Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resource use and costs in a Swedish cohort of patients with Parkinson's disease

We estimated resource use and costs in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), thereby providing baseline data for future economic evaluations of therapeutic interventions. Data were collected from medical records of a South Swedish cohort of 127 PD patients during 1 year (1996) and a mailed questionnaire inquiring about cost‐related consequences and resource use in 1996 and in 2000. Annual costs were calculated based on prevalence and expressed in SEK (monetary value of the year 2000). Direct health care costs averaged approximately SEK 29,000 (≈USD 2,900; EUR 3,200) per patient per year, of which drugs were the most costly component. Nonmedical direct costs were higher than direct health care costs, averaging approximately SEK 43,000 (≈USD 4,300; EUR 4,800) per patient per year, and costs due to lost production were approximately SEK 52,000 (≈USD 5,200; EUR 5,800) per patient per year. The mean total annual cost for PD in our sample approximated SEK 124,000 (≈USD 12,400; EUR 13,800) per patient. These findings are roughly within the same range as estimates from other countries and show that PD causes a considerable societal burden. In addition to other outcomes, evaluations of the economic implications of new therapeutic interventions are highly warranted. In this perspective, the present study provides valuable baseline data. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society
Levetiracetam add-on therapy in Japanese patients with refractory partial epilepsy

The aim of this observational study was to obtain information regarding efficacy and safety of add-on levetiracetam (LEV; n=32) in Japanese patients with refractory partial seizures in an everyday clinical setting, relative to control AEDs (n=30). This is the first study of LEV add-on therapy conducted in Japan since approval was made. The medical charts of patients were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy variables were seizure freedom and ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency. A significantly higher response to LEV was demonstrated in patients with all seizure types at baseline, relative to control AEDs. In patients with a duration of epilepsy of at least 10 years, significant effects in response to LEV were demonstrated with regards to efficacy variables, relative to control AEDs, thus providing meaningful results. Only two patients (6.2%) discontinued LEV treatment due to worsening of seizures, but no discontinuation was reported due to adverse events. LEV as add-on therapy to other AEDs is a promising useful treatment option for patients with refractory partial seizures without notable effects on safety, indicating that this treatment regimen might be recommended for such patients.
Forecasting Time-varying Densities of Inflation Rates : A Functional Autoregressive Approach ∗

This paper utilizes the nonparametric functional autoregressive approach (FAR) to model the time-varying distribution of UK monthly inflation rates using disaggregated cross-sectional data. Our approach is free of any assumptions on the class or structure of the density functions themselves, or the number of dimensions in which the densities may vary. The “pseudo real time” in-sample forecasting evaluation results show that our proposed models track the realized event probabilities fairly closely. Furthermore, out-of-sample forecasting results suggest that the mean is projected to be stable at around 2.5%-2.6% over the period March 2008 February 2009 whilst the uncertainty bands stay between 1.5% and 4% over the 12-month forecast horizon. In addition, the probability of achieving the 2% inflation target is relatively low. JEL Classification: C14, C53, E31.
Antiurolithiasis Activity of Bioactivity Guided Fraction of Bergenia ligulata against Ethylene Glycol Induced Renal Calculi in Rat

Dried rhizome of Bergenia ligulata (pashanbhed) is commonly used as a traditional herbal medicine with a wide range of therapeutic applications including urolithiasis. Aqueous extract of B. ligulata was prepared through maceration followed by decoction (mother extract, 35.9% w/w). Further, polarity based fractions were prepared successively from mother extract which yielded 3.4, 2.9, 5.4, 7.5, and 11.3% w/w of hexane, toluene, dichloromethane (DCM), n-butanol, and water fractions, respectively. The in vitro, ex vivo, and real-time antiurolithiasis activity of mother extract and fractions were carried out using aggregation assay in synthetic urine and in rat plasma. The study revealed that DCM fraction has significantly (p < 0.05) greater inhibitory potential than other fractions. Ethylene glycol in drinking water (0.75%, v/v) for 28 days was used for induction of urolithiasis and the curative effects of mother extract and DCM fraction were checked for the level of oxalate, calcium, creatinine, uric acid, and urea of both urine and serum. Treatment with mother extract and DCM fraction at a dose of 185 mg/kg and 7 mg/kg, respectively, in ethylene glycol induced rats resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in serum and urine markers. Histological study revealed lower number of calcium oxalate deposits with minimum damage in the kidneys of mother extract and DCM fraction treated rats. This result provides a scientific basis for its traditional claims.
Inverse synthesis of electromagnetic materials using homogenization based topology optimization

