Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal diagnosis and postnatal management of meconium peritonitis

Abstract Background: Meconium peritonitis (MP) is a rare prenatal condition that leads to substantial neonatal morbidity and mortality. Patients and methods: All patients between 1998 and 2006 referred for prenatal diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed for diagnosis of MP. Prenatal ultrasound findings were compared with postnatal etiology, intraoperative findings, and postnatal outcome of the patients. Results: Antenatal MP was diagnosed in 14 fetuses between 18 and 38 weeks' gestation. The prenatal diagnosis of MP was confirmed by clinical and radiological findings in 8 (62%) of 13 infants born alive. All patients were delivered preterm between 33 and 36 weeks' gestation by cesarean section. Urgent neonatal surgery for treatment of bowel obstruction was required in all eight infants. Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of bowel dilatation was the only variable found to be associated with the need for subsequent surgical intervention (P=0.02). Conclusions: Clinical outcome of MP diagnosed antenatally can be either mild or severe form. The underlying cause of severe MP is heterogeneous and neonatal surgery was always required.
Some Properties of Densified Eastern Redcedar as Function of Heat and Pressure

The objective of this study was to evaluate some of the properties of densified eastern redcedar as function of temperature and pressure. Surface quality, adhesive bondline shear strength, hardness, and color changes of the samples compressed using different temperature levels ranging from 100 °C to 180 °C were investigated. Based on the findings in this work, surface roughness of compressed specimens decreased with increased temperature. Overall adhesive bondline shear strength of the samples decreased as compared to that of control specimens as a result of compression. It appears that densified samples exposed to a temperature of 180 °C had significantly darker surface than those of the others, based on color measurement. Data found in this work provide some basic information for more efficient use of underutilized species such as eastern redcedar.
Low-Cost Digital Detection of Parametric Faults in Cascaded $\Sigma\Delta$  Modulators

The test of SigmaDelta modulators is cumbersome due to the high performance that they reach. Moreover, technology scaling trends raise serious doubts on the intradie repeatability of devices. An increase of variability will lead to an increase in parametric faults that are difficult to detect. In this paper, a design-oriented testing approach is proposed to perform a simple and low-cost detection of variations in important design variables of cascaded SigmaDelta modulators. The digital tests could be integrated in a production test flow to improve fault coverage and bring data for silicon debug. A study is presented to tailor signature generation, with test-time minimization in mind, as a function of the desired measurement precision. The developments are supported by experimental results that validate the proposal.
Simultaneous Recording of Noninvasive ECoG and ABR for use in Intraoperative Monitoring

Monitoring auditory evoked potentials, especially surface recorded responses (ABR), during neuro-otologic surgery is being widely used. Recording of the most peripheral components of the ABR with surface electrodes can be difficult, however, in patients with hearing loss. To enhance wave I, a newly designed canal electrode for noninvasive electrocochleography (ECoG) has been used. A small reticulated foam plug is inserted in the ear canal and serves as the electrode. The signal is transduced through a center polyethylene tube. The advantages of this system for ECoG are several: (1) simplified signal presentation, obviating the need for custom ear mold or button transducer; (2) large electrode surface area that lowers impedance and improves signal to noise ratio; and (3) stability of the electrode during manipulations within the surgical field. There are several advantages to supplementing ABR with simultaneous ECoG. First, there is a significant enhancement in wave I amplitude, an important factor when monitoring from hearing impaired patients in an operating room environment. Ability to clearly define wave I permits use of the I-V interwave interval, which can be a more sensitive parameter than wave V latency alone. Secondly, more rapid feedback on changes in cochlear function is available since, compared to surface recordings alone, fewer responses need to be averaged.
Almost monotonicity formulas for elliptic and parabolic operators with variable coefficients

