and LAP may not be accurate measurements of volume when CPAP is utilized

Rosiglitazone and Fenofibrate Additive Effects on Lipids

Background. To evaluate the effect of rosiglitazone, fenofibrate, or their combined use on plasma lipids in normoglycemic healthy adults. Methods and Results. Subjects were randomized in a double-blind fashion to rosiglitazone + placebo, fenofibrate + placebo, rosiglitazone + fenofibrate, or matching double placebo. The between-group difference in the change in fasting TG, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-C, and plasma apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, and C-III level were compared after 12 weeks of treatment. A total of 548 subjects were screened and 41 met the inclusion criteria. After 12 weeks of therapy, the median change in the triglyceride levels showed a significant reduction ranging from 47 to 55 mg per deciliter in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups compared with placebo (P = 0.0496). However, the rosiglitazone only group did not show significant change in triglyceride level. The change in the Apo AII showed increase in all the treatment groups compared with placebo (P = 0.009). There was also significant change in the Apo CIII that showed reduction of its level in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups (P = 0.0003). Conclusion. Rosiglitazone does not appear to modulate hypertriglyceridemia in patients with elevated triglycerides independent of glucose metabolism

Potential of 3'-fluoro-3' deoxythymidine as a cellular proliferation marker in PET oncology examination

Development of the positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic radiopharmaceutical (18F) fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) subsequently facilitated the discovery and clinical evaluation of several new tracers as imaging markers for cancer. While 18F-FDG is a widely employed marker forenhanced intracellular glycolysis and metabolic function, one of the newer tracers, (18F)-3'-fluoro-3'deoxythymidine (18F-FLT), has been developed as a biomarker for cell proliferation. In this review, the potential of 18F-FLT as a biomarker for cancer imaging is discussed

18[F] FDG-PET/CT is a useful molecular marker in evaluating thymoma aggressiveness.

A 54 year-old-man presented with chest fullness and difficulty of breathing for 3 months. CT thorax revealed a heterogeneously enhancing mediastinal mass for which CT-guided biopsy results were initially inconclusive. The patient underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT study for further metabolic characterisation and staging of the disease. 18F-FDG -PET/CT showed heterogeneous FDG-avid mediastinal mass with adjoining multiple FDG-avid hilar lymph nodes, pulmonary and bone metastasis. Final diagnosis of malignant thymoma was confirmed after a successful PET/CT-guided needle biopsy

Localization and prediction of malignant potential in recurrent pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PCC/PGL) using 18F-FDG PET/CT

Background: To our knowledge, data are lacking on the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the localization and prediction of neuroendocrine tumors, in particular the pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PCC/PGL) group. Purpose: To evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in localizing and predicting the malignant potential of PCC/PGL. Material and Methods: Twenty-three consecutive patients with a history of PCC/PGL, presenting with symptoms related to catecholamine excess, underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT. Final confirmation of the diagnosis was made using the composite references. PET/CT findings were analyzed on a per-lesion basis and a per-patient basis. Tumor SUVmax was analyzed to predict the dichotomization of patient endpoints for the local disease and metastatic groups. Results: We investigated 23 patients (10 men, 13 women) with a mean age of 46.43±3.70 years. Serum catecholamine levels were elevated in 82.60% of these patients. There were 136 sites (mean SUVmax: 16.39±3.47) of validated disease recurrence. The overall sensitivities for diagnostic CT, FDG PET, and FDG PET/CT were 86.02%, 87.50%, and 98.59%, respectively. Based on the composite references, 39.10% of patients had local disease. There were significant differences in the SUVmax distribution between the local disease and metastatic groups; a significant correlation was noted when a SUVmax cut-off was set at 9.2 (P<0.05). Conclusion: In recurrent PCC/PGL, diagnostic 18F-FDG PET/CT is a superior tool in the localization of recurrent tumors. Tumor SUVmax is a potentially useful predictor of malignant tumor potential

EFFECTS OF PREFERENCE AND NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF LOCAL BAMBOO TOWARDS GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF CAPTIVE GIANT PANDAS (AILUROPODA MELANOLEUCA) IN ZOO NEGARA, MALAYSIA

Two captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) were observed for nutritional preferences over a period of seven months from 21st May until 31st December 2014 at the Zoo Negara Malaysia. Nutritional analyses were conducted on six local bamboo species which were fed to both pandas. It is evident in the present study that they prefer the culms of Dendrocalamus asper followed by culms of Bambusa vulgaris and bamboo leaves from Dendrocalamus asper, Bambusa vulgaris f. waminii and Thyrsostachys seamensis. Their preferences towards these local bamboo species correspond to the different nutrient values which contained high fibre in the culms and high protein and fat in the leaves. The overall feeding behaviour were well established and the growth performances were satisfactory suggesting that they have successfully adapted to the feeding regime. The pandas were observed to be in good health, active and alert with these bamboo diets throughout the study period