Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lack of effect of intraarticular corticosteroids for chronic pain in the cervical zygapophyseal joints.

BACKGROUND Chronic pain in the cervical zygapophyseal joints is a common problem after a whiplash injury. Treatment with intraarticular injections of corticosteroid preparations has been advocated, but the value of this approach has not been established. We compared the efficacy of a depot injection of a corticosteroid preparation with the efficacy of an injection of a local anesthetic agent in patients with painful cervical zygapophyseal joints. METHODS Sixteen men and 25 women with pain in one or more cervical zygapophyseal joints after automobile accidents (mean age, 43 years; median duration of pain, 39 months) were randomly assigned to receive an intraarticular injection of either bupivacaine (0.5 percent) or betamethasone (5.7 mg) under double-blind conditions. The patients were followed by means of regular telephone contact and clinic visits until they reported a return to a level of pain equivalent to 50 percent of the preinjection level. The time from treatment to a 50 percent return of pain was compared in the two groups with the use of a survival analysis. RESULTS Less than half the patients reported relief of pain for more than one week, and less than one in five patients reported relief for more than one month, irrespective of the treatment received. The median time to a return of 50 percent of the preinjection level of pain was 3 days in the 21 patients in the corticosteroid group and 3.5 days in the 20 patients in the local-anesthetic group (P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS Intraarticular injection of betamethasone is not effective therapy for pain in the cervical zygapophyseal joints after a whiplash injury.
Modeling Subjective Experience-Based Learning under Uncertainty and Frames

In this paper we computationally examine how subjective experience may help or harm the decision maker's learning under uncertain outcomes, frames and their interactions. To model subjective experience, we propose the "experienced-utility function" based on a prospect theory (PT)-based parameterized subjective value function. Our analysis and simulations of two-armed bandit tasks present that the task domain (underlying outcome distributions) and framing (reference point selection) influence experienced utilities and in turn, the "subjective discriminability" of choices under uncertainty. Experiments demonstrate that subjective discriminability improves on objective discriminability by the use of the experienced-utility function with appropriate framing for a given task domain, and that bigger subjective discriminability leads to more optimal decisions in learning under uncertainty.
Piecewise affine systems modelling for optimizing hormone therapy of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms in men with an overall incidence of approximately 15 per cent during the normal life span. Androgen-deprivation therapy (hormone therapy) is an effective treatment of this disease when progressed to an advanced stage. Despite impressive responses, such treatment when applied on a continuous basis is not curative and eventually culminates in androgen-independent disease. On the other hand, intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) was first conceived as a potential way of delaying progression to androgen-independence, in addition offering the possibility of reducing adverse effects and improving the quality of life. Although the validity of this approach has been confirmed in several clinical studies, the optimal scheduling of the cycles of on- and off-treatment remains to be explored. In the present article, we show that IAS lends itself to mathematical modelling with hybrid dynamical systems and that the model we have developed can be used to select the best strategy for keeping prostate cancer in an androgen-dependent state as long as possible. Our results also suggest that the current way of using IAS exceeds what is necessary for optimal control; in fact, we have found that to achieve optimal control, the amount of therapy (dose and duration of drugs) can be reduced by a factor of one half.
The Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia

A new type of stratabound sediment-hosted ore deposit. The deposit is estimated to contain in excess of 2,000 million metric tons of mineralized material with an average grade of 1.6 percent copper, 0.06 percent uranium oxide, and 0.6 g/metric ton gold. Proterozoic. Graben fill sediments were deposited in an arid subaerial environment during rifting or strike-slip faulting. The stratabound sulfide mineralization is syngenetic or syndiagenetic and is probably related to local volcanism. Uranium and rare earths were deposited during and after the sulfide mineralizing phase. Unusual features are the association of copper, uranium, rare earths, and gold; the association of reduced sulfur species such as chalcocite and bornite with high hematite concentrations; and the occurrence of stratabound copper and uranium minerals in sedimentary rocks deposited in a very high-energy environment. --Modified journal abstract.
Discovery of the first small-molecule CsrA-RNA interaction inhibitors using biophysical screening technologies.

