Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fully coupled simulations of non-colloidal monodisperse sheared suspensions

Abstract In this work we investigate numerically the dynamics of sheared suspensions in the limit of vanishingly small fluid and particle inertia. The numerical model we used is able to handle the multi-body hydrodynamic interactions between thousands of particles embedded in a linear shear flow. The presence of the particles is modelled by momentum source terms spread out on a spherical envelop forcing the Stokes equations of the creeping flow. Therefore all the velocity perturbations induced by the moving particles are simultaneously accounted for. The statistical properties of the sheared suspensions are related to the velocity fluctuation of the particles. We formed averages for the resulting velocity fluctuation and rotation rate tensors. We found that the latter are highly anisotropic and that all the velocity fluctuation terms grow linearly with particle volume fraction. Only one off-diagonal term is found to be non zero (clearly related to trajectory symmetry breaking induced by the non-hydrodynamic repulsion force). We also found a strong correlation of positive/negative velocities in the shear plane, on a time scale controlled by the shear rate (direct interaction of two particles). The time scale required to restore uncorrelated velocity fluctuations decreases continuously as the concentration increases. We calculated the shear induced self-diffusion coefficients using two different methods and the resulting diffusion tensor appears to be anisotropic too. The microstructure of the suspension is found to be drastically modified by particle interactions. First, the probability density function of velocity fluctuations showed a transition from exponential to Gaussian behaviour as particle concentration varies. Second, the probability of finding close pairs while the particles move under shear flow is strongly enhanced by hydrodynamic interactions when the concentration increases.
The clinical course of juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis in childhood and puberty

Aim The long-term course of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis is not known yet. This study investigates the course and activity of JIA-associated uveitis in childhood and puberty. Design Retrospective study of the clinical data of 62 JIA patients with uveitis. The main outcome measurements consisted of uveitis activity measured as mean cell grade in the anterior chamber, topical and systemic medication and ocular complications related to disease activity. All data were scored and evaluated per year of age. Results Uveitis activity took a biphasic course with a quiet phase around the age of 9 years and showed increased activity during early teenage years. The biphasic course was significantly related to age (p=0.048) but not to uveitis duration. More patients were treated with systemic immunosuppressive medication in estimated puberty years (63% in boys, 53% in girls) compared with prepuberty years (46% and 28%, respectively), although the difference was only significant in girls (p<0.001). The presence of cystoid macular oedema and papillitis was not significantly related to estimated puberty, but the development of an hypotonous eye was more frequently observed in boys in estimated puberty years (p=0.026). Conclusions JIA-associated uveitis appears to take a biphasic course with the second phase of activity during early teenage years and more treatment with systemic immunosuppressive medication occurred during estimated puberty compared with prepuberty years.
Multiplex amplified product‐length polymorphism analysis of 36 mitochondrial single‐nucleotide polymorphisms for haplogrouping of East Asian populations

We present a reliable, rapid, and economical multiplex amplified product‐length polymorphism (APLP) method for analyzing the haplogroup‐diagnostic mitochondrial single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) in East Asian populations. By examining only 36 haplogroup‐specific mtSNPs in the coding region by using four 9‐multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent electrophoresis, we could safely assign 1815 individuals from 8 populations of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Germans to 45 relevant haplogroups. This multiplex APLP analysis of coding‐region mtSNPs for haplogrouping is especially useful not only for molecular phylogenetic studies but also for large‐scale association studies due to its rapid and economical nature. This is the first panel of mtSNPs in the coding region to be used for haplogrouping of East Asian populations.
ECG beat classification based on a cross-distance analysis

This paper presents a multi-stage algorithm for QRS complex classification into normal and abnormal categories using an unsupervised sequential beat clustering and a cross-distance analysis algorithm. After the sequential beat clustering, a search algorithm based on relative similarity of created classes is used to detect the main normal class. Then other classes are labeled based on a distance measurement from the main normal class. Evaluated results on the MIT-BIH ECG database exhibits an error rate less than 1% for normal and abnormal discrimination and 0.2% for clustering of 15 types of arrhythmia existing on the MIT-BIH database.
V-RQOL as a tool for assessing the impact of voice disorders on the quality of life in occupational voice users

