Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How kinematic disturbance in the deformed rheumatoid thumb impacts on hand function: a biomechanical and functional perspective

Abstract Purpose This study investigates the effects of kinematic disturbances in rheumatoid thumb on patient’s hand functions via objective and patient-perceived measurements. Method Twenty-one patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 21 healthy age- and gender-matched individuals were recruited to receive the objective evaluations, including the Purdue Pegboard Test, Jamar dynamometer, pinch-meter, Permanent Impairment Scale and self-administrated measurements, including the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36). An electromagnetic tracking system was used to measure thumb kinematics. The differences in the measures between the RA and control groups and the dominant and non-dominant hands of the RA group were examined. The relationships between the thumb kinematics and hand functional capabilities, as well as impairment levels, were also explored. Results The RA group showed significantly smaller thumb movement capabilities and hand strength, as well as worse scores in hand dexterity, MAM-36 and HAQ than healthy controls. The movement workspace of the RA thumb showed moderate correlations with the factors of hand strength, dexterity, impairment scale, MAM-36 and HAQ scores. Conclusions The findings indicate deficits related to the movement capability of the RA thumb may negatively influence hand dexterity and functional hand performance, as well as life quality, for the patients with RA. Implications for Rehabilitation A deformed rheumatoid thumb might limit the movement workspace of the thumb and consequently impair the hand performance as well as the life quality. The dominant thumb of the RA patients might have greater structural and functional deterioration than the non-dominant side. Suitable joint protection strategies, exercises and orthotics should be early applied to the RA patients for preserving hand functions.
Diagnostic accuracy of diffusion‐weighted imaging‐ magnetic resonance imaging compared to positron emission tomography/computed tomography in evaluating and assessing pathological response to treatment in adult patients with lymphoma: A systematic review

The use of Positron emission tomography/computerised tomography (PET/CT) is well established in the staging and assessment of treatment response of lymphoma. Recent studies have suggested that whole body diffusion‐weighted imaging –magnetic resonance imaging (WB‐DW‐MRI) may be an alternative to PET/CT in both staging and assessment of treatment response. A systematic review was performed to assess the ability of DW‐MRI in the assessment of treatment response in lymphoma. Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science and Embase databases were queried for studies examining whole body DW‐MRI compared to PET/CT in adult patients using a protocol of search terms. We carried out an extensive assessment of titles, abstracts and full texts of relevant paper as well as quality assessment with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS‐2) tool. Eight studies were found to meet the criteria and were included in our review and analysis. Overall, the quality of studies was found to be moderate, with good inter‐rater agreement (K = 0.74). Data analysis showed that lesion‐based assessment in 5 studies with pooled results had a sensitivity and specificity of 94.7% and 99.3%. Assessment with Cohen's Kappa coefficient showed agreement to be excellent (K = 0.88). Three studies were included for qualitative analysis, two of which showed good equivalence between PET/CT and DW‐MRI. WB‐DWI‐MRI can be considered a sensitive and specific method for assessing treatment response in Lymphoma without the use of ionising radiation or administration of F‐18 Flurodeoxyglucose. Further studies are needed to evaluate the optimum b‐values in assessing treatment response.
Relationship between vision impairment and eye disease to vision-specific quality of life and function in rural India: the Aravind Comprehensive Eye Survey.

PURPOSE To determine the impact of vision impairment and eye diseases on vision-specific quality of life and visual function in an older population of rural southern India. METHODS Presenting and best-corrected visual acuity and burden of eye diseases were determined in a population aged 40 years and older, identified through a random cluster sampling strategy from 50 villages of rural south India. A questionnaire validated previously for use in this population was used to ascertain quality of life and visual function. Visual acuity measurements were obtained with illiterate E Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts. Cataract was graded and defined based on the Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS) III. Macular degeneration was defined based on the classification system proposed by the International ARM Epidemiologic Study Group. Glaucoma was defined based on results of clinical examinations including optic disc and visual fields. Analyses were performed to explore the relationship of overall and subscale quality-of-life and visual function scores with presenting acuity in the better-seeing eye, specific eye diseases, and demographic variables. RESULTS Information on quality of life and visual function were available for 5119 (99.4%) of 5150 study subjects. The mean presenting visual acuity in the better eye was 0.76 +/- 0.53 logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) units. Age, education, occupation, presenting acuity in the better eye, and presence of a cataract, glaucoma, or refractive error were independently associated with overall quality-of-life and vision function scores. After adjustment for demographic variables and ocular disease, persons with vision impairment or bilateral blindness based on presenting visual acuity had lower scores across all domains of quality of life and vision function. Scores for subscales of quality-of-life and vision function domains were significantly lower among those with age-related cataract and glaucoma compared with persons without those eye diseases. CONCLUSIONS Presenting vision in the better eye was associated with quality of life and vision function in this older population of rural south India. Subjects with glaucoma and age-related cataract had an associated decrease in quality of life and vision function, independent of presenting visual acuity in the better eye.
Nanoassemblies constructed from bimodal mesoporous silica nanoparticles and surface-coated multilayer pH-responsive polymer for controlled delivery of ibuprofen