AIM CsrA is a global post-transcriptional regulator protein affecting mRNA translation and/or stability. Widespread among bacteria, it is essential for their full virulence and thus represents a promising anti-infective drug target. Therefore, we aimed at the discovery of CsrA-RNA interaction inhibitors. Results & methodology: We followed two strategies: a screening of small molecules (A) and an RNA ligand-based approach (B). Using surface plasmon resonance-based binding and fluorescence polarization-based competition assays, (A) yielded seven small-molecule inhibitors, among them MM14 (IC50 of 4 µM). (B) resulted in RNA-based inhibitor GGARNA (IC50 of 113 µM). CONCLUSION The first small-molecule inhibitors of the CsrA-RNA interaction were discovered exhibiting micromolar affinities. These hits represent tools to investigate the effects of CsrA-RNA interaction inhibition on bacterial virulence.
Retrieval of atmospheric properties and surface bidirectional reflectances over land from POLDER/ADEOS

Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) is a new instrument devoted to the global observation of the polarization and directionality of solar radiation reflected by the Earth-atmosphere system. It will fly onboard the ADEOS platform in 1996. This paper outlines the improvements expected from POLDER in the description of atmospheric aerosols and water vapor over land, and of surface bidirectional reflectances. It then gives a detailed description of the operational algorithms which are implemented in the “land surface and atmosphere over land” processing line. This line is part of an effort initiated by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (the French Space Agency) to develop lines of products in order to facilitate the exploration of POLDER's new capabilities by the international science community. Emphasis is given in this paper to the presentation of the principles, physical rationale, and elements of validation of the algorithms of this processing line. The main products are (1) for each orbit segment, the amount and type of aerosols, the water vapor content, and bidirectional reflectances corrected for atmospheric effects, and (2) every 10 days, global maps of surface directional signatures, of hemispherical surface reflectances, and of parameters describing the statistical distribution of aerosol and water vapor content. These products will be made available to all interested investigators. The most innovative algorithms of the processing line are (1) cloud detection, based on a series of tests involving reflectance thresholds, oxygen pressure estimates, and analysis of polarized radiance in the rainbow direction, (2) retrieval of aerosol optical thickness and type from directional polarized radiance measurements, and (3) retrieval of surface directional signature through an adjustment of a time series of directional reflectance measurements with a semiempirical bidirectional reflectance model.
Dissolved organic matter in abyssal sediments: Core recovery artifacts

We report measurements of pore‐water dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved carbohydrates, dissolved free monosaccharides, and ammonium in recovered deep‐sea sediments from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP), Northeast Atlantic. There were distinct maxima close to the sediment‐water interface of these constituents at all times of the year. The very high diffusive effluxes calculated from these porewater distributions were not compatible with simultaneous sediment trap measurements of particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrate fluxes toward the seafloor. Effluxes calculated from pore‐water DOC distributions in recovered cores from another Atlantic deep‐sea site, showing almost identical maxima as those at PAP, were more than an order of magnitude greater than simultaneous in situ chamber DOC flux measurements. We suggest that the dissolved organic matter maxima are predominantly artifacts induced by lysis of, or leakage from, mainly bacterial biomass resulting from decompression and/or warming during recovery of the sediment cores from the abyssal seafloor. Temperature elevation during core recovery from the abyss gives a N2 saturation of about 150%, and the combined effect of warming and decompression results in a CO2 saturation of about 135%, which together plausibly are associated with bubble formation creating cell bursting. Previous estimates of microbial biomass in abyssal sediments may be underestimates because of the difficulty of counting lysed bacterial cells. Since exoenzymes are inducible, previous measurements of their activities in recovered abyssal sediments may be overestimates.
Density‐driven Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres in coupled climate models

We investigate the representation of Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres in 20 IPCC AR4 climate models. The models reproduce three southern subpolar gyres: the Weddell Gyre, Ross Gyre, and Australian‐Antarctic Gyre, in agreement with observations. Some models simulate the presence of a subpolar “supergyre”, with strong connectivity between the three gyres. The gyre strengths and structures show a great range across the models. It is found that the link between the gyre strengths and wind stress curls is weak, indicating that the Sverdrup balance does not hold for the modelled southern subpolar gyres; instead, the simulated gyre strengths are mainly determined by upper layer meridional density gradients, which are themselves determined predominantly by the salinity gradients. These findings suggest that a correct simulation of salinity is crucial in the simulation of southern subpolar ocean circulation.
Dietary Broccoli Alters Rat Cecal Microbiota to Improve Glucoraphanin Hydrolysis to Bioactive Isothiocyanates

Broccoli consumption brings many health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The objectives of this study were to identify global alterations in the cecal microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing analysis and glucoraphanin (GRP) hydrolysis to isothiocyanates ex vivo by the cecal microbiota, following different broccoli diets. Rats were randomized to consume AIN93G (control) or different broccoli diets; AIN93G plus cooked broccoli, a GRP-rich powder, raw broccoli, or myrosinase-treated cooked broccoli. Feeding raw or cooked broccoli for four days or longer both changed the cecal microbiota composition and caused a greater production of isothiocyanates ex vivo. A more than two-fold increase in NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity of the host colon mucosa after feeding cooked broccoli for seven days confirmed the positive health benefits. Further studies revealed that dietary GRP was specifically responsible for the increased microbial GRP hydrolysis ex vivo, whereas changes in the cecal microbial communities were attributed to other broccoli components. Interestingly, a three-day withdrawal from a raw broccoli diet reversed the increased microbial GRP hydrolysis ex vivo. Findings suggest that enhanced conversion of GRP to bioactive isothiocyanates by the cecal microbiota requires four or more days of broccoli consumption and is reversible.
Heme oxygenase‐1 modulates microRNA expression in cultured astroglia: Implications for chronic brain disorders

