Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PSYCHOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENT OF ROD AND CONE THRESHOLDS IN STARGARDT DISEASE WITH FULL-FIELD STIMULI

Purpose: To investigate psychophysical thresholds in Stargardt disease with the full-field stimulus test (FST). Methods: Visual acuity, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, full-field electroretinogram, and FST measurements were made in 1 eye of 24 patients with Stargardt disease. Dark-adapted rod FST thresholds were measured with short-wavelength stimuli, and cone FST thresholds were obtained from the cone plateau phase of dark adaptation using long-wavelength stimuli. Correlation coefficients were calculated for FST thresholds versus macular thickness, visual acuity, and electroretinogram amplitudes. Results: The Stargardt disease patients' FST cone thresholds correlated significantly with visual acuity, macular thickness, and electroretinogram cone response amplitudes (all P < 0.01). The patients' FST rod thresholds correlated with electroretinogram rod response amplitudes (P < 0.01) but not macular thickness (P = 0.05). All patients with Stargardt disease with flecks confined to the macula, and most of the patients with flecks extending outside of the macula had normal FST thresholds. All patients with extramacular atrophic changes had elevated FST cone thresholds and most had elevated FST rod thresholds. Conclusion: Full-field stimulus test rod and cone threshold elevation in patients with Stargardt disease correlated well with measures of structure and function, as well as ophthalmoscopic retinal appearance. The Full-field stimulus test appears to be a useful tool for assessing rod and cone function in Stargardt disease.
Clinical practice guidelines for the management of orbital cellulitis.

PURPOSE A retrospective study was performed to review the management of periorbital and orbital cellulitis at Miami Children's Hospital, between January 1, 1993 and February 15, 1996. RESULTS One hundred and one patients were included in this study. The variables analyzed in this study included age, sex, length of hospital stay, imaging studies, laboratory tests, and microbiology specimens collected. Patients were classified according to the modified Chandler classification. Average length of stay for our patient population was 4.5 days. Data regarding the radiologic studies, laboratory tests, and microbiology yield of specimens were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of orbital infection, manifested by lid swelling alone is much more common (stages I and II) than orbital infection involving postseptal findings (stages III, IV, and V); 84.16% compared with 15.84%, respectively. An updated approach and a general guideline for the management of periorbital and orbital cellulitis according to the clinical staging of the process is presented.
The effectiveness of IVF in unexplained infertility: a systematic Cochrane review. 2002,.

BACKGROUND IVF is an accepted treatment for unexplained infertility. The objective of this review was to determine whether, for unexplained infertility, IVF improves the probability of live birth compared with: (i) expectant management; (ii) clomiphene citrate (CC); (iii) intrauterine insemination (IUI); (iv) IUI with controlled ovarian stimulation; and (v) gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT). METHODS This was based on a Cochrane review. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which compared the effectiveness of IVF with expectant management, CC, IUI with or without controlled ovarian stimulation and GIFT were included. Patients included couples with unexplained infertility. Live birth rate per woman/couple was the main outcome measure. RESULTS Nine RCT were identified. Five RCTs were included in the final meta-analysis. There were no comparative data for CC and live birth rates for expectant management or GIFT. There was no significant difference in clinical pregnancy rates between IVF and expectant management. There was no evidence of a difference in live birth rates between IVF and IUI either without (OR 1.96, 95% CI 0.88 to 4.36) or with (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.55 to 2.42) ovarian stimulation. Clinical pregnancy rates with IVF were significantly higher compared with GIFT (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.22) as were the multiple pregnancy rates (OR 6.25, 95% CI 1.70 to 23.00). Clinical heterogeneity was present among the studies. There was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of IVF in unexplained infertility remains unproven. Larger trials with adequate power are warranted.
Spatial structure and dynamics of urban communities

