Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sublingual Buprenorphine Is Effective in the Treatment of Chronic Pain Syndrome

Many patients with chronic pain have less than optimal therapeutic outcomes after prolonged treatment with opiate analgesics. Worsening of pain perception, functional capacity, and mood often result. Medical detoxification is often undertaken in this situation. Ninety-five consecutive patients (49 men and 46 women; age range, 26-84) with chronic noncancer pain (maldynia) were referred by local pain clinics for detoxification from long-term opiate analgesic (LTOA) therapy. All patients had failed treatment as manifest by increasing pain levels, worsening functional capacity, and, in 8%, the emergence of opiate addiction. Length of prior LTOA therapy ranged from 1.5 to 27 years (mean, 8.8 years). After a minimum of 12 hours of abstinence from all opiate analgesics, patients were given low doses of sublingual (SL) buprenorphine or buprenorphine/naloxone (Reckitt Benckiser). Maintenance dosing was individualized to treat chronic pain. Daily SL dose of buprenorphine ranged from 4 to 16 mg (mean, 8 mg) in divided doses. Mean duration of treatment is 8.8 months (range, 2.4-16.6 months). At clinic appointments, patients were assessed for pain reports, functional capacity, and mood inventory. Eighty-six percent of patients experienced moderate to substantial relief of pain accompanied by both improved mood and functioning. Patient and family satisfaction was robust. Only 6 patients discontinued therapy secondary to side effects and/or exacerbation of pain. In this open-label study, SL buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone were well tolerated and safe and appeared to be effective in the treatment of chronic pain patients refractory to LTOA.
hnRNP A1 and secondary structure coordinate alternative splicing of Mag

This paper studies the regulation of alternative splicing of the myelin-associated glycoprotein pre-mRNA. The authors show that regulation of exon 12 skipping involves hnRNP A1 interacting with a binding site that overlaps the 5′ splice site. A conserved secondary structure around the binding site contributes to regulation.
A linear friction welding process model for Carpenter Custom 465 precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel: A weld microstructure-evolution analysis

Our recently developed fully coupled thermo-mechanical finite element–based process model for linear friction welding has been combined with a newly constructed microstructure-evolution model in order to predict the type, the extent, and the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of microstructural changes within different portions of the weld. The newly constructed microstructure-evolution model is based on the key physical metallurgy concepts and principles of the workpiece material and includes the basic thermodynamics and kinetics of various interacting and competing phase transformations, which may take place within the weld region. The microstructure-evolution model is subsequently applied to Carpenter Custom 465, H1000, a high-strength/high-corrosion resistance, precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel. Combined use of the thermo-mechanical process model and the workpiece material microstructure-evolution model enabled establishment of the basic relationships between the linear friction welding process parameters (e.g. friction pressure, reciprocating amplitude, reciprocating frequency, and forging pressure), temporal evolution and the spatial distribution of the as-welded material microstructure. Examination of the results yielded by the model clearly revealed: (a) the presence of three zones within the weld, that is, (1) a contact interface region, (2) a thermo-mechanically affected zone, and (3) a heat-affected zone and (b) the fact that the relative size and the extent of the associated microstructural changes are controlled by the selected linear friction welding process parameters. While there are no publicly available reports related to Carpenter Custom 465 linear friction welding behavior, to allow experimental validation of the attendant microstructure-evolution model, these findings are consistent with the results of our ongoing companion experimental investigation.
Feasibility of Progressive Strength Training Implemented in the Acute Ward after Hip Fracture Surgery

Importance Patients with a hip fracture lose more than 50% knee-extension strength in the fractured limb within one week of surgery. Hence, immediate progressive strength training following hip fracture surgery may be rational, but the feasibility unknown. Objective To examine the feasibility of in-hospital progressive strength training implemented in the acute ward following hip fracture surgery, based on pre-specified criteria for feasibility. Design, Setting and Patients A prospective cohort study conducted in an acute orthopedic hip fracture unit at a university hospital. A consecutive sample of 36 patients, 18 with a cervical and 18 with a trochanteric hip fracture (27 women and 9 men, mean (SD) age of 79.4 (8.3) years) were included between June and December 2012. Intervention A daily (on weekdays) program of progressive knee-extension strength training for the fractured limb, using ankle weight cuffs in 3 sets of 10 repetition maximum loadings. Main outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the change in training load (kg) during the knee-extension strength training. The secondary outcomes were changes in hip fracture-related pain and maximal isometric knee-extension strength. Results The strength training was commenced at a mean of 2.4 (0.7) days after surgery. The training loads (kilograms lifted) increased from 1.6 (0.8) to 4.3 (1.7) kg over 4.3 (2.2) training sessions (P<.001). The maximal isometric knee-extension strength of the fractured limb increased from 0.37 (0.2) to 0.61 (0.3) Nm/kg (P<.001), while the average strength deficit in the fractured limb decreased from 50% to 32% (% non-fractured, P<.001). Only 3 of 212 sessions were not performed because of severe hip fracture-related pain. Conclusion and Relevance Progressive knee-extension strength training of the fractured limb commenced in the acute ward seems feasible, and may reduce strength asymmetry between limbs without hip pain interfering. The clinical efficacy needs confirmation in a randomized controlled design. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01616030
Resolution of hidradenitis suppurativa after weight loss by dietary measures, especially on frictional locations