1/ Klinika Audiologii i Foniatrii Instytutu Medycyny Pracy / Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland 2/ Zakład Zagrożeń Fizycznych Instytutu Medycyny Pracy / Department of Physical Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland 3/ Katedra Statystyki Ekonomicznej i Społecznej Uniwersytet Łódzki / Department of Economic and Social Statistics, University of Łódz, Poland
Recent developments in human cytomegalovirus diagnosis

Since the early 1990s, great efforts have been made in the field of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) diagnosis. Besides HCMV diagnosis in immunosuppressed patients (solid organ transplant recipients, hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients and AIDS patients), diagnosis in connection with congenital HCMV infection is of great interest. This review focuses on the development and clinical utility of serological assays, as well as on virological tests (molecular and nonmolecular assays). Interpretation of these tests is strongly dependent on the patient group (solid organ transplant recipients and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients) and whether the tests are used for screening, risk stratification or diagnosis. Furthermore, a better understanding of HCMV infection has led to new approaches in HCMV diagnosis and monitoring. Thus, assays for viral resistance testing and assays for monitoring the HCMV-specific cellular immune response are increasingly important for the guidance of antiviral therapy.
Reduction of cerebellar glucose metabolism in advanced Alzheimer's disease.

UNLABELLED Although regional cerebral metabolism and blood flow in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been studied extensively with PET and SPECT, few reports have been concerned with cerebellar metabolism or perfusion in Alzheimer's disease. To evaluate cerebellar glucose metabolism in Alzheimer's disease patients, we studied the cerebellar and cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRglc) using 2[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) and PET. METHODS Sixty-eight patients with Alzheimer's disease and 13 age-matched normal control subjects were examined. According to scores obtained on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer's disease patients were classified into three groups: severe (n = 9), moderate (n = 33) and mild (n = 26). RESULTS The cerebellar glucose metabolism in the severe Alzheimer's disease group was significantly lower (cerebellar glucose metabolism: 5.71 +/- 0.62 mg/100 g/min) than that of the control group (6.85 +/- 0.66 mg/100 g/min), while temporal and parietal CMRglc were much more decreased. The cerebellar glucose metabolism in the mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease groups also showed lower levels than that of the control group, but the differences did not reach significant levels. Like other cortical CMRglc, the cerebellar glucose metabolism correlated with cognitive impairments. CONCLUSION In severe Alzheimer's disease, cerebellar glucose metabolism is significantly reduced. The method of analysis using normalization of regional metabolic data to cerebellar values may be liable to err in severe Alzheimer's disease patients.
Embryonated chicken eggs: An experimental model for Pythium insidiosum infection

