Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal diagnosis for Epidermolysis bullosa: a study of 144 consecutive pregnancies at risk

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of inherited disorders characterized by increased skin fragility, resulting in blisters and erosions after minor trauma. Mutations in 10 structural genes expressed in the cutaneous basement membrane zone have been reported. The DebRA Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Jefferson Medical College has performed 144 DNA‐based prenatal diagnoses since 1993 in families at risk for recurrence of the most severe forms of EB, including the recessive dystrophic EB (RDEB), junctional EB (JEB), EB with pyloric atresia (EB‐PA), and EB simplex (EBS). A mutation‐detection strategy using either conformation‐sensitive gel electrophoresis (CSGE) or denaturing high‐performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC) scanning analysis, followed by nucleotide sequencing, was applied to most cases with DEB and to all JEB, EB‐PA, and EBS families. For some RDEB families, linkage analysis was performed, either alone when the inheritance pattern was clear or in combination with one mutation. Among the 144 prenatal diagnoses, 63 were for RDEB, 69 for JEB, 6 for EB‐PA, and 6 for EBS. Twenty‐eight normal, 73 heterozygous carrier, and 28 affected RDEB, JEB, and EB‐PA pregnancies were reported in these recessively inherited diseases. Two affected and four normal pregnancies were predicted in dominantly inherited EBS. Among the 144 pregnancies, 9 were terminated without confirmation, 13 cases were lost to follow‐up, and 6 pregnancies are ongoing. There were 6 families with inconclusive results due either to recombination events between flanking markers, absence of informative markers for one allele, or lack of sample from the previously affected child. There were three discordant results, one that was explained by maternal contamination of the chorionic villus sample and two that were unresolved. Overall, the availability, relative ease, and over 98% success rate make molecular DNA‐based prenatal diagnosis a viable option for EB families at risk. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contract as promise : a theory of contractual obligation

Preface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition 1 Introduction: The Life of Contract 2 Contract as Promise Promise The Moral Obligation of Promise What a Promise is Worth Remedies in and around the Promise 3 Consideration 4 Answering a Promise: Offer and Acceptance Promises and Vows Acceptance and the Law of Third-Party Beneficiaries The Simple Circuitry of Offer and Acceptance Rejections, Counteroffers, Contracts at a Distance, Crossed Offers Reliance on an Offer 5 Gaps Mistake, Frustration, and Impossibility Letting the Loss Lie Where It Falls Parallels with General Legal Theory: An Excursion Filling the Gaps 6 Good Faith "Honesty in Fact" Good Faith in Performance 7 Duress and Unconscionability Duress Coercion and Rights Property Hard Bargains Unconscionability, Economic Duress, and Social Justice Bad Samaritans 8 The Importance of Being Right You Can Always Get Your Money Back Conditions Waivers, Forfeitures, Repudiations Contract as Promise in the Light of Subsequent Scholarship-Especially Law and Economics Notes Index
High-Flow Nasal Cannula Versus Conventional Oxygen Therapy After Endotracheal Extubation: A Randomized Crossover Physiologic Study

OBJECTIVE: Compare the short-term benefit of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) with non-rebreathing mask in terms of change in dyspnea, physiologic variables, and patient comfort in subjects after endotracheal extubation. METHODS: A randomized crossover study was conducted in a 10-bed respiratory care unit in a university hospital. Seventeen mechanically ventilated subjects were randomized after extubation to either Protocol A (applied HFNC for 30 min, followed by non-rebreathing mask for another 30 min) or Protocol B (applied non-rebreathing mask for 30 min, followed by HFNC for another 30 min). The level of dyspnea, breathing frequency, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and patient comfort were recorded. The results were expressed as mean ± SD, frequency, or percentage. Categorical variables were compared by chi-square test or Fisher exact test, and continuous variables were compared by dependent or paired t test. Statistical significance was defined as P < . 05. RESULTS: Seventeen subjects were divided into 2 groups: 9 subjects in Protocol A and 8 subjects in Protocol B. The baseline characteristics and physiologic parameters before extubation were not significantly different in each protocol. At the end of study, HFNC indicated less dyspnea (P = .04) and lower breathing frequency (P = .009) and heart rate (P = .006) compared with non-rebreathing mask. Most of the subjects (88.2%) preferred HFNC to non-rebreathing mask. CONCLUSIONS: HFNC can improve dyspnea and physiologic parameters, including breathing frequency and heart rate, in extubated subjects compared with conventional oxygen therapy. This device may have a potential role for use after endotracheal extubation.
Multilevel Marketing: Pyramid-Shaped Schemes or Exploitative Scams?