Over‐expression of the heme‐degrading enzyme, heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) promotes iron deposition, mitochondrial damage, and autophagy in astrocytes and enhances the vulnerability of nearby neuronal constituents to oxidative injury. These neuropathological features and aberrant brain microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns have been implicated in the etiopathogeneses of various neurodevelopmental and aging‐related neurodegenerative disorders.
Toward a framework for defective emotion processing in social phobia

Introduction. This paper explores and outlines an evolutionary approach to understanding social phobia (SP) as a developmental disorder in brain mechanisms that regulate socioemotional behaviour. Methods. A literature review of cognitive, neuronal, and endocrine correlates of SP is presented using an integrative approach. Results. Social phobia patients present with a specific and developmentally stable functional neuroanatomical and neuroendocrine profile that can be linked to findings of cognitive attentional abnormalities. Conclusions. It is argued that SP is the human counterpart to primate sub‐ordination stress and develops from clearly identifiable precursors in early child‐hood, the understanding of which requires fundamental insights into the regulation of socioemotional behaviour. The current state of knowledge speaks strongly in favour of a diathesis model, in which distorted cognitions that are characteristic of SP are secondary to hyperexcitability of fear circuits that set off at least as early as at preverbal ages and ultimately may lead to the development of SP.
Direct Comparison of Prefrontal Cortex Regions Engaged by Working and Long-Term Memory Tasks

Neuroimaging studies have suggested the involvement of ventrolateral, dorsolateral, and frontopolar prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions in both working (WM) and long-term memory (LTM). The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to directly compare whether these PFC regions show selective activation associated with one memory domain. In a within-subjects design, subjects performed the n-back WM task (two-back condition) as well as LTM encoding (intentional memorization) and retrieval (yes-no recognition) tasks. Additionally, each task was performed with two different types of stimulus materials (familiar words, unfamiliar faces) in order to determine the influence of material-type vs task-type. A bilateral region of dorsolateral PFC (DL-PFC; BA 46/9) was found to be selectively activated during the two-back condition, consistent with a hypothesized role for this region in active maintenance and/or manipulation of information in WM. Left frontopolar PFC (FP-PFC) was also found to be selectively engaged during the two-back. Although FP-PFC activity has been previously associated with retrieval from LTM, no frontopolar regions were found to be selectively engaged by retrieval. Finally, lateralized ventrolateral PFC (VL-PFC) regions were found to be selectively engaged by material-type, but uninfluenced by task-type. These results highlight the importance of examining PFC activity across multiple memory domains, both for functionally differentiating PFC regions (e.g., task-selectivity vs material-selectivity in DL-PFC and VL-PFC) and for testing the applicability of memory domain-specific theories (e.g., FP-PFC in LTM retrieval).
HiSIM2 Circuit simulation - Solving the speed versus accuracy crisis

The development trend in compact modeling goes toward surface-potential-based approaches and leads to models like HiSIM2, with higher accuracy, fewer model parameters, and shorter computer runtime than achievable with the conventional threshold-voltage-based approaches. The main motivation for continuing this development effort is to realize a sufficient design capability of RF circuits with advanced MOSFETs, where many higher-order phenomena affect the circuit performance, as well as of large mixed-signal circuits, where both accuracy and short simulation time are a must. The trend toward the surface potential brings compact modeling for circuit simulation also much closer to 2D and three-dimensional numerical device simulation. Therefore, both approaches can now come together and work united to achieve the common goal of realizing rapid technology progress for the benefit of the society
FROM HOME TO HOSPITAL: BELIEFS AND PRACTICES RELATED TO SEVERE MALARIA IN SUDAN

