Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bi-directional path tracing

In this paper we present a new Monte Carlo rendering algorithm that seamlessly integrates the ideas of shooting and gathering power to create photorealistic images. The algorithm can be explained as a generalisation of the well-known path tracing algorithm. Test results show that it performs signicantly better for typical indoor scenes where indirect lighting is important.
Positive attributes in children and reduced risk of future psychopathology

Background There is little research on children’s positive attributes and their association with psychiatric outcomes. Aims To examine the hypothesis that children’s positive attributes are associated with a reduced risk of developing psychopathology in future. Method Positive attributes, measured with the Youth Strengths Inventory (YSI) and psychiatric outcomes were assessed on two occasions over 3 years in a large epidemiological sample of British children and adolescents (n = 5325). Results The YSI showed high to moderate cross-informant correlations and longitudinal stability. Children scoring high on positive attributes at baseline had fewer psychiatric symptoms and disorders at follow-up, adjusting for symptoms at baseline, disorder at baseline and child and family factors. Analyses with propensity score matching also suggested that positive attributes decrease the likelihood of psychiatric morbidity. Conclusions Children’s positive attributes are associated with significantly less psychopathology across time and may be a target for intervention.
Relationship with Health Care Provider and Adherence to HIV Medications

Suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral medications was reported in a sample of 97 inner-city residents with HIV/AIDS. Most respondents had been seeing the same physician for several years. Those who perceived themselves to be more engaged with their health care provider also reported better treatment adherence. This finding, though, should be viewed with caution since self-reported measures were used. Interventions that target adherence could include patients' perceptions of providers.
A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of Low Dose Infliximab in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objective. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor infliximab (IFX) has been proven effective for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The primary objective of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to assess the safety and efficacy of low-dose (3 mg/kg q8w) IFX therapy in AS. Methods. In the 12-week double-blind phase of the study, patients (N = 76) were randomized to infusions of placebo or IFX (3 mg/kg) at Weeks 0, 2, and 6. The primary endpoint was 20% improvement in ASsessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis criteria (ASAS20) at 12 weeks. In the open-label extension phase, all patients received scheduled IFX infusions (q 8 weeks) up to 46 weeks. Patients who did not meet target response criteria (i.e., BASDAI score did not improve by at least 50% and was > 3) at Weeks 22 or 38 had a dose increase to IFX 5 mg/kg. Results. At 12 weeks, 53.8% of IFX-treated patients achieved ASAS20, compared with 30.6% of placebo-treated patients (p = 0.042). IFX-treated patients showed significant improvement in measures of disease activity, spinal mobility, and quality of life over the course of the study. During the extension phase, 68% of patients in the IFX group did not meet the clinical target and had an increase in the dose of IFX to 5 mg/kg by 38 weeks. In general, IFX was safe and well tolerated. Ten patients withdrew from the study for various reasons, with only 2 (2.6%) attributed to adverse events. Conclusion. IFX 3 mg/kg was effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of active AS, and was generally safe and well tolerated. Dose escalation to 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks was warranted in most patients to achieve the target clinical response of the study.
Gait phase detection in able-bodied subjects and dementia patients

Accurate detection of gait phases allows identification of specific functional deficits at each phase of the gait cycle for motor function assessment. This paper proposes a robust gait phase detection method to identify the seven gait phases in overground walking for normal and pathologic gaits. Four inertial sensors are used to obtain knee angles, tibia angles and feet angular rate patterns in the sagittal plane. The key events segmenting the gait cycles are searched using an adaptive threshold in adaptive searching intervals to make sure it works well for different subjects with high variation in cadence and step length during walking. The subjects involved in this study are categorized into three groups: five healthy adult subjects, two healthy elderly subjects and two severe dementia patients. The experimental results have shown our method can reliably detect all gait phases for able-bodied subjects and dementia patients without subject-specific calibration.
Measurement of pulse wave velocity in children: comparison of volumetric and tonometric sensors, brachial-femoral and carotid-femoral pathways

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness strongly predictive of cardiovascular risk in adults, is usually measured by sequential ECG-referenced carotid and femoral tonometry. A simplified technique, more suitable for use in children, employs simultaneous volumetric recording from a sensor applied over the carotid artery and a cuff applied over the femoral artery or arm and thigh pressure cuffs applied over the brachial and femoral arteries. The purpose of this study was to compare PWV computed over the carotid-femoral path (PWVcf) with that over the brachial-femoral path (PWVbf) using a volumetric system (Vicorder) and to compare values of PWVcf obtained by the volumetric and a tonometric method (SphygmoCor) in children. Method: Vicorder PWVcf and PWVbf were compared in 156 children (3–18 years, 110 with chronic kidney disease), and PWVcf by Vicorder was compared to PWVcf by SphygmoCor in a subset of 122 patients. Results: PWVcf by Vicorder was moderately correlated with PWVcf by SphygmoCor (R = 0.50, P < 0.000). PWVbf and PWVcf Vicorder were more closely correlated (R = 0.75, P < 0.0001), but with a significant systematic difference. Applying a correction factor to PWVbf measurements gave results similar to those obtained over the carotid-femoral path. Within-patient coefficients of variation for repeated measures were 5.9, 7.8, and 8.5% for PWVbf (Vicorder), PWVcf (Vicorder) and PWVcf (SphygmoCor), respectively. All PWV values showed a similar relation to age. Conclusion: Volumetric methods appear reproducible and are easy to use in children, but values obtained by Vicorder and SphygmoCor are not interchangeable even when measured over the same pathway.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in children with recurrent primary brain tumors.

