Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and the Churg-Strauss syndrome.

BACKGROUND Since testing for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) became available for routine evaluation, no large homogeneous cohort of patients with the Churg-Strauss syndrome has been studied. OBJECTIVE To define the clinical and biological characteristics of newly diagnosed Churg-Strauss syndrome, according to the presence or absence of ANCA. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of manifestations of participants who were enrolled in treatment trials between December 1995 and December 2002. SETTING Multicenter study in 63 clinical centers in France, Belgium, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, coordinated by the French Vasculitis Study Group. PARTICIPANTS 112 patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome that was recently diagnosed on the basis of current classifications. MEASUREMENTS The authors compared principal demographic, clinical, and laboratory features according to ANCA status at diagnosis. RESULTS The authors detected ANCA in 43 (38%) patients. Positive ANCA status at diagnosis was associated with renal involvement, peripheral neuropathy, and biopsy-proven vasculitis, whereas negative ANCA status was associated with heart disease and fever. LIMITATIONS The authors assessed ANCA by immunofluorescence, but they did not assess ANCA centrally or systematically retest if ANCA was undetected at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Phenotypically, ANCA-positive and ANCA-negative Churg-Strauss syndrome might differ. The association of ANCA positivity with clinical symptoms that indicate inflammation and necrosis of small vessels might characterize a predominantly vasculitic pattern of the Churg-Strauss syndrome.
Comparative outcome of bomb explosion injuries versus high-powered gunshot injuries of the upper extremity in a civilian setting.

BACKGROUND Explosion injuries to the upper extremity have specific clinical characteristics that differ from injuries due to other mechanisms. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the upper extremity injury pattern of attacks on civilian targets, comparing bomb explosion injuries to gunshot injuries and their functional recovery using standard outcome measures. METHODS Of 157 patients admitted to the hospital between 2000 and 2004, 72 (46%) sustained explosion injuries and 85 (54%) gunshot injuries. The trauma registry files were reviewed and the patients completed the DASH Questionnaire (Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand) and SF-12 (Short Form-12) after a minimum period of 1 year. RESULTS Of the 157 patients, 72 (46%) had blast injuries and 85 (54%) had shooting injuries. The blast casualties had higher Injury Severity Scores (47% vs. 22% with a score of > 16, P = 0.02) and higher percent of patients treated in intensive care units (47% vs. 28%, P = 0.02). Although the Abbreviated Injury Scale score of the upper extremity injury was similar in the two groups, the blast casualties were found to have more bilateral and complex soft tissue injuries and were treated surgically more often. No difference was found in the SF-12 or DASH scores between the groups at follow up. CONCLUSIONS The casualties with upper extremity blast injuries were more severely injured and sustained more bilateral and complex soft tissue injuries to the upper extremity. However, the rating of the local injury to the isolated limb is similar, as was the subjective functional recovery.
Immunogenetic Determinants of Preeclampsia and Related Pregnancy Disorders: A Systematic Review

Objective: We sought to systematically review the impact of immunogenetic factors, specifically human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele frequencies, maternal homozygosity, couple sharing, and maternal-fetal sharing, on the risk of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Data Sources: A computerized search of PubMed databases from 1975 to 2003 was performed with the terms “preeclampsia,” “eclampsia,” “intrauterine growth restriction,” and “human leukocyte antigens” and limited to studies of human subjects in English. No restrictions were placed on study design. All bibliographies were cross-referenced to identify additional pertinent studies. Methods of Study Selection: Titles and abstracts were reviewed carefully. Observational and basic science research studies were selected if their main objective was to assess the relationship of any aspect of HLA genotypes with preeclampsia and related disorders of pregnancy. Tabulation, Integration, and Results: Data were abstracted and tabulated from 22 original research studies. Meta-analytic techniques were not performed owing to variations in disease and exposure definitions as well as research methodologies. Studies that examined maternal, paternal, and fetal HLA allele frequencies, maternal homozygosity, and couple sharing yielded inconsistent results. Although the cumulative evidence points to the HLA-DR locus (particularly DR4) as a correlate of preeclampsia, it remains unclear whether any specific HLA allele, haplotype, or susceptibility gene in linkage disequilibrium with the HLA region is responsible. Although genetic evidence is suggestive of gene-gene interaction between mother and fetus, few studies have evaluated the influence of maternal-fetal HLA sharing. Conclusion: In the early 1990s, HLA genotypes were dismissed as possible etiologic factors for preeclampsia, based on studies that are heterogeneous with respect to study design, outcome, and exposure assessment. Many of these studies did not take into account the interactions between maternal, paternal, and infant genotypes. Thus, adequately powered studies designed specifically to assess the effect of maternal-fetal HLA sharing on risk of preeclampsia are needed.
An image multiresolution representation for lossless and lossy compression

