Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of Fukuda Stepping Test as a function of the severity of caloric weakness in chronic dizzy patients.

BACKGROUND The purpose of the Fukuda Stepping Test (FST) is to measure asymmetrical vestibulospinal reflex tone resulting from labyrinthine dysfunction. The FST is a low cost evaluation for dizzy patients; however, when compared with gold standard caloric irrigation unilateral weakness (UW) value ≥25%, the FST has not been shown to be a sensitive tool for identifying unilateral vestibular hypofunction. PURPOSE The purpose of this technical report is to further evaluate the clinical utility of FST with and without headshake as a function of increased caloric asymmetry for individuals with unilateral peripheral vestibular pathology. RESEARCH DESIGN Retrospective review of FST results with and without head shaking component as compared to gold standard, caloric irrigation UW outcome values at four severity levels: 0-24% UW (normal caloric value); 25-50% UW (mild caloric UW); 51-75% UW (moderate caloric UW); 76-100% UW (severe caloric UW). STUDY SAMPLE 736 chronic (≥8 wk symptom complaints) dizzy patients. RESULTS Standard FST and FST following a head shake task are insensitive to detecting mild to moderate peripheral vestibular paresis. Increased test performance was observed for patients with severe canal paresis (>76% UW); however, continued inconsistencies were found in turn direction toward the severe unilateral vestibular dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the FST provides little benefit to clinicians when used in the vestibular bedside examination.
Bending endurance of printed conductive patterns on flexible substrates

This paper presents a research focused on the testing of flexible and printed components' mechanical properties. The flexibility and the bending endurance are the crucial properties for the production of smart labels and tags for smart packages. For these reasons, the presented research was concentrated on the development of bend test apparatus, as well as, on the specification and optimization of testing procedures. These procedures were verified on specially designed conductive test patterns manufactured by the use of three different technologies - standard flexible PCB manufacturing, screen printing of Ag pastes and Aerosol Jet® printing of Ag ink. Electrical parameters of test patterns were measured online and offline during the testing. The influences of test samples' electrical resistance on the number of bend cycles for different bending radiuses are described in this paper.
Comportamiento y características de algunos cultivares promisorios de mango

espanolSe realizo la caracterizacion, evaluacion de la capacidad productiva y de la calidad de los frutos de los cultivares de mango, Mangifera indica L. , Edwad, Glenn, Irwin, Otts y Parvin, introducidos en la coleccion del CENIAP, entre 1956 y 1970, desde Florida (USA) como alternativa para diversificar la oferta. Los resultados indican que los cultivares poseen atributos de calidad que se ajustan a las exigencias de los consumidores. Se sugiere la utilizacion de tecnicas y procedimientos para controlar el porte de las plantas y el empleo de marcos de plantacion mas estrechos para mejorar la produccion y productividad en su explotacion comercial. EnglishA characterization and evaluation of the productive capacity and fruit quality of the Edward, Glenn, Irwin, Otts and Parvin cultivars was made. These cultivars were introduced from Florida (USA) in the CENIAP collections as an alternative to diversify supply. Eighty three morph- agronomics descriptor were used and, based on tree dimensions and the harvest register by tree, in the different productive life periods, the productive efficiency was determined thru the fructification index. Fruit quality was evaluated thru the physical and chemical index. Results indicated that the cultivars have quality attributes that fit with the consumers requirements. The use of techniques and procedures to control tree size are suggested, thus allowing smaller planting distances and productivity in commercial farm.
Students' experiences and perceptions of the use of portfolios in UK preregistration dietetic placements: a questionnaire-based study.

