Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosing Intracranial Aneurysms With MR Angiography: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Purpose— The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MR angiography (MRA) in the diagnosis of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Methods— A systematic search was performed on 4 electronic databases on relevant articles that were published from January 1998 to October 2013. Inclusion criteria were met by 12 studies that compared MRA with digital subtraction angiography as reference standard. Two independent reviewers evaluated the methodological quality of the studies. Data from eligible studies were extracted and used to construct 2×2 contingency tables on a per-aneurysm level. Pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were calculated for all studies and subgroups of studies. Heterogeneity was tested, and risk for publication bias was assessed. Results— Included studies were of high methodological quality. Studies with larger sample size tended to have higher diagnostic performance. Most studies used time-of-flight MRA technique. Among the 960 patients assessed, 772 aneurysms were present. Heterogeneity with reference to sensitivity and specificity was moderate to high. Pooled sensitivity of MRA was 95% (95% confidence interval, 89%–98%), and pooled specificity was 89% (95% confidence interval, 80%–95%). False-negative and false-positive aneurysms detected on MRA were mainly located at the skull base and middle cerebral artery. Freehand 3-dimensional reconstructions performed by the radiologist significantly increased diagnostic performance. Studies performed on 3 Tesla showed a trend toward higher performance (P=0.054). Conclusions— Studies on diagnostic performance of MRA show high sensitivity with large variation in specificity in the detection of intracranial aneurysms.
Comparison of the sequences at specific sites on DNA cleaved by the antitumor antibiotics talisomycin and bleomycin.

We have investigated the site-specific cleavage of DNA by the antitumor antibiotics talisomycin and bleomycin by using 5'- or 3'-terminal 32P-labeled restriction fragments of pBR 322 DNA. Both drugs cleaved DNA preferentially at G-C and G-T sequences. However, the relative amounts of cleavage at particular cleavage sites differed between talisomycin and bleomycin at concentrations of the drugs which produced similar extents of total cleavage. In addition, talisomycin produced specific cleavages at G-A sequences which were relatively resistant to cleavage by bleomycin. Within a preferred sequence group (i.e., G-C sequences), some sites were cleaved to a greater extent relative to others by both talisomycin and bleomycin, suggesting that a greater degree of specificity than that provided by only two nucleotides is involved in the site-specific recognition and cleavage of DNA by these drugs.
A 15-Year Review of Midface Reconstruction after Total and Subtotal Maxillectomy: Part I. Algorithm and Outcomes

Background: Reconstruction of complex midfacial defects is best approached with a clear algorithm. The goals of reconstruction are functional and aesthetic. Methods: Over a 15-year period (1992 to 2006), a single surgeon (P.G.C.) performed 100 flaps to reconstruct the following midfacial defects: type I, limited maxillectomy (n = 20); type IIA, subtotal maxillectomy with resection of less than 50 percent of the palate (n = 8); type IIB, subtotal maxillectomy with resection of greater than 50 percent of the palate (n = 8); type IIIA, total maxillectomy with preservation of the orbital contents (n = 22); type IIIB, total maxillectomy with orbital exenteration (n = 23); and type IV, orbitomaxillectomy (n = 19). Free flaps were used in 94 cases (94 percent), and pedicled flaps were used in six (6 percent). Results: One hundred flaps were performed in 96 patients (69 males, 72 percent; 27 females, 28 percent); four patients underwent a second flap reconstruction due to recurrent disease (n = 4, 4 percent). Average patient age was 49.2 years (range, 13 to 81 years). Free-flap survival was 100 percent, with one partial flap loss (1 percent). Five patients suffered systemic complications (5.2 percent), and four died within 30 days of hospitalization (4.2 percent). Over 50 percent of patients returned to normal diet and speech. Almost 60 percent were judged to have an excellent aesthetic result. Conclusions: Free-tissue transfer offers the most effective and reliable form of reconstruction for complex maxillectomy defects. Rectus abdominis and radial forearm free flaps in combination with immediate bone grafting or as osteocutaneous flaps consistently provide the best functional and aesthetic results. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.
Surgical treatment of displaced radial neck fractures in children with Metaizeau technique.