We propose a new image multiresolution transform that is suited for both lossless (reversible) and lossy compression. The new transformation is similar to the subband decomposition, but can be computed with only integer addition and bit-shift operations. During its calculation, the number of bits required to represent the transformed image is kept small through careful scaling and truncations. Numerical results show that the entropy obtained with the new transform is smaller than that obtained with predictive coding of similar complexity. In addition, we propose entropy-coding methods that exploit the multiresolution structure, and can efficiently compress the transformed image for progressive transmission (up to exact recovery). The lossless compression ratios are among the best in the literature, and simultaneously the rate versus distortion performance is comparable to those of the most efficient lossy compression methods.
Untersuchungen zum Fünf-Faktoren-Modell der Persönlichkeit und seiner diagnostischen Erfassung

Whereas a five-factor model of personality is widely accepted by factor-analytic personality researchers, there is no German personality inventory that measures the corresponding factors. We therefor translated Costa and McCrae´s NEO Personality Inventory that measures the Big Five, and evaluated itin the present study. In addition to the NEO-PI, the 300 subjects were administered the PRF, the FPI-R (a widely used German personality inventory), and the EPI. Moreover, all subjects rated themselves on 62 dimensions, and they were judged on the same dimensions by three independent acquaintances. For each af the three data levels (i.e. questionnaire, trait self-ratings, and trait peer ratings), the five factor model turned out to be appropriate. Moreover, significant structural correspondences were establiched among the three data levels. The NEO overall scales turned out to be appropriate marker variables for the five factors. However, the facets of extraversion and neuroticism that are hypothesized in the NEO-model were not confirmed. The implications of the findings for personality measurement are discussed.
Average modeling and linear control of a buck-boost KY converter

In this paper, the averaged model and linear control of a 2D KY buck-boost converter are developed. Unlike the traditional buck-boost converters, the KY converter has fast transient response, similar to the behavior of the buck converter with synchronous rectification. In addition, it has a non-pulsating output current. The KY converter operates in the Continuous Current Mode (CCM) which, not only reduces the stress on the output capacitor, but also reduces the ripple of the output voltage. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control system.
Web Systems Acceptance Tests and Code Generation

In Extreme Programming (XP) [2], acceptance tests are used to prove that the application works as the customer wishes. The available test languages offer low level of abstraction and legibility, because they are based in languages like Visual Basic and XML. GUI capture and playback tools facilitate the creation of test cases, though they have many limitations to program and maintain the test cases [1]. Acceptance tests interact with the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the system, simulating the actions of users and verifying the information content presented. In Web systems, for example, the GUI is composed of Web pages and its components, like frames, links and images. In that way, the information about the GUI structure and behavior of a system can be found and extracted from its acceptance test cases, making possible the generation of part of the GUI code. This paper presents a language and an environment to program Web Systems acceptance test cases. Code generators are presented to improve productivity and to motivate the XP practice of creation of these tests before the implementation of the proper system.
Telehealth delivery of the Camperdown Program for adults who stutter: a phase I trial.

PURPOSE This Phase I trial investigated the viability of telehealth delivery of the Camperdown Program with adults who stutter. This program involves speech restructuring. METHOD All treatment was conducted remotely with participant-clinician contact occurring by telephone and e-mail. RESULTS Ten adults completed the program. The group showed an 82% reduction in stuttering frequency immediately after treatment and a 74% reduction 6 months after treatment. However, there was significant individual variation in response to the program. CONCLUSION These preliminary data suggest that telehealth Camperdown has the potential to provide efficacious treatment for clients who do not have access to traditional face-to-face treatment.
Enhanced ROS-generation in lymphocytes from Alzheimer's patients.

INTRODUCTION Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in neurodegeneration and seem to be involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of several diseases, including normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Enhanced ROS production in aging or AD is not restricted to the brain, but can also been seen in several peripheral tissues. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether the mechanisms involved in the generation of oxidative stress in normal senescence and Alzheimer's disease are identical or not. METHODS We analysed intracellular basal levels of ROS in lymphocytes from AD patients and healthy young and aged not-demented subjects as well as ROS levels following stimulation with d-ribose and staurosporine in all three groups. ROS levels were measured by flow cytometry using the intracellular fluorescence dye dihydrorhodamine123 (DHR123). RESULTS Our study shows that AD lymphocytes have increased basal levels of ROS, low susceptibility to ROS stimulation by 2-deoxy- D-ribose (dRib) and an increased response to staurosporine when compared with age-matched controls. DISCUSSION The data suggest that the defect(s) responsible for enhanced ROS production in AD may involve different or additional biological pathways than those involved in enhanced ROS generation during aging.
NCAA Division III Coaches’ Attitudes and Receptivity Toward Sport Psychology Consulting Services

