Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeat Revision of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background To the authors’ knowledge, no previous published study has focused on management and outcome of repeat revision of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in terms of functional result and meniscus and articular cartilage status. Hypothesis Repeat revision of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction improves knee stability, but with inferior results for functional outcome compared with primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Meniscal tears and subsequent articular cartilage degeneration are more prevalent with successive revisions due to recurrent laxity. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Materials and Methods: Between February 2003 and November 2006, a consecutive series of 10 patients with an average age at 30 years (range, 17-48) were operated on for a repeat revision of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (2 revisions after a primary reconstruction) with arthroscopic procedures. A clinical and a radiographic evaluation were performed to assess anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction failures, outcome of revisions, and causes of failures. Meniscal tears and articular cartilage lesions were analyzed. Results The average follow-up of the second revision was 38 months (range, 12-61). At latest follow-up, final International Knee Documentation Committee assessment was excellent or good in 7 cases. Postoperatively, only 2 patients recovered to the same sports activity level they had before their first anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Four had a lower level, and 4 discontinued sports activity. The postoperative average side-to-side KT-1000 arthrometer maximum manual difference was 1.3 ± 1.9 mm. Nine patients had meniscal tears and 7 had articular cartilage lesions. Meniscal tears, meniscectomies, and articular cartilage degeneration increased after the second revision (P = .016, P = .0098, and P = .0197, respectively). Severe articular cartilage degeneration (International Cartilage Repair Society grade III and IV lesions) was found in patients with bad functional outcome (final International Knee Documentation Committee assessment C or D) (P = .0472). Incidence of articular cartilage degeneration was found to be more prevalent in cases of meniscal tears and partial meniscectomy at the same tibiofemoral compartment (P = .0157). Index anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and first revision failures were caused by recurrent trauma (60% and 70%, respectively) or a surgical technical error with tunnel malpositioning (40% and 10%, respectively). Conclusion Outcome of repeat revision of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was excellent or good in 70% of the cases, although decreased after the second revision, in relation to the occurrence of meniscal tears and articular cartilage lesions. Meniscal and articular cartilage lesions were more frequent and more severe with recurrent laxity. The cause of failures was mainly recurrent trauma, followed by surgical technical errors.
An improved technique for obtaining well-spread metaphases from plants with numerous large chromosomes

Abstract Preparations that contain well-spread metaphase chromosomes are critical for plant cytogenetic analyses including chromosome counts, banding procedures, in situ hybridization, karyotyping and construction of ideograms. Chromosome spreading is difficult for plants with large and numerous chromosomes. We report here a technique for obtaining cytoplasm-free, well-spread metaphases from two Amaryllidaceae species: Sprekelia formosissima (2n = 120) and Hymenocallis howardii (2n = 96). The technique has three main steps: 1) pretreatment to cause chromosome condensation, 2) dripping onto tilted slides coated with a thin layer of pure acetic acid and 3) application of steam and acetic acid to produce cytoplasmic hydrolysis, which spreads the chromosomes.
N‐acetylaspartate is an axon‐specific marker of mature white matter in vivo: A biochemical and immunohistochemical study on the rat optic nerve

Axonal pathology is a major cause of neurological disability in multiple sclerosis. Axonal transection begins at disease onset but remains clinically silent because of compensatory brain mechanisms. Noninvasive surrogate markers for axonal injury are therefore essential to monitor cumulative disease burden in vivo. The neuronal compound N‐acetylaspartate, as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, is currently the best and most specific noninvasive marker of axonal pathology in multiple sclerosis. The possibility has been raised, however, that N‐acetylaspartate is expressed also by oligodendroglial lineage cells. In order to investigate N‐acetylaspartate specificity for white matter axons, transected rat optic nerves were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography and immunohistochemistry. In transected adult nerves, N‐acetylaspartate and N‐acetyl aspartylglutamate decreased in concordance with axonal degeneration and were undetectable 24 days posttransection. Nonproliferating oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, oligodendrocytes, and myelin were abundant in these axon‐free nerves. At 24 days posttransection, N‐acetylaspartate was increased (42%; p = 0.02) in nontransected contralateral nerves. After transection at postnatal day 4, total N‐acetylaspartate decreased by 80% (P14; p = 0.002) and 94% (P20; p = 0.003). In these developing axon‐free nerves, 25 to 33% of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells were proliferating. These data validate magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements of N‐acetylaspartate as an axon‐specific monitor of central nervous system white matter in vivo. In addition, the results indicate that neuronal adaptation can increase N‐acetylaspartate levels, and that 5 to 20% of the N‐acetylaspartate in developing white matter is synthesized by proliferating oligodendrocyte progenitor cells.
Moving Beyond Deliberative Control of Impulses

Many prominent models propose that self-control requires deliberative control of impulses. We propose that people's subjective mental construals of events can alter temptation impulses without requiring conscious deliberation. Research has indicated that high-level construals (subjective mental representations that capture the core, essential, and abstract features of events) lead to greater self-control than low-level construals (representations that capture secondary, incidental, and concrete features). We demonstrate that higher-level construals make it easier for people to associate temptations with negativity, as measured by the Implicit Association Test, and that, in turn, these construal-dependent changes in evaluative associations promote self-control. These findings indicate that subjective construals can influence self-control without conscious deliberation.
Areca (Betel) Nut Chewing Practices in Micronesian Populations.

