Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Typical total monochromacy. A histological and psychophysical study.

In 1960, Alpern, Falls, and Lee reviewed the extensive literature on congenital monochromatism and then described the visual characteristics of five patients with typical total monochromacy.1At the time these data were presented, one of us (H.F.F.) made a plea for eyes of this kind which might become available for histological examination. One such case has now been described, but the eyes were only obtained 40 hours after death, at which time considerable autolysis of the photoreceptor layer had already occurred.2In the case to be presented, the eye was fixed immediately after surgical enucleation. While we had no psychophysical measurements on this observer at that time, we have since obtained good measurements of the color vision and dark adaptation characteristics of her remaining eye. The present paper will describe the results of both the histological examination and the psychophysical measurements. Report of Case A 69-year-old white woman,
Higher order loop corrections for short range magnetoquasistatic position tracking

Magnetoquasistatic position tracking has been shown to be an excellent technique to measure distances between an emitting and receiving loop for distances up to 50 m along a direction perpendicular to the surface normal of the loops [1]. For short distances from the emitting loop (i.e., less than about ten loop radii) there is an error in the estimated distance. In this paper, we examine the cause of this error and show that a significant portion is due to the simplification of the emitting loop as a simple magnetic dipole. By including a more accurate expression of the source field, errors can be significantly reduced. We show that the first correction term results in a reduction in rms and peak distance estimation error of 12.51 cm (54.44 %) and 11.27 cm (44.72 %), respectively, for distances less than 1. 5δ, where δ is the skin depth.
The Clock Reading Test: validation of an instrument for the diagnosis of dementia and disorders of visuo-spatial cognition

Background: The 12-item Clock Reading Test (CRT) allows a fine-graded assessment of clock-reading ability. It has a strong focus on visuo-spatial processing and requires no executive processing. This study evaluated the reliability, validity, sensitivity and specificity of the CRT for the diagnosis of dementia and visuo-spatial dysfunction. Methods: The CRT, the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and other tests were applied to groups of 200 subjects with dementia, 105 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 20 subjects with focal parietal lesions and 64 elderly control subjects. Results: The CRT was found to be reliable and sensitive for the detection of cognitive impairment in parietal lesions, Alzheimer-, mixed- and Lewy Body dementia. Normal subjects and patients with MCI, frontotemporal dementia or cerebral small vessel disease showed little or no impairment. Conclusion: CRT and CDT are clock-processing tests with different demand profiles. They can supplement each other in the neuropsychological diagnosis of dementia and visuo-spatial dysfunction.
Reducing the impact.

In Asia, attempts to control HIV/AIDS through education have not achieved the necessary behavior changes. This is especially true for young women who are unable to apply their knowledge to their sex behavior because of inequalities in gender relations. Thus, the impact of AIDS on women is significantly greater in settings where the status of women is low. Women in developing countries are at greatest risk because the epidemic is fueled by poverty, lack of information, and lack of autonomy. Prosperity in a developing country, such as Malaysia, entails its own risks because it creates new social norms and values that exist in tandem with debilitating old norms, such as the patriarchy that disempowers women and a resurgence in polygamy and wife abandonment. Subservient gender roles not only increase women's chances of infection, they also target women as the primary caregivers for infected individuals. Young girls may have to abandon school to care for infected parents, and female health care providers are assigned to the lowest ranks of the profession. While most women have been infected by their husbands, they must also bear the stigma of being considered immoral infectors of their husbands. The futures of AIDS widows and orphans is jeopardized by the discrimination that attends the disease, and if the mother dies, her young children face a higher death rate. In settings new to the epidemic, it is difficult to convince men of the importance of addressing women's needs and of seeking the input of women in policy and program development. Only by empowering both sexes to work together to protect society will there be a reasonable chance of reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS.
MTA-enriched nanocomposite TiO2-polymeric powder coatings support human mesenchymal cell attachment and growth

The objective of the study described in this paper was the development of novel polymer/ceramic nanocomposite coatings for implants through the application of ultrafine powder coating technology. Polyester resins were combined with µm-sized TiO2 (25%) as the biocompatibility agent, nTiO2 (0.5%) as the flow additive and mineral trioxide aggregates (ProRoot® MTA, 5%) as bioactive ceramics. Ultrafine powders were prepared and applied to titanium to create continuous polymeric powder coatings (PPCs) through the application of electrostatic ultrafine powder coating technology. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis confirmed that MTA had been incorporated into the PPCs, and elemental mapping showed that it had formed small clusters that were evenly distributed across the surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed continuous and smooth, but highly textured surface coatings that contrasted with the scalloped appearance of commercially pure titanium (cpTi) controls. Atomic force microscopy revealed intricate nano-topographies with an abundance of submicron-sized pits and nano-projections, evenly dispersed across their surfaces. Inverted fluorescence microscopy, SEM and cell counts showed that human embryonic palatal mesenchymal cells attached and spread out onto PPC and MTA-enriched PPCs within 24 h. Mitochondrial enzyme activity measured viable and metabolically active cells on all of the surfaces. After 72 h of growth, cell counts and metabolic activity were significantly higher (P < 0.05) on the grey-MTA enriched PPC surfaces, than on unmodified PPC and cpTi. The novel polymer/ceramic nanocomposites that were created with ultrafine powder coating technology were continuous, homogenous and nano-rough coatings that enhanced human mesenchymal cell attachment and growth.
Expression of Myelin Components in Mouse Schwann Cells in Culture

