Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of peroral pancreatoscopy in the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of peroral pancreatoscopy in the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases. METHODS Both 3.7-mm (thin) and 0.8-mm (ultra-thin) diameter fiberoptic pancreatoscopes were used in 115 cases (pancreatic cancer, 35; benign ductal stenosis, 20; intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor, 60). RESULTS Observation rates for pancreatic cancer, benign ductal stenosis, and intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor were, respectively, 63%, 80%, and 95%. Tumor vessels and papillary tumor were observed when pancreatic cancer was smaller than 2 cm but not when the tumor was larger than 2 cm. Stenosis without significant mucosal changes was observed in 62% of cases of benign ductal stenosis. Coarse mucosa and friability were observed more frequently in association with pancreatic cancer than benign ductal stenosis. Granular mucosa or papillary tumor could be observed in 74% of cases of intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor. Papillary tumor was observed with increasing frequency in cases of intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor as the degree of malignancy increased. CONCLUSIONS Peroral pancreatoscopy with an ultra-thin fiberscope is useful in the diagnosis of minute pancreatic lesions. Peroral pancreatoscopy with a thin fiberscope can provide a definitive diagnosis of intraductal papillary-mucinous tumor including the degree of malignancy.
The Rehabilitation of Patients Recovering from Brainstem Strokes: Case Studies and Clinical Considerations

Abstract An estimated 15% of all patients admitted to stroke rehabilitation units experience a brainstem stroke. Two case studies are presented to illustrate some of the difficulties encountered in the rehabilitation of these individuals. Unlike hemispheric stroke, the characteristic consequences of brainstem stroke include ataxia, dysarthria, and diplopia. Additionally, individuals with brainstem stroke may suffer from severe dysphagia and may require enteral feedings. Unlike the rehabilitation of patients with hemispheric stroke, where there is an impressive and relatively comprehensive research literature, there has been surprisingly little research published on the rehabilitation of patients with brainstem stroke despite the fact they represent a significant number of patients admitted to stroke rehabilitation units.
Platform drowning leading to cool-water carbonate deposition: evolution of a Late Ordovician (Turinian–Chatfieldian) mixed-sediment platform within the Taconic orogen (Long Point Group, Newfoundland Appalachians)

Late Ordovician (Turinian–Chatfieldian) drowning of a mixed carbonate–siliciclastic platform within the Taconic Orogen (Newfoundland Appalachians) is recorded by net deepening of an initial warm, shallow-water platform succession (Lourdes Formation) culminating in a metre-scale thick condensed interval that characterizes a drowning succession punctuated by storm deposits. Composition of transported material suggests that seaward drowning was coupled with back-stepping of a high-energy carbonate factory related to hinterland uplift and erosion that would eventually lead to drowning of the outer platform beneath marine-transported siliciclastic sediments (Winterhouse Formation). In the new offshore shelf setting, a sparse reciprocal stratigraphy of fine- to very coarse-grained phosphatic carbonate and mixed sediment is interpreted to document gravity-flow deposition downgradient from either a sustained or episodically developed high-energy cool-water carbonate source along the inner shelf. Transported carbonate was cemented rapidly at temperatures no warmer than 16 °C–23 °C, possibly within a seasonal oceanic thermocline. An upsection decrease in abundance of carbonate by the early Edenian is associated with a dramatic increase in siliciclastic supply. The Turinian–Edenian succession of platform drowning, oceanographic transition to cool-water carbonate production, and, later, its termination by increased siliciclastic supply reflects a first-order tectonic control proximal to uplift within the Taconic Orogen. Similar structural and oceanographic changes along the contemporary distal Laurentian margin provides the basis, with improved biostratigraphic control, for future analysis of the significance of proximal–distal stratigraphies in response to regional foreland tectonism.
Arabidopsis bZIP60 Is a Proteolysis-Activated Transcription Factor Involved in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response[W]

Proteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eukaryotic cells must be folded correctly before translocation out of the ER. Disruption of protein folding results in the induction of genes for ER-resident chaperones, for example, BiP. This phenomenon is known as the ER stress response. We report here that bZIP60, an Arabidopsis thaliana basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor with a transmembrane domain, is involved in the ER stress response. When compared with wild-type Arabidopsis plants, homozygous bzip60 mutant plants show a markedly weaker induction of many ER stress-responsive genes. The bZIP60 protein resides in the ER membrane under unstressed condition and is cleaved in response to ER stress caused by either tunicamycin or DTT. The N-terminal fragment containing the bZIP domain is then translocated into the nucleus. Cleavage of bZIP60 is independent of the function of Arabidopsis homologs of mammalian S1P and S2P proteases, which mediate the proteolytic cleavage of the mammalian transcription factor ATF6. In Arabidopsis, expression of the bZIP60 gene and cleavage of the bZIP60 protein are observed in anthers in the absence of stress treatment, suggesting that the ER stress response functions in the normal development of active secretory cells.
A complete Holocene climate and environment record for the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) derived from a tufa deposit

