Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between Diffusion- and Perfusion-Weighted MRI and Neurological Deficit Measured by the Scandinavian Stroke Scale and Barthel Index in Hyperacute Subcortical Stroke (≤6 Hours)

Objective: We used combined diffusion-weighted (DWI) and perfusion-weighted (PWI) MRI to characterize hyperacute infarctions within 6 h of symptom onset with special reference to subcortical infarctions, and investigated the relation between perfusion-diffusion mismatch volume and functional outcome. Material and Methods: Twenty-two patients presenting with symptoms of acute stroke underwent DWI and PWI within 6 h of symptom onset, and follow-up MRI 30 days later. Twelve of these had a subcortical infarction on acute DWI. Lesion volumes were measured by acute DWI and PWI as well as chronic T2-weighted MRI (T2WI). Clinical severity was measured by the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) and the Barthel Index (BI). Results: In the 12 patients with subcortical infarctions, PWI and especially DWI correlated strongly with acute and chronic neurological SSS score, as well as with final infarct volume. Furthermore, a hyperacute PWI/DWI mismatch in this subgroup predicted lesion growth. There was a weaker correlation between acute DWI/PWI and neurological score among all 22 patients, and patients with a PWI/DWI mismatch larger than 100 ml had a significantly larger lesion growth and a poorer outcome than patients with a smaller mismatch. Conclusions: Subcortical infarctions may represent a sizeable subgroup of acute stroke patients. Also subcortical infarctions may have a PWI/DWI mismatch and therefore may respond to neuroprotective/thrombolytic therapy. Hyperacute DWI may reflect the acute clinical status and predict the outcome in patients with subcortical infarction.
Cultural Diversity and Views on Alzheimer Disease in Older African Americans

Cultural constructs prevalent in older African Americans may influence their risk perceptions and knowledge of Alzheimer disease (AD). To examine this issue, we administered 3 sociocultural scales, the AD Knowledge Scale, and a Risk Perception questionnaire to 271 older African Americans who were recruited from a large community senior center and local churches. Higher Present Time Orientation was significantly related to perceptions of having little control over risks to health (P=0.004), God’s Will in determining AD (P=0.001), and lower AD knowledge (P<0.0001) and marginally related to having little control over developing AD (P=0.052). Religiosity was marginally related to having little control over risks to health (P=0.055) and getting AD (P=0.057). Post hoc intergroup comparisons found significant differences in the highest versus lowest scoring Religiosity groups. There were no significant differences by Future Time Orientation. Most subjects (57.6%) were unaware that African Americans were at higher risk for AD than whites. These data indicate that cultural diversity within older African Americans may shape health perceptions and knowledge of AD. This diversity may contribute to disparities in the detection and treatment of AD in this high-risk population.
Electrophysiological Correlates of Time-based Prospective Memory in Individuals Across the Lifespan

5 Introduction . 6 Prospective Memory . 6 Brain Regions Associated with Prospective Memory . 7 Aging and Prospective Memory . 9 Electrophysiological Correlates of Prospective Memory . 9 Differences in ERPs of Prospective Memory Throughout the Lifespan . 11 Electrophysiological Correlates of Time-based vs. Event-based Prospective Memory . 12 Electrophysiological Correlates of Time-based Prospective Memory Throughout the Lifespan . 13 Questions & Hypotheses . 13 Methods . 15 Participants . 15 Behavioral Measure of Prospective Memory . 15 Electrophysiological Recording . 16 Computer-based Prospective Memory Paradigm . 17 Electrophysiological Data Analysis . 18 Results . 19 Memory for Intentions Screening Test . 19 Computerized Prospective Memory Task . 21 Grand-averaged ERP Topography . 22 Electrophysiological Data . 24 Discussion . 26 Significant Differences on MIST Data . 26 Significant Differences on the Computerized PM Task . 26 Overall ERP Findings . 27 Significant ERP Differences in 275-235 ms Post-stimulus Time Window . 27 Significant ERP Differences in 550-600 ms Post-stimulus Time Window . 28 Lack of Significant ERP Differences in 575-625 ms Post-stimulus Time Window . 28 Conclusion . 29 Future Directions . 29 References . 30 ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES TIME-­‐BASED PM
Development of a Self-etch Adhesive for Resin-modified Glass Ionomers

