Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Restoration of Prehension with the Double Free Muscle Technique Following Complete Avulsion of the Brachial Plexus: Indications and Long-Term Results*

Background: Recent interest in reconstruction of the upper limb following brachial plexus injuries has focused on the restoration of prehension following complete avulsion of the brachial plexus. Methods: Double free muscle transfer was performed in patients who had complete avulsion of the brachial plexus. After initial exploration of the brachial plexus and (if possible) repair of the fifth cervical nerve root, the first free muscle, used to restore elbow flexion and finger extension, is transferred and reinnervated by the spinal accessory nerve. The second free muscle, transferred to restore finger flexion, is reinnervated by the fifth and sixth intercostal nerves. The motor branch of the triceps brachii is reinnervated by the third and fourth intercostal nerves to restore elbow extension. Hand sensibility is restored by suturing of the sensory rami of the intercostal nerves to the median nerve or the ulnar nerve component of the medial cord. Secondary reconstructive procedures, such as arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb, shoulder arthrodesis, and tenolysis of the transferred muscle and the distal tendons, may be required to improve the functional outcome. Results: The early results were evaluated in thirty-two patients who had had reconstruction with use of the double free muscle procedure. Twenty-six of these patients were followed for at least twenty-four months (mean duration, thirty-nine months) after the second free muscle transfer, and they were assessed with regard to the long-term outcome as well. Satisfactory (excellent or good) elbow flexion was restored in twenty-five (96 percent) of the twenty-six patients and satisfactory prehension (more than 30 degrees of total active motion of the fingers), in seventeen (65 percent). Fourteen patients (54 percent) could position the hand in space, negating simultaneous flexion of the elbow, while moving the fingers at least 30 degrees and could use the reconstructed hand for activities requiring the use of two hands, such as holding a bottle while opening a cap and lifting a heavy object. The results were analyzed to identify factors affecting the outcome. Conclusions: The double free muscle procedure can provide reliable and useful prehensile function for patients with complete avulsion of the brachial plexus.
A Multilinear Mixing Model for Nonlinear Spectral Unmixing

In hyperspectral unmixing, bilinear and linear-quadratic models have become popular recently, and also the polynomial postnonlinear model shows promising results. These models do not consider endmember interactions involving more than two endmembers, although such interactions might compose a nontrivial part of the observed spectrum in scenarios involving bright materials and complex geometrical structures, such as vegetation and intimate mixtures. In this paper, we present an extension of these models to include an infinite number of interactions. Several technical problems, such as divergence of the resulting series, can be avoided by introducing an optical interaction probability, which becomes the only free parameter of the model in addition to the abundances. We present an unmixing strategy based on this multilinear mixing (MLM) model; present comparisons with the bilinear models and the Hapke model for intimate mixing; and show that, in several scenarios, the MLM model obtains superior results.
An International Survey on the Current Use of Electroacupuncture

Background Despite many research publications, it is unclear how widely electroacupuncture (EA) and related modalities are used in everyday practice. It is also uncertain who uses them, for what conditions, and with what results. We aimed to survey practitioners about their use of and training in EA. We also sought to determine how much the open-access English-language database at http://www.electroacupunctureknowledge. com (EAK) is used, or might be used in the future, if updated. Methods A survey was developed using several rounds of consultation with a focus group and others. Professional acupuncture membership organisations were contacted to assess their willingness to notify their members. The survey was tested before its launch. Results Thirty-four professional organisations agreed to participate, together with two research bodies and six UK training institutes. Potentially, around 50 000 professionals practising acupuncture knew about the survey, to which there were 768 responses. Data were analysed for respondent demographics. Around 70% used EA, but <25% used related electrotherapy modalities. Men were more likely than women to use more than one modality. Only around 7% of respondents used non-traditional acupuncture modalities without prior training. However, awareness and usage of the EAK database was low, although around 80% of respondents stated they might use the database in the future, primarily to improve clinical practice. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest survey on EA and related modalities ever conducted. As such, its results are likely to be of interest to acupuncture and other practitioners (whether or not they use EA), patients, policymakers, and funding agencies.
ED50 of Hyperbaric Bupivacaine With Fentanyl for Cesarean Delivery Under Combined Spinal Epidural in Normotensive and Preeclamptic Patients