PURPOSE Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) is a noninvasive technique for spatial characterization of biochemical markers in tissues. We measured the relative tumor concentrations of these biochemical markers in children with recurrent brain tumors and evaluated their potential prognostic significance. PATIENTS AND METHODS (1)H-MRSI was performed on 27 children with recurrent primary brain tumors referred to our institution for investigational drug trials. Diagnoses included high-grade glioma (n = 10), brainstem glioma (n = 7), medulloblastoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (n = 6), ependymoma (n = 3), and pineal germinoma (n = 1). (1)H-MRSI was performed on 1. 5-T magnetic resonance imagers before treatment. The concentrations of choline (Cho) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in the tumor and normal brain were quantified using a multislice multivoxel method, and the maximum Cho:NAA ratio was determined for each patient's tumor. RESULTS The maximum Cho:NAA ratio ranged from 1.1 to 13.2 (median, 4.5); the Cho:NAA ratio in areas of normal-appearing brain tissue was less than 1.0. The maximum Cho:NAA ratio for each histologic subtype varied considerably; approximately equal numbers of patients within each tumor type had maximum Cho:NAA ratios above and below the median. Patients with a maximum Cho:NAA ratio greater than 4.5 had a median survival of 22 weeks, and all 13 patients died by 63 weeks. Patients with a Cho:NAA ratio less than or equal to 4.5 had a projected survival of more than 50% at 63 weeks. The difference was statistically significant (P =.0067, log-rank test). CONCLUSION The maximum tumor Cho:NAA ratio seems to be predictive of outcome in children with recurrent primary brain tumors and should be evaluated as a prognostic indicator in newly diagnosed childhood brain tumors.
The l-dopa response in vascular parkinsonism

Objective: To determine whether a positive l-dopa response in vascular parkinsonism (VP) is correlated with the presence of nigrostriatal pathology due to either vascular damage or neuronal cell loss. Methods: Seventeen patients with pathologically confirmed VP were selected from the pathological collection of the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, and their l-dopa response during life was compared with the presence of macroscopic vascular damage in the nigrostriatal pathway and microscopic substantia nigra cell loss. Results: Ten of the twelve patients with a good or excellent response had macroscopic infarcts or lacunae caused by enlarged perivascular spaces in the basal ganglia or microscopic neuronal cell loss in the substantia nigra. In contrast, only one of the five patients with a moderate or no response had lacunae in the putamen, and none had lacunar infarcts or substantia nigra cell loss. Conclusion: These results suggest that a substantial number of patients with clinically suspected VP may respond with benefit to dopaminergic therapy, especially those with lesions in or close to the nigrostriatal pathway.
Information analysis of human splice site mutations

Splice site nucleotide substitutions can be analyzed by comparing the individual information contents (Ri, bits) of the normal and variant splice junction sequences [Rogan and Schneider, 1995]. In the present study, we related splicing abnormalities to changes in Ri values of 111 previously reported splice site substitutions in 41 different genes. Mutant donor and acceptor sites have significantly less information than their normal counterparts. With one possible exception, primary mutant sites with <2.4 bits were not spliced. Sites with Ri values ≥2.4 bits but less than the corresponding natural site usually decreased, but did not abolish splicing. Substitutions that produced small changes in Ri probably do not impair splicing and are often polymorphisms. The Ri values of activated cryptic sites were generally comparable to or greater than those of the corresponding natural splice sites. Information analysis revealed preexisting cryptic splice junctions that are used instead of the mutated natural site. Other cryptic sites were created or strengthened by sequence changes that simultaneously altered the natural site. Comparison between normal and mutant splice site Ri values distinguishes substitutions that impair splicing from those which do not, distinguishes null alleles from those that are partially functional, and detects activated cryptic splice sites. Hum Mutat 12:153–171, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cognition and the Sex Chromosomes: Studies in Turner Syndrome