This paper explores the evolution and spatial organization of urban communities in a daily cycle of a city using scalable methods of social network analysis. Using mobile phone network records, we have observed spatial patterns in community structures at fine spatial scales which are most likely related to the activities typical to the different functional regions of a city. It is known that interactions between different parts of the city are subject to a distance decay, moreover, our findings show that regardless of the time of the day or current activity, people tend to communicate within a spatially enclosed community. Furthermore, we have investigated transitions and transformations of these communities at the temporal scales of several hours related to the cycles of human movement and activities in a city.
A New High Efficient Analysis of the Scattering by a Perfectly Conducting Rectangular Plate

The analysis of the scattering by a perfectly conducting rectangular plate by means of Galerkin's method in the spectral domain with products of Chebyshev polynomials of first and second kind multiplied by their orthogonal weights as basis functions is fast convergent even for scatterers size of some wavelengths but leads to the numerical evaluation of infinite double integrals of oscillating and slowly decaying functions. The aim of this paper is the introduction of a new analytical technique that allows to write such integrals as combinations of very quickly converging integrals.
Effects of innovative futures contracts on spot markets in Taiwan

Abstract The Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) was established in 1998 as an emerging futures market. Since introducing its first product, namely TAIEX Futures, on July 21, 1998, in response to high market demand, to date the Exchange offers 12 innovative futures contracts. The extent to which index futures influence the share market has attracted considerable attention within the field of finance. However, empirical findings remain contentious, warranting a closer examination of this topic. This study examines both 100 and 250 days before and following of GreTai Securities Market Stock Index Futures and NonFinance NonElectronics Sub-Index Futures trading on 8 November 2007 affecting spot share price volatility. Empirical findings indicate that volatility of spot market returns differ significantly after the two index futures contracts began trading on the market.
3. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

This volume constitutes a commentary on Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is part of the series, A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which provides an article by article analysis of all substantive, organizational and procedural provisions of the CRC and its two Optional Protocols. For every article, a comparison with related human rights provisions is made, followed by an in-depth exploration of the nature and scope of State obligations deriving from that article. The series constitutes an essential tool for actors in the field of children’s rights, including academics, students, judges, grassroots workers, governmental, non- governmental and international officers. The series is sponsored by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office.
Application of Methods for Identifying Broiler Chicken Gut Bacterial Species Linked with Increased Energy Metabolism

ABSTRACT A high-throughput microbial profiling tool based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was developed to monitor the poultry gut microbiota in response to dietary manipulations. Gut microbial communities from the duodena, jejuna, ilea, and ceca of 48 birds fed either a barley control diet or barley diet supplemented with exogenous enzymes for degrading nonstarch polysaccharide were characterized by using multivariate statistical methods. Analysis of samples showed that gut microbial communities varied significantly among gut sections, except between the duodenum and jejunum. Significant diet-associated differences in gut microbial communities were detected within the ileum and cecum only. The dissimilarity in bacterial community composition between diets was 73 and 66% within the ileum and cecum, respectively. Operational taxonomic units, representing bacterial species or taxonomically related groups, contributing to diet-associated differences were identified. Several bacterial species contributed to differences between diet-related gut microbial community composition, with no individual bacterial species contributing more than 1 to 5% of the total. Using canonical analysis of principal coordinates biplots, we correlated differences in gut microbial community composition within the ileum and cecum to improved performance, as measured by apparent metabolizable energy. This is the first report that directly links differences in the composition of the gut microbial community with improved performance, which implies that the presence of specific beneficial and/or absence of specific detrimental bacterial species may contribute to the improved performance in these birds.
Age‐period‐cohort modelling of large‐bowel‐cancer incidence by anatomic sub‐site and sex in connecticut

