Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transparency: Relation to Depth, Subjective Contours, Luminance, and Neon Color Spreading

The perception of transparency is highly dependent on luminance and perceived depth. An image region is seen as transparent if it is of intermediate luminance relative to adjacent image regions, and if it is perceived in front of another region and has a boundary which provides information that an object is visible through this region. Yet, transparency is not just the passive end-product of these required conditions. If perceived transparency is triggered, a number of seemingly more elemental perceptual primitives such as color, contour, and depth can be radically altered. Thus, with the perception of transparency, neon color spreading becomes apparent, depth changes, stereoscopic depth capture can be eliminated, and otherwise robust subjective contours can be abolished. In addition, we show that transparency is not coupled strongly to real-world chromatic constraints since combinations of luminance and color which would be unlikely to arise in real-world scenes still give rise to the perception of transparency. Rather than seeing transparency as a perceptual end-point, determined by seemingly more primitive processes, we interpret perceived transparency as much a ‘cause’, as an ‘effect’. We speculate that the anatomical substrate for such mutual interaction may lie in cortical feed-forward connections which maintain modular segregation and cortical feedback connections which do not.
Use of cryotherapy in the treatment of keloids.

BACKGROUND Numerous approaches are used to treat keloids, but none is ideal for all scars and recurrence after treatment is frequent. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cryotherapy for treatment of these scars. METHODS Sixty-five lesions of various sizes and ages were treated with a hand-held liquid nitrogen spray unit; freeze times and number of sessions varied. Scar volume was measured before and after treatment. RESULTS Complete flattening was achieved in 48 scars (73%), most of which were less than 2 years old. Unacceptable responses were seen in six scars. No recurrence was seen during follow-ups ranging from 17 to 42 months. Side effects were limited to hypopigmentation and slight to moderate atrophy in three cases. CONCLUSION Cryotherapy is an effective, low-risk approach to keloid treatment associated with a low rate of recurrence.
Increase in the Asian Southwest Monsoon During the Past Four Centuries

Climate reconstructions reveal unprecedented warming in the past century; however, little is known about trends in aspects such as the monsoon. We reconstructed the monsoon winds for the past 1000 years using fossil Globigerina bulloides abundance in box cores from the Arabian Sea and found that monsoon wind strength increased during the past four centuries as the Northern Hemisphere warmed. We infer that the observed link between Eurasian snow cover and the southwest monsoon persists on a centennial scale. Alternatively, the forcing implicated in the warming trend (volcanic aerosols, solar output, and greenhouse gases) may directly affect the monsoon. Either interpretation is consistent with the hypothesis that the southwest monsoon strength will increase during the coming century as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise and northern latitudes continue to warm.
Laboratory to Laboratory Variation in Chlamydia trachomatis Culture Practices

Goal of this Study: To compare laboratory to laboratory variability in methods of cell culture for Chlamydia trachomatis performed by North American research laboratories. Study Design: The authors administered a standardized 54-question survey to laboratories that had published articles in any of three medical journals reporting on the use of cell culture to identify individuals with C. trachomatis infection. Laboratory to laboratory variability in specimen collection, specimen transport conditions, culture methodologies, and criteria for evaluation of culture outcomes was examined. Results: Twenty-five (93%) of 27 laboratories responded to the survey. Only two of 54 questions were answered uniformly by all responding laboratories. All laboratories reported vortexing or sonication of specimens before culture inoculation and centrifugation of inoculated cultures prior to incubation. In contrast, substantial variation was noted in specimen collection devices, specimen transport conditions and times, culture format, culture procedures, and criteria for identifying positive cultures. Conclusion: Although this study did not evaluate the sensitivity of chlamydia cell cultures performed in different laboratories, there was substantial laboratory to laboratory variation in nearly every facet of culture evaluated. Laboratory to laboratory variation in chlamydia cell culture sensitivity likely accounts for part of the substantial variability in published evaluations of the sensitivity of nonculture chlamydia diagnostic tests.
Non‐hematopoietic human bone marrow contains long‐lasting, pluripotential mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are considered as potential agents for reconstructive and gene‐targeting therapies since they differentiate into various cell‐lineages, exhibit an extended survival once injected into a host, and can easily be transfected with engineered DNA. MSC are essentially isolated from hematopoietic bone marrow (BM), a process that is rather invasive and may raise ethical concerns. In an attempt to find an alternative source, we evaluated whether non‐hematopoietic (nh)BM recovered from femoral heads of patients undergoing hip arthroplasty contained MSC. Ex vivo, 99% of nhBM cells were CD45+ leukocytes. After culture, leukocytes were replaced by a homogenous layer of adherent CD45− CD14− CD34− CD11b− CD90+ HLA‐ABC+ cells. Culture doubling time (mean = 4 days, range 1.6–6.7 days) was not correlated with patient age (27–81 years, n = 16). Amplified cultures supported long‐term hematopoiesis, and could be differentiated in vitro into adipocytes and chondrocytes. Moreover, a small fraction of nhBM cells spontaneously expressed MyoD1 and formed myotubes, suggesting that myogenic differentiation also occurred. nhBM contained clonogenic cells whose frequency (1/13,000), doubling time (2.1 days), and maximal amplification (up to 106‐fold) were not age‐related. All 14 clones analyzed (from five patients, ages 27–78 years) differentiated into at least one mesenchymal lineage, and 66% were bipotential (n = 8/12), or tripotential (n = 2/3). In conclusion, nhBM contains pluripotential mesenchymal progenitors which are similar to hematopoietic BM‐derived MSC, and whose biological functions are not altered by aging. Furthermore, if MSC‐based therapies hold their promises, nhBM may become the source of choice for responding to the increasing demand for MSC. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 110–118, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Three-month lower-dose flecainide after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