Recent studies on artiflcial materials demonstrate that substantial improvements in electromagnetic response can be attained by combining difierent materials subject to desired metrics. However, the perfect material combination is unique and extremely di-cult to determine without automated synthesis schemes. In this paper, we develop a versatile approach to design the microstructure of periodic materials with prescribed dielectric and magnetic material tensors. The proposed framework is based on a robust material model and generalized inverse synthesis tool relying on topology optimization. The former is derived using homogenization theory and asymptotic expansion applied to Maxwell equations and can characterize the efiects of anisotropy and loss of materials with periodic unit cells of arbitrary geometries and multi-phases much smaller than the wavelength. Resulting Partial Difierential Equation (PDE) is solved numerically using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and is validated with results in literature. The material model proves to be fast and numerically stable even with complex inclusions. The topology optimization problem is applied for the flrst time towards designing the unit cell topology of periodic electromagnetic materials from scratch with desired dielectric and magnetic tensors using ofi- the-shelf materials, i.e., readily available constituents obtained from
Connexin 47 Mutations Increase Risk for Secondary Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Treatment

Purpose: Secondary lymphedema is a frequent complication of breast cancer associated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation following breast cancer treatment. The potential contribution of genetic susceptibility to risk of developing secondary lymphedema following surgical trauma, radiation, and other tissue insults has not been studied. Experimental Design: To determine whether women with breast cancer and secondary lymphedema had mutations in candidate lymphedema genes, we undertook a case–control study of 188 women diagnosed with breast cancer recruited from the University of Pittsburgh Breast Cancer Program (http://www.upmccancercenter.com/breast/index.cfm) between 2000 and 2010. Candidate lymphedema genes, GJC2 (encoding connexin 47 [Cx47]), FOXC2, HGF, MET, and FLT4 (encoding VEGFR3), were sequenced for mutation. Bioinformatics analysis and in vitro functional assays were used to confirm significance of novel mutations. Results: Cx47 mutations were identified in individuals having secondary lymphedema following breast cancer treatment but not in breast cancer controls or normal women without breast cancer. These novel mutations are dysfunctional as assessed through in vitro assays and bioinformatics analysis and provide evidence that altered gap junction function leads to lymphedema. Conclusions: Our findings challenge the view that secondary lymphedema is solely due to mechanical trauma and support the hypothesis that genetic susceptibility is an important risk factor for secondary lymphedema. A priori recognition of genetic risk (i) raises the potential for early detection and intervention for a high-risk group and (ii) allows the possibility of altering surgical approach and/or chemo- and radiation therapy, or direct medical treatment of secondary lymphedema with novel connexin-modifying drugs. Clin Cancer Res; 18(8); 2382–90. ©2012 AACR.
Insight into Shiga toxin genes encoded by Escherichia coli O157 from whole genome sequencing

