Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of median nerve with MR neurography by using diffusion-tensor imaging: normative and pathologic diffusion values.

PURPOSE To determine normative diffusion values of the median nerve at several anatomic locations in healthy men and women of variable age and to compare these normative values with those in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS After ethics board approval and written informed consent were obtained, 45 healthy volunteers (30 women, 15 men) and 15 patients (10 women, five men) were studied. Volunteers were divided into three age groups. Magnetic resonance (MR) neurography with diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) was performed in all study participants at 3.0 T by using a single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence (repetition time msec/echo time msec, 10 123/40; b=1200 sec/mm2). Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the median nerve were determined by two readers at three locations: the levels of the distal radioulnar joint, pisiform bone, and hamate bone. RESULTS Normative FA and ADC values were calculated for men and women, different age groups, and different anatomic locations. FA and ADC did not differ between men and women (P=.28 and P=.38, respectively). FA decreased and ADC increased when moving from proximal to distal locations (P<.001). FA decreased and ADC increased significantly with age (P<.001). There was a significant difference between healthy volunteers and patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (P<.001 for both FA and ADC). An FA threshold of 0.47 and an ADC threshold of 1.054×10(-3) mm2/sec might be used in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. CONCLUSION Normative diffusion values for MR neurography of the median nerve with DTI depend on the anatomic location and age but not on sex. Age-specific FA and ADC threshold values might be used to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome.
Visual Function and Central Retinal Structure in Choroideremia.

PURPOSE To define the clinical phenotype of a cohort of patients affected with choroideremia. METHODS A retrospective study of patients with choroideremia included two centers. Data collected included age, visual acuity, refractive error, color vision, kinetic perimetry, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and genotype information. RESULTS Sixty male participants were recruited. Genotype information was available for 58 cases, and nonsense mutations were most commonly observed. Eight novel mutations were identified including a missense mutation. The mean age at the first visit was 30.1 years (range, 5-65 years) and thirty-seven patients (61%) had more than one visit with a mean follow-up period of 10.3 years (range, 1-23 years). Visual acuity was not associated with age for patients younger than 30 years (P = 0.46) but significantly associated with age for the age group above 30 years (P < 0.0001). Central retinal thickness was significantly associated with visual acuity (P = 0.03) and with age (P = 0.0014). The extent of visual field documented by kinetic perimetry showed a negative correlation with age to tested stimuli; the smallest target used (I-4e) showed the earliest and most rapid deterioration below the age of 20 years (P = 0.0032). Color vision was abnormal in 46.7% of cases (mean age, 36.3 years; range, 18-61 years), which was associated with older age (P = 0.0039). Central OCT images were abnormal in all cases, as early as age 10 years. Outer retinal tubulations were observed in all but five patients. No genotype-phenotype correlation was observed. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive structural and functional characterization of a large cohort of patients with molecularly confirmed choroideremia indicates that certain parameters are not changing significantly with time while others are. The latter warrants a prospective natural history study, ultimately to be considered as outcome measures for interventional clinical trials.
Guidelines for child custody evaluations in divorce proceedings. American Psychological Association, Committee on Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS).

Decisions regarding child custody and other parenting arrangements occur within several different legal contexts, including parental divorce, guardianship, neglect or abuse proceedings, and termination of parental rights. The following guidelines were developed for psychologists conducting child custody evaluation, specifically within the context of parental divorce. These guidelines build upon the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 1992) and are aspirational in intent. As guidelines, they are not intended to be either mandatory or exhaustive. The goal of the guidelines is to promote proficiency in using psychological expertise in conducting child custody evaluations.
S3-12, Adipophilin, and TIP47 Package Lipid in Adipocytes*