Pythiosis is a severe disease caused by Pythium insidiosum. Currently, the research on the treatment of pythiosis uses rabbits as an experimental infection model. To reduce the use of animals in scientific experimentation, alternative models are increasingly necessary options. The objective of this study was to establish a new experimental infection model for pythiosis using embryonated chicken eggs. First, we tested the inoculation of 4 zoospore concentrations into the egg allantoic cavity at 3 embryonic days. We observed that increased zoospore concentration causes a decrease in survival time, and at a later embryonic day (the 14th) of infection, embryos showed delayed mortality. To confirm the reproducibility of the model, we chose the 14th embryonic day for the inoculation of 50 zoospores/egg, and the experiment was repeated twice. Mortality began with 30% embryos 48 hours after inoculation, and 95% embryos died within 72 hours. There was no mortality in the uninfected control group. The infection was confirmed by culture, PCR and histopathology. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of hyphae in blood vessels in the umbilical cords in 95% of embryos and only 1 liver (5%). Our results suggest that embryonated eggs can be a very useful alternative infection model to study pythiosis.
The Role of Plasma D-Dimer as Prognostic Marker in Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective: S-100 B, which is a calcium binding protein, is an attractive marker of primary and secondary brain insults. Coagulopathy is common in TBI with unique features; as the injured brain release tissue factor which triggers coagulopathy and hyperfibrinolysis marked by high levels of plasma D-dimer. The aim of the study was to investigate the value of D-dimer as a prognostic marker of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and compare it with serum S-100B. Design and setting: prospective study in general intensive care unit. Patients and participants: 50 adult patients with isolated non surgical traumatic brain injury. Admitted between September 2010 to August 2011. Intervention: serum S-100B and D-dimer levels were measured on admission, day 3 and day 14. Results: Initial and follow up S-100 B and D-dimer levels were significantly correlated with Glasgow outcome score (GOS) and also correlated with poor outcome in TBI patients. [Hassan A Abo Khabar; Ehab M Elreweny and Shawky SA Mourad. The Role of Plasma D-Dimer as Prognostic Marker in Traumatic Brain Injury. Life Sci J 2015;12(1):183-189]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 25
Role of submandibular and sublingual saliva in maintenance of taste sensitivity recorded in the chorda tympani of rats.

1. To evaluate the role of saliva in the maintenance of taste sensitivity, the activities in the rat chorda tympani innervating taste buds in the anterior part of the tongue were analysed. The effects of chronic extirpation of the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands were tested and compared with results after chronic oral administration of artificial saliva. 2. Removal of the salivary glands sharply decreased chorda tympani responses to four different taste stimuli by 7 days post‐desalivation, while a stable response to cold water was observed by at least 28 days. 3. This selective decrease in taste responses was considerably recovered by 7‐day‐oral injection of artificial saliva (containing NaHCO3, KCl and/or mucin) or distilled water. However, the injection of the salt‐containing artificial saliva induced significantly larger sucrose and smaller NaCl, HCl and quinine responses than did the injection of distilled water. 4. In our salivary manipulations, an alteration in the number of the functional sweet receptors was suggested by the cross‐adaptation technique using NaHCO3, whereas sensitivity to the epithelial sodium transport blocker, amiloride, was stable in the NaCl response. 5. Salivary water and electrolytes which may participate in forming the external environment of the taste receptor cells modulated taste sensitivity in the chorda tympani.
A study on partition quality of Fuzzy Co-clustering with exclusive item memberships

Bag-of-Words data analysis is a fundamental issue in web data mining for Big Data utilization, and Co-clustering is often applied to cooccurrence information analysis in such problems of document-keyword association research. In probabilistic partition models such as Multinomial Mixtures and Fuzzy c-Means-type ones, different partition constraints are forced to rows (objects) and columns (items), and then item memberships may not be useful in revealing item partitions. A possible approach in clarifying the interpretability of item partitions is additional penalization for exclusive item memberships, which was shown to emphasize cluster-wise representative items in document analysis. In this paper, the utility of the penalization approach is further studied through comparisons of partition qualities with several benchmark data sets. Several experimental results show that the additional penalty may sometime contribute to slightly improving the partition quality in addition to improvement of interpretability of co-cluster partitions.
The Use of Chloro-Complexation to Enhance Cadmium Uptake by Zea mays and Brassica juncea: Testing a “Free Ion Activity Model” and Implications For Phytoremediation

Maize and Indian mustard plants were studied to: 1) investigate the effect of Cl− complexation on Cd uptake from soil historically amended with sewage sludge (Cd 58 mg kg−1) and, 2) model the uptake of Cd by these plants with a Free Ion Activity Model (FIAM). Plants were treated with NaCl (50 to 300 mM in the soil pore water) along with controls using Na2SO4. Cadmium enhanced solubility in soil by Cl− generally reflected increases in Cd uptake by both plants. The free ion Cd2+ activity in soil solution, as modeled by WHAM-VI, remained almost unchanged despite the wide range of NaCl concentrations. Therefore, Na+ exchange for Cd2+ could not fully explain the differences in Cd content between the Cl− treatments because of the high buffering Cd2+ capacity in soil. Activities of Cd-chloro complexes showed the best correlations with the Cd concentrations in the plants compared to the activity of Cd2+. The FIAM showed a reasonable good fit for the plants when assuming competition by Cd2+ and CdCl+ for root sorption sites. Indirect evidence suggests that CaSO4 precipitation may have limited the formation of CdSO4 complexes and reduced Cd soil solubility. The implications of these results for phytoremediation are discussed.
The developmental origins of chronic adult disease