BACKGROUND The treatment of radial neck fractures in children is difficult when the angular displacement exceeds 30 degrees. The authors report their experience with closed reduction of this fracture and intramedullary pinning which was described and popularized by Metaizeau et al. in 1980. METHODS Under general anesthesia and guidance of an image intensifier, a 1 cm incision was made on the radial side of distal radial metaphysis. A Kirschner wire was contoured and then the last 3-5 mm were bent approximately 30 degrees. It was introduced into the medullary canal of the radius and by pushing it proximally until its point reaches the inferior aspect of the epiphysis to elevate and rotate to achieve an anatomic reduction. This technique was used in nine patients between 1996 and 2003. RESULTS Full functional recoveries with excellent results were observed in all cases but one at the last follow-up. No complication was encountered. CONCLUSION We recommend this closed technique as it is relatively simple and associated with encouraging results.
Robust Manipulation via Contact Sensing

Humans effortlessly manipulate objects in cluttered and uncertain environments. In contrast, most robotic manipulators are limited to carefully engineered environments to circumvent the difficulty of manipulation under uncertainty. Contact sensors can provide robots with the feedback vital to addressing this limitation. This thesis proposes a framework for using feedback from contact sensors to reliably manipulate objects under uncertainty. We formalize manipulation as a partially observable Markov decision process that includes object pose uncertainty, proprioceptual error, and kinematic constraints. Our algorithms exploit the structure of contact to efficiently estimate state and plan with this model. First, we introduce the manifold particle filter as a principled method of estimating object pose and robot configuration. This algorithm avoids degeneracy by drawing samples from the lowerdimensional manifold of states induced by contact. Next, we introduce two belief space planning algorithms that seek out contact with sensors when doing so is necessary to achieve the goal. One algorithm harnesses the decoupling effect of contact to share computation between problem instances. The second leverages lower-dimensional structure to plan around kinematic constraints. Finally, we evaluate the efficacy of our approach in real-robot and simulation experiments. The results show that our state estimation and planning algorithms consistently outperform those that are not tailored to manipulation with contact sensing.
N-Acetylaspartate Distribution in Rat Brain Striatum During Acute Brain Ischemia

Brain N-acetylaspartate (NAA) can be quantified by in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and is used in clinical settings as a marker of neuronal density. It is, however, uncertain whether the change in brain NAA content in acute stroke is reliably measured by 1H-MRS and how NAA is distributed within the ischemic area. Rats were exposed to middle cerebral artery occlusion. Preischemic values of [NAA] in striatum were 11 mmol/L by 1H-MRS and 8 mmol/kg by HPLC. The methods showed a comparable reduction during the 8 hours of ischemia. The interstitial level of [NAA] ([NAA]e) was determined by microdialysis using [3H]NAA to assess in vivo recovery. After induction of ischemia, [NAA]e increased linearly from 70 µmol/L to a peak level of 2 mmol/L after 2 to 3 hours before declining to 0.7 mmol/L at 7 hours. For comparison, [NAA]e was measured in striatum during global ischemia, revealing that [NAA]e increased linearly to 4 mmol/L after 3 hours and this level was maintained for the next 4 h. From the change in in vivo recovery of the interstitial space volume marker [14C]mannitol, the relative amount of NAA distributed in the interstitial space was calculated to be 0.2% of the total brain NAA during normal conditions and only 2 to 6% during ischemia. It was concluded that the majority of brain NAA is intracellularly located during ischemia despite large increases of interstitial [NAA]. Thus, MR quantification of NAA during acute ischemia reflects primarily changes in intracellular levels of NAA.
Collaborative reliability prediction of service-oriented systems

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is becoming a major software framework for building complex distributed systems. Reliability of the service-oriented systems heavily depends on the remote Web services as well as the unpredictable Internet. Designing effective and accurate reliability prediction approaches for the service-oriented systems has become an important research issue. In this paper, we propose a collaborative reliability prediction approach, which employs the past failure data of other similar users to predict the Web service reliability for the current user, without requiring real-world Web service invocations. We also present a user-collaborative failure data sharing mechanism and a reliability composition model for the service-oriented systems. Large-scale real-world experiments are conducted and the experimental results show that our collaborative reliability prediction approach obtains better reliability prediction accuracy than other approaches.
Genome sequence of Shigella flexneri 2a: insights into pathogenicity through comparison with genomes of Escherichia coli K12 and O157.