Calcareous tufas are great archives of geochemical information for the reconstruction of past climate. Their importance increases in the regions where other proxies are rare, such as Western Carpathians. Here, we present the first whole-Holocene palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this region based on geochemical proxies. We analysed δ18O, δ13C and Mg/Ca ratio on tufa calcite of the Mituchovci site (White Carpathian Mountains, W Slovakia) and compared these with pollen, plant macrofossil and mollusc data. According to δ18O, two distinct thermal maxima occurred in the region, around 11.4 ka and between 7.3 and 6.9 ka BP. According to δ13C and Mg/Ca ratio, a steep increase in moisture and rainfall took place around 8.5 ka cal. BP, preceded by a cold and dry event. These events are well reflected in the biotic proxies and are suggested also by other palaeoenvironmental studies from the Carpathians. We found some later fluctuations, with dry and warm Bronze Age (ca. 3.6 ka cal. BP), cold and wet Urnfield period (ca. 2.8 ka cal. BP), warm Roman period (ca. 2 ka cal. BP) and cold but humid Migration period (ca. 1.5 ka cal. BP). We observed extreme abruptness and amplitude of the variation in all geochemical proxies in the last 500 years, when biotic proxies imply a very intense human deforestation. Land-use changes may have altered both the temperature regime in the studied fen and the carbon cycle in the recharge area.
Compressible turbulent channel flow with impedance boundary conditions

We have performed large-eddy simulations of isothermal-wall compressible turbulent channel flow with linear acoustic impedance boundary conditions (IBCs) for the wall-normal velocity component and no-slip conditions for the tangential velocity components. Three bulk Mach numbers, Mb = 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, with a fixed bulk Reynolds number, Reb = 6900, have been investigated. For each Mb, nine different combinations of IBC settings were tested, in addition to a reference case with impermeable walls, resulting in a total of 30 simulations. The adopted numerical coupling strategy allows for a spatially and temporally consistent imposition of physically realizable IBCs in a fully explicit compressible Navier-Stokes solver. The IBCs are formulated in the time domain according to Fung and Ju [“Time-domain impedance boundary conditions for computational acoustics and aeroacoustics,” Int. J. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 18(6), 503–511 (2004)]. The impedance adopted is a three-parameter damped Helmholtz oscillator with resonant .
Performance analysis of a microwave low-noise amplifier under laser illumination

This paper analyzes in detail the performance changes of a GaAs HEMT-based low-noise amplifier under visible (650 nm) laser exposure. The device employed was first characterized in dark and illuminated conditions over the 2-18 GHz frequency range in terms of DC, scattering and noise parameters. Subsequently, it was modeled by means of a linear circuit model with associated noise sources in both conditions. By employing the experimental results, a low noise amplifier has then been designed and optimized for dark mode operation in the 7.5-8.5 GHz frequency range. Finally, the performance of the LNA under light exposure has been evaluated. On the basis of the device performance variations under VIS light exposure, we expected either a severe degradation of the noise figure, a slight increase of the amplifier gain and a moderate variation of the input/output matching. Instead, the obtained results exhibited a moderate degradation of the overall LNA performance due to device illumination, except for the input matching level which showed to be improved. We then analyzed the correlation between the device model variations and the amplifier behavior to get a deeper insight into the observed trends.
Simultaneous Control of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia in 2 Health Systems

Background—Many individuals with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia have difficulty achieving control of all 3 conditions. We assessed the incidence and duration of simultaneous control of hyperglycemia, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients from 2 health care systems in Colorado. Methods and Results—We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults at Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente Colorado with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia from 2000 through 2008. Over a median of 4.0 and 4.4 years, 16% and 30% of individuals at Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente achieved the primary outcome (simultaneous control with a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <7.0%, blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL), respectively. With less strict goals (HbA1c <8.0%, blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <130 mg/dL), 44% and 70% of individuals at Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente achieved simultaneous control. Sociodemographic characteristics (increasing age, white ethnicity), and the presence of cardiovascular disease or other comorbidities were significantly but not strongly predictive of achieving simultaneous control in multivariable models. Simultaneous control was less likely as severity of the underlying conditions increased, and more likely as medication adherence increased. Conclusions—Simultaneous control of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia was uncommon and generally transient. Less stringent goals had a relatively large effect on the proportion achieving simultaneous control. Individuals who simultaneously achieve multiple treatment goals may provide insight into self-care strategies for individuals with comorbid health conditions.
Sound of the Drum, Energy of the Dance - Making the Lake Huron Treaty Atlas the Anishinaabe Way