AIMS Atrial tachyarrhythmias (AT) commonly recur within the first 3 months after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF), and the influence of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) on the recurrences has not been fully elucidated. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of a 3-month lower-dose flecainide regime on early and late recurrences of ATs. METHODS AND RESULTS We randomly assigned 126 patients, who underwent RFCA for AF, to the flecainide group (150 or 100 mg/day according to their body weight) or to the control group receiving no AADs. The primary endpoint was any AT lasting for ≥30 s during the first 3 months and the secondary endpoint was a composite of ATs lasting for ≥24 h or requiring cardioversion or hospitalization during the same period. All AADs were stopped after the first 3 months and the late arrhythmia recurrences were also evaluated. The primary endpoint rates were 37 and 41% in the flecainide (143 ± 19 mg/day) and control groups, respectively (log-rank P = 0.76), and those of the secondary endpoint were 10 and 14%, respectively (log-rank P = 0.45). The estimated rates of maintaining sinus rhythm at 12 months after the first 3 months were 78 and 72%, in the flecainide and control groups, respectively (log-rank P = 0.68), and the rates were 51 and 90% in those with and without the primary endpoint, respectively (log-rank P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The 3-month lower-dose flecainide therapy after AF ablation did not reduce the early and late arrhythmia recurrences. The clinically significant ATs were also not prevented.
MAP kinase activation and apoptosis in lung tissues from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Three major MAP kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 kinase (p38 MAPK), are involved in the regulation of lung inflammation and injury. This study investigated whether MAPKs are activated and associated with lung injury in lung tissues from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The expression of the active ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK was examined using western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry and apoptosis was also examined by the TUNEL method, in lung tissues from ten patients with IPF obtained by thoracoscopic biopsy and in eight normal lung parenchyma specimens obtained by lobectomy for lung cancer. Activated MAPKs are significantly increased in lung homogenates from patients with IPF compared with controls. Activated ERK in epithelial and endothelial cells, but not in fibroblasts or smooth muscle cells, was decreased, accompanied by the progression of fibrosis. Activated JNK in epithelial and endothelial cells, but not in fibroblasts, was increased, accompanied by the progression of fibrosis. Activated p38 MAPK in epithelial, endothelial, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts was increased at the intermediate stage of fibrosis, in which the TUNEL‐positive cells were predominantly detected. This is the first study to suggest that MAPKs may be associated with the regulation of inflammation and lung injury in IPF. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exaggerated Blood Pressure Responses During Mental Stress Are Prospectively Related to Enhanced Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged Finnish Men

Background—Hemodynamic reactions to mental stress may contribute to atherosclerosis. We previously observed cross-sectional relationships between blood pressure reactions to a standardized stress battery and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) study. These are the first prospective results on this relationship. Methods and Results—Men from 4 age cohorts (42 to 60 years old at study onset) were challenged with a standardized mental stress battery, and heart rate and blood pressure reactions were assessed. Ultrasound measures of common carotid IMT were collected at this time and 7 years later as noninvasive markers of atherosclerosis. Data were collected from a sample of 756 men at both times. Systolic blood pressure reactions to mental stress at study onset were positively related to mean carotid IMT 7 years later (&bgr;=0.035, P=0.001, by blood pressure quartile, IMT=0.91, 0.93, 0.96, 1.00 mm) and to the progression of IMT (&bgr;=0.020, P=0.006, by blood pressure quartile, &Dgr;IMT=0.08, 0.09, 0.11, 0.11 mm). Similar significant relations were shown for maximal IMT and plaque height. Diastolic blood pressure responses were less strongly related to carotid IMT than were systolic responses. Heart-rate responses were unrelated. Adjustment for standard risk factors did not substantially reduce the relation between systolic blood pressure reactivity and the progression of mean carotid IMT (standardized &bgr;=0.059, P=0.026), maximal carotid IMT (standardized &bgr;=0.084, P=0.006), or plaque height (standardized &bgr;=0.093, P=0.008). Conclusions—The degree of systolic blood pressure reactivity to mental challenge is prospectively related to carotid IMT in middle-aged and older men, independent of known risk factors.
Microsatellite loci in two epiphytic lichens with contrasting dispersal modes: Nephroma laevigatum and N. parile (Nephromataceae)