We have sequenced the genome of Shigella flexneri serotype 2a, the most prevalent species and serotype that causes bacillary dysentery or shigellosis in man. The whole genome is composed of a 4 607 203 bp chromosome and a 221 618 bp virulence plasmid, designated pCP301. While the plasmid shows minor divergence from that sequenced in serotype 5a, striking characteristics of the chromosome have been revealed. The S.flexneri chromosome has, astonishingly, 314 IS elements, more than 7-fold over those possessed by its close relatives, the non-pathogenic K12 strain and enterohemorrhagic O157:H7 strain of Escherichia coli. There are 13 translocations and inversions compared with the E.coli sequences, all involve a segment larger than 5 kb, and most are associated with deletions or acquired DNA sequences, of which several are likely to be bacteriophage-transmitted pathogenicity islands. Furthermore, S.flexneri, resembling another human-restricted enteric pathogen, Salmonella typhi, also has hundreds of pseudogenes compared with the E.coli strains. All of these could be subjected to investigations towards novel preventative and treatment strategies against shigellosis.
Design of New Plasmepsin Inhibitors: A Virtual High Throughput Screening Approach on the EGEE Grid

Though different species of the genus Plasmodium may be responsible for malaria, the variant caused by P. falciparum is often very dangerous and even fatal if untreated. Hemoglobin degradation is one of the key metabolic processes for the survival of the Plasmodium parasite in its host. Plasmepsins, a family of aspartic proteases encoded by the Plasmodium genome, play a prominent role in host hemoglobin cleavage. In this paper we demonstrate the use of virtual screening, in particular molecular docking, employed at a very large scale to identify novel inhibitors for plasmepsins II and IV. A large grid infrastructure, the EGEE grid, was used to address the problem of large computation resources required for docking hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds on different plasmepsin targets of P. falciparum. A large compound library of about 1 million chemical compounds was docked on 5 different targets of plasmepsins using two different docking software, namely FlexX and AutoDock. Several strategies were employed to analyze the results of this virtual screening approach including docking scores, ideal binding modes, and interactions to key residues of the protein. Three different classes of structures with thiourea, diphenylurea, and guanidino scaffolds were identified to be promising hits. While the identification of diphenylurea compounds is in accordance with the literature and thus provides a sort of "positive control", the identification of novel compounds with a guanidino scaffold proves that high throughput docking can be effectively used to identify novel potential inhibitors of P. falciparum plasmepsins. Thus, with the work presented here, we do not only demonstrate the relevance of computational grids in drug discovery but also identify several promising small molecules which have the potential to serve as candidate inhibitors for P. falciparum plasmepsins. With the use of the EGEE grid infrastructure for the virtual screening campaign against the malaria causing parasite P. falciparum we have demonstrated that resource sharing on an eScience infrastructure such as EGEE provides a new model for doing collaborative research to fight diseases of the poor.
An Exponential Time Differencing Algorithm for the FDTD-PML Analysis of Nonlinear Photonic Bandgap Structures

An exponential time differencing (ETD) algorithm is presented for the analysis of photonic crystal structures comprising the third-order nonlinear materials. Compared with the well known Z-transform method and auxiliary differential equation method for incorporating the nonlinearity, the proposed ETD algorithm has the least memory requirement and shows the same accuracy. The stretched coordinates perfectly matched layer (PML) with the complex frequency shifted variable implemented using the ETD algorithm is applied to terminate nonlinear photonic bandgap structures. Compared with the conventional PML and the convolutional PML, the proposed implementation can improve the absorbing performance significantly with similar memory requirement.
Efficiently mining crosscutting concerns through random walks