BACKGROUND Reflective portfolios were introduced to dietetic practice placements in 2005, providing evidence for learning outcomes achieved and acting as a summative assessment tool. Portfolios may measure clinical competence more effectively than conventional examinations, but can be time consuming and subjective. The present study investigated current dietetic students' experiences and perceptions of the use and effectiveness of portfolio based learning and assessment during practice placements. METHODS Current UK dietetic students, who had completed a B or B and C placement, were invited to participate, via University course leaders, in an online questionnaire exploring opinions and experiences of portfolio preparation, generation, assessment, and personal and professional development and reflection. RESULTS One hundred and fourteen students from 11 Universities participated. Seventy-seven percent would have liked more information about portfolio construction prior to placement. Eighty percent of students believed that reflection helped monitor their strengths and weaknesses. Perceived reflective skills were significantly positively correlated with students' perceived writing skills (P < 0.0005) and academic ability (P = 0.002). Of the respondents, 92% agreed the portfolio was a valuable learning experience; however, 76% agreed that the amount of paperwork involved was excessive and 67% felt there were inconsistencies in portfolio assessment by different supervisors. CONCLUSIONS Portfolio weaknesses identified are not specific to dietetics but are inherent to portfolio assessment across many professions. The introduction of national standardised assessment processes, practices, tools and training for assessors may help improve inter-departmental and inter-rater reliability, respectively.
Distributed Optimal Active Power Dispatch Under Constraints for Smart Grids

Optimal active power dispatch is a well-studied problem in power system research. The conventional solutions are usually centralized, thus are inflexible and susceptible to single-point-failure. In this paper, a fully distributed solution for optimal active power dispatch is proposed. The proposed solution can consider not only constraints of supply–demand balance and generation bounds but also the line flow constraints. To balance computational efficiency and effectiveness, DC power flow was used to check for line flow constraint violations. In this way, both the optimality and feasibility of the obtained solution can be guaranteed. The operations of projected gradient calculations and global situational awareness acquisition are fully distributed and implemented using a multi-agent system. In the multi-agent system, an agent could have two function modules for information discovery and generation optimization. The lower-level information discovery module finds the unified price and congestion prices based on the consensus algorithm. With the discovered information, the upper-level generation optimization module adjusts generation settings based on the projected gradient algorithm. Simulation studies of power systems with different scales verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
The effects of NaHCO 3 and NaCl loading on hematocrit and high-intensity cycling performance

Inconsistent findings regarding the benefits of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) loading on exercise performance may be related to the use of sodium chloride (NaCl) as placebo substances. It has been postulated that the sodium content of both substances may contribute to performance benefits. The purpose of this study was to compare NaHCO 3 and NaCl to a physically inert placebo by evaluating the effect of acute loading on high-intensity cycling performance. Eight well-trained cyclists (age = 24 ± 7 yrs; mass = 77 ± 9 kg; VO 2 peak = 59.8 ± 8.6 mL•kg-1•min-1) completed a 2-min performance test on a cycling ergometer after either NaHCO 3 loading (SB), NaCl loading (SC), or placebo loading (D) in a randomized, double-blind design. Blood samples were taken pre- and post-loading and pre- and post-performance test to analyze hematocrit levels. The SB trial produced significantly higher (P < 0.05) mean power (watts) in the 2-min test (514.9 ± 49.7) when compared to the SC and D trials (504.3 ± 51.0 and 498.7 ± 50.6, respectively), with no significant difference between SC and D trials (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in hematocrit levels at any timepoint between the 3 trials (P > 0.05). These findings indicate that NaHCO 3 loading produced significant performance enhancement when compared to both NaCl and a placebo substance.
RESISTANCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS SPP. STRAINS ISOLATED FROM GOATS WITH SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS

