Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of epiploic appendagitis.

PURPOSE To present our experience with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in patients with epiploic appendagitis (EA). PATIENTS AND METHODS From May 2005 to December 2007, 15 patients with the clinical and B-mode sonographic diagnosis of EA (13 men and 2 women, aged 11 - 78 years) were included in the study. All patients were examined by CEUS. The extent of contrast enhancement of the fatty tissue masses was measured using the normal surrounding fat tissue enhancement as an in vivo reference (no, hyperechoic, mixed enhancement). B-mode sonographic follow-up examinations were performed in all cases. As additional diagnostic procedures, computed tomography (n = 8), colonoscopy (n = 5), and surgery (n = 1) were used. RESULTS With CEUS all 15 masses showed a central area of no enhancement. Masses with a central unenhanced area and with broad perilesional enhancement (> 1 mm) were classified as mixed enhancement (n = 11). In the 4 cases classified as no enhancement the central unenhanced area was demarcated by only a marginal hyperechoic rim (< or = 1 mm). CONCLUSION EA is diagnosed by clinical, laboratory and B-mode sonographic patterns. EA shows a fairly characteristic CEUS feature. CEUS may therefore be helpful to confirm the diagnosis of EA in equivocal cases.
Relative weak compactness of orbits in Banach spaces associated with locally compact groups

We study analogues of weak almost periodicity in Banach spaces on locally compact groups. i) If μ, is a continous measure on the locally compact abelian group G and ∫∈L ∞ ∈ L∞(μ), then {γ∫: γ ∈Ğ} is not relatively weakly compact. ii) If G is a discrete abelian group and ∫∈ l ∞ (G)\C o (G), then {γ∫: γ ∈E) is not relatively weakly compact if E C G has non-empty interior. That result will follow from an existence theorem for Io-sets, as follows. iii) Every infinite subset of a discrete abelian group F contains an infinite Io-set such that for every neighbourhood U of the identity of Γ the interpolation (except at a finite subset depending on U) can be done using at most 4 point masses. iv) A new proof that B(G) C WAP(G) for abelian groups is given that identifies the weak limits of translates of Fourier-Stieltjes transforms. v) Analogous results for C o (G), Ap(G), and Mp(G) are given. vi) Semigroup compactifications of groups are studied, both abelian and non-abelian: the weak* closure of G in L ∞ (p), for abelian G; and when p is a continuous homomorphism of the locally compact group Γ into the unitary elements of a von Neumann algebra M, the weak* closure of ρ(Γ) is studied.
Multicenter Experiences with a Single Lead Electrode for Dual Chamber ICD Systems

NIEHAUS, M. , et al.: Multicenter Experiences with a Single Lead Electrode for Dual Chamber ICD Systems. Monitoring of atrial signals improves the accuracy in identifying supraventricular tachyarrhythmias to prevent inappropriate therapies in patients with implantable ICDs. Since difficulties due to the additional atrial lead were found in dual chamber ICD systems with two leads, the authors designed a single pass VDD lead for use with dual chamber ICDs. After a successful animal study, the prototype VDD lead (single coil defibrillation lead with two additional fractally coated rings for bipolar sensing in the atrium) was temporarily used in 30 patients during a German multicenter study. Atrial and ventricular signals were recorded during sinus rhythm (SR), atrial flutter, AF, and VT or VF. The implantation of the lead was successful in 27 of 30 patients. Mean atrial pacing threshold was 2.5 ± 0.9 V/0.5 ms, mean atrial impedance was 213 ± 31Ω. Atrial amplitudes were greater during SR (2.7 ± 1.6 mV) than during atrial flutter (1.46 ± 0.3 mV, P < 0.05) or AF (0.93 ± 0.37 mV, P < 0.01). During VF atrial “sinus” signals had significantly (P < 0.01) lower amplitudes (1.4 ± 0.52 mV) than during SR. The mean ventricular sensing was 13.3 ± 7.9 mV and mean ventricular impedance was 577 ± 64Ω. Defibrillation was successful with a 20‐J shock in all patients. In addition, 99.6% of P waves could be detected in SR and 84.4% of flutter waves during atrial flutter. During AF, 56.6% of atrial signals could be detected without modification of the signal amplifier. In conclusion, a new designed VDD dual chamber lead provides stable detection of atrial and ventricular signals during SR and atrial flutter. Reliable detection of atrial signals is possible without modification of the ICD amplifier.
HER2 Codon 655 (Ile/Val) Polymorphism and Breast Cancer in Austrian Women.