Inspired by our past manual aspect mining experiences, this paper describes a random walk model to approximate how crosscutting concerns can be discovered in the absence of domain knowledge of the investigated application. Random walks are performed on the coupling graphs extracted from the program sources. The ideas underlying the popular page-rank algorithm are adapted and extended to generate ranks reflecting the degrees of "popularity" and "significance" for each of the program elements on the coupling graphs. Filtering techniques, exploiting both types of ranks, are applied to produce a final list of candidates representing crosscutting concerns. The resulting aspect mining algorithm is evaluated on numerous Java applications ranging from a small-scale drawing application, to a medium-sized middleware application, and to a largescale enterprise application server. In seconds, the aspect mining algorithm is able to produce results comparable to our prior manual mining efforts. The mining algorithm also proves effective in helping domain experts identify latent crosscutting concerns.
The relationship of ribosomal RNA synthesis to the formation of segregated nucleoli and nucleolus-like bodies

The relationship of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis to nucleolar ultrastructure was studied in partial nucleolar mutants of Xenopus laevis. These mutations are the result of a partial deletion of rRNA genes and therefore alow studies on nucleolar structure and function without using drugs that inhibit rRNA synthesis. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated that normal embryos have reticulated nucleoli that are composed of a loose meshwork of granules and fibrils and a typical nucleolonema. In contrast, partial nucleolar mutants in which rRNA synthesis is reduced to less than 50% of the normal rate have compact nucleoli and nucleolus-like bodies. The compace nucleoli contain granules and fibrils, but they are segregated into distinct regions, and a nucleolonema is never seen. Since other species of RNA are synthesized normally by partial nucleolar mutants, these results demonstrate that nucleolar segragation is related specifically to a reduction in rRNA synthesis. The nucleolus-like bodies are composed mainly of fibrils,and the number of such bodies are composed mainly of fibrils, and the number of such bodies present in the different nucleolar mutants is inversely related to the relative rate of rRNA synthesis. Although the partial nucleolar organizers produce segregated nucleoli in these mutants, they organize morphologically normal, but smaller, nucleoli in heterozygous embryos. Alternative explanations to account for these results are discussed.
Ultralight, scalable, and high-temperature–resilient ceramic nanofiber sponges

Scalable synthesis of ultralight, multifunctional, and high-temperature resilient ceramic nanofiber sponges by blow-spinning. Ultralight and resilient porous nanostructures have been fabricated in various material forms, including carbon, polymers, and metals. However, the development of ultralight and high-temperature resilient structures still remains extremely challenging. Ceramics exhibit good mechanical and chemical stability at high temperatures, but their brittleness and sensitivity to flaws significantly complicate the fabrication of resilient porous ceramic nanostructures. We report the manufacturing of large-scale, lightweight, high-temperature resilient, three-dimensional sponges based on a variety of oxide ceramic (for example, TiO2, ZrO2, yttria-stabilized ZrO2, and BaTiO3) nanofibers through an efficient solution blow-spinning process. The ceramic sponges consist of numerous tangled ceramic nanofibers, with densities varying from 8 to 40 mg/cm3. In situ uniaxial compression in a scanning electron microscope showed that the TiO2 nanofiber sponge exhibits high energy absorption (for example, dissipation of up to 29.6 mJ/cm3 in energy density at 50% strain) and recovers rapidly after compression in excess of 20% strain at both room temperature and 400°C. The sponge exhibits excellent resilience with residual strains of only ~1% at 800°C after 10 cycles of 10% compression strain and maintains good recoverability after compression at ~1300°C. We show that ceramic nanofiber sponges can serve multiple functions, such as elasticity-dependent electrical resistance, photocatalytic activity, and thermal insulation.
Oral health condition in an Italian preschool population.

