Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MR imaging of vertebral osteomyelitis revisited.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to reevaluate previously reported MR imaging findings for vertebral osteomyelitis that include decreased signal intensity in the disk and adjacent vertebral bodies on T1-weighted images, increased signal intensity in the disk and adjacent vertebral bodies on T2-weighted images, loss of endplate definition on T1-weighted images, and contrast enhancement of the disk, adjacent vertebral bodies, and involved paraspinal and epidural soft tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical records, radiographs, and MR scans of 37 patients with vertebral osteomyelitis with 41 levels of involvement were reviewed for agreement with reported MR imaging findings. RESULTS Ninety-five percent of the levels (39/41) showed decreased vertebral body signal intensity on T1-weighted images; 95% (39/41) had loss of endplate definition; 95% (37/39) had increased disk signal intensity on T2-weighted images; and 56% (22/39) had increased vertebral body signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Eighty-five percent of the levels (35/41) and 84% of patients (31/37) had both signal intensity changes of the vertebral body on T1-weighted images and signal intensity changes of the disk on T1-and T2-weighted images. Only 46% of the levels (19/41) and 49% of patients (18/37) had both vertebral body and disk changes on T1- and T2-weighted images. Contrast enhancement of the disk and vertebral body was seen in 94% of patients (17/18). Ring enhancement of paraspinal and epidural processes was found to correlate at surgery with abscess, and homogeneous enhancement was found to correlate with phlegmon. CONCLUSION Hypointense signal intensity in the vertebral body on T1-weighted images, abnormal disk signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images, and contrast enhancement are the findings that indicate spinal infection most reliably.
A facile synthesis of Zn(x)Cd(1-x)S/CNTs nanocomposite photocatalyst for H2 production.

The sulfide solid solution has become a promising and important visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for hydrogen production nowadays. Zn(x)Cd(1-x)S/CNT nanocomposites were synthesized to improve the dispersion, adjust the energy band gap, and enhance the separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by scanning electron-microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-visible), respectively. And the effects of CNTs on structure, composition and optical absorption property of the sulfide solid solutions were investigated along with their inherent relationships. For Zn0.83Cd0. 17S/CNTs, sulfide solid solution is assembled along the CNTs orderly, with a diameter of 100 nm or so. XPS analysis shows that there is bonding effect between the solid solutions and the CNTs due to the strong adsorption of Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) on the surface of CNTs. There are two obvious absorption edges for Zn0.83Cd0. 17S/CNTs, corresponding to two kinds of sulfide solid solutions with different molar ratios of Zn/Cd. The hybridization of solid solutions with CNTs makes the absorption spectrum red shift. The photocatalytic property was evaluated by splitting Na2S + Na2SO3 solution into H2, and the highest rate of H2 evolution of 6.03 mmol h(-1) g(-1) was achieved over Zn0.83Cd0. 17S/CNTs. The high activity of photocatalytic H2 production is attributed to the following factors: (1) the optimum band gap and a moderate position of the conduction band (which needs to match the irradiation spectrum of the Xe lamp best), (2) the efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes by hybridization, and (3) the improvement of the dispersion of nanocomposites by assembling along the CNTs as well.
Recombination and Optical Properties of Wet Chemically Polished Thermal Oxide Passivated Si Surfaces

Silicon solar cells typically feature textured surfaces on the front side to increase light absorption. An unwanted side effect of the texture is an increase in surface recombination compared with smoother surfaces. On the rear side of the solar cell, light absorption is not an issue; therefore, planar surfaces are used to decrease surface recombination. In processing, a planar surface can be achieved by wet chemical single-side etching of previously textured surfaces, resulting in a smoothed rear surface. This study investigates surface passivation of these chemically polished surfaces in dependence on the degree of smoothness. Surface passivation is achieved by thin thermally grown silicon oxides. Special focus is set on injection dependence and the influence of postmetallization annealing. Measured optical properties of different surfaces are compared with different optical simulation models. Finally, recombination and optical properties are connected to solar cell performance of fabricated passivated emitter and rear cells.
The results of transsphenoidal surgery for 44 consecutive acromegalic patients.

