Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diphtheria with polyneuropathy in a closed community despite receiving recent booster vaccination

Introduction and Methods: We report 20 patients aged 18–24 years from Latvia with diphtheritic polyneuropathy. All lived in a closed community and 80% were known to have been fully vaccinated against diphtheria until at least 14 years old. Diphtheria antitoxin had been administered within 3 days of the onset of upper respiratory tract infection in 16 patients and 15 received antibiotics. Results: Neurological symptoms developed after a median of 43 days (range 35–58) compared to only 10 days in previous studies of unvaccinated patients. All showed evidence of mild limb polyneuropathy with electrophysiological evidence of polyneuropathy. Only 30% showed early bulbar abnormalities compared to the usual rate of over 95% in diphtheritic polyneuropathy. However, 45% had later bulbar deterioration coinciding with the limb polyneuropathy. Conclusions: These patients show that an attenuated form of polyneuropathy of later onset, with less prominent early bulbar features, can occur in patients vaccinated against diphtheria according to schedule but living in a closed community in a country where diphtheria remains endemic.
A Critical Analysis of Competency-Based Systems in Adult Education

The purpose of this essay is to critically analyze the term "competency," in hope of enhancing our practical understanding of the concept "competencybased education. " The underlying philosophical principles of this paper are derived from Edmund Husserl's representation of philosophy as criticism, particularly as it has been advanced by his student Alfred Schutz. Like Husserl and Schutz, we subscribe to the Cartesian position that the basis of kno\Vledge resides first and foremost within the knowers themselves. This position stands in contrast to the logical positivist position which is the basis for the methods of modern sciences as applied to human action in the behaviorist tradition.
Bridging the Gap Between Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology: Using Working Memory as a Case-Study

Neuropsychology and neuroimaging both provide information about the relationship between brain structure and function, and thus attempt to understand if the neural basis of cognition should benefit from converging results obtained across the two methods. However, serious attempts to integrate the two methodologies face several challenges, such as differences in basic paradigm designs. To illustrate these points, this article will review neuropsychological and neuroimaging research in the area of working memory. Points of discussion will include discrepancies between neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence for domain-specific rehearsal systems, the role of left inferior parietal cortex in phonological storage, and the contributions of Brocas area and the cerebellum to articulatory rehearsal. Methodological factors and assumptions that may account for these discrepancies, and the steps that could be taken to overcome them, will be evaluated. The overall objective of this “case study” is to encourage neuroimagers and neuropsychologists to evaluate seriously the results obtained in both methodologies when formulating interpretations of their data and when designing new studies.
Electrophysiological Effects of Temporary Deafferentation on Two Characterized Cell Types in the Nucleus Gracilis of the Rat

Single‐ and multiunit recordings were made in the nucleus gracilis of anaesthetized rats in order to study the characteristics of the responses to natural cutaneous stimulation before and during local anaesthetic‐induced deafferentation. Two types of cells were found which exhibited different electrophysiological features at rest and in response to stimulation of their receptive fields (RFs). Low‐frequency (LF) neurons (77%) had very low spontaneous activity, and most could be antidromically activated from the medial lemniscus. High‐frequency (HF) cells (23%) had a much higher spontaneous discharge rate, with shorter spike duration, and did not project through the lemniscus. Both cell types generated phasic responses with similar latencies following cutaneous stimulation. Recordings of lemniscal axons had similar characteristics to those of LF neurons. Within minutes after anaesthetizing the functional centre of the RF, the LF and HF cells displayed new RFs, and enhanced responses to stimuli delivered at the periphery of the original fields. Firing rates increased during anaesthesia, but only in LF cells. Using a paired‐stimulation paradigm, many LF neurons displayed during anaesthesia a decrease of the normal inhibition that the conditioning stimulus evoked on the responses to the test stimulus; the opposite effect was observed in all HF cells. These results suggest that (i) LF neurons correspond to thalamic projection cells, and HF neurons may be inhibitory interneurons; (ii) by disinhibiting LF (but not HF) cells, temporary deafferentation may increase neuronal responsiveness to peripheral stimulation, and thus contribute to reveal new RFs, and (iii) these changes in the nucleus gracilis may partly account for the reorganization of representational maps at higher levels of the somatosensory pathways.
Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Exposure: A Delayed Complication