In this paper we extend the results of Caffarelli, Jerison, and Kenig [Ann. of Math. (2) 155 (2002)] and Caffarelli and Kenig [Amer. J. Math. 120 (1998)] by establishing an almost monotonicity estimate for pairs of continuous functions satisfying $$u_\pm\geq 0,\quad {\cal L} u_\pm \geq -1,\quad u_+\cdot u_-=0$$ in an infinite strip (global version) or a finite parabolic cylinder (localized version), where ${\cal L}$ is a uniformly parabolic operator $${\cal L} u={\cal L}_{{\cal A},b,c} u:={\rm div}({\cal A}(x,s) \nabla u)+ b(x,s)\cdot \nabla u+c(x,s) u-\partial_s u $$ with double Dini continuous ${\cal A}$ and uniformly bounded b and c. We also prove the elliptic counterpart of this estimate.
Pharmacokinetics of glycerol administered orally in healthy volunteers.

Of the three standard osmotherapeutics glycerol, mannitol and sorbitol, glycerol (CAS 56-81-5) alone can be applied orally. As only limited pharmacokinetic data after oral administration are available, studies were performed in 10 healthy subjects (2 female, 8 male, body weight 58-90 kg, age 23-47 years). After 12 h of fasting the subjects drank a single dose of 1.2 g/kg glycerol (Glycerol 85% DAB 9, flavoured with lemon juice). For the first 90 min venous blood was sampled every 15 min, for the following 6.5 h every 30 min. Glycerol serum concentrations were determined by an enzymatic procedure. Intestinal absorption was rapid. Maximum glycerol serum levels ranging from 1285-2238 mg/l (median = 1770 mg/l) were observed 1-2 h after ingestion. On the assumption of full intestinal absorption total body clearance was 0.18-0.26 l/h.kg, and the apparent volume of distribution 0.18-0.34 l/kg. The terminal elimination half-life ranged from 0.61-1.18 h. The concentration-time curves were not adequately described by linear pharmacokinetic models. In all subjects glycerol serum concentrations were high enough to induce increases of serum osmolality of at least 10 mosmol/kg. No signs of haemolysis or haemodilution were observed.
Reducing Wasting in Young Children With Preventive Supplementation: A Cohort Study in Niger

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of wasting, stunting, and mortality among children aged 6 to 36 months who are receiving preventive supplementation with either ready-to-use supplementary foods (RUSFs) or ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Children aged 6 to 36 months in 12 villages of Maradi, Niger, (n = 1645) received a monthly distribution of RUSFs (247 kcal [3 spoons] per day) for 6 months or RUTFs (500-kcal sachet per day) for 4 months. We compared the incidence of wasting, stunting, and mortality among children who received preventive supplementation with RUSFs versus RUTFs. RESULTS: The effectiveness of RUSF supplementation depended on receipt of a previous preventive intervention. In villages in which a preventive supplementation program was previously implemented, the RUSF strategy was associated with a 46% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6%–69%) and 59% (95% CI: 17%–80%) reduction in wasting and severe wasting, respectively. In contrast, in villages in which the previous intervention was not implemented, we found no difference in the incidence of wasting or severe wasting according to type of supplementation. Compared with the RUTF strategy, the RUSF strategy was associated with a 19% (95% CI: 0%–34%) reduction in stunting overall. CONCLUSION: We found that the relative performance of a 6-month RUSF supplementation strategy versus a 4-month RUTF strategy varied with receipt of a previous nutritional intervention. Contextual factors will continue to be important in determining the dose and duration of supplementation that will be most effective, acceptable, and sustainable for a given setting.
Does ERP integration foster Cross-Functional Awareness? Challenging conventional wisdom for SMEs and large French firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of Cross-Functional Awareness (CFA) and to question how firm size influences the impact of ERP implementation strategies on CFA. Specifically, the paper questions whether size moderates the capability of the firm to achieve CFA. Design/methodology/approach – The authors developed and empirically tested a conceptual framework using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach. This study gathered data from a sample of 45 French SMEs and 55 French large firms. Findings – The results show that ERP implementation strategies (flexibility, organizational vision, Business Process Re-Engineering, speed of implementation, and focus on core modules) have a direct positive relationship and, in large firms, an indirect relationship (via data quality improvement) with the emergence of CFA. The study also suggests that firm size moderates the resulting emergence of ERP-enabled CFA. The findings will help researchers understand the factors .
Wilson's disease: resolution of MRI lesions following long‐term oral zinc therapy

