Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quercus species differ in water and nutrient characteristics in a resource-limited fall-line sandhill habitat.

We compared co-occurring mature Quercus laevis Walt. (turkey oak), Q. margaretta Ashe (sand post oak) and Q. incana Bartr. (bluejack oak) trees growing in resource-limited sandhill habitats of the southeastern United States for water and nutrient characteristics. The Quercus spp. differed in their distribution along soil water and nutrient gradients, and in their access to and use of water, even though the study year was wetter than average with no mid-season drought. Quercus laevis had the greatest access to soil water (least negative pre-dawn water potential, psi(pd)) and the most conservative water-use strategy based on its relatively low stomatal conductance (g(s)), high instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE), least negative midday water potential (psy(md)) and high leaf specific hydraulic conductance (K(L)). Quercus margaretta had the least conservative water-use characteristics, exhibiting relatively high g(s), low instantaneous WUE, most negative psi(md), and low K(L). Quercus margaretta also had a low photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE), but a high leaf phosphorus concentration. Quercus incana had the poorest access to soil water, but intermediate water-use characteristics and leaf nutrient characteristics more similar to those of Q. laevis. There were no species differences for photosynthesis (A), leaf nitrogen on an area basis, or seasonally integrated WUE (delta13C). Both A and g(s) were positively correlated for each species, but A and g(s) were generally not correlated with psi(pd), psi(md) or delta psi(pd-md). Although we found differences in resource use and resource status among these sandhill Quercus spp. , the results are consistent with the interpretation that they are generally drought avoiders. Quercus laevis may have an advantage on xeric ridges because of its greater ability to access soil water and use it more conservatively compared with the other Quercus spp.
New cochlear implant research coding strategy based on the MP3000™ strategy to reintroduce the virtual channel effect

Abstract Conclusion: Results for speech recognition in noise tests when using a new research coding strategy designed to introduce the virtual channel effect provided no advantage over MP3000™. Although statistically significant smaller just noticeable differences (JNDs) were obtained, the findings for pitch ranking proved to have little clinical impact. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore whether modifications to MP3000 by including sequential virtual channel stimulation would lead to further improvements in hearing, particularly for speech recognition in background noise and in competing-talker conditions, and to compare results for pitch perception and melody recognition, as well as informally collect subjective impressions on strategy preference. Methods: Nine experienced cochlear implant subjects were recruited for the prospective study. Two variants of the experimental strategy were compared to MP3000. The study design was a single-blinded ABCCBA cross-over trial paradigm with 3 weeks of take-home experience for each user condition. Results: Comparing results of pitch-ranking, a significantly reduced JND was identified. No significant effect of coding strategy on speech understanding in noise or competing-talker materials was found. Melody recognition skills were the same under all user conditions.
Dentoalveolar relations in children born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate complete unilateral cleft lip and palate repair outcome in the Cleft Unit in Perth, Western Australia, by assessment of dentoalveolar relationships. DESIGN This is a retrospective study. SETTING Our subjects were individuals under the care of the cleft team in Perth, Western Australia. PARTICIPANTS All patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate and available 6-year casts who had been born since January 1, 1985, were identified from the cleft unit's database. The nature of the cleft was verified by examination of birth study models and photographs. A total of 54 such patients were identified. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Main outcome measures were identified through dental arch relationship grading of study models using the 5 Year Old Study Model Index. RESULTS Interexaminer and intraexaminer agreement kappa statistics revealed good to very good agreement using this index. The results indicate that the surgical outcome was graded as excellent, good, or fair for 77% of patients and poor or very poor for 23% of patients. CONCLUSIONS The results of the Western Australia study compare favorably to the overall U.K. outcome (the Clinical Standards Advisory Group study) but unfavorably to the results of some European centers, such as Oslo.
[Hand grip strength in a sample of 11 to 14 years old children].