Summary Bochev, I. & N. Russenova, 2005. Resistance of Staphylococcus spp. strains isolated from goats with subclinical mastitis. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 8, No 2, 109�118. One hundred and sixty cases of subclinical mastitis were detected in a study on 478 goats from 6 herds in Southeastern Bulgaria. From positive milk samples, 96 Staphylococcus spp. strains were isolated. Nineteen isolates were determined as Staphylococcus aureus (19.8%), and the other 77 (80.2%) – as coagulase-negative staphylococci. The sensitivity of all strains to 13 chemotherapeutics was tested through the disk diffusion method of Bauer-Kirby. Via the oxacillin agar screening test, 15 strains (15.6%) were determined as methicillin-resistant: out of them 12 isolates or 80% were coagulase-negative (MRCNS) and only 3 isolates (20%) – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The cumulative curves of resistance were drawn and their profiles were analysed. The patterns of resistance of MRCNS and methicillin-sensitive coagulase-negative staphylococci (MSCNS) were determined. The results showed that the percentage of resistance of MRCNS to A lactams (75% to penicillin, 83.3% to amoxycillin), macrolides (41.7% to erythromycin), lincomycin (33.3%) and novobiocin (50%) was higher compared to the respective percentages in MSCNS.
Protective effect of gluten‐free diet against development of lymphoma in dermatitis herpetiformis

A retrospective study of 487 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis showed that lymphoma developed in eight patients, the expected incidence being 0.21 (standardized registration ratio 3810). All lymphomas occurred in patients whose dermatitis herpetiformis had been controlled without a gluten‐free diet (GFD) or in those who had been treated with a GFD for less than 5 years. The results are suggestive of a protective role for a GFD against lymphoma in dermatitis herpetiformis and give further support for advising patients to adhere to a strict GFD for life.
Determinants of Insulin Resistance in Renal Transplant Recipients

Background. Insulin resistance is considered to play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease, which limits long-term renal transplant survival. Renal transplant recipients are more insulin-resistant compared with healthy controls. It is not known to date which factors relate to this excess insulin resistance. Therefore, we investigated which factors are related to insulin resistance long-term after renal transplantation. Methods. All renal transplant recipients at our outpatient clinic with a functioning graft for more than one year were invited to participate. We excluded diabetic recipients. Recipient, donor, and transplant characteristics were collected as putative determinants. We used fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment index, and McAuley’s index as valid estimates of insulin resistance. Linear regression models were created to investigate independent determinants of all indexes. Results. A total of 483 recipients (57% male, 50±12 years) were analyzed at a median (interquartile range) time of 6.0 (2.6–11.6) years posttransplant. The most consistent determinants across all three indices were body mass index (P<0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (P<0.001), and prednisolone dose (P<0.05). Independent associations were present for total cholesterol (P<0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001), creatinine clearance (P<0.05), recipient age (P<0.001), and gender (P≤0.002). No independent associations were present for transplant-related factors such as acute rejection treatment or cytomegalovirus seropositivity. Conclusions. Our results indicate that obesity, distribution of obesity, and prednisolone treatment are the predominant determinants of insulin resistance long term after transplantation. Insulin resistance after renal transplantation could be managed favorably by weight and prednisolone dose reduction, which may reduce cardiovascular disease.
The Greefswald Sequence: Bambandyanalo and Mapungubwe

The Iron Age sites known as Mapungubwe and Bambandyanalo on the farm Greefswald, 55 miles west of Messina in the northern Transvaal, South Africa, have aroused world-wide speculation ever since their discovery in the early 1930s. This international interest has been considerably stimulated by the publication of the second volume of the Mapungubwe report in late 1963. Much unnecessary confusion as to the significance of The Mapungubwe and Bambandyanalo sites has been caused by the long delay in the publication of this second volume, and this has made a critical leview of the Iron Age sequence in this desolate corner of the Middle Limpopo valley a matter of some urgency. The Greefswald sequence is of vital importance to South African history, for the sites have been held to show that the earliest Iron Age population of South Africa was non-Negro. In addition, they have been used to provide a fairly accurate indication of the date at which Bantu-speaking peoples first crossed the middle reaches o the Limpopo.
Assembly-Free-Based Fiber-Optic Micro-Michelson Interferometer for High Temperature Sensing