Low birthweight is now known to be associated with increased rates of coronary heart disease and the related disorders stroke, hypertension and non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes. These associations have been extensively replicated in studies in different countries and are not the result of confounding variables. They extend across the normal range of birthweight and depend on lower birthweights in relation to the duration of gestation rather than the effects of premature birth. The associations are thought to be consequences of developmental plasticity, the phenomenon by which one genotype can give rise to a range of different physiological or morphological states in response to different environmental conditions during development. Recent observations have shown that impaired growth in infancy and rapid childhood weight gain exacerbate the effects of impaired prenatal growth. Coronary heart disease and the disorders related to it arise through a series of interactions between environmental influences and the pathways of development that preceded them. These diseases are the product of branching pathways of development in which the branchings are triggered by the environment before and after birth.
Importance of Binaural Hearing

An essential task for the central auditory pathways is to parse the auditory messages sent by the two cochleae into auditory objects, the segregation and localisation of which constitute an important means of separating target signals from noise and competing sources. When hearing losses are too asymmetric, the patients face a situation in which the monaural exploitation of sound messages significantly lessens their performance compared to what it should be in a binaural situation. Rehabilitation procedures must aim at restoring as many binaural advantages as possible. These advantages encompass binaural redundancy, head shadow effect and binaural release from masking, the principles and requirements of which make up the topic of this short review. Notwithstanding the complete understanding of their neuronal mechanisms, empirical data show that binaural advantages can be restored even in situations in which faultless symmetry is inaccessible.
Stimulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide synthesis and release: mechanisms for a novel antihypertensive drug, rutaecarpine

Background Previous investigations have demonstrated that capsaicin-sensitive primary sensory nerves play an important role in modulation of the peripheral resistance of the circulation system. The vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1) is expressed almost exclusively in the primary sensory nerves and cell bodies of these sensory neurons. Rutaecarpine (Rut) can relax vascular smooth muscle via stimulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release by activation of VR1. Methods In the present study, we examined the depressor effect of Rut and the possible mechanisms in the phenol-induced hypertensive rats, in which hypertension was induced by injecting 50 μl of 10% phenol in the lower pole of the left kidney. Results Acute administration of Rut (30, 100 or 300 μg/kg, i.v.) caused a depressor effect concomitantly with an increase in the plasma concentration of CGRP in a dose-dependent manner, which was blocked by capsaicin (used to deplete the CGRP from sensory nerves) or capsazepine (a competitive VR1 antagonist), causing an ≈85% and ≈80% change in mean arterial pressure, respectively, and by either of them, causing an ≈90% elevation of plasma CGRP. In the chronic study, Rut at a dose of 3 or 6 mg/kg per day significantly lowered tail-cuff systolic blood pressure to 159 ± 8 and 136 ± 10 mmHg, respectively, compared with hypertensive rats (179 ± 8 mmHg), and caused a sustained hypotensive effect from day 6 on. Pretreatment with capsaicin blocked the depressor effect of Rut by ≈65%. Treatment with Rut significantly increased the synthesis and release of CGRP, as shown by the increase in the levels of CGRP mRNA and peptide in the dorsal root ganglia, the density of CGRP immunoreactive nerve fibers in the mesenteric artery, the CGRP content in the spinal cord and the plasma concentration of CGRP, which was markedly attenuated by pretreatment with capsaicin. Conclusion These results suggest, for the first time, that the hypotensive effect of Rut is mediated by stimulation of CGRP synthesis and release via activation of VR1 in the phenol-induced hypertensive rat.
Factors That Influence Physician Assistant Program Graduates to Choose Rural Medicine Practice