This thesis takes a reflexive narrative approach to critically interpreting the iterative processes involved in the making of the Lake Huron Treaty Atlas (the Atlas). The Atlas is an interactive, multimedia, geospatial web product that reflects an inclusive approach to telling the story of the Robinson Huron Treaty relationship process over time and across space, bringing together a variety of historical and geographical perspectives. Both the thesis and the Atlas interpret Anishinaabe perspectives and incorporate them in their style and approach; they participate in the current trend in critical cartography to engage in mapping in new ways by reflecting the multiple dimensions of socioeconomic, political and cultural ‘reality’. Making contributions in many areas, including in the conceptual and practical spheres of cartography, this thesis comments on some deep trends such as the spatial turn to performance and the critical turn to interpretation. In addition, it participates in the seventh fire project of reconciliation reflected in the significant Anishinaabe Teaching, the Seven Fires Prophecy, by promoting a holistic and emergent approach to development, and by emphasizing the possibility of bridging perspectives to build intercultural awareness through the collaborative creation of the Atlas as a reconciliation tool. This thesis asserts that through holistic, reflexive and critical cartographic practice, it is possible not only to acknowledge Anishinaabe perspectives in mapping processes, but to integrate them as well, in a manner that (1) preserves their inherent meaning and value, and (2) augments the meaning of the cybercartographic mapping processes. I aim to demonstrate how this type of practice has been employed in the Lake Huron Treaty Atlas project by providing critically reflexive narrative accounts of the Travels in the Making of the Atlas Map and the Map of Maps, each of which functions as a narrative portal to the other maps in the Atlas.
Alternative methods for attenuation correction for PET images in MR-PET scanners

This paper describes and compares procedures to obtain attenuation maps used for the absorption correction (AC) of PET brain scans if a transmission scan is not available as in the case of future MR-PET scanners. A previously reported approach called MBA (MRT-based attenuation correction) used Tl- weighted MR images which were segmented into four tissue types representing brain tissue, bone, other tissue and sinus to which appropriate attenuation coefficients were assigned. In this work a template-based attenuation correction (TBA) is presented which applies an attenuation template to single subjects. A common attenuation template was created from transmission scans of 10 normal volunteers and spatially normalized to the SPM2 standard brain shape. For each subject the Tl-MR template of SPM2 was warped onto the subject's individual MR image. The resulting warping matrix was applied to the common attenuation template so that an attenuation map matching the subject's brain shape was obtained. The attenuation maps of MBA and TBA were forward projected into attenuation factors which were alternatively used for AC. FDG scans of four subjects were reconstructed after AC with MBA and TBA and compared to images whose ACs were based on conventional attenuation maps (PBA=PET-based attenuation correction). Using PBA as reference in a region of interest analysis, MBA and TBA showed similar under- and overestimation of the reconstructed radioactivity up to -10% and 9%, respectively. The procedure to obtain the attenuation template needs still some improvements. Nevertheless, the TBA method of attenuation correction is a promising alternative to MBA with its still complex and not yet resolved accurate segmentation of MR images.
Distribution of neuropeptidelike immunoreactivities in the guinea pig olfactory bulb

The distribution of neuropeptidelike immunoreactivities in the adult guinea pig olfactory bulb was studied immunohistochemically with antiseraraised against neurotensin (NT), substance P (SP), methionine‐enkephalin‐Arg6‐Gly7‐Leu8 (ENK), somatostatin (SOM), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and cholecystokinin‐8 (CCK).
Characterization of the subdifferentials of convex functions

Each lower semi-continuous proper convex function / on a Banach space E defines a certain multivalued mapping df from E to E* called the subdifferential of /. It is shown here that the mappings arising this way are precisely the ones whose graphs are maximal "cyclically monotone" relations on E X E*, and that each of these is also a maximal monotone relation. Furthermore, it is proved that df determines / uniquely up to an additive constant. These facts generally fail to hold when E is not a Banach space. The proofs depend on establishing a new result which relates the directional derivatives of / to the existence of approximate subgradients.
On nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations and hölder continuity

1. This paper is concerned with genera! nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations of second order for functions of two independent variables. New a priori estimates for the derivatives of solutions of such equations are derived and used to obtain various results. In particular, a proof is given for the existence of solutions of the boundary value problem for quasilinear elliptic equations in convex domains. The basic device used in deriving the a priori estimates is a lemma (Lemma 2 of Section 3) expressing a relation between the distortion of a class of mappings of a domain in the plane—this class includes the quasi-conformal mappings— and the Holder continuity' of the mappings in that class. The techniques used here are closely related to those of C. B. Money in [13] and in his work on multiple integral variations! problems in the Calculus of Variations [14]. In addition, extensive use is made of the theory of linear elliptic partial differentia) equation* as developed by J. Schauder in [19]. Some of the theorems proved here have been extended to elliptic equations in more than two independent variables; this extension will be presented in a forthcoming paper. We proceed to describe our main results.
ML parameter estimation for Markov random fields with applications to Bayesian tomography