Purpose: To develop effective measures of reducing the proportion of severe malaria presentation and deaths attributed to malaria, an adequate understanding of beliefs and practices in households and at the level of primary health care is necessary. The objectives of this paper are to explore beliefs and practices related to the management of severe malaria, and to identify barriers to early consultation. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted in five hospitals in Sudan in 2003. All malaria cases admitted, or their care givers were interviewed by a medical doctor using pre-coded and pre-tested questionnaire. Results: Enrolled in this study, were a total of 482 patients, 62.9% of whom were female. Almost 75.0% of the respondents perceived that malaria had serious complications. Anaemia as a complication was mentioned by 115 (32.0%) respondents. A total of 418 (86.7%) patients sought advice from health personnel. Of these, 305 (73.0%) did so more than 24 hours after the onset of the illness. Distance, lack of money, unavailability of transportation or all were the reasons mentioned as barriers to seeking care at hospitals. More than 70.0% of the patients received anti-malarial drugs before admission with a clear preference for the injectable form of chloroquine. Multivariate analysis revealed that “cost of services” and “not seeking help from health personnel” were the determinants for late consultation. Conclusion: The study revealed that late consultation was a feature in many parts of Sudan. Among the barriers mentioned by the respondents, the cost of services was of the greatest concern.
Teriflunomide effect on immune response to influenza vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis

Objective: To investigate the effect of teriflunomide on the efficacy and safety of seasonal influenza vaccine. Methods: The 2011/2012 seasonal influenza vaccine (containing H1N1, H3N2, and B strains) was administered to patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) treated for ≥6 months with teriflunomide 7 mg (n = 41) or 14 mg (n = 41), or interferon-β-1 (IFN-β-1; n = 46). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with influenza strain–specific antibody titers ≥40, 28 days postvaccination. Results: More than 90% of patients achieved postvaccination antibody titers ≥40 for H1N1 and B in all groups. For H3N2, titers ≥40 were achieved in ≥90% of patients in the 7 mg and IFN-β-1 groups, and in 77% of the 14-mg group, respectively. A high proportion of patients already had detectable antibodies for each influenza strain at baseline. Geometric mean titer ratios (post/prevaccination) were ≥2.5 for all groups and strains, except for H1N1 in the 14-mg group (2.3). The proportion of patients with a prevaccination titer <40 achieving seroprotection was ≥61% across the 3 treatment groups and 3 influenza strains. However, fewer patients in the 14-mg than the 7-mg or IFN-β-1 groups exhibited seroprotection to H3N2 (61% vs 78% and 82%, respectively). Conclusion: Teriflunomide-treated patients generally mounted effective immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccination, consistent with preservation of protective immune responses. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that teriflunomide generally does not adversely impact the ability of patients with RMS to mount immune responses to influenza vaccination.
The Southern African Liassic prosauropod Massospondylus discovered in North America

ABSTRACT Skull material of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus, previously known only from Africa, has been found in the Kayenta Formation (Glen Canyon Group) of northeastern Arizona. A reconstruction of the skull, corrected for distortion, is compared with that of Plateosaurus. The dentition provides evidence for an herbivorous diet in prosauropods; the presence of small palatal teeth is reported for the first time in any dinosaur. The associated fauna is related to faunas from the Elliot and Clarens sandstone formations in southern Africa, and an Early Jurassic (rather than Late Triassic) age is accepted for these formations as well as for the Kayenta Formation.
Dominance of a Nonpathogenic Glycoprotein Gene over a Pathogenic Glycoprotein Gene in Rabies Virus

ABSTRACT The nonpathogenic phenotype of the live rabies virus (RV) vaccine SPBNGAN is determined by an Arg→Glu exchange at position 333 in the glycoprotein, designated GAN. We recently showed that after several passages of SPBNGAN in mice, an Asn→Lys mutation arose at position 194 of GAN, resulting in GAK, which was associated with a reversion to the pathogenic phenotype. Because an RV vaccine candidate containing two GAN genes (SPBNGAN-GAN) exhibits increased immunogenicity in vivo compared to the single-GAN construct, we tested whether the presence of two GAN genes might also enhance the probability of reversion to pathogenicity. Comparison of SPBNGAN-GAN with RVs constructed to contain either both GAN and GAK genes (SPBNGAN-GAK and SPBNGAK-GAN) or two GAK genes (SPBNGAK-GAK) showed that while SPBNGAK-GAK was pathogenic, SPBNGAN-GAN and SPBNGAN-GAK were completely nonpathogenic and SPBNGAK-GAN showed strongly reduced pathogenicity. Analysis of genomic RV RNA in mouse brain tissue revealed significantly lower virus loads in SPBNGAN-GAK- and SPBNGAK-GAN-infected brains than those detected in SPBNGAK-GAK-infected brains, indicating the dominance of the nonpathogenic phenotype determined by GAN over the GAK-associated pathogenic phenotype. Virus production and viral RNA synthesis were markedly higher in SPBNGAN-, SPBNGAK-GAN-, and SPBNGAN-GAK-infected neuroblastoma cells than in the SPBNGAK- and SPBNGAK-GAK-infected counterparts, suggesting control of GAN dominance at the level of viral RNA synthesis. These data point to the lower risk of reversion to pathogenicity of a recombinant RV carrying two identical GAN genes compared to that of an RV carrying only a single GAN gene.