Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatigue as the presenting symptom of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

Different clinical presentations of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) have been described. Fatigue is generally considered to be a secondary sign and is not mentioned as a warning sign for the diagnosis. We present a patient with CIDP in whom fatigue remained the only symptom, hereby stressing the importance of adding this disease to the differential diagnosis of fatigue. Immunomodulatory treatment did not change the clinical course of the patient, but electrodiagnostic features improved substantially. Muscle Nerve, 2008
Preliminary evidence for correlation between PASAT performance and P3a and P3b amplitudes in progressive multiple sclerosis

Background: The no‐go P3a event‐related potential (ERP) is a measure of attentional engagement and the P3b is a measure of context updating. The aim of this study was to compare ERP topographies: (i) to Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) results, (ii) of visual and auditory P3a and P3b of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) versus patients with secondary‐progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and (iii) of both progressive subtypes to healthy controls.
Food Safety Information, Changes in Risk Perceptions, and Offsetting Behavior

Decreased care or offsetting behavior by potential victims can reduce or reverse benefits provided by some safety policies. We explore reasons for offsetting behavior associated with food safety policies using a survey of a nationally representative sample of almost 3,000 consumers. Results reveal that positive food safety information can change consumers’ risk perceptions and attitudes, causing them to be less vigilant and to consume more of relatively unsafe foods. This behavioral anomaly plausibly explains ongoing incidences of food poisoning after a meat processing facility implements a pathogen-reduction hazard analysis of critical control points (PR/HACCP).
Contributions of the Combined Effects of Topoisomerase Mutations toward Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT In defined, isogenic strains, at least three mutations, two of which must be in gyrA, were required to exceed the CLSI breakpoint for fluoroquinolone resistance. Strains with double mutations in both gyrA and parC had even higher MICs of fluoroquinolones than strains with totals of three mutations.
Bootstrapping Dialog Systems with Word Embeddings

One of the main tasks of a dialog system is to assign intents to user utterances, which is a form of text classiﬁcation. Since intent labels are application-speciﬁc, bootstrapping a new dialog system requires collecting and annotating in-domain data. To minimize the need for a long and expensive data collection process, we explore ways to improve the performance of dialog systems with very small amounts of training data. In recent years, word embeddings have been shown to provide valuable features for many different language tasks. We investigate the use of word embeddings in a text classiﬁcation task with little training data. We ﬁnd that count and vector features complement each other and their combination yields better results than either type of feature alone. We propose a simple alternative, vector extrema, to replace the usual averaging of a sentence’s vectors. We show how taking vector extrema is well suited for text classiﬁcation and compare it against standard vector baselines in three different applications.
Fetal ultrasound biometry: 1. Head reference values

In conclusion, there is still much controversy concerning the relationship, if any, between insulin resistance and pre-eclampsia. To my knowledge, ours is still the only published study which has specifically measured insulin sensitivity during pregnancy in women with pre-eclampsia. There is clearly a need for other carefully performed studies of insulin sensitivity in pregnancy-induced hypertension which make the distinction between pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension, and I hope that our article may act as a suitable stimulus.
[Effects of light intensity on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Chrysanthemum morifolium].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of light intensity on growth and photosynthetic of Chrysanthemum morifolium. METHOD The growth characteristics of C. morifolium were measured under different treatments (100%, 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% of full sunlight). The photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of leaves under different light intensity were determined by a LI-6400 photosynthesis system and a PAM-2100 chlorophyll fluorescence system. RESULT With the reduction of irradiance, the diameter of the stem reduced, plant height, leaf length, leaf width and length/width raised, assimilation product increased; Content of photosynthetic pigment increased between light intensity 100%-40% reduced under 20% treatment, chlorophyll a/b decreased. Light compensation point (LCP), apparent quantum yield (AQY) increased first and reduced later, photosynthesis rate (P(n)), stomatal conductance (G(s)), intercellular CO2 concentration (C(i)) and transpiration rate (T(r)) decreased, stomatal limitation value (L(s)) rose. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters F(v)/F(m) increased, phiPS II, F(v)'/F(m)', ETR and qP increased between irradiance 100%-60%, NPQ decreased, such as phiPS II decreased and NPQ increased when irradiance was lower than 40%. CONCLUSION Weak light condition was unfavorable to the growth of C. morifolium and the light conditions of culture should be control between 80%-60% of full sunlight.
Prospective cohort study of adverse events in older people admitted to the acute general hospital: risk factors and the impact of dementia