The ability of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) to cause severe illness in humans is determined by multiple host factors and bacterial characteristics, including Shiga toxin (Stx) subtype. Given the link between Stx2a subtype and disease severity, we sought to identify the stx subtypes present in whole genome sequences (WGS) of 444 isolates of STEC O157. Difficulties in assembling the stx genes in some strains were overcome by using two complementary bioinformatics methods: mapping and de novo assembly. We compared the WGS analysis with the results obtained using a PCR approach and investigated the diversity within and between the subtypes. All strains of STEC O157 in this study had stx1a, stx2a or stx2c or a combination of these three genes. There was over 99% (442/444) concordance between PCR and WGS. When common source strains were excluded, 236/349 strains of STEC O157 had multiple copies of different Stx subtypes and 54 had multiple copies of the same Stx subtype. Of those strains harbouring multiple copies of the same Stx subtype, 33 had variants between the alleles while 21 had identical copies. Strains harbouring Stx2a only were most commonly found to have multiple alleles of the same subtype (42%). Both the PCR and WGS approach to stx subtyping provided a good level of sensitivity and specificity. In addition, the WGS data also showed there were a significant proportion of strains harbouring multiple alleles of the same Stx subtype associated with clinical disease in England.
Identities of Symmetry for q-Euler Polynomials

In this paper, we derive eight basic identities of symmetry in three variables related to q-Euler polynomials and the q -analogue of alternating power sums. These and most of their corollaries are new, since there have been results only about identities of symmetry in two variables. These abundance of symmetries shed new light even on the existing identities so as to yield some further interesting ones. The derivations of identities are based on the p-adic integral expression of the generating function for the q -Euler polynomials and the quotient of integrals that can be expressed as the exponential generating function for the q -analogue of alternating power sums.
Expression dynamics of WOX genes mark cell fate decisions during early embryonic patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana

During embryonic pattern formation, the main body axes are established and cells of different developmental fates are specified from a single-cell zygote. Despite the fundamental importance of this process, in plants, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We show that expression dynamics of novel WOX (WUSCHEL related homeobox) gene family members reveal early embryonic patterning events in Arabidopsis. WOX2 and WOX8 are co-expressed in the egg cell and zygote and become confined to the apical and basal daughter cells of the zygote, respectively, by its asymmetric division. WOX2 not only marks apical descendants of the zygote, but is also functionally required for their correct development, suggesting that the asymmetric division of the plant zygote separates determinants of apical and basal cell fates. WOX9 expression is initiated in the basal daughter cell of the zygote and subsequently shifts into the descendants of the apical daughter apparently in response to signaling from the embryo proper. Expression of WOX5 shows that identity of the quiescent center is initiated very early in the hypophyseal cell, and highlights molecular and developmental similarities between the stem cell niches of root and shoot meristems. Together, our data suggest that during plant embryogenesis region-specific transcription programs are initiated very early in single precursor cells and that WOX genes play an important role in this process.
In vitroistraživanjeapikalnogmikropropuštanjapettehnika punjenjakanala A Comparative in Vitro Study of Apical Microleakage of Five Obturation Techniques

u crnu tintu te nakon 72 sata obrađeni Robertsonovom tehnikom transparentizacije. Nakon toga je filtracija tinte izmjerena ste - reoskopskim mikroskopom. Za statističku analizu korištena je analiza varijabilnosti i post-hoc te -stiranje. Rezultati: Grupa zuba obrađena tehnikom Soft-Core® imala je značajno veće mikropro - puštanje u odnosu na ostale tri skupine kod kojih smo se koristili ostalim tehnikama. Rezultati mikropropuštanja bili su slični. Zaključak: U ovom istraživanju zubi obrađeni tehnikom Soft-Co - re® imali su veće apikalno mikropropuštanje nego oni kod kojih su primijenjene ostale tehnike. AbstractAim: A comparison was made between the root canal lateral condensation technique and other condensation techniques in which physical (temperature: Soft-Core®, Obtura II®) or chemical changes (condensation: Guttaflow®, Resilon®) may affect the dimensional stability of obtura - tion and thus favor apical microleakage. Materials and methods: A total of 212 single-root teeth removed for orthodontic or periodontal reasons were randomized to 5 groups of 40 teeth each. Six samples were used as positive controls, and another 6 as negative controls. The teeth were worked with the Hero 642 system, and each group was obturated using a different technique: lat - eral condensation, Obtura II®, Soft-Core®, Guttaflow® or Resilon®. The samples were immersed in black ink, and after 72 hours the teeth were transparentized using the technique described by Robertson. Filtration of the ink was measured under the stereoscopic microscope. Analysis of variance and post-hoc testing were used for the statistical analysis. Results: The Soft-Core® obtu - rated group showed significantly greater microleakage than the other groups, with no differenc es among the rest of the groups. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, the teeth obtu - rated with the Soft-Core® technique showed greater apical microleakage than the other systems.
Alveolar epithelial fluid transport in acute lung injury: new insights