AIM This was to describe caries experience in Sardinian kindergarten children and the possible association with social, behavioural and dietary factors. METHODS 418 kindergarten children (209 males, 209 females), aged 2.5-6.5 years, were enrolled. Dental status (dmft, dmfs) and presence of plaque were recorded by one calibrated examiner. Social, behavioural and dietary factors were investigated with an ad hoc prepared questionnaire. STATISTICS These were descriptive and associations between caries experience and background variables were tested using chi square test. Logistic regression models were built up to assess the odds ratios (ORs) of caries prevalence and background variables. RESULTS The caries experience rate was 29.9% of the total sample. The mean dmfs index was 3.26+/-7.37. The ds mean value was statistically higher in males at 3.41 versus 2.23 in females. Dmfs and sub indices were very high skewed in the total sample and in all age groups. Presence of plaque was recorded in 142 subjects (34.0%) and it was related to caries experience (20.1% without caries and 13.9% with caries) but not statistically significant. In logistic analysis, the socioeconomic status families were positively associated with caries experience OR=1.4 (95% CI: 1.2-1.9). Subjects with high sweet foods consumption showed a higher risk (60%) of caries experience than those not OR=1.6 (95% CI: 1.1-2.3). Children who cared for themselves regarding oral hygiene habits showed a lower risk for caries (OR=0.4 95% CI: 0.2-0.7). CONCLUSION This study documented widespread neglect of dental health of preschool children in Sardinia. Untreated decayed teeth dominated the dmfs score among examined population, indicating a high rate of treatment needs.
Multicolored Subsets in Colored Hypergraphs

We consider anti-Ramsey type problems fork-uniform hypergraphs. A subsetYof ann-element setXis totally multicolored, if the restriction of a coloring ofk-element subsets ofXto Y]kis a one-to-one coloring. We study the maximum size of totally multicolored subsets for colorings which satisfy the following restriction: any two distinctk-element subsets with at least h elements in the intersection are colored differently. It is shown that the size of the largest totally multicolored subset can be bounded from below byformula]whereckis a positive constant and this lower bound is sharp (up to a multiplicative constant). Extending earlier results of present and other authors, various related problems concerning edge-colorings of complete graphs are considered. We consider also some application to Sidon sets in arbitrary groups. We show for example the existence of a proper coloring of X]2with no totally multicolored subset of size 2.21n1/3(lnn)1/3, providedn? n0. This sharpens an earlier result of L. Babai and is up to a multiplicative constant the best possible (this follows e.g. from the above mentioned result applied withk=2 andh=1). As a tool for proving the existence of such a coloring we derive an upper bound for permanents of rectangular (0, 1)-matrices
MitoKATP-Channel Opener Protects against Neuronal Death in Rat Venous Ischemia

OBJECTIVE:Mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium (mitoKATP) channels are present in the brain, and several reports have shown their neuroprotective, preconditioning effect against an ischemic insult. The role of mitoKATP channels in the penumbra area has not been studied thoroughly. In a model of venous ischemia, widespread penumbra-like low flow areas are created, which are susceptible to cortical spreading depression. Thus, we studied effects of mitoKATP channels on infarct size in this model. METHODS:Male Wistar rats were subjected to two-vein occlusion by photochemical thrombosis of two adjacent cortical veins combined with KCl-induced cortical spreading depression. The rats were assigned to four experimental groups pretreated intraventricularly 15 minutes before two-vein occlusion with 1) vehicle, 2) the mitoKATP channel opener diazoxide (2 mmol/L), 3) diazoxide (2 mmol/L) plus the selective mitoKATP channel blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD; 100 mmol/L), or 4) 5-HD alone (100 mmol/L). Regional cerebral blood flow (laser Doppler scanning) and brain cell swelling (impedance) were monitored acutely. Infarct volume was assessed 7 days after ischemia. RESULTS:Pretreatment with diazoxide significantly reduced the infarct volume from 6.2 ± 0.7 mm3 to 3.8 ± 0.4 mm3, whereas regional cerebral blood flow in the vicinity of the two veins was comparable in both groups 70 minutes after two-vein occlusion. Effects of diazoxide were abolished by 5-HD, whereas 5-HD alone even increased infarct volume. CONCLUSION:These results suggest that the opening of mitoKATP channels plays a major role in brain protection under penumbra-like conditions, as shown in this venous occlusion model.