Reported adverse events (RAEs) are relatively common in the acute hospital and are associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Dementia is increasing in hospital in‐patients, however there have been few studies exploring risk factors for RAEs, in particular cognitive impairment and dementia. Our objective was to identify the prevalence of RAEs in older acute medical inpatients and associated demographic, clinical or cognitive risk factors.
POLLEN DEVELOPMENT OF R ONDELETIA ODORATA ( RUBIACEAE )

Pollen wall ontogeny of Rondeletia odorata was studied with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) from tetrad stage until maturity. The ontogenetic sequence of wall development in Rondeletia follows, to some extent, the basic scheme in the angiosperms, i.e., development starts centripetally with the pro-columellae in a plasmalemma surface coating (primexine) at the early tetrad stage when the microspores are still enveloped by callose, until intine formation in young pollen grains. The main ontogenetical features of Rondeletia odorata pollen are (1) the very thin irregular foot layer, (2) development of a continuous layer of radially oriented membranous granular material under the thick endexine, (3) initiation of intine before first mitosis with characteristic radial plasmalemma invaginations, and (4) a strong stretching force upon engorgement just prior to dehiscence, which leads to reduction in thickness of all wall layers. The possible function of Golgi vesicles in the considerable increase in surface area of the plasmalemma at intine initiation is discussed. The endocingulum observed on acetolyzed and sectioned mature grains is explained ultrastructurally.
On the use of a relay for Kalman filtering over packet dropping links

This paper considers the use of a relay to improve the performance of Kalman filtering over i.i. d. packet dropping links. We consider a situation with two sensors and one relay, where the relay can either i) forward the measurement of the first sensor to the gateway/fusion center, ii) forward the measurement of the second sensor to the gateway, or iii) perform a simple network coding operation. Using an upper bound to the expected error covariance matrix as a performance measure, we characterize situations where either one of the three schemes for the relay will give the best performance. Numerical simulations of the expected error covariance matrix confirm this qualitative behaviour.
Spinal Commissural Connections to Motoneurons Controlling the Primate Hand and Wrist

Left–right coordination is essential for locomotor movements and is partly mediated by spinal commissural systems. Such coordination is also essential for reaching and manipulation in primates, but the role of spinal commissural systems here has not been studied. We investigated commissural connectivity to motoneurons innervating forelimb muscles using intracellular recordings in acutely anesthetized macaque monkeys. In 57 of 81 motoneurons, synaptic responses (52 of 57 excitatory) were evoked after contralateral intraspinal microstimulation in the gray matter (cISMS; 300 μA maximum current intensity). Some responses (15 of 57) occurred at latencies compatible with a monosynaptic linkage, including in motoneurons projecting to intrinsic hand muscles (9 cells). Three pieces of evidence suggest that these effects reflected the action of commissural interneurons. In two cells, preceding cISMS with stimulation of the contralateral medial brainstem descending pathways facilitated the motoneuron responses, suggesting that cISMS acted on cell bodies whose excitability was increased by descending inputs. Pairing cISMS with stimulation of the contralateral corticospinal tract yielded no evidence of response occlusion in 16 cells tested, suggesting that the effects were not merely axon reflexes generated by stimulation of corticospinal axon branches, which cross the midline. Finally, stimulation of contralateral peripheral nerves evoked responses in 28 of 52 motoneurons (7 of 9 projecting to the hand). Our results demonstrate the existence of commissural neurons with access to spinal motoneurons in primate cervical spinal cord that receive inputs from the periphery as well as descending pathways. Most importantly, commissural neurons also innervate motoneurons of intrinsic hand muscles.
Alcohol’s Effects on Gene Expression