The favorable self-adhesiveness of resin-modified glass ionomers (RMGIs) might be even further improved if the time-consuming and technically sensitive etch-and-rinse pre-treatment step with polyalkenoic acids could be avoided. We undertook this study to assess the effectiveness of an experimental self-etch adhesive for RMGIs that does not need to be rinsed off. Ultrastructural analysis and micro-tensile bond strength testing to enamel and dentin of a RMGI restorative material and a RMGI adhesive were performed after 4 different surface pre-treatments: no conditioning; 25% polyalkenoic acid; an experimental self-etch adhesive; and 37.5% phosphoric acid followed by the experimental self-etch adhesive. The use of an experimental self-etch adhesive increased the bond strength of RMGIs, especially after an additional conditioning step. Interfacial analysis showed the formation of a thin hydroxyapatite-containing hybrid layer. The self-etch technique enhances the user-friendliness of RMGIs and lowers their technique-sensitivity, while maintaining desirable characteristics of the conventional etch-and-rinse approach with polyalkenoic acids.
Caenorhabditis elegans EGL-1 Disrupts the Interaction of CED-9 with CED-4 and Promotes CED-3 Activation*

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, programmed cell death is implemented by the protease CED-3 whose activity is inhibited by CED-9 through physical associations with the regulator CED-4. The product of a recently described gene, egl-1, binds to and inhibits CED-9. In the present studies, we have addressed the molecular mechanism by which EGL-1 regulates CED-9 function and promotes cell death. Expression of CED-4 and CED-3 resulted in decreased survival and apoptosis of mammalian cells, activities that could be inhibited by CED-9. Importantly, this protective effect of CED-9 was antagonized by EGL-1. Immunoprecipitation analysis showed that EGL-1 binding to CED-9 disrupts the association between CED-4 and CED-9, an activity that required the BH3 motif of EGL-1. Consistent with these results, expression of EGL-1 promoted CED-4-dependent processing of CED-3, and this activity of EGL-1 was mediated through inhibition of CED-9. In mammalian cells, CED-9 is known to target the subcellular localization of CED-4 from the cytosol to intracellular membranes. Expression of EGL-1 resulted in redistribution of CED-4 from intracellular membranes, where it co-localized with CED-9, to the cytoplasm, providing further evidence that EGL-1 regulates CED-4 through CED-9. Finally, the levels of EGL-1 were greatly enhanced by co-expression of CED-9 in both mammalian cells and in a cell-free system, suggesting a role for CED-9 in the expression and/or stabilization of EGL-1. These studies provide a mechanism for how EGL-1 functions to antagonize pro-survival of CED-9 and to promote CED-3 activation and programmed cell death.
Glomerular Filtration Rate in Endurance Athletes

Objective:The interpretation of biochemical testing in sportsmen requires caution. Although creatinine-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) overcome some shortcomings of serum creatinine, there is scarce information on their use in endurance athletes. Design:We evaluated GFR, estimated by the recommended Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation in athletes. Participants:Seventy-six professional male cyclists, 71 amateur male cyclists, and 65 healthy sedentary matched controls were included in the study. Results:The mean serum creatinine level was significantly higher in the sedentary subjects (81 μM) than in amateur (75 μM; P < 0.001) and professional cyclists (72 μM; P < 0.001), and it was also marginally higher in amateur than in professional cyclists (P = 0.049). The mean estimated GFR value increased throughout the three subgroups, being significantly lower in the sedentary population (98 mL·min−1·[1.73 m2]−1) than in the subgroups of amateur (109 mL·min−1·[1.73 m2]−1; P < 0.001) and professional cyclists (113 mL·min−1·[1.73 m2]−1; P < 0.001), but it did not differ between amateur and professional cyclists (P = 0.116). The average intensity of daily physical exercise, but not the body mass index, was inversely associated with serum creatinine and positively associated with the estimated GFR. Conclusions:The MDRD equation should be used with caution in athletes, and it should consider intensity and type of physical exercise.
Heteronormativity in Action: Reproducing the Heterosexual Nuclear Family in After-hours Medical Calls