A series of 44 patients with acromegaly underwent transsphenoidal surgery between 1987 and 1996. The early postoperative mean basal GH level < 5 ng/ml or < 3 ng/ml was achieved in 43 (97.7%) or 38 (86.4%) out of 44 patients, respectively. Preoperative abnormal GH secretory response to TRH, GnRH and oral glucose administration was restored to normal both after surgery and at the time of the final follow-up in all patients whose early postoperative mean basal GH levels were reduced to < 3 ng/ ml, whereas they remained abnormal in those with mean basal GH levels of > or = 3 ng/ml. In contrast, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, when measured by the extraction method, tended to be reduced gradually to normal between 6 months and 2 years after surgery in some patients with a successful operation. Therefore, 34 (87.1%) out of 39 patients who have been followed up longer than 6 months met the following stringent criteria at the time of the final follow-up: mean basal GH level < 3 ng/ml, a normal IGF-1 level, and normal GH response to TRH, GnRH and oral glucose administration. In this series, the most unfavorable preoperative factor influencing operative outcome is tumor invasion of the cavernous sinus. Our results clearly indicate that selective adenomectomy by transsphenoidal surgery is the therapy of first choice in any patient with acromegaly and that the complete biochemical cure of acromegaly can be achieved in 87% of patients by surgery alone with an acceptable low surgical morbidity.
Effects of nitric oxide on antral motility and gastric emptying in humans.

OBJECTIVE It has been suggested that nitric oxide is a nonadrenergic-noncholinergic (NANC) inhibitory neurotransmitter released by the nerves in the gastrointestinal tract. We studied the influence of nitric oxide on gastric emptying and antral motility using glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), a donor of nitric oxide and L-arginine as the substrate of nitric oxide synthase. DESIGN Six male volunteers (aged 21-24 years) participated in this placebo-controlled, double-blind study. METHODS We investigated the effects of 0.8 mg sublingual GTN, 300 mg/kg/h intravenous L-arginine or placebo on meal-stimulated antral motility and gastric emptying on four separate occasions. After an overnight fast, a 500 ml standard liquid meal was ingested and the gastric emptying rate assessed by ultrasound. The changes in antral cross-sectional areas were measured by ultrasonography and the antral motor activity was determined simultaneously using a multilumen perfused catheter. Blood samples were taken from fasted and fed patients before and after the administration of GTN, L-arginine or placebo to determine plasma glucagon and somatostatin levels. RESULTS GTN at a sublingual dose of 0.8 mg and 300 mg/kg/h intravenous L-arginine significantly (P < 0.01) prolonged gastric emptying half-time, averaging 56 +/- 12 and 38 +/- 8 min, respectively, compared with the placebo control value (28 +/- 7 min). The antral motor activity, calculated as the motility index (number of contractions x mmHg/min) significantly decreased in both test series, i.e., after GTN from 375.5 +/- 185.1 (control) to 104.4 +/- 55.7 (P < 0.01) and after L-arginine from 401 +/- 76 (control) to 285 +/- 57 (P < 0.05). L-arginine given intravenously at a dose of 300 mg/kg/h significantly increased plasma glucagon and somatostatin in fasted patients and increased postprandially released glucagon without affecting postprandial plasma somatostatin levels. GTN did not affect plasma hormone levels. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that (1) exogenous nitric oxide inhibits gastric emptying and antral motor activity, which could be useful in the treatment of patients with functional disturbances of gastric motility and emptying; and (2) the reduction in gastric emptying and antral motility observed after the administration of L-arginine results from changes in plasma enterohormone release rather than from the enhanced formation of endogenous nitric oxide.
A nonsense mutation in the gene ROR2 underlying autosomal dominant brachydactyly type B