Pulmonary oedema is a life-threatening condition that frequently leads to acute respiratory failure. From a physiological perspective, pulmonary oedema develops either because of an increase in lung vascular hydrostatic pressure or an increase in lung vascular permeability. Resolution of alveolar oedema depends on the active removal of salt and water from the distal air spaces of the lung across the distal lung epithelial barrier. Much has been learned about the molecular and cellular basis for oedema fluid reabsorption, including the role of apical ion transporters for sodium (epithelial sodium channel) and chloride (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), as well as the central importance of the sodium pump. The rate of fluid clearance can be upregulated by both catecholamine-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Injury to the alveolar epithelium can disrupt the integrity of the alveolar barrier or downregulate ion transport pathways, thus, reducing net alveolar fluid reabsorption and enhancing the extent of alveolar oedema. Endogenous catecholamines upregulate alveolar fluid clearance in several experimental models of acute lung injury, but this upregulation may be short term and insufficient to counterbalance alveolar flooding. There is new evidence, however, that pharmacological treatment with β2-adrenergic agonists and/or epithelial growth factors may influence a more sustained stimulation of alveolar fluid reabsorption and in turn facilitate recovery from experimental pulmonary oedema. Similar results have been achieved experimentally by gene transfer to enhance the abundance of sodium transporters in the alveolar epithelium. Clinical studies show that impaired alveolar fluid transport mechanisms contribute to the development, severity and outcome of pulmonary oedema in humans. Very recent data suggest that mechanisms that augment transepithelial sodium transport and enhance the clearance of alveolar oedema may lead to more effective prevention or treatment for some types of pulmonary oedema.
2 THEORIES OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY GOALS OF THE BOOK

M ost graduate-level students are required to develop knowledge of the theories of therapy as part of their educational and professional development. Typically, they are introduced to at least 10 theories from the major schools of psychotherapy, such as psychoanalysis, behavior, cognitive, learning, or client-centered therapy. The heart of this book is about choosing a theoretical orientation—meaning either a single theory or an integrated psychotherapy approach. A therapist without a theoretical approach to psychotherapy is like Alice in Wonderland asking the Cheshire cat which way she should go. Alice came to a fork in the road. " Which road do I take? " she asked. " Where do you want to go? " responded the Cheshire cat. " I don't know, " Alice answered. " Then, " said the cat, " it doesn't matter. " Theories of psychotherapy are like the Cheshire cat. They provide a road map for us when we work with clients. Without such a map, therapists are only winging it. They're like Alice, wanting to go somewhere but not knowing where they want to go with a client. Effective therapists establish theoretical road maps or treatment plans for their clients. Do you see any similarities between you and Alice? Any differences? Would you be able to tell the Cheshire cat where you are going? Where would that be? 1 There is nothing so practical as a good theory. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher, founder of Taoism There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth.
Anti-Actin IgA Antibodies Identify Celiac Disease Patients with a Marsh 3 Intestinal Damage among Subjects with Moderate Anti-TG2 Levels