BACKGROUND The overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer (BC) is associated with impaired prognosis. Data concerning the HER2 codon 655 polymorphism (Ile/Val) and BC risk are conflicting. MATERIALS AND METHODS We studied the HER2 codon 655 (rs1136201) polymorphism in 80 Austrian patients with BC and 100 healthy volunteers by pyrosequencing and polymerase chain reaction. Associations between codon 655 allelic variants and clinicopathological variables (e.g. age, stage of disease, tumor type, grading, and receptor status) were studied with 2×2 tables. RESULTS The genotypic distributions in patients with BC (AA: 63.75%, AG: 32.5%, GG: 3.75%) and controls (AA: 63%, AG: 34%, GG: 3.7%) were virtually identical (odds ratio=1.03, 95% confidence interval=0.56-1.90). A non-significant link between carrying at least one G allele and more aggressive tumor type (estrogen receptor-negative p=0.08, G3 tumor p=0.19) was observed. CONCLUSION Genotypic variation within the codon 655 of HER2 does not alter the BC risk in Caucasian Austrian women. The association between the G allele and more aggressive tumor types requires further investigation.
[The influence of IOL implantation on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and colour vision 2 and 4 months after cataract surgery].

PURPOSE To assess the change in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and colour vision in relation to the time after cataract surgery and to the type of implanted IOL, and to compare visual functions by patients with one and two pseudophakic eyes. METHODS 45 cataract patients were examined before and then 2 and 4 month after the cataract surgery. Visual acuity (VA) was tested on logMAR optotype chart with Landolt rings, contrast sensitivity (CS) was tested on the Pelli-Robson chart and the SWCT chart. For colour vision (CV) testing, the standard Farnsworth D-15 test and the desaturated Lanthony D-15 test were used. The patients were divided into two groups--a group with one pseudophakic eye and a group with two pseudophakic eyes, and also according to the type of IOL--PMMA or hydrophobic acrylate that had been implanted. Control group was composed of phakic subjects with no ocular pathology. RESULTS After the cataract surgery, in both groups there was a significant improvement in monocular and binocular VA (p < 0.05), in monocular and binocular CS using both types of charts--Pelli-Robson (p < 0.05) and SWCT in all the spatial frequencies (p < 0.05). Also, a significant decrease in the number of minor errors in the standard Farnsworth D-15 test (p < 0.05) as well as a substantial decrease in the number of minor and major errors in the desaturated Lanthony D-15 test (p < 0.05) and an overall improvement of CV (p < 0.05) were detected. There was no difference between the results 2 and 4 month after the surgery, except for CS in 12 c/deg (p < 0.05). The patients with two pseudophakic eyes had postoperatively better binocular VA and CS in the spatial frequencies of 12 c/deg and 18 c/deg and attained postoperative values comparable to those of control subjects. No significant difference in VA, CS or CV was found between the PMMA and hydrophobic acrylate intraocular lenses. CONCLUSION After the cataract surgery, the visual functions tested by means of psychophysical methods of VA, CS and CV significantly improve and are stable 2 month after the surgery. The second eye surgery improves binocular visual functions the level of which doesn't differ from that of normal phakic subjects. There was no influence of the type of IOL on final state of VA, CS or CV.
Cardiac rehabilitation programmes: predictors of non-attendance and drop-out

