Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaginal Discs Secrete Insulin-Like Peptide 8 to Mediate Plasticity of Growth and Maturation

Small But Perfectly Formed The imaginal discs of Drosophila represent defined larval tissues that give rise to the subsequent adult appendages. These tissues regenerate in response to damage. When the imaginal discs are injured or show tumor growth, they signal to the rest of the larval animal to slow down growth and delay morphogenesis. Garelli et al. (p. 579) and Colombani et al. (p. 582) now show that an insulin-like peptide, termed Dilp8, is secreted into the hemolymph (insect “blood”) and participates in the communication between growing organs and the endocrine system to adjust the growth program and maturation time. This collaboration ensures that adults attain the normal size and maintain appropriate proportions and symmetry. An insulin/relaxin-like peptide coordinates final organ size in response to fly injury and tumors. Developing animals frequently adjust their growth programs and/or their maturation or metamorphosis to compensate for growth disturbances (such as injury or tumor) and ensure normal adult size. Such plasticity entails tissue and organ communication to preserve their proportions and symmetry. Here, we show that imaginal discs autonomously activate DILP8, a Drosophila insulin-like peptide, to communicate abnormal growth and postpone maturation. DILP8 delays metamorphosis by inhibiting ecdysone biosynthesis, slowing growth in the imaginal discs, and generating normal-sized animals. Loss of dilp8 yields asymmetric individuals with an unusually large variation in size and a more varied time of maturation. Thus, DILP8 is a fundamental element of the hitherto ill-defined machinery governing the plasticity that ensures developmental stability and robustness.
The relation between visualization size, grouping, and user performance

In this paper we make the following contributions: (1) we describe how the grouping, quantity, and size of visual marks affects search time based on the results from two experiments; (2) we report how search performance relates to self-reported difficulty in finding the target for different display types; and (3) we present design guidelines based on our findings to facilitate the design of effective visualizations. Both Experiment 1 and 2 asked participants to search for a unique target in colored visualizations to test how the grouping, quantity, and size of marks affects user performance. In Experiment 1, the target square was embedded in a grid of squares and in Experiment 2 the target was a point in a scatterplot. Search performance was faster when colors were spatially grouped than when they were randomly arranged. The quantity of marks had little effect on search time for grouped displays (“pop-out”), but increasing the quantity of marks slowed reaction time for random displays. Regardless of color layout (grouped vs. random), response times were slowest for the smallest mark size and decreased as mark size increased to a point, after which response times plateaued. In addition to these two experiments we also include potential application areas, as well as results from a small case study where we report preliminary findings that size may affect how users infer how visualizations should be used. We conclude with a list of design guidelines that focus on how to best create visualizations based on grouping, quantity, and size of visual marks.
Evaluation of rubella screening in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND The rationale for rubella vaccination in the general population and for screening for rubella in pregnant women is the prevention of congenital rubella syndrome. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the prenatal rubella screening program in Quebec. METHODS A historical cross-sectional study was designed. Sixteen hospitals with obstetric services were randomly selected, 8 from among the 35 "large" hospitals in the province (500 or more live births/year) and 8 from among the 50 "small" hospitals (fewer than 500 live births/year). A total of 2551 women were randomly selected from all mothers of infants born between Apr. 1, 1993, and Mar. 31, 1994, by means of stratified 2-stage sampling. The proportions of women screened and vaccinated were ascertained from information obtained from the hospital chart, the physician's office and the patient. RESULTS The overall (adjusted) screening rate was 94.0%. The rates were significantly different between large and small hospitals (94.4% v. 89.6%). Five large hospitals and one small hospital had rates above 95.0%. The likelihood of not having been screened was statistically significantly higher for women who had been pregnant previously than for women pregnant for the first time (4.8% v. 1.4%; p < 0.001). Of the 200 women who were seronegative at the time of screening (8.4%), 79 had been vaccinated postpartum, had a positive serological result on subsequent testing or did not require vaccination, and 59 had not been vaccinated postpartum; for 62, subsequent vaccination status was unknown. INTERPRETATION Continued improvement in screening practices is needed, especially in small hospitals. Because vaccination rates are unacceptably low, it is crucial that steps be taken to address this issue.
Exploring Patients’ Use Intention of Personal Health Record Systems: Implications for Design

