Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Normative measurements of the Chinese extraocular musculature by high-field magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE To establish the normal measurements of diameter and cross-sectional area of the Chinese extraocular muscles (EOMs) and optic nerve-sheath complex (ON) as seen on high-field (3-Tesla; 3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS Coronal 3T MRI of the orbit (TR, 700 ms; TE, 15 ms; FOV, 160 mm; matrix, 256 x 256; slice thickness, 1 mm; and slice gap, 0) was performed on 80 normal Chinese volunteers. T1-weighted images were analyzed with computer-assisted segmentation. The diameter and the cross-sectional area of EOMs and the ON were measured from the image plane at the posterior aspect of the globe and at 7 mm behind the globe. The maximum diameter of EOM was measured from their respective reconstructed images. RESULTS The normal measurement (mean +/- SD) of diameter at the posterior aspect of the globe: medial rectus (MR), 3.6 +/- 0.4 mm; inferior rectus (IR), 3.7 +/- 0.8 mm; lateral rectus (LR), 2.3 +/- 0.5 mm; superior oblique (SO), 2.4 +/- 0.6 mm; and the ON, 5.4 +/- 0.7 mm. The normal measurement of diameter 7 mm behind the globe: MR, 3.2 +/- 0.6 mm; IR, 3.9 +/- 0.8 mm; LR, 4.0 +/- 0.8 mm; SO, 2.2 +/- 0.7 mm; and ON, 4.2 +/- 0.5 mm. The normal measurement of cross-sectional area at the posterior aspect of the globe: superior muscle group (SMG), 28.2 +/- 6.5 mm(2); MR, 25.5 +/- 3.2 mm(2); IR, 26.9 +/- 7.2 mm(2); LR, 17.3 +/- 3.9 mm(2); SO, 10.5 +/- 3.5 mm(2); and ON, 27.6 +/- 6.1 mm(2). The normal measurement of cross-sectional area 7 mm behind the globe: SMG, 24.1 +/- 6.6 mm(2); MR, 19.1 +/- 4.6 mm(2); IR, 29.5 +/- 6.6 mm(2); LR, 32.3 +/- 6.5 mm(2); SO, 9.7 +/- 3.9 mm(2); and ON, 17.1 +/- 2.9 mm(2). The normal measurement of maximum diameter: SMG, 4.8 +/- 1.1 mm; MR, 5.1 +/- 0.9 mm; IR, 5.4 +/- 1.0 mm; and LR, 4.5 +/- 0.9 mm. CONCLUSIONS The Chinese 3T MRI EOMs and ON normative data may be useful in determining pathologic enlargement of the EOMs and ON in various orbital conditions. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00348413.).
Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacogenetics of Mycophenolic Acid Following Administration of Mycophenolate Mofetil in De Novo Pediatric Renal‐Transplant Patients

The objective was to develop a population pharmacokinetic‐pharmacogenetic model of mycophenolic acid following administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in de novo pediatric renal‐transplant patients and identify factors that explain variability. The pharmacokinetic samples were collected from 89 de novo pediatric renal‐transplant patients treated with MMF and studied during the first 60 postoperative days. All patients were genotyped for UGT1A8–A9, UGT2B7, and ABCC2. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed with the NONMEM and was validated using bootstrap visual predictive check. The pharmacokinetic data were best described by a 2‐compartment model with Erlang distribution to describe the absorption phase. The covariate analysis identified body weight as an individual factor influencing central volume of distribution and concomitant immunosuppressive medication and identified body weight and UGT2B7 802C>T genotype as individual factors influencing apparent oral clearance (CL/F) of MMF. CL/F in cyclosporine‐MMF‐treated patients was 33% higher than in tacrolimus‐MMF‐treated patients. The CL/F was significantly lower in patients with UGT2B7 802 C/C genotype compared with patients with UGT2B7 802 C/T and 802T/T genotypes, and this effect was independent of concomitant immunosuppressive medication or body weight. The population pharmacokinetic‐pharmacogenetic model of mycophenolic acid was validated. Body weight, concomitant medication, and UGT2B7 genotype contribute significantly to the interindividual variability of MMF disposition in pediatric renal‐transplant patients.
Choroidal Structural Changes in Tubercular Multifocal Serpiginoid Choroiditis

