Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OUTBACK catheter for treatment of superficial femoral and iliac artery chronic total occlusion: Experience from two centers

Abstract Purpose: The OUTBACK® catheter is a reentry device that enables reentry into a vessel lumen from the subintimal space during subintimal angioplasty. It is reserved for cases where reentry has not been possible using conventional wire and catheter techniques. We report a two-center experience in recanalization of the chronic total occlusions of the common iliac (CIA) and the superficial femoral artery (SFA) using the OUTBACK® catheter in cases where other techniques were unsuccessful. Material and Methods: All cases where recanalization was performed using the OUTBACK® reentry catheter between January 2010 to January 2015 were retrospectively identified and included in this study. 21 patients were identified. The indication for intervention in these cases included claudication and critical leg ischemia. In all cases, conventional recanalization could not be successfully achieved. Results: The OUTBACK® catheter was used to recanalize 10 SFA occlusion and 9 CIA occlusions. In 19 patients (90%), reentry into true arterial lumen was successfully achieved. 17 patients had their recanalization through the transfemoral approach whereas 2 patients had a transpopliteal artery approach. In 2 patients, reentry into the true lumen could not be achieved using the OUTBACK® catheter due to patient's intolerability for the procedure and severe atherosclerotic calcified plaques. There was 100% patency of the vessel intervened on Duplex ultrasound at 24 months of follow up. 16 patients (84%) remained asymptomatic and 2 patients (10.5%) reported worsening of their symptoms due to the development of new lesions within the arterial system. Conclusion: The OUTBACK® catheter is an effective and safe technique for reentry into the vessel lumen when conventional techniques fail.
Parenting Styles and Mental Health of Arab Gifted Adolescents

This study examined the parental styles and psychosocial adjustment of adolescents and the relationship between them in gifted as compared to nongifted Arab adolescents. Five scales—The Parental Authority Questionnaire, Child Attitude Toward Parents, Lipsitt’s Self-Concept Scale for Children, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and The Psychological State Scale—were administered to 118 gifted and 115 nongifted Arab adolescents in Israel. Results indicate that parents of gifted adolescents tend to be more authoritative and less authoritarian than parents of nongifted adolescents. The attitudes of the gifted adolescents toward their parents were more positive than those of the nongifted adolescents. The gifted displayed higher self-esteem and fewer identity disorders, phobias, and conduct disorders than the nongifted adolescents. The authoritative parental style correlates positively with the mental health of both gifted and nongifted adolescents, while the authoritarian parenting style impacts negatively on the mental health of the gifted, but not of the nongifted adolescents. The study results indicate that the authoritarian parenting style is a crucial factor that influences the well-being of gifted children and may affect their psychological adjustment. More studies are needed among gifted underachievers and among eminent talented Arab writers and artists.
Congenital Amusia (or Tone-Deafness) Interferes with Pitch Processing in Tone Languages

Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that affects music processing and that is ascribed to a deficit in pitch processing. We investigated whether this deficit extended to pitch processing in speech, notably the pitch changes used to contrast lexical tones in tonal languages. Congenital amusics and matched controls, all non-tonal language speakers, were tested for lexical tone discrimination in Mandarin Chinese (Experiment 1) and in Thai (Experiment 2). Tones were presented in pairs and participants were required to make same/different judgments. Experiment 2 additionally included musical analogs of Thai tones for comparison. Performance of congenital amusics was inferior to that of controls for all materials, suggesting a domain-general pitch-processing deficit. The pitch deficit of amusia is thus not limited to music, but may compromise the ability to process and learn tonal languages. Combined with acoustic analyses of the tone material, the present findings provide new insights into the nature of the pitch-processing deficit exhibited by amusics.
A Degree Is Not Enough: A quantitative study of aspects of pre-service science teachers’ chemistry content knowledge

Aspects of chemistry content knowledge held by 265 UK-based pre-service teachers (PSTs) were probed using 28 diagnostic questions in five chemistry concept areas, Particle theory and changes of state, Mass conservation (taught to 11–14-year-olds), and Chemical bonding, Mole calculations and Combustion reactions (taught to 14–16-year-olds). Data were collected over six years from academically able science graduates starting a full-time, university-based teacher education programme of one academic year duration. PSTs in three sub-cohorts (‘chemists', ‘physicists' and ‘biologists' on the basis of their undergraduate degrees) demonstrated similar levels of content knowledge (CK) for Particle theory and changes of state and Mass conservation. Biologists demonstrated statistically significantly weaker understanding than chemists and physicists in Chemical bonding, Mole calculations and Combustion reactions. Forty-four ‘triads' each comprising one chemist, physicist and biologist, matched by academic and personal backgrounds, showed that chemists outperformed biologists and physicists in Chemical bonding and Combustion reactions. The findings suggest that non-chemists' CK is insufficient for teaching these chemistry concepts in high schools, despite their possession of ‘good' Bachelor of Science degrees. These data have implications for science teacher education, including how best to prepare science graduates from diverse backgrounds for teaching specialist science subjects to 11–16-year-olds.
Sex investment ratios in eusocial Hymenoptera support inclusive fitness theory