In order to investigate etiologic distinctions among the anatomic sub‐sites of the large bowel by sex, the relationship between large‐bowel‐cancer incidence and age at diagnosis, time period at diagnosis, and birth cohort was analyzed by anatomic sub‐site and by sex, using data from the Connecticut Tumor Registry. Included in the study were all incident large‐bowel‐cancer cases occurring between 1950 and 1984 among Connecticut residents aged 40 to 79. Cancers of the large bowel were classified into 5 anatomic sub‐sites: Ascending colon (including cecum), transverse colon (including flexures), descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum (including rectosigmoid junction, anal canal, and anus). The data were fitted to log‐linear age‐period‐cohort models. For each of the sub‐sites, the age‐period‐cohort patterns for males and females differed. Within each sex, sub‐site groupings with common patterns were indicated. Among males, the age‐period‐cohort patterns for the colon sub‐sites were fairly similar; but the pattern for the rectum differed markedly from that for the colon sub‐sites. There were secondary differences among the colon sub‐sites that pointed to a secondary distinction between the right and the left colons. Among females, the age‐period‐cohort patterns for the left colon sub‐sites and the rectum were fairly similar. The pattern for the transverse colon differed moderately from that of the left colon, and differed substantially from that of the rectum and the ascending colon. The ascending colon differed markedly from each of the other sub‐sites. It is possible that these differences in age‐period‐cohort patterns reflect etiologic distinctions among sub‐site groupings and between the sexes.
An Informed Forensics Approach to Detecting Vote Irregularities

Electoral forensics involves examining election results for anomalies to efficiently identify patterns indicative of electoral irregularities. However, there is disagreement about which, if any, forensics tool is most effective at identifying fraud, and there is no method for integrating multiple tools. Moreover, forensic efforts have failed to systematically take advantage of country-specific details that might aid in diagnosing fraud. We deploy a Bayesian additive regression trees (BART) model–a machine-learning technique–on a large cross-national data set to explore the dense network of potential relationships between various forensic indicators of anomalies and electoral fraud risk factors, on the one hand, and the likelihood of fraud, on the other. This approach allows us to arbitrate between the relative importance of different forensic and contextual features for identifying electoral fraud and results in a diagnostic tool that can be relatively easily implemented in cross-national research.
Characteristics and prognosis of resected T3 non-small cell lung cancer.

AIM The aim this study is to determine the characteristics, survival, and factors affecting the survival of resected T3 non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS The records of 97 cases were retrospectively reviewed with T3 non-small cell lung cancer patients that were operated between 1996-2001. Complete resection was achieved in 71 (73.2%) patient. The distribution of N status was 47.4%, 28.9%, and 23.7% for N0, N1 and N2 respectively. The evaluated prognostic factors in univariate and multivariate analyses were, histologic type, type of resection, N status, subgroups of pT3, resection margins and effect of adjuvant therapy. RESULTS Overall 5-year survival rate was 24.3%. Median survival and 5-year survival of the patients whose tumors resected completely was 33 months and 31.5%, whereas 18 months and 7.3% for the patients resected incompletely (P=0.03). Median survival being not significantly different among the three subgroups: 25, 23, and 32 months (P=0.7) in the bronchial pT3, mediastinal pT3, and peripheral pT3 subgroups, respectively. Histology (P=0.57), type of surgical resection (lobectomy versus pneumonectomy) (P=0.25), and use of adjuvant therapy (P=0.054) did not influence the survival significantly. However N status influenced the survival significantly (P=0.01). According to the multivariate analyses, two factors were selected as prognostic indicators: N2 status (P=0.03) and incomplete resection (P=0.03). CONCLUSION Three pT3 subgroups did not show survival differences. Complete resection and N2 status are the two most influencing factors in survival of the patients. Adjuvant therapy effected the survival and the quality of life reversely.
Comparison of the performance of different HPV genotyping methods for detecting genital HPV types