Brachydactyly type B1 (BDB1), an autosomal dominant condition characterized by terminal deficiency of the fingers and toes, results from mutations in the gene ROR2 encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase. In addition to BDB1, mutations in the gene ROR2 also cause a more severe form of skeletal dysplasia, autosomal recessive Robinow syndrome. The present study reports on a large Punjabi-speaking Pakistani family segregating autosomal dominant BDB1. In total, 34 individuals in this family showed features of BDB1. Sequence analysis of the gene ROR2 identified a previously reported nonsense mutation (c.2278C>T, p.Q760X) in all affected individuals of the family.
The application of Valve-Regulated Lead Acid batteries to wind power generation system

Electric power generation systems using renewable energy sources have an advantage of no greenhouse effect gas emission. Using these systems, we have the essential problem of the fluctuation of electric power output, however. In order to solve this problem, one of the solutions is the combination of the renewable energy system with the battery energy storage system. The VRLA batteries manufactured by Shin-Kobe have been used in order to smooth the fluctuations of the wind power generation. On the basis of these findings, Shin-Kobe has newly developed a VRLA battery, the so-called LL-W type, expected more than 17 year life for the use in the system of wind power generation. Before this LL-W type VRLA battery, Shin-Kobe has already applied VRLA batteries as a LL type to the wind power generation system. On the basis of teardown analyses of the LL type batteries, 7 year life of these batteries has been already proved, as of this time, and the LL type batteries have been still working in the system. The main failure mode of the batteries has been estimated as the corrosion of positive grids. In this practical system of the power generation, on the basis of teardown analyses, the life of the LL type battery was evaluated to be 9 years, although the life of the newly developed LL-W type VRLA battery has been expected to be more than 17 years.
Treatment with transducible phosphopeptide analogues of the small heat shock-related protein, HSP20, after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage: prevention and reversal of delayed decreases in cerebral perfusion.

OBJECT Delayed vasospasm is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Proteomic therapeutics offers a new modality in which biologically active proteins or peptides are transduced into cells via covalent linkage to cell permeant peptides (CPPs). The hypothesis of this study was that either intrathecal or intravenous delivery of a phosphopeptide mimetic of the small heat shock-related protein, HSP20, linked to a CPP, would inhibit delayed decreases in cerebral perfusion after experimental SAH in a rat model. METHODS This study was conducted in 3 parts: 1) prevention and 2) reversal of delayed decreases in cerebral perfusion via either intrathecal or intravenous administration of a CPP linked to phosphopeptide mimetics of HSP20 (AZX100) and 3) determining the effect of intravenous administration of AZX100 on blood pressure and heart rate. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was induced in rats by endovascular perforation. Subsequently, AZX100 was administered intrathecally via a cisternal catheter or intravenously. Cerebral perfusion was determined by laser Doppler monitoring. Blood pressure was monitored by telemetry in a separate group of naïve animals treated with AZX100 for 24 hours. RESULTS The maximal decrease in cerebral perfusion occurred 3 days after SAH. Cisternal administration of AZX100 (0.14-0.57 mg/kg) 24 hours after hemorrhage prevented decreases in cerebral perfusion after SAH. Animals receiving lower doses of AZX100 (0.068 mg/kg) or a scrambled sequence of the active HSP20 peptide linked to CPP developed decreases in cerebral perfusion similar to those seen in control animals. Intravenous administration of AZX100 (1.22 mg/kg) 24 hours after hemorrhage prevented the decreases in cerebral perfusion seen in the controls. Intravenous administration (0.175 mg/kg and 1.22 mg/kg) of AZX100 on Days 2 and 3 after SAH reversed decreases in cerebral perfusion as early as Day 3. There was no impact of AZX100 on blood pressure or heart rate at doses up to 2.73 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS Cisternal administration of AZX100 24 hours after hemorrhage prevented decreases in cerebral perfusion. Intravenous administration of AZX100 also prevented and reversed decreases in cerebral perfusion at doses that did not induce hypotension. Transduction of biologically active motifs of downstream regulators like HSP20 represents a potential novel treatment for SAH.
Differential control of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone secretion by androgens in rat pituitary cells in culture: functional diversity of subpopulations separated by unit gravity sedimentation.