Exposure of the cochlear implant electrode array as a late complication has been reported rarely in the literature. A retrospective analysis revealed 4 patients presenting with exposure of their cochlear implant electrode arrays from 2 to 17 years after implantation. Data collected from these 4 patients were surgical implantation approach, type of implant, age at implant, interval between implant and complication, surgical correction of the problem, pathology at the time of correction, and length of follow-up after intervention. All 4 patients presented with otitis or mastoiditis. Each had undergone a transmastoid approach with facial recess and cochleostomy and full implant insertion. In 3 cases, the tympanic membrane had retracted to expose the electrode array. In 1 patient, the electrode array had eroded through the external canal, lateral to the facial recess. The exposed arrays were addressed surgically, including explantation/reimplantation for 1 patient. Cochlear implant electrode arrays can become exposed by relative migration of the array and the tympanic membrane. Implant surgeons and audiologists need to be aware of the possibility of this complication. Closure of the ear canal appears to be the most effective surgical intervention.
Reduced Retinal Microvascular Density, Improved Forepaw Reach, Comparative Microarray and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis with c-jun Targeting DNA Enzyme

Retinal neovascularization is a critical component in the pathogenesis of common ocular disorders that cause blindness, and treatment options are limited. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of a DNA enzyme targeting c-jun mRNA in mice with pre-existing retinal neovascularization. A single injection of Dz13 in a lipid formulation containing N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium methyl-sulfate and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine inhibited c-Jun expression and reduced retinal microvascular density. The DNAzyme inhibited retinal microvascular density as effectively as VEGF-A antibodies. Comparative microarray and gene expression analysis determined that Dz13 suppressed not only c-jun but a range of growth factors and matrix-degrading enzymes. Dz13 in this formulation inhibited microvascular endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tubule formation in vitro. Moreover, animals treated with Dz13 sensed the top of the cage in a modified forepaw reach model, unlike mice given a DNAzyme with scrambled RNA-binding arms that did not affect c-Jun expression. These findings demonstrate reduction of microvascular density and improvement in forepaw reach in mice administered catalytic DNA.
Development of the neurons controlling fertility in humans: new insights from 3D imaging and transparent fetal brains

Fertility in mammals is controlled by hypothalamic neurons that secrete gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). These neurons differentiate in the olfactory placodes during embryogenesis and migrate from the nose to the hypothalamus before birth. Information regarding this process in humans is sparse. Here, we adapted new tissue-clearing and whole-mount immunohistochemical techniques to entire human embryos/fetuses to meticulously study this system during the first trimester of gestation in the largest series of human fetuses examined to date. Combining these cutting-edge techniques with conventional immunohistochemistry, we provide the first chronological and quantitative analysis of GnRH neuron origins, differentiation and migration, as well as a 3D atlas of their distribution in the fetal brain. We reveal not only that the number of GnRH-immunoreactive neurons in humans is significantly higher than previously thought, but that GnRH cells migrate into several extrahypothalamic brain regions in addition to the hypothalamus. Their presence in these areas raises the possibility that GnRH has non-reproductive roles, creating new avenues for research on GnRH functions in cognitive, behavioral and physiological processes. Highlighted article: Tissue-clearing and imaging of intact human embryos reveals previously unprecedented GnRH neuron target sites and routes of migration into the brain.
Computerized Navigation for Length and Rotation Control in Femoral Fractures: A Preliminary Clinical Study

Objective: Operative treatment of femoral fractures yields a predictably high union rate, but residual malrotation and leg length discrepancy remain a clinically significant problem. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of using computerized navigation in controlling the length and rotation in femoral fracture surgery. Design: Prospective consecutive case series of 16 skeletally mature patients with femoral fractures undergoing surgical fixation; 14 were fixed with intramedullary nails and 2 with plates. Setting: An Academic Level I trauma center. Intervention: Computerized navigation was used to determine the length and rotation of the operated extremity as compared with the intact healthy contralateral side. Main outcome measure: All patients underwent postoperative computed tomography scanogram for determining the length and rotation. Results: All fractures healed. Mean rotational difference between the treated and nontreated sides was 3.45 degrees (range, 0–7.7 degrees). Mean length difference between the 2 extremities as calculated by the computed tomography scan was 5.83 mm (range, 0–13 mm). Additional operative time required for computerized navigation was measured in 2 of the cases and totaled ∼30–35 min/case. Conclusion: Computerized navigation was accurate and precise at restoring femoral length and rotation during femoral fracture fixation when the intact contralateral femur was used for reference. Further, large-scale randomized studies are required. Additionally, improvements aimed at decreasing operative time and improving user interface of these systems are recommended. Level of evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of the levels of evidence.
Caveolin forms a hetero-oligomeric protein complex that interacts with an apical GPI-linked protein: implications for the biogenesis of caveolae

Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins are transported to the apical surface of epithelial cells where they undergo cholesterol- dependent clustering in membrane micro-invaginations, termed caveolae or plasmalemmal vesicles. However, the sorting machinery responsible for this caveolar-clustering mechanism remains unknown. Using transfected MDCK cells as a model system, we have identified a complex of cell surface molecules (80, 50, 40, 22-24, and 14 kD) that interact in a pH- and cholesterol-dependent fashion with an apical recombinant GPI-linked protein. A major component of this hetero-oligomeric protein complex is caveolin, a type II transmembrane protein. As this hetero- oligomeric caveolin complex is detectable almost immediately after caveolin synthesis, our results suggest that caveolae may assemble intracellularly during transport to the cell surface. As such, our studies have implications for understanding both the intracellular biogenesis of caveolae and their subsequent interactions with GPI- linked proteins in epithelia and other cell types.
A STUDY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF PARENTS WITH HOME-SCHOOLED PRE- ADOLESCENT CHILDREN WITH SEVERE MULTIPLE HEALTH PROBLEMS

This study examines the difficulties encountered by parents caring for preadolescent children who have severe multiple health problems. Working within the frameworks of narrative psychotherapy (Spence, 1982; Viederman & Perry, 1980; Vitz, 1992; Benjamin, 1998), the researcher examined parents’ discourses and identified the strategies they employed to deal with their situations (Maynard, 2003). The results show that the participants’ ability to tell their stories to others who empathize with them provided an essential therapeutic function (Obeng, 2008). The most important discourse strategy identified was the use of words that have strong implications for dealing with emotional valence.
A Tale of Why Social and Cultural Content is Often Excluded from Art Education—and Why it Should Not Be

The Studies Invited Lecture is a presentation given each year at the National Art Education Annual Convention. The presenter is acknowledged as a leading art educator and is elected by the Studies in Art Education Editorial Board. This year's recipient was Patricia L. Stuhr. She is currently Professor and Chair, Department of Art Education, The Ohio State University. Professor Stuhr has published extensively in art education and related fields on issues of multiculturalism, postmodernism, feminism, and community-based art education.
Applicant Reactions to a Situational Judgment Test used for Selection into Initial Teacher Training

We considered applicants’ perceptions of the use of a pilot situational judgment test (SJT) designed for selection into primary and secondary teacher training programs in the UK. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 304 applicants (73% female) to two postgraduate (PGCE) training programs in the 2013-2014 application cycle. Participants were asked to provide feedback on the content of the SJTs and on the appropriateness of the tests for selection into teacher training. Results from the rating scales showed that most of the applicants (76.7%) found the content and format of the pilot selection tool favourable. Results from open-ended questions suggested that applicants were aware of issues of procedural justice and fairness in selection for teacher training, with a recommendation that separate selection tests should be created for primary and secondary applicants.
Performance evaluation of large-scale dynamic systems

In this paper we present an in-depth study of the dynamicity and robustness properties of large-scale distributed systems, and in particular of peer-to-peer systems. When designing such systems, two major issues need to be faced. First, population of these systems evolves continuously (nodes can join and leave the system as often as they wish without any central authority in charge of their control), and second, these systems being open, one needs to defend against the presence of malicious nodes that try to subvert the system. Given robust operations and adversarial strategies, we propose an analytical model of the local behavior of clusters, based on Markov chains. This local model provides an evaluation of the impact of malicious behaviors on the correctness of the system. Moreover, this local model is used to evaluate analytically the performance of the global system, allowing to characterize the global behavior of the system with respect to its dynamics and to the presence of malicious nodes and then to validate our approach.
The Alcohol Policy Development Process: Policymakers Speak