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were characterized for two epiphytic cyanolichens, Nephroma laevigatum and N. parile (Nephromataceae), and will be used to investigate population structure and estimate gene flow among populations of these two closely related species with contrasting dispersal modes. Methods and Results: Twelve and 14 microsatellite loci were characterized for N. laevigatum and N. parile, respectively. Allele number in N. laevigatum ranged from three to 13 per locus, while in N. parile there were from two to six alleles per locus. As expected, the sexually reproducing N. laevigatum had higher genetic diversity than the predominantly asexual N. parile. Conclusions: This new set of markers is suitable for studying population structure and providing insights into gene flow among populations and for understanding processes of diversification. Compared between the species, they will facilitate an understanding of the influence of contrasting reproductive strategies on population and community structure.
Diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: French practical guidelines

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most frequent chronic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in adults. The management of rare diseases in France has been organised by a national plan for rare diseases, which endorsed a network of expert centres for rare diseases throughout France. This article is an overview of the executive summary of the French guidelines for the management of IPF, an initiative that emanated from the French National Reference Centre and the Network of Regional Competence Centres for Rare Lung Diseases. This review aims at providing pulmonologists with a document that: 1) combines the current available evidence; 2) reviews practical modalities of diagnosis and management of IPF; and 3) is adapted to everyday medical practice. The French practical guidelines result from the combined efforts of a coordination committee, a writing committee and a multidisciplinary review panel, following recommendations from the Haute Autorité de Santé. All recommendations included in this article received at least 90% agreement by the reviewing panel. Herein, we summarise the main conclusions and practical recommendations of the French guidelines.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage as a Tool to Predict, Diagnose and Understand Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a condition of irreversible small airway fibrosis, is the principal factor limiting long‐term survival after lung transplantation. Bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), techniques central to lung transplant clinical practice, provide a unique opportunity to interrogate the lung allograft during BOS development and identify potential disease mechanisms or biomarkers. Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have evaluated the BAL cellular composition, cytokine profiles and protein constituents in lung transplant recipients with BOS. To date, however, no summative evaluation of this literature has been reported. We developed and applied objective criteria to qualitatively rank the strength of associations between BAL parameters and BOS in order to provide a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the literature. Our analysis indicates that several BAL parameters, including neutrophil count, interleukin‐8, alpha defensins and MMP‐9, demonstrate highly replicable associations with BOS. Additionally, we suggest that considerable opportunity exists to increase the knowledge gained from BAL analyses in BOS through increased sample sizes, covariant adjustment and standardization of the BAL technique. Further efforts to leverage analysis of BAL constituents in BOS may offer great potential to provide additional in‐depth and mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of this complex disease.
Evaluation of the Staph‐Zym system in the identification of staphylococci isolated from ovine milk and the ewe environment

The Staph‐Zym and the Rosco Set methods were used to assign species to 142 strains of staphylococci isolated from the milk of sheep with subclinical intramammary infection or teat skin, mouth of lambs or milking machine teat cups. One hundred eleven of the same strains were also tested by Standard Laboratory Culture Media. The Rosco Set assigned species to all strains tested, but the other two methods were unable to assign species to a similar proportion of isolates. Seventy six (68.5%) of the strains tested with all three methods were not assigned the same species, each method shown a preference for particular species. The Staph‐Zym and the Rosco Set identified most of the strains as members of the ‘epidermidis’ group with the ‘aureus’ second, while the reverse was observed with the Standard Laboratory Culture Media. Only in the case of Staphylococcus epidermidis all methods were in close agreement. When the results of the Staph‐Zym and the Rosco Set are compared, although they agree on the predominant group, they disagree on the predominant species within the same group.
Japanese production networks in India: spatial distribution, agglomeration and industry effects

Abstract This paper examines the determinants of subnational location choice of Japanese multinational enterprises (JMNEs) in India to investigate whether or not conventional investment behaviour as ‘foot-loose’ and one-off investments has given way to an agglomeration logic as Japanese foreign direct investment has intensified. Using geographic information system analysis of investment project numbers, we find that Japanese MNE behaviour in India is evolving, with complementing but complex subnational interactions of economic, institutional and infrastructure factors serving as strong determinants of location choice consistently across key phases of India’s liberalization. We argue that Japanese investment decisions in India have followed a self-reinforcing dynamic whereby prior investments indeed attract further investment.
Lost in Translation: Challenges and Opportunities in Physician-to-Physician Communication During Patient Handoffs

