Friday 16 September 2016

Pecking Pigeons Detect Breast Cancer




Pigeons are no bird brains.

These animals could help scientists make big advances in the world of breast cancer research, according to a peer-reviewed research article published this week in PLOS One titled "Pigeons (Columba livia) as Trainable Observers of Pathology and Radiology Breast Cancer Images." 

Study leaders trained 16 birds to review digitized renderings from mammograms and biopsy slides, rewarding them with food for correct answers.

The researchers taught the pigeons to peck colored buttons to differentiate between benign and malignant slides and mammograms, and the birds learned through trial and error, Smithsonian Magazine reports.

To avoid the Clever Hans effect, which refers to a horse that was once believed to be able to do arithmetic but was in actuality simply responding to his human audience, the pigeons did all their learning in a box with no humans visible, according to Science.


With food reinforcement training, the pigeons had a "remarkable ability" to distinguish between malignant and benign tissue, and were able to generalize their knowledge and apply it to images they'd never seen before, according to the study.

“Pigeons may not be able to write poetry, but they’ve had millions of years to develop the abilities that they need to navigate a very complicated and dangerous world,” study leader Richard Levenson, a professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of California, Davis, told Smithsonian. “So it doesn’t surprise me that they can do pathology!"

Pathologists and radiologists work for years to refine their visual skills in order to identify problems, but based on the rapid speed at which pigeons were able to learn to tell the difference between the malignant and benign images, it seems they could potentially serve as surrogate observers of medical images in the future.

The researchers found that the pigeons improved their ability to tell the difference between malignant and benign breast tissue from 50 percent at the start of the study to 85 percent by day 15. By day 25, they were correct 90 percent of the time.

However, the birds' pecks aren't a fail-safe way to tell if a person has cancer. Color and image quality both affected the bird's selections. 

When it came to radiology, the pigeons were also able to detect cancer-relevant microcalcifications -- calcium deposits that could be indicative of breast cancer. But they had a harder time identifying certain tissue densities that were indicative of breast cancer.

Humans often encounter the same problem, as spotting suspicious densities in mammogram images is notoriously difficult.

Pigeons share many visual systems properties with humans, the paper says, which inspired the study. The findings suggest pigeons can help evaluate new imaging technologies.

"Pigeons' sensitivity to diagnostically salient features in medical images suggest that they can provide reliable feedback on many variables at play in the production, manipulation, and viewing of these diagnostically crucial tools, and can assist researchers and engineers as they continue to innovate," Levenson said in a statement from University of Iowa.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4baafa46/sc/28/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

Death Of New Zealand Man Who Was Run Over By His Truck Ruled Accident

A road accident that claimed the life of a truck driver in New Zealand last year was caused by the driver vomiting, slipping on the vomit, then falling into the road, where one of the vehicle's wheels rolled over his head, a coroner reported Friday.  

Garry Willem Voorkamp, 53, suffered fatal head injuries on Sept. 24, 2014, according to The New Zealand Herald. Voorkamp was working in the town of Lumsden and driving a five-ton Caterpillar road grader when colleagues saw the vehicle suddenly swerve into the middle of the road. When they went to investigate, they found Voorkamp with his head lodged between the machine's two rear wheels. 

Voorkamp felt ill earlier in the day and was having trouble with his eyes, possibly because he'd slept with contact lens in his eye, a witness said at an inquest hearing in September. However, he declined his road crew's offer to go home, reports New Zealand publication Stuff.

 


 

The driver fell violently ill while operating the road grader, then slipped in his vomit, coroner David Crerar determined.

"Whilst the grader was still in motion, he got out of the driver's seat and moved towards the open left-hand side of the door," Crerar said in his findings. 

"The machine was, by then, out of control and it ran over his head causing fatal injuries,” he added. 

Crerar could not determine why Voorkamp didn't stop the vehicle before exiting the cab, 3News reports. But police said at the inquest hearing there was "no evidence to present that any third party caused or contributed to the incident."

Voorkamp worked for South Roads, which was under contract to the Southland District Council, when the accident occurred.

The company says it has since "strengthened protocols around the treatment of staff who become unwell at work" and installed parking brake and safety alarm systems in its vehicles.

Also on HuffPost:



-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4baafa41/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

Florida Man Bitten By Shark Kills It And Eats It As Revenge




When Allen Engelman was bitten by a shark, he didn't cower on the beach behind a sand dune.

No, he went out and caught that fish, killed it and ate it as revenge.

