Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thin-Section CT Findings of Arc-Welders' Pneumoconiosis

Objective To describe the thin-section CT findings of arc-welders' pneumoconiosis. Materials and Methods Eighty-five arc-welders with a three to 30 (mean, 15)-year history of exposure underwent thin-section CT scanning. The extent of abnormalities detected was correlated with the severity of dyspnea and pulmonary function tests. For comparison, images of 43 smoking males (mean 25 pack-year) who underwent thin-section CT for other reasons (smokers' group) were also analyzed. Results Fifty-four welders (63.5%) and six smokers (14.0%) showed positive findings. Predominant thin-section CT findings were poorly-defined centrilobular micronodules (30/54, 55.6%), branching linear structure (18/54, 33.3%), and ground-glass attenuation (6/54, 11.1%). In the smokers' group, poorly-defined micronodules were found in four patients, branching linear structures in one, and ground-glass attenuation in one. In welders, the extent of abnormalities seen on thin-section CT showed no significant correlation with the severity of dyspnea or the results of pulmonary funotion test. Conclusion Poorly-defined centrilobular micronodules and branching linear structures were the thin-section CT findings most frequently seen in patients with arc-welders' pneumoconiosis. Less commonly, extensive ground-glass attenuation was also seen.
Role of aminopeptidase N (CD13) in tumor‐cell invasion and extracellular matrix degradation

We have investigated the effect of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for aminopeptidase N/CD13 on the invasion of human metastatic tumor cells into reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel). The invasion of human metastatic tumor cells (SN12M renal‐cell carcinoma, HT1080 fibrosarcoma and A375M melanoma) into Matrigel‐coated filters was inhibited by an anti‐CD 13 MAb, WM15, in a concentration‐dependent manner. However, this MAb did not have any effect on tumor‐cell adhesion and migration to the extracellular matrices, which may be involved in tumor‐cell invasion. MAb WM15 inhibited the degradation of type‐IV collagen by tumor cells in a concentration‐dependent manner. We also found that WM15 inhibited hydrolysing activities towards substrates of aminopeptidases in 3 different tumor cells. Since our previous study indicated that bestatin, an aminopeptidase inhibitor, was able to inhibit tumor‐cell invasion, as well as aminopeptidase activities of murine and human metastatic tumor cells, cell‐surface aminopeptidase N/CD13 may be partly involved in the activation mechanism for type‐IV collagenolysis to achieve tumor‐cell invasion, and anti‐CD13 MAb WM15 may inhibit tumor‐cell invasion through a mechanism involving its inhibitory action on the aminopeptidase N in tumor cells.
Clinical and microbiological features of vulvovaginitis in Mexican girls

Study Objective: To determine the prevalence of vulvovaginitis, predisposing factors, microbial etiology and therapy in patients treated at the Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Design. This was an observational and descriptive study from 2006 to 2009. Setting: Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Participants. Patients from 0 to 16 years, with vulvovaginitis and/or vaginal discharge were included. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Demographic data, etiology, clinical features, risk factors and therapy were analyzed. Results: Four hundred twenty seven patients with diagnosis of vulvovaginitis were included. The average prevalence to 4 years in the study period was 0.19%. The age group most affected was schoolchildren (225 cases: 52.69%). The main signs and symptoms presented were leucorrhea (99.3%), vaginal hyperemia (32.6%), vulvar itching (32.1%) and erythema (28.8%). Identified risk factors were poor hygiene (15.7%), urinary tract infection (14.7%), intestinal parasites (5.6%) and obesity or overweight (3.3%). The main microorganisms found in vaginal cultures were enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Enterococcus faecalis), Staphylococcus spp, and Gardnerella vaginalis. Several inconsistent were found in the drug prescription of the patients. Conclusion: Vulvovaginitis prevalence in Mexican girls is low and this was caused mainly by opportunist microorganisms. The initial treatment of vulvovaginitis must include hygienic measure and an antimicrobial according to the clinical features and microorganism found.
Neurological manifestations of Erdheim-Chester disease

Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare sporadic systemic histiocytic disease of unknown aetiology that affects multiple organ systems. The case records of all patients with Erdheim-Chester disease who had been seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1975 and 1996 were reviewed to assess the neurological manifestations of the disease. Two of 10 patients had neurological involvement. A 42 year old woman developed central diabetes insipidus and a progressive cerebellar syndrome. Brain MRI showed a lesion in the left pons with patchy gadolinium enhancement and T2 weighted signal abnormalities extending into both cerebellar peduncles and the medulla. Biopsy of the brainstem mass showed a xanthogranulomatous lesion. The second patient was a 53 year old man with retroperitoneal fibrosis secondary to xanthogranulomatous infiltration. Although he had no neurological symptoms and a normal neurological examination, MRI of the head showed multiple uniformly enhancing extra-axial masses along the dura of both convexities and the falx, and a mass in the left orbital apex. Both patients had the characteristic radiographic and bone scan findings of Erdheim-Chester disease. Review of the literature disclosed a wide variety of neurological manifestations in Erdheim-Chester disease. The most frequent CNS manifestations are diabetes insipidus, cerebellar syndromes, orbital lesions, and extra-axial masses involving the dura.
The Java Virtual Machine Specification