Animals have evolved mechanisms to maintain circulating nutrient levels when energy demands exceed feeding opportunities. Mammals store most of their energy as triacylglycerol in the perilipin-coated lipid droplets of adipocytes. How newly synthesized triacylglycerol is delivered to perilipin-coated lipid droplets is poorly understood. Perilipin is a member of the evolutionarily related family of PAT proteins (Perilipin, Adipophilin, TIP47), which is defined by sequence similarity and association with lipid droplets. We previously showed that S3-12, which is also a member of this family, associates with a separate pool of lipid droplets that emerge when triacylglycerol storage is driven by adding oleate to the culture medium of adipocytes. Our current data extend these findings to demonstrate that nascent lipid droplets emerge with a coat composed of S3-12, TIP47, and adipophilin. After 100 min of oleate treatment, the nascent lipid droplets are more heterogeneous: S3-12 and TIP47 coat smaller, peripheral droplets and adipophilin coats a more medial population of droplets. Fractionation of untreated and oleate-treated adipocytes shows oleate-dependent redistribution of TIP47 and adipophilin from cytosolic fractions to the lipid droplet fraction. Inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide does not block the oleate-induced formation of the nascent lipid droplets, nor does it prevent TAG accumulation. We suggest that the non-lipid droplet pools of S3-12, adipophilin, and TIP47 constitute a ready reservoir of coat proteins to permit rapid packaging of newly synthesized triacylglycerol and to maximize energy storage during nutrient excess.
Listeners perceive prefixes differently: Evidence from a noise-rating task

When compared to suffixes, prefixes possess several distinctive but largely unexplained properties. This paper explores the idea that these properties might arise from a common source, namely discontinuous recognition of spoken prefixed words, in which listeners ‘skip’ to that portion of the speech stream which contains the root. If this occurs, listeners could potentially perceive prefixes very differently than roots and suffixes. We investigated this idea with a noise-rating task, which measures the extent to which noise subjectively interferes with speech. Using newly-coined derived English words as a stimuli, participants rated the loudness of white noise overlaid on portions of spoken words corresponding to prefixes, word-initial roots, or suffixes. Results indicate that participants gave overall higher loudness ratings to noise on prefixes compared to noise on suffixes. Furthermore, as signal-to-noise ratios decreased, participants increased their loudness ratings at greater rates for noise on roots.
Impact of On-Bypass Red Blood Cell Transfusion on Severe Postoperative Morbidity or Mortality in Children

BACKGROUND:Children undergoing cardiac surgery are frequently exposed to red blood cell (RBC) transfusions mainly in the case of hemorrhage or low oxygen transport. However, in this population, RBCs are sometimes added to the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) priming solution to maintain a predefined hematocrit on bypass. In this study, we investigated the impact of RBCs added to the CPB on severe postoperative morbidity or mortality. METHODS:This retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2006 and 2012 in a tertiary care level, children’s hospital. Children receiving red cells only to prime the CPB (CPB transfusion) were compared with those receiving no RBCs during their entire hospital stay. The primary outcome was severe postoperative morbidity or mortality. Studied secondary outcomes were neurologic deficit, infection, length of mechanical ventilation, pediatric intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, and mortality. Both groups were compared with propensity score analysis where patients were matched via a genetic matching algorithm. In all analyses, applying a Bonferroni correction, a P value <. 05/8 = . 00625, was considered statistically significant. RESULTS:Among the 854 patients retained for this study, 439 (51.4%) received no RBC transfusion during their entire hospital stay and 415 (49.6%) received a CPB transfusion. Thirty-five (8.0%) patients in the no-transfusion group and 110 (26.5%) patients in the CPB transfusion group developed severe postoperative morbidity or died. This difference was statistically significant using univariate analysis (P < .001). Propensity score analysis showed that 79 (19.55%) patients developed severe postoperative morbidity or died in the no-transfusion group compared with 103 (25.50%) patients in the CPB transfusion group (P = .043). The relative risk and its Bonferroni-corrected confidence interval was 0.77 (0.53–1.10). All secondary outcomes were not significantly different between both groups, except the number of patients who developed infections (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:In the condition of our study, adding RBCs to the CPB priming to maintain a predefined hematocrit does not seem to impact markedly severe postoperative morbidity or mortality in children undergoing cardiac surgery. Only the risk of infection was increased in the CPB transfusion group. Further studies are warranted to better understand the complex interaction among severity of illness, anemia, RBCs transfusion, and outcome in children undergoing cardiac surgery.
Crustal thickness and images of the lithospheric discontinuities in the Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas

The Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas are a complex tectonic region and its tectonic evolution.since Miocene is still under debate. Knowledge of its lithospheric structure will help to.understand the mechanisms that produced extension and westward motion of the Alboran domain,. simultaneously withNW–SE compression driven by Africa–Europe plates convergence.We perform a P-wave receiver function analysis in which we analyse new data recorded at.83 permanent and temporary seismic broad-band stations located in the South of the Iberian.peninsula. These data are stacked and combined with data from a previous study in northern.Morocco to build maps of thickness and average vP/vS ratio for the crust, and cross-sections.to image the lithospheric discontinuities beneath the Gibraltar arc, the Betic and Rif Ranges.and their Iberian and Moroccan forelands. Crustal thickness values show strong lateral variations.in the southern Iberia peninsula, ranging from ∼19 to ∼46 km. The Variscan foreland is.characterized by a relatively flat Moho at ∼31 km depth, and an average vP/vS ratio of ∼1.72,. similar to other Variscan terranes, which may indicate that part of the lower crustal orogenic.root was lost. The thickest crust is found at the contact between the Alboran domain and the.External Zones of the Betic Range, while crustal thinning is observed southeastern Iberia. (down to 19 km) and in the Guadalquivir basin where the thinning at the Iberian paleomargin.could be still preserved. In the cross-sections, we see a strong change between the eastern.Betics, where the Iberian crust underthrusts and couples to the Alboran crust, and the western.Betics, where the underthrusting Iberian crust becomes partially delaminated and enters into.the mantle. The structures largely mirror those on the Moroccan side where a similar detachment.was observed in northern Morocco. We attribute a relatively shallow strong negativepolarity.discontinuity to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. This means relatively thin.lithosphere ranging from ∼50 km thickness in southeastern Iberia and northeastern Morocco.to ∼90–100 km beneath the western Betics and the Rif, with abrupt changes of ∼30 km under.the central Betics and northern Morocco. Our observations support a geodynamic scenario.where in western Betics oceanic subduction has developed into ongoing continental subduction/delamination while in eastern Betics this process is inactive.
Content of rhodanidogenic glucosides in some Brassica crops.

The method of Aldridge has been used in order to investigate the content of thiocyanate-yielding glucosides in Brassica crops, and methodological investigations have been made. Variation in thiocyanate-yielding glucosides was examined in relation to harvest times, different morphological parts of the plant, older and younger parts of the plant, total populations, and individual plants. The content of thiocyanate-yielding glucosides was highest at an early stage of the growth period and higher in the younger than in the older parts of the plant. In marrow-stem kale the content was highest in the lamina, and in turnip rape the highest content was in the root, while the differences between the morphological parts of the rape variety were less marked. Evidence is presented that the content of the thiocyanate-yielding glucosides is partly genetically controlled.
A dynamical ocean feedback mechanism for the Madden–Julian Oscillation