In this study NCAA Division III (D-III) head coaches (n = 731) completed an online survey assessing their attitudes (i.e., stigma tolerance, confidence in sport psychology consulting, personal openness, and cultural preferences) and receptivity toward sport psychology consultant (SPC) services, previous experiences with and access to SPC services, willingness to encourage and seek SPC services, support for possible SPC roles at NCAA D-III institutions, and if their attitudes predicted their willingness to use SPC services. Results indicated that coaches who had previous experiences with SPC services and perceived them to be effective were more willing to seek SPC services and had more positive attitudes toward SP consulting. Coaches were more willing to support the use of SPC services for performance-related concerns (i.e., enhancing performance, improving focus, and performing as well in competition as in practice) and their confidence in SPC services was the most significant predictor of their willingness to seek SPC services. Responses to an open-ended question revealed that many coaches were open to SPC services, but lacked the resources and funding. These findings on NCAA D-III coaches support and supplement previous research on coaches’ attitudes and willingness to seek SPC services and provide other important insights and recommendations for practitioners and researchers.
Mechanical fatigue and fracture of Nitinol

Nitinol, a near equiatomic intermetallic of nickel and titanium, is the most widely known and used shape memory alloy. Owing to its capacity to undergo a thermal or stress induced martensitic phase transformation, Nitinol displays recoverable strains that are more than an order of magnitude greater than in traditional alloys, specifically as high as 10%. Since its discovery in the 1960s, Nitinol has been used for its shape memory properties for couplings and actuators, although its contemporary use has been in for medical devices. For these applications, the stress induced transformation (‘superelasticity’) has been used extensively for self-expanding implantable devices such as endovascular stents and vena cava filters, and for tools such as endodontic files. Most of these applications involve cyclically varying biomechanical stresses or strains that drive the need to fully understand the fatigue and fracture resistance of this alloy. Here we review the existing knowledge base on the fatigue of Nitinol, both in terms of their stress or strain life (total life) and damage tolerant (crack propagation) behaviour, together with their fracture toughness properties. We further discuss the application of such data to the fatigue design and life prediction methodologies for Nitinol implant devices used in the medical industry.
Worker reproduction and policing in insect societies: an ESS analysis

Insect societies are vulnerable to exploitation by workers who reproduce selfishly rather than help to rear the queen's offspring. In most species, however, only a small proportion of the workers reproduce. Here, we develop an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) model to investigate factors that could explain these observed low levels of reproductive exploitation. Two key factors are identified: relatedness and policing. Relatedness affects the ESS proportion of reproductive workers because laying workers generally work less, leading to greater inclusive fitness costs when within‐colony relatedness is higher. The second key factor is policing. In many species, worker‐laid eggs are selectively removed or ‘policed’ by other workers or the queen. We show that policing not only prevents the rearing of worker‐laid eggs but can also make it unprofitable for workers to lay eggs in the first place. This can explain why almost no workers reproduce in species with efficient policing, such as honeybees, Apis, and the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, despite relatively low relatedness caused by multiple mating of the mother queen. Although our analyses focus on social insects, the conclusion that both relatedness and policing can reduce the incentive for cheating applies to other biological systems as well.
Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Beaked Whale Echolocation Signals in the North Pacific

At least ten species of beaked whales inhabit the North Pacific, but little is known about their abundance, ecology, and behavior, as they are elusive and difficult to distinguish visually at sea. Six of these species produce known species-specific frequency modulated (FM) echolocation pulses: Baird’s, Blainville’s, Cuvier’s, Deraniyagala’s, Longman’s, and Stejneger’s beaked whales. Additionally, one described FM pulse (BWC) from Cross Seamount, Hawai’i, and three unknown FM pulse types (BW40, BW43, BW70) have been identified from almost 11 cumulative years of autonomous recordings at 24 sites throughout the North Pacific. Most sites had a dominant FM pulse type with other types being either absent or limited. There was not a strong seasonal influence on the occurrence of these signals at any site, but longer time series may reveal smaller, consistent fluctuations. Only the species producing BWC signals, detected throughout the Pacific Islands region, consistently showed a diel cycle with nocturnal foraging. By comparing stranding and sighting information with acoustic findings, we hypothesize that BWC signals are produced by ginkgo-toothed beaked whales. BW43 signal encounters were restricted to Southern California and may be produced by Perrin’s beaked whale, known only from Californian waters. BW70 signals were detected in the southern Gulf of California, which is prime habitat for Pygmy beaked whales. Hubb’s beaked whale may have produced the BW40 signals encountered off central and southern California; however, these signals were also recorded off Pearl and Hermes Reef and Wake Atoll, which are well south of their known range.
Physician Response to Parental Requests to Spread Out the Recommended Vaccine Schedule