From the Publisher: The nucleus of the Java 2 platform, the Java virtual machine is the technology that enables the Java 2 platform to host applications on any computer or operating system without rewriting or recompiling. This book was written by those directly responsible for the design and implementation of the Java virtual machine, and is the complete and definitive specification for the technology. It is an essential reference for writers of compilers for the Java programming language and implementors of the Java virtual machine. This second edition specifies the newest version of the Java virtual machine and provides a fascinating view into the inner workings of the Java 2 platform.
Developmental Dysgraphia as a Reading System and Transfer Problem: A Case Study

This is a case study of an adolescent who had largely overcome his early difficulty in learning to read, but continued to have severe problems with spelling. He had no visual memory impairment, and his letter–sound knowledge and phonemic awareness were at adult levels. Testing revealed that his difficulties in both reading and spelling only manifested when processing unfamiliar words. He was slow and inaccurate when reading non-words, despite a sublexical system dominated by the use of grapheme–phoneme units. It is suggested that limitations in the processing of the reading system were responsible for the lack of an extensive set of induced position-sensitive sublexical representations (ISRs) that are contextually dependent. This would have serious consequences for transfer to spelling.
Tangential migration of neuronal precursors of glutamatergic neurons in the adult mammalian brain

Significance Mammalian brain development is a complex, ordered process whereby newborn neurons follow stereotyped migration modes to organize into specific patterns required for complicated neural circuit formation. Classically, principal excitatory neurons are thought to organize into radial columns that underlie the basic brain circuits, whereas inhibitory neurons disperse tangentially across these columns to modulate the principal circuits. These principles are thought to be fundamental to the genesis of the complex mammalian brain. Surprisingly, we found that precursors for excitatory principal neurons exhibit tangential migration in the adult mammalian brain. Our findings enrich our understanding of neurodevelopment and lay important conceptual groundwork for studies of brain plasticity, disease, and repair. In a classic model of mammalian brain formation, precursors of principal glutamatergic neurons migrate radially along radial glia fibers whereas GABAergic interneuron precursors migrate tangentially. These migration modes have significant implications for brain function. Here we used clonal lineage tracing of active radial glia-like neural stem cells in the adult mouse dentate gyrus and made the surprising discovery that proliferating neuronal precursors of glutamatergic granule neurons exhibit significant tangential migration along blood vessels, followed by limited radial migration. Genetic birthdating and morphological and molecular analyses pinpointed the neuroblast stage as the main developmental window when tangential migration occurs. We also developed a partial “whole-mount” dentate gyrus preparation and observed a dense plexus of capillaries, with which only neuroblasts, among the entire population of progenitors, are directly associated. Together, these results provide insight into neuronal migration in the adult mammalian nervous system.
A Prospective Analysis Of The Relationships Among Sexual Assault Experiences: An Extension of Previous Findings

Research has indicated that sexual assault on college campuses is pervasive (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987) and that a history of sexual victimization serves as a risk factor for future victimization (Gidycz, Coble, Latham, & Layman, 1993). The purpose of the present investigation was to extend the findings of Gidycz et al. (1993) in examining the link among sexual victimization experiences. College women were evaluated for child and adolescent sexual victimization, family adjustment, alcohol use, psychological adjustment, interpersonal functioning, and sexual behavior. Women were re-evaluated at 3, 5-6, and 9 months for adult victimization, psychological adjustment, interpersonal functioning, and sexual behavior. Loglinear analysis indicated that chances of being victimized in one time period increased with greater severity of victimization in the preceding time period. The path analysis assessing the mediating effects of these variables on victimization experiences was partially supported. Implications for future research and preventative efforts are discussed.
Association of Financial Resources with Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment in African American Families

The association of mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources with African American mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptoms was assessed. Findings for families with male adolescents revealed that mothers’ report of the adequacy of families’ financial resources was linked to mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptomatology and mothers’ optimism. Mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources was positively associated with family routine. Mothers’ optimism was also positively associated with family routine and mediated the association of family financial resources with family routine. Findings for families with female adolescents revealed that family resources were positively associated with family routine. Explanations for the differences in the findings for families with male or female adolescents were discussed. The need for more research assessing the processes that mediate the relations of families’ financial resources with African American adolescents’ and parents’ well-being was discussed.
Pronoun use in normal and language-impaired children