ABSTRACT Purpose: To assess choroidal vascular changes among patients with tubercular multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis (TB MSC) using previously validated techniques. Methods: Patients with TB MSC (n = 18) and healthy controls (n = 30) underwent enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) imaging. Using previously validated algorithm of image binarization, EDI-OCT scans were segmented to derive total choroidal area, luminal area, stromal area, and choroidal vascularity index (CVI). Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the CVI between controls (66.90 ± 1.77%) and TB MSC patients (65.46 ± 2.53%; p < 0.001). There was significant reduction in CVI at follow-up (3 months) (63.77 ± 3.91%; p = 0.05). The choroidal thickness was higher in TB MSC compared to controls (278.90 ± 57.84 µm versus 329.33 ± 27.69 µm; p = 0.001). Conclusions: CVI provides insight into structural changes in choroid in TB MSC. During the active disease, there is relative decrease in choroidal vascularity. As the lesions heal, choriocapillaris atrophy occurs with remodeling of choroid.
Noise Isolation in Mixed-Signal Systems Using Alternating Impedance Electromagnetic Bandgap (AI-EBG) Structure-Based Power Distribution Network (PDN)

This paper presents efficient noise isolation and suppression method in mixed-signal systems using alternating impedance electromagnetic bandgap (AI-EBG) structure-based power distribution network (PDN). Currently, split planes are used for isolation in mixed-signal systems for isolating sensitive RF/analog circuits from noisy digital circuits. However, split planes show good isolation only at low frequencies due to electromagnetic coupling through the gap. The AI-EBG structure-based PDN presented in this paper provides excellent isolation (-80 dB ~ -100 dB) in the frequency range of interest by suppressing almost all possible electromagnetic modes. The AI-EBG structure has been integrated into a mixed-signal test vehicle to demonstrate the isolation level achievable. The ability of the AI-EBG structure to suppress switching noise has been quantified in this paper. The AI-EBG structure provided greater than 100 dB of isolation in passive S-parameter measurement and suppressed in-band noise down to -88 dBm of isolation in a functional test.
The Irish Diaspora: Globalised Belonging(s)

In this article, I consider some of the overlaps and distinctions between the uses of the term diaspora in social/cultural theory and its circulation in the specific socio-political site of the Republic of Ireland in the 1990s and early 2000s. I argue that diaspora can be seen both as mediating Irish national culture in an increasingly globalised world and as a reassuring site of cultural continuity. A number of sources are used to argue that discourses of the Irish diaspora are both complicit with agendas of global capital and potentially resistant to these. While the recent use of diaspora as a heuristic devise for rethinking contemporary belonging should not be embraced uncritically, this term opens up new spaces within which the often emotive politics of transnational and transgenerational affiliation and belonging can be addressed.
Ensemble prediction for nowcasting with a convection-permitting model – II: forecast error statistics

A 24-member ensemble of 1-h high-resolution forecasts over the Southern United Kingdom is used to study shortrange forecast error statistics. The initial conditions are found from perturbations from an ensemble transform Kalman filter. Forecasts from this system are assumed to lie within the bounds of forecast error of an operational forecast system. Although noisy, this system is capable of producing physically reasonable statistics which are analysed and compared to statistics implied from a variational assimilation system. The variances for temperature errors for instance show structures that reflect convective activity. Some variables, notably potential temperature and specific humidity perturbations, have autocorrelation functions that deviate from 3-D isotropy at the convective-scale (horizontal scales less than 10 km). Other variables, notably the velocity potential for horizontal divergence perturbations, maintain 3-D isotropy at all scales. Geostrophic and hydrostatic balances are studied by examining correlations between terms in the divergence and vertical momentum equations respectively. Both balances are found to decay as the horizontal scale decreases. It is estimated that geostrophic balance becomes less important at scales smaller than 75 km, and hydrostatic balance becomes less important at scales smaller than 35 km, although more work is required to validate these findings. The implications of these results for high-resolution data assimilation are discussed.
Post-Encoding Emotional Arousal Enhances Consolidation of Item Memory, But not Reality-Monitoring Source Memory