Mouse Schwann cells cultured in vitro are capable of expressing basal levels of the major myelin components P1, P2, P0, and galactocerebroside. Numerical counts of immunostained cultures indicated that between 22 and 40% of the cells are positive up to 21 days for all of the components indicated. Electrophoretic analysis of Schwann cells labeled with a 14C‐amino acid mixture revealed the presence of proteins with relative mobilities identical to those of P0 and P1. Positive identification of the two proteins was indicated by immunoprecipitation of P1 and immunoblotting of P0. These data show that in the absence of neurites, Schwann cells in culture can express low levels of myelin characteristic components even in the absence of myelin assembly.
Effectiveness of techniques and physiological measures in the detection of deception.

Control-question (CQ) and guilty-knowledge (GK) techniques for the detection of deception were studied in a mock theft context. Subjects from the local community received $5 for participation, and both guilty and innocent subjects were motivated with a $10 bonus for a truthful outcome on the polygraph examination. They were instructed to deny the theft when they were examined by experimenters who were blind with respect to their guilt or innocence. Eight physiological channels were recorded. Blind numerical field evaluations with an inconclusive zone produced 94% and 83% correct decisions for two different types of CQ tests and 89% correct decisions for GK tests. Control questions were more effective than guilt-complex questions, and exclusive control questions were more effective than nonexclusive control questions. Behavioral observations were relatively ineffective in differentiating guilty and innocent subjects. Quantitative analyses of the CQ and GK data revealed significant discrimination between guilty and innocent subjects with a variety of electrodermal and cardiovascular measures. The results support the conclusion that certain techniques and physiological measures can be very useful for the detection of deception in a laboratory mock-crime context.
Novel urease inhibitors from Daphne oleoids

Phytochemical investigations on the chloroform and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of the roots of the Daphne oleoids led to the isolation of the coumarin glycosides 1–6. Compound 5 with IC50 values 22.05 and 26.30 μM repectively, was found to be the most active of these compounds when screened against Bacillus pasteurii and jack bean urease enzymes in a concentration-dependent fashion.
Influence of sex on disease severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether patient's sex influences the severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in terms of clinical severity or need for treatments. METHODS This was a retrospective, single-center study. We compared 133 male patients with 133 female patients presenting with RA and matched for disease duration. Data collection included demographic characteristics, pattern of joint involvement, extraarticular manifestations, medical treatment, and joint surgery. Biological measures, HLA genotypes, Larsen radiological scores on radiographs of hands and feet, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) results were obtained. RESULTS Mean disease duration was 7.4 +/- 6.9 years. Concerning clinical pattern of involvement, sicca syndrome was more frequent in women than in men (p = 0.0003). There were no significant differences concerning absence or presence of at least one disease associated gene (HLA-DRB1*01 or *04) in our patients; however, women more often carried 2 disease associated genes (21% vs 11%). No other difference in clinical, biological, or radiological indicators was noted between the 2 populations. Concerning treatment, there was no difference for large joint arthroplasties; female patients underwent significantly more distal joint arthrodesis, 6.7% vs 1.5% (p = 0.03); they were prescribed slightly more disease modifying drugs, 3.33 vs 2.83 (p = 0.04); and showed a trend toward more large joint arthrodesis, 15% vs 7.5% (p = 0.05), and metacarpophalangeal joint arthroplasties, 5.2% vs 0.7% (p = 0.08). CONCLUSION When patients are matched for RA duration, sex has little effect on the disease pattern and severity, yet women undergo more distal joint surgery.
Relative efficacy of pimecrolimus cream and triamcinolone acetonide paste in the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus

Background and Objectives: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common, chronic inflammatory condition that frequently presents with symptoms of pain and burning sensation. It is generally a very unrelenting disorder despite several kinds of treatment. Only symptomatic OLP requires treatment, and it remains a challenging predicament. Efforts are made in a sustained manner for searching for novel therapies for symptomatic OLP. Therefore, this study was aimed to compare the efficacy of treatment with topical pimecrolimus cream 1% with that of triamcinolone acetonide oral paste 0.1% in subjects with symptomatic OLP. Materials and Methods: A prospective, parallel-group, randomized, active control clinical study was conducted among 30 symptomatic OLP subjects (20 females and 10 males, with 15 patients in each treatment group) treated with topical pimecrolimus 1% cream and triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% oral paste four times daily for two consecutive months and treatment-free follow-up was performed for 2 months. Pain or burning sensation, mean clinical score and presence of erythematous areas were assessed. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon′s Rank test and the Mann Whitney test. Results: Subjects in both the groups showed significant improvement in symptom scores; however, the overall treatment response was higher in the pimecrolimus group compared with the triamcinolone acetonide group. On intergroup comparison, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the reduction in burning sensation (P = 0.18) and erythematous area (P = 0.07), but there was a statistically highly significant improvement in reduction of clinical scoring (P < 0.01%). Following the termination of the treatment, sustained remission of symptoms and long-lasting therapeutic effects was detected in 93.3% of the patients treated with pimecrolimus. Interpretation and Conclusion: Topical pimecrolimus 1% cream showed better therapeutic response compared with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% oral paste in subjects with symptomatic OLP.
Utilization of antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation: a cross‐sectional baseline analysis in general practice

What is known and objective: Antithrombotics for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) are reportedly underutilised. Since the burden of care lies within general practice, attention must be paid to identifying and addressing practice gaps in this setting. The objective of this study was to determine the contemporary utilisation of antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in AF within Australian general practice (GP). Methods: Data pertaining to AF patients’ (aged ≥65 years) were collected from GP surgeries in New South Wales, Australia, using purpose‐designed data collection forms; extracted data comprised patients’ medical histories, current pharmacotherapy, and relevant characteristics. Results and Discussion: Data pertaining to 393 patients (mean age 78·0 ± 7·0 years) were reviewed. Overall, most (98·5%) patients received antithrombotic therapy. Among the 387 patients using antithrombotics, most (94·1%) received mono‐therapy. “Warfarin ± antiplatelet” was most frequently used (81·7%); 77·5% used “warfarin” as a monotherapy, followed by “dabigatran ± clopidogrel” (11·6%), “aspirin” (5·9%) and “clopidogrel” alone (0·8%). High stroke risk and low bleeding risk were associated with increased use of “warfarin ± antiplatelet” therapy. Older patients (≥80 years) were more likely to receive ‘nil therapy’ (P = 0·04), and less likely to receive dual and triple antithrombotic therapy. Conclusion: We found an encouraging improvement compared to previous studies in the utilisation of antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in AF within general practice. Warfarin is now utilised as the mainstay therapy, followed by aspirin, although the novel oral anticoagulants are entering the spectrum of therapies used. Consideration needs to be given to the potential impact of the newer agents and their scope of use.
Intra- and inter-provenance variability in phloem phenols of Picea abies and relationship to a bark beetle-associated fungus.

One hundred Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) clones (three ramets per clone) were analyzed for phloem phenol composition and concentration before and 10 days after wound inoculation with sterile malt agar. Fifty clones (Experiment 1) belonged to the same provenance, whereas the remaining clones (Experiment 2) belonged to five provenances from three geographic areas. In Experiment 2, two additional ramets from the same clones were mass inoculated with Ceratocystis polonica (Siem.) C. Moreau to quantify the resistance of each clone. Tree response to wound inoculations was characterized by increased catechin concentration in both experiments, accompanied by increases in astringin and decreases in piceid in Experiment 1. In both experiments, we observed a diverse group of phenolic compounds whose concentrations increased (catechin, astringin) or did not vary (taxifolin glucoside) in response to wound inoculations, whereas concentrations of a homogeneous group of stilbene compounds decreased (piceid) or did not vary (isorhapontin, unidentified stilbene). In Experiment 2, provenances from the alpine and Hercynian-Carpatic areas differed from provenances from the Baltic area with respect to the relative importance of these two groups of compounds, further indicating that the two groupings of phenolic compounds structure the Norway spruce populations. Eighty days after mass inoculation, the percentage of healthy sapwood, which was taken as a measure of tree resistance, indicated that clones from the Baltic area were less resistant to mass inoculations than clones from the alpine and Hercynian-Carpatic areas. We conclude that the degree of resistance of Norway spruce trees to mass inoculations with a bark beetle-associated fungus can be predicted based on the diversity of constitutive phloem phenols and the ability to induce phenol synthesis in response to wounding.
Clustered data with small sample sizes: Comparing the performance of model-based and design-based approaches

ABSTRACT Two classes of methods properly account for clustering of data: design-based methods and model-based methods. Estimates from both methods have been shown to be approximately equal with large samples. However, both classes are known to produce biased standard error estimates with small samples. This paper compares the bias of standard errors and statistical power of marginal effects for generalized estimating equations (a design-based method) and generalized/linear mixed effects models (model-based methods) with small sample sizes via a simulation study. Provided that the distributional assumptions are met, model-based methods produced the least-biased standard error estimates and greater relative statistical power.
Autoimmune rheumatic disease and sleep: a review