Inclusive fitness theory predicts that sex investment ratios in eusocial Hymenoptera are a function of the relatedness asymmetry (relative relatedness to females and males) of the individuals controlling sex allocation. In monogynous ants (with one queen per colony), assuming worker control, the theory therefore predicts female‐biased sex investment ratios, as found in natural populations. Recently, E.O. Wilson and M.A. Nowak criticized this explanation and presented an alternative hypothesis. The Wilson–Nowak sex ratio hypothesis proposes that, in monogynous ants, there is selection for a 1 : 1 numerical sex ratio to avoid males remaining unmated, which, given queens exceed males in size, results in a female‐biased sex investment ratio. The hypothesis also asserts that, contrary to inclusive fitness theory, queens not workers control sex allocation and queen–worker conflict over sex allocation is absent. Here, I argue that the Wilson–Nowak sex ratio hypothesis is flawed because it contradicts Fisher's sex ratio theory, which shows that selection on sex ratio does not maximize the number of mated offspring and that the sex ratio proposed by the hypothesis is not an equilibrium for the queen. In addition, the hypothesis is not supported by empirical evidence, as it fails to explain ‘split’ (bimodal) sex ratios or data showing queen and worker control and ongoing queen–worker conflict. By contrast, these phenomena match predictions of inclusive fitness theory. Hence, the Wilson–Nowak sex ratio hypothesis fails both as an alternative hypothesis for sex investment ratios in eusocial Hymenoptera and as a critique of inclusive fitness theory.
Prevalence of DSM-IV symptoms of ADHD in adult licensed drivers: Implications for clinical diagnosis

The present study reports on the prevalence of the DSM-IV symptoms for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a sample of 720 adults applying for or renewing their driver's licenses in central Massachusetts (ages 17-84 years). Symptoms were assessed using two self- report rating scales: One for current symptoms and a second for retrospective recall of child hood symptoms (ages 5-12 yrs.). Three age groups were created: 17-29, 30-49, and 50+ years. All scores and symptom counts for both scales declined significantly with age for both disorders. Males and females did not differ significantly on scores for current symptoms. However, for recall of childhood symptoms, males obtained higher scores than females. Requiring that DSM-IV diagnostic thresholds be met for both current and childhood symptoms, the prevalence of adult ADHD was found to be 1.3% for the Inattentive Type, 2.5% for the Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, and 0.9% for the Combined Type. The prevalence of all subtypes was below that found in most studies of children. While these results imply that ADHD subtypes may be less prevalent in adults, the lower prevalence could also have been due to DSM-IV diagnostic thresholds being too restrictive (i.e., >99th percentile) for use in the diagnosis of adults with ADHD. Further research is recommended to evaluate whether future DSMs should consider establishing thresholds that are developmentally (age) referenced rather than fixed across the lifespan.
Analysis of Competing Hypotheses using Subjective Logic

Abstract : Intelligence analysis is a complicated task that requires a high degree of analytical judgement under conditions of considerable uncertainty. This judgement is used to fill in the gaps in knowledge and is the analyst's principal means of managing uncertainty. Much of intelligence analysis includes judging the relevance and the value of evidence to determine the likelihood of competing hypotheses. The challenge is to create better formal methods of analysis that can be used under a wider variety of circumstances and which can handle both empirical data and formally-expressed beliefs as evidence for or against each hypothesis. The authors have developed a formal approach to the evaluation of competing hypotheses that is based on the belief calculus known as Subjective Logic. The development of this formal approach allows for integration of empirical and statistical data, as well as for judgements made by analysts. Lastly, this formal approach makes redundant the separate analysis of "diagnosticity of evidence". Under this formal approach, diagnosticity is formally derived from the model and need not be considered as a separate input to the model, except as a means of limiting the initial set of evidence that should be formally considered.
Modified Co-Training With Spectral and Spatial Views for Semisupervised Hyperspectral Image Classification

