Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abdominal diffusion mapping with use of a whole-body echo-planar system.

PURPOSE To measure apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of water in liver, spleen, kidney, and muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten volunteers (seven women and three men, aged 19-31 years [mean, 24 years]) and nine patients (five women and four men, aged 49-70 years [mean, 62 years]) (liver cyst, n = 3; liver hemangioma, n = 3; liver cirrhosis, n = 2; hepatocellular carcinoma, n = 1; and liver metastasis, n = 1) underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. A stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM)-type excitation and echo-planar imaging (EPI) readout was used in a 1.5-T echo-planar MR imaging system. RESULTS ADCs measured in volunteers were liver, 1.39 x 10(-3) mm2/sec +/- 0.16; spleen, 0.95 x 10(-3) mm2/sec +/- 0.15; muscle, 1.99 x 10(-3) mm2/sec +/- 0.16; and kidney, 3.54 x 10(-3) mm2/sec +/- 0.47 (mean +/- standard deviation). Distinctive ADC values were found in organs with abnormalities. ADCs in patients with hepatic disease included liver cysts, 3.9-5.3; liver hemangiomas, 2.0-2.8; liver metastases from an islet cell tumor, 1.2; hepatocellular carcinoma, 1.7; and liver cirrhosis, 0.9-1.2 x 10(-3) mm2/sec. CONCLUSION In vivo diffusion measurements of abdominal organs obtained with MR imaging may prove helpful in the identification and classification of abdominal disease.
Actions of PP2A on the MAP kinase pathway and apoptosis are mediated by distinct regulatory subunits

Individual subunits of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), protein phosphatase 4, and protein phosphatase 5 were knocked out in Drosophila Schneider 2 cells by using RNA interference. Ablation of either the scaffold (A) or catalytic (C) subunits of PP2A caused the disappearance of all PP2A subunits. Treating cells with double-stranded RNA targeting all four of the Drosophila PP2A regulatory subunits caused the disappearance of both the A and C subunits. The loss of PP2A subunits was associated with decreased protein stability indicating that only the heterotrimeric forms of PP2A are stable in intact cells. Ablation of total PP2A by using double-stranded RNA against either the A or C subunit, or specific ablation of the R2/B regulatory subunit, enhanced insulin-induced ERK activation. These results indicated that the R2/B subunit targets PP2A to the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade in Schneider 2 cells, where it acts as a negative regulator. A severe loss of viability occurred in cells in which total PP2A or both isoforms of the Drosophila R5/B56 subunit had been ablated. The reduced viability of these cells correlated with the induction of markers of apoptosis including membrane blebbing and stimulation of caspase-3-like activity. These observations indicated that PP2A has a powerful antiapoptotic activity that is specifically mediated by the R5/B56 regulatory subunits. In contrast to PP2A, ablation of protein phosphatase 4 caused only a slight reduction in cell growth but had no effect on MAP kinase signaling or apoptosis. Depletion of protein phosphatase 5 had no effects on MAP kinase, cell growth, or apoptosis.
Patients' Adherence to Anti-Diabetic Medications in a Hospital at Ajman, UAE.

BACKGROUND Anti-diabetic medications are integral for glycemic control in diabetes. Non-adherence to drugs can alter blood glucose levels, resulting in complications. Adherence to anti-diabetic medications reported by patients and the factors associated with medication adherence among adult patients with diabetes mellitus were explored. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out among patients with type II diabetes mellitus attending the Internal Medicine Department of a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Consecutive patients were selected, and data regarding their medication adherence were collected using a questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS-20. The chi-square test was performed to examine the associations between categorical variables; a two-sided P Value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS A total of 132 patients participated in the study (63 males; 69 females). The mean age (standard deviation) of the respondents was 54 years (SD 10.2). The self-reported adherence rate to anti-diabetic drugs was 84%. The most common reason for non-adherence was forgetfulness, and the adherence rate was similar in both genders. Patients with Bachelor's and Master's degree reported greater adherence rate to anti-diabetic medication in comparison to the secondary school educated. CONCLUSION The self-reported adherence rate to anti-diabetic medications was 84%, and forgetfulness was the most common reason for non-adherence. Future studies on strategies to improve adherence rate should be considered.
Families of children with special needs in Flanders: their vulnerability within the citizenship paradigm

Although societies, as a reaction to the social model of disability, try to integrate and empower people with impairments and disadvantaged families through inclusive policies, these population groups continue to experience integration difficulties. Besides negative changes in health, a weak socioeconomic situation of a family can have a considerable impact on the empowerment and integration opportunities that are available for these families. Using results of analyses on Flemish data, this article explores the socioeconomic situations of Flemish families that have children with special needs. The results indicate that families with a child with special needs find themselves more often in a weak socioeconomic situation, but having a disabled child does not directly undermine the socioeconomic living circumstances of the family, although it does place a heavy strain on familial relationships. These results provide valuable insights into the capacity of these families to fulfil their roles as empowered citizens.
Parathyroid hormone-responsive B1 gene is associated with premature ovarian failure.