Motivated by the growing discussion on the resemblance of multilevel marketing schemes to pyramid scams, we compare the two phenomena based on their underlying compensation structures. We show that a company can design a pyramid scam to exploit a network of agents with coarse beliefs and that this requires the company to charge the participants a license fee and pay them a recruitment commission for each of the people that they recruit and that their recruits recruit. We characterize the schemes that maximize a company's profit when it faces fully rational agents, and establish that the company never finds it profitable to charge them a license fee or pay them recruitment commissions.
Ovarian Metastases of Intestinal-Type Gastric Carcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 4 Cases with Contrasting Features to those of the Krukenberg Tumor

Ovarian metastases of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas are rare, and information on them is very limited compared with that on signet-ring cell carcinomas that result in the Krukenberg tumor. Four cases are reported herein. The patients averaged 55 years of age. In 3 patients, the ovarian metastases were identified several to 21 months after the diagnosis of the gastric primary, and the tumors were synchronous in the fourth. Two tumors were bilateral, 1 unilateral, and for 1, the laterality was unknown. The ovarian tumors were characteristically solid and cystic, with multinodular growth in 2. In 2 cases, the ovarian tumors had a pseudoendometrioid morphology with tubulo-glandular, cribriform, and papillary patterns; they also had focal trabecular and insular patterns. Prominent necrosis was present, including segmental and intraluminal “dirty” necrosis. In the other 2 cases, the ovarian tumors had a mucinous appearance, 1 being dominantly cystic with occasional goblet cells and the other with prominent foveolar-type cells. Nuclei ranged from deceptively bland to highly atypical. Surface implants were identified in 2 cases. Two ovarian tumors examined expressed cytokeratin 7 and 20 but not estrogen receptor. Three patients with follow-up information all died within 1 year of the ovarian metastases. Although information is limited, our results suggest that metastatic spread to the ovary by intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma is usually seen in patients older than those with Krukenberg tumors, with a known history of gastric carcinoma, and with concomitant widespread disease. Involvement of the ovary by intestinal-type gastric carcinoma produces a microscopic picture distinctly different from that of a Krukenberg tumor. These metastatic intestinal-type tumors may be confused with metastases from other gastrointestinal sites that are more frequently the cause of pseudoendometrioid or mucinous metastases, and like such tumors may be confused with primary ovarian endometrioid and mucinous neoplasms.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Describe Protists: a Morphological, Ultrastructural, and Molecular Study on Peritromus kahli Villeneuve-Brachon, 1940 (Ciliophora, Heterotrichea)