Background and Objectives The use of reduced intrathecal doses is advised for spinal anesthesia during cesarean delivery. However, there are inadequate data regarding the minimum effective dose of intrathecal bupivacaine for cesarean delivery. Preeclampsia is caused by an endothelial dysfunction leading to generalized vasoconstriction. Whether this can offset the pregnancy-induced decrease in intrathecal dose requirement caused by epidural venous dilation and consequent thecal compression is not known. There are no data to evaluate the minimum effective dose of intrathecal drug for cesarean delivery in preeclamptic patients. This study aimed to determine the minimum effective dose represented by the ED50 of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine for normotensive and severely preeclamptic patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery. Methods Combined spinal epidural anesthesia was administered using a standardized technique on 18 consecutively preeclamptic and normotensive patients, each carrying an otherwise uncomplicated singleton pregnancy. The dose of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine was decided by using the up-and-down method with an initial dose of 9 mg and dosing change of 1 mg. All patients received 20 &mgr;g of fentanyl intrathecally with bupivacaine. A successful block was defined as one that resulted in a sensory block to T4 level with modified Bromage score of 1 or 2 within 15 minutes of intrathecal injection. Results ED50 of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine was identical in severely preeclamptic and normotensive parturients undergoing elective cesarean delivery (4.7 mg; 95% confidence interval, 4.5–4.9 mg). Conclusions When a combined-spinal epidural is planned in normotensive or severely preeclamptic patients for an elective cesarean delivery, the ED50 of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine along with 20 &mgr;g of fentanyl is 4.7 mg.
Extreme dependence between crude oil and stock markets in Asia-Pacific regions: Evidence from quantile regression

This paper investigates the extreme dependence between the Asia-Pacific stock markets and the international crude oil market by applying the quantile regression theory and using daily data from January 4th, 2000 to July 4th, 2016. The authors obtain a more detailed result on the degree and structure of the dependence, and furthermore, the results present an asymmetric and heterogeneous dependence. Moreover, the dependence increases dramatically after a structural break point, meaning a crisis. Additionally, the authors observe a more significant dependence at the lower tails than the upper tails. They demonstrate the positive relationship at low quantiles, which is evidence of positive dependence in recessions or bearish markets.
Synergy between short-term and long-term plasticity explains direction-selectivity in visual cortex

In this study, we examine whether short-term plasticity (STP) mediates learning rules governing long-term synaptic plasticity (LTSP). More specifically, we examine how the initial vesicle release probability can mediate long-term changes in synaptic strength. Given the importance of calcium-dependent modulation of synaptic transmission, as well as the temporal information to cortical computation, we examine whether STP can set the initial condition in modulating network connectivity strength and stability via spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Taking as a starting point the well-established Tsodyks-Markram (TM) rule for STP, we implement a model of two interconnected units receiving a train of incoming spikes first mediated by a mechanism of presynaptic STP. Extending the TM model, we then implement a mechanism of postsynaptic LTSP. By treating the two mechanisms synergistically, we manipulate the initial vesicle release probability of presynaptic STP and find that this process modulates long-term depression-mediated weight convergence, thus mediating the activity of postsynaptic responses. Furthermore, we show that an interaction between STP and LTSP jointly mediate neocortical synapses in explaining direction selectivity. Overall, results suggest that calcium-dependent modulation of synaptic strength mediates important consequences of neocortical response properties.
Understanding Fashion Trends from Street Photos via Neighbor-Constrained Embedding Learning

Driven by the increasing popular image-dominated social networks, such as Instagram, Pinterest and Chictopica, sharing of daily-life street photos now plays an influential role in fashion adoption between fashion trend-setters and followers. In this work, we propose a deep learning based fine-grained embedding learning approach for street fashion analysis by leveraging user-generated street fashion data. Specifically, we present QuadNet, an effective CNN based image embedding network driven by both multi-task classification loss and neighbor-constrained similarity loss. The latter loss function is computed with a novel quadruplet loss function, which considers both hard and soft positive neighbors as well as a negative neighbor for each anchor image. The embedded feature learned from co-optimization is effective for both fine-grained classification task and image retrieval task. Quantitative evaluation on a newly collected large-scale multi-task street photo dataset shows that our QuadNet outperforms the state-of-the-art triplet network by a significant margin. In order to further evaluate the effectiveness of the learned embedding, we analyze and trace the fashion trends of New York City from 2011 to 2016. In our analysis, we are able to identify some short-term and long-term fashion styles.
Idiopathic arterial calcification of infancy - a case report

Idiopathic arterial calcification of infancy is a rare condition characterized by extensive calcification and stenosis of large and medium sized arteries. A ten day old female baby developed sudden shortness of breath and was treated with oxygen and antibiotics. Antenatal echocardiography showed calcification of the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Autopsy examination revealed extensive calcification in the walls of major arteries and vessels of several organs. The baby was found to have a karyotype of 47 chromosomes.
Progressive reduction of visual P300 amplitude in patients with first-episode schizophrenia: an ERP study.