only been able to find in the literature one similar case, in which ultraviolet radiation and visible light were found responsible for the lesions. Furthermore, it was shown that heat accelerated the process. Other forms of fixed ultraviolet eruptions have been reported, but they lacked the histopathologic features expected in FDE. Another patient with photodistributed FE on the face and neck has been published, but did not show residual hyperpigmentation typical of FDE, and thus may be considered a variant of polymorphous light eruption (PLE). The pathomechanism of fixed sunlight eruption, is postulated to be similar to that described in the classic FE, namely, it is a Cell-mediated (type IV) reactions. Lesional skin contains increased numbers of helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. CD8+ cytotoxic T cells persist within lesional skin and contributing to immunological memory. When they are activated it triggered an immunological reaction that produce the typical lesion. One can speculate that, in the absence of an offending drug, a photoactivated substance, e.g. some food or additive, might have acted as a trigger. Foods are known to cause fixed eruptions. However, we could not identify any specific food related to the eruption. Alternatively, fixed sunlight eruption could be considered one of the ‘idiopathic’ photodermatoses, such as PLE. In both our cases and in the case published previously, the appearance of the lesions in areas that are usually covered throughout the year and after a sudden and heavy sun exposure, as well as eliciting of lesions under phototest would support this view.
Extensive Variation in Cadmium Tolerance and Accumulation among Populations of Chamaecrista fasciculata

Plant populations may vary substantially in their tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals, and assessment of this variability is important when selecting species to use in restoration or phytoremediation projects. We examined the population variation in cadmium tolerance and accumulation in a leguminous pioneer species native to the eastern United States, the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata). We assayed growth, reproduction and patterns of cadmium accumulation in six populations of C. fasciculata grown on a range of cadmium-contaminated soils. In general, C. fasciculata exhibited tolerance in low to moderate soil cadmium concentrations. Both tolerance and accumulation patterns varied across populations. C. fasciculata exhibited many characteristics of a hyperaccumulator species, with high cadmium uptake in shoots and roots. However, cadmium was excluded from extrafloral nectar. As a legume with tolerance for moderate cadmium contamination, C. fasciculata has potential for phytoremediation. However, our findings also indicate the importance of considering the effects of genetic variation on plant performance when screening plant populations for utilization in remediation and restoration activities. Also, there is potential for cadmium contamination to affect other species through contamination of leaves, fruits, flowers, pollen and root nodules.
An Age-Induced Switch to a Hyper-Recombinational State

There is a strong correlation between age and cancer, but the mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs is unclear. We chose Saccharomyces cerevisiae to examine one of the hallmarks of cancer—genomic instability— as a function of cellular age. As diploid yeast mother cells aged, an ∼100-fold increase in loss of heterozygosity (LOH) occurred. Extending life-span altered neither the onset nor the frequency of age-induced LOH; the switch to hyper-LOH appears to be on its own clock. In young cells, LOH occurs by reciprocal recombination, whereas LOH in old cells was nonreciprocal, occurring predominantly in the old mother's progeny. Thus, nuclear genomes may be inherently unstable with age.
Planar realizations of nonlinear davenport-schinzel sequences by segments

LetG={l1,. ,ln} be a collection ofn segments in the plane, none of which is vertical. Viewing them as the graphs of partially defined linear functions ofx, letYG be their lower envelope (i.e., pointwise minimum). YG is a piecewise linear function, whose graph consists of subsegments of the segmentsli. Hart and Sharir [7] have shown thatYG consists of at mostO(nα(n)) segments (whereα(n) is the extremely slowly growing inverse Ackermann's function). We present here a construction of a setG ofn segments for whichYG consists ofΩ(nα(n)) subsegments, proving that the Hart-Sharir bound is tight in the worst case.Another interpretation of our result is in terms of Davenport-Schinzel sequences: the sequenceEG of indices of segments inG in the order in which they appear alongYG is a Davenport-Schinzel sequence of order 3, i.e., no two adjacent elements ofEG are equal andEG contains no subsequence of the forma . b . a . b . a. Hart and Sharir have shown that the maximal length of such a sequence composed ofn symbols is Θ(nα(n)). Our result shows that the lower bound construction of Hart and Sharir can be realized by the lower envelope ofn straight segments, thus settling one of the main open problems in this area.
Database Dependency Discovery: A Machine Learning Approach