OBJECTIVES: To assess among US physicians (1) frequency of requests to spread out recommended vaccination schedule for children <2 years, (2) attitudes regarding such requests, and (3) strategies used and perceived effectiveness in response to such requests. METHODS: An e-mail and mail survey of a nationally representative sample of pediatricians and family physicians from June 2012 through October 2012. RESULTS: The response rate was 66% (534 of 815). In a typical month, 93% reported some parents of children <2 years requested to spread out vaccines; 21% reported ≥10% of parents made this request. Most respondents thought these parents were putting their children at risk for disease (87%) and that it was more painful for children (84%), but if they agreed to requests, it would build trust with families (82%); further, they believed that if they did not agree, families might leave their practice (80%). Forty percent reported this issue had decreased their job satisfaction. Most agreed to spread out vaccines when requested, either often/always (37%) or sometimes (37%); 2% would often/always, 4% would sometimes, and 12% would rarely dismiss families from their practice if they wanted to spread out the primary series. Physicians reported using a variety of strategies in response to requests but did not think they were effective. CONCLUSIONS: Virtually all providers encounter requests to spread out vaccines in a typical month and, despite concerns, most are agreeing to do so. Providers are using many strategies in response but think few are effective. Evidence-based interventions to increase timely immunization are needed to guide primary care and public health practice.
Fine structure, magnetic field and heating of sunspot penumbrae

We interpret penumbral filaments as due to convection in field-free, radially aligned gaps just below the visible surface of the penumbra, intruding into a nearly potential field above. This solves the classical discrepancy between the large heat flux and the low vertical velocities observed in the penumbra. The presence of the gaps causes strong small-scale fluctuations in inclination, azimuth angle and field strength. The field is nearly horizontal in a region around the cusp-shaped top of the gap, thereby providing an environment for Evershed flows. We identify this region with the recently discovered dark penumbral cores. Its darkness has the same cause as the dark lanes in umbral light-bridges, reproduced in numerical simulations by Nordlund & Stein (2005, in preparation). We predict that the large vertical and horizontal gradients of the magnetic field inclination and azimuth in the potential field model will produce the net circular polarization seen in observations. The model also explains the significant elevation of bright filaments above their surroundings. It predicts that dark areas in the penumbra are of two different kinds: dark filament cores containing the most inclined (horizontal) fields, and regions between bright filaments, containing the least inclined field lines.
A Meta-Analysis of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Remedy for Macular Edema Secondary to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Background Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) associates with severe vision outcome and no proven beneficial treatment. Our meta-analysis intended to appraise the efficacy and safety of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents in macular edema (ME) following CRVO. Methods Data were collected and analyzed by Review Manager 5.2. 1. We employed a random-effects model to eliminate between-study heterogeneity. Nfs (called fail-safe number) was calculated to evaluate the publication bias. Results We included 5 trials consisting 323 cases and 281 controls. Primary outcomes showed that overall comparison of anti-VEGF agents with placebo control yielded a 374% and 136% increased tendency for a gain of 15 letters or more on Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.43–9.23; P<0.00001; I2 = 59%, 95% CI: 1.60–3.49; P<0.0001; I2 = 0%, respectively) at 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes showed that a 90% and 77% decreased risk at 6 and 12 months for a loss of 15 letters or more. The overall mean difference showed a statistically significance in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) on each time point. However, changes of central retinal thickness (CRT) lost significance at 12 months after 6-month as-needed treatment. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) had no statistical difference between anti-VEGF and placebo groups. Subgroup analyses indicated that patients receiving Aflibercept got the highest tendency to gain 15 letters or more (OR = 9.78; 95% CI: 4.43–21.56; P<0.00001). Age controlled analysis suggested a weaken tendency of BCVA improvement in age over 50 (MD = 12.26; 95% CI: 7.55–16.98; P<0.00001). Subgroup analysis by clinical classification showed a strengthen difference of BCVA changes at 6 months in ischemic type (MD = 19.65 letters, 95% CI: 13.15 to 26.14 letters, P<0.00001). Conclusions Our results showed that anti-VEGF agents were superior to placebo in CRVO-ME treatment with no statistically significant AEs, especially in younger people and for ischemic type.