Abstract This study represents the first extended report on a species of the ciliate genus Peritromus, widespread in marine biotopes, characterized by a dorso-ventral differentiation peculiar among Heterotrichea. Morphological observations (live, stained, scanning, and transmission electron microscope) were combined with behavioral and molecular data. On the basis of the whole body of observations, the species was recognized as Peritromus kahli. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy have revealed a number of features such as peculiar chalice-like structures external to the dorsal surface, two types of extrusomes, and differences between dorsal and ventral somatic ciliature. The almost complete SSrDNA gene sequence was also determined. A molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that Peritromus diverged early from other members of the Class Heterotrichea. The dorso-ventral differentiation that certainly influences the behavior of P. kahli (e.g. preference for crawling and thigmotaxis) may have been selected as an adaptation to the constraints of the interstitial habitat.
Factors Predictive of Recurrence of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Thirty recurrent basal cell carcinomas were compared with 74 nonrecurrent basal cell carcinomas to identify clinical and histologic features predictive of recurrence. Three clinical parameters were evaluated: age, duration, and location; only location proved to be of prognostic significance. Among the histologic parameters, statistically significant differences between the recurrent and nonrecurrent groups were found in: measured distance to the resection margins, shape of cell groups, growth pattern, contour of invading edge, and degree of peripheral palisading and nuclear pleomorphism. Degree of fibrosis, cystic change, and atypical squamous change were of possible prognostic significance. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding: measured depth of invasion and diameter, degree of inflammation, actinic change, tumor necrosis, nuclear hyperchromasia, nucleoli, mitoses, amount of melanin or amyloid, and size of cell groups. Based on histologic findings, the pathologist may in many cases be able to suggest to the surgeon which tumors are more likely to recur and therefore require more aggressive therapy.
Efficient, Portable Template Attacks

Template attacks recover data values processed by tamper-resistant devices from side-channel waveforms, such as supply-current fluctuations (power analysis) or electromagnetic emissions. They first profile a device to generate multivariate statistics of the waveforms emitted for each of a set of known processed values, which then identify maximum-likelihood candidates of unknown processed values during an attack. We identify several practical obstacles arising in the implementation of template attacks, ranging from numerical errors to the incompatibility of templates across different devices, and propose and compare several solutions. We identify pooled covariance matrices and prior dimensionality reduction through Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis as particularly efficient and effective, especially where many attack traces can be acquired. We evaluate alternative algorithms not only for the task of recovering key bytes from a hardware implementation of the Advanced Encryption Standard; we even reconstruct the value transferred by an individual byte-load instruction, with success rates reaching 85% (or a guessing entropy of less than a quarter bit remaining) after 1000 attack traces, thereby demonstrating direct eavesdropping of eight-bit parallel data lines. Using different devices during the profiling and attack phase can substantially reduce the effectiveness of template attacks. We demonstrate that the same problem can also occur across different measurement campaigns with the same device and that DC offsets (e.g., due to temperature drift) are a significant cause. We improve the portability of template parameters across devices by manipulating the DC content of the eigenvectors that form the projection matrix used for dimensionality reduction of the waveforms.
Effects of Habitat Type and Trap Placement on Captures of Bark (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and Longhorned (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Beetles in Semiochemical-Baited Traps

ABSTRACT Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of habitat selection and trap placement on catches of Scolytidae and Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) in northeastern U.S. forests. In a nonreplicated case study, four habitat types—closed canopy hardwood stand, closed canopy conifer stand, a low-intensity thinned Pinus strobus L. stand, and a high-intensity thinned P. strobus stand—were surveyed using &agr;-pinene, ethanol, ipsenol, ipsdienol, and lanierone. Average trap catches, species richness, and the number of unique species captured were all highest in at least one of the thinned habitats. A second experiment that was replicated evaluated the placement of traps in relation to habitat patches. Semiochemical-baited traps (&agr;-pinene and ethanol) were placed under a closed canopy forest, along an edge, and in a clearing and tested for effects on Scolytidae and Cerambycidae trap catches. Abundance and species richness were generally higher in the closed canopy and edge placements compared with traps in the open area. The highest number of unique species were captured in the edge and clearing.
Involvement of Protein Kinase B/AKT in Early Development of Mouse Fertilized Eggs1