Abstract Personal health record (PHR) systems offer a technology for personal health information management (PHIM) activities. Despite efforts to increase the use of PHR systems as a mechanism to support better patient-centered care and improve information management across the continuum of care, PHR adoption remains low. The purpose of this study was to explore how to design a PHR system that can adequately support personal health information management activities. Using a mixed-methods approach (questionnaires and interviews), we identified the factors affecting a person’s intention to use PHRs and also described the personal health information management activities among people from a wide age range in the United States. Results indicated that the intention to use PHR systems was affected by system-related factors, such as perceived usefulness, health information understandability, personalization, and patient–clinician communication support, and user-related factors, such as social influence, self-efficacy, and willingness to share. Furthermore, five types of personal health information management activities were found, including storage, organization, maintenance, retrieval, and sharing. Informed by the study findings, we developed seven design recommendations to improve PHR systems. Future studies can focus on further validating these findings using other methods and be based on larger and more representative PHR users.
Flooding and Emergency Room Visits for Gastrointestinal Illness in Massachusetts: A Case-Crossover Study

Introduction Floods and other severe weather events are anticipated to increase as a result of global climate change. Floods can lead to outbreaks of gastroenteritis and other infectious diseases due to disruption of sewage and water infrastructure and impacts on sanitation and hygiene. Floods have also been indirectly associated with outbreaks through population displacement and crowding. Methods We conducted a case-crossover study to investigate the association between flooding and emergency room visits for gastrointestinal illness (ER-GI) in Massachusetts for the years 2003 through 2007. We obtained ER-GI visits from the State of Massachusetts and records of floods from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Storm Events Database. ER-GI visits were considered exposed if a flood occurred in the town of residence within three hazard periods of the visit: 0–4 days; 5–9 days; and 10–14 days. A time-stratified bi-directional design was used for control selection, matching on day of the week with two weeks lead or lag time from the ER-GI visit. Fixed effect logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of ER-GI visits following the flood. Results and Conclusions A total of 270,457 ER-GI visits and 129 floods occurred in Massachusetts over the study period. Across all counties, flooding was associated with an increased risk for ER-GI in the 0–4 day period after flooding (Odds Ratio: 1.08; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.03–1.12); but not the 5–9 days (Odds Ratio: 0.995; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.955–1.04) or the 10–14 days after (Odds Ratio: 0.966, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.927–1.01). Similar results were observed for different definitions of ER-GI. The effect differed across counties, suggesting local differences in the risk and impact of flooding. Statewide, across the study period, an estimated 7% of ER-GI visits in the 0–4 days after a flood event were attributable to flooding.
Understanding and responding to adverse events.

This article describes a method of investigating and learning from adverse events. Careful investigation and systems analysis can identify the factors that set the stage for a medical error. The author argues that the process of understanding adverse events leads to improvements in care and reductions in errors and that insensitive and inadequate handling of an incident can result in additional harm to patients and families. He outlines practical strategies to minimize the trauma resulting from adverse events.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans mediate internalization and propagation of specific proteopathic seeds

Significance Prion-like propagation of proteopathic seeds may underlie the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including the tauopathies and synucleinopathies. Aggregate entry into the cell is a crucial step in transcellular propagation. We used chemical, enzymatic, and genetic methods to identify heparan sulfate proteoglycans as critical mediators of tau aggregate binding and uptake, and subsequent seeding of normal intracellular tau. This pathway mediates aggregate uptake in cultured cells, primary neurons, and brain. α-Synuclein fibrils use the same entry mechanism to seed intracellular aggregation, whereas huntingtin fibrils do not. This establishes the molecular basis for a key step in aggregate propagation. Recent experimental evidence suggests that transcellular propagation of fibrillar protein aggregates drives the progression of neurodegenerative diseases in a prion-like manner. This phenomenon is now well described in cell and animal models and involves the release of protein aggregates into the extracellular space. Free aggregates then enter neighboring cells to seed further fibrillization. The mechanism by which aggregated extracellular proteins such as tau and α-synuclein bind and enter cells to trigger intracellular fibril formation is unknown. Prior work indicates that prion protein aggregates bind heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on the cell surface to transmit pathologic processes. Here, we find that tau fibril uptake also occurs via HSPG binding. This is blocked in cultured cells and primary neurons by heparin, chlorate, heparinase, and genetic knockdown of a key HSPG synthetic enzyme, Ext1. Interference with tau binding to HSPGs prevents recombinant tau fibrils from inducing intracellular aggregation and blocks transcellular aggregate propagation. In vivo, a heparin mimetic, F6, blocks neuronal uptake of stereotactically injected tau fibrils. Finally, uptake and seeding by α-synuclein fibrils, but not huntingtin fibrils, occurs by the same mechanism as tau. This work suggests a unifying mechanism of cell uptake and propagation for tauopathy and synucleinopathy.
VISCOUS AND RESISTIVE EFFECTS ON THE MAGNETOROTATIONAL INSTABILITY WITH A NET TOROIDAL FIELD