Hyperspectral images are characterized by limited labeled samples, large number of spectral channels, and existence of noise and redundancy. Supervised hyperspectral image classification is difficult due to the unbalance between the high dimensionality of the data and the limited labeled training samples available in real analysis scenarios. The collection of labeled samples is generally hard, expensive, and time-consuming, whereas unlabeled samples can be obtained much easier. This observation has fostered the idea of adopting semisupervised learning techniques in hyperspectral image classification. In this paper, a semisupervised method based on a modified co-training process with spectral and spatial views is proposed for hyperspectral image classification. The original spectral features and the 2-D Gabor features extracted from spatial domains are adopted as two distinct views for co-training, which considers both the spectral and spatial information. Then, a modified co-training process with a new sample selection scheme is presented, which can effectively improve the co-training performance, especially when there are extremely limited labeled samples available. Experiments carried out on two real hyperspectral images show the superiority of the proposed semisupervised method with the modified co-training process over the corresponding supervised techniques, the semisupervised method with the conventional co-training version, and the semisupervised graph-based method.
Finding the Largest Hypercavity in a Linear Data Space

This paper proposes a definition and a solution of the problem of finding a hyper cavity as a data-free hyper sphere of maximum radius. This problem is formulated here as a multiextremal problem under constraints in a linear feature space and in a linear space produced by a kernel function. In accordance with the proposed approach, just as in the one-class SVM, the center of the hyper sphere is sought for as a linear combination of some small quantity of so called "support" objects. Experiments with smulated points in a 2-dimensional feature space and with symbolic sequences modeling a global evolutionary process have demonstrated correctness of the obtained solution.
The effect of a cognitive-behavioral group treatment program on hypoactive sexual desire in women

The present paper describes the first extensive controlled study designed to assess and treat Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSD) following an innovative, short-term, cognitive-behavioral group treatment program. HSD is well known to be among the most complex and difficult sexual disorders to treat. While the clinical literature reports positive treatment outcomes and descriptions of successful sex therapy techniques for sexual desire disorders, most of these are based primarily on single or multiple case studies following various therapeutic approaches. To date, there are no comprehensive controlled treatment outcome studies on the effect cognitive-behavioral treatment has on HSD. Results of this study are presented, as well as some descriptive information on women presenting with HSD. In general, results indicate that the treatment protocol is effective. It not only decreases the symptoms of this sexual disorder, but also improves overall cognitive, behavioral and marital functioning associated with HSD.
Policy-based Runtime Partner Management in ProcessBased Services

BPEL and similar languages have been provided a foundation for process-based implementation of composite Web services. These languages allow definition of orchestration processes without concrete binding information of involved partners. Although this approach facilitates customization of service discovery and selection before process execution, partner management during process execution has not been considered, such as rebinding of service providers upon events. In response to this problem, this study proposes a description model that facilitates runtime partner management in process-based services. The proposed model includes policy descriptions that allow insertion and customization of binding behavior according to surrounding environments and user preferences. The model also includes extensions in the standard process notation in order to allow process developers to give constraints to avoid adoption of inadequate policies as well as to define handlers to have common rebinding behavior reused. The proposed descriptions have been implemented and used in an agent framework for multimedia services.
CTGF/CCN2 Postconditioning Increases Tolerance of Murine Hearts towards Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Background and Purpose Previous studies of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in hearts from mice with cardiac-restricted overexpression of CCN2 have shown that CCN2 increases tolerance towards IRI. The objectives of this study were to investigate to what extent post-ischemic administration of recombinant human CCN2 (rhCCN2) would limit infarct size and improve functional recovery and what signaling pathways are involved. Experimental Approach Isolated mice hearts were perfused ad modum Langendorff, subjected to no-flow, global ischemia, and subsequently, exposed to mammalian cell derived, full-length (38-40kDa) rhCCN2 (250 nM) or vehicle during the first 15 min of a 60 min reperfusion period. Key Results Post-ischemic administration of rhCCN2 resulted in attenuation of infarct size from 58 ± 4% to 34 ± 2% (p < 0.001) which was abrogated by concomitant administration of the PI3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 (45 ± 3% vs. 50 ± 3%, ns). In congruence with reduction of infarct size rhCCN2 also improved recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (p < 0.05). Western blot analyses of extracts of ex vivo-perfused murine hearts also revealed that rhCCN2 evoked concentration-dependent increase of cardiac phospho-GSK3β (serine-9) contents. Conclusions and Implications We demonstrate that post-ischemic administration of rhCCN2 increases the tolerance of ex vivo-perfused murine hearts to IRI. Mechanistically, this postconditioning effect of rhCCN2 appeared to be mediated by activation of the reperfusion injury salvage kinase pathway as demonstrated by sensitivity to PI3 kinase inhibition and increased CCN2-induced phosphorylation of GSK3β (Ser-9). Thus, the rationale for testing rhCCN2-mediated post-ischemic conditioning of the heart in more complex models is established.
Higher order Rab programming in phagolysosome biogenesis