Abstract The activation of AKT (also called protein kinase B) is thought to be a critical step in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway that regulates cell growth and differentiation. In this report, we investigated the role of AKT in the regulation of mouse early embryo development. Injection of mRNA coding for a constitutively active myristoylated AKT (myr-Akt1) into one-cell stage fertilized eggs induced cell division more effectively than injection of wild-type AKT (Akt1-WT) mRNA, whereas microinjection of mRNA of kinase-deficient AKT (Akt1-KD) delayed the first mitotic division. Meanwhile, microinjection of different kinds of mRNA of AKT affected the phosphorylation status of CDC2A-Tyr15 and the activation of M-phase promoting factor (MPF). To investigate the intermediate factor between AKT and MPF, we then injected one-cell stage eggs first with Akt1-WT mRNA or myr-Akt1 mRNA and then with mRNA encoding either wild-type CDC25B (Cdc25b-WT) or a AKT-nonphosphorylatable Ser351 to Ala CDC25B mutant (Cdc25b-S351A). Cdc25b-S351A strongly inhibited the effect of AKT. Therefore, AKT causes the activation of MPF and strongly promotes the development of one-cell stage mouse fertilized eggs by inducing AKT-dependent phosphorylation of CDC25B, a member of the CDC25 phosphatase family. Our finding that CDC25B acts as a potential target of AKT provides new insight into the effect of AKT in the regulation of early development of mouse embryos.
Acute Effects of Passive Leg Cycling on Upper Extremity Tremor and Bradykinesia in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract Background: Previous studies have shown that single bouts of high-rate active cycling (> 80 rpm) improve upper extremity motor function in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). It is unknown if passive leg cycling produces a similar effect on upper extremity function. This article examines whether passive leg cycling can promote immediate changes in upper tremor and bradykinesia in PD and if pedaling rates have variable effects. Methods: Twenty individuals with mild-to-moderate idiopathic PD completed 4 sessions, with each session taking place 1 week apart. In the second to fourth sessions, a motorized bicycle was set to passively rotate the subjects' legs at rates of 60, 70, or 80 rpm for 30 minutes. Quantitative upper extremity motor assessments were completed immediately before and after each session. Results: Passive leg cycling was shown to reduce tremor and bradykinesia in PD. However, the rate of passive cycling did not affect the degree of improvement in bradykinesia or tremor. Conclusion: These findings suggest that lower extremity passive cycling can promote changes in upper extremity motor function in individuals with PD.
Cultural Intelligence in Organizational Contexts and Human Resource Management

Throughout the past decade, the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ) has garnered increasing attention from researchers and professionals due to its importance in the world in which we live. In this scenario, understanding why some individuals adapt more effectively than others to different cultural situations has become a research goal with fascinating theoretical and practical implications in organizational life. This chapter introduces the concept and summarizes research about the topic, emphasizing relevant aspects for human resources professionals. It is structured as follows: (1) the benefits of a cross-cultural perspective in organizations; (2) concept of cultural intelligence; (3) measurement of cultural intelligence; (4) nomological network; (5) cultural intelligence and global leadership; and, (6) cultural intelligence related to negotiation. It concludes with a brief summary of theoretical, practical, and empirical implications of cultural intelligence in organizations.
Nance–Horan syndrome—The oral perspective on a rare disease

The present study describes seven patients with Nance–Horan syndrome, all referred to a specialized oral care unit in the Central Denmark Region. A literature search on “Nance Horan Syndrome” resulted in 53 publications among which 29 reported on dental findings. Findings reported in these papers have been systematized to obtain an overview of the reported findings and the terminology on dental morphology. All seven patients included in the present study showed deviations of crown morphology on incisors and/or molars. The only consistent and very clear dental aberration was alterations in the tooth morphology that is screwdriver‐shaped incisors and bud molars being most pronounced in the permanent dentition, but were also present in the primary dentition. In addition, three patients had supernumerary teeth, and three had dental agenesis. In conclusion, a dental examination as a part of the diagnostic process may reveal distinct characteristics of the dental morphology, which could be of diagnostic value and facilitate an early diagnosis. In the description of molar morphology in NHS patients, it is recommended to use the term “bud molar. ” The combination of congenital cataract, screwdriwer‐shaped incisors and bud‐shaped molars is a strong clinical indication of Nance–Horan syndrome. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Temperature Robust Refractive Index Sensor Based on a Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometer

We present a simple photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based reflection type interferometer insensitive to temperature for refractive-index measurement. By simply collapsing the airholes at a middle point and forming a reflector at the end of a PCF, the interferometer could be implemented. The PCF sensor showed a low thermal sensitivity even without any compensation process. The feasibility as a refractive-index sensor is demonstrated by presenting the spectral response to liquids having various refractive indexes and to temperature. The implemented sensor showed a good sensitivity of 850 nm/RUI (refractive unit index).
Redox State of Dipyridamole is a Critical Determinant for Its Beneficial Antioxidant and Antiinflammatory Effects

Dipyridamole, a well-known inhibitor of cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase and the adenosine transporter, reportedly possesses antioxidant properties and attenuates reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in platelet and endothelial cells. The relevance of the redox status of this compound or the mechanism for its redox-dependent effects is unknown. Oxidation of dipyridamole by horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide diminished its fluorescence and attenuated dipyridamole-mediated DPPH and ferric ferrozine reduction. Oxidation also led to elimination of dipyridamole's redox-sensitive properties, including inhibiting Cu (II)-induced LDL oxidation and ROS generation. Attenuation of activation- induced platelet release of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) was diminished after dipyridamole oxidation. Dipyridamole but not oxidized dipyridamole effectively inhibited platelet adhesion to collagen-coated slides under flow conditions. By Western blot analysis, dipyridamole enhanced stimulation-induced platelet VASP phosphorylation, whereas oxidized dipyridamole caused attenuation. Using luciferase assays and nuclear translocation studies with confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis, native dipyridamole diminished TNFα or thrombin-induced NFκB activation and IκBα phosphorylation. Oxidized dipyridamole had no effect on TNFα-mediated NFκB activation. These results indicate: (1) the redox state of dipyridamole regulates its antioxidant properties; (2) dipyridamole's platelet inhibitory effects are manifested by enhanced VASP phosphorylation and platelet adhesion on collagen; and (3) dipyridamole's antioxidant effects in vascular cells are at least partially mediated via suppression of inflammatory NF κB signaling.
Is MK‐801 neuroprotection mediated by systemic hypothermia in the immature rat?

HYPOTHERMIA after hypoxia–ischaemia (HI) confounds the interpretation of the effects of neuroprotective drug intervention. The effect of 0.5 mg/kg of dizocilpine (MK-801) administered after HI on rectal temperature at 2–36 h and on brain damage 2 weeks after the insult was evaluated in the immature rat. In pups kept at an ambient temperature of 21°C, MK-801 lowered the temperature by 1.1°C and reduced the brain damage by 45%. In pups held at an ambient temperature of 33°C, MK-801 treatment afforded a 34% reduction of brain damage without lowering the rectal temperature. In conclusion, the neuroprotection offered by MK-801 does not depend on systemic hypothermia in this model.
Biophysical markers for abnormal placentation: first and/or second trimester

Placental development is a major cause of a successful pregnancy, and in the presence of placental dysfunction, there is a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Doppler technology can be used for screening and detecting the more common pregnancy‐associated diseases like preeclampsia, intrauterine growth retardation, and perinatal loss. In this review, the biophysical markers are discussed in the light of the latest information that appeared in the medical literature. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subchronic administration of short-acting naltrexone has no effect on striatal dopamine transporter availability, food intake or body weight gain in rats

The opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone is successfully used in the treatment of opioid and alcohol dependence. However, questions have been raised about possible anhedonic side effects, because the opioid system is directly involved in hedonic responses to natural rewarding activities, possibly due to its indirect effects on the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT). In order to test this hypothesis, 30 rats were randomized to either a 10-day treatment with 3 mg/kg short-acting naltrexone or vehicle. No significant differences between the groups were found in striatal DAT availability, cumulative food intake (for 48 or 72 h), body weight gain and abdominal fatpad weight. Thus, the results of this study suggest that (sub)chronic treatment with short-acting naltrexone does not induce possible anhedonic effects. However, it cannot be ruled out the anhedonic effect of naltrexone is only short-lived and thus not detected in the current study. Therefore, future studies are needed to study possible acute anhedonic effects at several time points shortly after short-acting naltrexone administration and to directly compare the possible anhedonic effects of long-acting with those of short-acting opioid antagonists.