OBJECTIVE To describe the areca nut/betel quid chewing practices of Micronesian chewers living in Guam. DESIGN Two studies were conducted using qualitative data from focus groups and quantitative cross-sectional data from the 2007 Guam Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Ten focus groups included 49 men and women aged 18-60 years living in Guam in 2007. Participants were areca nut/betel quid chewers selected to reflect Guam's age and ethnic group (Chamorro, Chuukese, Palauan, and Yapese) distributions. Salient themes were extracted from transcripts of the sessions by three expert reviewers. A second method, latent class analysis, was used to identify unique groups of chewers. The groups were then compared on demographics and chewing-related behaviors. RESULTS Areca nut and betel quid recipes collected from the focus groups showed that Chamorros had a preference for the ripe nut and swallowed the nut, whereas, the Chuukese, Palauan, and Yapese groups preferred the unripe nut and did not swallow it. Similarly, latent class analysis resulted in the identification of two groups of areca nut/betel quid chewers. Group 1 was all Chamorros. Compared to Group 2, the chewers in Group 1 preferred red and ripe nuts, did not add slake lime (calcium hydroxide) or tobacco, and swallowed the masticated areca nut (with or without Piper betle leaf). CONCLUSION The quantitative analysis confirmed the qualitative exploration of areca nut/betel quid chewers in Guam, thus providing evidence that chewing practices vary among Micronesian populations. IMPLICATION If future research should include an intervention, the differences in chewing practices among Micronesian populations should be taken into consideration to ensure programmatic success.
The Effect of Attitudes, Goal Setting and Self-Efficacy on End User Performance

The proliferation of end user computing (EUC) has been widely reported (e.g., Burrows, 1994). Computer literacy requirements have skyrocketed for clerical and support staff (Bowman, Grupe, and Simkin, 1995) and for many middle and senior management positions (Olsten, 1993). EUC has the potential to influence productivity, competitiveness and profits. In recognition of this potential, organizations are devoting a substantial portion of their information technology budget to EUC activities. Given that training can affect the success or failure of EUC within an organization preparing the workforce to use information technology productively has become a high priority in many organizations and is reflected by increased training budgets (Aggarwal, 1998; Finley, 1996). Since the primary purpose of introducing new technology is to improve productivity, organizations expect their employees to learn and apply EUC technology to increase their job performance and contribute to organizational effectiveness. The preponderance of research on end user performance has focused on attitudes toward computers to predict end user performance. However, these studies have generally reported inconsistent results (e. So it is not clear if, in fact, attitudes influence end user performance. It is important to identify factors with potential to influence end user performance because such knowledge can enable educators and trainers to design better programs and enhance end user performance. This line of research has practical significance because unless end users learn and utilize end user technology to improve their job performance, organizations are unlikely to reap the benefits of investments in training and in EUC technology. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of attitudes, goals setting and self-efficacy on end user performance. The conceptual foundation of this study is based on the dispositional paradigm. The dispositional paradigm is founded on the premise that individual differences are relatively stable both across time and situations and can be used to explain and predict behaviors and outcomes (see This paper is organized into four sections inclusive of this introductory section. In the second section, we will review the studies that examined the relationship between attitudes and end user performance and offer plausible explanations for the inconsistent findings. In the third section, we will develop hypotheses for the study. Finally, we will present results of this study, offer suggestions to enhance end user performance, and discuss avenues to extend research on end user performance. Research on the influence of attitudes toward computers and end user performance …
Biodiversity of the genus Fusarium in saline soil habitats