BACKGROUND Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder that is influenced by multiple genetic components. Here, we performed a two-stage association study to identify POF-associated genes. METHODS A first stage linkage disequilibrium (LD)-based genome-wide association study was performed using 24 pairs of patients with POF and matched controls and a high-throughput BeadChip assay with 109365 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are scattered throughout the genome in an exon-centric and evenly spaced manner. A region that was shown to be strongly associated with POF was then tested again for POF association in the second stage by using a larger sample size (101 cases and 87 controls) and additional putative causal SNPs. RESULTS The first stage analysis revealed that many regions were associated with POF, with part of chromosome 7p14 that contains the parathyroid hormone responsive-B1 (PTHB1) gene showing the strongest association. A POF-susceptible haplotype of PTHB1 (ht1, 'GAAAG', P = 0.00034) and a POF-resistant haplotype (ht2, 'TGTGC') were also identified. The association between POF and two PTHB1 SNPs (rs3884597 and rs6944723) and part of ht1 was confirmed in the second stage analysis. The additional SNP, rs11773504, was considered as a putative causal variant causing an amino acid change, Ala to Thr. CONCLUSIONS We showed for the first time that PTHB1 is strongly associated with POF, and ht1 confers susceptibility to POF. While causative SNPs were not identified, the polymorphism of the non-synonymous SNP rs11773504 and the repeated association of ht1 with POF suggest that PTHB1 may contribute to POF pathogenesis.
Temperature dependence of gate and substrate currents in the CHE crossover regime

This paper presents new experimental data on the bias and temperature dependence of gate (I/sub G/) and substrate (I/sub B/) currents in submicrometer n-MOSFET's at drain voltages much smaller than the Si-SiO/sub 2/ energy barrier (V/sub DS//spl Lt//spl Phi//sub B//q/spl sime/3.15 V). In particular, we report simultaneous measurements of I/sub G/ and I/sub B/ in that part of the bias range conventionally defined "channel hot electron" regime (CHE) where I/sub B/ decreases for decreasing temperature (substrate current crossover regime). It is found that, at low V/sub DS/, the two currents exhibit an opposite temperature dependence, unexplained by present models. <<ETX>>
Limited acclimation in leaf anatomy to experimental drought in tropical rainforest trees

Dry periods are predicted to become more frequent and severe in the future in some parts of the tropics, including Amazonia, potentially causing reduced productivity, higher tree mortality and increased emissions of stored carbon. Using a long-term (12 year) through-fall exclusion (TFE) experiment in the tropics, we test the hypothesis that trees produce leaves adapted to cope with higher levels of water stress, by examining the following leaf characteristics: area, thickness, leaf mass per area, vein density, stomatal density, the thickness of palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll and both of the epidermal layers, internal cavity volume and the average cell sizes of the palisade and spongy mesophyll. We also test whether differences in leaf anatomy are consistent with observed differential drought-induced mortality responses among taxa, and look for relationships between leaf anatomy, and leaf water relations and gas exchange parameters. Our data show that trees do not produce leaves that are more xeromorphic in response to 12 years of soil moisture deficit. However, the drought treatment did result in increases in the thickness of the adaxial epidermis (TFE: 20.5 ± 1.5 µm, control: 16.7 ± 1.0 µm) and the internal cavity volume (TFE: 2.43 ± 0.50 mm3 cm−2, control: 1.77 ± 0.30 mm3 cm−2). No consistent differences were detected between drought-resistant and drought-sensitive taxa, although interactions occurred between drought-sensitivity status and drought treatment for the palisade mesophyll thickness (P = 0.034) and the cavity volume of the leaves (P = 0.025). The limited response to water deficit probably reflects a tight co-ordination between leaf morphology, water relations and photosynthetic properties. This suggests that there is little plasticity in these aspects of plant anatomy in these taxa, and that phenotypic plasticity in leaf traits may not facilitate the acclimation of Amazonian trees to the predicted future reductions in dry season water availability.
Split‐hand phenomenon in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A motor unit number index study