Purpose of review Sleep has an important role to play in the human immune system and it is critical in the restoration and maintenance of homeostasis. Sleep deprivation and disorders may have a profound impact on health, well being and the ability to resist infection. Autoimmune rheumatic diseases are multisystem disorders that involve complicated hormonal and immunological pathophysiology. Previous studies have suggested that sleep deprivation may lead to immunological disturbance in experimental mouse models. Recent findings Sleep disorders may trigger immune system abnormalities inducing autoantibody production, possibly leading to the development of autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, in experimental models, it has been suggested that sleep deprivation may induce the onset of autoimmune disease. Summary Chronic deprivation of sleep is common in modern society and has been seen in various autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. We have reviewed various aspects of sleep deprivation and sleep apnoea syndrome, and their effects on the immune system and their relevance to autoimmune diseases. We hope that these data will encourage greater awareness of the role that improved sleep hygiene may play in the management of these rheumatic diseases.
Action of Plant Sterol Intervention on Sterol Kinetics in Hypercholesterolemic Men with High versus Low Basal Circulatory Plant Sterol Concentrations

Background: The relationship between plant sterol (PS) absorption and circulatory concentrations with cholesterol absorption and biosynthesis during PS consumption has yet to be clearly elucidated in humans. It is therefore essential to examine campesterol, β-sitosterol, and cholesterol absorption and cholesterol fractional synthesis rate (FSR) following PS consumption in individuals with high versus low basal circulatory PS concentrations. Design: A randomized, crossover trial was conducted in 82 hypercholesterolemic men consuming spreads with or without 2 g/d of PS for two 4-week periods, each separated by a 4-week washout. Endpoint tracer enrichments after ingestion of 2H-labeled campesterol or β-sitosterol and 13C-labeled cholesterol were determined by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Results: For both phases of dietary intervention, the endpoint cholesterol absorption index was positively correlated with campesterol (r = 0.5864, p < 0.0001) and β-sitosterol (r = 0.4676, p < 0.0001) absorption indices; inversely, endpoint cholesterol FSR correlated negatively with the absorption indices of campesterol (r = −0.5004, p < 0.0009), β-sitosterol (r = −0.4154, p < 0.05), and cholesterol (r = −0.4056, p < 0.0001). PS intervention reduced absorption indices of campesterol, β-sitosterol, and cholesterol by 36.5% ± 2.7%, 39.3% ± 2.9%, and 34.3% ± 1.9%, respectively, but increased cholesterol FSR by 33.0% ± 3.3% relative to control. Endpoint circulatory PS levels (cholesterol adjusted) were positively associated with endpoint absorption indices of campesterol (r = 0.5586, p < 0.0001, for placebo; r = 0.6530, p < 0.0001, for PS intake) and cholesterol (r = 0.3683, p < 0.001 for placebo; r = 0.3469, p < 0.002, for PS intake) and were negatively associated with cholesterol FSR (r = −0.3551, p < 0.002, for placebo; r = −0.3643, p < 0.001, for PS intake). The cholesterol-lowering effect of PS was most pronounced among individuals falling within the 50th–75th percentiles of basal PS concentrations. Conclusion: These data suggest that basal PS concentrations indicate not only sterol absorption efficiency but also the extent of PS-induced cholesterol reduction and thus might be clinically useful to predict the extent of cholesterol response to PS intervention within a given individual.
American Infants ’ Perception of Cues to Grammatical Units in Non-native Languages and Music : Evidence from Polish and Japanese

Introduction During the first year, infants are highly attuned to suprasegmental aspects of speech. This sensitivity may be exploited in the infant’s segmentation of the speech stream into clausal units. Hirsh-Pasek, Kemler Nelson, Jusczyk, Wright Cassidy, Druss and Kennedy (1987) examined young infants’ sensitivity to the pauses and other suprasegmental cues that coincided with clausal boundaries by inserting artificial pauses at clause boundaries or clause-internally. They found that when the infants were presented with passages that either had pauses inserted at clause boundaries and passages that had pauses inserted clause-internally they preferred the passages that had pauses coincident with clausal boundaries. This was true even in low-pass filtered speech (Jusczyk, 1989), making it clear that infants were sensitive to suprasegmental cues and not segmental cues. The following studies examine this finding in more detail. They ask whether the sensitivity to the prosodic properties of the clause is language general or not. The Headturn Preference Procedure is used to examine young infants’ sensitivity to clausal units in languages with different prosodic and syntactic properties. The degree of tuning to the input language in the performance of these tasks is then assessed. In addition, infants’ performance with non-language stimuli is also assessed in order to ascertain which aspects of performance are linguistic in origin and which are more general properties of learning about auditory stimuli.