Background Despite evidence of its benefits, attendance at cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes is poor. Past studies to identify predictors of non-attendance have been limited by their small sample size, particularly for female patients. The present study was designed to identify socio-demographic and clinical predictors of non-attendance and drop-out separately for men and women automatically referred to CR programmes. Method and subjects Prospective study of CR programme attendance amongst 808 patients consecutively admitted over an 11-month period to one of two hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Results Of the 652 eligible patients, 573 (88%) were successfully tracked at 4 months. Of these, 284 (49.6%) had attended a CR programme, while 272 (47.5%) had not. Using logistic regression, the significant predictors of programme non-attendance among men were having had a PCI, being a non-driver, and being aged 70 or more. The only factor predictive of non-attendance for women was being aged 70 or more. Amongst attenders, 67 (23.6%) patients discontinued the programme. Being a smoker, having diabetes and being unemployed at the time of hospital admission were predictive of programme drop-out by men. Being physically inactive at admission was predictive of programme drop-out by women. Conclusions The present study demonstrated a relatively high rate of CR programme attendance. Special attention needs to be directed towards males who are older, PCI patients, smokers, unemployed or non-drivers, and females who are older or inactive.
Cognitively elite, cognitively normal, and cognitively impaired aging: Neurocognitive status and stability moderate memory performance

Objective: Although recent theories of brain and cognitive aging distinguish between normal, exceptional, and impaired groups, further empirical evidence is required. We adapted and applied standard procedures for classifying groups of cognitively impaired (CI) and cognitively normal (CN) older adults to a third classification: cognitively healthy, exceptional, or elite (CE) aging. We then examined concurrent and two-wave longitudinal performance on composite variables of episodic, semantic, and working memory. Method: We began with a two-wave source sample from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS; source n = 570; baseline age = 53–90 years). The goals were to: (a) apply standard and objective classification procedures to discriminate three cognitive status groups, (b) conduct baseline comparisons of memory performance, (c) develop two-wave status stability and change subgroups, and (d) compare of stability subgroup differences in memory performance and change. Results: As expected, the CE group performed best on all three memory composites. Similarly, expected status stability effects were observed: (a) stable CE and CN groups performed memory tasks better than their unstable counterparts, and (b) the stable (and chronic) CI group performed worse than its unstable (variable) counterpart. These stability group differences were maintained over two waves. Conclusion: New data validate the expectations that (a) objective clinical classification procedures for cognitive impairment can be adapted for detecting cognitively advantaged older adults, and (b) performance in three memory systems is predictably related to the tripartite classification.
A Component of Primitive Nuclear Composition in Carbonaceous Meteorites

The oxygen of anhydrous, high-temperature minerals in carbonaceous meteorites is strongly depleted in the heavy stable isotopes 17O and 18O. The effect is the result of nuclear rather than chemical processes and probably results from the admixture of a component of almost pure 16O. This component may predate the solar system and may represent interstellar dust with a separate history of nucleosynthesis.
Perception of voicing in English fricatives by Spanish listeners

Los contrastes fonemicos que no son funcionalmente distintivos en la lengua materna son dificiles de diferenciar para oyentes no nativos. En el presente trabajo se exponen los resultados del segundo experimento de la investigacion enfocada a analizar la percepcion de contrastes no nativos por parte de 26 oyentes hispanohablantes, que se utilizaron como informantes. Un grupo de hablantes ingleses sirvio como el grupo de control. Los oyentes fueron expuestos al contraste ingles /s/ vs /z/, que no es fonemico en espanol, en dos palabras sintentizadas, Sue y zoo. Los resultados mostraron que parte de los oyentes habian adquirido el contraste; ademas, se apreciaron diferencias en el uso de ciertos indices acusticos que senalaban el contraste, posiblemente causadas por la influencia de la L1.Asimismo, los resultados no tuvieron correlacion ni con la edad ni el tiempo de aprendizaje de la L2, ni la edad del participante. Las conclusiones finales recogen los resultados obtenidos en el presente trabajo asi como las del trabajo sobre las diferencias basadas en el lugar de articulacion.
Low-impact diver training in management of SCUBA diver impacts