INTRODUCTION The determination of hand grip strength is an objective method of evaluation of upper members' integrity. It is also used as a general health indicator. Data about grip strength values in healthy children is useful in the research and diagnosis of diseases that interfere with grip force. The aim of this study was to determine average values of children hand grip strength by age and evaluate its relation with weight and height. MATERIAL AND METHODS Hand grip strength was measured with the dynamometer Jamar Hydraulic Hand in a convenience sample of 195 children of either gender, with ages between 11 and 14 years old. RESULTS Statistical significant differences were observed in hand grip strength between genders, being higher in boys. Moderate correlations were found between grip strength and age (R = 0.679, p < 0.001), height (R = 0.691, p < 0.001), and weight (R = 0.620, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The present study presents values of hand grip strength obtained from a sample of Portuguese children of 11 to 14 years old, which are directly associated with height and weight.
[Therapeutic clinical effect of radiofrequency ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients: a meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS MEDLINE (1966 - 2008), EMBASE (1966 - 2008), CBMdisc (1978 - 2008) were searched. The Cochrane Library, Evidence Base Medicine Reviews (Ovid Edition), Cancerlit (1993 - 2008) and so on, date of last search: 30 January 2008. There were no restrictions in language. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs were both included in this study, and the quality of each included study was assessed. Meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 4.2 software. RESULTS Four prospective controlled studies and two retrospective studies met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that 1-, 3-, 4-year survival rates and 1-year tumor-free survival rate had not statistically significant difference in RFA group compared with surgical resection group (P > 0.05), but surgical resection was more effective to improve 3-year tumor-free survival rate than RFA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The effect of RFA therapy on small HCC is similar to resection, RFA could be considered as the first-line treatment of choice for surgical candidates with small HCC in cirrhotic patients.
Abdominal Contouring in Super Obese Patients: A Single-Surgeon Review of 22 Cases

Background:It is generally believed that increasing obesity is a predictor of postoperative complications after abdominal contouring procedures such as abdominoplasty and panniculectomy. The purpose of this study is to review the complication rate for abdominal contouring in the level 3 obesity category (body mass index [BMI], >40 kg/m2) and to examine the safety of this procedure when performed in this select patient population. Methods:Between 2003 and 2008, an institutional review board-approved, single-surgeon, single-institution retrospective review was conducted for all patients presenting for abdominal contouring. In all, 100 patients with precontouring BMI <40 kg/m2 were excluded, resulting in 22 patients who met the criteria for Level 3 obesity category, which are also referred as “super obese. ” To date, this is the largest series that has reported pertaining to this category and procedures. Results:In this series, 77% (17/22) had prior bariatric surgery. The mean hospitalization was 2.8 days and mean length of follow-up was 202 days. The major complication rate was 4.5% (1/22). Conclusions:Abdominal contouring can be performed safely, effectively, and with minimal morbidity in the super obese. Only one patient required readmission after developing an infected seroma and all patients progressed to a well-healed wound. BMI >40 kg/m2 should not preclude patients from undergoing this functional and beneficial surgical procedure.
Diagnostic yield of CT-guided percutaneous aspiration procedures in suspected spontaneous infectious diskitis.

PURPOSE To evaluate the diagnostic yield of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle aspiration procedures in the setting of suspected spontaneous infectious diskitis and to assess the usefulness of concurrent cytologic examination as a supplement to microbiologic evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study was performed to evaluate 105 consecutive CT-guided percutaneous disk space aspiration procedures in 92 patients suspected of having spontaneous (non-postoperative) infectious diskitis. Our criterion standard for the presence of active infection was the identification of a pathogen either from the CT-guided aspiration specimen or from a surgical specimen. All cases had microbiologic analysis, 78 cases had cytopathologic analysis, and 31 cases had open surgery. RESULTS Microbiologic analysis of the CT-guided percutaneous aspiration specimens was positive in 39 of 43 cases proved to have active infections, with four false-negative and no false-positive cases (sensitivity, 91%; specificity, 100%). The false-negative cases were all active fungal infections identified from surgical specimens. Adding cytopathologic analysis to microbiologic analysis improved sensitivity but reduced specificity. The most common pathogens were species of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Candida, and Mycobacterium. All 30 active bacterial infections were identified with the CT-guided procedures, but only five of nine fungal infections were identified. CONCLUSION CT-guided percutaneous needle aspiration is an accurate method for identifying active bacterial disk space infections but is less reliable for identifying fungal infections.
Reentrant Structural and Optical Properties and Large Positive Thermal Expansion in Perovskite Formamidinium Lead Iodide.

The structure of the hybrid perovskite HC(NH2 )2 PbI3 (formamidinium lead iodide) reflects competing interactions associated with molecular motion, hydrogen bonding tendencies, thermally activated soft octahedral rotations, and the propensity for the Pb2+ lone pair to express its stereochemistry. High-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction reveals a continuous transition from the cubic α-phase (Pm3‾ m, #221) to a tetragonal β-phase (P4/mbm, #127) at around 285 K, followed by a first-order transition to a tetragonal γ-phase (retaining P4/mbm, #127) at 140 K. An unusual reentrant pseudosymmetry in the β-to-γ phase transition is seen that is also reflected in the photoluminescence. Around room temperature, the coefficient of volumetric thermal expansion is among the largest for any extended crystalline solid.
CD73‐generated adenosine promotes osteoblast differentiation