Turner syndrome (TS) is a human genetic disorder involving females who lack all or part of one X chromosome. The complex phenotype includes ovarian failure, a characteristic neurocognitive profile and typical physical features. TS features are associated not only with complete monosomy X but also with partial deletions of either the short (Xp) or long (Xq) arm (partial monosomy X). Impaired visual-spatial/perceptual abilities are characteristic of TS children and adults of varying races and socioeconomic status, but global developmental delay is uncommon. The cognitive phenotype generally includes normal verbal function with relatively impaired visual-spatial ability, attention, working memory, and spatially dependent executive function. The constellation of neurocognitive deficits observed in TS is most likely multifactorial and related to a complex interaction between genetic abnormalities and hormonal deficiencies. Furthermore, other determinants, including an additional genetic mechanism, imprinting, may also contribute to cognitive deficits associated with monosomy X. As a relatively common genetic disorder with well-defined manifestations, TS presents an opportunity to investigate genetic and hormonal factors that influence female cognitive development. TS is an excellent model for such studies because of its prevalence, the well-characterized phenotype, and the wealth of molecular resources available for the X chromosome. In the current review, we summarize the hormonal and genetic factors that may contribute to the TS neurocognitive phenotype. The hormonal determinants of cognition in TS are related to estrogen and androgen deficiency. Our genetic hypothesis is that haploinsufficiency for gene/genes on the short arm of the X chromosome (Xp) is responsible for the hallmark features of the TS cognitive phenotype. Careful clinical and molecular characterization of adult subjects missing part of Xp links the TS phenotype of impaired visual spatial/perceptual ability to specific distal Xp chromosome regions. We demonstrate that small, nonmosaic deletion of the distal short arm of the X chromosome in adult women is associated with the same hallmark cognitive profile seen in adult women with TS. Future studies will elucidate the cognitive deficits and the underlying etiology. These results should allow us to begin to design cognitive interventions that might lessen those deficits in the TS population.
The Blood-brain Barrier and Drug Delivery to the CNS

History and Physiology of the Blood-Brain Barrier in Relation to Delivery of Drugs to the Brain Michael W. Bradbury Physicochemical Factors that Influence Brain Uptake Michael H. Abraham and James A. Platts The Development of In Vitro Models for the Blood-Brain and Blood-CSF Barriers Christiane Engelbertz, Dorothea Korte, Thorsten Nitz, Helmut Franke, Matthias Haselbach, Joachim Wegener, and Hans-Joachim Galla In Vitro Models of the Blood-Brain Barrier and Their Use in Drug Development R. Cecchelli, B. Dehouck, L. Descamps, L. Fenart, V. Buee-Scherrer, C. Duhem, G. Torpier, and M. P. Dehouck The Application of Microdialysis Techniques to the Study of Drug Transport Across the Blood-Brain Barrier A. G. de Boer, Elizabeth C. M. de Lange, Inez C. J. van der Sandt, and Douwe D. Breimer The Role of Brain Extracellular Fluid Production and Efflux Mechanisms in Drug Transport to the Brain David J. Begley, Anthony Regina, Francoise Roux, Ehsan Ullah Khan, Christopher Rollinson, and Joan Abbott The Relevance of P-Glycoprotein in Drug Transport to the Brain: The Use of Knockout Mice as a Model System Ulrich Mayer Specific Mechanisms for Transporting Drugs Into Brain Akira Tsuji Drug Metabolism in the Brain: Benefits and Risks Alain Minn, Ramon D. S. El-Bacha, Claire Bayol-Denizot, Philippe Lagrange, Funmilayo G. Suleman, and Daniela Gradinaru Targeting Macromolecules to the Central Nervous System Ulrich Bickel Using Nanoparticles to Target Drugs to the Central Nervous System Jorg Kreuter and Renad N. Alyautdin Basic CNS Drug Transport and Binding Kinetics In Vivo Albert Gjedde, Antony D. Gee, and Donald Frederick Smith
A coalescent-based method for population tree inference with haplotypes

MOTIVATION Population trees represent past population divergence histories. The inference of population trees can be useful for the study of population evolution. With the size of data increases in large-scale population genetic projects, such as the 1000 Genomes Project, there are new computational challenges for ancestral population inference, including population tree inference. Existing methods for population tree inference are mainly designed for unlinked genetic variants (e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs). There is a potential loss of information by not considering the haplotypes. RESULTS In this article, we propose a new population tree inference method (called STELLSH) based on coalescent likelihood. The likelihood is for haplotypes over multiple SNPs within a non-recombining region, not unlinked variants. Unlike many existing ancestral inference methods, STELLSH does not use Monte Carlo approaches when computing the likelihood. For efficient computation, the likelihood model is approximated but still retains much information about population divergence history. STELLSH can find the maximum likelihood population tree based on the approximate likelihood. We show through simulation data and the 1000 Genomes Project data that STELLSH gives reasonably accurate inference results. STELLSH is reasonably efficient for data of current interest and can scale to handle whole-genome data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The population tree inference method STELLSH has been implemented as part of the STELLS program: http://www.engr. uconn.edu/∼ywu/STELLS.html.
Low risk of colon cancer in patients with celiac disease