Heterosexism has become a recognized social problem since the rise of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) activism in the 1970s. One of its manifestations is heteronormativity: the mundane production of heterosexuality as the normal, natural, taken-for-granted sexuality. My research uses conversation analysis to explore heteronormativity as an ongoing, situated, practical accomplishment by people oriented to other actions entirely. I show that family reference terms—across a dataset of 59 after-hours calls to the doctor—are deployed so as to construct a normative version of the heterosexual nuclear family: a married couple, co-resident with their biological, dependent children. I examine the inferences normatively attached to family reference terms, consider how these inferences are used interactionally, and document how this everyday talk-in-interaction both reflects and reconstitutes the culturally normative definition of the family. This research advances our understanding of normativity by showing how a social problem can exist even when there is no orientation to “trouble” in interaction. Here, the persistent and untroubled reproduction of a taken-for-granted heteronormative world both reflects heterosexual privilege and (by extrapolation) perpetuates the oppression of non-heterosexual people, denied access to key social institutions such as marriage and unable to take for granted access to their culture's family reference terms. The article shows how the heteronormative social order is reproduced at the level of mundane social interaction, through the everyday conversational practices of ordinary folk.
Dietary α-tocopheryl acetate on fillet quality of tilapia.

This work compared the effects of dietary α-tocopheryl acetate on storage life of tilapia fillets. Three experimental diets containing increasing α-tocopherol levels (zero, 100, and 200 mg kg -1 ) were used. The fish, with a mean initial weight of 184.23  1.68 g, were fed diets for 63 days. After that period, they were slaughtered, filleted, and the fillets were grounded to accelerate lipid oxidation. Fish growth, survival, fillet yield, chemical composition and lipid oxidation of tilapia ground fillets were evaluated 0, 30 and 60 days after frozen storage. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between treatments for performance, and also, tocopherol did not influence the chemical composition values of fillets. Increased tocopherol levels in the feeds promoted a reduction in ground fillets lipid oxidation values.
Quality of life in functional dyspepsia: responsiveness of the Nepean Dyspepsia Index and development of a new 10‐item short form

The Nepean Dyspepsia Index is a reliable and valid measure of quality of life in functional dyspepsia, but responsiveness has been little studied. The Nepean Dyspepsia Index originally contained 42 items designed to measure impairment of a subject’s ability to engage in relevant aspects of their life because of dyspepsia, and their enjoyment of these aspects; in addition, the individual importance of areas was assessed. It was subsequently shortened to 25 items, yielding five sub‐scales.
Female Genital Mutilation: A Prospective View

There continues to be a high rate of female circumcision being practiced in Egypt. A questionnaire covering circumcision status, circumstances of circumcision procedures, and attitudes towards circumcising their daughters was given to female students in nursing secondary schools. This population was chosen as a representative sample of future mothers who also will work in a very sensitive area related to female circumcision. Results showed that all the students surveyed were circumcised. The peak ages for circumcision performance were between 10 and 12 years. About 60% of operations were performed by physicians and about 80% were done under anaesthesia at home. Rural residence was the main variable influencing the continuation of this practice in a culture in which traditions and habits are strongly respected. This points to the difficulties that face any efforts to eradicate this process.
Clinical guidelines for the management of patients with transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum

Authors/Task Force Members: George E. Sarris* (Chairperson) (Greece), Christian Balmer (Switzerland), Pipina Bonou (Greece), Juan V. Comas (Spain), Eduardo da Cruz (USA), Luca Di Chiara (Italy), Roberto M. Di Donato (United Arab Emirates), José Fragata (Portugal), Tuula Eero Jokinen (Finland), George Kirvassilis (USA), Irene Lytrivi (USA), Milan Milojevic (Netherlands), Gurleen Sharland (UK), Matthias Siepe (Germany), Joerg Stein (Austria), Emanuela Valsangiacomo Büchel (Switzerland) and Pascal R. Vouhé (France)
Chlorhexidine Arrests Subclinical Degradation of Dentin Hybrid Layers in vivo