Fusarium species assemblage and diversity were investigated in eight different contrasting extreme saline soil habitats of the hot arid desert environment of Bahrain. Saline habitats are located towards the central‐southern part of Bahrain and featured by high electrical conductivity, slightly alkaline sandy soil, poor in nutrient sources and water holding capacity and mainly dominated by a salt‐tolerant flora. Quantification of data for the recovery of Fusarium species was based on morphological characters and counts by a series of ten fold dilutions plate method and direct soil plating, using two selective media supplemented with different NaCl concentrations. A total of 68 isolates, fluctuated between 1 and 23 per soil sample, were recovered among all habitats mostly at 0 and 5% NaCl concentrations, while no recovery was achieved at 20 and 25%. Grouping of these isolates has resulted in only five species (F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. chlamydosporum, F. equiseti and F. compactum), all of which were previously reported from the arid terrestrial habitats of Bahrain. F. solani was the most predominant species, based on relative density, frequency of occurrence and dominance values, followed by F. oxysporum, a finding consistent with other similar arid Sahara ecosystems. Evaluation of data, supported by analysis of diversity indices and community coefficients, revealed that desert mountain habitat followed by burial mounds habitat were highly homogeneous coupled with maximum species richness, diversity indices and evenness, whereas soil habitats like cliffs, coastal and Al‐Lowzy pit were the poorest. Moreover, in vitro tests showed that among other fusaria, F. solani exhibited the highest tolerance to increase NaCl concentrations (25%) and temperature (28.3 mm linear growth at 35 °C). At 10% NaCl concentrations, significant reduction in linear growth extensions suppressed all species accompanied by massive thick‐walled, drought‐resistant chlamydospores formation, indicating that species are mainly thermo‐osmotolerant. Fusarium species recoveries were negatively significantly correlated (p < 0.05), with soil edaphic factors including salinity (r = –0.849) and soil moisture (r = –0.711). It is thus, proposed that inter and intra specific variation in the Fusarium species community, in particular soil niche, is an outcome of the influence of bioclimatic, multi‐soil‐edaphic and biotic factors. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Proliferative liver lesions and sex steroids in rats

In standard two year tumorigenicity studies some gestagens, alone or in combination with an estrogen have been shown to produce proliferative liver lesions (PLL) in rats. Estrogens in general have not produced PLLs; for ethinyl estradiol the situation is equivocal. The steroids which increase the incidence of PLLs have not been shown to have the characteristics usually associated with classical hepatocarcinogens such as diethylnitrosamine (e.g. negative mutagenicity and cytoxicity, failure to bind covalently to DNA). Therefore, another mechanism must be assumed. A possible explanation is given by the ability demonstrated for a few steroids (mestranol alone or in combination with norethindrone, ethinylestradiol) to promote preneoplastic islands induced by diethylnitrosamine, resulting in an increase in tumor incidence over rats given only the carcinogen. Spontaneous preneoplastic islands in rats occur in various incidence in different strains and we have recently shown that their reaction to steroids—enhanced proliferation—is the same as the effect on preneoplastic islands produced by classical carcinogens. Sex steroids also enhance the growth or normal hepatocytes. It, therefore, seems reasonable to assume that sex steroids produce PLLs by acting on spontaneous preneoplastic lesions and not by the mechanisms usually associated with classical carcinogens. Extrapolating the incidence of PLLs in rats to a risk in humans may be highly misleading because of different pharmacokinetic patterns. Even in rats treated orally for two years with sex steroids dosed as multiples of the human contraceptive dose, resorption and biovailability may vary by a factor of 10 or more. It is, therefore, inappropriate to state that one sex steroid is more active in the production of PLLs than another, unless the data from pharmacokinetic studies are taken into account. Available evidence shows that sex steroids act as tumor promotors and enhance the growth of normal hepatocytes. It is extremely doubtful whether a sex steroid producing PLLs in the rat after two years of oral treatment can be classified as an initiating tumorigen for the rat. Substantial risk for humans cannot be inferred, because of the high incidence of spontaneous preneoplastic lesions in rats, and because of the very high sensitivity of the rat liver to a variety of chemically unrelated compounds including sex steroids.
Prevalence of intestinal protozoan infestation among primary school children in Urban and peri-urban communities in Kumasi, Ghana

Introduction- Intestinal protozoan infections continue to remain a global public health challenge, particularly in developing countries. Children are greatly prone to these infections via the ingestion of food, water or soil contaminated with the infective stage of these parasites. Objectives- This study focused on establishing the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infection among primary school children aged 5 to 12 years from six communities in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. Methods- A total of 2400 children were randomly selected sampled. Stool samples collected from the children were analyzed using the formol-ether concentration technique. The modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique was employed in the identification of Cryptosporidium parvum . Results- The overall prevalence of intestinal protozoan identified among the studied school children was 42.9%. Prevalence was significantly higher in males than females with rates of 51.0% (604/1162) and 30.8% (381/1238) respectively. The highest protozoan infestation was Giardia lamblia with a prevalence of 16.8% (195/1162) and 7.8 % (97/1238) in males and females respectively. Three pathogenic strains ( Giardia lamblia , Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Cryptosporidium parvum ) and four non-pathogenic species ( Entamoeba coli , Endolimax nana , Chilomastix mesnili and Iodamoeba butschlii ) were identified in the study. Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum recorded prevalence rates of 12.2% and 8.5% respectively. Prevalence was however proportional to age with respect to Endolimax nana and Iodamoeba butschlii infections. Conclusion- There is relatively high prevalence of intestinal protozoan infection among the studied children. This obviously suggests that there are possible household, school based and behaviour oriented risk factors which predispose the children to these parasites.
Tracking 3D Surfaces Using Multiple Cameras: A Probabilistic Approach