Introduction: The split‐hand phenomenon refers to preferential wasting of the thenar muscles with relative sparing of the hypothenar muscles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: We compared the split‐hand index (SI) calculated from the compound muscle action potential (CMAP; SICMAP) with that calculated from the motor unit number index (MUNIX; SIMUNIX). We performed MUNIX on the abductor policis brevis (APB), first dorsal interosseous (FDI), and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles of 39 ALS patients and 40 age‐matched, healthy controls. SI is derived by multiplying the CMAP (or MUNIX) recorded over the APB and FDI and dividing by the CMAP (or MUNIX) recorded over the ADM. Results: Receiver‐operating characteristic curve analysis revealed good diagnostic accuracy for both indices, but better performance of SIMUNIX than SICMAP. Conclusion: SIMUNIX and SICMAP were useful in differentiating ALS patients from healthy controls. SIMUNIX appears to be a better electrophysiological marker than SICMAP for the split‐hand sign of ALS. Muscle Nerve 53: 885–888, 2016
Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals

1. The Fundamentals of Collaboration. 2. Teams. 3. Co-Teaching. 4. Consultation. 5. Staff Development. 6. The Pragmatic Issues of Collaboration. 7. Interpersonal Problem Solving. 8. Interpersonal Communication. 9. Using Statements. 10. Asking Questions. 11. Difficult Interactions. 12. Perspectives and Issues.
Understanding litter decomposition in semiarid ecosystems: linking leaf traits, UV exposure and rainfall variability

Differences in litter quality, microbial activity or abiotic conditions cannot fully account for the variability in decomposition rates observed in semiarid ecosystems. Here we tested the role of variation in litter quality, water supply, and UV radiation as drivers of litter decomposition in arid lands. And show that carry-over effects of litter photodegradation during dry periods can regulate decomposition during subsequent wet periods. We present data from a two-phase experiment, where we first exposed litter from a drought-deciduous and an evergreen shrub to natural UV levels during five, rainless summer months and, subsequently, in the laboratory, we assessed the carry-over effects of photodegradation on biomass loss under different irrigation treatments representing the observed range of local rainfall variation among years (15–240 mm). Photodegradation of litter in the field produced average carbon losses of 12%, but deciduous Proustia pungens lost >25%, while evergreen Porlieria chilensis less than 5%. Natural exposure to UV significantly reduced carbon-to-nitrogen and lignin:N ratios in Proustia litter but not in Porlieria. During the subsequent wet phase, remaining litter biomass was lower in Proustia than in Porlieria. Indeed UV exposure increased litter decomposition of Proustia under low and medium rainfall treatments, whereas no carry-over effects were detected under high rainfall treatment. Consequently, for deciduous Proustia carry-over effects of UV exposure were negligible under high irrigation. Litter decomposition of the evergreen Porlieria depended solely on levels of rainfall that promote microbial decomposers. Our two-phase experiment revealed that both the carry-over effects of photodegradation and litter quality, modulated by inter-annual variability in rainfall, can explain the marked differences in decomposition rates and the frequent decoupling between rainfall and litter decomposition observed in semiarid ecosystems.
Two Efficient Software Techniques to Detect and Correct Control-Flow Errors

This paper proposes two efficient software techniques, Control-flow and Data Errors Correction using Data-flow Graph Consideration (CDCC) and Miniaturized Check-Pointing (MCP), to detect and correct control-flow errors. These techniques have been implemented based on addition of redundant codes in a given program. The creativity applied in the methods for online detection and correction of the control-flow errors is using data-flow graph alongside of using control-flow graph. These techniques can detect most of the control-flow errors in the program firstly, and next can correct them, automatically. Therefore, both errors in the control-flow and program data which is caused by control-flow errors can be corrected, efficiently. In order to evaluate the proposed techniques, a post compiler is used, so that the techniques can be applied to every 80X86 binaries, transparently. Three benchmarks quick sort, matrix multiplication and linked list are used, and a total of 5000 transient faults are injected on several executable points in each program. The experimental results demonstrate that at least 93% and 89% of the control-flow errors can be detected and corrected without any data error generation by the CDCC and MCP, respectively. Moreover, the strength of these techniques is significant reduction in the performance and memory overheads in compare to traditional methods, for as much as remarkable correction abilities.
Board of Directors’ Diversity, Creativity, and Cognitive Conflict

Abstract In this study, we examine the relationship between board diversity in terms of member background and personality (deep-level diversity) and board creativity and cognitive conflict, controlled for the mediating role of board members’ interactions. Using a sample of 385 Norwegian companies, the results provide strong support for the notion that the higher the level of board diversity with respect to the board members’ backgrounds and personalities, the higher the degree of board creativity and cognitive conflict during the decision-making process. Moreover, our empirical evidence supports the mediating role of interactions among board members. The study supports the increasing importance of going beyond “surface level diversity” (e.g., diversity in term of gender) and investigating characteristics that are less visible and that are labelled “deep-level” diversity attributes.
Asymmetries in peer interaction: The effect of social representations of gender and knowledge asymmetry on children's cognitive development