A 28‐year‐old man with Wilson's disease developed neurological deterioration after a low‐dose of d‐penicillamine treatment for 2 weeks. He showed an akinetic rigid syndrome with generalized dystonia. Brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) on T2 and proton weighted images showed an increased signal intensity over the thalamus, basal ganglia and brainstem, especially the midbrain and pons. After treatment had been changed to zinc sulphate, the akinetic‐rigid syndrome and dystonia were improved slowly in the following 4 years. Serial MRI studies showed a gradual resolution of the lesions. His current neurological status was almost normal except for dysarthria and mild intention tremor.
ects of chronic administration of the novel endothelin antagonist J-104132 on endothelial dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat

1 The biosynthesis of endothelin-1 is increased in the diabetic state. So this peptide may cause diabetic vascular complications. We tested this possibility by chronically administering J-104132, a potent orally active mixed antagonist of endothelin A and B (ETA/ETB) receptors to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and focusing on changes in endothelial function. 2 The acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation was impaired in diabetic rats and this impairment was signi®cantly attenuated following chronic administration of J-104132 (10 mg kg, p.o., daily for 4 weeks). 3 In an in vitro experiment using aortae from diabetic rats, the ACh-induced relaxation was not changed by the presence of J-104132 (3610 M). 4 The expression levels of the mRNA for endothelial nitric oxide synthase was comparable among aortae from the three groups (control, diabetic and chronically J-104132-treated diabetic). 5 The amount of superoxide anion was signi®cantly greater in aortae from diabetic rats than in controls. Chronic J-104132 treatment signi®cantly decreased the level of superoxide anion in diabetic rats. 6 The expression of the p22phox mRNA for the NADH/NADPH oxidase subunit was signi®cantly increased in STZ-induced diabetic rats and this increase was completely prevented by chronic administration of J-104132. 7 These results suggest that in STZ-induced diabetic rats, ET-1 may be directly involved in impairing endothelium-dependent relaxation via increased superoxide-anion production. British Journal of Pharmacology (2002) 135, 1935 ± 1942
Placebo‐Controlled Pilot Study of Centromedian Thalamic Stimulation in Treatment of Intractable Seizures

Summary: Stimulation of centromedian (CM) thalamic nuclei has been proposed as a treatment for seizures. We implanted programmable subcutaneous (s.c.) stimulators into CM bilaterally in 7 patients with intractable epilepsy to test feasibility and safety. Stimulation was on or off in 3‐month blocks, with a 3‐month washout period in a double‐blind, cross‐over protocol. Stimuli were delivered as 9O‐μs pulses at 65 pulses/s, 1 min of each 5 min for 2 h/day, with voltage set to half the sensory threshold. Stimulation was safe and well‐tolerated, with a mean reduction of tonic‐clonic seizure frequency of 30% with respect to baseline when stimulator was on versus a decrease of 8% when the stimulator was off. There was no improvement in total number of generalized seizures with stimulation, and treatment differences were not statistically significant. Stimulation at low intensity did not alter the EEG acutely, but high‐intensity stimulation induced slow waves or 2–3 Hz spike‐waves with ipsilateral frontal maximum. In an open‐label follow‐up segment with stimulator trains continuing for 24 h/day, 3 of 6 patients reported at least a 50% decrease in seizure frequency. There were no side effects. This pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of controlled study of thalamic stimulation in epilepsy, but further study will be needed to demonstrate efficacy.
A New Danger in the Air: How Pulmonary Innate Immunity Copes with Man-Made Airborne Xenobiotics