Database dependencies, such as functional and multivalued dependencies, express the presence of structure in database relations, that can be utilised in the database design process. The discovery of database dependencies can be viewed as an induction problem, in which general rules (dependencies) are obtained from specific facts (the relation). This viewpoint has the advantage of abstracting away as much as possible from the particulars of the dependencies. The algorithms in this paper are designed such that they can easily be generalised to other kinds of dependencies.Like in current approaches to computational induction such as inductive logic programming, we distinguish between top-down algorithms and bottom-up algorithms. In a top-down approach, hypotheses are generated in a systematic way and then tested against the given relation. In a bottom-up approach, the relation is inspected in order to see what dependencies it may satisfy or violate. We give a simple (but inefficient) top-down algorithm, a bi-directional algorithm, and a bottom-up algorithm. In the case of functional dependencies, these algorithms have been implemented in the FDEP system and evaluated experimentally. The bottom-up algorithm is the most efficient of the three, and also outperforms other algorithms from the literature.
Coupling Effects of Silicate, Iron and Other Various Abiotic Variables on Growth of Two Diatoms, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum and Thalassiosira Weissflogii and Their Silicon Utilization

The effects of various Abiotic factors, including concentrations of silicate and iron, temperature, light intensity and salinity of media on two purebred red tide diatoms, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira weissflogii were investigated through single and full factorial experiments. The single-factor experiments showed diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum had the fastest growth rate with initial silicate concentration of 200 μmol•L-1, initial iron content of 10 μmol•L-1, environmental temperature of 20oC, and light intensity of 231.25 μmol photons•m-2•s-1 respectively. Thalassiosira weissflogii grew fastest when initial silicate concentration was 250 μmol•L-1, initial iron concentration was 10 μmol•L-1, temperature of 30 o C light intensity of 231.25 μmol photons•m-2•s-1. From full factorial experiments, the main factors affecting Phaeodactylum tricornutum were iron concentration, temperature, the coupling effect of temperature and light intensity, and the coupling effect of temperature and iron concentration. The main factors affecting Thalassiosira weissflogii were temperature, the coupling effect of temperature and iron concentration, and the coupling interaction of silicate and iron. Silicates, iron ions and the coupling effects of temperature and silicate are the main factors affecting the production of biosilicon in Phaeodactylum tricornutum; and temperature, iron and the coupling effect of silicate and iron ions were the main factors influencing biosilicon produced by Thalassiosira weissflogii.
Natural Revocability in Handwritten Signatures to Enhance Biometric Security

In the field of cancellable (revocable) biometrics much attention has been paid to physiological biometrics(e.g. fingerprint, iris) when compromised. However, the potential for natural revocability in behavioural biometrics(e.g. handwritten signature) is often overlooked, and the lack of databases to support this type of investigation imposes limitations. This paper presents a preliminary study of natural revocability, revealing relationships among established and new signature forms in relation to achievable stability. We study also the implications at the classification level.
Identification of a Potential Effector Pathway for the Trimeric Go Protein Associated with Secretory Granules

Besides having a role in signal transduction, heterotrimeric G proteins may be involved in membrane trafficking events. In chromaffin cells, Go is associated with secretory organelles, and its activation inhibits the ATP-dependent priming of exocytosis. By using permeabilized cells, we previously described that the control exerted by the granule-bound Go on exocytosis may be related to effects on the cortical actin network through a sequence possibly involving Rho. To provide further insight into the function of Rho in exocytosis, we focus here on its intracellular localization in chromaffin cells. By immunoreplica analysis, immunoprecipitation, and confocal immunofluorescence, we found that RhoA is specifically associated with the membrane of secretory chromaffin granules. Parallel subcellular fractionation experiments revealed the occurrence of a mastoparan-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase activity in purified chromaffin granule membranes. This stimulatory effect of mastoparan was mimicked by GAP-43, an activator of the granule-associated Go, and specifically inhibited by antibodies against Gαo. In addition, Clostridium botulinum C3 exoenzyme completely blocked the activation of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase by mastoparan. We propose that the control exerted by Go on peripheral actin and exocytosis is related to the activation of a downstream RhoA-dependent phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase associated with the membrane of secretory granules.
Outcomes for cochlear implant users with significant residual hearing: implications for selection criteria in children.