The pH-sensitive poly(D-A) grafted amine-functionalized bimodal mesoporous silica (D-A/BMMs) was prepared by a facile method used as a drug delivery vehicle. They exhibited superior properties such as good dispersion in aqueous medium, high drug loading efficiency, improved stability and high drug release rates. Meanwhile, its structural features and performances in a controlled delivery of ibuprofen (IBU) were systematically investigated by using XRD, N2 adsorption and desorption, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, elemental analysis and TG techniques. The results demonstrated that the obtained nanocomposite presented a flexible control over drug release by controlling the grafting amount of D-A onto the mesopores surface of aminated BMMs. The cumulative percent release of IBU from D-A/BMMs was found to be much higher at pH 7.4 than at pH 2.0. The release rate was very slow in an acidic medium but became faster in a neutral medium, owing to hydrogen bonding in an acidic medium and electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged carboxyl groups in an alkaline medium.
Learning to predict reciprocity and triadic closure in social networks

We study how links are formed in social networks. In particular, we focus on investigating how a reciprocal (two-way) link, the basic relationship in social networks, is developed from a parasocial (one-way) relationship and how the relationships further develop into triadic closure, one of the fundamental processes of link formation. We first investigate how geographic distance and interactions between users influence the formation of link structure among users. Then we study how social theories including homophily, social balance, and social status are satisfied over networks with parasocial and reciprocal relationships. The study unveils several interesting phenomena. For example, “friend's friend is a friend” indeed exists in the reciprocal relationship network, but does not hold in the parasocial relationship network. We propose a learning framework to formulate the problems of predicting reciprocity and triadic closure into a graphical model. We demonstrate that it is possible to accurately infer 90% of reciprocal relationships in a Twitter network. The proposed model also achieves better performance (+20--30% in terms of F1-measure) than several alternative methods for predicting the triadic closure formation.
Interactive effects of temperature and glyphosate on the behavior of blue ridge two‐lined salamanders (Eurycea wilderae)

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential interactive effects of stream temperatures and environmentally relevant glyphosate‐based herbicide concentrations on movement and antipredator behaviors of larval Eurycea wilderae (Blue Ridge two‐lined salamander). Larval salamanders were exposed to 1 of 4 environmentally relevant glyphosate concentrations (0.00 µg acid equivalent [a.e.]/L, 0.73 µg a.e./L, 1.46 µg a.e./L, and 2.92 µg a.e./L) at either ambient (12 °C) or elevated (23 °C) water temperature. Behaviors observed included the exploration of a novel habitat, use of refuge, habitat selection relative to a potential predator, and burst movement distance. In the absence of glyphosate, temperature consistently affected movement and refuge‐use behavior, with individuals moving longer distances more frequently and using refuge less at warm temperatures; however, when glyphosate was added, the authors observed inconsistent effects of temperature that may have resulted from differential toxicity at various temperatures. Larval salamanders made shorter, more frequent movements and demonstrated reduced burst distance at higher glyphosate concentrations. The authors also found that lower glyphosate concentrations sometimes had stronger effects than higher concentrations (i.e., nonmonotonic dose responses), suggesting that standard safety tests conducted only at higher glyphosate concentrations might overlook important sublethal effects on salamander behavior. These data demonstrate that sublethal effects of glyphosate‐based herbicides on natural behaviors of amphibians can occur with short‐term exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2297–2303. © 2016 SETAC
Slow‐growth high‐mortality: A meta‐analysis for insects