The pulmonary innate immune system has evolved over millions of years to provide swift detection of inhaled microbial agents and trigger well-balanced protective responses. Much more recent on the evolutionary scale is human activity, which has resulted in the release of a new class of potentially harmful, non-microbial compounds into the air. These xenobiotics include combustion by-products such as reactive oxygen species and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This review will summarize evidence showing how airborne xenobiotics can engage pulmonary innate immunity components at many levels. We will focus on potential effects of xenobiotics on airway dendritic cells, as these constitute key innate immune sensors in the lung, with the unique ability to initiate adaptive immunity. We propose that the aberrant processing of inhaled xenobiotics by an innate immune system that is now evolutionarily maladapted underlies the increase in chronic inflammatory lung diseases in modern times.
Maternal HIV does not affect resiliency among uninfected/HIV exposed South African children from birth to 5 years of age

Objective: Examine resiliency among a South African population cohort of children of mothers living with HIV (MLH) and mothers without HIV (MWOH) in low-income townships over the first 5 years of life. Design: A cluster randomized controlled intervention trial evaluating child resiliency and the effects of home visiting in township neighborhoods from pregnancy through 5 years postbirth. Methods: The population of pregnant women in 24 matched neighborhoods were recruited and randomized by neighborhood to a standard care condition (n = 594) or a paraprofessional home visiting intervention condition (n = 644). Mothers and children were assessed at 2 weeks, 6, 18, 36, and 60 months postbirth (92–84% follow-up; 10.2% mortality). Resilient children were identified based on consistently meeting global standards for growth, cognitive functioning, and behavior. Maternal HIV status (n = 354 MLH; n = 723 mothers without HIV MWOH), intervention condition, maternal risks, caretaking, sociodemographic characteristics, and neighborhood were examined as predictors of child resiliency over time using analysis of variance, chi-square analyses, and Fisher's exact tests, where appropriate. Results: None of HIV-seropositive children (n = 17) were resilient; 19% of 345 HIV-exposed but uninfected children of MLH were resilient, a rate very similar to the 16% among MWOH. Resiliency was significantly associated with lower income, food security, not having a live-in partner, and the absence of maternal risk (i.e., not being depressed, using alcohol, or being a victim of intimate partner violence). Being randomized to a home visiting intervention, maternal breastfeeding for at least 3 months and attending a preschool crèche were also unrelated to resiliency. Although matched pairs of neighborhoods had similar rates of resilient children, resiliency varied significantly by neighborhood with rates ranging from 9.5 to 27%. Conclusion: We set a new standard to define resiliency, as consistently recommended by theoreticians. Although seropositive children are not resilient, uninfected children of MLH are as resilient as their peers of MWOH. Typical protective factors (e.g., home visiting, breastfeeding, preschool) were unrelated to resiliency over the first 5 years of life. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT00996528.
Changes in expression of p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and bcl-2 in recurrent laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy

The biological changes in recurrent laryngeal cancer following radiotherapy are not fully understood. The authors investigated differences in the expression of p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and bcl-2 in laryngeal cancer specimens before radiotherapy and in recurrent laryngeal cancer specimens following radiotherapy in the same patients. The authors investigated the expression of p53, PCNA and bcl-2 by immunohistochemical stain in 30 specimens from 15 patients with primary laryngeal cancer and recurrent laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy. The expression of p53 protein was significantly different in laryngeal cancer before radiotherapy (4/15, 26.7 per cent) compared with recurrent laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy (8/15, 53.3 per cent) (p < 0.05). The PCNA index was also significantly different in laryngeal cancer specimens before radiotherapy (mean, 11.9 per cent) compared with recurrent laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy (mean, 18.0 per cent) (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant alteration of bcl-2 expression in primary compared with recurrent laryngeal cancer. The expression of p53 and PCNA increased in recurrent laryngeal cancers after radiotherapy, compared with that in laryngeal cancers before radiotherapy. Recurrent laryngeal cancers arising following radiotherapy became biologically aggressive.
Highly Reliable Depletion-Mode a-IGZO TFT Gate Driver Circuits for High-Frequency Display Applications Under Light Illumination