ABSTRACT SCUBA divers make a range of accidental and intentional contacts with the benthos during each reef visit. Reefs with high levels of diving tourism can be subjected to major impacts. Whilst strategies currently exist to reduce diver contacts, including pre-dive briefing and carrying-capacity approaches, significant impacts still occur. This study tested the effectiveness of Low-Impact Diver (LID) training on 183 certified SCUBA divers. The aim was to assess if specific training could provide divers with the skill base to avoid, or significantly reduce, contact with the reef, regardless of certification or experience level. Students completed a single pre-training dive, in which a set of tasks was completed to the best of their current ability and which could be used as a baseline for comparison with a similar post-course completion dive. Regardless of an individual diver’s certification, or experience level, LID training was shown to significantly reduce contact with the benthos during subsequent dives. This study demonstrated a clear deficiency in current entry-level diver training standards and shows that divers from all experience levels are capable of learning and applying LID techniques. This study presents evidence that LID techniques provide a viable ecotourism management strategy to reduce diver impacts globally.
Pathological motivations for exercise and eating disorder specific health-related quality of life.

OBJECTIVE To examine associations among pathological motivations for exercise with eating disorder (ED) specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHOD Survey data assessing ED severity (i.e., Eating Disorder Diagnostic Survey), ED specific HRQOL (i.e., Eating Disorders Quality of Life Instrument), and pathological motivations for exercise (i.e., Exercise Dependence Scale) were collected from female students (N = 387) at seven universities throughout the United States. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations among exercise dependence, ED-specific HRQOL and ED severity, and the interaction of exercise dependence and ED severity on HRQOL scores. RESULTS The overall model examining the impact of ED severity and exercise dependence (independent variables) on HRQOL (dependent variable) was significant and explained 16.1% of the variance in HRQOL scores. Additionally, the main effects for ED severity and exercise dependence and the interaction among ED severity and exercise dependence were significant, suggesting that the combined effects of ED severity and exercise dependence significantly impacts HRQOL. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that pathological motivations for exercise may exacerbate ED's detrimental impact on HRQOL. Our results offer one possible insight into why exercise may be associated with deleterious effects on ED HRQOL. Future research is needed to elucidate the relationship among psychological aspects of exercise, ED, and HRQOL.
Rituximab for remission induction in recurrent ANCA‐associated glomerulonephritis postkidney transplant

Kidney transplantation (KTX) is the treatment of choice for patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) due to ANCA‐associated vasculitis (AAV). Recurrent ANCA‐associated glomerulonephritis (GN) occurs after KTX and may adversely affect allograft survival. Cyclophosphamide (CYC) combined with glucocorticoids has been the cornerstone of treatment for recurrent GN. Rituximab (RTX), a B‐cell‐depleting monoclonal antibody, is approved for remission induction in AAV. We report the clinical presentation and outcomes of five KTX recipients treated with RTX for biopsy‐confirmed recurrent GN. The median age at the time of KTX was 26 years (four Caucasian, three females). All patients were in remission with four being ANCA positive at time of KTX. Recurrent GN occurred at a median of 26 months post‐KTX. All relapses were treated with RTX and glucocorticoids. Four patients achieved disease remission; the fifth patient was refractory to treatment with RTX and CYC. Follow‐up biopsies (n = 3) showed resolution of active GN in two patients and persistent active GN in one patient. RTX is an alternative to CYC for remission induction in recurrent AAV‐associated GN in KTX patients.
HEMATOZOAN PARASITES OF RIO GRANDE WILD TURKEYS FROM SOUTHERN TEXAS

One hundred twenty-three of 300 blood samples (41%) taken from Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) from three locations in southern Texas (Welder Wildlife Refuge, Chaparrosa Ranch, and Campo Alegre Ranch) and subinoculated into domestic broad-breasted white turkey poults were positive for a Plasmodium (Novyella) sp. Analysis of blood films from 350 turkeys revealed Haemoproteus meleagridis in 76% of the birds. A significantly greater mean parasite intensity was observed in birds from Welder Wildlife Refuge. Birds from the Campo Alegre Ranch exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of H. meleagridis than birds from Chaparrosa. The Plasmodium sp. was infective for canaries (Serinus canaria), bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), and ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), but would not produce infection in white leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus) or Coturnix quail (Coturnix coturnix). Attempts to infect Culex tarsalis and C. pipiens pipiens were unsuccessful. Asexual erythrocytic synchrony was not observed when blood-induced infections were monitored in two domestic turkey poults every 4 hr for 72 hr. Exoerythrocytic stages were not found upon examination of impression smears and tissue samples taken from brain, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and bone marrow. The Plasmodium sp. is most similar morphologically to three species in the subgenus Novyella, P. hexamerium, P. vaughani, and P. kempi. The most striking similarities are to P. hexamerium, and involve mean merozoite number, erythrocytic schizont location, and vertebrate host susceptibility. It differs from P. vaughani in being able to infect turkeys and in type of parasitized erythrocytes. Differences to P. kempi include mean merozoite number, and ability to infect pheasants, and its inability to develop in C. pipiens and C. tarsalis.
Exploiting pleiotropy to map genes for oligogenic phenotypes using extended pedigree data

