Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and clinical significance of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces in childhood.

PURPOSE To determine the prevalence and clinical significance of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cranial magnetic resonance (MR) studies of 1,250 children who underwent imaging during 12 consecutive months were prospectively evaluated. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients had prominent Virchow-Robin spaces. The most common indications for imaging in these patients were headache (n = 10), developmental delay (n = 8), and psychiatric problems (n = 7). Medical records revealed that 12 of the 37 patients had severe headaches, 17 had moderate or severe delay in development, and 18 had serious behavioral or psychiatric problems. An association was found between presence or absence of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces and presence or absence of developmental delay (odds ratio = 4.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1, 11.1; P < .001), psychiatric problems (odds ratio = 12.6; 95% CI = 5.0, 31.8; P < .001), and headaches (odds ratio = 37; 95% CI = 14.7, 93.2; P < .001). CONCLUSION There appears to be a correlation between functional neuropsychiatric disorders in children and the presence of Virchow-Robin spaces in the cerebral hemispheres at MR imaging.
Influence of artificial stimulation on unprocessed and Percoll-washed cryopreserved sperm.

The ability of pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine to stimulate sperm motility and motion characteristics was assessed in unprocessed and processed (Percoll-separated) cryopreserved specimens. Specimens from 12 healthy volunteers were obtained, and the motion characteristics were analyzed; half the sample was immediately cryopreserved and the other was washed using the Percoll gradient technique. To study stimulation, samples were thawed and divided into four aliquots: One was used as a control, and the others were incubated with 2.5 mM 2-deoxyadenosine, 2.5 mM pentoxifylline, or 5.0 mM pentoxifylline for 60 min. Sperm characteristics were analyzed on a sperm motion analyzer at 0 and 60 min incubation. In both unprocessed and processed samples, percentage motility improved significantly after stimulation with 2-deoxyadenosine or pentoxifylline (p = .003 or p = .0002, respectively); other characteristics improved to varying extent after 2-deoxyadenosine or pentoxifylline stimulation. Comparison after stimulation revealed that sperm motion characteristics in the unprocessed specimen were similar to sperm motion characteristics in the processed group.
Consumption of fortified infant foods reduces dietary diversity but has a positive effect on subsequent growth in infants from Sumedang district, Indonesia

Stunting and underweight among under-five children in Indonesia are common, raising public health concerns. Whether inappropriate complementary feeding (CF) practices compromise optimal growth during late infancy in Indonesia is uncertain. Therefore we characterized and evaluated CF practices in Indonesian infants and investigated their relationship with subsequent growth. We enrolled breastfed infants at 6 months of age (n = 230); and followed them at 9 (n = 202) and 12 months of age (n = 190). We collected socio-demographic and anthropometric data and two-day in-home weighed food records. Relations between WHO CF indicators, sentinel foods, and energy and micronutrient intakes at 9 months and growth at 12 months were explored using multiple linear regression. Stunting and underweight increased from 15.8% and 4.4% at 6 months to 22.6% and 10.5% at 12 months, respectively. Median intakes of calcium, iron, zinc, and riboflavin were below WHO recommendations. Infants consuming fortified infant foods (FIFs) at 9 months had diets with a lower dietary diversity (DD) score (2.3 vs.3.0), energy density, median energy (250 vs. 310 kcal/d) and protein (6.5 vs. 9.1 g/d) intake than non-consumers (p<0.01), despite higher intakes of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C (p<0.001). Positive relations existed for 9-month consumption of iron-rich/iron fortified infant foods with length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) at 12 months (β = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.44; P = 0.04), and for fortified infant foods alone with both LAZ (β = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.48; P = 0.04) and weight-for-age Z-score (β = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.26; P = 0.02) at 12 months. The positive association of FIFs with subsequent growth may be attributed to their content of both powdered cow’s milk and multi-micronutrient fortificants. Nonetheless, mothers should not be encouraged to over-rely on FIFs as they reduce DD.
Source Apportionment of Airborne Particulate Matter for the Speciation Trends Network Site in Cleveland, OH

Abstract Aerosol composition data from the Speciation Trends Network (STN) site (East 14th Street) in Cleveland, OH, were analyzed by advanced receptor model methods for source apportionment as well as by the standard positive matrix factorization (PMF) using PMF2. These different models are used in combination to test model limitations. These data were 24-hr average mass concentrations and compositions obtained for samples taken every third day from 2001 to 2003. The Multilinear Engine (ME) was used to solve an expanded model to estimate the source profiles and source contributions and also to investigate the wind speed, wind direction, time-of-day, weekend/weekday, and seasonal effects. PMF2 was applied to the same data-set. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) and conditional probability function (CPF) analyses were used to locate the regional and local sources using the resolved source contributions and appropriate meteorological data. Very little difference was observed between the results of the expanded model and the PMF2 values for the profiles and source contribution time series. The identified sources were as ferrous smelter, secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, soil/combustion mixture, steel mill, traffic, wood smoke, and coal burning. The CPF analysis was useful in helping to identify local sources, whereas the PSCF results were only useful for regional source areas. Both of these analyses were more useful than the wind directional factor derived from the expanded factor analysis. However, the expanded analysis provided direct information on seasonality and day-of-week behavior of the sources.
Estimation of benchmark dose for renal dysfunction in a cadmium non‐polluted area in Japan