The paper investigates children's use of pronouns in two types of unconstrained speech. The first consisted of a conversational setting where all the referents were present in the here-and-now (perceptible), and the second of conversations centred around the child's home and family, such that none of the referents were perceptible (non-perceptible). The experimental design used was based on two procedures which formed part of the elicitation protocol employed within an MRC-funded project at Reading University, namely, a stick-on game for the perceptible setting, and free conversation for the non-perceptible setting. Pronoun types and uses were analyzed for each conversational setting in 30 children, ten each at the ages 3, 5, 7 years and nine children with high-level language impairment. Only clauses with the structure SVO, SVC or SVA were included in the analysis. Overall, the relation between pronouns and structural NPs was remarkably similar across all groups and for both settings. Context did have an .
Professionals' Perspectives on Organizational Factors That Support or Hinder the Successful Implementation of Family-Centered Practice

This article presents findings from an exploratory, qualitative study whose objective was to identify professionals' perceptions of organizational factors that support or hinder the implementation of family-centered practice (FCP). Two disability services organizations in Manitoba, Canada, were selected as the research sites. In 2002, all staff were invited to participate in qualitative interviews and focus groups, resulting in 36 people responding (front-line service coordinators, supervisors, and key informants). The analysis identified factors related to the organization's culture and climate (such as caseload size and activity, supervision, and training), policy limitations, and collateral services, as negatively affecting the ability to successfully implement FCP. The findings suggest that organizations should develop and maintain organizational cultures and climates necessary to support, implement and sustain FCP to positively impact service quality and outcomes.
Interaction of Neuronal Nitric-oxide Synthase with Caveolin-3 in Skeletal Muscle

Neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) has been shown previously to interact with α1-syntrophin in the dystrophin complex of skeletal muscle. In the present study, we have examined whether nNOS also interacts with caveolin-3 in skeletal muscle. nNOS and caveolin-3 are coimmunoprecipitated from rat skeletal muscle homogenates by antibodies directed against either of the two proteins. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the membrane-proximal caveolin-3 residues 65–84 and 109–130 and homologous caveolin-1 residues 82–101 and 135–156 potently inhibit the catalytic activity of purified, recombinant nNOS. Purified nNOS also binds to a glutathione S-transferase-caveolin-1 fusion protein inin vitro binding assays. In vitro binding is completely abolished by preincubation of nNOS with either of the two caveolin-3 inhibitory peptides. Interactions between nNOS and caveolin-3, therefore, appear to be direct and to involve two distinct caveolin scaffolding/inhibitory domains. Other caveolin-interacting enzymes, including endothelial nitric-oxide synthase and the c-Src tyrosine kinase, are also potently inhibited by each of the four caveolin peptides. Inhibitory interactions mediated by two different caveolin domains may thus be a general feature of enzyme docking to caveolin proteins in plasmalemmal caveolae.
Brain structure in adolescents and young adults with alcohol problems: systematic review of imaging studies.

AIMS Alcohol-dependent people who are middle-aged or older have a widespread loss of cortical grey and white matter, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We examine if brain abnormalities are detectable in alcohol use disorders before the fifth decade (i.e., <40), and the brain structural differences associated with alcohol abuse/dependence in adolescence. METHODS Case-control studies comparing brain structure in alcohol-abusing/-dependent individuals with normal controls in which the mean age of participants was <40 were identified using Medline, EMBASE and PsychInfo. Studies in which mean age was over and under 21 were considered separately. RESULTS Twelve papers fulfilled inclusion criteria, five in the adolescent (14-21) and seven in the young adult age range. Two independent groups reported hippocampal and prefrontal volume reductions in adolescents, although this was consistently observed only in females. In young adults (aged 21-40), there were grey matter deficits in the PFC in both sexes. Adult women appeared to, particularly, exhibit white matter differences, evident as reduced area of the corpus callosum. Hippocampal volume reduction was observed in one study of young adults study but not another. CONCLUSION The available data suggest that quantitative structural abnormalities of the brain are detectable in young alcohol abusers. There is overlap between the abnormalities seen in adolescents and young adults, although hippocampal volume loss is most consistently seen in the former group. The adolescent hippocampus may be particularly susceptible to alcohol, potentially because of an interaction between adolescent brain development and alcohol exposure.
Visualism and Landscape: Looking and Seeing in Normandy

Critiques of visualism, i.e. an epistemological 'bias toward vision', have focussed on surveillance and overview. Taking a different perspective, this paper differentiates looking from seeing, the latter being linked to all the senses. Discussions of landscape appreciation in Western literature have reflected a similar restriction to the distant or privileged gaze. Theorists have rendered invisible the labourers' and inhabitants' view of landscape and the consumption of its products. Based on fieldwork and filming in Normandy,this article reinserts the biographical and bodily meaning of landscape for unnamed cultivators and food producers, in contrast to nonlabouring spectators. It also discusses how fieldwork has to confront prior images of the landscape, especially Impressionist paintings as icons which intertwine with local perspectives. Through participant observation, the anthropologist may shift from looking as spectator to seeing as participant.
Energy flux of Alfvén waves in weakly ionized plasma