A new diagnostic tool (algorithm-1) for coeliac disease (CD) permitting the diagnosis without performing the duodenal biopsy has been recently proposed by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). It combines symptoms associated with CD, high anti-transglutaminase type 2 antibody (anti-TG2) levels, anti-endomysium-IgA antibodies (EMA), and at-risk HLA. Our aims were (i) to evaluate retrospectively in 227 individuals (149 CD patients and 78 controls) the algorithm-1, (ii) to reduce the number of duodenal biopsies among CD patients for whom algorithm-1 is not applicable through the addition of antiactin IgA antibodies (AAA-IgA), and (iii) to evaluate prospectively algorithm-1 and AAA-IgA in 50 patients with suspected CD. Algorithm-1 identified 70 out of 149 CD patients with Marsh 3 lesions. Adding AAA-IgA to the remaining patients with anti-TG2 levels comprised between 4 and 10 times upper limit of normal (ULN) allowed the detection of further 20 patients with a Marsh 3 damage. In our prospective study, algorithm-1 identified 23 out of 50 patients, whilst further 7 were recognized adding AAA-IgA. We confirm that algorithm-1 may avoid the duodenal biopsy in many CD patients and underscores the usefulness of AAA-IgA in reducing the number of duodenal biopsies in patients with moderate anti-TG2 levels.
A Memory Based Model of Bounded Rationality a Memory Based Model of Bounded Rationality a Memory Based Model of Bounded Rationality a Memory Based Model of Bounded Rationality

How do memory limitations affect economic behavior? I develop a model of memory grounded in psychology and biology research to investigate this question. Using this model, I study the case where people apply Bayes rule to the history they recall as if it were the true history. The resulting beliefs exhibit over-reaction on average. They also exhibit under-reaction with the model providing enough structure to allow predictions about which effect dominates when. I then apply this general framework to an otherwise standard model of consumption. It predicts the broad structure of consumption predictability as well as differences in marginal propensity to consume across different income streams. Most importantly, because it ties the extent of bias to a measurable aspect of the stochastic process being forecasted, the model makes novel, testable empirical predictions. "Massachusetts Institute of Technology and National Bureau of Economic Research, e-mail: mullain@mit.edu. This paper Weis written while I was a graduate student at Harvard University. I am indebted to my thesis committee, Drew Fudenberg, Lawrence Katz and Andrei Shleifer for their generous advice and encouragement, and to Marianne Bertrand, Edward Glaeser, David Laibson, and Richard Thaler for many helpful discussions. I have also greatly benefitted from comments by three anonymous referees, George Baker, John Campbell, Caroline Hoxby, Erzo P.P. Luttmer, and participants at numerous seminars. Financial support from the Chiles Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.
Noise properties of a corner-cube Michelson interferometer LWIR hyperspectral imager

Interferometric hyperspectral imagers using infrared focal plane array (FPA) sensors have received increasing interest within the field of security and defence. Setups are commonly based upon either the Sagnac or the Michelson configuration, where the former is usually preferred due to its mechanical robustness. However, the Michelson configuration shows advantages in larger FOV due to better vignetting performance and improved signal-to-noise ratio and cost reduction due to relaxation of beamsplitter specifications. Recently, a laboratory prototype of a more robust and easy-to-align corner-cube Michelson hyperspectral imager has been demonstrated. The prototype is based upon an uncooled bolometric FPA in the LWIR (8-14 μm) spectral band and in this paper the noise properties of this hyperspectral imager are discussed.
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C markers at the population level in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, southern Brazil

Chronic viral hepatitis are main public health problems worldwide. Data about the seroprevalence to Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV e HCV) at the population level are scarce on Brazil and especially for the Southern region of the country. The seroprevalence to HBV and HBC antigens was evaluated on a large portion of the population of the municipality of Caxias do Sul (427,858 inhabitants), Brazil. A total of 60,604 individual serum samples collected from 2008 to 2011 were screened for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and for antibodies against HBsAg; anti HCV antibodies were measured by ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Overall, 1.63% of the individuals were positive for HBsAg and 1.43% showed seropositivity to HCV. From the total, 31,749 samples were analyzed for HBsAg and 28,855 for HCV. For HBsAg, 519 samples showed positive (1.63%) while the results for 37 patients (0.12%) remained inconclusive. For the anti-HCV test, 412 individuals (1.43%) showed positive. From the positive samples for HBsAg 216 (50.6%) were from male individuals whereas for anti-HCV the seroprevalence was slightly higher for females 216 (52.4%). The higher prevalence for both hepatitis viruses were found among individuals at the age group of 40 to 59 years and the lower levels of positivity for both HBV and HBC were among children and teenagers.