OBJECTIVE To understand the underlying dynamic neurophysiological changes over the course of schizophrenia, it is important to study subjects longitudinally from the early stage of the illness. We previously reported that visual P300 was already impaired in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FESZ). This study demonstrates how the visual P300, as well as earlier components P1, N1, and N200, changed at the 1-year follow-up after their initial measurement. METHODS Visual ERPs were recorded with the same experimental paradigm and acquisition protocol at both time points in FESZ (n = 18) and healthy comparison subjects (n = 24). Participants silently counted infrequent target stimuli ("x") amid standard stimuli ("y") presented on the screen while the 64-channel electroencephalogram was recorded. RESULTS FESZ showed smaller visual P300, N200, P1 (trend level) amplitude and delayed P300 and N1 latency at both time points; however, only P300 showed progressive amplitude reduction over the course of the illness at 1-year follow-up. P300 latency did not change over time in either group. FESZ showed significantly reduced Spatial Span total score at both time points, and there was a significant negative correlation between P300 peak amplitude and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale positive symptom score at baseline. CONCLUSION These data show progressive P300 amplitude reduction in response to visual stimuli in the early stage of schizophrenia. These visual P300 findings support the concept of progression of schizophrenia, suggesting the usefulness of the visual P300 as a biological marker of progression.
An ethnography of pain assessment and the role of social context on two postoperative units.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to examine nursing assessment of pain across two postoperative units. BACKGROUND Postoperative pain management remains problematic. While the nursing unit, as the context, has been described as influencing pain assessment practice, the nature of this influence remains unexplored. METHOD The study was conducted in the United States of America on two postoperative units of one teaching hospital in 2003-2004. Bourdieu's approach to ethnography was used. This applies traditional ethnographic techniques in sequential phases designed to illuminate: (1) relative positions of agents in a field of practice, (2) social capital in the field, and (3) the habitus of agents. Multiple data collection techniques appropriate to each phase were employed, including participant observation and individual interviews. FINDINGS A predominant pattern of pain assessment existed on each unit. Nurses used assessment criteria from three spheres, i.e. the client's narrative, evident criteria and a reference typology of assessment findings. Nurses used a single sphere as a primary filter through which data were processed. This filter was distinctive for each unit, and consistent with the unique pattern of nursing pain assessment on each unit. CONCLUSION Nurses' pain assessment practice is profoundly shaped by the social context of the unit on which practice occurs. Bourdieu's' theory of practice is a useful lens through which to examine the social context of pain assessment practice.
Microbial diversity of inflamed and noninflamed gut biopsy tissues in inflammatory bowel disease

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition without any known cause or cure. An imbalance in normal gut biota has been identified as an important factor in the inflammatory process. Methods Fifty‐eight biopsies from Crohn's disease (CD, n = 10), ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 15), and healthy controls (n = 16) were taken from a population‐based case‐control study. Automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T‐RFLP) were used as molecular tools to investigate the intestinal microbiota in these biopsies. Results ARISA and T‐RFLP data did not allow a high level of clustering based on disease designation. However, if clustering was done based on the inflammation criteria, the majority of biopsies grouped either into inflamed or noninflamed groups. We conducted statistical analyses using incidence‐based species richness and diversity as well as the similarity measures. These indices suggested that the noninflamed tissues form an intermediate population between controls and inflamed tissue for both CD and UC. Of particular interest was that species richness increased from control to noninflamed tissue, and then declined in fully inflamed tissue. Conclusions We hypothesize that there is a recruitment phase in which potentially pathogenic bacteria colonize tissue, and once the inflammation sets in, a decline in diversity occurs that may be a byproduct of the inflammatory process. Furthermore, we suspect that a better knowledge of the microbial species in the noninflamed tissue, thus before inflammation sets in, holds the clues to the microbial pathogenesis of IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007)
The Good, the Bad, and the Disagreement: Complex ground truth in rhetorical structure analysis

We present a proposal to analyze disagreement in Rhetorical Structure Theory annotation which takes into account what we consider “legitimate” disagreements. In rhetorical analysis, as in many other pragmatic annotation tasks, a certain amount of disagreement is to be expected, and it is important to distinguish true mistakes from legitimate disagreements due to different possible interpretations of the structure and intention of a text. Using different sets of annotations in German and English, we present an analysis of such possible disagreements, and propose an under-speci ﬁ ed representation that captures the disagreements.
Urban data and definitions in sub-Saharan Africa: Mismatches between the pace of urbanisation and employment and livelihood change