Monolayer cultures of dispersed pituitary cells derived from 14-day-old female rats were treated for 70 h with nanomolar concentrations of testosterone (T) or 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and the effect of these hormones on LHRHstimulated FSH and LH release was tested. The effect of androgen treatment on FSH release depended critically on the concentration of LHRH; FSH release either was slightly stimulated, markedly depressed, or not affected at all. In contrast, LH release was profoundly inhibited, except at very high concentrations of LHRH. Various cell populations, separated according to size and density by gradient sedimentation at unit gravity, did not respond equally to DHT treatment. Inhibition of FSH release did hot occur in all gonadotrophs and was seen only at critical concentrations of LHRH. Stimulation of FSH release, observed at low concentrations of LHRH, was found only in the fraction with the largest gonadotrophs; in the latter there was no concomitant change in LH release. FSH release f.
Elderly people's attitudes and perceptions of aging and old age: the role of cognitive dissonance?

The aim of the research was to examine if and, how the attitudes and perceptions were changing during the aging process. The research sample included three hundred and eighty‐eight elderly people between the ages of 65–92 who were sampled for the purpose of analyzing and comparing their attitudes and perceptions of old age and aging, in the present, to their attitudes and perceptions of these two concepts in the past.
Associations between thyroid dysfunction and developmental status in children with excessive iodine status

Background and objective Adequate iodine status and normal thyroid hormone synthesis are important for optimal child development. In this study, we explored whether young children’s developmental status is associated with thyroid dysfunction in an area of chronic excessive iodine exposure. Methods We included 298 children between 18 and 48 months of age residing in Algerian refugee camps. Early child development was measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition (ASQ-3), consisting of five domains: Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving and Personal-Social. Due to poor discriminatory ability in the Gross Motor domain, the total ASQ-3 scores were calculated both including and excluding this domain. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), thyroid hormones (TSH, FT3 and FT4), thyroid antibodies and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) were measured. Results The median UIC was 451.6 μg/L, and approximately 72% of the children had a UIC above 300 μg/L. Furthermore, 14% had thyroid disturbances, of whom 10% had TSH outside the reference range. Children with thyroid disturbances and TSH outside the reference ranges had lower odds of being among the 66% highest total ASQ scores, with adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of 0.46 (0.23, 0.93) and 0.42 (0.19, 0.94), respectively. Conclusion We found an association between thyroid dysfunction and poorer developmental status among children with excessive iodine intake. The high iodine intake may have caused the thyroid dysfunction and hence the delayed developmental status; however, other influential factors cannot be excluded. Optimal child development is important for a sustainable future. With iodine excess being an increasing problem globally, this subject should be further explored.
A murine monoclonal antibody defines a unique epitope shared by Klebsiella lipopolysaccharides

A hybridoma secreting a monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against Klebsiella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was derived from spleen cells of mice immunized a smooth, nonencapsulated Klebsiella strain (Friedländer 201; serogroup O1). The MAb, called V/9-5 (immunoglobulin G2a), cross-reacted with LPS preparations produced from reference strains for the Klebsiella O serogroups O1, O2ab, O2ac, O3, O4, O5, and O12. Furthermore, the MAb reacted with LPSs from serogroup reference strains O6/O8, O9, and O11, which are regarded as being identical to O1, O2, and O4, respectively. When testing the supernatant of clinically isolated Klebsiella strains by means of an inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we found that 86 (92.4%) of 93 Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae isolates and 24 (96.0%) of 25 K. oxytoca isolates harbored the cross-reactive epitope. By contrast, two laboratory strains of K. pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis did not react with MAb V/9-5. The MAb proved to be specific for the genus Klebsiella, since it did not react with any of a total of 73 strains belonging to other gram-negative bacterial genera. In conjunction with other LPS-specific MAbs, MAb V/9-5 might become a useful reagent for rapid identification of klebsiellae in clinical specimens. Furthermore, the epitope recognized by MAb V/9-5 might serve as a target epitope for the production of human MAbs for immunotherapeutic purposes.
Effects of amalgamations: evidence from Swiss municipalities