Handoffs involve the transfer of rights, duties, and obligations from one person or team to another. In many high-precision, high-risk contexts such as a relay race or handling air traffic, handoff skills are practiced repetitively to optimize precision and anticipate errors. In medicine, wide variation exists in handoffs of hospitalized patients from one physician or team to another. Effective information transfer requires a solid foundation in communication skills. While these skills have received much attention in the medical literature, scholarship has focused on physician-to-patient, not physician-to-physician, communication. Little formal attention or education is available to reinforce this vital link in the continuity of patient care. The authors reviewed the literature on patient handoffs and evaluated the patient handoff process at Indiana University School of Medicine’s internal medicine residency. House officers there rotate through four hospitals with three different computer systems. Two of the hospitals employ a computer-assisted patient handoff system; the other two utilize the standard pen-to-paper method. Considerable variation was observed in the quality and content of handoffs across these settings. Four major barriers to effective handoffs were identified: (1) the physical setting, (2) the social setting, (3) language barriers, and 4) communication barriers. The authors conclude that irrespective of local context, precise, unambiguous, face-to-face communication is the best way to ensure effective handoffs of hospitalized patients. They also maintain that the handoff process must be standardized and that students and residents must be taught the most effective, safe, satisfying, and efficient ways to perform handoffs.
Prospective echocardiographic and tissue Doppler imaging screening of a population of Maine Coon cats tested for the A31P mutation in the myosin-binding protein C gene: a specific analysis of the heterozygous status.

BACKGROUND A mutation in the sarcomeric gene coding for the myosin-binding protein C gene has been identified in a colony of Maine Coon cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MyBPC3-A31P mutation). However, the close correlation between genotype and phenotype (left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH] and dysfunction) has never been assessed in a large population, particularly in heterozygous (Hetero) cats. OBJECTIVES To investigate LV morphology and function with echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in a population of Maine Coon cats tested for the MyBPC3-A31P mutation with focus on Hetero animals. ANIMALS Ninety-six Maine Coon cats. METHODS Prospective observational study. Cats were screened for the MyBPC3-A31P mutation and examined with both echocardiography and 2-dimensional color TDI. RESULTS Fifty-two out of 96 cats did not have the mutation (wild-type genotype, Homo WT), 38/96 and 6/96 were Hetero- and homozygous-mutated (Homo M) cats, respectively. Only 11% of Hetero cats (4/38) had LVH and 29% (10/34) of Hetero cats without LVH were >4 years old (4.1-11.5 years). LVH was also detected in 2 Homo WT cats (4%). A significantly decreased (P < .05) longitudinal E/A (ratio between early and late diastolic myocardial velocities) in the basal segment of the interventricular septum was observed in Hetero cats without LVH (n = 34) compared with Homo WT cats without LVH (n = 50), thus confirming that the Hetero status is associated with regional diastolic dysfunction (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS The heterozygous status is not consistently associated with LVH and major myocardial dysfunction. Moreover, Homo WT cats can also develop LVH, suggesting that other genetic causes might be implicated.
Stellate Ganglion Block in the Treatment of Post‐traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Historical and Recent Literature

Concerns over the rising prevalence of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly among military service members returning from combat, and over barriers that hinder individuals from seeking out or adhering to standard therapies have contributed to interest in alternative therapies for the disorder. A novel alternative therapy for PTSD—stellate ganglion block (SGB)—may be considered lacking in formal evidence of efficacy despite having shown considerable promise. This review of the recent and historical literature related to SGB finds evidence of substantial beneficial psychiatric effects and substantiates that this fast‐acting, somatic treatment may provide positive results for patients with PTSD and may reduce barriers to therapy, particularly among military populations.
Endovascular Management of Peripheral Vascular Trauma

Endovascular interventions (EVIs) are an important adjunct to open surgical management of peripheral vascular injuries. In appropriate situations, EVIs decrease operative time, estimated blood loss, and iatrogenic complications when compared with similar surgical cohorts by limiting surgical dissection in traumatized operative fields. In situations where definitive repair is not possible with EVIs, endovascular techniques permit control of hemorrhage or damage and facilitate open surgical repair. EVIs for peripheral vascular injury have proven effective in three anatomic regions: the neck, subclavian, and lower-extremity regions. The interventional radiologist should become familiar with the physical and personnel resources in the area preferred by the consulting trauma team to minimize unnecessary delays when acute intervention or angiography is requested. Clinical and radiographic surveillance for patency and compliance with antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy is essential but has historically been poor in trauma patients.