The slow growth‐high mortality hypothesis (SG‐HG) predicts that slower growing herbivores suffer greater mortality due to a prolonged window of vulnerability. Given diverse plant–herbivore–natural enemy systems resulting from different feeding ecologies of herbivores and natural enemies, this hypothesis might not always be applicable to all systems. This is evidenced by mixed support from empirical data. In this study, a meta‐analysis of the SG‐HM hypothesis for insects was conducted, aiming to find conditions that favor or reject SG‐HM. The analysis revealed significant within‐ and between‐group heterogeneity for almost all explanatory variables and overall did not support SG‐HM. In this analysis, SG‐HM was supported when any of the following 5 conditions was met: (1) host food consisted of artificial diet; (2) herbivore growth was measured as larval mass; (3) herbivores were generalists; (4) no or multiple species of natural enemies were involved in the study; and (5) parasitoids (i.e., parasitic insects) involved in the study were gregarious. SG‐HM was rejected when any of the following 5 conditions was met: (1) herbivores were from the order Hymentoptera; (2) parasitoids from more than 1 order caused herbivore mortality; (2) parasitoids were specialists; (3) parasitoids were solitary; (4) parasitoids were idiobionts or koinobionts; and (5) single species of natural enemy caused mortality of specialist herbivores. All known studies investigated herbivore mortality for a short period of their life cycle. Researchers are encouraged to monitor herbivore mortality during the entire window of susceptibility or life cycle using life tables. Studies involving multiple mortality factors (i.e., both biotic and abiotic) or multiple natural enemy species are also encouraged since herbivores in nature face a multitude of risks during the entire life cycle. More comprehensive studies may increase our understanding of factors influencing the relationships between herbivore growth and mortality.
Viral challenge reveals further evidence of skin-deep resilience in African Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds.

OBJECTIVE Studies have revealed a phenomenon called skin-deep resilience, which develops in upwardly mobile African American youth. They perform well in school, maintain good mental health, and avoid legal problems. Despite outward indications of success, they also show evidence of worse health in biomarker studies. Here we extend this research, asking whether it manifests in differential susceptibility to upper respiratory infection, and if it emerges in European Americans as well. METHODS The sample included 514 adults in good health, as judged by physician examination and laboratory testing. Participants completed questionnaires about lifecourse socioeconomic conditions, conscientiousness, psychosocial adjustment, and lifestyle factors. They were subsequently inoculated with a rhinovirus that causes upper respiratory infection, and monitored in quarantine for 5 days the development of illness. RESULTS Consistent with past work, African Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds displayed indications of skin-deep resilience. To the extent these participants were high in conscientiousness, they fared better across multiple domains of psychosocial functioning, as reflected in educational attainment, symptoms of depression, and close relationship quality (p values = .01-.04). But analyses of these participants' susceptibility to infection revealed the opposite pattern; higher conscientiousness was associated with a greater likelihood of becoming ill following inoculation (p value = .03). In European Americans, there was no evidence of skin-deep resilience; conscientiousness was associated with better psychosocial outcomes, but not infection risk. CONCLUSIONS These observations suggest that resilience may be a double-edged sword for African Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds. The same characteristics associated with academic success and psychological adjustment forecast increased vulnerability to health problems. (PsycINFO Database Record
Comparison of the clinical, radiographic, and histological outcomes of pulpotomy of deciduous teeth in dogs with formocresol, Gutta-percha, and mineral trioxide aggregate

The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of pulpotomy of deciduous teeth in dogs with the use of formocresol, Gutta-percha, and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). In this experimental study, 24 deciduous premolar teeth, without internal and external resorption, in two hybrid Iranian dogs, aged 6-8 weeks, were divided into 3 groups, using a simple random technique. In the three study groups, diluted Buckley formocresol, Gutta-percha, and MTA were placed on canal orifices, respectively, and the crowns were restored with zinc oxide eugenol paste and glass ionomer. The teeth underwent a radiographic procedure and extracted after 1-month. The histological samples were evaluated in relation to inflammatory reactions and formation of a hard tissue barrier. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA), using ANOVA, ANCOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman′s correlation coefficient (α = 0.05). Kruskal-Wallis test did not reveal any significant differences in clinical signs between the study groups at 2-week interval (P = 0.416) and clinical and radiographic signs 1-month after application of the materials (P = 0.503 and P = 0.122, respectively). ANCOVA did not reveal any significant differences in grading between the groups over time (P = 0.927). There were no differences between materials in the clinical, radiographic, and histological outcomes.
Intracellular colocalization of variant surface glycoprotein and transferrin-gold in Trypanosoma brucei