Abstract Objective. Celiac disease (CD) has strongly been established as associated with some site-specific gastrointestinal malignancies. On the contrary, according to the few reports available, the risk of colon carcinoma in CD patients has been described similar to that of general population. In this cohort study, we describe the risk of colon carcinoma in a group of Italian celiac patients. Materials and methods. The study population included all CD patients diagnosed at the Collaborating Centers of the Italian Registry of CD between 1st January 1982 and 31st December 2006. Upon diagnosis of CD and upon at every subsequent clinical control, the Collaborating Centers filled in a validated form for each CD patient reporting information about demographic data, possible occurrence of a neoplasm and adherence to a gluten-free diet. Results. Out of 1757 celiac patients enrolled, 6 developed a colon carcinoma during the follow-up period (mean: 18.1 years). The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) resulted 0.29 (95% CI = 0.07–0.45). Stratifying the risk for the dietary gluten intake, the SIR dropped to 0.07 (95% CI = 0.009–0.27) for CD patients with a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. Conclusion. We confirm the previous finding that there is low risk to develop a colon cancer in celiac patients.
The management of children with chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness in primary care: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Most studies on children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) have been undertaken in tertiary care and little is known about their management in primary care. AIM To describe the characteristics of patients aged 5-19 years with CFS-like illness in primary care and to examine how GPs investigate and manage patients. DESIGN OF STUDY Descriptive retrospective questionnaire study. SETTING Sixty-two UK GP practices in the MRC General Practice Research Framework (GPRF). METHOD One hundred and twenty-two practices were approached; 62 identified 116 patients consulting a GP with severe fatigue lasting over 3 months. Practice nurses and GPs completed questionnaires from medical notes and patients completed postal questionnaires. RESULTS Ninety-four patients were considered by a clinical panel, blind to diagnosis, to meet the Oxford CFS criteria with a fatigue duration of 3 months. Seventy-three per cent were girls, 94% white, mean age was 12.9 years and median illness duration 3.3 years. GPs had principal responsibility for 62%. A diagnosis of CFS/ME was made in 55%, 30% of these within 6 months. Fifty per cent had a moderate illness severity. Paediatric referrals were made in 82% and psychiatric referrals in 46% (median time of 2 and 13 months respectively). Advice given included setting activity goals, pacing, rest and graded exercise. CONCLUSIONS Patient characteristics are comparable to those reported in tertiary care, although fewer are severe cases. GPs have responsibility for the majority of patients, are diagnosing CFS/ME within a short time and applying a range of referral and advice strategies.
, MD , FAAEM Cocaine : Acute intoxication

INTRODUCTION — Cocaine, purported to be the most potent stimulant of natural origin, is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. Natives in this region chew or brew coca leaves into a tea for refreshment and to relieve fatigue, similar to the customs of chewing tobacco and drinking tea or coffee in other cultures.
Constraints of philanthropy on determining the distribution of biodiversity conservation funding

Caught between ongoing habitat destruction and funding shortfalls, conservation organizations are using systematic planning approaches to identify places that offer the highest biodiversity return per dollar invested. However, available tools do not account for the landscape of funding for conservation or quantify the constraints this landscape imposes on conservation outcomes. Using state‐level data on philanthropic giving to and investments in land conservation by a large nonprofit organization, we applied linear regression to evaluate whether the spatial distribution of conservation philanthropy better explained expenditures on conservation than maps of biodiversity priorities, which were derived from a planning process internal to the organization and return on investment (ROI) analyses based on data on species richness, land costs, and existing protected areas. Philanthropic fund raising accounted for considerably more spatial variation in conservation spending (r2 = 0.64) than either of the 2 systematic conservation planning approaches (r2 = 0.08–0.21). We used results of one of the ROI analyses to evaluate whether increases in flexibility to reallocate funding across space provides conservation gains. Small but plausible “tax” increments of 1–10% on states redistributed to the optimal funding allocation from the ROI analysis could result in gains in endemic species protected of 8.5–80.2%. When such increases in spatial flexibility are not possible, conservation organizations should seek to cultivate increased support for conservation in priority locations. We used lagged correlations of giving to and spending by the organization to evaluate whether investments in habitat protection stimulate future giving to conservation. The most common outcome at the state level was that conservation spending quarters correlated significantly and positively with lagged fund raising quarters. In effect, periods of high fund raising for biodiversity followed (rather than preceded) periods of high expenditure on land conservation projects, identifying one mechanism conservation organizations could explore to seed greater activity in priority locations. Our results demonstrate how limitations on the ability of conservation organizations to reallocate their funding across space can impede organizational effectiveness and elucidate ways conservation planning tools could be more useful if they quantified and incorporated these constraints.