CD731 is a GPI‐anchored cell surface protein with ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase enzyme activity that plays a crucial role in adenosine production. While the roles of adenosine receptors (AR) on osteoblasts and osteoclasts have been unveiled to some extent, the roles of CD73 and CD73‐generated adenosine in bone tissue are largely unknown. To address this issue, we first analyzed the bone phenotype of CD73‐deficient (cd73−/−) mice. The mutant male mice showed osteopenia, with significant decreases of osteoblastic markers. Levels of osteoclastic markers were, however, comparable to those of wild‐type mice. A series of in vitro studies revealed that CD73 deficiency resulted in impairment in osteoblast differentiation but not in the number of osteoblast progenitors. In addition, over expression of CD73 on MC3T3‐E1 cells resulted in enhanced osteoblastic differentiation. Moreover, MC3T3‐E1 cells expressed adenosine A2A receptors (A2AAR) and A2B receptors (A2BAR) and expression of these receptors increased with osteoblastic differentiation. Enhanced expression of osteocalcin (OC) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) observed in MC3T3‐E1 cells over expressing CD73 were suppressed by treatment with an A2BAR antagonist but not with an A2AAR antagonist. Collectively, our results indicate that CD73 generated adenosine positively regulates osteoblast differentiation via A2BAR signaling. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 2622–2631, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bone-anchored hearing aid in unilateral inner ear deafness: electrophysiological results in patients following vestibular schwannoma removal

Conclusions. The results show that the healthy cochlea perceives one auditory stimulus from two auditory signals: the first through normal air conduction and the second provided by the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA). This artificial acoustic difference could partly explain ‘pseudo’ binaural hearing. Functional cerebral imaging using the same experimental procedure is now necessary. Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate electrophysiological phenomena induced by BAHA on brainstem and long-latency auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to understand how patients recover a ‘pseudo’ binaural sensation with only one functional cochlea. Patients and methods. This prospective study included 10 patients operated via the translabyrinthine approach and who received implants on the deaf side. Electrophysiological recordings were performed at least 2 months after BAHA use. Brainstem and long-latency (N1, P2, N2, P300) AEPs were studied in free field according to four conditions: 1, without BAHA; 2, with BAHA; 3, with BAHA and normal ear occluded; 4, without BAHA and normal ear occluded. Results. For brainstem AEPs, we found significantly longer latencies of waves III and V in condition 3 compared with condition 1. For long-latency AEPs, comparison between conditions showed no significant differences.
Hegemonic blackmail: entrapment in civil war intervention

ABSTRACT How do alliance ties impact intervention decision-making? In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the interventionist mantle was adopted by many of America’s allies, from the French- and British-led intervention in Libya, to the heavy involvement of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar in Syria. In both cases, the United States was eventually drawn into the intervention. This article lays the theoretical foundations for the logic of civil war entrapment, illustrating that alliance ties can be used by smaller states to induce their more militarily capable allies to join an intervention. This pressure – whether exercised through diplomatic pressure, manipulation of media narratives and public opinion, or through tactical manipulation of the war – constitutes a crude form of “hegemonic blackmail,” allowing small states to entangle their more powerful allies in intervention.
Comparison of nondominant- and dominant-hand performances on the Copy portion of the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT)

Road accidents and falls often result in injury to the dominant hand; however, few studies have evaluated whether the use of the nondominant hand confounds pen and paper assessments. This study used a counterbalanced within-subjects design to assess the copy accuracy on the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) of 154 undergraduates using both their right and left hands. Handedness was determined using Briggs and Nebes's (1975) revision of Annett's Handedness Questionnaire. Two independent scorers used objective scoring criteria (Meyers & Meyers, 1995) with high interscorer reliability. Performance differences were statistically but not clinically significant. Nondominant- and dominant-hand performances did not differ from normative data: A total of 78.9% scored above the impairment cutoff score using the nondominant hand compared to 83.7% using their dominant hand. In the event an individual's dominant hand is compromised, performance using the nondominant hand on the RCFT could produce scores within the normative range and would not falsely suggest neuropsychological impairment.
Computation of Greeks in LIBOR models driven by time–inhomogeneous Lévy processes

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to compute Greeks, i.e. price sensitivities in the framework of the Lévy LIBOR model. Two approaches are discussed. The first approach is based on the integration-by-parts formula, which lies at the core of the application of the Malliavin calculus to finance. The second approach consists of using Fourier-based methods for pricing derivatives. We illustrate the result by applying the formula to a caplet price where the jump part of the driving process of the underlying model is given by a time–inhomogeneous Gamma process and alternatively by a Variance Gamma process.
Building something beautiful with stones: How regions adapt to, shape and transform the EU opportunity structure