Bad ass.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4bab1942/sc/10/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

Phuc Dat Bich Wants Facebook To Know That Yes, It's His Real Name

"Phuc Dat Bich" is not a 12-year-old's poorly spelled insult.

He's a 23-year-old Vietnamese-Australian who asserts he had his Facebook profile shut down multiple times over accusations he was using a fake name.

To prove his namesake to the world, he shared an image of his passport online.

Originally posted in January, the photo surged in popularity online this week, with more than 128,000 likes and 68,000 shares on Facebook as of Friday.




"I find it highly irritating the fact that nobody seems to believe me when I say that my full legal name is how you see it. I've been accused of using a false and misleading name of which I find very offensive. Is it because I'm Asian? Is it?" Bich posted.

"Having my fb shut down multiple times and forced to change my name to my 'real' name, so just to put it out there. My name. Yours sincerely, Phuc Dat Bich," he shared.

In case you're wondering how the name is actually pronounced (hint: it's not what English phonics would have you think), check out this helpful video:




Bich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post. However, a friend of his confirmed to The Herald Sun that Phuc Dat Bich is indeed the man's real name. 

Ironically, if he were to change his name on Facebook to avoid getting banned, he would be violating the site's real-name policy.

The controversial rule requires Facebook users to go by their "authentic name" on the site, rather than a pseudonym. After backlash against the policy, in October the social media giant started allowing users flagged for false names to defend their reasons for using the name they do, according to Engadget. Facebook also now requires users who report fake names to provide additional details about why they are flagging the account.

Also on HuffPost:



-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4babbaf0/sc/15/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

How An Abused Pit Bull Went On To Charm The Pants Off A Rock Star


Stephanie Miller loves Rick Springfield, and Rick Springfield loves dogs.

So when the Australian rock star was coming to Charleston, South Carolina, recently, Miller figured: why not see if he'd like to meet the city's most beloved pooch, while he's in town performing?

We're referring, of course, to the pit bull named Caitlyn who was discovered with her mouth duct taped shut back in May -- and has gone on to become an incredible, inspiring story of hope and love.

"I contacted Rick and he said he would love to meet her," said Miller, who volunteers with the Charleston Animal Society -- the shelter that's nurtured this good dog to health.  


Call her Rickie's girl: From this Facebook post, it appears Springfield really enjoyed getting to know Caitlyn. (And who can blame him?) 




Kay Hyman, spokesperson for the Charleston Humane Society and Caitlyn's official handler at public events, told The Huffington Post the feeling was mutual, even though Caitlyn can sometimes be a bit standoffish with newcomers.

"I was so amazed at how much she loved him," Hyman said. "What it means is more recognition for the mission we have, which is to prevent cruelty."

Along those lines: here's where you can donate to the shelter's medical fund, used to care for the city's abused and neglected animals.

Get in touch at arin.greenwood@huffingtonpost.com if you have an animal story to share!

 


Also on HuffPost:


-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4babbaed/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

Florida Driver's Ed Teacher Charged With DUI

A driver's ed teacher in Florida is accused of drinking and driving after he crashed his truck into a ditch, authorities say.

Police arrested Richard Bull, 51, after he allegedly drove his Dodge Ram into a construction site in the parking lot of a Lee County McDonald's, the News-Press reports.


Authorities say that Bull's blood alcohol level was .159, nearly twice the legal limit.

During conversations with police, Bull allegedly claimed that he was not behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

NBC-2 reports:


In their arrest report, deputies say Bull said it was someone named "Josh" that was driving the truck when it crashed. He said "Josh" ran from the scene before deputies arrived.


Bull has taught driver's education at Riverdale High School for 10 years, Amity Chandler, spokeswoman for the school district, told the News-Press.

"We can confidently say he won't be teaching driver's education," Chandler said.

Bull is charged with driving under the influence and property damage.

Also on HuffPost:



-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4babbaea/sc/7/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110C ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com

Badass Guinea Pig Tries To Share Cat's Bed, Madness Ensues




This brave guinea pig most definitely overstayed its welcome in a cat's bed. 

But does he care? Absolutely not. 

The little guy stood his ground as the cat unleashed sheer, unbridled feline fury -- claws came out, and for a moment, we all felt unsafe. 

But the guinea pig stayed strong, all in the name of justice for guinea pigs everywhere. Fight the good fight, little man. You will prevail.

Watch the drama unfold below:




Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.













Source: http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677553/s/4bac25c3/sc/11/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110 ... and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com