We proposed and fabricated a depletion-mode amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistor gate driver without any additional signals. The proposed gate driver successfully exhibited a high-voltage output pulse without distortion at a clock frequency of 100 kHz, which is enough to drive a high-frequency panel with a frame rate of ~360 Hz and a resolution of full high definition. The experimental and simulation results showed that the gate driver would be highly reliable under light illumination. Also, the output waveform of the gate driver was not distorted after 240-h driving under 450-nm illumination with an intensity of 1 mW/ cm2 at 60°C.
At the Lower End of the Table: Determinants of Poverty among Immigrants to Denmark and Sweden

In this paper we study determinants of relative poverty among immigrants and natives in Denmark and Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s. Denmark and Sweden share the same properties in a range of labour-market and welfare-state characteristics. At the same time, they differ very much in cyclical profiles and immigration experiences during recent decades. Both countries have followed the same principles regarding immigration policy, i.e. immigration from low-income countries has been restricted to tied movers and refugees. We use 60 percent of the median in the distribution of equivalent disposable income as the poverty line. Data comes from two large panels based on administrative data. We find that immigrants have higher poverty rates than natives in both countries and that this difference has clearly increased in both countries. The paper reports results based on running probability models of poverty incidence. Explanatory variables include years since immigration, demographic characteristics and country of origin. We conclude that a significant part of the difference in aggregate immigrant poverty rates reflects differences in composition by country of origin and differences in the structure of benefits to families with children.
Bases génétiques de la différenciation adaptative en milieu anthropisé chez Macoma balthica, un bivalve marin à fort flux génique

Dans un contexte environnemental anthropise, fragmente et soumis a un changement climatique rapide, l’apprehension des processus d'adaptation locale des organismes marins par l'etude de zones de contact entre taxa proches constitue une approche privilegiee. Dans ces zones, des genotypes hybrides persistent malgre un etat de maladaptation liee a des incompatibilites genetiques endogenes et/ou des barrieres exogenes. L'histoire biogeographique complexe de la telline baltique Macoma balthica fait emerger quatre zones hybrides europeennes, dont l'une, localisee autour de la Pointe Finistere (France), est le resultat d’un contact entre deux stocks genetiques ayant diverge en allopatrie. Ces divergences sont susceptibles de rompre la coadaptation entre genomes nucleaire et mitochondrial en raison de l'emergence d'incompatibilites mitonucleaires (MNIs). Ainsi, les sous-unites proteiques des cinq complexes de la chaine OXPHO sont codees a la fois par des genes nucleaires et mitochondriaux, et une coevolution inter-genomique etroite est requise pour maintenir la production energetique cellulaire. De precedentes donnees de transcriptomique devoilent de probables MNIs chez M. balthica au niveau des complexes respiratoires I et V. Afin d’apporter des elements de comprehension aux mecanismes de maintien des zones hybrides dans un contexte de pression anthropique, le present travail se propose de tester l'hypothese de putatives MNIs dans cette zone de contact. Pour cela, (i) six mitogenomes correspondant a cinq lignees haplotypiques divergentes en Europe ont ete sequences et l'architecture genomique a ete etudiee conjointement a une cartographie des mutations des 13 genes mitochondriaux, (ii) le niveau de transcription de 5 genes nucleaires et 8 genes mitochondriaux (complexe I a V) des individus hybrides a ete compare a celui des lignees parentales apres determination du statut d'hybridation de chaque individu (six populations francaises). A defaut d'apporter des elements de reponses concrets quant a l'existence de MNIs chez M. balthica, et ses repercussions evolutives en terme de depression d'hybridation, ce travail constitue un tremplin vers une etude approfondie de la zone hybride francaise en developpant de nouveaux outils moleculaires, et de solides techniques experimentales pour la conduite de futurs croisements artificiels.