ABSTRACT The literature on the relationship between regions and the European Union (EU) has generated three important insights. First, research has found that the EU empowers as well as disempowers regions. Second, studies have demonstrated that regions adapt to the EU opportunity structure. Third, scholars have discovered that regions also change the EU opportunity structure. However, the three dimensions are rarely brought together. To examine the mutual influence and constant interaction between the three, the article applies a strategic-relational approach to regional action within the EU. Using the empirical example of the EU macro-regional strategy for the Alpine region, the article shows how regional motivations, differential opportunities and constraints and strategies of adaptation and transformation interact. The conclusions imply that both opportunity structures and regional strategies together produce the mosaic of rules, resources, relationships and ideas that makes up the EU.
Decadal Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and Precipitation

Greenland ice-core data have revealed large decadal climate variations over the North Atlantic that can be related to a major source of low-frequency variability, the North Atlantic Oscillation. Over the past decade, the Oscillation has remained in one extreme phase during the winters, contributing significantly to the recent wintertime warmth across Europe and to cold conditions in the northwest Atlantic. An evaluation of the atmospheric moisture budget reveals coherent large-scale changes since 1980 that are linked to recent dry conditions over southern Europe and the Mediterranean, whereas northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia have generally experienced wetter than normal conditions.
Age‐related changes of anandamide metabolism in CB1 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice: correlation with behaviour

Anandamide (N‐arachidonoylethanolamine, AEA) and 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG) are the most active endocannabinoids at brain (CB1) cannabinoid receptors. CD1 mice lacking the CB1 receptors (‘knockout’[KO] mutants) were compared with wildtype (WT) littermates for their ability to degrade AEA through an AEA membrane transporter (AMT) and an AEA hydrolase (fatty acid amide hydrolase, FAAH). The age dependence of AMT and FAAH activity were investigated in 1‐ or 4‐month‐old WT and KO animals, and found to increase with age in KO, but not WT, mice and to be higher in the hippocampus than in the cortex of all animals. AEA and 2‐AG were detected in nmol/mg protein (µm) concentrations in both regions, though the hippocampus showed approximately twice the amount found in the cortex. In the same regions, 2‐AG failed to change across groups, while AEA was significantly decreased (≈ 30%) in hippocampus, but not in cortex, of old KO mice, when compared with young KO or age‐matched WT animals. In the open‐field test under bright light and in the lit‐dark exploration model of anxiety, young KO mice, compared with old KO, exhibited a mild anxiety‐related behaviour. In contrast, neither the increase in memory performance assessed by the object recognition test, nor the reduction of morphine withdrawal symptoms, showed age dependence in CB1 KO mice. These results suggest that invalidation of the CB1 receptor gene is associated with age‐dependent adaptive changes of endocannabinoid metabolism which appear to correlate with the waning of the anxiety‐like behaviour exhibited by young CB1 KO mice.
Resting energy expenditure and thermal balance during isothermic and thermoneutral haemodialysis--heat production does not explain increased body temperature during haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND During routine haemodialysis (HD) body temperature increases, which contributes to haemodynamic instability. The relative roles of increased heat production and/or incomplete heat transfer are not fully elucidated. Concomitant measurement of heat production and heat transfer may help to assess the factors determining thermal balance during HD. METHODS Thirteen stable non-diabetic maintenance HD patients were investigated during two HD procedures (isothermic, dT = 0, no change of body temperature; thermoneutral, dE = 0, no energy transfer between blood and dialysate), using a blood temperature monitor (BTM) in active mode. Energy transfer, blood and dialysate temperature, and relative blood volume change (dBV) were continuously recorded, and resting energy expenditure (REE; Deltatrac Datex) was measured repeatedly during each procedure. Fourteen healthy persons served as controls for REE comparison. RESULTS In isothermic HD, median energy removal was 218 kJ/4 h HD (= heat flow -15.1 W). This cooling correlated with dBV induced by ultrafiltration (rho = 0.731, P < 0.01). There was no difference in dBV between isothermic (7.7%) and thermoneutral (8.1%) HD. Predialysis REE was 82.8 W/1.73 m(2), not different from controls. No variation in REE during HD was observed, except a small and transient increase after a light meal (5 and 4%). In the time course of REE, no difference between the procedures was found. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that stable maintenance HD patients have REE not different from healthy controls, that HD procedure per se does not significantly increase REE and that neither isothermic nor thermoneutral regimen has any influence on metabolic rate. Therefore, body temperature elevation during routine HD may rather be due to decreased heat removal. With the use of BTM in active mode, body temperature can be kept stable (isothermic HD), which requires active cooling. This negative energy transfer is proportional to decrease in blood volume induced by ultrafiltration.