Resistivity and viscosity have a significant role in establishing the energy levels in turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in local astrophysical disk models. This study uses the Athena code to characterize the effects of a constant shear viscosity ν and Ohmic resistivity η in unstratified shearing box simulations with a net toroidal magnetic flux. A previous study of shearing boxes with zero net magnetic field performed with the ZEUS code found that turbulence dies out for values of the magnetic Prandtl number, Pm = ν/η, below Pm ∼ 1; for Pm ≳ 1, time- and volume-averaged stress levels increase with Pm. We repeat these experiments with Athena and obtain consistent results. Next, the influence of viscosity and resistivity on the toroidal field MRI is investigated both for linear growth and for fully developed turbulence. In the linear regime, a sufficiently large ν or η can prevent MRI growth; Pm itself has little direct influence on growth from linear perturbations. By applying a range of values for ν and η to an initial state consisting of fully developed turbulence in the presence of a background toroidal field, we investigate their effects in the fully nonlinear system. Here, increased viscosity enhances the turbulence, and the turbulence decays only if the resistivity is above a critical value; turbulence can be sustained even when Pm < 1, in contrast to the zero net field model. While we find preliminary evidence that the stress converges to a small range of values when ν and η become small enough, the influence of dissipation terms on MRI-driven turbulence for relatively large η and ν is significant, independent of field geometry.
Evaluation of thick monopole in rectangular cavity: An analytic approach

In this paper, an analytic expression is presented to evaluate the self- and mutual-impedance of thin-wire monopoles in rectangular cavity. The expression is further extended to thick monopoles using an equivalent current model for the first time. The analytic results are compared with the full-wave ones for verification. The results help understanding the antenna theory in cavities and figuring out possible measures to reduce the mutual coupling for better EMC performance.
Spino‐bulbar, spino‐thalamic and medial lemniscal connections in the american opossum, Didelphis marsupialis virginiana

Projections from the spinal cord and dorsal column nuclei to more rostral levels of the neuraxis were investigated in seventeen adult opossums by the Nauta‐Gygax and Fink‐Heimer techniques. In all cases with spinal cord lesions a greater number of degenerating fibers distributed to the medulla and pons than to the midbrain and diencephalon. Numerous degenerating fibers ended within the medial reticular formation of the medulla and caudal pons, and within the lateral reticular formation of the rostral pons and midbrain. Degenerating fibers were numerous in the reticular formation following cervical and thoracic lesions, but sparse in specimens with damage restricted to either the lumbar or sacral spinal cord. The dorsal column nuclei received afferent connections from the well known dorsal funicular pathway and, although to a much lesser extent, from the main ventrolateral spinal bundle. Although most of the latter fibers ended in the subnucleus dorsalis and spinal vestibular nucleus, some penetrated into the gracile and cuneate nuclei. Conspicuous terminal degeneration was present within the inferior olivary nucleus following cervical and thoracic lesions, but was lacking in cases of either caudal lumbar or sacral cord lesions. The location of terminal degeneration within the lateral reticular nucleus is dependent upon the level of the lesion in the spinal cord. Degenerating fibers ended within the lateral vestibular nucleus in all cases of spinal cord hemisection, and within the medial portion of the facial nucleus in cases with a lesion rostral to C‐4. After cervical and thoracic hemisections terminal fiber degeneration was present within the midbrain tegmentum, the periaqueductal gray, the intercollicular nucleus (Mehler,'69), the posterior thalamic nucleus, the ventrobasal nucleus, the parafascicular nuclei and the caudal nucleus ventralis lateralis. All thalamic nomenclature was taken from Oswaldo‐Cruz and Rocha‐Miranda, '68. In animals with more caudal lesions, no fiber degeneration was evident within the nucleus ventralis lateralis and so little within the ventrobasal nucleus that it was impossible to ascertain a somatotopic pattern of spinothalamic projections.
Human atrial β1L‐adrenoceptor but not β3‐adrenoceptor activation increases force and Ca2+ current at physiological temperature