The current study examined whether the effect of post-encoding emotional arousal on item memory extends to reality-monitoring source memory and, if so, whether the effect depends on emotionality of learning stimuli and testing format. In Experiment 1, participants encoded neutral words and imagined or viewed their corresponding object pictures. Then they watched a neutral, positive, or negative video. The 24-hour delayed test showed that emotional arousal had little effect on both item memory and reality-monitoring source memory. Experiment 2 was similar except that participants encoded neutral, positive, and negative words and imagined or viewed their corresponding object pictures. The results showed that positive and negative emotional arousal induced after encoding enhanced consolidation of item memory, but not reality-monitoring source memory, regardless of emotionality of learning stimuli. Experiment 3, identical to Experiment 2 except that participants were tested only on source memory for all the encoded items, still showed that post-encoding emotional arousal had little effect on consolidation of reality-monitoring source memory. Taken together, regardless of emotionality of learning stimuli and regardless of testing format of source memory (conjunction test vs. independent test), the facilitatory effect of post-encoding emotional arousal on item memory does not generalize to reality-monitoring source memory.
Egress of varicella-zoster virus from the melanoma cell: a tropism for the melanocyte

The pathway of envelopment and egress of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and the primary site of viral production within the epidermal layer of the skin are not fully understood. There are several hypotheses to explain how the virus may receive an envelope as it travels to the surface of the monolayer. In this study, we expand earlier reports and provide a more detailed explanation of the growth of VZV in human melanoma cells. Human melanoma cells were selected because they are a malignant derivative of the melanocyte, the melanin-producing cell which originates in the neural crest. We were able to observe the cytopathic effects of syncytial formation and the pattern of egress of virions at the surfaces of infected monolayers by scanning electron microscopy and laser-scanning confocal microscopy. The egressed virions did not appear uniformly over the syncytial surface, rather they were present in elongated patterns which were designated viral highways. In order to document the pathway by which VZV travels from the host cell nucleus to the outer cell membrane, melanoma cells were infected and then processed for examination by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at increasing intervals postinfection. At the early time points, within minutes to hours postinfection, it was not possible to localize the input virus by TEM. Thus, viral particles first observed at 24 h postinfection were considered progeny virus. On the basis of the TEM observations, the following sequence of events was considered most likely. Nucleocapsids passed through the inner nuclear membrane and acquired an envelope, after which they were seen in the endoplasmic reticulum. Enveloped virions within vacuoles derived from the endoplasmic reticulum passed into the cytoplasm. Thereafter, vacuoles containing nascent enveloped particles acquired viral glycoproteins by fusion with vesicles derived from the Golgi. The vacuoles containing virions fused with the outer plasma membrane and the particles appeared on the surface of the infected cell. Late in infection, enveloped virions were also present within the nuclei of infected cells; the most likely mechanism was retrograde flow from the perinuclear space back into the nucleus. Thus, this study suggests a role for the melanocyte in the pathogenesis of VZV infection, because all steps in viral egress can be accounted for if VZV subsumes the cellular pathways required for melanogenesis.
Molecular characterization of the Salmonella typhimurium flhB operon and its protein products

The flhB and flhA genes constitute an operon called flhB operon on the Salmonella typhimurium chromosome. Their gene products are required for formation of the rod structure of flagellar apparatus. Furthermore, several lines of evidence suggest that they, together with FliI and FliH, may constitute the export apparatus of flagellin, the component protein of flagellar filament. In this study, we determined the nucleotide sequence of the entire flhB operon from S. typhimurium. It was shown that the flhB and flhA genes encode highly hydrophobic polypeptides with calculated molecular masses of 42,322 and 74,848 Da, respectively. Both proteins have several potential membrane-spanning segments, suggesting that they may be integral membrane proteins. The flhB operon was found to contain an additional open reading frame capable of encoding a polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 14,073 Da. We designated this open reading frame flhE. The N-terminal 16 amino acids of FlhE displays a feature of a typical signal sequence. A maxicell labeling experiment enabled us to identify the precursor and mature forms of the flhE gene products. Insertion of a kanamycin-resistant gene cartridge into the chromosomal flhE gene did not affect the motility of the cells, indicating that the flhE gene is not essential for flagellar formation and function. We have overproduced and purified N-terminally truncated FlhB and FlhA proteins and raised antibodies against them. By use of these antibodies, localization of the FlhB and FlhA proteins was analyzed by Western blotting (immunoblotting) with the fractionated cell extracts. The results obtained indicated that both proteins are localized in the cytoplasmic membrane.
Onset of ovulation after menarche in girls: a longitudinal study.