The recent paradigm that endogenous collagenolytic and gelatinolytic activities derived from acid-etched dentin result in degradation of hybrid layers requires in vivo validation. This study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the degradation of dentin bonded with an etch-and-rinse adhesive and that in conjunction with chlorhexidine, an MMP inhibitor, applied after phosphoric-acid-etching. Contralateral pairs of bonded Class I restorations in primary molars of clinical subjects were retrieved after a six-month period of intra-oral functioning and processed for transmission electron microscopy. Hybrid layers from the chlorhexidine-treated teeth exhibited normal structural integrity of the collagen network. Conversely, abnormal hybrid layers were seen in the control teeth, with progressive disintegration of the fibrillar network, to the extent that it was beyond detection by collagen staining. Self-destruction of collagen matrices occurs rapidly in resin-infiltrated dentin in vivo and may be arrested with the use of chlorhexidine as an MMP inhibitor.
NetCamo: camouflaging network traffic for QoS-guaranteed mission critical applications

This paper presents the general approach, design, implementation, and evaluation of NetCamo, which is a system to prevent traffic analysis in systems with real-time requirements. Integrated support for both security and real-time is becoming necessary for computer networks that support mission critical applications. This study focuses on how to integrate both the prevention of traffic analysis and guarantees for worst-case delays in an internetwork. We propose and analyze techniques that efficiently camouflage network traffic and correctly plan and schedule the transmission of payload traffic so that both security and real-time requirements are met. The performance evaluation shows that our NetCamo system is effective and efficient. By using the error between target camouflaged traffic and the observed (camouflaged) traffic as metric to measure the quality of the camouflaging, we show that NetCamo achieves very high levels of camouflaging without compromising real-time requirements.
[Variability of the Boston test for the diagnosis of aphasia in active working adults].

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), academic achievement (education), and type of occupation, on the performance of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) Spanish version. MATERIAL AND METHODS The BDAE was administered to a group of 156, 19 to 60 years old, occupationally active normal subjects. RESULTS A descriptive analysis showed that some subjects (1 to 3%) scored in the pathological range of the centiles and profiles of the BDAE. A MANOVA (p < 0.05) demonstrated a significant effect of education over most of the BDAE subtests. Females outperformed males on some reading and writing subtests. SES had an effect over body part identification and naming. Significant differences were observed between younger and middle age groups in confrontation naming, oral and word picture reading. The older group scored significantly lower than the younger group in serial writing and sentences to dictation. No differences were observed between the older and the middle groups. Only oral spelling was affected by the type of occupation but a significant interaction of occupation and level of education was found. CONCLUSIONS Language tests are influenced by demographic variables, particularly education. Normal variability on the BDAE should be considered when dealing with clinical populations.
Protective effect against ischemia and light damage of iris pigment epithelial cells transfected with the BDNF gene.

PURPOSE Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been reported to protect retinal neurons against ischemia and light-induced damage. In the current study, the BDNF gene was transfected into iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cells of Long-Evans rats, and the neuroprotective ability of the IPE cells transfected with the BDNF gene against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neuroretinal cell death and against phototoxic damage was examined. METHODS The level of BDNF mRNA and protein expressed in the transfected cells was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The neuroprotective effects were determined by culturing BDNF gene-transfected IPE cells or nontransfected cells with neuroretinal cells in the presence of NMDA. The neuroprotective activity was also evaluated for the damage induced by constant exposure to light on the photoreceptors by transplanting BDNF gene-transfected IPE cells into the subretinal region of the superior half of the eye. RESULTS BDNF gene-transfected IPE cells expressed higher levels of BDNF mRNA and protein than did nontransfected IPE cells. A significant increase in the protection against NMDA was observed in the neuroretinal cells cultured with BDNF-transfected IPE cells than in those cultured with nontransfected IPE cells (P = 0.0029) or with nontreated cells (P = 0.0010). The effect was partially attenuated by the addition of anti-BDNF antibody. Significant photoreceptor cell protection against injury from constant light was also observed by the subretinal transplantation of BDNF-transfected IPE cells when compared with those receiving transplants of nontransfected cells or vehicle injection. CONCLUSIONS BDNF-transfected IPE cells demonstrated a neuronal rescue effect in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. IPE cells may be a potential source for autologous cell transplantation for some retinal diseases, and the transfection of the genes of neurotrophic factors into the transplanted cell may be a useful tool for delivering these factors to the retina.
Interconvertible enzyme cascades in cellular regulation.