Classification of high‐risk HPV types for cervical cancer screening depends on epidemiological studies defining HPV type‐specific risk. The genotyping tests that are used, are however, not uniform with regard to type‐specific detection rates making comparisons between different studies difficult. To overcome the lack of a “gold standard” four tests were evaluated crosswise using 824 cervical smears pretested by HC2. The tests evaluated were the L1‐PCR‐based assays PGMY09/11 LBA, HPV DNA Chip and SPF LiPA and an E1 consensus PCR followed by cycle sequencing (E1‐PCR). A subset of 265 samples was tested in addition with the GP5+/6+ reverse line blot assay. Differences were noted in the sensitivity and range for specific HPV types, e.g. with detection rates for HPV53 ranging from 2.3% to 11.6%. HPV16 was the most prevalent type detected by all tests except for the SPF‐10 LiPa, which detected HPV31 more often. Kappa values calculated ranged from poor (k = 0.20) to intermediate (k = 0.54) for HPV positivity, but were higher for high‐risk type positivity (k = 0.31–0.61) and best for recognition of HPV16 (k = 0.53–0.72). The analytical sensitivity of the tests ranged between 15% and 97% for individual types and specificity was highly dependent on which test system was used as “gold standard” for the analysis. The results of histology were used for calculation of clinical sensitivity and specificity. E1‐PCR, PGMY09/11 LBA and SPF‐10 LiPA had a high clinical sensitivity (>95%) for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or higher, whereas the HPV DNA Chip reached only 84.1%. J. Med. Virol. 80: 1264–1274, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of polysomnographic and portable home monitoring assessments of obstructive sleep apnea in Saskatchewan women.

OBJECTIVES To compare a commercially available, level III in-home diagnostic sleep test (Embletta, Embletta USA) and in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) in women with suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS Consecutive women scheduled for routine PSG testing for evaluation of clinically suspected OSA and who met inclusion⁄exclusion criteria, were invited to participate. An in-home Embletta portable monitor test was performed one week before or after diagnostic PSG. RESULTS Forty-seven of 96 women who met the inclusion⁄exclusion criteria agreed to participate. The mean (± SD) age of the patients was 52.0 ± 11.0 years, with a mean body mass index of 34.86 ± 9.04 kg⁄m2, and 66% (31 of 47) of patients were at high risk for OSA according to the Berlin score. Paired analysis of the overall population revealed no significant difference in mean apnea⁄hypopnea index (AHI) between the two diagnostic methods (P = 0.475). At an AHI of ≥ 5, the Embletta test was highly sensitive (90.6%) in determining abnormal versus normal OSA, with a positive predictive value of 82.7%. However, a higher Embletta AHI threshold of ≥ 10 may be more useful, with a higher level of agreement (kappa coefficient) with PSG testing and a positive predictive value of 92.3%. The in-home study was less useful at distinguishing severe from nonsevere OSA, yielding a sensitivity of 50%. CONCLUSIONS In women believed to be at high-risk for OSA, Embletta in-home sleep testing is useful for the detection of sleep disordered breathing.
Diazotrophic Diversity and Distribution in the Tropical and Subtropical Atlantic Ocean

ABSTRACT To understand the structure of marine diazotrophic communities in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, the molecular diversity of the nifH gene was studied by nested PCR amplification using degenerate primers, followed by cloning and sequencing. Sequences of nifH genes were amplified from environmental DNA samples collected during three cruises (November-December 2000, March 2002, and October-November 2002) covering an area between 0 to 28.3°N and 56.6 to 18.5°W. A total of 170 unique sequences were recovered from 18 stations and 23 depths. Samples from the November-December 2000 cruise contained both unicellular and filamentous cyanobacterial nifH phylotypes, as well as γ-proteobacterial and cluster III sequences, so far only reported in the Pacific Ocean. In contrast, samples from the March 2002 cruise contained only phylotypes related to the uncultured group A unicellular cyanobacteria. The October-November 2002 cruise contained both filamentous and unicellular cyanobacterial and γ-proteobacterial sequences. Several sequences were identical at the nucleotide level to previously described environmental sequences from the Pacific Ocean, including group A sequences. The data suggest a community shift from filamentous cyanobacteria in surface waters to unicellular cyanobacteria and/or heterotrophic bacteria in deeper waters. With one exception, filamentous cyanobacterial nifH sequences were present within temperatures ranging between 26.5 and 30°C and where nitrate was undetectable. In contrast, nonfilamentous nifH sequences were found throughout a broader temperature range, 15 to 30°C, more often in waters with temperature of <26°C, and were sometimes recovered from waters with detectable nitrate concentrations.
Flexible diet choice offsets protein costs of pathogen resistance in a caterpillar