Motion estimation is an important computer vision problem, and is essential for many applications, such as robot navigation, video coding, and activity recognition. Furthermore, establishing visual correspondences across time is a fundamental part of what it means for a machine to see. Most research has focused upon 2D motion estimation, but for understanding and interacting with the real world, three-dimensional information is required. This thesis reviews the different approaches that have been applied to the 3D problem, and the methods that are capable of tracking a general scene are reviewed in detail. Many of these methods are limited to only estimating a single frame of motion, and heavily depend upon combining existing image-based approaches. This thesis presents two methods for tracking 3D surfaces from multiple cameras. Both methods use a planar patch representation of the scene surfaces, and both methods employ a probabilistic approach. The first method uses a particle filter to track the rigid-body motion of each patch, and the second method presents a deformable surface model, which enforces smooth motion between neighbouring patches. As part of this second method, the thesis contributes a technique for estimating the measurement uncertainties at each surface patch. This means that highly textured patches can be used to constrain the motion of patches with less texture. This second method is implemented within a variational framework, allowing quick and efficient computation. In order for effective surface tracking to be carried out, it is first necessary to know where the surfaces lie, and this is a task known as multiple-view reconstruction. The thesis therefore provides two algorithms for fitting a set of planar patches to the visible surfaces of a scene. The first method is suited to fitting a small number of patches, whereas the second method is designed for fitting a dense set of patches. The tracking results are demonstated on three real-world sequences from two different camera arrays, and comparisons are made with recent approaches. In addition, the two patch fitting methods are also demonstrated using real-world images and are compared using two synthetic datasets. The 3D surface tracking algorithms in this thesis could be used in many applications, such as multi-view video coding and markerless motion capture. Furthermore, some of the techniques could be used to improve existing solutions, making this thesis a useful contribution to the field of 3D tracking.
Cerebral blood flow alteration in neuroprotection following cerebral ischaemia

Abstract The best neuroprotectant for acute ischaemic stroke would always be the rapid return of oxygen and glucose to physiological levels. This is currently provided by thrombolysis which restores blood flow to the ischaemic region. The attempt to confer neuroprotection by targeting the brain parenchyma has shown promise in experimental stroke models, but has unequivocally failed to translate to the clinic. Neuroprotective therapy primarily targets the biochemical cascade that produces cell death following cerebral ischaemia. However, these agents may also alter signal transduction that controls cerebral blood flow, for example glutamate, which may affect the outcome after ischaemia. In these cases, neuroprotection may potentially be due to the improved access to oxygen and glucose rather than biochemical prevention of cell death. Improvement in cerebral blood flow is an important but often overlooked effect of neuroprotective therapy, analogous to the protective effects of drug‐induced hypothermia. This short review will discuss cerebral blood flow alteration and protection of the brain in the context of ischaemic preconditioning, oxygen sensing and thrombolysis. Future neuroprotection studies in cerebral ischaemia require stringent monitoring of cerebral blood flow, plus other physiological parameters. This will increase the chances that any protection observed may be able to translate to human therapy.
Three Serum Electrolytes Profile (Na+, K+ and Cl-) of Anaemic Patients at the Biyem-Assi District Hospital in Yaounde (Cameroon)

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of serum sodium, potassium and chlorine disorders on anaemic patients and to assess their effects and measures of managing it. A prospective study was conducted on 110 patients at the Biyem-Assi District Hospital (Yaounde, Cameroon). Normal serum concentrations of sodium, potassium and chlorine were considered as 136 – 145 mEq/l, 3.5 – 5.0 mEq/l and 96 – 106 mEq/l respectively. The variables were considered significant when P < 0.005. Out of the total number of people recorded, there were 81 females (73.64 %) and 29 males (26.36 %). The prevalence of sodium imbalance hyponatremia, and hypernatremia are 20 (18.18 %) and 0 (0 %) respectively. The prevalence of potassium imbalance hypokalemia and hyperkalemia were 12 (10.91 %) and 14 (12.73 %) respectively. The prevalence of chloride disturbance, hypochloremia and hyperchloremia were 2 (1.82 %) and 21 (19.09 %) respectively. Amongst the variables chosen, only three variables had p-values that were significant that is sodium and level of education, potassium and occupation, and potassium and diarrhoea, but some were not significant for the study. Hyponatremia and hyperkalemia were highly prevalent in anemic patients. The severity of serum sodium, potassium and chlorine disturbances on anemic patients remains a significant predictor of mortality. Thus, correcting electrolyte disturbances in these anemic patients is important. Serum chloride levels showed no particular pattern or significant difference on the various variables.