We investigate the policymaking activities of members of the federal alcohol-policy community, including efforts to raise issues on the agenda, develop policy alternatives, and influence political decisions. Qualitative data (observations, attitudes, and activities in relation to alcohol policymaking dynamics) from 64 key-informant interviews inform this analysis of strategies and tactics. The paper draws on archival data, including interest-group newsletters and government documents. It describes the various perspectives from which Congress, federal agencies, industry groups (alcohol producers, national trade organizations, broadcasters, and advertisers), public health activist organizations, researchers, and journalists view the process of federal-level alcohol policymaking. While there are considerable differences in problem-framing strategies and paradigms, alcohol policymakers view the dynamics in ways consistent with political scientists' theories based on general health policy. Insights gained have the potential to improve understanding of public policymaking in the alcohol area and could help to advance public health policy objectives.
Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE To investigate the changes in macular choroidal thickness in eyes with various stages of diabetic retinopathy, using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI OCT). METHODS Sixty-three consecutive diabetic patients--who presented without diabetic retinopathy (NDR); with diabetic retinopathy (nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy [NPDR]) and no clinically significant macular edema (CSME-); or with NDPR and clinically significant macular edema (CSME+)--underwent EDI OCT. Twenty-one age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (21 eyes) also underwent EDI OCT. RESULTS A total of 63 eyes of 63 consecutive diabetic patients (26 female [41.2%]; mean age 65 ± 9 years, range 48-83 years) were included in the analysis. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.13 ± 0.25 LogMAR (range 0-1). Mean CMT was 272.5 ± 16.2 μm in 21 NDR eyes, 294.5 ± 23.5 μm in 21 NPDR/CSME- eyes, and 385.6 ± 75.1 μm in 21 NPDR/CSME+ eyes. There was no difference in mean subfoveal choroidal thickness among each diabetic group (238.4 ± 47.9 μm [NDR], 207.0 ± 55.9 μm [NPDR/CSME-], 190.8 ± 48.4 μm [NPDR/CSME+]; P = 0.23). The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly reduced in each diabetic group compared with the control group (309.8 ± 58.5 μm, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In diabetic eyes, there is an overall thinning of the choroid on EDI OCT. A decreased choroidal thickness may lead to tissue hypoxia and consequently increase the level of VEGF, resulting in the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier and development of macular edema.
Measurement of variance in health state valuations in Phnom Penh , Cambodia

Introduction Initiated in 1992, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study was conducted at the request of the World Bank and in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a set of consistent estimates of disease and injury rates for 1990, as well as to develop a comparative index of the burden of each disease or injury, either from premature mortality or time lived with less than perfect health. This comparative index is the summary measure of population health, the disability adjusted life year three volumes of the GBD Study's method-ologies and final results were published on behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank (Murray and Lopez 1996a; 1996b; 1998), among other publications highlighting key findings or methods (Murray and Lopez 1996c; 1997a–d). The GBD Study's methods and findings have generated considerable discussion in the literature and international forums, as well as within the organizations collaborating on The potential normative use of the GBD study's findings by WHO, the World Bank and national governments has raised concerns on the comparability and interpretation of findings across regions, cultures and socioeconomic groups, as well as on the policy relevance and implications for resource allocation in different health system contexts. Much of the debate centres on the construction of DALY as a summary measure of population health, in particular the explicit social values incorporated within DALY. These include social values for severity weights for disability (e.g. disability weights for over 400 different health states partially based on valuations of 22 indicator health states), the discount rate for future health, age-weights across the life cycle, and target expectancy of life. This chapter reports on an empirical investigation of (i) 594 Summary Measures of Population Health whether the DALY protocol to elicit valuations for indicator health states may be replicated among non-health professionals in a developing country ; (ii) whether differences exist between valuations of health states obtained from individuals with different demographic characteristics or health experiences; and (iii) whether differences exist between health and non-health professionals' valuations.
Exploring a multidimensional representation of documents and queries

In Information Retrieval (IR), whether implicitly or explicitly, queries and documents are often represented as vectors. However, it may be more beneficial to consider documents and/or queries as multidimensional objects. Our belief is this would allow building "truly" interactive IR systems, i.e., where interaction is fully incorporated in the IR framework. The probabilistic formalism of quantum physics represents events and densities as multidimensional objects. This paper presents our first step towards building an interactive IR framework upon this formalism, by stating how the first interaction of the retrieval process, when the user types a query, can be formalised. Our framework depends on a number of parameters affecting the final document ranking. In this paper we experimentally investigate the effect of these parameters, showing that the proposed representation of documents and queries as multidimensional objects can compete with standard approaches, with the additional prospect to be applied to interactive retrieval.