INTRODUCTION Hypothalamic-pituitary axis maturity has been believed to be the rate-limiting step in the development of ovulatory menstrual cycles. We hypothesized that, given current nutritional conditions, hypothalamic-pituitary axis maturation would be relatively rapid in menarcheal girls. METHODS Daily urine and menstrual records were collected for 2 yr each from 10 girls aged 11-13 yr at study entry. Urinary excretion of LH, FSH, estradiol (E1c), and progesterone (Pdg) metabolites was measured using established ELISAs. An objective algorithm detected rises of LH, FSH, E1c, and Pdg consistent with follicular maturation and/or ovulation. RESULTS Nine of 10 girls enrolled into the study experienced the onset of menarche prior to or during the 2-yr collection period. LH and FSH surges, as well as small amplitude Pdg increments, were observed prior to menarche. Regular, ovulatory-appearing cycles with LH surges and gradually increasing and more sustained Pdg rises were observed over time after menarche, although duration of Pdg elevations remained shorter than in adult women (8.9 +/- 1.0 vs. 12.1 +/- 0.8 d, P = 0.043). E1c levels leading to LH/FSH surges were lower in perimenarcheal girls than adult controls, and bleeding episodes did not uniformly correlate with hormone patterns. Progressive increases in FSH and Pdg, but not LH or E1c, were observed in association with menarche. CONCLUSION Mature hormone patterns are established within several months of and even prior to menarche in normal-weight perimenarcheal girls. Factors determining menstrual bleeding in perimenarcheal girls may not be solely dependent on reproductive hormones or the neuroendocrine axis.
Cleft lip and palate care in the United Kingdom--the Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) Study. Part 2: dentofacial outcomes and patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE To describe facial development and appearance, quality of bone grafts, oral health, and patient/parent satisfaction, with clinical outcome, for children in two age cohorts born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) throughout the United Kingdom. DESIGN Cross-sectional outcome study. SETTING Fifty National Health Service cleft centers. PARTICIPANTS Children born with complete UCLP between April 1, 1982, and March 31, 1984, (12-year-olds) and April 1, 1989, and March 31, 1991 (5-year-olds). Data were collected for 239 5-year-olds and 218 12-year-olds. The parents of these children were also interviewed to determine levels of satisfaction with care received. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Skeletal pattern, dental arch relationship, success of alveolar bone grafting, facial appearance, oral health status, and patient/parent satisfaction. RESULTS Nearly 40% of 5- and 12-year-olds had poor dental arch relations, and 70% of 12-year-olds had midface retrusion. Fifteen percent of 12-year-olds had not received an alveolar bone graft, and only 58% of bone grafts that had been undertaken were successful. Twenty percent of 12-year-olds and 40% of 5-year-olds had untreated dental caries. Less than one-third of subjects had a good facial appearance as judged by a panel of experts. Levels of patient and parent satisfaction were generally high. CONCLUSION A rigorous evaluation of cleft care in the United Kingdom reveals disappointing outcomes.
Morphological, molecular, and functional heterogeneity of cholangiocytes from normal rat liver.