We investigated the utility of two approaches for exploiting pleiotropy to search for genes influencing related traits. To do this we first assessed the genetic correlations among a set of five closely related quantitative traits (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5). We then used the genetic correlations among these five traits both to remove the common genetic effects of the four remaining traits, thereby identifying the unique genetic contribution to each trait, and to extract a synthetic phenotype which exploits the shared genetic information (pleiotropy) among these five traits. After obtaining these conditional traits, we then searched for evidence of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) (using variance component linkage) influencing the unique residual genetic component for each trait as well as those influencing the expression of the synthetic traits. From this work, we conclude that the removal of the common genetic effects of other traits in a group may be of greater utility when the majority of the pleiotropy initially detected between traits is attributable to the shared additive effects of polygenes, rather than to those of major loci. By contrast, decomposition of the genetic covariance matrix to its principal components is of greater utility when the majority of pleiotropy is attributable to major loci. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“The Castle of Remembrance”: New insights from a cognitive training programme for autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease

Autobiographical memory deficits are prominent from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and result in a loss of personal identity. Nevertheless, standardised methods of autobiographical memory stimulation for the neuropsychological rehabilitation of patients with AD remain underdeveloped. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a new cognitive training programme for autobiographical memory (REMau) on both the episodic and semantic components of autobiographical memory performance across lifetime periods, as well as on mood. Pre/post evaluations were conducted on two groups of patients with early to moderate AD, assigned to one of two different training activities: either the REMau or a cognitive training programme focused on collective semantic memory. Statistical comparisons showed significant improvement of episodic and semantic autobiographical memory performance in the REMau group, which was more pronounced for the semantic component, as well as improved mood. By contrast, deleterious pre/post differences were observed in the other group. Most interestingly, this study showed that the REMau programme boosted autobiographical memory from the reminiscence bump period, which is considered crucial for the construction and maintenance of personal identity. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results for the reduction of autobiographical memory deficits in AD.
VLSI architecture for the M algorithm suited for detection and source coding applications

Trellis source coders consist of a trellis search algorithm as the encoder and a finite state machine as the decoder. The search algorithm finds the best sequence of codewords in the trellis representing the source sequence. The optimum trellis search is the Viterbi algorithm (VA). However for source coding applications, it becomes prohibitively complex. Hence, suboptimum search algorithms must be considered. The M algorithm is a suboptimum search whose performance is close to the optimum system. This algorithm retains the best M paths at every instant. Conventional architectures of this algorithm are impractical when the number of retained paths is large. In this paper new hardware architectures based on VA implementations are presented. Dividing the M algorithm into path metric updating and trace-back based survivor memory management procedures, efficient architectures can be achieved contributing to a significant reduction in the hardware complexity, which allows quantization systems with larger reproduction codebooks.
A new 4.3 ppm//spl deg/C voltage reference using standard CMOS process with 1V supply voltage

A new 1 V supply voltage reference, using a standard CMOS process, with threshold voltage close to the supply voltage is proposed. The threshold voltages of NMOS and PMOS are 0.81 V and -1.05 V respectively at a temperature of -25/spl deg/C. Simulation results show that the proposed design can achieve below 4.3 ppm//spl deg/C between -25/spl deg/C and 150/spl deg/C at supply voltage of 1 V; as the supply voltage increases to 2 V, the temperature coefficient only increases to 9.3 ppm//spl deg/C.