MONOCYCLIC CASCADE SYSTEMS . Mammalian Pyruvate Dehydrogenase . ADP-Ribosylation . Other Monocyclic Cascade Systems . MULTICYCLIC CASCADE SYSTEMS . Coordinated Glycogen Phosphorylase-Glycogen Synthase System . 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl CoA Reductase Cascade . Glutamine Synthetase Cascade .
Smoking Trends and Educational Level in Italy in the Age Group 20–24, from 1950 to 2000

Smoking represents an important world research issue because of its diffusion among people and its effects on health. This study analyses, according to gender and educational level, the prevalence of smoking, in order to highlight the relationship between sociocultural status and smoking. Prevalence was calculated, with reference to Italian national data in 2000, by dividing a weighted population of 38,720,629 into 10 five-year birth cohorts. Results suggest that smoking is no longer perceived as being socially acceptable behavior. The prevalence declines for both sexes and educational levels, but in low educational levels the decline is slower. The study limitations are noted.
The Relationship of Varicocele and Mental Health

Objective. Observation of behavioral, psychotic, and mood abnormalities in varicocele patients necessitated us to determine the relationship of varicocele disorder and mental health of patients. Methods and materials: One hundred and forty-three primary infertile patients with clinical varicoceles at the age of 23 to 42 years ruled in this case-control study between April 2011 and April 2013, at our urology clinics in Kerman –IRAN. They are arranged in three groups according their situations, group one (n= 45, who are waiting to operation), group two (n=51 patients who are infertile after operation), group three (n=47 patients had successful pregnancy after operation), and a 50 age matched healthy men as control. After explaining of study aim and receiving written consent, they completed The Modified Mini-Mental State Test (MMMST) quationares. All data about their demographic characteristics and (MMMST) questionnaires were analyzed statistically by SPSS-18 software. Results. The comparison of three groups data, it showed all varicocele groups had mental health abnormalities inspite control group, but between them the post operative pregnancy negative group had severe mental health status (p<0.001). Conclusion. Mental disorders are often associated with chronic diseases as infertility of varicoceles, and may affect their treatment processes. So the evaluation and treatment of any mental disorders in these patients will encourage them to cooperate and continue hopefully treatment processes.
Welfare Analysis of the Chinese Grain Policy Reforms

The Chinese grain policy reforms were implemented in 1994. The grain price subsidies were eliminated which led to a substantial grain price increase. This paper examines the welfare changes associated with the grain policy reforms. All welfare measures unambiguously show that the consumers became worse off after the implementation of the grain policy reforms. More interesting, however, is the comparison between the rich and poor consumers. Evidence suggests that the rich lost more than the poor in monetary terms. Finally, the analysis shows that income inequality in China went down after the grain policy reforms.
Optimal maximal encoding different from Huffman encoding

Novel maximal encoding, encoding, and maximal prefix encoding different from Huffman encoding are introduced. It is proven that for finite source alphabets all Huffman codes are optimal maximal codes, codes, and maximal prefix codes. Conversely, the above three types optimal codes need not to be the Huffman codes. Completely similar to Huffman codes, we prove that for every random variable with a countably infinite set of outcomes and with finite entropy there exists an optimal maximal code (code, maximal prefix code) which can be constructed from optimal maximal codes (codes, maximal prefix codes) for truncated versions of the random variable, and furthermore, that the average code word lengths of any sequence of optimal maximal codes (codes, maximal prefix codes) for the truncated versions converge to that of the optimal maximal code (cone, maximal prefix code).