This study examines the role of social representations of gender and knowledge as sources of asymmetry on the features of children's interactions as well as on their cognitive development. The research was carried through an innovative pre-test, first interaction, second interaction, post-test design. One hundred fifty-nine children of the same age (6.5–7.5 years old) but of different levels of knowledge of a spatial-transformation task collaborated in same-sex and opposite-sex dyads to find a joint solution. In the first interaction, a child less developmentally advanced (NC) had to work with a child more developmentally advanced (TC), whereas in the second interaction of the same gender composition, the same NC had to work with a fresh NC. Cognitive progress was assessed using pre-test to post-test gains. The results revealed that the gender composition of the pairs and knowledge asymmetry influence not only the behavioral patterns and strategies that each partner employs in the interaction but also the cognitive outcomes of the children. These findings shed more light to the process through which socio-cognitive conflict gets resolved, which was considered until now a “black box. ” Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal Power Flow with Wind Power Control and Limited Expected Risk of Overloads Line

Over the past years, the share of electricity production from wind power plants has increased to significant levels in several power systems across Europe and the United States. In order to cope with the fluctuating and partially unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources, transmission system operators (TSOs) have responded by requiring wind power plants to be capable of providing reserves or following active power set-point signals. This paper addresses the issue of efficiently incorporating these new types of wind power control in the day-ahead operational planning. We review the technical requirements the wind power plants must fulfill, and propose a mathematical framework for optimizing wind power control. The framework is based on an optimal power flow formulation with weighted chance constraints, which accounts for the uncertainty of wind power forecasts and allows us to limit the expected risk of constraint violations. In a case study based on the IEEE 118 bus system, we use the developed method to assess the effectiveness of different types of wind power control in terms of operational cost, system security and wind power curtailment.
Cluster Ensemble Selection

This paper studies the ensemble selection problem for unsupervised learning. Given a large library of different clustering solutions, our goal is to select a subset of solutions to form a smaller yet better‐performing cluster ensemble than using all available solutions. We design our ensemble selection methods based on quality and diversity, the two factors that have been shown to influence cluster ensemble performance. Our investigation revealed that using quality or diversity alone may not consistently achieve improved performance. Based on our observations, we designed three different selection approaches that jointly consider these two factors. We empirically evaluated their performance in comparison with both full ensembles and a random selection strategy. Our results indicate that by explicitly considering both quality and diversity in ensemble selection, we can achieve statistically significant performance improvement over full ensembles. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000‐000, 2008
Psychosocial morbidity: the economic burden in a pediatric health maintenance organization sample.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate psychosocial morbidity in pediatric primary care and to determine displaced health care utilization. DESIGN AND SETTING A cross-sectional sample of parent-child dyads was screened using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) at 6 pediatric sites of a health maintenance organization (HMO). Cost and utilization data were retrieved from regional databases for this sample. PARTICIPANTS Parent-child dyads from an HMO in northern California (N = 1840). The children ranged in age from 2 to 18 years. RESULTS In all, 13.0% of children exhibited psychosocial dysfunction. The rate of children's chronic illness was 18.4%. Multiple regression analyses measured utilization and cost of health and psychiatric care for the selected population for the previous year; the average log cost of health care per child was $393. The average health care cost for children with anxious, depressed symptoms was $805. Chronically ill children were the highest utilizers of health care, with an average log cost of $1138. When psychosocial dysfunction was present, regression models showed that health care spending was highest for young children. CONCLUSIONS Health care utilization was higher for children with psychosocial morbidity, was higher among younger children, and decreased with age as psychiatric costs progressively increased.
Detection of enterovirus in human skeletal muscle from patients with chronic inflammatory muscle disease or fibromyalgia and healthy subjects

Enterovirus RNA has been found previously in specimens of muscle biopsy from patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, chronic inflammatory muscle diseases, and fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome (fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome). These results suggest that skeletal muscle may host enteroviral persistent infection. To test this hypothesis, we investigated by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) assay the presence of enterovirus in skeletal muscle of patients with chronic inflammatory muscle diseases or fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome, and also of healthy subjects. Three of 15 (20%) patients with chronic inflammatory muscle diseases, 4 of 30 (13%) patients with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome, and none of 29 healthy subjects was found positive. The presence of VP‐1 enteroviral capsid protein was assessed by an immunostaining technique using the 5‐D8/1 monoclonal antibody; no biopsy muscle from any patient or healthy subject was found positive. The presence of viral RNA in some muscle biopsies from patients exhibiting muscle disease, together with the absence of VP‐1 protein, is in favor of a persistent infection involving defective viral replication. J. Med. Virol. 71:540–547, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.