Phagosomes offer kinetically and morphologically tractable organelles to dissect the control of phagolysosome biogenesis by Rab GTPases. Model phagosomes harboring latex beads undergo a coordinated Rab5–Rab7 exchange, which is akin to the process of endosomal Rab conversion, the control mechanisms of which are unknown. In the process of blocking phagosomal maturation, the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis prevents Rab7 acquisition, thus, providing a naturally occurring tool to study Rab conversion. We show that M. tuberculosis inhibition of Rab7 acquisition and arrest of phagosomal maturation depends on Rab22a. Four-dimensional microscopy revealed that phagosomes harboring live mycobacteria recruited and retained increasing amounts of Rab22a. Rab22a knockdown in macrophages via siRNA enhanced the maturation of phagosomes with live mycobacteria. Conversely, overexpression of the GTP-locked mutant Rab22aQ64L prevented maturation of phagosomes containing heat-killed mycobacteria, which normally progress into phagolysosomes. Moreover, Rab22a knockdown led to Rab7 acquisition by phagosomes harboring live mycobacteria. Our findings show that Rab22a defines the critical checkpoint for Rab7 conversion on phagosomes, allowing or disallowing organellar transition into a late endosomal compartment. M. tuberculosis parasitizes this process by actively recruiting and maintaining Rab22a on its phagosome, thus, preventing Rab7 acquisition and blocking phagolysosomal biogenesis.
Inhibitory processes in language switching: Evidence from switching language-defined response sets

We used language-defined response sets (digit names from 1 to 9 in different languages) to explore inhibitory processes in language switching. Subjects were required to switch between two (Experiment 1) or among three (Experiment 2) languages. In Experiment 1, we obtained a shift cost when subjects switched between their first and second language, between their first and third language, or between their second and third language. For each language pairing, the shift cost was larger for the relatively dominant language than for the nondominant language (i.e., asymmetric shift cost). In Experiment 2, we assessed inhibition of response sets as reflected in n-2 repetition cost (i.e., the difference between ABA and CBA language sequences). We discuss both effects with respect to inhibitory processes in language switching. The results suggest different functional characteristics of the processes underlying asymmetric shift cost and n-2 repetition cost.
The Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect and Analytic Radial Velocity Curves for Transiting Extrasolar Planetary Systems

A transiting extrasolar planet sequentially blocks off the light coming from the different parts of the disk of the host star in a time-dependent manner. Because of the spin of the star, this produces an asymmetric distortion in the line profiles of the stellar spectrum, leading to an apparent anomaly in the the radial velocity curves, known as the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Here, we derive approximate but accurate analytic formulae for the anomaly in the radial velocity curves, taking into account the stellar limb darkening. The formulae are particularly useful in extracting information on the projected angle between the planetary orbit axis and the stellar spin axis, λ, and the projected stellar spin velocity, V sin Is. We create mock samples for the radial curves for the transiting extrasolar system HD 209458 and demonstrate that constraints on the spin parameters (V sin Is, λ) can be significantly improved by combining our analytic template formulae and the precision velocity curves from high-resolution spectroscopic observations with 8-10 m class telescopes. Thus, future observational exploration of transiting systems using the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect will be one of the most important probes for a better understanding of the origin of extrasolar planetary systems, especially the origin of their angular momentum.
Antioxidant and Anti-Cancer Potentials of Rheum emodi Rhizome Extracts

The objective of this study was to determine antioxidant and cytotoxic efficacies of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Rheum emodi Wall. ex Meissn. rhizome. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation and Fe3+ reducing antioxidant property have been used to investigate antioxidant properties of the extracts. Cytotoxicity of the extracts was tested on MDA-MB-435S and Hep3B cell lines. Both extracts displayed extensive cytotoxicity to the tested cell lines. The extracts were studied for their ability to protect pBR322 DNA from damage by UV induced photolysis of H2O2. The aqueous extract, though inferior to methanolic extract in its antioxidant potential exhibited efficiency in DNA protection, while the methanolic extract failed to protect the DNA. The amount of total polyphenolics in the extracts was measured by spectrophotometric method. The methanolic extract contained higher polyphenolic contents than aqueous extract. Significant positive correlations were observed (P < .05) between results of phenolic content estimation and that of antioxidant assays. Hence, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis was performed to identify few major phenolic compounds that might be responsible for these therapeutic properties. These results indicate that rhizome of R. emodi possesses antioxidant and cytotoxic activities and therefore have therapeutic potential.
Educating Parents of Gifted Children

The focus of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a series of free workshops for parents of gifted children. The parent education workshops provided research-based information as recognized by experts in the field of counseling gifted children. Content areas include the characteristics of gifted children, identification, appropriate education, and parenting practices. Differences between the means of the pretest and posttest content questions indicated that the workshops were effective in educating parents. The findings support that parent workshops offer an option for providing quality information that parents need in raising their gifted children.