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It has been proposed that BRL37344, SR58611 and CGP12177 activate β3‐adrenoceptors in human atrium to increase contractility and L‐type Ca2+ current (ICa‐L). β3‐adrenoceptor agonists are potentially beneficial for the treatment of a variety of diseases but concomitant cardiostimulation would be potentially harmful. It has also been proposed that (−)‐CGP12177 activates the low affinity binding site of the β1‐adrenoceptor in human atrium. We therefore used BRL37344, SR58611 and (−)‐CGP12177 with selective β‐adrenoceptor subtype antagonists to clarify cardiostimulant β‐adrenoceptor subtypes in human atrium.
Lesion Load of the Corticospinal Tract Predicts Motor Impairment in Chronic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Previous studies have shown motor impairment after a stroke relates to lesion size and location, but unexplained variability in recovery still exists. In this study, we used lesion-mapping techniques in combination with diffusion tensor imaging to quantitatively test the hypothesis that motor recovery in patients with chronic stroke is inversely related to the proportion of the corticospinal tract (CST) affected by the lesion. Methods— We studied 50 patients with chronic stroke, all of whom presented with moderate to severe motor impairments in the acute stage, using high-resolution anatomic MRI. We evaluated the degree of motor impairment with the Upper Extremity module of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. To analyze the relationship between CST damage and impairment scores, we calculated a CST-lesion load for each patient by overlaying the patient's lesion map with a probabilistic tract derived from diffusion tensor images of age-matched healthy subjects. Results— CST-lesion load was a significant predictor of motor deficit. Infarct size, despite correlating with motor scores, did not significantly predict impairment. Conclusions— Our results show the degree of functional motor deficit after a stroke is highly dependent on the overlap of the lesion with the CST and not lesion size per se. In the future, automated calculation of CST-lesion load may allow more precise prediction of motor impairment after stroke.
Comparison of Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg Susceptibility Testing Results

Objective: Disk diffusion and broth dilution assays are conventionally used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of bacteria. The goal of this study was to determine the correlation of results from different AST methods for the Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg. Design: S. enterica serovar Heidelberg (n=105) strains were tested using 4 different AST methods: agar disk diffusion, broth microdilution using Sensititre with the NARMS (CMV1AGNF) panel, manual broth microdilution and Vitek with GNS-207 cards. Methods: AST was performed using standardized methods and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommended quality control organisms. Eight drugs were common to all testing methods including amikacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Results: No resistance to amikacin and ciprofloxacin was detected. Overall, the agreement of the AST results among all four methods for the drugs tested was: amikacin (100%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (96.1%), ampicillin (97.1%), chloramphenicol (96.2%), ciprofloxacin (100%), gentamicin (80.0%), tetracycline (80.0%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (94.3%). There was 97.1%, 95.5% and 98.0% overall agreement between the reference diffusion method and the manual broth microdilution, Sensititre microdilution and Vitek methods, respectively. Conclusion: The study indicated that AST methods correlated with one another when testing S. enterica serovar Heidelberg isolates, with a few exceptions. In general, discrepancies among the methods were due to isolates being interpreted as intermediately susceptible or due to an increased number of resistances detected with Sensititre and a lower number with Vitek.
Allelopathic potential and systematic evaluation of secondary compounds in extracts from roots of Canavalia ensiformis by capillary electrophoresis

Organic extracts were obtained from roots of Canavalia ensiformis and evaluated for allelo-pathic potential on the germination of the weed seeds: Mimosa pudica, Cassia tora and Cassia occi-dentalis showing a strong allelopathic potential. After that, a systematic study of these crude extractswas made using specific protocols developed in capillary electrophoresis (CE) in order to determinesome classes of secondary metabolites. Capillary electrophoresis protocols were highly specific, whichmakes it possible to identify 5 classes of compounds using the same crude extract samples and analyzethem fartly. Some of the compounds identified show activity in the inhibition of seeds germination.
Exploration of Mechanical and Electromyographic Responses of Trunk Muscles to High-Intensity Resistive Exercise

The purposes of this study were to determine the effects of high intensity exercise on fatigue of the trunk muscles within a test session, and on multiple kinetic and electromyographic (EMG) variables over a 6-week training period. Fourty-flve normal men and women (20-40 years of age) completed the study. The KIN/COM trunk testing unit (Chattecx Corporation, Chattanooga, Tennessee) was used for both testing and training. The results of the study follow: 1) The KIN/COM trunk testing system was very accurate, and the method used was highly reproducible for the kinetic variables. Reproduclbillty for the endurance variables was mixed, and isolated EMG variables were poor. 2) Kinetic and EMG decrements associated with fatigue did occur in the trunk muscles with ten continuous cycles of maximal concentric and eccentric contractions. 3) Trunk muscle strength gains were highest for the same mode of exercise used in training (specificity), but significant strength gains also were seen in different modes of muscle contraction (transfer of training). For the trunk extensors, the eccentric form of exercise was superior. 4) The rate of isometric torque development and decay was Increased by exercise in men. 5) Trunk muscle endurance was retained when gains in strength occurred. 6) The majority of variables reflecting strength and endurance were retained. The methods and results can serve as guidelines for the evaluation of trunk muscle function and resistive exercise in the clinic.