Composite analysis is applied to study the dynamical ocean response to Madden–Julian (MJ) events, measured by anomalies in sea surface height from the merged TOPEX/Poseidon–European Remote Sensing satellite altimetry dataset. In each of the tropical ocean basins, significant equatorial waves are forced, which are shown to modulate the sea surface temperature (SST) by 0.2–0.3°C in the absence of strong surface heat fluxes. In the Indian Ocean there is a clear dynamical response which may play a significant role in generating later MJ events. Surface westerly winds, associated with the active phase of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), force an eastward‐propagating oceanic downwelling equatorial Kelvin wave, which, on reaching the eastern boundary at Sumatra, forces reflected downwelling equatorial Rossby waves and coastal Kelvin waves. The coastal Kelvin waves propagate southwards towards northern Australia and northwards into the Bay of Bengal, and will be important for local physical, chemical and biological processes. The equatorial Rossby waves propagate westward across the Indian Ocean, arriving in the western Indian Ocean approximately 80–100 days after the initial Kelvin wave was generated. The arrival of these waves generates positive SST anomalies which leads to convection and may trigger the next‐but‐one MJ event, or amplify the low‐frequency tail of the MJO. This constitutes a coupled feedback mechanism from the ocean dynamics onto the MJO, somewhat similar to the delayed oscillator mechanism for the El Niño Southern Oscillation. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Colonoscopic evaluation of immunochemical fecal occult blood test for detection of colorectal neoplasia.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study was carried out to assess the validity of three testing methods of immunochemical occult blood according to the number of collection times as a means for colorectal cancer screening. METHODOLOGY Four thousand six hundred and eleven asymptomatic individuals, who received both an immunochemical occult blood test with a three-day method and colonoscopy during a medical checkup, served as subjects for this study. For evaluation of the desirable number of sampling times, we used the results of the first day for the 1-day method, the results of the first and second days for the 2-day method, and the results of three-consecutive days for the 3-day method. Sensitivities and specificities of these three testing methods were evaluated. RESULTS Sensitivities and specificities for colorectal cancer were calculated to be 56% and 97% for the 1-day method, 83% and 96% for the 2-day method, and 89% and 94% for the 3-day method, respectively, showing a significant difference in sensitivity between the 1-day and the 2-day methods, as well as the 3-day method (p < 0.01), and in specificity between the 1-day as well as the 2-day and 3-day methods (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that the immunochemical fecal occult blood test is useful for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and that 2-day testing is recommended as a means of screening for colorectal cancer.
Perceptual learning treatment in patients with anisometropic amblyopia: a neuroimaging study

Aims To investigate the neuromechanisms of perceptual learning treatment in patients with anisometropic amblyopia using functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques. Methods 20 patients with monocular anisometropic amblyopia participated in the study. Both fMRI and DTI data were acquired for each patient twice: before and after 30 days’ perceptual learning treatment for the amblyopic eye. During fMRI scanning, patients viewed the stimuli with either the sound or amblyopic eye. Changes of cortical activation after treatment were evaluated. In the DTI exams, the fractional anisotropy (FA) values, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, the voxel numbers of optic radiations (ORs), and the number of tracks were compared between the ipsilateral and the contralateral ORs and also between the previous and posterior scans. Results Remarkable increased activation via the amblyopic eyes was found in Brodmann Area (BA) 17–19, bilateral temporal lobes, and right cingulate gyrus after the perceptual learning treatment. No significant changes were found in the FA values, ADC values, voxel numbers, and the number of tracks after the treatment. Conclusions These results indicate that perceptual learning treatment for amblyopia had a positive effect on the visual cortex and temporal lobe visual areas in patients with anisometropic amblyopia.
The molecular population genetics of regulatory genes

Regulatory loci, which may encode both trans acting proteins as well as cis acting promoter regions, are crucial components of an organism’s genetic architecture. Although evolution of these regulatory loci is believed to underlie the evolution of numerous adaptive traits, there is little information on natural variation of these genes. Recent molecular population genetic studies, however, have provided insights into the extent of natural variation at regulatory genes, the evolutionary forces that shape them and the phenotypic effects of molecular regulatory variants. These recent analyses suggest that it may be possible to study the molecular evolutionary ecology of regulatory diversification by examining both the extent and patterning of regulatory gene diversity, the phenotypic effects of molecular variation at these loci and their ecological consequences.
Deleterious effects of minocycline in animal models of Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease

Minocycline has been shown to exert anti‐inflammatory effects underlying its putative neuroprotective properties in the 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease and in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD). However, contradictory results have recently been reported. We report deleterious effects of minocycline in two phenotypic (toxic) models of Parkinson's disease and HD in monkey and mouse. Of seven MPTP‐intoxicated female cynomolgus monkeys (0.2 mg/kg, i.v. until day 15), three received minocycline (200 mg b.i.d.). While placebo‐MPTP‐treated animals displayed mild parkinsonism at day 15, the minocycline/MPTP‐treated animals tended to be more affected (P = 0.057) and showed a greater loss of putaminal dopaminergic nerve endings (P < 0.0001). In the 3‐nitropropionic acid (3‐NP) mouse model of HD, minocycline (45 mg/kg i.p.) was administered 30 min before each i.p. injection of 3‐NP (b.i.d., cumulated dose, 360 mg/kg in 5 days). Mice receiving minocycline exhibited a worsening of the mean motor score with a slower recovery slope, more impaired general activity and significantly deteriorated performances on the rotarod, pole test and beam‐traversing tasks. The histopathological outcome demonstrated that minocycline‐treated mice presented significantly more severe neuronal cell loss in the dorsal striatum. The effect of minocycline vs. 3‐NP was also investigated on hippocampal and cortical cell cultures. minocycline blocked 3‐NP‐induced neurotoxicity at certain doses (1 mm cortical neurons) but not at higher doses (10 mm). Thus, minocycline may have variable and even deleterious effects in different species and models according to the mode of administration and dose.
Directors Remuneration and Companies' Performance the Comparison of Listed Companies in Poland and UK

Directors Remuneration and Companies' Performance the Comparison of Listed Companies in Poland and UK This paper examines the determinants of CEO compensation. There are many factors that influence CEO compensation. For this research three factors has been selected: companies size, accounting factor and market factor. The study looks at the relationship between each of this factors and directors remuneration. Sample of companies listed on London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) has been investigated over the period of 2007 - 2010. Data has been collected through annual reports content analysis and announcement on websites of LSE and WSE. Linear regression has been run on collected data. Positive correlation has been found between directors' remuneration and companies' size in both British and Polish listed companies. The relationship is also positive between directors pay and companies performance. Companies' performance has been assets by return on equity ratio (ROE) and Tobin's Q. All the findings are consistent with the outcome presented within previous research by variety of scholars.
A mathematical model for mammary fatty acid synthesis and triglyceride assembly: the role of stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD)

An increase in the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in milk is considered desirable for human health. A prerequisite for the manipulation of milk fat composition is a co-ordinated understanding of the complex interactions in its biosynthesis. It has been suggested that an increase in the expression of mammary stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) would enrich mono-unsaturated fatty acids in milk, and therefore improve its nutritional properties. To investigate the potential effects of changes in expression of mammary enzymes and substrate availability on milk fat composition, we constructed, parameterized and evaluated a mechanistic mathematical model of fatty acid biosynthesis and milk-fat triglyceride assembly. The objective was to describe changes in the amount and composition of milk fat produced by bovine mammary cells due to changes in nutrition. Using the model we found that a 50% up-regulation in SCD activity increased the molar fraction of milk triglyceride 18[ratio ]1 from 0·30 to 0·33 and 16[ratio ]1 from 0·04 to 0·06. Up-regulation of SCD therefore did not appear to be the optimal method for increasing the content of unsaturated fatty acids in milk fat. The model was also used to determine the likely rate-limiting processes for the incorporation of unsaturated fatty acids into milk fat. Halving the concentration of glycerol 3-phosphate increased the molar fraction of milk triglyceride 18[ratio ]1 from 0·30 to 0·35 and decreased the molar fraction of milk triglyceride 16[ratio ]0 from 0·30 to 0·22. This achieved the desirable outcome of producing more unsaturated low-fat milk. Our model also predicted that a K232A mutation in the bovine mammary DGAT1 gene that is linked with an increase in milk fat yield would be consistent with a 120% increase in the DGAT acylation rate and also would be associated with a decrease in milk mono-unsaturated fatty acids.