Previously, the association between urinary cadmium (Cd) concentration and indicators of renal dysfunction, including β2‐microglobulin (β2‐MG), total protein and N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG) were investigated in 1270 inhabitants ≥ 50 years of age (547 men, 723 women) in a Cd non‐polluted area in Japan and showed that a dose‐response relationship existed between renal effects and Cd exposure in the general environment without any known Cd pollution. However, the threshold levels of urinary Cd could not be estimated at that time. In the present study, the threshold levels of urinary Cd were estimated as the benchmark dose low (BMDL) using the benchmark dose (BMD) approach. Urinary Cd excretion was divided into 6–7 categories, and an abnormality rate was calculated for each. Cut‐off values for urinary substances were defined as corresponding to the 84% upper limit values, which were calculated from 2034 persons who had been living in the non‐polluted areas and did not smoke. Then the BMD and BMDL were calculated using a log‐logistic model. The values of BMD and BMDL for all urinary substances could be calculated. The BMDL for the 84% cut‐off value of β2‐MG, setting an abnormal value at 5%, was 2.0 µg g−1 creatinine (cr) in men and 1.6 µg g−1 cr in women. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the threshold level of urinary Cd could be estimated in people living in the general environment without any known Cd‐pollution in Japan, and the value was inferred to be almost the same as that in Belgium and Sweden. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of the Interplay between Stimulus Type and Timing in Explaining BCI-Illiteracy for Visual P300-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces

Visual P300-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) spellers enable communication or interaction with the environment by flashing elements in a matrix and exploiting consequent changes in end-user's brain activity. Despite research efforts, performance variability and BCI-illiteracy still are critical issues for real world applications. Moreover, there is a quite unaddressed kind of BCI-illiteracy, which becomes apparent when the same end-user operates BCI-spellers intended for different applications: our aim is to understand why some well performers can become BCI-illiterate depending on speller type. We manipulated stimulus type (factor STIM: either characters or icons), color (factor COLOR: white, green) and timing (factor SPEED: fast, slow). Each BCI session consisted of training (without feedback) and performance phase (with feedback), both in copy-spelling. For fast flashing spellers, we observed a performance worsening for white icon-speller. Our findings are consistent with existing results reported on end-users using identical white×fast spellers, indicating independence of worsening trend from users' group. The use of slow stimulation timing shed a new light on the perceptual and cognitive phenomena related to the use of a BCI-speller during both the training and the performance phase. We found a significant STIM main effect for the N1 component on Pz and PO7 during the training phase and on PO8 during the performance phase, whereas in both phases neither the STIM×COLOR interaction nor the COLOR main effect was statistically significant. After collapsing data for factor COLOR, it emerged a statistically significant modulation of N1 amplitude depending to the phase of BCI session: N1 was more negative for icons than for characters both on Pz and PO7 (training), whereas the opposite modulation was observed for PO8 (performance). Results indicate that both feedback and expertise with respect to the stimulus type can modulate the N1 component and that icons require more perceptual analysis. Therefore, fast flashing is likely to be more detrimental for end-users' performance in case of icon-spellers. In conclusion, the interplay between stimulus type and timing seems relevant for a satisfactory and efficient end-user's BCI-experience.
INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT BIOPARTICLES ON BED EXPANSION CHARACTERISTICS OF ANAEROBIC FLUIDIZED BED REACTORS

Bed expansion characteristics and predicting biofilm development and biomass hold-up in the anaerobic fluidized bed reactor were investigated. The treatability studies of brewery wastes were carried out in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor for a nine months period. The expansion and particle mixing characteristics of a fluidized bed containing different bioparticles is a complicated function of many variables, including hydrodynamics, support characteristics, and biofilm structures. The biological fluidized bed reactors have two types of bed expansion; the first is due to an increase of the superficial velocity and the second is due to the microbial growth in the bed. A new relationship for the porosity of the biological fluidized beds, was developed. Biofilm thickness and bed porosity increased rapidly in the upper part of the bed and the bioparticles become lighter than the clean particles with decreasing effective density. Most bioparticles in the anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) were ellipsoidal and the geometric mean diameters were considered as the characteristic diameter. Their surface roughness causes an increase in the drag force acting on the particle. Thus, the expansion coefficient increased from 3.44 to 3.64 as terminal settling velocity decreased from 6.99 to 4.29 cm/s. An almost linear relationship was observed between local porosity and biofilm thickness. The differences between the measured and calculated biomass concentrations varied in the range of 0.4 and 12% (average 4.6%) considering the results from the pilot-scale AFBR. The bed expansion rate of the AFBR, varied from 12.3 to 18.3% whereas, the expansion rate of the clean bed also found between 7.9 and 12.7%. Consequently, the bed expansion rate due to biofilm accumulation on the particles can be well described to vary between 4.4 and 5.6%.
100 Years of Occupational Safety Research: From Basic Protections and Work Analysis to a Multilevel View of Workplace Safety and Risk