Differing definitions of ‘urban’ settlements can make comparative analysis of trends in urbanisation difficult. Definitions used by many African countries include small settlements which may not exhibit the degree of labour specialisation away from agriculture that economic theories about urbanisation presume. This may mean there is a mismatch if urban data are presumed by decision-makers to be proxies for structural economic transformation. After examining these definitional issues this paper provides five illustrative African case studies based on detailed analysis of census and agricultural employment data. It finds that for Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mali in situ urbanisation of settlements at the bottom of the urban hierarchy has played a significant part in recent urbanisation processes. In Rwanda complex boundary changes have also contributed to a very significant redefinition of previously rural people as ‘urban’ yet overall the urbanisation level did not increase between 2002 and 2012. Significant employment in agriculture is found within small, and some larger, urban centres in all these countries. It is shown that these issues tend to be disregarded in analyses of urban trends for these countries which often present a more positive narrative of urban economic change than the census data support. These examples are contrasted with Botswana, where in situ urbanisation has also occurred but in this case driven by real occupational change. The paper concludes that the impact of definitions on apparent trends in urbanisation in Africa needs to be understood given the significance attached to these trends by policy makers.
A research‐knowledge system (ARKS) for storing, managing, and modeling knowledge from the scientific literature

Nursing knowledge and nursing data are the foundation for nursing practice. Domain knowledge that is stored in the literature of nursing and related disciplines, if not in memory, needs to be available to nurses during the process of clinical decision making. Although the electromechanical technology for delivering knowledge is available, conceptual technology lags far behind. An informatics solution to the conceptual problem is provided by knowledge engineering, the branch of informatics that addresses such problems by developing methods for restructuring knowledge from one form into a form that is more useful. The purpose of this article is to describe a research program for engineering nursing knowledge that has resulted in the development of such a tool, a prototype computer system for storing, managing, and modeling research-knowledge. The system is called ARKS, acronym for A Research-Knowledge System.
Tax Incentives and Noncompliance

Using rich Swedish administrative panel data, we are able to observe and analyze a specific type of tax noncompliance, namely, overstatement of a self-reported dividend allowance that can reduce shareholders’ tax liability. Some 3 percent of Swedish owner managers overstate this allowance during the period 2006 to 2009. Exploiting a large kink in the income tax schedule, we identify a positive and significant effect of the income tax rate on noncompliance. The estimated elasticity of noncompliance with respect to the marginal tax rate ranges from . 5 to . 7, depending on the specification.
Falls and Fractures in Postmenopausal Women: A Review

Older people are a major risk group for falls. 35–40% of over-65s living at home fall at least once a year, and between a third and a half of these fall twice or more. The figure rises to 50% for the over-80s. Falls contribute to the occurrence of fractures. Of all the fractures linked to osteoporosis and falls, hip fractures are the most important in terms of early death, functional dependence, and costs of care. Many identifiable risk factors have been shown to contribute to hip fracture risk, including low bone density, previous fractures, clinical risk factors for falls, and low body weight. Interaction has been found between falls and osteoporosis in the occurrence of fractures. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether a combined bone- and fall-directed therapy can further decrease the risk for fractures in patients with low bone density and an increased fall risk.
Current options for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori

Indroduction: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is crucial for prevalent disease's management, including gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer, whereas novel extradigestive causal associations are increasingly being recognized. Despite long-standing efforts, there is not as yet an optimal empirical therapy to eradicate H. pylori. Areas covered: In the present article the authors review current options for H. pylori eradication. Advantages and disadvantages of each of the recommended regimens, and the perspectives for their rational use in clinical practice, are critically discussed. Expert opinion: The continuous rising of antimicrobial resistance has accounted for the declined efficiency of standard triple therapies, yielding < 70% eradication in most countries. Alternative first-line strategies have been proposed and largely validated and are now replacing standard-of-care therapies in areas with a high incidence of clarithromycin-resistance (> 20%). Such treatments include the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy, concomitant, sequential and levofloxacin-based regimens, the later mainly designated, together with rifabutin-based therapies as second-line/rescue options. Clinicians should be aware of the local resistance pattern and maintain first-line eradication to levels > 90% (per-protocol efficacy). This will prevent both exposing the patient to repeated treatments and spreading of secondary antimicrobial resistance. In the future, perspectives of tailored therapy and a prophylactic vaccine will obviate any treatment concern.
Naturally Speaking… A Public Dialogue on the UK National Ecosystem Assessment

What do publics make of the idea of ecosystem services? How well does this concept resonate with societal aspirations and concerns for the natural environment? What are the key opportunities and challenges in taking the Ecosystem Approach forward in policy and practice? Drawing on the work of the National Ecosystem Assessment the ‘Naturally Speaking…’ public dialogue was commissioned by government to provide authoritative insight into these questions. The dialogue was delivered by the University of Exeter and run in partnership with Defra, NERC and Sciencewise, the UK’s national centre for public dialogue in policy making involving science and technology issues.