We demonstrated a novel ultracompact fiber-optic micro-Michelson interferometer (MMI) for high temperature sensing. In the MMI structure, a 45° angled reflector is polished at the tip of a single mode fiber using a fiber-lensing machine. This reflector divides the fiber core into two parts and splits the inputting light into two beams producing Michelson interference fringe. The experimental results indicate that the proposed sensor has average temperature sensitivity of 13.32 pm/°C as the temperature increases from 19 °C to 950 °C. With the all-glass assembly-free-based structure, the sensor has a capability of surviving in the high temperature harsh environment.
Fibrin gel versus papain gel in the healing of chronic venous ulcers: A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Objectives Compare the efficacy and safety of fibrin gel to 8% papain gel for wound dressing of venous ulcers. Method Patients with chronic venous ulcers were randomly assigned to one in three groups: Group 1—fibrin gel; Group 2—8% papain gel; Group 3—carbopol gel (control). Patients were seen every 15 days during 2 months, verifying reduction of the ulcer area, local infection, exudation, and epithelization. All serious or nonserious adverse events were recorded. Results Fifty-five patients (total of 63 ulcers) were randomly distributed in three groups (G1 = 21; G2 = 19; G3 = 23). No patient was excluded or discontinued treatment throughout the study. The areas of the ulcers were similarly reduced in all groups (14.3%, 21.1%, and 30.4% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively), and all had significant reduction in exudation and contamination. Conclusion The data demonstrate that neither fibrin gel nor papain gel were able to improve the process of ulcer-healing, as compared to control.
[An approach to the mechanism of matrine and albendazole against Echinococcus multilocularis infection in mice].

OBJECTIVE To assess the immune status and metabolic reaction of hepatic enzymes on mice with alveolar echinococcosis (AE) after treatment with matrine (Mat) and albendazole (ABZ). METHODS Mice with AE were treated with single dose Mat, ABZ and combined Mat and ABZ respectively for 60 days. The serum level of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and TNF-alpha was detected before and after treatment. NO, LD content and LDH, NOS, iNOS, Na+-K+ ATPase, Ca 2+ Mg+2 ATPase activities in hepatic tissue homogenate from the mice were measured by chromatometry. RESULTS The level of IL-4, IL-6 and TNF-alpha decreased in the treated groups than infected control (P<0.05), and especially that of IL-4 and TNF-alpha in the drug-combination group. While the level of IL-2 increased in the combination group than the infected control (P<0.05). The content of NO and the activity of NOS and iNOS in hepatic tissue decreased after treatment than control (P<0.05). iNOS in Mat and combination groups decreased more significantly than that of ABZ group (P<0.05). The LDH activity also decreased after treatment (P<0.05), however, the decrease of LD occurred only in the combination group (P<0.05). The activity of Na+-K+ ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+ ATPase increased in the treated groups (P<0.05) with more considerable increase of Ca2+-Mg2+ ATPase in Mat and combination groups than the ABZ group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Matrine may strengthen the immunity of the mice and shows an inhibitory effect on the growth of Echinococcus multilocularis in vitro and in vivo, which is posssibly related to the intervention of calcium ion passages and reversion of the multi-drug resistance.
Guidelines for liver transplantation in patients with HIV infection (2005)

a. acute liver failure [III]; b. decompensated liver disease with ascites, encephalopathy (having excluded HIV-related dementia) or problematic varices and poor synthetic function, e.g. albumin o30 g/l, INR 41.5 and elevated serum bilirubin e.g. 450 mmol/L [III]; c. hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detected during regular tumour surveillance (recommended at least 6 monthly in all patients with cirrhosis) and meeting the Milan criteria [III].
Osteoporosis, fragility fracture, and periodontal disease: a cross-sectional study in Spanish postmenopausal women