OBJECTIVES To develop an evidence-based technique for providing recommendations to candidates for cochlear implantation with significant residual hearing and to assess the efficacy of the approach. DESIGN Modified selection criteria were derived from an analysis of the postoperative performance for a large group of adult cochlear implant users. In particular, the distributions of results for implant users with significant preoperative open-set speech perception were reviewed. This suggested that the candidates had a good chance (>75%) of overall improvement if they obtained open-set sentence scores in quiet of up to 70% in the best-aided condition and scores of up to 40% in the ear to undergo implantation. PATIENTS A group of 45 adult implantation candidates who fit the modified criteria and who underwent preimplantation and postimplantation assessment to compare actual results with those predicted from the distributions. RESULTS The speech perception results showed that 36 subjects (80%) had improved open-set sentence scores with the cochlear implant compared with their best-aided preoperative performance (mean improvement, 20.5%). Forty-four (98%) had improved open-set sentence scores for the ear undergoing implantation (mean improvement, 65.3%). CONCLUSIONS The general concept of using the distribution of speech perception results to make evidence-based recommendations for candidates for cochlear implants is supported by this study. The approach can be used across different subpopulations, including older children with significant residual auditory skills, and for different outcome measures. It is important that the data used to provide recommendations and modify selection criteria are from an unselected sample of implant users of adequate size. This study highlights the continuing need to evaluate speech perception performance carefully before and after cochlear implantation.
Feature-based tracking on a multi-omnidirectional camera dataset

Omnidirectional cameras have a lot of potential for surveillance and ambient intelligence applications, since they provide increased coverage with fewer cameras. We introduce the new BOMNI dataset, collected with two omnidirectional cameras simultaneously. The dataset contains single subject and multi-subject interaction scenarios, as well as actions relevant for ambient assisted living, such as falling down. We describe evaluation protocols on this dataset, and provide benchmarking baseline results for two tracking systems based on bounding box and interest point matching after foreground-background segmentation, respectively.
Induction of Specific Immunotherapy with Hymenoptera Venoms Using Ultrarush Regimen in Children: Safety and Tolerance

Background & Objective. Ultrarush induction for specific venom immunotherapy has been shown to be reliable and efficacious in adults. In this study its safety and tolerance in children was evaluated. Methods. Retrospective analysis of 102 ultrarush desensitizations carried out between 1997 and 2005 in 94 children, aged 4 to 15 years. Diagnosis and selection for immunotherapy were according to recommendations of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Systemic adverse reactions (SARs) were described using the classification of H. L. Mueller. Results. All patients reached the cumulative dose of 111.1 μg hymenoptera venom within 210 minutes. Six patients (6%) had allergic reactions grade I; 2 patients (2%) grade II and 5 patients (5%) grade III. Three patients (3%) showed unclassified reactions. SARs did not occur in the 15 patients aged 4 to 8 years and they were significantly more frequent in girls (29%) compared with boys (12%) (P = 0.034, multivariant analysis) and in bee venom extract treated patients (20%) compared to those treated with wasp venom extract (8%) (OR 0.33, 95% Cl 0.07–1.25). Conclusion. Initiation of specific immunotherapy by ultrarush regimen is safe and well tolerated in children and should be considered for treating children with allergy to hymenoptera venom.
Pattern of Lymph Node Metastases in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Thoracic Esophagus Who Underwent Three-Field Lymphadenectomy

Background/Aims: Lymph nodes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus might be involved with metastases at cervical, mediastinal, and abdominal sites. The range of lymph node dissection is still controversial. The pattern of lymph node metastasis and factors that are correlated with lymph node metastasis affect the surgical procedure of lymph node dissection. The purpose of the present study was to explore the pattern of lymph node metastasis and factors that are correlated with lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent three-field lymphadenectomy. Methods: Lymph node metastases in 230 patients who underwent radical esophagectomy with three-field lymphadenectomy were analyzed. The metastatic sites of lymph nodes were correlated with tumor location by chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to analyze clinicopathological factors related to lymph node metastasis. Results:Lymph node metastases were found in 133 of the 230 patients (57.8%). The average number of resected lymph nodes was 25.3 ± 11.4 (range 11–71). The proportions of lymph node metastases were 41.6, 19.44, and 8.3% in neck, thoracic mediastinum, and abdominal cavity, respectively, for patients with upper thoracic esophageal carcinomas, 33.3, 34.7, and 14%, respectively, in those with middle thoracic esophageal carcinomas, and 36.4, 34.1, and 43.2%, respectively, for patients with lower thoracic esophageal carcinomas. We did not observe any significant difference in lymph node metastatic rates among upper, middle, and lower thoracic carcinomas for cervical or thoracic nodes. The difference in lymph node metastatic rates for nodes in the abdominal cavity was significant among upper, middle, and lower thoracic carcinomas. The lower thoracic esophageal cancers were more likely to metastasize to the abdominal cavity than tumors at other thoracic sites. A logistic regression model showed that depth of tumor invasion and lymphatic vessel invasion were factors influencing lymph node metastases. Conclusions: Based on our data, cervical and mediastinal node dissection should be performed independent of the tumor location. Abdominal node dissection should be conducted more vigorously for lower thoracic esophageal cancers than for cancers at other locations. Patients with deeper tumor invasion or lymphatic vessel invasion were more likely to develop lymph node metastases.