Endocytosis and intracellular transport has been studied in the bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei by light and electron microscopy, using colloidal gold coupled to bovine transferrin (transferrin-gold). The endocytosed transferrin-gold, visualized by silver intensification for light microscopy, was present in vesicular structures between the cell nucleus and flagellar pocket of the organism. At the ultrastructural level, transferrin-gold was present after a 10-min incubation in the flagellar pocket, coated vesicles, cisternal networks, and lysosomelike structures. Endocytosis and intracellular processing of T. brucei variable surface glycoprotein (VSG) was studied using two preparations of affinity-purified rabbit IgG directed against different parts of the VSG. One preparation of IgG was directed against the cross-reacting determinant (CRD): a complex glycolipid side chain covalently linked to the COOH-terminus of the VSG molecule. The other was directed against determinants on the rest of the VSG molecule. When the two IgG preparations were used on thawed, thin cryosections of trypanosomes that had been incubated in transferrin-gold before fixation, the organelles involved with transferrin-gold endocytosis labeled with both antibodies, as well as many vesicular, tubular, and vacuolar structures that did not contain endocytosed transferrin-gold. Both antibodies also labeled the cell surface. In double-labeling experiments both antibodies were closely associated except that IgG directed against the VSG molecule labeled all the cisternae of the Golgi apparatus, whereas anti-CRD IgG was shown to label only half of the Golgi apparatus. Evidence for sorting of VSG molecules from endocytosed transferrin-gold was found. Double- labeling experiments also showed some tubular profiles which labeled on one side with anti-CRD IgG and on the other side with anti-VSG IgG, suggesting a possible segregation of parts of the VSG molecule.
Jiggling Force Aggravates Orthodontic Root Resorption Via TNF-α during Rat Experimental Tooth Movement

Orthodontic root resorption (ORR) is an unavoidable pathological consequence of orthodontic tooth movement. Swinging of the root due to the reciprocating movement of the tooth(jiggling)mayexacerbate ORR.However, little is known about the mechanism how jiggling induces ORR. We herein investigated the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression in odontoclasts in resorbed roots by jiggling force in vivo. Twenty-four eight-week old of male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, a heavy force group(HF: 50g), optimal force group(OP: 10g), jiggling force group(JF: compression and tension, repetition; 10g)and a control group(no appliances: 0g). The expression levels of the TNF-α protein in odontoclasts in the dental root were determined using an immunohistochemical analysis. The immunoreactivity for TNF-α in resorbed roots exposed to the jiggling force was stronger than that in the other groups on day 21. The number of TNF-α-positive odontoclasts was significantly increased in the JF group on day 21 compared with the other groups. These results suggest that a jiggling force may aggravate ORR via TNF-α expression during orthodontic tooth movement.
Photodegradation of Dye Pollutant on Ag/ZnO Nanocatalyst under UV-irradiation

Ag/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalyst was successfully prepared. The degradation of reactive blue 49, commonly used as a textile dye, can be photocatalysed by Ag/ZnO. Photodegradation efficiency was small when the photolysis was carried out in the absence of Ag/ZnO. Dye solution underwent a decolourization and the reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the absorbance of dyes at special wavelength. The experimental variables included amount of photocatalyst, concentration of H 2 O 2 and initial concentration of dyes. More than 90% of 100 mgl-1 Reactive Blue 49 decolourization in 30-minute reaction time.
ReFOCUS: A hybrid fog-cloud based intelligent traffic re-routing system

The continuous rapid growth of vehicles and nonexpansion of existing infrastructure in large cities due to space constraints and heavy costs leads to increase the traffic congestion, which causes to increase the travel time of the drivers, fuel consumption, and emissions. In order to overcome the above-mentioned issues, this paper presents a novel method for dynamic rerouting system based on a hybrid FOG-Cloud intelligent control system called ReFOCUS, which is able to dynamically compute the best path for drivers those are in or will be in the congested area, based on the current traffic density of different regions with considering the road future congestion status. The system is implemented in a FOG-Cloud computing environment that can use traffic data of the roads and provide the necessary information in real-time to drivers where significantly decrease the data exchange compared to other cloud-based systems. Mathematical modeling and algorithm for the ReFOCUS has been proposed in this paper and a primary simulation has been done to evaluate the efficiency of the method. The results of the simulation illustrate that the proposed novel method can decrease the average travel time 65%, CO2 emission 36%, and fuel consumption 36%.
Genetic counseling among minority populations in the era of precision medicine

Precision medicine includes the use of genetic variation to determine the prevention, pathology, management, and treatment of disease, which has the potential to significantly change the practice of healthcare. As such, its success depends on (a) having reliable information about the effects of genetic variation on disease processes; and (b) the patient's understanding of their own genetic makeup such that they can use that information to affect their lifestyle and diet. Given the history of low engagement of under‐represented minority populations in both clinical genetic services and genetic research, both of these aspects will be challenged and must be addressed before the benefits of precision medicine will be fully realized. Reflecting on lessons learned in the field of cancer genetic counseling, we present key issues to consider as we look forward to providing genetic counseling to minority communities in the context of precision medicine.