Purpose: A shortage of primary care, rural practitioners exists in the United States. The increasing number of physician assistants (PA) in the workforce could be an important resource in improving access to primary care services for rural patients, yet little is known about the specific factors influencing a PA to choose to practice rural medicine. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence PA program graduates to choose rural medicine. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted by electronic survey. Participants were recruited from the membership of the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants (TAPA). Main outcome measures were the correlations between rural clerkships, rural background, and rural practice. Participants were also queried regarding 16 additional factors that might influence practice choice. Results: A relationship exists between rural background and rural practice choice (&khgr;2(4) = 16.08, P = . 003). Correlation also was identified between completion of rural clerkships and rural practice choice (&khgr;2(1) = 10.67, P = . 001). Factors found to have the most influence on PAs to choose rural practice were (1) desire to serve the needs of the community; (2) type of practice; and (3) supervising physician characteristics. Conclusions: PAs with a rural background and those that completed rural clerkships have a greater propensity toward rural practice after graduation. It is possible, for programs with an interest or a mission of increasing the number of their graduates who choose rural practice, that knowledge of factors that influence their graduates’ practice choices may prove beneficial.
O computador na escola: contextualizando a formação de professores - pratica e teoria, refletir a prática

O presente estudo tem o proposito de compreender a formacao de professores para a insercao do computador na pratica pedagogica e suas respectivas consequencias, buscando indicios de possiveis transformacoes na pratica docente e suas influencias na escola. Para tanto, analiso a formacao de professores para o uso educacional do computador realizada pelo subprojeto Informatica na Educacao do PECjPUC-SP, desenvolvido pelo Programa de Educacao Continuada da Secretaria de Estado da Educacao, no qual a PUCjSP atuou nas escolas do Polo 4. Como contribuicao a presente problematica identifiquei categorias de analise nos pressupostos teoricos da experiencia, a partir dos quais busquei indicios de mudancas na pratica do professor; trouxe uma reflexao sobre avancos, potencialidades, desafios, dificuldades, incoerencias e ambiguidades dessa formacao, que poderao ser referencia para outras atividades, fornecendo elementos para recontextualizar a formacao de professores para a incorporacao do computador a pratica pedagogica. Devido as caracteristicas de um Programa de formacao de grande porte, em um sistema de ensino publico, delimitei em tres escolas a fase de aprofundamento do estudo. Apresentei o panorama da situacao nao apenas com base em constatacoes objetivas, mas principalmente por meio de impressoes, percepcoes e sentimentos explicitados pelos professores, alunos e dirigentes, bem como pelos formadores dos professores (capacitadores e monitores). Utilizei um software de analise de dados multidimensionais, de forma a estabelecer inter-relacoes entre os dados, a teoria e a pratica, possibilitando alargar o campo de visao, observacao, percepcao e interpretacao, recontextualizando a pratica e a teoria. Os resultados da investigacao evidenciaram que as categorias analisadas e respectivos temas indicadores se revelam nos depoimentos dos sujeitos quando a formacao propicia desenvolver a autonomia em: aprender a aprender para resolver problemas com que deparam na vida e na profissao; aprender a pensar e a tomar decisoes; estar aberto para o novo, o inesperado e o imprevisivel; utilizar o computador para a busca, selecao e troca de informacoes e experiencias, assim como para a reconstrucao continua do conhecimento, a reflexao, a interacao e a cooperacao. Entretanto, constatou-se que a autonomia requerida para a autoformacao nao se desenvolve em relacao aos temas relativos a uma atuacao inovadora com o computador se nao existir o apoio dos gestores educacionais e a participacao da comunidade, envolvendo os atores da escola e de seu entorno, sendo necessaria uma mudanca na estrutura escolar