Altering the expression of specific genes in the brain is one of the mechanisms through which the organism may adapt to chronic alcohol exposure. Several molecular biology methods allow researchers to isolate alcohol-regulated genes from cultured cells or laboratory animals. These techniques have led to the identification of numerous genes whose expression is increased or decreased in cells that have been exposed to alcohol. The protein products of these genes serve a wide variety of functions in normal cells, such as the processing of protein molecules or signal transmission within cells. Preliminary studies are providing insights into the mechanisms through which alcohol may alter the expression of these genes.
Prandial glucose effectiveness and fasting gluconeogenesis in insulin-resistant first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Impaired glucose effectiveness (i.e., a diminished ability of glucose per se to facilitate its own metabolism), increased gluconeogenesis, and endogenous glucose release are, together with insulin resistance and beta-cell abnormalities, established features of type 2 diabetes. To explore aspects of the pathophysiology behind type 2 diabetes, we assessed in a group of healthy people prone to develop type 2 diabetes (n = 23), namely first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients (FDR), 1) endogenous glucose release and fasting gluconeogenesis measured using the 2H2O technique and 2) glucose effectiveness. The FDR group was insulin resistant when compared with an age-, sex-, and BMI-matched control group without a family history of type 2 diabetes (n = 14) (M value, clamp: 6.07 +/- 0.48 vs. 8.06 +/- 0.69 mg x kg(-1) lean body weight (lbw) x min(-1); P = 0.02). Fasting rates of gluconeogenesis (1.28 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.41 +/- 0.07 mg x kg(-1) lbw x min(-1); FDR vs. control subjects, P = 0.18) did not differ in the two groups and accounted for 53 +/- 2 and 60 +/- 3% of total endogenous glucose release. Glucose effectiveness was examined using a combined somatostatin and insulin infusion (0.17 vs. 0.14 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1), FDR vs. control subjects), the latter replacing serum insulin at near baseline levels. In addition, a 360-min labeled glucose infusion was given to simulate a prandial glucose profile. After glucose infusion, the integrated plasma glucose response above baseline (1,817 +/- 94 vs. 1,789 +/- 141 mmol/l per 6 h), the ability of glucose to simulate its own uptake (1.50 +/- 0.13 vs. 1.32 +/- 0.16 ml x kg(-1) lbw x min(-1)), and the ability of glucose per se to suppress endogenous glucose release did not differ between the FDR and control group. In conclusion, in contrast to overt type 2 diabetic patients, healthy people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes are characterized by normal glucose effectiveness at near-basal insulinemia and normal fasting rates of gluconeogenesis.
Do subsidized new firms survive longer? Evidence from a counterfactual approach

ABSTRACT Do subsidized new firms survive longer? Evidence from a counterfactual approach. Regional Studies. This study provides a statistically robust evaluation of the impact of capital subsidies on the survival of start-ups in Italy. The analysis considers the subsidies provided by the main Italian regional policy, Law 488/1992, during 1996–2009. By exploiting an unusual characteristic of the L. 488 selection process, a quasi-experimental design with high internal validity – the regression discontinuity design – is applied for the first time to the survival analysis. The results show a lower default risk in subsidized start-ups. These findings contradict the view that start-ups receiving L. 488 assistance simply used the grant funding to delay exit.
Digital Narrative as a Change Agent to Teach Reading to Media-Centric Students

— Because today’s media centric students have adopted digital as their native form of communication, teachers are having increasingly difficult time motivating reluctant readers to read and write. Our research has shown these text-averse individuals can learn to understand the importance of reading and writing if the instruction is based on digital narratives. While these students are naturally attracted to story, they are better at consuming them than creating them. Therefore, any intervention that utilizes story as its basis needs to include instruction on the elements of story making. This paper presents a series of digitally-based tools to identify potential weaknesses of visually impaired visual learners and to help motivate these and other media-centric students to select and complete books that are assigned to them .
The significance of double phenotypic patterns and markers in human sarcomas. A new model of mesenchymal differentiation.