Context. The overshooting convective motions in the solar photosphere, resulting in the foot point motion of different magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere, are frequently proposed as the source for the excitation of Alfven waves, which are assumed to propagate towards the chromosphere and corona resulting finally in the heating of these layers by the dissipation of this wave energy. However, the photosphere is a) very weakly ionized, and, b) the dynamics of the plasma particles in this region is heavily influenced by the plasma-neutral collisions. Aims. The purpose of this work is to check the consequences of these two facts on the above scenario and their effects on the electromagnetic waves. Methods. Standard plasma theory is used and the wave physics of the weakly ionized photosphere is discussed. The magnetization and the collision frequencies of the plasma constituents are quantitatively examined. Results. It is shown that the ions and electrons in the photosphere are both un-magnetized; their collision frequency with neutrals is much larger than the gyro-frequency. This implies that eventual Alfven-type electromagnetic perturbations must involve the neutrals as well. This has the following consequences: i) in the presence of perturbations, the whole fluid (plasma + neutrals) moves; ii) the Alfven velocity includes the total (plasma + neutrals) density and is thus considerably smaller compared to the collision-less case; iii) the perturbed velocity of a unit volume, which now includes both plasma and neutrals, becomes much smaller compared to the ideal (collision-less) case; and iv) the corresponding wave energy flux for the given parameters becomes much smaller compared to the ideal case. Conclusions. The wave energy flux through the photosphere becomes orders of magnitude smaller, compared to the ideal case, when the effects of partial ionization and collisions are consistently taken into account.
VALIDITY AND FAIRNESS OF SOME ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYEE SELECTION PROCEDURES

Despite extensive evidence that tests are valid for employee selection, Federal Guidelines have urged employers to seek alternative selection procedures that are equally valid but have less adverse impact on minorities. Research on the validity, adverse impact and fairness of eight categories of alternatives was reviewed. Feasibility of operational use of each type of alternative in an employment setting was also discussed. Only biodata and peer evaluation were supported as having validities substantially equal to those for standardized tests. Previous reviews and more recent research indicated that interviews, self-assessments, reference checks, academic achievement, expert judgment and projective techniques had levels of validity generally below those reported for tests. Data, where available, offered no clear indication that any of the alternatives met the criterion of having equal validity with less adverse impact. Results are discussed and several additional promising alternatives are described.
Weighing in on surveillance: perception of the impact of surveillance on female ballet dancers’ health

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate professional ballet dancers’ perceptions of the impact of surveillance on their psychological and physical health. The theoretical framework was inspired by Foucault’s writing, particularly his concepts of surveillance, power, discipline and docile bodies. Fifteen professional ballet dancers (under contract, freelance or retired) were interviewed individually. From an inductive analysis of the answers, two types of surveillance emerged with different impacts on dancer’s health. Positive surveillance is beneficial for a dancer’s psychological health; it assists in motivating, guiding and giving them structure throughout their dance career. In contrast, negative surveillance, based on judgment, criticism and the impossible attainment of an ideal body, has a detrimental impact on a dancer’s health. The results also revealed that body weight is perceived as the principal object of surveillance.
The culture of crime: Examining representations of Irish Travelers in Traveller and The Riches

Irish Travelers are frequently equated with crime. This culture-of-crime stereotype is reproduced through media culture. In this article I will analyze the 1997 film Traveller and the first season of the 2007 television series The Riches to see how the criminal stigma is repeatedly (re)ascribed to Irish Travelers. I identify two cultural discourses in Traveller. First, the “culture as practice” discourse grants admission to a cultural group based on what one does. Second, the “culture as nature” discourse views cultural belonging in a biologically deterministic fashion. These two discourses overlap, and Irish Traveler culture is still depicted as a culture of crime. The Riches reproduces this stereotype, as the only way Irish Travelers can lead a “normal” life is too steal a buffer’s identity. Both of these examples lead to questioning whether invisibility or visibility solely as criminals is preferable.
Abstraction in Model Based Partially Observable Reinforcement Learning Using Extended Sequence Trees

Extended sequence tree is a direct method for automatic generation of useful abstractions in reinforcement learning, designed for problems that can be modelled as Markov decision process. This paper proposes a method to expand the extended sequence tree method over reinforcement learning to cover partial observability formalized via partially observable Markov decision process through belief state formalism. This expansion requires a reasonable approximation of information state. Inspired by statistical ranking, a simple but effective discretization schema over belief state space is defined. Extended sequence tree method is modified to make use of this schema under partial observability, and effectiveness of resulting algorithm is shown by experiments on some benchmark problems.