Starting with initiatives dating back to the mid-1800s, we provide a high-level review of the key trends and developments in the application of applied psychology to the field of occupational safety. Factory laws, basic worker compensation, and research on accident proneness comprised much of the early work. Thus, early research and practice very much focused on the individual worker, the design of their work, and their basic protection. Gradually and over time, the focus began to navigate further into the organizational context. One of the early efforts to broaden beyond the individual worker was a significant focus on safety-related training during the middle of the 20th century. Toward the latter years of the 20th century and continuing the move from the individual worker to the broader organizational context, there was a significant increase in leadership and organizational climate (safety climate) research. Ultimately, this resulted in the development of a multilevel model of safety culture/climate. After discussing these trends, we identify key conclusions and opportunities for future research.
SPARC overexpression alters microRNA expression profiles involved in tumor progression

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine), a multicellular non-structural glycoprotein is known to be involved in multiple processes in various cancers. Previously, we reported that SPARC expression significantly impairs medulloblastoma tumor growth in vitro and in vivo and also alters chemo sensitivity. MicroRNAs are a class of post-transcriptional gene regulators with critical functions in tumor progression. In addition, microRNA (miRNA) expression changes are also involved in chemo-resistance. Herein, we assessed microRNA (miRNA) profiling to identify the functional network and biological pathways altered in SPARC-overexpressed medulloblastoma cells. A total of 27 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between the control and SPARC-overexpressed samples. Potential messenger RNA (mRNA) targets of the differentially expressed miRNA were identified using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Network-based functional analyses were performed on the available human protein interaction and miRNA-gene association data to highlight versatile miRNAs among the significantly deregulated miRNAs using the IPA, and the biological pathway analysis using the PANTHER web-based tool. We have identified six miRNAs (miR-125b1*, miR-146a-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-204-5p, miR-219-5p and miR-509-3p) that are associated with SPARC sensitivity by comparison of miRNA expression patterns from the SPARC treated cells with the control cells. Furthermore, pathway enrichment analysis outline that these six microRNAs mainly belong to biological processes related to cancer related signaling pathways. Collectively, these studies have the potential to indicate novel biomarkers for treatment response and can also be applied to develop novel therapeutic treatment for medulloblastoma.
High spectral purity laser characterization with a self-heterodyne frequency discriminator

The performance of a delay line discriminator dedicated to the characterization of high spectral purity lasers is investigated. The system noise floor is obtained using a symmetrical delay. The vibrations are one of the main problems with this approach at the low frequency offsets. However, the system is able to characterize commercially available narrow linewidth lasers, such as external cavity lasers and fiber lasers.
Expression of NMDA receptor NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunit mRNAs during development of the human hippocampal formation