BACKGROUND & AIMS While the lobular heterogeneity of hepatocytes is established, limited data suggest that bile duct epithelial cells, of cholangiocytes, are heterogeneous along the normal intrahepatic biliary tree. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that cholangiocytes are structurally and functionally heterogeneous in the biliary tract of normal rats. METHODS A series of in situ and in vitro experiments was performed in normal rats using complementary morphometric, molecular, and functional approaches. RESULTS In situ morphometry showed that (1) intrahepatic bile ducts are heterogeneous in external diameter (5-200 mum); (2) individual cholangiocytes lining bile ducts are heterogeneous in area (3-80 mum2); and (3) a significant relationship exists between bile duct diameter and cholangiocyte area. Using a novel approach developed by us, we isolated three subpopulations of small, medium, and large cholangiocytes and compared them at the molecular and functional level. The expression of two cholangiocyte-specific genes (gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and cytokeratin 19) was similar among the three subpopulations. In contrast, secretion receptor, Cl-/HCO3- exchanger, and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator messenger RNAs were differentially expressed, being present on medium and large but not small cholangiocytes. At the functional level, adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate and intracellular pH responses and Cl-/HCO3- exchanger activity was enhanced by secretion in medium and large but not small cholangiocytes. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that cholangiocytes are morphologically and functionally heterogeneous along the normal intrahepatic biliary tree and suggest that secretion-regulated transport of water and electrolytes occurs principally in medium and large ducts.
Extrapontine Myelinolysis in an 18-Month-Old Boy With Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Extrapontine myelinolysis is characterized by symmetric demyelination following rapid shifts in serum osmolality in the supratentorial compartment. Extrapontine myelinolysis in children is rare compared to adults. The most common underlying pathophysiology is rapid correction of hyponatremia. Only 2 cases were published after diabetic ketoacidosis without electrolyte imbalance in the English literature. This study presents an unusual and possibly the youngest case of extrapontine myelinolysis that occurred in the setting of diabetic ketoacidosis and complicated cerebral edema without electrolyte imbalance, along with a review of the literature.
Coordinate regulation of phospholipid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: pleiotropically constitutive opi1 mutant

Phospholipid metabolism in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae opi1 mutant, which excretes inositol and is constitutive for the biosynthetic enzyme inositol-1-phosphate synthase (M. Greenberg, P. Goldwasser, and S. Henry, Mol. Gen. Genet. 186:157-163, 1982), was examined and compared to that of a wild-type strain. In wild-type S. cerevisiae, the phospholipid composition and the relative rates of synthesis of individual phospholipids change in response to the availability of exogenous supplies of soluble phospholipid precursors, particularly inositol. The opi1 mutant, in contrast, displays a relatively invariant phospholipid composition, and its pattern of phospholipid synthesis does not change in response to exogenous phospholipid precursors. Phosphatidylinositol synthase was not found to be regulated in either wild-type or opi1 cells. In wild-type cells, phosphatidylserine synthase and the phospholipid N-methyltransferases are coordinately repressed in response to a combination of inositol and choline. However, in opi1 cells these activities are expressed constitutively. These results suggest that the gene product of the OPI1 locus participates in the coordinate regulation of phospholipid synthesis.
Differential Requirement for IL-2 and IL-15 during Bifurcated Development of Thymic Regulatory T Cells

The developmental pathways of regulatory T cells (Treg) generation in the thymus are not fully understood. In this study, we reconstituted thymic development of Zap70-deficient thymocytes with a tetracycline-inducible Zap70 transgene to allow temporal dissection of Treg development. We find that Treg develop with distinctive kinetics, first appearing by day 4 among CD4 single-positive (SP) thymocytes. Accepted models of CD25+Foxp3+ Treg selection suggest development via CD25+Foxp3− CD4 SP precursors. In contrast, our kinetic analysis revealed the presence of abundant CD25−Foxp3+ cells that are highly efficient at maturing to CD25+Foxp3+ cells in response to IL-2. CD25−Foxp3+ cells more closely resembled mature Treg both with respect to kinetics of development and avidity for self-peptide MHC. These population also exhibited distinct requirements for cytokines during their development. CD25–Foxp3+ cells were IL-15 dependent, whereas generation of CD25+Foxp3+ specifically required IL-2. Finally, we found that IL-2 and IL-15 arose from distinct sources in vivo. IL-15 was of stromal origin, whereas IL-2 was of exclusively from hemopoetic cells that depended on intact CD4 lineage development but not either Ag-experienced or NKT cells.