Markov random fields (MRF's) have been widely used to model images in Bayesian frameworks for image reconstruction and restoration. Typically, these MRF models have parameters that allow the prior model to be adjusted for best performance. However, optimal estimation of these parameters(sometimes referred to as hyper parameters) is difficult in practice for two reasons: i) direct parameter estimation for MRF's is known to be mathematically and numerically challenging; ii)parameters can not be directly estimated because the true image cross section is unavailable.In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient scheme to address both these difficulties for a general class of MRF models,and we derive specific methods of parameter estimation for the MRF model known as generalized Gaussian MRF (GGMRF). The first section of the paper derives methods of direct estimation of scale and shape parameters for a general continuously valued MRF. For the GGMRF case, we show that the ML estimate of the scale parameter, sigma, has a simple closed-form solution, and we present an efficient scheme for computing the ML estimate of the shape parameter, p, by an off-line numerical computation of the dependence of the partition function on p.The second section of the paper presents a fast algorithm for computing ML parameter estimates when the true image is unavailable. To do this, we use the expectation maximization(EM) algorithm. We develop a fast simulation method to replace the E-step, and a method to improve parameter estimates when the simulations are terminated prior to convergence.Experimental results indicate that our fast algorithms substantially reduce computation and result in good scale estimates for real tomographic data sets.
How arbitrary is language?

It is a long established convention that the relationship between sounds and meanings of words is essentially arbitrary—typically the sound of a word gives no hint of its meaning. However, there are numerous reported instances of systematic sound–meaning mappings in language, and this systematicity has been claimed to be important for early language development. In a large-scale corpus analysis of English, we show that sound–meaning mappings are more systematic than would be expected by chance. Furthermore, this systematicity is more pronounced for words involved in the early stages of language acquisition and reduces in later vocabulary development. We propose that the vocabulary is structured to enable systematicity in early language learning to promote language acquisition, while also incorporating arbitrariness for later language in order to facilitate communicative expressivity and efficiency.
Presence of icaA and icaDGenes and Slime Production in a Collection of Staphylococcal Strains from Catheter-Associated Infections

ABSTRACT Both Staphylococcus epidermidis andStaphylococcus aureus are important causes of infections associated with catheters and other medical devices. It has recently been shown that not only S. epidermidis but also S. aureus can produce slime and carries the ica operon responsible for slime production. In the operon, coexpression oficaA and icaD is required for full slime synthesis. In this study, the presence of icaA andicaD was determined in a collection of 91 staphylococcal (68 S. epidermidis and 23 S. aureus) strains from intravenous catheter-associated infections, in 10 strains from the skin and mucosa of healthy volunteers, and in two reference strains by a PCR method. Slime-forming ability was tested on Congo red agar plates; 49% of S. epidermidis strains from catheters and, surprisingly, 61% of S. aureus strains wereicaA and icaD positive and slime forming. All the saprophytic strains turned out to be negative for bothicaA and icaD and also non-slime forming. TwoS. aureus and one S. epidermidis strain from catheters, detected as icaA and icaD positive by PCR analysis and as slime forming (black colonies) at 24 h on Congo red agar, at 48 h exhibited tiny red spikes at the center of black colonies. The onset of these variants could not be ascribed to a mutagenic potential of Congo red, which, in the Ames test, was devoid of mutagenicity. PCR analysis showed that these red variants were negative for both icaA and icaD and even lacking the entire icaADBC operon. The data reported indicate an important role of ica genes as a virulence marker in staphylococcal infections from intravenous catheters.
The Star-Nosed Mole Reveals Clues to the Molecular Basis of Mammalian Touch

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying mammalian touch transduction. To identify novel candidate transducers, we examined the molecular and cellular basis of touch in one of the most sensitive tactile organs in the animal kingdom, the star of the star-nosed mole. Our findings demonstrate that the trigeminal ganglia innervating the star are enriched in tactile-sensitive neurons, resulting in a higher proportion of light touch fibers and lower proportion of nociceptors compared to the dorsal root ganglia innervating the rest of the body. We exploit this difference using transcriptome analysis of the star-nosed mole sensory ganglia to identify novel candidate mammalian touch and pain transducers. The most enriched candidates are also expressed in mouse somatosesensory ganglia, suggesting they may mediate transduction in diverse species and are not unique to moles. These findings highlight the utility of examining diverse and specialized species to address fundamental questions in mammalian biology.