Mounting effective resistance against pathogens is costly in terms of energy and nutrients. However, it remains unexplored whether hosts can offset such costs by adjusting their dietary intake so as to recoup the specific resources involved. We test this possibility by experimentally challenging caterpillars (Spodoptera littoralis) with a highly virulent entomopathogen (nucleopolyhedrovirus), under dietary regimes varying in the content of protein and digestible carbohydrate. We found that dietary protein influenced both resistance to pathogen attack and constitutive immune function to a greater extent than did dietary carbohydrate, indicating higher protein costs of resistance than energy costs. Moreover, when allowed to self-compose their diet, insects surviving viral challenge increased their relative intake of protein compared with controls and those larvae dying of infection, thus demonstrating compensation for protein costs associated with resistance. These results suggest that the change in the host's nutritional demands to fight infection induces a compensatory shift in feeding behaviour.
Quantification of tension in Thera-Band and Cando tubing at different strains and starting lengths.

AIM Elastic resistance exercise is frequently used in rehabilitation programs. Precise quantification using color coded bands is not possible. A method to predict forces for any length of mostly used elastic tubings and thereby a general equation for the comparison of elastic material is presented. METHODS In an in vitro-series the tubing tension in relation to elongation of 6 colors of Thera-Band and Cando tubings was directly measured. The relation between tension and elongation was determined depending on different resting lengths. In clinical practice tension and elongation are prescribed. Two mathematical methods to calculate the resting length as regulatory variable are presented. One is based on the construction of iso-tension curves, the 2nd on the general mathematical relation delta % tension=K* % length change+n. RESULTS 1. The tension/elongation relation is linear beyond a threshold in the early part of elongation. 2. The iso-tension method works graphically and facilitates the precise determination of resting length. 3. The double % relation between tension and elongation method describes the general properties of all tubings, where K=0.75 is a general constant. To calculate absolute values for the resting length, corresponding to a given tension and elongation, special ''color constants'' are presented. CONCLUSIONS The prediction of maximum tension values for any given elongation is possible by simple variation of resting length. These findings may improve the usefulness of elastic tubings in rehabilitation programs. The mathematical method further may be used for the comparison of elastic materials with linear characteristics.
Effect of cell density on intracellular levels of the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein

The precise function of APP (Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein) remains to be fully elucidated, but various lines of evidence suggest that it may be involved in cell adhesion processes. Because APP is a transmembrane glycoprotein, variations in its expression level may have direct bearing on its putative role in cell adhesion. Our results revealed that although APP levels did not change markedly with increasing cell density (ICD), there was a small but reproducible increase in APP expression at subconfluent conditions. Higher expression APP levels led to corresponding increases in the amount of APP processed and secreted APP (sAPP) released into the cell media. Given that phorbol esters stimulate the non‐amyloidogenic pathway at the expense of reducing production of Aβ (the peptide found deposited as neuritic plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease), thus providing an interesting therapeutic focus, we tested the effect of the phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) on APP processing at ICD. PMA not only stimulated sAPP release at all densities tested, but also produced a corresponding decrease in the intracellular levels of APP. Further experimentation revealed that increased APP expression with ICD was dependent on factors present in conditioned medium. Interestingly, exposing cells to the Aβ peptide itself could mimic these results, thus providing evidence for a potential positive feedback mechanism between Aβ production and intracellular APP levels. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.