ABSTRACT Many OECD countries have amalgamated their municipalities during the last couple of decades. For decisions concerning future territorial rescaling, it is crucial to augment the previously inconclusive evaluative knowledge of the effects of mergers. This paper examines the effects of amalgamations conducted between 1998 and 2009 in the areas of public service delivery, local finance, administrative staff, municipal autonomy and local democracy. The data are obtained from two comprehensive surveys of all local secretaries (top civil servants) in Switzerland in 1998 and 2009. The analysis – based upon a comparison between a quasi-experimental and a control group – (partially) supports the hypothesis of a positive effect on public service delivery, the professionalization of staff and municipal autonomy. The effect on local finance is inconclusive, and negative effects on local democracy are not discovered in the framework of this study.
Sumoylation of ABI5 by the Arabidopsis SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 negatively regulates abscisic acid signaling

SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) conjugation (i.e., sumoylation) to protein substrates is a reversible posttranslational modification that regulates signaling by modulating transcription factor activity. This paper presents evidence that the SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 negatively regulates abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, which is dependent on the bZIP transcripton factor ABI5. Loss-of-function T-DNA insertion siz1–2 and siz1–3 mutations caused ABA hypersensitivity for seed germination arrest and seedling primary root growth inhibition. Furthermore, expression of genes that are ABA-responsive through ABI5-dependent signaling (e.g., RD29A, Rd29B, AtEm6, RAB18, ADH1) was hyperinduced by the hormone in siz1 seedlings. abi5–4 suppressed ABA hypersensitivity caused by siz1 (siz1–2 abi5–4), demonstrating an epistatic genetic interaction between SIZ1 and ABI5. A K391R substitution in ABI5 [ABI5(K391R)] blocked SIZ1-mediated sumoylation of the transcription factor in vitro and in Arabidopsis protoplasts, indicating that ABI5 is sumoylated through SIZ1 and that K391 is the principal site for SUMO conjugation. In abi5–4 plants, ABI5(K391R) expression caused greater ABA hypersensitivity (gene expression, seed germination arrest and primary root growth inhibition) compared with ABI5 expression. Together, these results establish that SIZ1-dependent sumoylation of ABI5 attenuates ABA signaling. The double mutant siz1–2 afp-1 exhibited even greater ABA sensitivity than the single mutant siz1, suggesting that SIZ1 represses ABI5 signaling function independent of AFP1.
Comparing adult and pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma in the surveillance, epidemiology and end results program, 1973 to 2005: an analysis of 2,600 patients.

PURPOSE To compare clinical features and outcomes of adults and children reported to have rhabdomyosarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS We analyzed data from 1,071 adults (age > 19 years) and 1,529 children (age < or = 19 years) reported in the public-access Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database as having rhabdomyosarcoma, diagnosed from 1973 to 2005. Survival estimates were determined using survival time with the end point being death from any cause. RESULTS Adults with rhabdomyosarcoma had significantly worse outcome than children (5-year overall survival rates, 27% +/- 1.4% and 61% +/- 1.4%, respectively; P < .0001). Tumors in adults were more likely to be at an unfavorable site (65% v 55%; P < .0001) and to have histologies that are unusual during childhood, particularly the pleomorphic subtype (19%) and not otherwise specified (43%). Regional and distant spread was not more frequent in adults. Adults had significantly worse outcome than children with similar tumors. The most significant difference was in localized disease; 5-year survival estimates were 82% +/- 2.0% for children and 47% +/- 2.9% for adults (P < .0001). Multivariate analysis showed that age, histologic subtype, primary site location, stage, and local control with surgery and/or radiation were significant predictors of survival. However, alveolar subtype and unfavorable primary site lost significance when analysis was restricted to adults. CONCLUSION Adults reported to have rhabdomyosarcoma had worse survival than children with similar tumors. Predictors of poor outcome in children were valid in adults except for alveolar histology and unfavorable tumor site.