Six soft-tissue sarcomas with two separate and juxtaposed histologic patterns were selected for immunohistochemical analysis. The first pattern was represented by five phenotypes (schwannian-skeletal muscle [Triton], cartilagenous, synovial, adipocytic, and smooth muscle). In each case the second histologic pattern resembled the fibrohistiocytic phenotype, ie, malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). No other histologic patterns were identified. Appropriate cell markers were demonstrated in each of the first patterns; these were not detected in the second patterns. In contrast, the second pattern in all cases expressed alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, a marker commonly found in fibrohistiocytic lesions; this was not identified in any of the first patterns. This loss of one cell-specific marker and gain of another is termed the "antigenic shift" phenomenon and appeared to foretell the emergence of a true second phenotype (the same in each of these cases, which could be termed "dedifferentiated" sarcomas). Therefore, it is hypothesized that MFH is a final common pathway for some types of sarcomas and is the result of tumor progression or "dedifferentiation. " The practical implications of this hypothesis concern the approach to sarcoma differential diagnosis and the meaning of an MFH pattern in both metastatic and primary sites. On a theoretic level, this hypothesis and the antigenic shift phenomenon force a reconsideration of the pathways of soft-tissue differentiation. A new model of mesenchymal differentiation incorporating these concepts is described and supported. It provides an explanation for a number of facts in soft-tissue pathology, and its predictions can be tested.
Cognitive Insight in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background/rationale: We investigated the cognitive insight profile of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). Methods: This study involved 30 patients with probable AD and 15 healthy participants (ie, the controls). All individuals completed the BCIS, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Mean scores of the HADS-depression subscale, HAMD, BCIS-self-reflectiveness (BCIS-R), and BCIS-self-certainty (BCIS-C) subscales were significantly different between the patients and the controls. However, there was no significant difference in BCIS reflectiveness–certainty index scores between the patients and the control groups. Regression analyses showed a moderately positive correlation between hallucinations and BCIS-C scores. Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate cognitive insight in patients with probable AD. The BCIS-R and BCIS-C scores were significantly lower in patients than in control group.
Effect of Motor Control Exercises Versus Graded Activity in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Motor control exercises to improve control and coordination of trunk muscles and graded activity under the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy are 2 commonly used exercise therapies, yet there is little evidence to support the use of one intervention over the other. Objective The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of motor control exercises and graded activity for patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Design This study was a prospectively registered randomized controlled trial with outcome assessment and statistical analyses conducted blind to group. Setting The study was conducted in primary care settings. Patients The participants were 172 patients with chronic (>12 weeks) nonspecific low back pain. Interventions Patients were randomly assigned to receive either motor control exercises or graded activity. There was no attempt to subclassify patients to match them to a treatment. Patients in both groups received 14 sessions of individualized, supervised exercise therapy. Measurements Primary outcomes were average pain over the previous week (numeric rating scale) and function (Patient-Specific Functional Scale); secondary outcomes were disability (24-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire), global impression of change (Global Perceived Effect Scale), and quality of life (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire [SF-36]). Outcome measures were collected at baseline and at 2, 6, and 12 months after intervention. Results A linear mixed models analysis showed that there were no significant differences between treatment groups at any of the time points for any of the outcomes studied. For example, the effect for pain at 2 months was 0.0 (−0.7 to 0.8). Limitations Clinicians could not be blinded to the interventions. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that motor control exercises and graded activity have similar effects for patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.
Choice of health-care facility after introduction of free essential health services in Nepal

Background: Choice of health-care services depends on patients′ characteristics and the features of health-care facilities available. In Nepal, a significant proportion of health care is provided through the private sector, despite the introduction of free essential health care for all citizens in 2008. We sought to determine whether people chose private or public facilities in the first instance for acute health problems. We also assessed the reasons for their choice. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done by use of a questionnaire administered to 400 household heads in Jhapa district, Nepal. Results: 272 (68%) respondents sought treatment from public health-care facilities in the first instance. On adjusted analysis, illiterate people were more likely to choose public facilities than people with higher secondary education (OR 5.47, P = 0.002). Similarly, lower-caste and religious-minority respondents were more likely to choose public facilities than disadvantaged janajati (OR 2.33, P = 0.01). Among respondents who used public facilities, 174 (64.0%) and 109 (40.0%) stated that that their choice was based on financial accessibility and physical accessibility, respectively. Among respondents who used private facilities, 65 (50.7%) and 54 (42.1%) said their choice was based on adequacy of resources/services and health-care delivery, respectively. Conclusion: A substantial portion of respondents used public health-care facilities in the first instance, mainly because of financial and physical accessibility rather than adequacy of resources or better health-care delivery. These results may indicate a positive impact of removal of user fees for public health-care facilities in Nepal, especially for impoverished people.
HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: survival and prognostic factors in the modern therapeutic era

Objectives:To examine baseline characteristics and outcome, and to determine variables affecting survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with HIV infection (PAH-HIV) in the modern era of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and specific PAH therapy. Design:Retrospective review of data from PAH-HIV patients without other associated risk factors for PAH, and comparison with previous series. Methods:Data were reviewed for 77 consecutive patients treated at the French Reference Centre for Pulmonary Hypertension between October 2000 and January 2008. Results were expressed as median [1st–3rd quartile] values. Results:At diagnosis of PAH, 81% patients were on HAART, 79% had a CD4+ count more than 200 cells/μl and 49% had undetectable HIV load. New York Heart Association functional class assessment was II (22%), III (69%), and IV (9%). Six-minute walk distance (6MWD) was 375 [288–421] m, and pulmonary vascular resistance was 689 [524–852] dyn s/cm5. All patients received HAART irrespective of HIV disease stage. Specific PAH therapy was started in 50 patients and led to improvements in 6MWD and haemodynamic parameters. In patients who did not receive specific PAH therapy, 6MWD improved but haemodynamics did not change. Overall survival rate was 88% at 1 year and 72% at 3 years. On multivariate analysis, cardiac index more than 2.8 l/min per m2 and CD4+ lymphocyte count more than 200 cells/μl were independent predictors of survival. Conclusion:In patients with PAH-HIV, HAART seems unable to improve haemodynamic parameters. Prognosis in PAH-HIV is mainly related to CD4+ lymphocyte count and cardiac function.