The N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor plays a critical role in the formation and maintenance of synapses during brain development. In the rodent, changes in subunit expression and assembly of the heteromeric receptor complex accompany these maturational processes. However, little is known about N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor subunit expression during human brain development. We used in situ hybridization to examine the distribution and relative abundance of NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunit messenger ribonucleic acids in the hippocampal formation and adjacent cortex of 34 human subjects at five stages of life (neonate, infant, adolescent, young adult and adult). At all ages, the three messenger ribonucleic acids were expressed in all subfields, predominantly by pyramidal neurons, granule cells and polymorphic hilar cells. However, their abundance varied across ontogeny. Levels of NR1 messenger ribonucleic acid in CA4, CA3 and CA2 subfields were significantly lower in the neonate than all other age groups. In the dentate gyrus, subiculum and parahippocampal gyrus, NR2B messenger ribonucleic acid levels were higher in the neonate than in older age groups. NR2A messenger ribonucleic acid levels remained constant, leading to an age‐related increase in NR2A/2B transcript ratio. We conclude that N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor subunit messenger ribonucleic acids are differentially expressed during postnatal development of the human hippocampus, with a pattern similar but not identical to that seen in the rodent. Changes in subunit composition may thus contribute to maturational differences in human hippocampal N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor function, and to their role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Transcription of INO2 and INO4 is regulated by the state of protein N-myristoylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Inositol regulates transcription of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes required for de novo synthesis of acylCoAs and phospholipids. Removal of inositol results in transcriptional activation by heterodimeric complexes of two bHLH proteins, Ino2p and Ino4p. In the presence of inositol, transcription is repressed by Opi1p. MyristoylCoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (Nmt1p) is an essential enzyme whose activity is influenced by cellular myristoylCoA pool size and availability. nmt451Dp contains a Gly451-->Asp substitution that produces temperature-dependent reductions in affinity for myristoylCoA and associated reductions in acylation of cellular N-myristoylproteins. The conditional lethality produced by nmt1-451D is rescued at temperatures up to 33 degreesC by withdrawal of inositol. We tested the hypothesis that N-myristoylproteins function to regulate INO2, INO4 and/or OPI1 transcription, thereby affecting the expression of inositol-sensitive genes that influence myristoylCoA metabolism. The effect of nmt1-451D on INO2 , INO4 and OPI1 promoter activities was examined by introducing episomes, containing their 5' non-transcribed domains linked to reporters, into isogenic NMT1 and nmt1-451D cells. The activity of INO2 is significantly higher, INO4 significantly lower and OPI1 unaffected in nmt1-451D cells, both in the presence and absence of inositol. These changes are associated with a net increase in expression of some inositol target genes, including FAS1 . FAS1 encodes one of the subunits of the fatty acid synthase complex that catalyzes de novo acylCoA (including myristoylCoA) biosynthesis. Augmented expression of FAS1 overcomes the kinetic defects in nmt451Dp. FAS1 expression is Ino2p-dependent in NMT1 cells at 24-33 degreesC. In contrast, FAS1 expression becomes Ino2p-independent in nmt1-451D cells at temperatures where efficient acylation of cellular N-myristoylproteins is jeopardized. The ability to maintain expression of FAS1 in nmt1-451Dino2 Delta cells suggests the existence of another transcription factor, or factors, whose expression/activity is inversely related to overall levels of cellular protein N-myristoy-lation. This factor is not functionally identical to Ino2p since other inositol-responsive genes (e.g. CHO1 ) maintain INO2 -dependent expression in nmt1-451D cells.
Analysis of Factor Influencing the Tablet Acceptance for Library Information Services: A Combination of UTAUT and TTF Model

Increasingly, powerful mobile technology, like the tablet, empowers learners to seek information in mobile learning scenarios virtually anywhere and anytime. It is important for the academic library to look at how students use their tablets for library information seeking tasks to fully understand the nature of the patron's task and the need for the tablet. This study investigates the function of mobile technology based on the information seeking task, with particular reference to the appropriateness of tablet characteristics for the information seeking task in a library online database, downloading and reading from the screen, the effect of the patron's perception on their behavioural intention (BI) to use the tablet, and a measure of the patron's acceptance. Adapting the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model requires re-specification to suit a specific information system. The re-specific model introduces new constructs and new measuring instruments. New constructs were used for exogenous predictors of the UTAUT variables as well as including integration variables namely technology characteristics and task characteristics that were explicitly contained in the task-technology fit (TTF) model. These extensions and integrations of UTAUT have been valuable in expanding our understanding of technology adoption and extending the boundaries of the theory. Our research found that TTF and performance expectancy (PE) have a direct effect on actual use (AU). In addition, we also found a significant effect of the TTF on PE which in turn influences BI to accept the tablet for library information seeking tasks. This shows the importance of TTF. Besides, the results showed that interaction with library search systems revealed the strongest effect among the exogenous variables, which ultimately determines the AU of the tablet for library information seeking tasks.
Ozone Increases Airway Hyperreactivity and Mucus Hyperproduction in Mice Previously Exposed to Allergen

Acute exacerbations of asthma represent a common clinical problem with major economic impact. Air pollutants including ozone have been shown to contribute to asthma exacerbation, but the mechanisms underlying ozone-induced asthma exacerbation are only partially understood. The present study aimed to develop a mouse model to gain insight into the development of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine (MCh) in mice after exposure to both allergen and ozone. Mice were exposed for 20 min per day for 10 consecutive days to an aerosol of 1% ovalbumin (OVA) or saline followed by a single 3-h exposure to clean air or 100, 250, or 500 ppb ozone. Ozone induced AHR in mice previously exposed to OVA when compared to non-exposed (saline) control mice. After a 10-d exposure to OVA, a single exposure to a low (100 ppb) ozone concentration was sufficient to induce AHR. The AHR response was associated with goblet-cell metaplasia. Even the lowest concentration of ozone tested, 100 ppb, which may be exceeded in urban environments and in the workplace, resulted in a significant increase in AHR, most prominent 24 h after exposure in the OVA-exposed mice.