ObjectiveOsteoporosis and periodontitis are common disorders that affect aging populations. It has been hypothesized that both conditions may be related. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between osteoporosis and periodontitis using vertebral fragility fracture as a real marker of osteoporosis and periodontal clinical examination to define periodontitis. MethodsSix hundred thirty-four women aged 55 to 70 years, with fragility spine fractures, and living in the same healthcare region of Seville, Spain, were invited to take part in this cross-sectional study conducted from 2008 to 2010. All the women included in the study were referred to undergo spine radiological examination, spinal densitometry, and full-mouth periodontal assessment. ResultsWith the exception of number of teeth (19 in the fractured postmenopausal group and 23 in the control group; P < 0.007) and sites with a clinical attachment level lower than 7 mm (P < 0.048), there were no significant differences in clinical and periodontal parameters among women in the fractured postmenopausal group and the control group. In short, fractured postmenopausal women have lost more teeth with more advanced attachment loss (clinical attachment level >7 mm). None of the definitions of periodontitis used resulted in significant differences between groups. ConclusionsThe relationship between periodontitis and osteoporosis remains unclear, and further studies considering fragility fracture as a real marker of osteoporosis are warranted to clarify the exact role and effect of one condition on the other and the corresponding clinical implications.
Robust face analysis using convolutional neural networks

Automatic face analysis has to cope with pose and lighting variations. Especially pose variations are difficult to tackle and many face analysis methods require the use of sophisticated normalization procedures. We propose a data-driven face analysis approach that is not only capable of extracting features relevant to a given face analysis task but is also robust with regard to face location changes and scale variations. This is achieved by deploying convolutional neural networks, which are either trained for facial expression recognition or face identity recognition. Combining the outputs of these networks allows us to obtain a subject dependent or personalized recognition of facial expressions.
Reproterol – A Monomolecular Combination of Orciprenaline and Theophylline: Novel Aspects of Its Mode of Action in Asthma

Background and Objective: Reproterol is a monomolecular combination of orciprenaline and theophylline used as β-adrenergic agonist to induce bronchodilation in bronchial asthma. Since the mechanism of action of reproterol has not been investigated so far, its potential anti-inflammatory activity in asthma remains still unknown. Therefore, we have studied in vitro whether the theophylline component of the reproterol molecule might enhance the stimulatory effect of the β-adrenoceptor on cAMP production resulting in suppression of inflammatory mediator production. Methods: The effects of reproterol, orciprenaline and theophylline (10–9–10–5 M) on spontaneous cAMP (5 × 104 cells/30 min)- and on LPS (10 μg/ml)-stimulated LTB4 production (105 cells/4 h) were determined in normal monocytes in vitro. Results: Production of cAMP (n = 9) was significantly augmented in a dose-dependent manner by orciprenaline (30 ± 8%) and theophylline (28 ± 10%), but mostly by reproterol (127 ± 8%) at 10–5 M. Despite incubation with propranolol, significant stimulation of cAMP production was notable following reproterol therapy. Production of LTB4 was significantly inhibited by reproterol (–48 ± 14%) and less by theophylline (–28 ± 10%), but was stimulated by orciprenaline (+20 ± 8%) at 10–5 M. Conclusion: We conclude that reproterol exerts a strong stimulatory effect on monocyte cAMP production and a suppressive effect on LTB4 production possibly due to a synergistic mode of action on adenylate cyclase activity and inhibition of phosphodiesterases. More clinical studies in bronchial asthma will be needed to determine whether these results may translate into clinically relevant effects.
Megalithic transport and territorial markers: evidence from the Channel Islands

Evidence from the Channel Islands supports the view that long-distance transport of megaliths in the European Neolithic cannot be substantiated. Analysis of the stones at La Hougue Bie, however, shows that megaliths were regularly moved over shorter distances, and suggests that the distribution of megalithic sites within a region cannot be explained simply as a function of the availability of building materials. This view modifies the purely materialistic conclusions of Thorpe & Williams-Thorpe in their recent demolition of the Stonehenge bluestones myth (ANTIQUITY 65: 64–73).